The Polovtsian dances, or Polovetsian dances (Russian: Половецкие пляски, romanized: Polovetskie plyaski from the Russian "Polovtsy" – the name used by the Rus' for the Kipchaks and Cumans) form an exotic scene at the end of act 2 of Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor.
The opera remained unfinished when the composer died in 1887, although he had worked on it for more than a decade. A performing version was prepared by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov in 1890.[1] Several other versions, or "completions", of the opera have been made. The dances are performed with chorus and last between 11 and 14 minutes. They occur in act 1 or act 2, depending on which version of the opera is being used. Their music is popular and often given in concert as an orchestral showpiece, often with the choral parts omitted. The opera also has a "Polovtsian march" which opens act 3, and an overture at the start. When the dances are given in concert, a suite may be performed: Overture – "Polovtsian dances and march" from Prince Igor.
The first dance, which uses no chorus and is sometimes omitted in concerts, is No. 8, entitled "Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens" ["Пляска половецких девушек"]: presto, 6/8, F major; it is placed directly after the "Chorus of the Polovtsian Maidens" which opens the act and is followed by "Konchakovna's Cavatina".
The dances proper appear at the end of the act as an uninterrupted single number in several contrasting sections, as in the following list. Basic themes are identified by letters in brackets (e.g. [a]) and illustrated in the notation below the list.
No. 17, "Polovtsian Dance with Chorus"
[Половецкая пляска с хором tr. Polovetskaya plyaska s khorom]
[a] Introduction: Andantino, 4/4, A major
[b] Gliding Dance of the Maidens [Пляска девушек плавная]: Andantino, 4/4, F♯ minor
[c + a] Wild Dance of the Men [Пляска мужчин дикая]: Allegro vivo, 4/4, F major
[d] General Dance [Общая пляска]: Allegro, 3/4, D major
[e] Dance of the Boys [Пляска мальчиков] and 2nd Dance of the Men [Пляска мужчин]: Presto, 6/8, D minor
[b′ + e′] Gliding Dance of the Maidens (reprise, soon combined with the faster dancing of the boys): Moderato alla breve, 2/2, A major
[e″] Dance of the Boys and 2nd Dance of the Men (reprise): Presto, 6/8, D minor
[c′ + a″] General Dance: Allegro con spirito, 4/4, A major
Themes from No. 17
[a] Introduction: Andantino, 4/4, A major:
[b] Gliding Dance of the Maidens [Пляска девушек плавная]: Andantino, 4/4, F♯ minor:
[d] General Dance [Общая пляска]: Allegro, 3/4, D major:
[e] Dance of the Boys [Пляска мальчиков] and 2nd Dance of the Men [Пляска мужчин]: Presto, 6/8, D minor:
Lyrics
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Fly on the wings of the wind
To our native land, dear song of ours,
There, where we have sung you at liberty,
Where we felt so free in singing you.
Там, под знойным небом,
Негой воздух полон,
Там под говор моря
Дремлют горы в облаках;
Tam, pod znoynym nebom,
Negoy vozdukh polon,
Tam pod govor morya
Dremlut gory v oblakakh;
There, under the hot sky,
The air is full of bliss,
There to the sound of the sea
The mountains doze in the clouds;
Там так ярко солнце светит,
Родные горы светом заливая,
В долинах пышно розы расцветают,
И соловьи поют в лесах зеленых,
И сладкий виноград растет.
Там тебе привольней, песня,
Ты туда и улетай.
Tam tak yarko solntse svetit,
Rodnyye gory svetom zalivaya,
V dolinakh pyshno rozy rastsvetayut,
I solovyi poyut v lesakh zelyonykh,
I sladkiy vinograd rastyot.
Tam tebe privolney, pesnya,
Ty tuda i uletay.
There the sun shines so brightly,
Bathing the native mountains in light,
Splendid roses blossom in the valleys,
And nightingales sing in the green forests,
And sweet grapes grow.
Our Khan, Khan Konchak, is equal
In glory to his forefathers!
The grim Khan Konchak is equal
In glory to his forefathers!
Glory, glory to Khan Konchak!
Khan Konchak!
With your dancing entertain the Khan,
Dance to entertain the Khan, slaves!
Your Khan!
Dance to entertain the Khan, slaves!
Your Khan!
With your dancing entertain the Khan!
Entertain with dancing!
Our Khan Konchak!
Ballets Russes performances
As part of his first Saison Russe at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Sergei Diaghilev presented Polovtsian Scenes and Dances, consisting of act 2 of Prince Igor, with full orchestra and singers. The premiere took place on 18 May 1909. The choreography was by Michel Fokine and the sets and costumes were designed by Nicholas Roerich. In later seasons, without singers, the work was given as The Polovtsian Dances. For the 1923 season, it was partly re-choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska.[4]
In 1971, the ballet was presented by choreographer Igor Moiseyev in the USSR Folk Dance Ensemble (Одноактный балет "Половецкие пляски". Балет Игоря Моисеева). It was premiered at the Palais des Sports at the Porte de Versailles in Paris; in Moscow, in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, in Leningrad and other cities of the USSR. The ballet was filmed.[citation needed]
In popular culture
Themes from the Polovtsian Dances have been used widely in popular culture. The 1953 musical Kismet is mostly adapted from Borodin's music, including these dances. The most prominent example is the popular standard "Stranger in Paradise," adapted from the "Gliding Dance of the Maidens".
^ Russian Wikisource has original text related to this article: Князь Игорь (Бородин) / Либретто – Викитека – Displayed title trans: Prince Igor (Borodin) / libretto – Wikisource. Target file trans title: Prince Igor (Borodin) / libretto #№ 17 "Polots Dance with Chorus".
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