A.K. Lyadov "Fabulous Pictures": "Baba Yaga", "Magic Lake", "Kikimora": history, video, content

A.K. Lyadov "Fabulous Pictures": "Baba Yaga", "Magic Lake", "Kikimora"

Russian folk tales are familiar to many since childhood. For centuries, people have told good and moral stories filled with magic and fantasy to their children. Similarly, Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov endlessly admired folk folklore. In the hot summer days, he left Petersburg and went closer to the people in order to listen to folk songs and fairy tales. Creativity of the people and inspired to create a beautiful symphonic music "Fabulous pictures." Learn interesting facts about the writings, and much more can be on our page.

History of creation

1881 The entire teaching staff of the St. Petersburg Conservatory went on summer holidays. Lyadov went to his favorite place. There, where he could continue to do what he loved - collecting tales and folklore. In the village, he became acquainted with the original customs, listened to the shepherd tunes, rested in the lap of nature. In a relaxed atmosphere, Anatoly Konstantinovich could be more attentive to the works that he read. Then, for the first time, he was able to read The Tales of the Russian People, written by Sakharov. He was particularly impressed with the image of Baba Yaga. All summer was devoted to the search for materials about the evil forest keeper. Never before has a composer been so keen on his own work. But the summer passed unnoticed, and I had to return home again to start the new school year.

Only after more than twenty years in his own manuscripts, the writer found a long-forgotten record of the fabulous hero. In 1904 the score of the first work from the famous triptych was completely finished. The premiere was held in March of the same year in a concert of the symphony assembly. The conductor was the famous Felix Blumenfeld. The show was extremely successful. Critics later write that the essay shocked the audience to the depths of the soul.

The second work was also conceived in the 80s, but the dead center did not move until 1908. Then the composer decided to take materials from his own opera and finish the work begun. "Magic Lake" in his views should fully convey a fantastic atmosphere. This is an implicit mystery. Here time should freeze. Work on the orchestration began in the middle of 1908, this process did not drag on for a long time, so by the end of the year the musical picture was fully completed. For the first time, viewers were able to hear the creation in February next year at one of the most important symphonic concerts. Conductor N. Cherepnin brilliantly coped with the task, and the audience applauded the author, recognizing him as a real musical genius. The work became one of the favorite for the composer.

The third work of "Kikimora" was also written in 1909. The program basis of the essay can be considered the collection of Sakharov. In December, stood the first public performance. Managed the premiere A. Siloti. For the third time, as in a fairy tale, the audience was positively disposed and warmly welcomed the new work.

Interesting Facts

• The composer inspired a pond near Volynovka village to write the symphonic poem "The Magic Lake".
• An explicit program for the third work from the cycle is the book by I. Sakharov, which has the title “Tales of the Russian People”.
• At the time of writing the second play from “Fairy-tale Pictures”, the legend “Kalevala” from the Finnish folk epos was taken as a literary source.
• Creator was inspired by the colorful painting of Bilibin. Lyadov was especially impressed by the illustrations for the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful", where Baba Yaga, flying in a mortar, was on the first page. This was the main prototype of the image of the first symphonic miniature on a fantastic theme.
• The musician had artistic talent. During the composition, he created sketches of musical images visible to them. In the future, the writer often painted for his children, and funny drawings of mythological creatures hung all over the apartment where he lived with his family.
• Work on the works was slow, the reason was not in laziness or lack of desire, but in the fact that Anatoly Konstantinovich always sought to create a perfect work. Close friends noted that he never showed unfinished works, for he was a very shy person. Nevertheless, Lyadov always enthusiastically talked about already finished compositions, since he invested in them not only musical mastery and talent, but also all his infinite soul.
• The composer is a famous musical folklorist.
• The idea of ​​the composition of Baba Yaga was realized only 15 years after the composer was actively looking for materials relating to a fantastic character. It was typical for the usual creation of compositions.
• Lyadov used in the "Magic Lake" fragments of the unfinished opera "Zoryushka". Most of the material belongs to the scene with mermaids. The music was supposed to convey a special, mystical and mysterious mood characteristic of the underwater kingdom.
• Anatoly Konstantinovich was seriously fond of folklore, and not only Russian. He was read in the tales of other nations and revered the traditions of the ancient way of life.

Content of works

It should be noted that the author did not independently combine miniatures in one cycle. He was just interested in writing on folk stories. Nevertheless, musicologists combine works in one triptych, calling it "Fairy Tale Pictures". Each work has a program, and if the two extreme compositions depict the image of an evil character in Slavic mythology, then the average miniature is a landscape sketch of a mystical place. Let's take a closer look at each of the essays.

Baba yaga

Baba Yaga Lyadova is a collective musical image. The program of the work is an excerpt from the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful." This is the scene of the flight of the evil witch. One whistle and at the moment before it appears stupa. In a swirling whirlwind, an evil sorceress rises up. It is night on the street, every beast and man is afraid of evil power, hiding from her. Around the silence can only be heard as pomelo cuts the air around. So begins a new scary story with a happy ending.

Music fully demonstrates the image of Baba Yaga. The author himself confirmed the presence of a bright, specific image. The fantastic sound in this miniature was achieved by using a number of musical and expressive means:

• Whistling in unison string and wood-wind instruments;
• A large number of flageolets.
• Dynamics then escalates toff, it calms down pp.
• The abundance of common forms of movement: passages.
• Continuous rhythmic movement in various voices creates an atmosphere of tension.

The main character characterizes a separate topic. For her music is characterized not only angularity, but also the fickleness of the instruments. Interestingly, the theme is conducted first in the timbre of a low nasal bassoon, then a gloomy sound is achieved by using the bass clarinet, the English horn gives the most vivid and juicy sound to the theme. After the absolutely wild passages of the strings, demonstrating the flight of the witch, the theme comes at the xylophone. Gradually everything calms down. Once again, the day comes, Baba Yaga has long flown. Flutes sound softly against the background of a tremolo, and everything dissolves in the morning mist. Whether it was a dream or a reality no one will say. The main thing is that there is a fairy tale, while music is playing.

It cannot be denied that Lyadov was a true master of orchestration, because he managed to achieve maximum contact with the image.

"Baba Yaga" (listen)

Magical lake

Deep in the forest wilderness, where neither the beast nor the man walked, there is a lake. But not simple waters flow in it, but magic ones. Around silence. Only at night the moon and the stars are reflected in it. Barely the waves sway from the wind. Everything around is fantastic and fabulous. Everything freezes, time has stopped to admire the beauty of the surrounding nature.

The composer managed to achieve such a weightless atmosphere through the use of a variety of characteristic musical techniques:

• There are no specific topics;
• Transparency of harmony plays an important role;
• The texture is weightless;
• The coloring of the strings with the mutes recreates rustling;
• Light timbres: wood-wind, in particular flutes, harps, celesta;
• A large number of melismas: tremolo, trills;
• Calm dynamics are limited to pp before p;
• Barcarole rhythm (quarter and eighth).

The form is chosen three-part with a contrasting middle and is determined by the palm-related relationship. Tonality - Des-dur.

Orchestration is expressed in vivid images of images:

• The rustle of grass and the swaying of the waves - strings with a mute;
• Depth of water space - the remoteness of the extreme registers;
• The radiance of the starry sky - the ringing timbres of the harp and celesta.

"Magic Lake" is one of the peaks of the orchestral mastery of the composer.

"Magic Lake" (listen)

Kikimora

At the magician in the mountains of stone lives and grows Kikimora. Next to her, Bayun the cat tells her fairy tales unseen and unheard of. In the cradle of pure crystal, they rock and cherish Kikimora from morning till late evening. Seven years later, thin, black Kikimorka grows up and has a head with a thimble. And she screams and knocks on the whole forest. There is no peace from morning to night, from evening to morning, she screams in an inhuman voice. Fiercely angry at people and beasts.

The program is clearly divided into sections:

• Introduction. Chromatic broken movement in low wooden-wind instruments symbolizes the situation in a wonderful forest.
• The theme of the English horn is the lullaby of Bayun's cat.
• Celesta solo creates a cool sound of a crystal cradle that swings from morning to evening. Entry ends.
• Presto is the main section describing adult Kikimora. The main theme consists of the intonation elements of the introductory section. Forshlagi - this is the main sound element.
• Various metamorphosis themes in the main section are combined with a clear rhythmic pulsation.
• The climax is reflected by the thrashing motif.
• Conclusion Pizzicato low strings and mournful flute squeak.

The work is executed with a humorous tint characteristic of the work of Lyadov. Kikimora has a light slyly ironic character. Explicit grotesque brings with the scherzo genre. The author uses many expressive techniques to emphasize the irony over the evil way:

• Shrieks and whims Kikimora - small flute, oboe, pipes with mutes;
• Jumps - wide intervals with forshlagami;
• Chromatic short topics;
• Altered harmonies;
• Increased triad - "sinister" image.
• Clicking xylophone.

All this makes fun of the image of the "evil" forest spirit. Lyadov sees no danger in him, Kikimora seems ridiculous and harmless to him. He perfectly managed to display all the weakness of the creature. Symphonic miniature "Kikimora" is a true masterpiece of domestic music.

"Fairy-tale pictures" of Lyadov are unusually colorful musical images. Music seems to send the listener to previously unknown regions, where all the famous characters, such as Baba Yaga and Kikimora, exist. Amazing miracles take place there at the shore of the magical lake. In a word, miniatures bring us back to childhood. While the symphonic pictures are playing, magic returns to the world.