The ballet YELL (“KRIK”) rehearsals to start at the Odessa Opera

Odessa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet. April 15, 2014

The Odessa Ballet Company of the Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre has started rehearsals of the two-act ballet tragedy YELL («Krik») after the novel “Go to Golgotha” by an outstanding Soviet Russian philosopher Alexander ZINOVIEV.

The production team is international. Andrei MERKURIEV (in the photo), Laureate of the Golden Mask Prize, Honored Artist of Russia and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, a leading soloist of the Bolshoy Ballet has been invited as a Producing Choreographer. He is going to debut as choreographer in this work. Andrei MERKURIEV is going to dance the lead male part at the premiere nights.

The libretto author is the writer’s daughter Polina ZINOVIEV (France – Germany). Ursula BURGER, Costume Designer for the production, comes from Germany. Original ballet score in 18 scenes has been written by French composers Serge HOUPPIN and Erwin MELLEC with a Belgian composer Gérard VANDENBROUCQUE. On top of that, works by other composers, namely, Giovanni SOLLIMA (Italy), Max RIECHTER (The UK), Pēteris VASKS (Latvia) and Richard WAGNER (Germany), are used in the ballet.

The project coordinator and supervisor is Yuri VASYUCHENKO, Principal Choreographer of the Odessa Opera, Honoured Artist of Russia.

“There has never been a precedent before this choreographic adaptation so that the texts created by Alexander ZINOVIEV could sound as deep and meaningful as in the current production. (…) a content of the ballet-tragedy YELL is a dramatic search for the truth in life, an attempt to answer main philosophical questions of Genesis about sense of life, human being and loneliness. It is a revelation experience about the human fate tool which is the only true choice of the way to follow”, said Olga ZINOVIEVA, Head of Alexander Zinoviev Biography Institute.

The ballet YELL premieres have been scheduled on May 15, 16 and 18, 2014.

The ballet YELL (

YELL (“KRIK”) 

Music by Serge HOUPPIN, Gerard VANDENBROUCQUE, Erwan MELLEC, Giovanni SOLLIMA, Henri TORGUE, Max RICHTER, Pēteris VASKS, Richard WAGNER

Ballet in two acts

based on a novel by Alexander ZINOVIEV Go to Golgotha

Running time: 1 hour 30 min

Choreography by Andrei MERKURIEV, Honoured Artist of Russia and Honoured Artist of the Russian Republic of North Ossetia-Alania

Libretto by Polina ZINOVIEVA (France – Germany) and Andrei MERKURIEV

Stage designer and painter Polina ZINOVIEVA

Costume Design by Ursula BURGER (Germany)

Project supervisor is Yuri VASYUCHENKO, Honoured Artist of Russia