Musical performance (drama) “The Ship Called Happiness”
13 February 2020
This year the organizers of the Festival “Energy of
Discoveries” decided to pay the closest attention to Leonid
Polovinkin’s works. An outstanding composer, one of the
leaders of the Russian musical avant-grade, Leonid Polovinkin
was extremely popular in the late 20s - early 30s of the last
century. His music was well-known both in Russia and abroad.
However, his own destiny and the destiny of his creative
heritage turned out to be tragic. The composer was not
repressed himself, but his music was. It just disappeared
from concert halls. Polovinkin was forced to change his
musical language and genre priorities completely, a lot of
his works found their place on archive shelves and stayed
there for decades - unknown, unpublished and often not even
performed.
Within the frames of the Festival “Energy of Discoveries”
Radio Orpheus and PJSC UNIPRO carried out painstaking work
aimed at finding and restoration of Leonid Polovinkin’s
unknown works. A CD was recorded by Symphony Orchestra of
Radio Orpheus conducted by Honored Artist of Russia Sergei
Kondrashev. Given unconditional historical and cultural value
of the musical material, the organizers made a decision not
to restrict themselves with the CD. The stage implementation
of Leonid Polovinkin’s music was given the title “The Ship
Called Happiness”.
About the performance
The authors of the idea referred to, probably, one of the
happiest periods in the composer’s life. In 1930s he worked
at the Moscow Children’s Theatre headed by Natalia Sats. They
fell head over heels in love. The performance is set on board
of the ship “Cape Arkona” on its long way from Hamburg to
Argentina. The lovers, famous composer and popular director,
are heading to the major international festival, where they
are expected to stage two operas at the theatre Colon. It is
the time of heady freedom, both personal and creative, when
the political intrigues and restrictions imposed by the
Soviet system are left behind. There is only the ocean, the
world of his own fantasies around and the beloved woman
nearby! Success awaited them in Argentina, but what awaited
them back at home? She was arrested as the wife of the enemy
of the people.....18 years of imprisonment and exiles. He was
struck out not of the profession only, he was struck out of
life - not noticed, not invited, not published, not
performed. They never met again.