Music by: M. Musorgsky
Libretto and choreography by: I. Moiseyev
The choreographic composition “Night on the Bald Mountain” is based on the works of Gogol, which are characterized by fantastic motives and a great number of fairytale situations.
The action takes place in one Ukrainian village. On hearing music young people are gathering to take part in the outdoor fete among them is Patzuk, the main character of the ballet. They start playing blind-man’s-buff. With a sack on his head Patzuk is to strike on the brass pan with a stick. He fails to do it and hits his friend. This makes everybody laugh at him.
The festivity opens with a solemn dance which is followed by the lyrical women’s dance “Katharine”, the Gipsy dance and the dance “Snowstorm”. It’s getting dark, the people are dispersing. Patzuk is left alone. Being drunk he falls as sleep. Suddenly his belly starts growing and a Devil gets out of it. Then other devils appear. They drag Patzuk to the Bald Mountain where evil spirits are celebrating their voitches’ sabbath. The witches are sweeping past on their brooms. The devils join them in their impetuous dance. The Main Devil and Koschei the Deathless are among their guests. Suddenly they notice Patzuk and start scoffing at him and make him dance with them. The clock strikes the time of the down. The evil spirits are weakening and slowly disappearing. Koschei is the last to leave. Scared to dearth Patzuk is again left alone.
It’s getting light. Patzuk wakes up and realized that it was just a horrible dream.
The last scene of the ballet is the meeting of two young people. Their pure love symbolized the triumph of the good over the evil.