The Bolt (Shostakovich)

The Bolt, Op. 27, was written by Dmitri Shostakovich between 1930 and 1931. It is a full-length ballet with three acts and seven scenes, with a libretto by Vladimir Smirnov. It was premiered on April 8, 1931, by the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Leningrad, and choreographed by Fyodor Lopukhov.

The ballet is an ironic tale of slovenly work in a Soviet factory. The lazy Lyonka hates work, and together with a local priest and anti-Soviet plotter, he plans to sabotage the machinery by putting a bolt in it. Their plan is foiled by a group of Young Communists.

To quote:

"The waspish and delightfully colourful score bowls along like a children’s cartoon-film, every number full of drama and parody and fine take-offs of serious and popular music of every kind. Among the highlights are the opening scene when the workers gather in the morning for their physical fitness class before hitting the conveyor belts, the appearance of pompous and opinionated officials and bureaucrats, a ridiculous church-going episode, and the exciting scene when the sabotage-conspiracy nearly succeeds and is only foiled at the last moment. There are also plenty of numbers which mimic the whirling and hammering sounds of modern factory machinery."

The first premiere was also its last for 74 years, as the audience jeered it and the critics upbraided it for its un-Soviet intentions. [1] Shostakovich subsequently put parts of it in his other music.

References

• McBurney, Gerard. Dmitri Shostakovich - The Bolt
• Brown, Ismene. (3 January 2005). Bolshoi's dazzling bolt from the blue.