Polovtsian Dances
The first dance, which uses no chorus and is sometimes omitted in concerts, is No. 8, entitled "Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens" ["Пляска половецких девушек"]: presto, 6/8, F major; it is placed directly after the "Chorus of the Polovtsian Maidens" which opens the act and is followed by "Konchakovna's Cavatina". Theme from No. 8
<score sound="1">\relative c{\key f \major \time 6/8 c4\p( bes8 a bes c bes a bes g a bes) a( g f g f e f e d d4) r8 \bar "||"}</score>
The dances proper appear at the end of the act as an uninterrupted single number in several contrasting sections, as in the following list. Basic themes are identified by letters in brackets (e.g. [a]) and illustrated in the notation below the list. "Themes from No. 17"
<score sound="1">\relative c{\key a \major \time 4/4 b8^"[a]"\p( cis d4) \times 2/3{fis8( e d} cis4) d8( cis16 b a4) r2 fis8( gis a4) \times 2/3{cis8( b a} gis4) a2 r2 \bar "||"}</score>
<score sound="1">\relative c{\key a \major \time 4/4 b,8-.\p^"[b]" b( fis'4)~fis8 e16( fis) \appoggiatura {d16[e]} d8( cis16 b) cis( d e8~)e4 e8( fis) \appoggiatura{cis16[d]} cis8( b16 a) fis8-. fis( b4~) b8( cis) \appoggiatura{b16[cis]} b8( a16 gis) a( gis fis8~)fis4 fis8 (gis a cis) \bar "||"}\layout{\context{\Score
\override NonMusicalPaperColumn.line-break-permission = ##f
\override NonMusicalPaperColumn.page-break-permission = ##f}}</score>
<score sound="1">\relative c{\key f \major \time 4/4 g8-.\p^"[c]" g8->~g16( a bes8) bes16( c bes a) a( bes a g) f8-. f->~f16( g f e) e( f e ees) d( ees e f) \break g8-. g->~g16( a bes8) bes16( c bes a) a( bes a g) f8-. f->~f16( g f ees) des( ees des c) bes( c des f) \bar "||"}\layout{\context{\Score
\override NonMusicalPaperColumn.line-break-permission = ##f
\override NonMusicalPaperColumn.page-break-permission = ##f}}</score>
<score sound="1">\relative c{\key d \major \time 3/4 r4\ff^"[d]" a,->( b8) r r4 b->( cis8) r r4 cis->( d8) r r4 d->( e8) r r4 fis4.->( g8) g( fis) fis( eis) eis( e) e( dis) dis( d) d( cis) cis\trill( b) b4-. b-. \bar "||"}</score>
<score sound="1">\relative c"{\key f \major \time 6/8 «{r8^"[e]" r a(\p e'4.->)~ e2.~e8 r e( g4->) e8( g4->) e8( g4->) e8( a,->)}\\{\hideNotes r2. \unHideNotes r8 c (e d c bes a) r r d,-> r r c-> r r bes-> r4 a8->}» \bar "||"}</score>
Notable instrumental solos include those for clarinet (in No. 8 and the Men's Dance [c]) and the oboe and English horn (in the Women's Dance [b]). The text of the first stanza of this particular section in the opera is given below. <poem lang="ru" style="float:left;">
Невольницы:
Улетай на крыльях ветра
Ты в край родной, родная песня наша,
Туда, где мы тебя свободно пели,
Где было так привольно нам с тобою. Там, под знойным небом,
Негой воздух полон,
Там под говор моря
Дремлют горы в облаках;
Там так ярко солнце светит,
Родные горы светом заливая,
В долинах пышно розы расцветают,
И соловьи поют в лесах зеленых,
И сладкий виноград растет. Там тебе привольней, песня,
Ты туда и улетай. Половцы:
Пойте песни славы хану! Пой!
Славьте силу, дочесть хана! Славь!
Славен хан! Хан!
Славен он, хан наш!
Блеском славы
Солнцу равен хан! Нету равных славой хану! Нет!
Чаги хана славят хана. Хана своего.</poem>
<poem style="margin-left:2em; float:left;">
Nevolnitsy:
Uletay na krylyakh vetra
Ty v kraj rodnoy, rodnaya pesnya nasha,
Tuda, gde my tebya svobodno peli,
Gde bylo tak privolno nam s tobyu. Tam, pod znoynym nebom,
Negoy vozdukh polon,
Tam pod govor morya
Dremlut gory v oblakakh;
Tam tak yarko solntse svetit,
Rodnyye gory svetom zalivaya,
V dolinakh pyshno rozy rastsvetayut,
I solovyi poyut v lesakh zelyonykh,
I sladkiy vinograd rastyot. Tam tebe privolney, pesnya,
Ty tuda i uletay. Polovtsy
Poyte pesni slavy khanu! Poy!
Slav'te silu, dochest' khana! Slav'!
Slaven khan! Khan!
Slaven on, khan nash! Bleskom slavy
Solntsu raven khan! Nyetu ravnykh slavoy khanu! Nyet! Chagi khana slavyat khana. Khana svoyego.</poem>
<poem style="margin-left:2em; float:left;">
Slavewomen:
Fly on the wings of the wind
To our native land, dear song of ours,
There, where we have sung you at liberty,
Where we felt so free in singing you. There, under the hot sky,
The air is full of bliss,
There to the sound of the sea
The mountains doze in the clouds;
There the sun shines so brightly,
Bathing the native mountains in light,
Splendid roses blossom in the valleys,
And nightingales sing in the green forests. And sweet grapes grow. You are free there, song,
Fly home,
Polovtsians
Sing songs of praise to the Khan! Sing! Praise the power and valor of the Khan! Praise the glorious Khan! He is glorious, our Khan! In the brilliance of his glory,
The Khan is equal to the sun! There is none equal to the Khan in glory, none!
The Khan female slaves praise the Khan,
Their Khan!</poem>
The English translation of the remaining is:
<poem>:Konchak [the Khan] Do you see the captives
From the distant sea;
Do you see my beauties,
From beyond the Caspian Sea?
Oh, tell me, friend,
Tell me just one word:
If you want to,
I will give you anyone of them. Polovtsians
Sing songs of praise to the Khan! Sing! Praised be his generosity, praised be his mercy! Praise him! To his enemies the Khan is merciless
He, our Khan! Who may equal the Khan in glory, who? In the brilliance of his glory,
He is equal to the sun! Our Khan, Khan Konchak, is equal In glory to his forefathers! The terrible Khan Konchak is equal
In glory to his forefathers! Glorious is our Khan Konchak!
Glory, glory!
All the Slaves
Polovtsians
Our Khan, Khan Konchak, is equal In glory to his forefathers! The grim Khan Konchak is equal
In glory to his forefathers! Glory, glory to Khan Konchak!
Khan Konchak!
With your dancing entertain the Khan,
Dance to entertain the Khan, slaves! Your Khan! Dance to entertain the Khan, slaves! Your Khan!
With your dancing entertain the Khan!
Entertain with dancing! Our Khan Konchak!</poem> As part of his first at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Sergei Diaghilev presented "Polovtsian Scenes and Dances", consisting of act 2 of "Prince Igor", with full orchestra and singers. The premiere took place on 18 May 1909. The choreography was by Michel Fokine and the sets and costumes were designed by Nicholas Roerich. In later seasons, without singers, the work was given as "The Polovtsian Dances". For the 1923 season, it was partly re-choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska. In 1971, the ballet was presented by choreographer Igor Moiseyev in the USSR Folk Dance Ensemble (Одноактный балет "Половецкие пляски". Балет Игоря Моисеева). It was premiered at the Palais des Sports at the Porte de Versailles in Paris; in Moscow, in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, in Leningrad and other cities of the USSR. The ballet was filmed. Themes from the Polovtsian Dances have been used widely in popular culture. The 1953 musical "Kismet" is mostly adapted from Borodin's music, including these dances. The most prominent example is the popular standard "Stranger in Paradise," adapted from the "Gliding Dance of the Maidens."
Analysis
The opera also has a "Polovtsian March" which opens act 3, and an overture at the start.