The Golden Age (or Age of Gold) (Russian: Золотой век, "Zolotoi vek"), Op. 22, is a ballet in 3 acts, 6 scenes by Dmitri Shostakovich with libretto by Alexander Ivanovsky. It premiered in 1930 at the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Kirov Theatre).[1]
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The ballet is a satirical take on the political and cultural change in 1920's Europe. It follows a Soviet football team in a Western city where they come into contact with many politically incorrect bad characters (the Diva, the Fascist, the Agent Provocateur, the Negro and others). The team fall victim to match rigging, police harassment, and unjust imprisonment by the evil bourgeoisie. The team are freed from jail when the local workers overthrow their capitalist overlords and the ballet ends with a dance of solidarity between the workers and the football team.
Woodwinds: 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais), 3 clarinets (2nd doubling Eb clarinet, 3rd doubling bass clarinet), 2 saxophones, 2 bassoons (2nd doubling double bassoon)
Brass: 4 french horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, euphonium, tuba
Percussion: timpani, triangle, woodblock, tambourine, snare drums, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, xylophone, bayan (accordion), harmonium
Strings: violins, violas, cellos, double basses
Shostakovich extracted a suite from the ballet, Op. 22a. It has four movements:
He also arranged the Polka for solo piano (Op. 22b) and piano for four hands (Op. 22c), in 1935 and 1962 respectively.
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