Do you know the expression "Marlezon ballet"? What it is? Is this a real work of theatrical art, or does the phrase have nothing to do with the choreographic production? Let's try to figure it out.
Flower?!
Of course, if you breed senpolis, then for you, perhaps, the Marlezon ballet is a violet, or rather a seedling of an uzambar violet, bred by Russian breeder Konstantin Morev. Pink-bodied fluffy miracle with a double cherry-white edging. However, for the rest of the population (not gardeners), this phrase means something completely different.
Blackbird Ballet
The French word “merlaison” is not a geographical name, but a neologism invented in the 17th century by King Louis XIII the Fair. This is the same monarch who later (contrary to historical truth) Alexander Dumas portrayed a weak-willed and spineless ruler under Cardinal Richelieu. Louis XIII was musically gifted, composed songs, drew and danced beautifully, and even became the author of the work, which, in fact, is discussed here. The king called the play “Le ballet de la Merlaison” - “Marlezon Ballet”. What did this mean in the literal translation from French?
Literally - "Ballet about the hunt for blackbirds" or "Ballet of the blackbird." Yes, it turns out that such small black birdies have been hunted with pleasure since antiquity. They say that the meat of these birds is unusually tasty. His great connoisseur was Louis XIII. Together with his friends, the king carried out the first production of the play, which was demonstrated at the Pancake Week in the magnificent Chantilly castle near Paris. The premiere took place in 1635, March 15. Two days later, the performance was shown again - in the Catholic abbey Royomon.
Europeans saw in the play their subtext. Two lines were skillfully intertwined in the plot: a direct “declaration of love” to the
blackbird hunt (which Louis adored) and a hidden message from the king’s new lover - Louise de Lafayette. In 16 acts of the play there was an erotic connotation. Moreover, contemporaries saw in it a political motive, because in those days ballet was a form of conversation about current events.
Incidentally, today on the posters you can find the name "Marlezon Ballet." What does it mean? The fact is that four centuries after the creation of a multifaceted performance, the production was resumed. In 2011, the French company "Gloss of Muses", which is engaged in the study and restoration of works of art from the Baroque era, reconstructed the play. Enthusiasts tried to reproduce authentic music and choreography as accurately as possible. So today you can buy a DVD called Marlezon's Ballet. What kind of play it is, you can find out, as they say, "from the original source."
Marlezon ballet in Russian
However, for any Russian-speaking person, its name has long been a household name. “Yes, this is some second act of Marlezon ballet!” - we exclaim, sometimes not realizing what the etymology of this expression is. Meanwhile, the catch phrase has become fixed in our language thanks to the cult Soviet film “D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers”. There was no such scene in the book, therefore the aphorism has a purely domestic origin and existence. So, in the Paris City Hall is a ball. “The second part of the Marlezon Ballet!” - the master announces the ceremony and then falls, knocked down by a young Gascon who burst onto the stairs, who arrived with pendants for the queen.
Thus, this expression began to mean a sharp turn of events: sometimes leading to comic consequences, sometimes simply unexpected. Something that interrupts the measured course of life, its usual course and turns a solemn, ceremonial action into a mess, confusion, chaos. Unfortunately, sometimes there is a substitution of concepts, and the very expression "Marlezon ballet" becomes a synonym for boredom and tyagomotin, although in fact it is an incredibly beautiful piece of music.