Ballet in two acts by Emile Tabakov
Libretto - Alexander Malchev

"Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story."
Mark Twain
"Why spoil a good story with the truth."
Woody Allen

ACTORS:

Kaliopa (Kaleopi Kalich)
Midhat Pasha - Walia of Tunawilaet
Maestro Liszt - guest of Valiata
Sabri Pasha - Deputy of the Valiya
Builder
Consuls of : Austria, Prussia, Russia, Italy, England, Belgium,
France, Netherlands, Greece, USA
Four Zaptiets
Three songbirds (guendi)
Two guards
Two sailors
Two fishermen

Place and time of the action: 1867-1868, Ruschuk

BRIEF CONTENT:

FIRST PICTURE

The square in front of the port of Ruschuk. It is full of small shops for bread, pottery, fish, abajjinitsa, inn, here is also the hotel "Islyakh inn". Customers and other passers-by walk past the stalls. In the distance you can see the Danube, where the ship Radetzky of the First Privileged Imperial and Royal Society of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is expected to appear soon. The ship is the pearl of Danube navigation, named after the great Austro-Hungarian military commander Field Marshal Joseph Wenceslaus Radetzky, about whom the great Johann Strauss father wrote "Radetzky March". From Radetzky would descend the musical greatness Liszt on his way to Russia. He was specially invited by the future Grand Vizier of Turkey, the Vali of Tunavilayet, the French graduate, Midhat Pasha, who was a great admirer of his.
Before the ship appears, tragicomic scenes are enacted on the square.
Calliope appears, accompanied by her gawazin. She stops in front of the various stalls and merchants who have come out to offer their various wares.
Two drunken sailors, who seem not to have paid for their pleasures, pop out of the inn's entrance and are now chased by three guendias and the inn's gawazin. The sailors, the gawazin and the guvendiyas get into a physical altercation, and the assembled crowd cheers on one "warring party" or the other.
Calliope has stepped aside, accompanied by the guardsman, and is curiously watching the goings-on in the square.
Two fishermen are coming from the harbour, pushing their cart with freshly caught fish. Seeing what is happening, they decide to help their friends, the sailors, who are visibly losing the battle. The quarrel grows - fish, shoes, clothes are thrown.
Taking advantage of the commotion, two thieves attack Calliope to take her purse and beautiful necklace. While the gawazine deals with one babait, the other has grabbed Kaliopa, trying to get his hands on the loot. Surprisingly, Kaliopa slaps him with all his strength, and manages to hit him with a fist with his other hand. The thief is startled, not expecting such a response, and lets go of Kaliopa. Freeing herself from her captor's grip, she runs without even looking where she is running to, but the captor doesn't give up and takes off after her.
Gendarmes' whistles are heard and four guards, led by Sabri Pasha, take the stage and begin to restore order. The Valiya of Rus', Midhat Pasha, steps forward. At that moment Sabri Pasha sees Kaliopa in distress and runs towards her. In her fright she neither hears nor sees anything, but manages to hit the attacker with her umbrella a few more times. Seeing the approaching grazer, the thieves quickly disappear, accompanied by the blows of the gawazin's bamboo stick. Sabri Pasha reaches out to grab Kaliopa by the arm, but she is so frightened that she swings her umbrella and manages to hit him on the arm before dropping her "weapon". Sabri Pasha reaches out to stop her again, but she brushes past him and he just follows her with a dreamy look. He bends down and retrieves her umbrella.
Running, Kaliopa pounces on Midhat Pasha and without seeing who she has bumped into, feeling hands laid gently on her, she curls up like a little child and he awkwardly has his hands on her shoulders. Reassured, she raises her eyes to her rescuer and freezes on the spot in embarrassment - she's in the arms of a Vali... Confused, she starts to pull away, but something inside her seems to want to stop her. Calliope slowly bends to bow, but his hands still won't let her go. Carefully, almost reluctantly, she pulls away from this unexpected embrace, and the Vali slowly releases his hands from her shaking shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. Calliope bows once more and hurriedly leaves, but before she is too far away she turns abruptly and sees that he is still looking at her. A little unsteadily, she bows again and almost runs off, accompanied by her gawazin.
The crowd is hushed, and at the moment when Midhat Pasha turns abruptly to face them all, some fall to the ground, while the more private citizens make a deep bow and join the retinue, which stands facing the Danube awaiting the ship.
The "Radetzky March" is heard, greeted with enthusiasm by the retinue and a slight commotion caused by the desire of everyone to find a suitable place next to the Valiata to meet the great Maestro.
Liszt comes off the ship, accompanied by loud applause. Midhat Pasha greets the Maestro and the two lead the retinue to the Islah Khan.

SECOND PICTURE

In front of "Islah Khan". Midhat Pasha, accompanied by his assistant Sabri Pasha and two guards stop at the entrance of the inn to welcome the guests who have been invited for the concert of the great pianist Liszt. The consuls enter with their wives, presenting themselves to the Vali, who greets them one after the other and invites them to enter the salon.
Midhat Pasha enters the inn after the last couple and leaves his deputy to welcome the remaining guests, the town princes with their wives and daughters.
In the lounge at the Islah Khan.
In the back is the piano on which he will play, the Maestro Liszt invited by Midhat Pasha and a ladies string sextet. The guests sit down on the chairs in two rows, Midhat Pasha enters last and takes his special place.
Liszt enters, is greeted with a standing ovation, and begins a riotous virtuoso variation in which he occasionally includes the ladies present, and towards the finale the gentlemen join in. The rapture is indescribable. The performance ends with a stormy applause from the audience.
List takes his place next to Midhat Pasha when it is the turn of the garrison music that has already entered the hall, whose subsequent performance is enjoyed by all the guests.
Midhat Pasha signals the "ball" to begin and invites the Austrian consul and his wife to open the ball to the sounds of everyone's favourite Viennese waltz. Midhat Pasha asks permission from the Prussian consul to ask his wife Kaliopa, who is by his side, to dance and calls for other couples to join in. They are followed by the couples of England, Russia, Italy, Belgium, France, Holland, Greece and the USA.
At one point, as they dance, a circle of people forms around Midhat Pasha and Kaliopa, and time seems to stand still just for them. Gradually the waltz turns into an adagio between the two with much tenderness and with barely concealed passion.
The gentle adagio gradually turns into a lively polka and Kaliopa is now dancing with her husband. Dancing, the couples walk past Midhat Pasha and List, who send them off.

Midhat Pasha and Kaliopa. The magic that is in their hearts drives them towards each other and as they search and drift apart, in an instant Kaliopa and Midhat are in front of each other. She snuggles into his arms as she did when they first met at the harbour, but this time not with fear but with joy and love in her eyes.

THIRD PICTURE

Midhat and Kaliopa are embraced on the grounds in front of Midhat Pasha's summer residence.
Midhat retires to the residence. Kaliopa remains alone with her dreams.
Sabri Pasha enters with the Builder, accompanied by two gawazis who are pulling a cart covered with canvas. Seeing Kaliopa dancing, he signals to the attendants to leave, before taking Kaliopa's umbrella from the hands of one of the guavas, which he carries to give back to her, and to boast about how he saved her in the square. He slowly approaches her and, so as not to startle her, gently pats her shoulder with the parasol. She turns abruptly and seeing him with the umbrella in his hand bursts into laughter. He laughs too and gradually takes her into a merry, playful dance with the umbrella. In laughter and banter Sabri gradually reduces the distance between them. At one point, Sabri Pasha attempts to hug her, but Kaliopa abruptly pushes him away and angrily rushes to leave. However, Pasha blocks her way and calls for the Builder, who appears, accompanied by the two guards with the cart.
The builder makes a deep bow to Kaliopa and displays the Sultan's ferman received for his services as court builder. He tells her of his dream that he should build a house - one in which he would incorporate all that he had seen and built in the lands of the empire and present it to the Valiya Midhat Pasha. At the end of his story, he lifts the canvas and the model of the house is seen. Intrigued by his story and what she sees, she imperiously turns to Sabri Pasha to ask the Vali on her behalf to come out and the Builder to tell him and show him her dream and her wish as well. He reluctantly does her bidding. The Builder makes a deep bow and shows the model to Midhat. After a brief hesitation and broken before Kaliopa's imploring gaze, Midhat gives his consent for the house to be erected.

FOURTH PICTURE

In the yard of the newly built house.
It's dusk. The sun has almost set, but its rays are reflected in the waters of the Danube. Kaliopa and Midhat are on the terrace in front of the house.
As Midhat and Kaliopa embrace, someone's shadow suddenly creeps in and someone shoots at Midhat. Kaliopa rushes after the shooter, but Midhat gently stops her because his guards are already leading the shooter - Sabri Pasha - dishevelled, shirtless, his eyes fixed squarely on Kaliopa - as if to tell her something. Sabri lowers his head, and the Valiya, with a slight, undisguised sneer in his gaze, slowly raises his head, stares viciously into his face, and even more slowly raises his right hand, slightly curled at the wrist. Sabri Pasha quickly grabs it with both hands and drops to a knee, bringing her forehead to his hand. The moment he touches his hand, Midhat pulls it away quickly and with disgust, turns abruptly and slowly walks back into the house. Kaliopa starts to go after him, but stops himself. She looks down at Sabri Pasha and quickly enters the house. Sabri Pasha is dejected, his outstretched hands clench and squeeze his head.

FIFTH PICTURE

A forest clearing where a large group of men had come out. These were the consuls and only a few women. Among them is Kaliopa with her husband. Midhat Pasha leads them on a bird hunt. To make the hunt safer, a few servants carry cages of pigeons. The servants open the baskets and start taking out snacks and spreading rugs on the ground.
Surprisingly, the American consul stamps his foot loudly and starts "narrating" his hunting exploits. Shortly after him, two other consuls jump up and claim their stories in turn, followed by three more, and after a brief hesitation, the remaining four consuls jump up as well. The heated hunters are engrossed in their stories and even fire their rifles, heated in their quarrels.
Sabri Pasha arrives with a group of guards leading an important Sultan's envoy, who makes his way to Midhat Pasha, drops to one knee and hands him an important Sultan's ferman placed in a leather tube sealed with several large seals. The pasha slowly breaks the seals and even more slowly removes the farman. Everyone is in great suspense and anticipation. Midhat Pasha slowly removes his right hand and the Sultan's envoy respectfully touches it to his forehead. Midhat Pasha is now the President of the Council of State, the new highest office of state after the recent reform of the Ottoman Empire. The guests rush to greet him properly, but he restrains them.
Midhat Pasha announces that he will give his new home to whoever kills one of the pigeons first and invites all the guests to start the hunt.
The shooting of the first four who try their luck is unsuccessful. In the second four there is also no luck. In the next four, Calliope is lined up. In the commotion, none of those present notice that her rifle has been replaced. She shoots last and the pigeon is shot down. Her joy is indescribable. The newly elected President of the Council of State solemnly hands her the key to the house.
In jokes and banter, the merry company leaves the clearing.

SIXTH PICTURE

From the house, which now belongs to Kaliopa, Midhat and Kaliopa emerge, tenderly embraced and saddened by their impending separation. It is as if time has stopped again for just the two of them who are aching to forget about what is to come - separation.

Everything seems to be against them. Midhat walks away, his eyes still fixed on Kaliopa. She remains alone.