Red and black

SYNOPSIS

Red and Black
ballet in three acts based on Stendhal's novel

PROLOGUE
jelly

Julien's inner world. Influences, aspirations.
Expanding Universe. Fundamental cosmic matter in constant transformation. The birth of an archetype: a man, a destiny called Julien. Spiritual energy and inner universe populated by the image of other people whose destinies will mark their evolution. Love and death, life and death. The primordial darkness and the redshift of the universe. Darkness and light. Military glory or ecclesiastical authority.

ACT I
Table I: A little town called Verrières (French Dance; Promenade; Soldiers' March I; Girls' Dance; Soldiers' March II)
On the Road of Faith, the name given to the public promenade, walk soldiers, young theologians, as well as important people of the small town of Verrières: Monsieur de Rênal (the mayor of the town), with his wife and their three sons, Valenod (his rival of Rênal, director of the poor establishment, who aspires to the post of mayor and who once courted Madame de Rênal), etc. Father Chélan, the old parish priest of the land, recommends Julien Sorel to the mayor as a good Latin scholar, worthy of being the preceptor of his children.

Table II: A father and a son (Quarrel; Bargaining; Beating)
Julien Sorel is the son of a woodworker from Verrières. Orphaned by his mother, despised by his father and his brothers for his inclination towards learning, Julien lives in the imaginary world of his heroes. He dreams of the glory of a military career, like that of his hero Napoleon, or of the authority acquired through ecclesiastical garb. The readings offered by the Major Surgeon, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, as well as the theological teachings received from Father Chélan deeply influence his destiny. Julien is treated brutally by his father and brothers. He is despised by them for his inclination towards learning and considered unfit for physical work. M. de Rênal proposes to old Sorel that Julien become his children's tutor. Bargaining takes place. On another plane, Julien sees Madame de Rênal passing on the promenade. After the departure of M. de Rênal, Julien is brutally beaten by his father and brothers. Old man Sorel suddenly throws Julien into the water the book about Napoleon, which he was reading with passion: The Memorial of Saint Helena.

Table III: The Church
Before leaving for Lord de Rênal's house, Julien, beaten and humiliated, takes refuge in the church. Left alone, he prays in the church chapel. He finds on the desk of the pew a printed paper on which was written: Details on the execution and on the last moments of Louis Jenrel, executed in Besançon on the date of.... Disturbed by the similarity of the ending of the name, Julien has tragic premonitions and thinks he sees blood near the bedside table. The illusion of entering Julien's inner universe is created again, through the appearance of his mother's ghost and the group of imaginary characters from the prologue. Ashamed of his secret fear, he retreats and orders himself in a heroic elan: To arms!

ACT II
Table I: The Mayor's House (The Meeting; The Mayor's Family-Passacaglia)
Julien apprehensively approached the mayor's house, holding a book under his arm - teaching remaining his only moral support. Madame de Rênal sees Julien, whose beauty and purity moves her. She is happy that such a sensitive and delicate man will gently take care of his children. Julien, for his part, is charmed by the beauty and naturalness of Madame de Rênal and promises her that she will not harm the children. Encouraged by his gentleness, Julien dares to kiss his hand. Monsieur de Rênal and his three children are delighted with Julien. The fame of Julien's amazing knowledge of Latin spreads throughout the city. The petty bourgeois of Verrières come to the mayor's house to see the "miracle". Julien impresses by reciting from memory, in Latin, any verse from the Bible. The young man thus obtains the first victory over the society he wants to defeat by his own forces. He earns the title of "gentleman" on this occasion.

Table II: Vergy (Vergy; Remorse; Devotion; The Anonymous Letter)
The family moves for a while to the countryside, to a mansion with orchards in Vergy. In love with Julien, Madame de Rênal experiences moments of ecstasy in his presence. Accompanied by her friend, Derville, Madame de Rênal lets herself be enchanted by the erotic game initiated by Julien. He is disturbed by the nobility and warmth of the soul of Madame de Rênal, but, unable to forget his social condition, he does not allow himself to give in to his feelings. To conquer Madame de Rênal becomes a duty of conscience, and at the same time, a new victory over one's condition and over society. Caught in his own trap, Julien falls in love with Madame de Rênal. The clock strikes 2 in the morning. Although still playing the role of the conqueror, Julien is overwhelmed by the love of Madame de Rênal, falling madly in love. Madame de Rênal is overcome with remorse, blaming herself for the illness of little Stanislas. Julien shows his devotion to Madame de Rênal. Mr. de Rênal receives an anonymous letter denouncing the love affair between Julien and his wife. The letter was sent by his enemy, Valenod, and Madame de Rênal's chambermaid, Elise. Julien is forced to leave the town of Verrières and, with the support of Father Chélan, goes to the seminary in Besançon.

Table III: The Seminary of Besançon
Julien lives in meditation and austerity. He meets Father Pirard, who becomes his mentor and protector. The grand vicar Frilair's intrigues cause Father Pirard and his protégé to go to Paris. Julien becomes secretary to the Marquis de la Mole, peer of France.

ACT III
Table I: The Parisian Aristocracy (Ball; Dance of Seduction; Single)
Ball at Mr. de Retz's palace. Julien confronts the Parisian aristocracy. Circumspect and proud, he behaves cold and distant, although the Marquis de La Mole's family shows him respect and even admiration. Mathilde, the marquis's daughter, very intelligent and cultured, dreams of passions and heroism, like her idols, Queen Margaret of Navarre and Boniface de La Mole. She is bored by the young aristocrats, uninteresting and lacking in exceptional virtues, as are the heroes of the books she secretly reads. In this context, Julien seems worthy of her love. Loving Julien only for his qualities and not for his rank, Mathilde would face society and rise to the height of the heroes in the books she secretly reads. Mathilde lures Julien into a game of seduction, becomes his mistress, after which she leaves him. Julien suffers the humiliation of being abandoned by such a haughty being as Mathilde. The memory of his mother overwhelms him. He feels lonely and unhappy.

Table II: The Game of Letters (Korasoff; Passion-Tango; Mme Férvaques)
Prince Korasoff advises Julien to pretend to be in love with Madame Marshal de Férvaques in order to win back Mathilde. He gives her 53 ready-made love letters that Julien can send to Madame Marshal de Férvaques. Following the advice of his friend, Prince Korasoff, Julien plays the role of being in love with Madame Marshal de Férvaques, showing, at the same time, total indifference to Mathilde. Defeated, she confesses her love to Julien. Mathilde writes to his father that she is determined to marry Julien.

Table III: Revenge (Scandal; The Garrison; Madame de Rênal's Letter; Bells)
The Marquis de La Mole is scandalized by the decision of the two to marry against social conventions. In order to make him worthy of his daughter's hand, he decides to send Julien as a lieutenant of hussars to the army, to Strassbourg and owns him. Dizzy with the glory of having become a hussars lieutenant, Julien only thinks about his future career. When, finally, the wedding with Mathilde had been decided, a letter signed by Madame de Rênal denounced Julien as an unscrupulous seducer, eager for success. With the thought of revenge, Julien returns to Verrières and shoots Madame de Rênal in the church, during the service. He is arrested.

EPILOGUE
the prison; Judgment; Last meeting; Execution; The death of Madame de Rênal
Julien spends moments in prison meditating on his destiny, feeling defeated. He is destroyed at the thought that he killed Mrs. Rênal, the only being who loved him and who deserved his love. Mathilde tries to get him to ask for an appeal and appeals to the clemency of the great judges and even the king. Julien is hardened in his decision to die and not only does not appeal, but, at the trial, pleads for his own guilt. Valenod, through various intrigues, has a decisive role in Julien's death sentence. Recovered from the gunshot wound, Madame de Rênal, to Julien's surprise and happiness, visits him in prison to forgive him. The love of the two is reborn stronger than ever, but overshadowed by the pain of the impending separation. Julien realizes that his love for Madame de Rênal was the only truly important thing in his life. Julien is beheaded. Mathilde takes Julien's head to be buried in the mountains, as Margarete de Valois had done with her lover, Boniface de la Mole. Although she had promised Julien that she would not kill herself and that she would take care of his and Mathilde's child, Madame de Rênal could not survive more than a few days. She dies of pain, hugging her children.