The tale of how Matvei defeated Fire Evil

On November 13, 2021, the 11th National Rite of Spring Award competition was held to great acclaim. The highlight of this important evening was the gala concert performance of "The Tale of How Matvey Conquered the Fire Evil"—a large-scale production based on Russian folk epics set to music by the eminent composers Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin and Igor Stravinsky.

The adventures of Matvey and Yegorka. The Fire Evil flies across the world, burning the harvests of peaceful villages. One day, it carries off Matvey's mother, Nastasya. The brave young man, along with his friend Yegorka, sets out to rescue Nastasya. In search of the Fire Evil, Matvey undergoes a path of spiritual growth, becomes worthy of his father's sword, and frees the villagers from the Fire Evil's scourge.

The gala performance featured nine of the finest dance companies, winners of the 10th anniversary "Rite of Spring" competition: the Exiton variety ballet from Ulyanovsk, the "Children of Magnitka" vocal and choreographic studio from Magnitogorsk, the "Shkolnye Gody" folk ensemble from Moscow, the "Zadumka" children's musical theater from Samara, the "Karcha" vocal and choreographic ensemble from Cherkessk, the "Viktoria" variety and sports dance ensemble from Neftekamsk, the "Alisa" show ballet from Kerch, the "Nutcracker" music and dance theater from Orenburg, and the "Ulybka" dance ensemble from Yekaterinburg.

The performance featured:

Ilze Liepa,

Ekaterina Strizhenova,

Alexander Strizhenov,

Sergey Druzyak.

Screenwriter: Andrey Tupikov

Director: Svetlana Zemlyakov

Producer: Ilze Liepa

Moscow State Academic Theater "Russian Song," Moscow, November 13, 2021