You can listen to the music here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNGVgEOy5GcV. Gavrilin shared the impressions in his interview for the newspaper «Trud» of August 14,1986: «My relations with the ballet were curious and unprecedented... I suddenly discovered to have long creating ballet music, the more as it embodied Chekhov's personages! However, it doesn't seem surprising, for Chekhov is my favourite writer. I use to re-read him every year. His personages are distinct for vulnerability, unprotectedness, special delicacy. They suffer of unreciprocated love, lucid melancholy and hatred towards vulgarity. I tried to reflect these states in my music.Among the good references got by this work I should like to mark the one, uttered by critics and ballet-masters, who called my music effective on the stage, where it gives plenty of play to producers and dramatists. It looks like my main aesthetic credo's approval, for I'm always eager to expose a man's state of mind through the sounds».Libretto:The small country town, where there lives the teacher Pyotr Leontyevich. Being a widower he has three children: the grown-up daughter Anyuta and two sons in their teens, Petya and Andryusha.Missing his untimely deceased wife, Pyotr Leontiyevich turns to a drunkard. The brown jug of vodka becomes his comforter.The old official Modest Alekseyevich asks the hand of Anna Petrovna. She agrees to become his wife, believing her life to be changed from the half-starving boredom to the brilliant welfare. She is willing to rescue her family from poverty.Anyuta has to part with her first love — the poor student, for the mansion of Modest Alekseyevich is awaiting her. Very soon she realizes the situation. Her dreams had nothing in common with the greedy, stingy spouse, being indifferent both to his wife and her family.The Christmas ball, where Anyuta dances, taking the present men s breath by her youth, wit and beauty.Everybody tries to catch fancy of Modest Petrovich s wife. Anyuta is put to pedestal by such important persons as the nobleman Artynov, the officers and His Excellency himself. They try to please her. She feels crazy of such a success.Being the flavour of month Anyuta forgets everything connecting her with the former life — the poor student, her father, turning to a limp drunkard, and orphans-brothers, leading semi-starvation. Meanwhile, her disgustable, stupid unmovable husband seems less irritating for her.Modest Petrovich discovers immediately the profit caused by his wife s virtues. Hence Anyuta s liasons are getting encouraged by her prosperous husband.Nothing is so vital for him as his career and social position. The desired dream comes true for Modest Petrovich: he is awarded the StAnna Order. However, the «loving» spouse goes on his impatient expectations of new favours from Anyuta s patrons.Pyotr Leontyevich is declared insolvent. His bare property is distrained. Thus Anyuta s father and two young brothers occur to be banned outdoors on the New Year night.
