About the work
Spartacus is a ballet in four acts by Aram Khachaturian, premiered in 1956 in Leningrad. The work tells the story of the eponymous gladiator who leads a slave revolt against the Roman Empire.
Plot
The Thracian gladiator Spartacus is captured and enslaved by the Romans together with his wife Phrygia. Forced to fight in the arena, Spartacus leads a revolt of the gladiators. The slaves win their freedom and Spartacus becomes their leader. The Roman general Crassus, whose courtesan Aegina spins intrigues, gathers his legions for a counterstrike. In the decisive battle Spartacus is betrayed and killed, but his sacrifice becomes a symbol of the struggle for freedom.
Cultural significance
Spartacus is one of the most popular Soviet ballets and Khachaturian's best-known stage work, especially the Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, which became world-famous through the television series "The Onedin Line". The ballet combines heroic pathos with lyrical tenderness and is a standard work of the Russian ballet repertoire.