The Onion is an hour long ballet based on a parable from Dostoesvky’s “The Brothers Karamazov”. The ballet was premiered on May 3rd by the Confluence Ballet Company at Attack Theatre in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, it sold out all of its premiere performances. The music was performed by the Confluence Ensemble, which was founded to premiere this work and to continue to create new full length ballets with live music.
The text as it appears in The Brothers Karamazov:
Once upon a time there was a peasant woman and a very wicked woman she was. And she died and did not leave a single good deed behind. The devils caught her and plunged her into the lake of fire. So her guardian angel stood and wondered what good deed of hers he could remember to tell to God; ‘She once pulled up an onion in her garden,’ said he, ‘and gave it to a beggar woman.’ And God answered: ‘You take that onion then, hold it out to her in the lake, and let her take hold and be pulled out. And if you can pull her out of the lake, let her come to Paradise, but if the onion breaks, then the woman must stay where she is.’ The angel ran to the woman and held out the onion to her. ‘Come,’ said he, ‘catch hold and I’ll pull you out.’ He began cautiously pulling her out. He had just pulled her right out, when the other sinners in the lake, seeing how she was being drawn out, began catching hold of her so as to be pulled out with her. But she was a very wicked woman and she began kicking them. ‘I’m to be pulled out, not you. It’s my onion, not yours.’ As soon as she said that, the onion broke. And the woman fell into the lake and she is burning there to this day. So the angel wept and went away.
Composer’s note:
I chose this story because of its practical application to humanity, starting with myself. This story is where we are, unable to change ourselves because we are too proud to seek humility. This story is a tragedy, a tragedy that didn’t need to happen and so many of us are living the same tragedy.
Here is a recording of the onion from its premiere
Joshua Malavé 