Bogdanov-Berezovsky, V. V. The Sleeping Beauty (Spyashchaya krasavitsa). Music by P. I. Tchaikovsky, 1935. In Russian.

В. В. Богданов-Березовский.
Спящая красавица.
Музыка П. И. Чайковского.
Второе издание. Марка театра на обложке работы художника Л. С. Хижинского.
Ленинград: Ленинградский государственный академический театр оперы и балета имени С. М. Кирова, 1935.
27 с. ; 17 см. Мягкая издательская обложка. Уменьшенный формат.
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V. V. Bogdanov-Berezovsky.
The Sleeping Beauty.
Music by P. I. Tchaikovsky.
Second edition. Theatre logo on the cover by L. S. Khizhinsky.
Leningrad: Kirov State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, 1935.
27 pp. ; 17 cm. Softcover. Small format.

This elegant libretto for The Sleeping Beauty was produced by the Leningrad Kirov Theatre (formerly and currently the Mariinsky) during a pivotal era for Soviet ballet. The text provides a deep dive into the internal logic of Marius Petipa’s choreographic masterpiece and Tchaikovsky’s score, including the arrangement of the prologue and three acts that define this quintessential fairy-tale production. Written and edited by the prominent musicologist and composer Valerian Bogdanov-Berezovsky, this 1935 guide served as an essential companion for theatergoers, offering both a narrative summary and a scholarly reflection on the spectacle’s enduring artistic merit during the height of the Soviet classical revival.
The physical identity of this second edition is distinguished by its sophisticated cover art, featuring the official mark of the Kirov Theatre designed by the renowned graphic artist Leonid Khizhinsky. His woodcut-style insignia serves as a vital primary source for studying the development of Soviet theatrical branding and book ornamentation in the mid-1930s. The compact, portable format was designed for the convenience of the audience, yet it maintains the high aesthetic standards of Leningrad’s academic tradition. This libretto documents the exact state of the ballet’s interpretation in the pre-war period, preserving the cultural atmosphere of one of the world's most prestigious stages. For bibliophiles, ballet enthusiasts, and collectors of theatrical ephemera, this 1935 imprint is a rare artifact of the legendary "Leningrad school" of performing arts.