Drigo's Modification to the music of S.B. Act II

[Solor]

Im looking for a recording of the Drigo Modified Act 2 of the Sleeping Beauty. Particularly the waltz for the corps de ballet in the vision scene right after the solo cello adagio of Aurora and Princ Desire. The refashoined ending of the waltz leads into the a Variation for Aurora. The orginal number Tchaikovsky created was deleted and in its place, the Variation for the Fairy of Gold from the 3rd act was put in its place. This warranted the change to the preceding number, the waltz for the sorps de ballet.

If anyone knows of any particular recordings that have this section of the ballet, plaease let me know. (I already own the Mariinsky recordings of Sleeping Beauty under Maestro Fedotov and Gergiev.

[MinkusPugni]

I have never seen a production of the Sleeping Beauty with modified music. Sorry.

[Solor]

I pretty sure you have, you just didnt know it.

[Cygnet]

Hi Solor,

I know the modulation that your're talking about. In the MT's new/old production,

and the Grigorovich production at the Bolshoi, its a 3 - 5 bar change from

minor to major - a set up for the Gold Fairy variation. I've only heard it in performance. I've bought a few complete SB recordings over the years, (Russian & Western orchestras). These recordings were the complete Moscow edition of the score. None of them recorded the numbers out of the original sequence.

[MinkusPugni]

No Solor, I haven't. The only modifications I know of is changing the Jewels Fairies' Pas de Quatre in the last act to the Florestan Pas de Trois and that's just a choreographic change. Both of my Sleeping Beauty CDs fits the music of every version I've seen.

Anyone who's read my posts before knows how I feel about changing the music of classics. You just can't do it. Would anyone ever dream of changing a Balanchine?

[carbro]

I'll bet it happens five minutes after the copyrights expire.

[Hans]

Would anyone ever dream of changing a Balanchine?

I'm going to play devil's advocate. I love the original Act II variation music. However, Petipa is the one who directed that the Golden Fairy's variation be inserted. So is Petipa to be blamed for changing Tchaikovsky's "classic" music, or are we to be blamed for changing Petipa's "classic" choreography?

[MinkusPugni]

Petipa is the one who directed that the Golden Fairy's variation be inserted.  So is Petipa to be blamed for changing Tchaikovsky's "classic" music

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't consider a choreographic change in the music to be a musical change. It changes the order of the music but not the actual music itself. Drigo has modified alot of ballet music and I think he needed to think to himself, "would I like people changing my music when I'm dead?"

[Mel Johnson]

"What would I care? I'll be dead!"

[Solor]

Hey MinkusPugni -

Drigo didnt change the music becasue he felt like it. Indeed thier are many changes to the music of "Sleeping Beauty".

Heres a list of the changes from start to finish ( the most obvious anyway when one listenes to it, or compares) that were done to Tchaikovsky's score in 1890. They are all for the better in my opinion.

Prologue -

**the only change in this 1st scene of the ballet is the editing of 5 bars of the 5th variation (in 2/4, also know as Vilolente) in the pas de six (bars 68-71 to be exact). The famous "finger variation".

Act I -

**There are few brief cuts made to the scene fo the knitters.

**The "Rose Adagio" was modified by having the opening harp arpeggios extended (absolutly beautiful this passage) by Drigo, and an enternal repeat was added (bars 74-80).

**Aurora's variation was changed by taking out a repeat of the music (the section right before the finale). The ending was modified (the Kirov, in the Sergeyev version, still used the version of this variation with the modified ending. The Bolshoi's version still uses it today). This changed ending gave it a more "Minkus-Drigo-Pugni-like" finish, reminisent of the variation for Dulcinea in the dream scene of "Don Quixote". note: In the Kirovs reconstruction of "Sleeping Beauty", the modified ending of Drigo from 1890 for this variation was not used, and Tchaikovskys original ending was. I think this was done not only to restore the original choreography, but also to to retain the choreography that came in later versions. (This Drigo modified version of Auroras Variation is included on the Fedotov "Sleeping Beauty" CD)

**The section of music "sobs and cries of grief" of the scene that has Aurora pricking her finger on a spindle was cut.

Act II -

** The Dances of the Baronesses and the Marchoinesses were removed.

** In the Pas d'action of the Vision Scene, the opening harp arpeggios were extended.

** The ending of the waltz for the corps de ballet was modified. This was done so that the music could go to a new key for the following variation for Aurora, which was changed.

**Aurora's solo was cut, and in its place the music written by Tchaikovsky for the Gold Fairy's variation (for the act III pas de quatre) was used in its place (I know of no recording where this changed is included).

** The Entre-acte was cut, which required the ending of the panorama to be revised, since it was written in such a way that it lead into the entre-acte.

Act III -

**The pas de quatre was changed, being that Gold Fairy's music was now in act II. The music for the Sapphire Fairy (a variation in 5/4) was cut. The ending of the music for the Diamond Fairy was changed slightly, by having the very last note repeat.

** Tchaikovsky added a 10 bar introduction to the music of "Puss and Boots and the White Cat". Note - this section of music not used in the Kirov's reconstruction - If it was I never heard it.

** The pas de quatre of The Bluebird and Princess Florine and Cinderella and Prince Fortune was changed to be a pas de deux for only the Bluebird and Princess Florine alone. The ending of the entree was changed by having the last note played a little longer. There were a few changes in the 1st variation, and the first reapeat was deleted. The coda was also changed by an enternal repeat being taken out. Note: in the Kirovs recostruction, the repeat in the coda was retained so that the restored choreography could be performed along with the choreography of later versions.

** a pas d'action for Cinderella and Prince Fortune was added by Tchaikovsky.

**for the pas de berrichon of Tom Thumb, his brothers and the Ogre, the msuic was extended, internal repeats were added.

**the entree of the Grand pas de deux was cut. The opening 5 bars were retained as an introduction to the adagio. In the adagio, a repeat was cut (Im not sure of the exact bars though). In Auroras variation, many repaeats were deleted and a small introduction was added. A few bars here and there were taken out as well. (This version is available on the Fedotov recording. This version is the standard version of this variation used in almost every production of "Sleeping Beauty".) note: this was originaly performed as a Pas de Quatre for both the prince and Aurora and the Gold and Sapphire Fairys!

**after the Grand pas adagio, its deleted entree was used for a dance for the Sapphire Fairy and the Gold Fairy. I suppose this was to make up for the fact that thier variations were cut or moved to another scene.

** The apotheosis was trimmed down somewhat.

And there you are! If I missed any let me know!

All (except for the Act II change of Auroras variation) of these changes are recorded on the follwing disc -

"Sleeping Beauty"

performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic

conducted by Victor Fedotov

on the label Audophile Classics

Heres a link available through Amazon.com (through ballettalk of course!) -

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...3500670-0757417

[doug]

Appendix H of Roland John Wiley's "Tchaikovsky's Ballets" documents the St. Petersburg performances scores of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Wiley lists changes in the holographic score, two period piano reductions and a violin repetiteur. There were many, many minor changes/additions, several major ones. This scholarship is excellent; the book was published in 1985. Most (but probably not all ...) questions can be answered by a look at this material.

MinkusPugni, if you can get your hands on this book, many of your questions and concerns will be authoritatively addressed. Scholarship like this serves to eliminate a lot of guesswork that has gone on in dealing with 19th century Russian ballet.

[MinkusPugni]

I have heard only a few of those changes - the rest I have only seen as the original music. I have seen the Florestan Pas de Trois performed instead of the Pas de Quatre which you didn't note. But I have never seen the Gold Fairy variation in Act II. I also know that many repeats were cut in the Mazurka at the end of the ballet which you didn't note either including the 2/4 coda but this is more a choreographic change.

[Mel Johnson]

Tchaikovsky and Petipa cut and changed a lot of music in the original production. Wiley cites the exact measures.

Now, look, MP, I know that you're quite familiar with the scores, but you're talking to the guy that Peter Wright used to stage his Nutcracker for the BRB, and is a verifiable true expert on the Stepanov notations for Beauty. Let's give doug some respect here, shall we?

[Solor]

Right on DOUG - I did not know that about you - thats very cool!!!!!!! I have that prduction on video, and it is my fave production of Nutcracker - the Royal Ballet Production right?????? I love it, love it, love it! I dont like the changes (by Dowell I think??) that came later with Clara and the prince taking up dancing in the grand divertessment.

[doug]

That's kind of you, Mel. However, I'm not the one who worked on the BRB Nutcracker. It was probably Roland John Wiley. He also provided information for the RB's Swan Lake.

[Mel Johnson]

Oh that's right, doug, I guess I was letting wishful thinking get ahead of me. You should have been the one working on the BRB Nutz.