Pas de Quatre

[MinkusPugni]

When I said I can't find recordings on the internet, it's not as if I was expecting to only get them from the internet. I am willing to pay for it and was trying to find a CD that had the Pas de Quatre on it without anything else. I was merely saying I couldn't find it on the internet so people didn't say "try limewire" etc.

[Mel Johnson]

"Pas de Quatre" has only been recorded complete once. That was the one noted on the other earlier post you made. And while "Mam'zelle Angot" is based on Charles LeCocq's comic opera, La Fille de Madame Angot, it's not La Fille mal Gardée by a long shot.

[Alexandra]

We don't allow tape trading here, MinkusPugni for the reasons Carbro stated on the the thread she closed. Whether the person wanting the trade will pay for it or not doesn't matter. We cannot be the instrument for trading. Also, the purpose of the forum is to discuss ballet, not to serve as a marketplace.

If you're only asking if there is a recording of "Pas de Quatre", that's fine. I believe that question has been answered.

[MinkusPugni]

"Pas de Quatre" has only been recorded complete once.  That was the one noted on the other earlier post you made.  And while "Mam'zelle Angot" is based on Charles LeCocq's comic opera, La Fille de Madame Angot, it's not La Fille mal Gardée by a long shot.

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Soz about that... I got confused because on my recording of La Fille mal Gardee, the windows media information said it was La Fille mal gardee / Mam'Zella Angot so sorry about that. I was actually asking is there a place where i can buy the pas de quatre but obviously not.

[Helene]

It depends on whether it's acceptable to take the music from a video version. Pas de Quatre appears on Nina Ananiashvili & International Stars (Volume 2 of the DVD and Volume 3 of the VHS/PAL). VAI is the studio. I'm fairly certain it was filmed live, with the usual coughs and applause.

[MinkusPugni]

No I don't want to take it from a DVD. I would rather buy the entire Fete du Ballet. And if Mel's right and that's the only recording then I'll just have to buy it. Thanks anyway guys.

[rg]

if my timing isn't off i believe there is still a seller offering FETE DU BALLET on ebay. the starting bid is not much.

[Solor]

"Pas de Quatre" has only been recorded complete once.

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Actually "Pas de Quatre" has been recorded 2 times, both times by Bonynge (and both times with lousy conducting and un-needed re-orchestrations). Bonynge should have recorded the original Pugni orchestrations which are elegant, and colorful - you can hear the original Cesare Pugni score on the film "Nina Ananiashvili and International Stars" on either Vol. 3 (on VHS) or Vol. 2 (on DVD).

The first recording of the music for "Le Grand Pas de Quatre" was for the set "The Art of the Prima Ballerina" (with the London Symphony), first released in the 60's by Decca, then re-released by Decca in the 90's to cd (1992, cd 433 861-2), it soon went out-of-print. This release was later released again in the box set "Fete du Ballet" (along with all the other, well most of the other ballet snippets recorded by Bonynge). This recording has the arrangements by some guy named William McDermott. It says in the liner notes 'Specially arranged for Mme. Markova by William McDermott'. Perhaps all that was available at the time the recording was made was a piano reduction and Markova (who in fact assisted Bonynge in the "Art of the Prima Ballerina" recording) had this arrangement commissioned (though its only my specualtion, as I cannot fathom why anyone would think that McDermott's arrangements are better than the original 1845 music of Pugni).

The second recording is again by Bonynge, though this time it was for a double CD release entitled "Ballet Gala" (with the English Concert Orchestra - Label: London 1988 - cd 421 818-2) - this set is very obscure and I have only seen it the time that I bought it at a used store in Portland, OR. This time the arranger of the Cesare Pugni tunes is Peter March.

This set also has recordings of March's completely un-necessary arrangements for the "Don Quixote" pas de deux, the "La Esmeralda" pas for 'Diane and Acteon' by Riccardo Drigo (Drigo's original arrangements are WAY better), and the "Paquita" grand pas. This set also includes "Grand Pas Classique" by Auber, the pas de deux from "Le Corsaire re-orchestrated by Lanchbery (with the 'wrong' variation danced by Fonteyn), "Les Rendez-vous", "The Good Humoured Ladies", and "Francois de Rimini". All of these numbers ended up on the box set "Fete du Ballet" except for the Peter March versions of "Le Grand Pas de Quatre", and "Paquita" - this recording of Paquita is of Pavlova's versions of the music, as far as the numbers recorded goes, not the orchestrations - this is the real treat of the whole set. There are a few variations recorded here that I have never seen and/or heard before - they are very showy and beautiful - typical 19th century "shmoltz".

Minkus/Pugni - You should really get the 10 CD set "Fete du Ballet" - there are the 2 ballets recorded here by Drigo - "The Magic Flute" and "The Awakening of Flora" (all in Drigo's original arrangement) that you'll definalty like. There are many other treats as well for a fan of 19th century ballet music!

[Mel Johnson]

I guess you had to be there to appreciate the politics of obtaining ballet music back when the Bonynge recordings came out. In the 1960s and 70s, Peter March and his Tchaikovsky Foundation had about the only "inside track" to getting scores out of Russia, then the Soviet Union. And many times, all he could get was a piano reduction, so he had to provide arrangements. The McDermott arrangements date back to the mid-30s and the Keith Lester "re-creation" of the famous work. I seriously doubt that the Pugni arrangement survives anywhere. You should have met March. He was a real trip!

[Solor]

interesting.

whos arrangements then does the orchestra perform in the film "Nina Ananiashvili and Inter'Nat'l Stars"?

On the film "Kirov Ballet: Classic Ballet Night" ("Le Pas de Quatre" is perfomed with Komleva, Kolpakova, Mezentseva, and Evteyeva) that I have the orchestra perfoms the exact same arrangements as the "Nina Ananiashvili" film. They have been performing this number for a loooong time.

[Mel Johnson]

I asked Dolin about that staging shortly before he died. (It wouldn't have done much good AFTER!) He said that the Russians wouldn't allow a foreigner's arrangement, so they used a "house arranger" like Simon Bogtyriev (It wasn't him, but somebody like him.) to orchestrate from a piano repetiteur. The original orchestra parts were the property of Her Majesty's Theatre in Haymarket, London, where the "Pas de Quatre" was originally performed. The place burned to the ground in 1867, presumably with the loss of all property. Sufficient resources and copies of a repetiteur, whether two-violin or piano, I know not, survive in the British Library, and enabled Lester to work up a reconstruction.

[Solor]

well...............then its Mr. Bogtyriev's orchestrations that are way better than McDermott's or Douglas'!

By the way Mel, I dont know if you ever noticed, but the Kirov's arrangements for the pas de deux from "Satenella" or "Carnival in Venice" are way different than the version used in the film "Nina Ananiashvili and InterNat'l Stars". Maybe the same thing going on with this Pugni number?

[Mel Johnson]

Very likely. We had two different arrangements of Johann Strauss, Sr.'s music for "Kettentanz" with the Joffrey. They were both fine, but we liked one much better than the other.