106 replies to this topic

[Marc Haegeman]

Thank you very much, Mikhail!

According to Ratmansky the Medora variation in his "Grand pas des éventails" comes from Petipa's ballet "Pygmalion" or "La Statue de Chypre" (music by Prince Trubetskoi).

Mel, "à l'abordage" is actually shouted when the pirate ship hooks or hitches its opponent so that the attackers can jump aboard. Now you tell us what the English/US naval term for that action is.

[Mikhail]

Marc Haegeman, on Jul 18 2007, 07:58 PM, said:

According to Ratmansky the Medora variation in his "Grand pas des éventails" comes from Petipa's ballet "Pygmalion" or "La Statue de Chypre" (music by Prince Trubetskoi).

Yes, Marc, but the music of the variation belongs to Drigo. I specially asked Burlaka why Trubetskoi was not mentioned in the booklet and received this answer.

[Marc Haegeman]

Thanks for the correction, Mikhail. Took note of that!

[Mikhail]

Eh, Marc, the history of different variations and their music is so complicated… For example, please listen to this music well known as Esmeralda’s variation which was usually attributed to Drigo. Yuri Burlaka found that this is a variation of Sieba from the ballet “Sieba or La Spada di Wodan” (1877, Teatro Regio) by Romualdo Marenko (1841-1907). Nice, isn’t it?

By the way, this variation with tambourine was interpolated by Grigorovich in his version of Le Corsaire (Bolshoi, 1994) as Medora’s variation in the first act, when she danced at the Market Place in front of Conrad. Not a good idea, I guess, to use so famous dance.

[Marc Haegeman]

Mikhail, on Jul 18 2007, 05:46 PM, said:

Eh, Marc, the history of different variations and their music is so complicated… For example, please listen to this music well known as Esmeralda’s variation which was usually attributed to Drigo. Yuri Burlaka found that this is a variation of Sieba from the ballet “Sieba or La Spada di Wodan” (1877, Teatro Regio) by Romualdo Marenko (1841-1907). Nice, isn’t it?

By the way, this variation with tambourine was interpolated by Grigorovich in his version of Le Corsaire (Bolshoi, 1994) as Medora’s variation in the first act, when she danced at the Market Place in front of Conrad. Not a good idea, I guess, to use so famous dance.

It is indeed a deep musical (and choreographic) swamp. I guess Grigorovich was only doing what his predecessors from the 19th century did all the time. At least some light in the darkness is being shed with all these more authentic approaches.

Thanks again, Mikhail!

[Natalia]

Mikhail, on Jul 18 2007, 01:46 PM, said:

....For example, please listen to this music well known as Esmeralda’s variation which was usually attributed to Drigo. Yuri Burlaka found that this is a variation of Sieba ....

Mikhail, you might want to let folks know that this piano music & your information about its provenance come from the 1999 commercial CD by Vienna-based accompanist Igor Zapravdin - "Music of the Russian Imperial Ballet."

I'm curious if another piece from that same CD -- Pas d'Action from Drigo's "The Enchanted Forest" -- is among the musical numbers borrowed by Burlaka in his Bolshoi staging? If so, it is a gorgeous piece of music, indeed!

p.s. In his three CDs ('97, '99 and the latest one from '07), Zapravdin acknowledges and thanks Burlaka for the archival material.

[Mikhail]

Oh, yes, Natalia, you are right, Igor Zapravdin plays piano in my link but the music is so famous that one could readily find orchestrated records. I do not think it is really important for our readers. I do not think we have to give exact references to each statement as how we publish scientific papers. Do we fight for the copyright or just support the free conversation? Sorry if I violated some of your rules. Esmeralda’s variation was interesting for me in the context of Le Corsaire for two reasons: it gave an example of Burlaka’s job and it was used once as Medora’s variation instead of the present Finesse d’amour.

[Mel Johnson]

Marc Haegeman, on Jul 18 2007, 11:58 AM, said:

Mel, "à l'abordage" is actually shouted when the pirate ship hooks or hitches its opponent so that the attackers can jump aboard. Now you tell us what the English/US naval term for that action is.

"Make fast grapnels!" That's a command to tie the grappling hooks' lines to a capstan and haul the ships close alongside.  It's been a long time since the sail navies, and I can't think of any action of the navies of the XXth century where a ship actually grappled and boarded another.  A couple of U-boats maybe, but they weren't hooked by the destroyers.

[Mme. Hermine]

Marc Haegeman, on Jul 18 2007, 11:58 AM, said:

Mel, "à l'abordage" is actually shouted when the pirate ship hooks or hitches its opponent so that the attackers can jump aboard. Now you tell us what the English/US naval term for that action is.

hmm. i suppose then that "all aboard" is out...

[bart]

A more appropriate cry for ballet pirates might be "Watch Your Step."    

[Mme. Hermine]

excellent, bart!

i found this page about pirates/privateers which has something similar if you scroll down:

http://new-brunswick...faringpast.html

[Mel Johnson]

There are lots of old commands from the sail navies, and those quasi-naval forces like pirates and privateers, that just aren't used any more.  I found "au bord" in Karl-Gustav Tornquist's journal, "Operations of the the Fleet of Admiral de Grasse in the American War".  He was a Swedish captain in the French Navy, in which he served until being captured at the "Battle of the Saints" in the West Indies.  He seemed to use "au bord" in the sense of "Boarding party away"; "à l'abordage" would logically come before that, as, "All hands make ready to ram".  That one they've still got.  You can still always try to run somebody over!

[Mme. Hermine]

Mikhail, on Jul 18 2007, 03:47 AM, said:

There is no shipwreck at the beginning as there is in the ABT production or in the Mariinsky version.

just wanted to point out, though, mikhail, that in ABT's production the shipwreck is at the end, not the beginning.

[Natalia]

I just hope that the current escalation of tensions between the U.K. and Russia does not jeopardize the upcoming tour. I thought that the Cold War had ended a long time ago...

http://news.yahoo.co...eu/poisoned_spy

[Mikhail]

You are right, pmeja, just forgot that ABT has Sergeev's version which starts at the bazaar.

Natalia, I think we should not worry about tour to London. Bolshoi had the successful experience in 1956 how to dance in a very cold weather.