159 replies to this topic

[papeetepatrick]

Fascinating, and Bax is certainly worthy of respect and was a major composer, but I wouldn't be interested in a new Tristan und Isolde ballet that didn't use Wagner.  Although it's indeed regrettable that the Bax/Ashton was lost, that I would be interested in.

[DanceActress]

papeetepatrick, on Jun 11 2010, 04:29 PM, said:

[.  Maybe not, but Tristan und Isolde--brilliant if someone can figure out how to do it.

I saw a ballet version of "Tristan and Isolde" with the Royal Swedish Ballet a few years back, choreographed by Kryzstof Pastor. He used the preludes from the opera and the Wesendonck lieder. I remember it being long and dreary with undistinguished choreography.

[miliosr]

Kenneth MacMillan tackled Crown Prince Rudolf, the Emperor Franz Joseph and the Empress Elisabeth (all of Austria) in Mayerling and Jose Limon tackled Franz Joseph's younger brother the Emperor Maximillian of Mexico and his wife Carlota in Carlota.  Why not a ballet about the youngest brother of Franz Joseph and Maximillian -- Ludwig Viktor?

http://en.wikipedia....e_Ludwig_Viktor

Talk about drama -- a mother who wants to marry him off and a brother who ends up banishing him from Vienna.  All the story needs is a handsome Austrian cavalry officer to catch Ludwig Viktor's eye and set off some fireworks at the Austrian court.  (Who cares if none of it is historically accurate!)

I'm envisioning Steven McRae as Ludwig Viktor and Ed Watson as Franz Joseph (as young men before the events of Mayerling) . . .

[Parma]

I'm not that knowledgeable, so maybe it's been done, but here goes--there's a fairy tale where 12 sister princesses always are found sleeping in their beds in the morning but their dancing slippers are always worn to shreds. Their father the king wants an answer and promises treasure and a princess for a bride to whoever can solve the mystery. One prince gets help from an old witch by use of a cloak which makes him invisible. He follows the princesses, taking jewelled limbs of trees dripping with precious gems as proof. The princesses hear the snaps and get nervous, but go along anyway. He dances with one of them-the most beautiful (I think she's the eldest) while there. They all sneak back home across the river to the palace in the golden gondolas always waiting for them. The Prince (I think he's a Prince) produces the proof and gets his bride and they all live happily ever after. I would love to see this done in a traditional, even Romantic, style. What music?  Beats me. I think the sets and costumes could be beautiful, very dazzling and other-worldly and would be a good story to stage and choreograph in a traditional manner.

[tchaikovskyfan]

Not so much a story as a "tribute" ballet. It would most likely be the first of it's kind (that I know of anyway.) I'd hope that my obsession with Tchaikovsky is quite obvious. I was listening to his 6th Symphony, The Pathétique, when suddenly . I built the following 3 act ballet around the 6th Symphony and several other of Tchaikovsky's famous works:

Quote

   Act I

  a.   Overture
Symphony #6- Pathétique 1^st Movement

  b.      Scene I- Tchaikovsky decides to become a composer
Piano Concerto #1 in B-flat minor

  c.   Scene II- Tchaikovsky's first ballet
Swan Lake Act II Scene 1 (Swan Lake Theme)

  d.      Scene III- A Romance (Composer) for the ages
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

  e.      Scene IV-  The Czar's  great commission
1812 Overture

  f.        Scene V- Success as a Composer
Symphony #6- Pathétique 2^nd Movement


Act II

  a.   Entr'acte
Symphony #6- Pathétique 3^rd Movement

  b.      Scene I:  "A charming fairy tale come true." Maleficent- Disney's Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty Medley (I know I want the Waltz (Aka Once Upon A Dream) in there, still figuring out a few others)

  c.   Scene II: The magic of Christmas
Overture/March
Drosselmeyer's Spell/The Battle against the Mouse King
Journey to the Land of Snow
Waltz of the Snowflakes


Act III

  a.   Entr'acte:

The Land of Sweets

  b.      Scene I:

Arrival of Nutcracker and Clara
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Coda
Divertissement Medley
Waltz of the Flowers
Final Waltz
Grand Adiago

  c.   Scene II: The death of Tchaikovsky
Themes from Symphony #6- Pathétique 1^st Movement
Symphony #6- Pathétique 4^th Movement

What do you think?

[Mel Johnson]

Long!  

[tchaikovskyfan]

Oh, just FYI, for the big numbers (1812 Overture, Piano Concerto #1, Romeo & Juliet) it would be the recognizable themes. It wouldn't be the entire concerto or symphony, etc. except for obviously #6.

[tchaikovskyfan]

Did a little revision.

Quote

So I'm sitting around one day, bored, and decide to listen to a new   piece of music by my favorite composer, Pytor Ilych Tchaikovsky. The   piece: his sixth symphony, or simply The Pathétique. So, I'm   listening to this wonderfully haunting piece that does not go along with   the "traditional" symphony structure, that being starting out with a   problem and ending with a celebratory, triumphant finale. Instead, it   ends almost mourning. And then inspiration struck. As I thought, I came   up with a startiling conclusion: that each of the four movements to the   symphony read perfectly like an autobiography written by Tchaikovsky   himself. It was his life in a symphony. Going from meager beginnings to   one of the most recognized composers in the western world and then,   tragedy. Dead at the age of 53, whether by Cholera or suicide (forced by   a "court of honors" or done on his on will). No matter how he died,  the  music he left us is inspirational, moving, emotional, and at times,   echoes our own life stories. This is the basis of what inspired the   ballet. Using some of Tchaikovsky's most famous and well-known pieces including The Pathétique, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture as well as his first piano concerto, this ballet tells the story of Tchaikovsky's life. Let me know what you think.

1.      Act I

a.   Overture

                                                   i.      First two minutes of Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture


b.      Prologue: Tchaikovsky’s childhood

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 1^st Movement


c.   Scene I: The decision to become a Composer

                                                              i.      Piano Concerto #1 in B-flat minor


d.   Scene II: Tchaikovsky’s first Ballet

                                                   i.      Swan Lake Act II Scene I


e.   Scene III: A Romantic (Composer) for the Ages

                                                   i.      Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture


f.   Scene IV: The Tsar’s Great Commission

                                                   i.      1812 Overture


g.      Scene V: Rising to the top

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 2^nd Movement


2.   Act II

a.   Entr’acte

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 3^rd Movement


b.      Scene I:  "A charming fairy tale come true."

                                                   i.      Sleeping Beauty Medley


c.   Scene II: The Magic of Christmas

                                                   i.      Overture/March

                                                 ii.      Drosselmeyer's Spell/The Battle against the Mouse King

                                               iii.      Journey to the Land of Snow

                                               iv.      Waltz of the Snowflakes



3.      Act III

a.   Entr’acte

                                                   i.      Journey to the Land of Sweets


b.      Scene I

                                                   i.      Arrival of Nutcracker and Clara

                                                 ii.      Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

                                               iii.      Coda

                                               iv.      Divertissement Medley

                                                 v.      Waltz of the Flowers

                                               vi.      Final Waltz

                                             vii.      Grand Pas de deux


c.   Scene II: The Pathétique Symphony

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 4^th Movement


d.   Scene III: Death of Tchaikovsky

                                                              i.      Themes from Symphony #6 Pathétique 1^st  Movement


e.   Scene IV: Funeral/Apotheosis

                                                   i.      Beginning/Ending of Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

[papeetepatrick]

http://www.nytimes.c...&ref=obituaries

I didn't know about Ms. Beber, who was quite obviously an advertising genius, which is not something I'd ordinarily say.  But those ads which ran all the way up to Leona's incarceration were quite extraordinary, weirdly exotic, this 'the only hotel in the world where the Queen holds court', which made Leona a kind of sex symbol in her 60s and 70s (not that it always worked, of course, and not too difficult to see why).  There was a TV movie with Suzanne Pleshette which was made just before Helmsley's imprisonment which caught very little of the strangeness of this difficult character, but there was one moment, at a hotel opening, when Suzanne and her 'Harry' broke into a dance which was almost exactly out of one of the Helmsley Palace ads.  

I found this obit very full of colour and sensation, and the interview Beber had with Mrs. Helmsley is so suffocating you get the full picture of someone almost totally artificial:  


"Before meeting Mrs. Helmsley, Ms. Beber said, she was told to follow Disraeli’s advice on talking to Queen Victoria: “When it comes to flattery, lay it on with a trowel.”

So she did. In the midst of Ms. Beber’s assiduously obsequious interview, Mrs. Helmsley complained about flimsy towels and commiserated with a former guest by phone about a noisy air-conditioner. Inspiration struck: Queen Leona ruled her kingdom with an iron fist to benefit guests."

Commiserated with a former guest by phone about a noisy AC?   Now that's about as over-the-top as you can get.  

At first it was difficult to imagine Mrs. Helmsley en pointe, but I think there are plenty of Nina Ananiashvili lookalikes that might be able to do this--tall, svelte angelic types and legendary muses need not apply.  

I think this offers one easily accessed tableau after another, and the best fictional heroes and heroines are not necessarily sympathetic.  Leona definitely is not, and she wasn't worried about it.  I do think Ms. Beber is Pluck Incarnate though, and I was glad to hear of her.  

What it reminds me of is 'Mayerling' most immediately, but it would be much better than that. Even a bit of delicacy wouldn't hurt, there's enough viciousness already built-in, so that lightening it up would hardly even show.

[dirac]

tchaikovskyfan, on 21 September 2010 - 01:58 PM, said:

Did a little revision.

Quote

So I'm sitting around one day, bored, and decide to listen to a new   piece of music by my favorite composer, Pytor Ilych Tchaikovsky. The   piece: his sixth symphony, or simply The Pathétique. So, I'm   listening to this wonderfully haunting piece that does not go along with   the "traditional" symphony structure, that being starting out with a   problem and ending with a celebratory, triumphant finale. Instead, it   ends almost mourning. And then inspiration struck. As I thought, I came   up with a startiling conclusion: that each of the four movements to the   symphony read perfectly like an autobiography written by Tchaikovsky   himself. It was his life in a symphony. Going from meager beginnings to   one of the most recognized composers in the western world and then,   tragedy. Dead at the age of 53, whether by Cholera or suicide (forced by   a "court of honors" or done on his on will). No matter how he died,  the  music he left us is inspirational, moving, emotional, and at times,   echoes our own life stories. This is the basis of what inspired the   ballet. Using some of Tchaikovsky's most famous and well-known pieces including The Pathétique, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture as well as his first piano concerto, this ballet tells the story of Tchaikovsky's life. Let me know what you think.

1.      Act I

a.   Overture

                                               i.      First two minutes of Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture


b.      Prologue: Tchaikovsky’s childhood

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 1^st Movement


c.   Scene I: The decision to become a Composer

                                                              i.      Piano Concerto #1 in B-flat minor


d.   Scene II: Tchaikovsky’s first Ballet

                                               i.      Swan Lake Act II Scene I


e.   Scene III: A Romantic (Composer) for the Ages

                                               i.      Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture


f.   Scene IV: The Tsar’s Great Commission

                                               i.      1812 Overture


g.      Scene V: Rising to the top

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 2^nd Movement


2.   Act II

a.   Entr’acte

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 3^rd Movement


b.      Scene I:  "A charming fairy tale come true."

                                               i.      Sleeping Beauty Medley


c.   Scene II: The Magic of Christmas

                                               i.      Overture/March

                                             ii.      Drosselmeyer's Spell/The Battle against the Mouse King

                                           iii.      Journey to the Land of Snow

                                           iv.      Waltz of the Snowflakes



3.      Act III

a.   Entr’acte

                                               i.      Journey to the Land of Sweets


b.      Scene I

                                               i.      Arrival of Nutcracker and Clara

                                             ii.      Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

                                           iii.      Coda

                                           iv.      Divertissement Medley

                                             v.      Waltz of the Flowers

                                           vi.      Final Waltz

                                         vii.      Grand Pas de deux


c.   Scene II: The Pathétique Symphony

                                                              i.      Symphony #6 Pathétique 4^th Movement


d.   Scene III: Death of Tchaikovsky

                                                              i.      Themes from Symphony #6 Pathétique 1^st  Movement


e.   Scene IV: Funeral/Apotheosis

                                               i.      Beginning/Ending of Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

You know, tchaikovskyfan, the more I think about it the more I like it. We would try to avoid "The Music Lovers" on pointe but there are episodes in Tchaikovsky's life that could be danced. Boris Eifman, take it away....

[bart]

dirac, on 26 September 2010 - 11:50 PM, said:

You know, tchaikovskyfan, the more I think about it the more I like it. We would try to avoid "The Music Lovers" on pointe but there are episodes in Tchaikovsky's life that could be danced. Boris Eifman, take it away....

Well, if Roland Petit could do it for Proust .... why not?   I'd take a long, hard look at Ken 's Russell's film to get an idea of how NOT to handle the Tchaikovsky story.  

[Ray]

I have nothing to add to the Tchaikovsky conversation, except that it reminded me of one of my favorite musical mash-ups:  the "magic fire music" from the end of Wagner's Die Walkure followed by the Panorama from Act 2 of Sleeping Beauty.  (The pertinent bit of Wagner excerpted in Wagner without Words, that amazing old George Szell recording, works well for this.)  So, I guess that could be a separate thread:  Favorite Musical Mash-ups?

In terms of a story that could (not sure about should) be a ballet, I'm thinking about all of the operas and musical works concerned with the intersection of/competition between words and music--Beethoven's 9th, and operas of Richard Strauss, to name two.  Could a ballet be built, analogously, around the competing pleasures of narrative X abstraction in dance?  Dance to music X dance w/out?

I suppose Balanchine explores the narrative X abstraction theme in a way in Midsummer.

[MakarovaFan]

I recently finished reading Amanda Stuart's book, "Consuelo & Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age".  With all the drama, thwarted romance, doomed marriages, etc. among this mega rich family, it sounds like a compelling story for a ballet.  

I'd cast Lucia Lacarra as Consuelo.  

[dirac]

MakarovaFan, on 12 October 2010 - 11:26 AM, said:

I recently finished reading Amanda Stuart's book, "Consuelo & Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age".  With all the drama, thwarted romance, doomed marriages, etc. among this mega rich family, it sounds like a compelling story for a ballet.  

I'd cast Lucia Lacarra as Consuelo.  

Interesting idea, MakarovaFan. Yes, poor Consuelo's story was certainly dramatic. The gilded clothing of the gilded age might present challenges, but none that couldn't be overcome, I'd think.

[bart]

I hope this hasn't been mentioned before.  But ... how about a ballet based on Virginia Woolf's strange, rather surrealistic novel, Orlando?  The title role requires someone who can dance as a man(boy) and also as a woman, in the course of a single work.

My thought was that this could be danced on one evening by a woman (Tilda Swinton performed the part in the film) and on the next evening by a man.

Something like this would seem to be right up the alley of the Paris Opera Ballet (home of such works as Caligula, Clavigo, and the Proust ballet, les Intermittences du Coeur.

P.S.  This came up in another thread devoted to the Trocks, but I thought it might be intresting to repeat it here.