Conducting for the Ballet

[abatt]

This is a link to an interesting article about conducting for the ballet. I thought the Bolshoi orchestra sounded more vibrant than any other ballet orchestra I've ever heard. Also have to agree that certain Stravinsky music would be unbearable in concert, but is perfectly wonderful in the context of ballet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/arts/dance/dance-conductors-keep-watch-while-they-keep-tempo.html?mabReward=RI%3A10&action=click&contentCollection=Music&region=Footer&module=Recommendation&src=recg&pgtype=article#

[DanielBenton]

Abatt, I'd be curious to know which Stravinsky scores you would find unbearable if forced to listen to them without benefit of dancing.

I do think Balanchine did Stravinsky (and 20th century "serious" music) a great service by adding dancing to his scores.

[California]

Abatt, I'd be curious to know which Stravinsky scores you would find unbearable if forced to listen to them without benefit of dancing.

I do think Balanchine did Stravinsky (and 20th century "serious" music) a great service by adding dancing to his scores.

I can give you an example: Symphony in 3 Movements - Once I had seen the ballet, the music became vastly more interesting to me than when I had listened to it sans choreography. It's one of my favorite ballets now and I often listen to the music alone (although I desperately wish they would release a DVD of the complete ballet). ". . . hear the dance" and all that...

[volcanohunter]

Those of us reared on Balanchine tend to look down on things like "ballet composers" and "flexible" tempi, but I found this video from the National Opera in Warsaw an insight into how the other half thinks, especially since I have seen performances conducted by Alexei Baklan in Japan, Italy and Ukraine, and found him to be very sensitive to the needs of the dancers on stage. The split-screen shots in particular are interesting. 

 

Baklan is a jolly little man with a hobbit-like appearance, so it is surprising to learn that his parents were dancers, but it does go some way to explaining why he would enjoy conducting Minkus so much.