8 replies to this topic

[ronny]

Does anyone know if the music of Edvard Grieg has been used for ballet?   I was listening to an album of his most popular music and it just seems like such a natural for ballet.  "Morning" is very well known (alomst too well known), but there are many more that I recognized that seem to be great  for dance such as "solveig's song" and "bridal procession".  

Anyone familiar with the application of Griegs music to dance?

[rg]

the NYPLibrary for the Perf. Arts has about 50 citations for grieg dance works.
a number of choreographers have done versions of 'peer gynt,' among them in the US, ben stevenson for houston ballet, tho' not revived recently to the best of knowledge.
two soviet choreographers - lopukhov and jacobson - have done 'the ice maiden' to grieg - (orchestrated by asafief)
john cranko and arthur mitchell both choreographed the composer's 'holberg suite' (and have so entitled their ballets).
anitra's dance has been done by both jean borlin and nikolai legat.
additionally mary wigman, doris humphrey and ted shawn have also used grieg.
and so on, w/ sundry other choreographers.

[Mel Johnson]

Then of course there's the operetta Song of Norway with choreography by Balanchine, and the dance lead by Alexandra Danilova, followed by Maria Tallchief, and Mary Ellen Moylan.

[Farrell Fan]

The original cast of Song of Norway also included Frederic Franklin, Ruthanna Boris, Leon Danielian, and Nicholas Magallanes. In the Peer Gynt ballet, Danilova performed Anitra's Dance. Edwin Denby wrote of Song of Norway: "Balanchine's Broadway choreography does not falsify ballet as most musicals do on the grounds that adulteration is the first principle of showmanship. Balanchine's numbers are simplified ballet, but of the purest water."

[Mel Johnson]

Plus the rest of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as that interesting institution, the dance chorus.

[ronny]

OK, cool.   So maybe it was good to recognize something nice.  So I didn't know any of this, so this information is very helpful.   Actually, sounds a bit like the music has been overused.   But that is exactly what I wanted to know.  Thanks to everyone.

[liebs]

Dance Theatre of Harlem had a piece "Holberg Suite" to msuic of the same name.  I think Arthur Mitchell was the choreographer.  A very nice work but one that hasn't been in the rep for years.

[pleiades]

Probably not quite what you meant, but in at least one nursery school (mine, many, many years ago), Peer Gynt Suite was used as music for us to dance to.  The teacher would put on the record and we would get to move around the room however we liked.  I've loved it ever since.

[pleiades]

Probably not quite what you meant, but in at least one nursery school (mine, many, many years ago), Peer Gynt Suite was used as music for us to dance to.  The teacher would put on the record and we would get to move around the room however we liked.  I've loved it ever since.