MinkusPugni

No Solor, I haven't. The only modifications I know of is changing the Jewels Fairies' Pas de Quatre in the last act to the Florestan Pas de Trois and that's just a choreographic change. Both of my Sleeping Beauty CDs fits the music of every version I've seen.

Anyone who's read my posts before knows how I feel about changing the music of classics. You just can't do it. Would anyone ever dream of changing a Balanchine?

Until I bought the CD quite recently, I never realised that "Scheherazade" was a Symphonic Suite before it was a ballet. The ballet fits it so perfectly! But I guess it makes sense seeing as Rimsky-Korsakov was dead before the ballet was made. It also reasons why it has such a random name! I think Fokine's Scheherazade wasn't very good. I think there should be a classical ballet made of the real story of Scheherazade. I would definately go and see it. It could almost be like the Pharoah's Daughter.

Deldevez a mainstream composer?  He's not even listed in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians!  If they can't find a place for you in twenty books, you're obscure.

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I suppose you're right but I've heard other pieces of his. Off the top of my head I can't remember what they are. But he's like Cherepnin except the other way around. (T)Cherepnin is pretty famous but I've only ever heard one piece of his!

I have to say that the Kirov version of Le Corsaire doesn't do it for me. I love the ABT one!

The first variation is performed by Gulnare (Gulnara in some versions) who is another slave that is bought by the Pasha who also bought Medora and he is dreaming about his two prized posessions! Gulnare's variation is played by the harp and woodwinds with pizzicato from the strings as far as I can tell but Medora's variation that I have seen isn't the one that you are talking about. For the ABT one, Medora dances to a piece that is credited to Pugni, Minkus, Delibes and Ivanov. It is probably an old folk Russian tune that one of these four has adapted and then another orchestrated so I'm not sure about that one. But the ABT's version of the Pas de Fleurs (Jardin Anime) bores me. Everything else is great. Except the Pas de Fleurs.

It's frustrating finding out-of-the-ordinary ballet music! I have searched for such a long time for Konservatoriet and all I can find is all of Bournonville's ballets on 9 CD's that come together! Search hard, though, and you should be able to find it somewhere! Also, you can't just look on the internet. You need to check around actual stores. I think Deldevez is a pretty mainstream composer so you should be able to find Paquita somewhere but since it went out of the repertoire, there's not much point recording it. GOOD LUCK!

1. His ability to find a story that reached out to so many people.

2. The fact that he made so many ballets that people kept enjoying.

3. The fact that his ballets are the most famous.

But I'd also have to say this too:

4. Unfortunately, his ballets are the most rechoreographed / restaged ballets in history.

Thanks so much. I bought a CD of Raymonda today and I love the music but it didn't come with a synopsis but now I have one. Thanks alot!

I bought Scheherazade today and I didn't realise that it was a piece on its own before Fokine's ballet. The music so perfectly fits the ballet and all the dances are so well linked that I thought it just had to be composed for the ballet. Scheherazade has great music - especially the Odalisque pas de trois!

Oh okay. Interesting. Oh yeah... I never sort of pieced that together, lol. I mean that info was in my head but it didn't click until now!

I think Drigo's additions to the score shouldn't be allowed. You can always tell when Drigo has changed the score in some way because it doesn't sound like the rest of the score. Recently, I found out that the White Swan PDD was changed by Drigo. At the end of it, it is quite obvious to the ear that it isn't Tchaikovsky.

I also have another question. My story may not be correct but this is what I can gather from all the information that has been provided for me. After the failure premiere, Tchaikovsky was told to add things in (like the Russian Dance). Originally, the Black Swan PDD was at the start of the ballet and had nothing to do with the Black Swan at all. Tchaikovsky was told to add a Pas de Deux for the Black Swan in the third act (which is Appendix II for anyone with the score) but the project was scrapped without Tchaikovsky even orchestrating it (only the second variation was orchestrated, the rest was in piano score) and the pas de deux from the first act was put in its place. Then one day someone (maybe Drigo?) orchestrated the rest of this pas de deux and it was put into the first act in place of the Black Swan Pas de Deux being taken out. Later this was removed. Does any production still have that pas de deux at the start (usually after the pas de trois). In the score and in most recordings, it is after the Pas de Six in the third act as Appendix II if you're wondering what the music is. So does any production still use that pas de deux?

I think that last act of almost every "dramatic" or "sad" ballet can be described as underdone. I, personally, think the Swan Lake last act is quite good if it's done well. La Sylphide's ending isn't dramatic enough, Giselle's ending isn't dramatic enough but I believe these are due to the fact that the music isn't dramatic enough. Completely the opposite is with Swan Lake. Swan Lake's music may be slightly over dramatic. So much so that the choreographer has a hard time finding something to do in all that dramatic music. I love the dance of the swans in the last act.

Fair enough but do you know the characters? And how many classes are there?

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.

"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.

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.

I believe, as I said before, it is due to people that create their own technique and then expect every ballet staged by that company to be in that technique so the romantic ballet just left which is a pity.

You are probably right, but I read this article by Maina Gielgud about Romanticism in the programme for La Sylphide:

(only an exerpt)

"Only too often today, we see Les Sylphides (Fokine's ballet of 1909) performed as though it was La Sylphide - well, with little boes to Romanticism style let's say - an occasional forward tilt. Whereas, infact the Sylphs of Les Sylphides should have a completely different quality of movement.

"Fokine's inspiration has been forgotten. He was the first to free up the dancer's upper body and then of course Lifar, Balanchine, Nijinska all made use of a very upright torso and experimented with its possibilities into a very neoclassical style. Ashton meanwhile remained closer to the original Petipa with remendous and detailed use of the torso, epaulement, head and neck."

This is only a little bit and the article is very long but you are probably right. Can anyone else expand on this topic?

Hey Compser, I also compose but I can't give you any midis because I cant link you to any uploads pages but if you give me your msn, I'll send you some and we can chat.

Yeah I have the Paquita and Bayadere recording. The Bayadere entrance of the shades is a little fast but other than that, everything's perfect! It's so good to find a Paquita that has the children's introduction on it! I do have to say that I prefer the Lanchberry orchestration though. (Harpist lol)

No, as you suspected I was wrong. It is his third piano concerto in C Major and Classical Symphony. Well done, lol. I just remember it being a Piano Concerto. Sorry about the misleading info everyone!

The second part is another Prokofiev piece but I can't quite remember the name - I'll try and get back to you.

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Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto is used in Gala Performance? I don't remember that. I do remember his "Classical" Symphony as the score for that work.

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I believe it's in Gala Performance. I'll just check it out and get back to you.

Whenever I listen to a piece of ballet music I can't help but imagine what actually happens in the ballet or what I would improve or change. It's fun. But one piece that evokes HEAPS of balletic images is Tchaikovsky's Serenade in C (Balanchine used this music for Serenade). Another piece is Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto and also his Violin Concerto. Alot of Tchaikovsky there, but his music so so great!

Does anyone know where I can get the music for the famous Pas de Quatre? (Perrot / Pugni) I know it's on that CD "Fete du Ballet" but I already have Paquita, Les Sylphides, Les Pataneurs and La Fille mal Gardee (I believe that's what Mam'zelle Angot is) and I don't want the others. All I want is the Pas de Quatre. I can't find recordings on the internet (ie. Kazaa, Shareaza, Limewire, etc) so I'm asking you guys. If worst comes to worst then I'll just have to buy the Fete du Ballet.

Taglioni, Grisi and Essler were three of the famous ballerinas in Perrot's famous Pas de Quatre. Who was the other one? I've forgotten. And also, does anyone have a detailed description of it? (ie. the dances, orders of variations, tempos, etc.) Thanks alot guys!

I have never seen a production of the Sleeping Beauty with modified music. Sorry.