MinkusPugni

That's okay, I have that DVD too. It's great isn't it.

Thanks, but I'm in Aus. They will probably ship things. But I am very pleased! Thankyou.

Ah, I can't seem to find the CD. Do you have a title or a direct link to the site?

Sounds like an interesting and ambitious competition, and I hope you'll report on how it develops.

I can "hear" only some of the musical selections -- the more familiar pieces.  All, however, certainly seem to have an established track record of serving choreography well in the past.  (Which part of Faust?)

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The incidental "ballet music" of Faust. The little interludes. The Faust Ballet Finale is a very famous piece and it most likely that you would have heard it. You probably would have heard Helene's variation aswell. Unfortunately, I cannot link you to an uploads page so I can't give you the pieces but if you hunt around, you should be able to find the midis.

I am thinking about removing Aurora's variation from the music as it is very hard to dance to. I am thinking, now, about putting in the winter fairy variation from Cinderella (thanks Helene).

Oh okay... yeah nice idea, thanks for that.

Yeah, I think it will be revived but incorrectly. As I said before the "tilt" comes only from pulling the chest forward and up. I think people will realise that the Romantic Ballet isn't something to lose and will teach people to "drop" their backs forward, not up aswell. Anway, thanks for your replies you guys. This is something that has recently frustrated me.

Also, we must remember this: La Sylphide is definately a romantic ballet, Les Sylphides is a semi-neo-classical ballet (nice word, lol). Fokine was the one who started to straight back and body and is the choreographer of Les Sylphides. I have seen productions of Les Sylphides where they have tried to turn it into La Sylphide with the "tilt" which is completely incorrect! It is so strange that Romantic ballets are performed as Classical ones and in this case visa versa as well!

I love this ballet so much! August Bournonville's style is so different - I love it. I would like to see the whole of "Marriage Through a Newspaper" or whatever it's called but unfortunately it doesn't exist anymore. I have seen two versions, though and here's my dilemma.

The first version I saw was Paul Gnatt's reproduction. This went straight from the acting into the class with Victoria, Eliza and Alexis. In the other version I have seen (I am not sure which version it is - I saw it on someone's video tape) the ballet goes from the acting to a junior class then to an intermediate class and then to the senior class.

By the way, does anybody have all of the names of the students? I know there's Eliza, Alexis, Victoria, Josephine, Danni, Ashley but I don't know the rest. If you have the notation of it then it should be on there.

Does anyone know any way that I can get my hands on a clean version of "Le Conservatoire" by Holger Simon Paulli? When I say clean I mean no audience, just the music. I don't even mind if someone has the MP3 files they would like to give me over MSN or something, but I desperately need the Conservatoire music. I need the Pas de Trois (with all variations), Ashley's solo, the Adage, the Barre and the girls' jumps mainly. But I would like the whole thing on CD. Any suggestions?

how many dancers do you have? what are their strengths? what resources do you have for costumes/lighting? Can you afford silent pointe shoes?

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Max is 17 (i am using the max) only four solos so I'll fit their strengths into their solos but it's not really how they perform its the choreography. Costumes for the Snowflakes are going to be white classical tutus and the costumes for the Ice Fairies are going to be white romantic tutus. The Snow Queen will also have a white classical tutu. But what do you think about the music?

Delibes' "Sylvia" and Glazunov's "Raymonda."  And I do have an emotional attachment to the tarantella from "Napoli" and the death scene from "La Sylphiide"

I was just playing the CD of "Le Corsaire" this week, MinkusPugni, and I loved the coda of Jardin Anime and the "The Pirates are coming!" parts

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Yeah the Corsaire music is really great! Especially the whole of the Jardin Anime! Where did you get that CD and who's the conductor and company etc?

Something that I have noticed lately that is starting to frustrate me is that when people rechoreograph Romantic Ballets, they don't respect the Romantic style and change it into a classical ballet. They lose the Romantic "Tilt" (when people hear that the back is "tilted" in Romantic style they take it too literally. The back is pulled forward and up from the chest making the back come slightly forward but the mistake most people make is that they drop the back from the waist), they lose the well-rounded arms with palms facing down, legs go above 90!.

I believe it is because of people like Vaganova who create a technique and then expect all stagings of ballets to be in that technique which, in turn, bastardises the ballet. Romantic ballets never allowed the legs to go above 90 degrees. This was because it was "unladylike" to let the dress slip down your leg. Even in a penchee, the leg never went to 180 - it only barely went above 90 and the back was just pushed forward, not like the penchees we see today. People now are just losing respect for the romantic ballets and I can't work out why. I think that the style of the romantic ballet is much more elegant and pretty than classical ballet. Let me know what you think.

I know this doesn't directly fall under one choreographer but it is choreographers in general.

I am also a traditionalist. I am not saying his choreography is bad. Infact, his Nutcracker Pas de Deux is one of the best I've seen but I think if he wanted to make that Swan Lake he should have called it something else. You can change the choreography of a ballet without changing the storyline. As I said before, his work could survive more on its own rather than under traditional titles. But the Shades of Gray which was supposed to be about Dorian Gray wasn't really. It was too strange and he could have brought his opinion across differently. I am glad though that there are still classical(ish) choreographers around and we're not just changing ballet into contemporary.

Thanks for all your posts guys - those links really helped. The Australian Ballet recently performed "Suite en Blanc" last month. So his work is still around but I guess not much of it!

Oh yeah I LOVE Serenade for Strings (Balanchine's "Serenade")! I have played it in a string orchestra on many occasions. I can't say I'm all attracted to Stravinsky's music though. His most attractive score was Petrouchka. I can't say much for The Rite or Firebird. Firebird is interesting... but nothing compared to Tchaikovsky or Minkus.

It's interesting that no one has said Giselle. I don't really find Adam's music great but another favourite of mine is Le Corsaire (especially the Odalisque Pas de Trois, the Gulnare Pas de Deux and the Pas de Fleurs [Jardin Anime]).

Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Snowflakes from the Nutcracker is definately also a favourite. I also can't say I'm a great Prokofiev fan though I have only heard Romeo and Juliet suites and the Dance of the Knights so I can't really give an opinion on his work.

Thanks for your posts guys! Interesting!

What's your favourite ballet music?

Mine would have to be "La Fille mal Gardee", "Graduation Ball", "Don Quixote", "Coppelia" and some of "Swan Lake".

Is the Giselle music actually all that great? I think it's nice but not brilliant like Tchaikovsky's or some of Minkus'. I do love the music for Myrtha's apparation though.

People had to add things into Giselle to spice it up a little. Minkus added quite a bit to it (which most of it was later removed) and someone else did. I can't quite remember his name .

I still reckon it's good ballet music but I don't think it's as good as the ballet can be.

I am about to enter a choreography competition next year with snow as my theme. Here is the music that I have chosen but I am definately open to suggestions as this isn't my final choice.

1. Waltz of the Snowflakes (Nutcracker - Tchaikovsky) - Opening Dance

2. Panorama (Sleeping Beauty - Tchaikovsky) - Snow Queen and Ice Fairies

3. Aurora's Act II Variation (Sleeping Beauty) - First Variation (Ice Fairiy)

4. Fifth Variation (Paquita - Minkus [Cherepnin]) - Second Variation

5. Helene's Variation (Faust [Opera] - Gounod) - Third Variation

6. Solor's Variation (La Bayadere - Minkus) - Fourth Variation

7. Nikiya's Shade Variation (La Bayadere - Minkus) - Snow Queen's Variation

8. Finale (Faust [Opera] - Gounod) - Finale Storm

Does anyone have any extra suggestions?

Does anyone have any information on Serge Lifar? I don't seem to be able to find any. I know he created Suite en Blanc - a MARVELLOUS ballet. But there's not much else I can find. Can anyone help?

Most people outside of Australia wouldn't be familiar with Graeme Murphy. Unfortunately, soon the UK will know his work when the Australian Ballet tours to England soon with Murphy's Swan Lake. It is certainly not Australia's Swan Lake.

What Graeme Murphy does is he goes around and bastardises ballets. With nothing else to compare it to, it is like changing Shakespear's words. Of what I am aware, he has done it to the Nutcracker and now Swan Lake. His version of the Nutcracker was awful and it may have succeeded as a ballet in its own right, but people wanting to see the real Nutcracker were very disappointed. He also made a ballet called "Shades of Gray" about Dorian Gray. Well he even bastardised that by putting in a scene with a S&M guy in the middle of the stage with men in leather sliding around the stage on toilets. It would have been much better for the UK to have seen our diverse technique in "White" - a triple bill we recently did consisting of the final act of La Bayadere, Relic (a new, contemporary piece by Adrian Burnett) and Suite en Blanc by Serge Lifar. These are all completely different ballets but great ballets.

I am very disappointed in the Australian Ballet's choice to tour with Swan Lake. I advise you not to see it as you will think less of the Australian Ballet after seeing it.

Thanks... do you have any others? Is there a more diverse one? With Paquita and more more recent things on it?

Here is a picture of Perpetuum mobile

Perpetuum Mobile

Romantic Girl

Romantic Girl

Pigtails

Pigtails

A picture of when DAVID LICHINE staged Graduation Ball in Australia

David Lichine's Graduation Ball

The finale of Graduation Ball

Finale

I have the BMN notation of when David Lichine staged Graduation Ball in Australia. The storyline goes as I have just said:

1. Entrance

2. Entrance of Cadets

3. Waltz

4. Drummer Boy

5. La Sylphide pas de Deux

6. Pigtails' solo

7. Romantic girl's solo

8. Fouette competition

9. Love letters

10. Perpetuum Mobile (Dance of See, Speak and Hear No Evil)

11. Students leave for dinner

12. Mazurka

13. Galop Finale

You've just described the Natural History Lesson. 

And I repeat my previous question. 

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You said that the fouette competition is performed to Strauss' "Perpetuum Mobile". The Fouette Competition is performed to a piece that currently I am unaware of but I shall be getting the details of the score shortly. Whatever the "Natural History Lesson" is, I've never heard of it but you are saying that it's Perpetuum Mobile.

Oh, and I'm sorry - seeing as you seem so adament that the fouette competition is performed to Perpetuum Mobile, when did YOU work for David Lichine?

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the Kirov version but I hear that the Kirov is totally different to the ABT one. I am talking about the ABT Medora's Jardin variation which has been creditied to Minkus, Delibes and Ivanov. So I was hoping someone could clear that up.

Okay, I understand now. Thanku so much everyone (especially Mel and Solor) you have really cleared things up for me. So now I need to buy a 1895 version if I want that pas de deux.... grrrr... neways! Thanks again - I was quite confused. I don't know much about Swan Lake. Infact it's one of the most famous ballets and I know nothing about it! I'm mainly into the unknown ones, lol.

The original 2/4 allegro coda to the pas d'action in Act II aka "White Swan pas de deux" was dropped by Drigo and replaced by the softer violin/woodwinds version.

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Oh, so you mean the allegro at the end is actually connected to the Pas de Deux? I didn't quite understand that. So Drigo dropped that for a reprise of the B theme? (ie. the 6/8 temps leve section). Okay, thanks for clearing that up for me!

Those two parts you're talking about are called "lead sheets", and are frequently the only things people have to reconstruct certain scores from.  Try early Cole Porter sometimes, if you want an arranging challenge.

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Thats what I meant - that's all that's left of the "originals".