pleiades Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 Last night I watched a Kirov compilation which included a ballet choreographed to Barber's Adagio for Strings. I love the music and hadn't known of any ballet set to it (probably my ignorance more than anything else!).. Are there others or is the Kirov the only one? Is the Kirov version performed anymore? (I have to confess I didn't love the choreography which to my feeble mind seemed too stilted for the music) Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 There have been several settings of the score, including John Meehan's "Memory" (original title: "Lament") for the Australian Ballet. It has been produced by ABT as "Adagio for Strings". I like the other titles better. Link to comment
djb Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 I don't know whether there are any other productions that have been viewed as widely as that Kirov video, but in the early '60s, a member of the San Francisco Ballet choreographed it for a summer choreographer's workshop, on the San Francisco Ballet. I don't know whether he ever set it on any other professional company's, but he has used it for whatever regional company he's been associated with over the years. The name of the ballet is Adagio for Ten and Two and the choreographer is Richard Gibson. Link to comment
djb Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 Oops! I didn't see Mel Johnson's reply above before I wrote mine. Obviously there are productions that have been widely seen. Link to comment
Paul Parish Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 It is indeed glorious music -- and it's been choreographed to a LOT. Seems like about ten years ago I saw dances staged to it over and over -- almost never did they measure up to the music, but it's one of those curious things, this music is not jealous and is willing to share the stage very graciously with choreography that can't hold a candle to it.... The adagietto from Mahler's 5th Symphony gets used in a similar way, even more often.... Link to comment
Helene Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 Miriram Mahdaviani choreographed the music in a piece for NYCB. I believe it was part of the American Music Festival. Link to comment
djb Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 By the way, pleiades, I agree with you about the stilted quality of Vinogradov's choreography. I attribute it to awkward transitions between poses. It looked as if the choreographer had a lot of poses in mind, and broke the feeling of a pose just to get to another pose. Link to comment
Marc Haegeman Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Vinogradov's version of the "Adagio" from Barber was performed in the early nineties by the Kirov, even a few times on tour, but I don't think it has ever been revived since Vinogradov left in the mid-nineties. Link to comment
pleiades Posted October 28, 2003 Author Share Posted October 28, 2003 djb, that's exactly what bothered me about the choreography -- you put it far more articulately than me! Link to comment
Andrei Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Sorry, to jump in late. Vinogradov's original choreography of this number was made for the ballet of Georgian composer Machavariani "Fighter in the tiger skin" (or something, I'm not sure about translation). When Moris Bejar saw this number, he said to Vinogradov, that the choreography is good, but the music is not, so, Vinogradov picked up Barber's adagio, changed nothing and voila! Link to comment
Alexandra Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Hello, Andrei -- it's wonderful to read you again! That's a great story -- it shines a whole new light on musicaliity Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Sounds a little like "Le Jeune Homme et la Mort". The dancers rehearsed to jazz, a metronome, a radio tuned to a popular music station, and a drummer, and only at dress rehearsal, found out that the music for the work was Bach! Link to comment
Marc Haegeman Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Great story, Andrei B) . At least Béjart was right about one thing :grinning: The accepted title in translation of this Vinogradov masterpiece is "Knight in a Tigerskin". Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 You know, this could start a whole new genre of ballets: A Knight at the Opera, A Knight in Casablanca, Ten Knights in a Barroom.... Link to comment
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