Lady of the Camellias

[Mireille]

Would anyone know what Chopin pieces are used in the ballet by Val Caniparoli, especially the pas de deux from each act?

[Solor]

Its actually Liszt that was used by Kenneth McMillan (wasnt it him that crea for the Fonteyn and Nureyeev ballet.

There is a recording of the orchestrated music of Liszt work "Maugerite & Armand". I think that it was John Lanchbery who was responsible for revising the score. I will find out more for more.................

[Helene]

Ashton choregraphed Marguerite and Armand for Fonteyn and Nureyev to music by Liszt, but Val Caniparoli did his version to music by Chopin. Boston Ballet performed it, and it was #4 in the Boston Phoenix's top dance events in 2004. It was also performed by the Tulsa Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet.

A 1998 review in the Cincinnati Enquirer concludes, "But basically it's a grown-up story that addresses the conflicts between personal freedom and happiness and social convention. And at its heart, pushed along by romantic Frederic Chopin piano concertos, it is a tragic tale of passionate love and loss."

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/09/27/loc_dance27.html

[Solor]

Ashton choregraphed Marguerite and Armand for Fonteyn and Nureyev to music by Liszt, but Val Caniparoli did his version to music by Chopin.  Boston Ballet performed it, and it was #4 in the Boston Phoenix's top dance events in 2004.  It was also performed by the Tulsa Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. 

A 1998 review in the Cincinnati Enquirer concludes, "But basically it's a grown-up story that addresses the conflicts between personal freedom and happiness and social convention. And at its heart, pushed along by romantic Frederic Chopin piano concertos, it is a tragic tale of passionate love and loss." 

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/09/27/loc_dance27.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whoops! Sorry, I thought that we were refering to the Nureyev and Fonteyn ballet.

[bart]

Lady of the Camelias was created for one of our local companies, Ballet Florida, and for Ballet West. The libretto and score arrangement were by Norbert Vesak and Robert de la Rose, who did the work originally for Ballet Florida. After Vesak's premature death, the commision, along with libretto and score, was passed on to Caniparoli.

The music is early Chopin, rather awkwardly pieced together. A quick Google yielded a statement from the music director of Boston Ballet, that the score includes "nearly everything he [Chopin] ever wrote for piano." An article in the Portland (Me.) Phoenix, dealing with the Boston Ballet production, contains more deatailed information about which Chopin pieces were used.

Link to Boston Phoenix Article