JosBiviano Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 Can anyone tell me if there is, or ever was, a recording of Drigo's Les Millions d'Arlequin ballet? I have read how successful this ballet was in Imperial Russia as well as the great success it enjoyed when Balanchine revived it for NYCB (under the name Harliquinade). I'm surprised that I cannot find any recording of it. Any ideas? Thank you. Link to comment
rg Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 i know of no recording of this drigo composition on CD. there are no dvd releases of the ballet either. (in the late 70s the BBC telecast a triple bill from the maly theater in leningrad, one of the ballets telecast then was HARLEQUINADE in pytor gusev's staging, but this has not been released to the best of my knowledge.) Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 The only bits I can think of that have been released are a couple of pieces on ballet class recordings, I think the "Pas des Alouettes", and the Polonaise which opens Act II. But these are long out of print. The other part that I can recall is the music the Legat Bros. appropriated from the ballet to call "The Fairy Doll" and swore the music was by Joseph Bayer. No way! Link to comment
rg Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 the fairy doll trio is def. drigo - the original prog. lists it as such, if mem. serves, but i don't think it's from HARLEQUINADE, or at least not from the Harlequinade music as it has come to us in gusev's and balachine's versions. the legat FAIRY DOLL also interpolated musc by the following composers into 1903 work: tchaikovsky, gottschalk, liadow, and rubinstein. drigo is credited with the music for both the "Farncaise" variation and the Pas de Trois. it would seem to be only the careless soviet and later stagers who keep claiming bayer for the PdT. Link to comment
JosBiviano Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 I'm a bit confused here---when you say "Fairy Doll" by Bayer, are you refering to Die Puppenfee? If so, is there interpolations in Die Puppenfee that belong to Drigo? Link to comment
rg Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 yes, there are two, as stated above and as given in the printed hermitage program from '03. Link to comment
JosBiviano Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 rg---in the Fairy Doll recording I have (naxos / complete ballet) there is no dance numbers Francaise and Pas de Trois listed. Was the Legat Bros a different recording? Link to comment
rg Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 the legat version of puppenfee was based on the viennese austrian staging, w/ changes as indicated above. mel brought up the fairy doll trio often carelessly given in soviet/russian programs as having music by bayer, which it doesn't. it's by drigo. [see above] Link to comment
JosBiviano Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 Thanks for all your help rg----I'm getting a good education here Link to comment
odinthor Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Still no DVD of Les Millions d'Arlequin? Any recent productions? Assuming "no" and "no," why and why? Link to comment
RhinoHaggis Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 This is an old topic, but maybe we can make some progress. At least two rehearsal (piano) scores for les Millions have appeared. IMSLP has the first act (here: https://imslp.org/wiki/Les_millions_d'Arlequin_(Drigo%2C_Riccardo) of a complete score that is available at https://balletmusic.narod.ru. Of particular interest are the instrumentation and staging markings. Apparently the Serenade: ... in the ballet, is scored with a host of mandolins (to do the serenading, presumably). Also on IMSLP is a Carl Fisher Theater Orchestra edition of the Serenade. These Piano/Conductor scores are just like the P/C score for a Broadway show -- chocked full of instrument names and moving lines peppered into the score, and/or above it, on an extra upper staff-- but from an era that is very handy for the ballet music hunter. Anyway, there are several numbers from Arlequin that are well-known and often played in ballet class; it shouldn't be too much trouble to find piano recordings of the coda, polkas and a few other miscellaneous numbers. I know that's not what you want, but perhaps with some information, more can be found. Sorry if none of this is new information! Link to comment
RhinoHaggis Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 Honestly, I'm surprised the music doesn't show up more often. Playing through the rehearsal score, the quality of the music is good; lyrical, light and playful; a very attractive sound and virtually everything is suitable for class. Not every number is good. Overall it's hugely repetitive, and there are times where "enter Pierrot" is just diminished chord - New Diminished Chord - NEW DIMINISHED CHORD - NEEEEXTTT NEEEEEW DIMINISHED CHOOOOOORD but -for example- there is scarcely a waltz in the whole ballet that isn't worth bringing to class. Really, a pleasant surprise. Some of these more obscure ballets, the music is shockingly bad. Or there are ballets like Giselle where most of the music is a running commentary on the plot, and it's hard to pull out individual numbers for class (or for the pleasure of listening). But les Millions is a pleasure to read through. Link to comment
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