The ballet as known today was a development from the
entertainments devised for the court of King Louis XIV of France in the 17th
and 18th centuries. These involved a range of skills, including
dance, mime and music, performed by heavily costumed dancers. Over time, the
costumes became less cumbersome and the movements defined and codified, so that
by the early 19th century ballets were being performed that would be
recognised as such today.
Romantic ballet can be defined as that of early 19th
century Europe, whereas classical ballet was the art of late 19th
century Russia. A number of composers wrote music specifically intended for
interpretation as ballets, and some of the more notable works are described
below:
La Fille Mal Gardée (or The Wayward Daughter)
Although there was a ballet with this name that originated
in 1789, using traditional French folk song melodies, the first modern version
was created in 1828 using music taken from works by Rossini and Ferdinand Hérold.
A number of other versions subsequently appeared, including an 1864 ballet
produced in Berlin to music by Peter Ludwig Hertel.
If there is an “official” modern version it would be that
produced by Sir Frederick Ashton for the Royal Ballet in 1960. This used music specially
composed by John Lanchbery (1923-2003) that was based on that of Hérold
but also incorporated some of the 1789 tunes and one by Hertel (the famous clog
dance).
The story is a rustic tale of young people in love who look
as though they will be thwarted by the girl’s widowed mother who wants her to
marry someone else. After many subterfuges and shenanigans love eventually
conquers all.
Giselle
This two-act ballet was first performed in 1841 at the Paris
Opera to music by Adolphe Adam (1803-56). This is a tragic tale based on a poem
by Heinrich Heine. Giselle is a peasant girl who falls in love with Albert, a
handsome count, although she does not know that he is a rich aristocrat who is
already promised elsewhere. However, Hilarion, a jealous gamekeeper, reveals
the secret and this drives Giselle to madness and death. When Albert and
Hilarion visit Giselle’s grave, the Willis, who are the ghosts of brides who died
before their wedding day, drive Hilarion into the nearby lake. The ghost of
Giselle appears and saves Albert by dancing with him until dawn breaks.
Coppélia
A ballet in three acts first performed at the Paris Opera in
1870 to music by Léo Delibes (1836-91) and inspired by stories by the German
writer E T A Hoffmann (1776-1822). The story concerns two lovers, Franz and
Swanhilde, and the sinister Dr Coppelius. When Dr Coppelius makes a life-sized
wooden dancing doll (Coppélia) it appears so lifelike that Franz falls in love with
it. In order to win him back, Swanhilde dresses like the doll and “comes to
life” in front of Franz.
Swan Lake
One of Tchaikovsky’s (1840-93) greatest works, he composed
the music in 1875-6 in collaboration with the choreographer Julius Reisinger.
The four-act ballet was first performed in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow,
and has been staged in various versions ever since. The story concerns Prince
Siegfried and a flock of swan maidens who have been enchanted by the evil von
Rothbart. They can only resume their human form at night. Siegfried falls in
love with Odette, who explains that if he takes her for his wife the spell will
be broken. However, when von Rothbart appears to claim her back, Odette points
out that if von Rothbart dies, the spell can never be undone.
Siegfried returns to his castle, at which von Rothbart
appears in disguise accompanied by his daughter Odile, who is identical to
Odette apart from being dressed in black. Siegfried declares his love publicly
for the wrong woman and then sees Odette. Realising his mistake he returns to
the lake to apologise to Odette, who forgives him. There are various versions
of the story of what happens next. One is that Siegfried fights with von
Rothbart and tears off one of his wings, thus destroying his power. Another is
that Odette is condemned to remain a swan forever, leaving Siegfried to grieve.
In yet another possible ending, both von Rothbart and Siegfried drown in the
lake.
The Nutcracker
This is probably Tchaikovsky’s most popular ballet, being
performed regularly around Christmas time due to its theme. It is also full of
wonderful melodies that lend themselves to a variety of exotic scenes. It was
first performed in 1892 in St Petersburg.
Klara is given a nutcracker for Christmas. She falls asleep and dreams that she must
defend it against the Mouse King. The nutcracker turns into a handsome prince
who takes Klara on a journey to the Kingdom of Sweets where she meets the Sugar
Plum Fairy and sweets which perform dances from places such as Arabia and
China.
The ballet is pure entertainment that offers no profound
message except confirmation of Tchaikovsky’s belief that ballet is “a
prettiment of life rather than an interpretation of life”.
Les Sylphides
This is a one-act ballet that was originally choreographed
by Michel Fokine to piano music by Frederic Chopin (1810-49), orchestrated by
Glazunov. A version of the work was first performed in St Petersburg in 1907,
but the one that is usually performed today derives from the 1909 production by
the Ballet Russes, under Diaghilev, in Paris. It is a ballet that does not
purport to tell a story but merely to bring the various musical cameos to life.
Sylphs dressed in white dance in the moonlight in the company of a poet who wears
a black top and white tights.
© John Welford
