Classical Ballet One act ballets: ! PREMIERE ! Carnaval. ! PREMIERE ! For Four. Le Reveil de Flore.
World famous Mariinsky Ballet and Opera - established 1783
Schedule for One act ballets: ! PREMIERE ! Carnaval. ! PREMIERE ! For Four. Le Reveil de Flore. 2022
Lighting Designer: Vladimir Lukasevich
Choreography: Michel Fokine
Composer: Riccardo Drigo
Composer: Robert Schumann
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Choreography: Lev Ivanov
Costume Designer: Yevgeny Ponomarev
Orchestra: Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra
Carnaval
Composer: Robert Schumann
Choreography: Mikhail Fokine
World Premiere: 5 March 1910, Mariinsky Imperial Ballet, St. Petersburg, Russia
Libretto
The libretto was put together by Fokine and Leon Bakst and has no real plot; rather it is a series of light, humorous, and joyous incidents combined with some moments of poignancy and an undercurrent of satire.
The four charactes of the commedia are complemented by Florestan, representing the impulsive side of Schumann's nature, Eusebius, the thoughtful solitary side,[1] Estrella (Ernestine), Chiarina (Clara), Papillon, a fluttering lady, six light-hearted couples, and four Philistines.
For the gallant males, coquettish females, and lovers who teasingly accept and reject each other, Fokine devised numerous pas de deux, pas de trois and pas seuls.
Costumes and Sets
They illustrate another instance where the role of the designer, in this case Bakst, was of utmost importance.
His sketches for the costumes gave Fokine further inspiration for the finely etched characters he created. The simple set— the ante-room of a ballroom delineated by a curtain running all around the stage and up to the flies, with two chandeliers and two small striped sofas— as well as the costumes, were designed in the style of Biedermeier.
Even the traditional commedia d'arte figures were altered slightly to fit this viewpoint. The set had evidently the effect of making the dancers appear smaller- thus making the audience feel even more strongly that they were watching a finely tuned miniature.
Analysis
Carnaval seems to have been the most delicate, most exquisite ballet Fokine ever created, as well as the most difficult to pinpoint.
As was the case with many of his works, the roles depended to a large degree upon the talents of the original performers, and if one looks at just the steps (except for the one Harlequin solo) they are almost simplistic. It was the infusion of lightness, gaiety, coyness, and self-absorption, combined with an underlying sadness- all of which must be contributed by the dancers- that resulted in what most critics of the time regarded as a most effective adaptation of Schumann's music and characters.
Recent attempts to reconstruct the work in England, Sweden, and the United States have had varying degrees of success. This is because the roles must be created from within each individual performer, not from externally imposed steps or gestures. They require someone like Fokine himself to elicit this from the dancers- an almost impossible task.
For Four
Information will be released at a later date.
Le Reveil de Flore (The Awakening of Flora)
anacreontic ballet in one act
(revival of the 1894 production)
Music: Riccardo Drigo (1894)
Choreography: Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov (1894)
Set design: Mikhail Bocharov (1894)
Costumes: Yevgeny Ponomarev (1894)
The revival team:
Choreography staged: Sergei Vikharev
Sets reproduced: Mikhail Shishliannikov
Costumes reproduced: Irina Korovina
Lighting: Vladimir Lukasevich
Premiere: 12 April 2007, Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg.
World Premiere: 1 March 1894, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg.
The Awakening of Flora (fr. Le Reveil de Flore) (a.k.a Flora's Awakening, though occasionally referred to incorrectly under such titles as The Flower's Reawakening or The Reawakening of the Flowers) - Anacreontic ballet in 1 Act, with choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Riccardo Drigo. Libretto by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Originally produced for the celebrations held at Peterhof in honor of the wedding of the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna to the Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich.
First presented by the Imperial Ballet on 9 August [O.S. 28 July] 1894, at the Imperial Theatre of Peterhof, Russia. Principal Dancers - Mathilde Kschessinskaya (as Flora), Anna Johansson (as Aurora), Olga Leonova (as Diana), Nikolai Legat (as Zephyr), Pavel Gerdt (as Apollo), Alexander Gorsky (as Aquilon), Vera Trefilova (as Amour/Cupid), and Claudia Kulichevskaya (as Hebe).
The work was given a second premiere for the general public on 20 January [O.S. 2 January] 1895 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre with the same cast. This performance was given as a farewell benefit for the Ballerina Anna Johansson (daughter of the great teacher and dancer Christian Johansson), who after recovering from burn injuries was forced to retire from the stage.
Revivals/Restagings
Revival by Askhat Galiamov for the West Australian Ballet under the title Le Reveil de Flore. First presented at the Quarry Amphitheatre during the festival Ballet at the Quarry on February 14, 2006 in Perth, Australia. Principal Dancers - Louise Chalwell (as Flora).
Reconstruction of the original 1894 production by Sergei Vikharev (choreography), Pavel Bubelnikov, Lyudmila Sveshnikova and Elena Belyaeva (Drigo's score). Choreography restored from the Stepanov Choreographic Notation of the Sergeyev Collection. First presented by the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet during the VII International Ballet Festival on April 12, 2007 at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers - Eugenia Obratzova (as Flora), Xenia Ostreikovskaya (as Aurora), Svetlana Ivanova (as Diana), Vladimir Shkliarov (as Zephyr), Maxim Chaschegorov (as Apollo), Valeria Martynyuk (as Cupid), and Daria Sukhorukova (as Hebe).
Notes
There exists complete choreographic notations of Petipa's original choreography for The Awakening of Flora, which were made circa 1894 in the method of Stepanov Choreographic Notation by Vladimir Ivanovich Stepanov. Today these notations are part of the Sergeyev Collection, which is housed in the Harvard University Library Theatre Collection.
Although many studies of ballet in Tsarist St. Petersburg credit this ballet as the work of both Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, it was choreographed solely by Petipa himself, with Ivanov serving as assistant in rehearsals.
Riccardo Drigo's music was hailed as a masterwork of ballet music by the balletomanes and critics of the day, and was even formed into an orchestral suite. The Adage of the ballet's Pas d’action, which includes a violin solo written especially for the great violinist Leopold Auer, became a popular concert and repertory piece in St. Petersburg at the turn of the 20th century.
This ballet was a favorite with the Ballerinas of the Imperial St. Petersburg stage, among them Anna Pavlova, who included an abridgement of the work in her company's repertory.
Conductor Richard Bonynge recorded an abridgement of Riccardo Drigo's score for The Awakening of Flora as performed by Anna Pavlova's company. The recording has been included on the Decca Records releases Homage to Pavlova (1972), and Fete du Ballet (2001).
Libretto
Tableau 1 — It is night. Flora, the goddess of the flowers, is deep asleep with her nymphs; Diana, the goddess of night, guards their peace (no.1 Danse de Diane). With the approach of dawn, a freshness is felt in the air. Diana hides in the clouds.
Tableau 2 — Aquilon, the god of the northern wind, rushes stormily over the locale; his cold breath of wind awakens the sleepers and forces them to seek refuge in the foliage (no.2 Entree d’Aquilon). The appearance of chilling dew brings Flora to despair (no.3 La rosee), and she implores Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, to help them (no.4 Arrivee d’Aurore).
Tableau 3 — Aurora consoles Flora with tender caresses and announces that Apollo, the god of day, who will end their sufferings, is following behind her. Aurora, Flora, and her nymphs perform a waltz (no.5 Valse).
Tableau 4 — With the appearance of resplendent Apollo, everything becomes animated. Smitten with the beauty of Flora, Apollo kisses her. At his call, Zephyr, the god of the gentle west wind, flies to his beloved Flora's embrace. He is followed by Cupid and her little amours (no.6 Entree d’Apollon, Zephyre, Cupidon, et des amours). "You must be his helpmate," Apollo tells her, "It is the will of the gods." Everyone is delighted; Cupid, amours, and nymphs rejoice over the lover's happiness. A classical Pas d’action is performed (no.7 Pas d’action).
Tableau 5 — Mercury, messenger of the gods, announces Hebe, the goddess of youth, and Ganymede, cupbearer to the gods (no.8 Arrivee de Mercure, Ganymede et Hebe). They present Flora and Zephyr a cup of nectar and proclaim that Jupiter has given them eternal youth.
Tableau 6 — A procession. The chariot of Bacchus and Ariadne is accompanied by bacchantes, satyrs, fauns, sylvans, and others (no.9 Grand cortege). A Grand pas is performed by all assembled (no.10 Grand pas), followed by a rousing finale (no.11 Galop generale).
Apotheosis — Olympus is revealed; Jupiter appears, Juno, Neptune, Vulcan, Minerva, Ceres, Mars, Pluto, Proserpina, Venus, and others (no.12 Apotheose - La revelation d’Olympe).
Dances and scenes
- Introduction
- №01 Danse de Diane
- №02 Entree d’Aquilon
- №03 La rosee
- №04 Arrivee d’Aurore
- №05 Valse
- №06-a Entree d’Apollon, Zephyre, Cupidon, et des Amours
- №06-bPizzicato – Entree de Cupidon et des amours
- №07 Pas d’action
a. Adage
b. Variation de Zephyre
c. Variation de Flore
d. Grande valse
- №08 Arrivee de Mercure, Ganymede et Hebe
- №09 Grand cortege
- №10 Grand pas
- №11 Galop generale
- №12 Apotheose – La revelation d’Olympe
Additional information about ballet "The Awakening of Flora" ("Le Reveil de Flore") at en.wikipedia.org
Schedule for One act ballets: ! PREMIERE ! Carnaval. ! PREMIERE ! For Four. Le Reveil de Flore. 2022
|
If you need help or have a question for Customer Service,