Starting on Wednesday, July 24 and going until Friday, July 26 members of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company and the RWB School will take to the stage at the Lyric Theatre at Assiniboine Park to present Ballet in the Park.
This is a fabulous opportunity to enjoy the universal language of dance with family and friends under prairie skies. It is completely free and a wonderful way to take in a slice of Winnipeg.
In anticipation of this summer favorite, we here at Classic 107 will be featuring ballet music all week in the 1p.m. hour.
Monday, July 22: Glazunov-- The Seasons (1899)
First performed in 1900 at the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, The Seasons was initially supposed to be composed by Ricardo Drigo, a close friend and college of Glazunov.
Marius Petipa initially assigned The Seasons to Drigo and another ballet, Les Millions d’Arlequin to Glazunov. They admired each other's work and decided to swap projects. Drigo took on Les Millions d’Arlequin, and Glazunov took over The Seasons.
The Seasons has no plot; it depicts the characteristics of the specific season using characters such frost, hail, faun, rose, and Bacchus. Each tableau of the ballet depicts a different season.
Click here for a synopsis of the Seasons
Since its premiere Glazunov's The Seasons has become one of his most performed and beloved works.
Tuesday, July 23: Ravel-- Daphnis and Chloe (1912)
Written for the ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev and his Ballet Russes, Daphnis, and Chloe is based on a scenario by choreographer and dancer Michel Fokine.
Fokine got the idea for the ballet from a Greco-Roman romance written by the second century A.D. writer Longus. The premise of the story being that it is a love story set on the island of Lesbos, where, after various misfortunes, the lovers of the title are eventually happily re-united.
Ravel's composition is some of his most colorful and beautiful work. Using a large orchestra and chorus, he paints an idyllic pastoral scene where fauns, nymphs, and pirates abound. Ravel masterfully depicts nature while also telling the story of the lovers Daphnis and Chloe.
Click here to see a synopsis of Daphnis and Chloe
Wednesday, July 24:-- Delibes Coppélia, 1st Tableau (1870)
Coppélia is a comedic ballet based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s story The Sandman. The choreography was done by Arthur Saint-Leon, with the music supplied by Delibes.
It was first performed on the 25th of May 1870 at the Theatre Imperial l’Opera in Paris. It was initially successful, but the run of the production was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian war and the siege of Paris in 1870 and 1871.
It was revived by the ballet master Marius Petipa, and modern productions make use of Petipa’s choreography.
Click here for a synopsis of Coppélia
Thursday, July 25: Copland-- Billy the Kid (1938)
Billy the kid was written on a commission from the American impresario, philanthropist, and writer, and Lincoln Kirsten. The choreography was done by Eugene Loring for the Ballet Caravan dance company.
Copland's ballet "Billy the Kid" is renowned for integrating cowboy tunes and American folk songs, vividly portraying the Wild West through the iconic figure of Billy the Kid.
Click here for a synopsis of Billy the Kid
Friday, July 26: Tchaikovsky-- Suite from Swan Lake (1875-76)
The scenario, initially in two acts, was fashioned from Russian and German folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse.
The ballet was choreographed by Julius Reisinger and premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877.
Tchaikovsky was initially wary of doing the project, not thinking he was up to the task. He turned to the ballets of Leo Delibes and Adolph Adam for inspiration, and once he heard this music, he was convinced that he could take on the project.
He wrote the ballet quickly, in just one year, and credited Delibes and Adam with giving him the musical idea for the ballet., In a letter to composer and teacher Sergei Taneyev, he wrote:
“I listened to the Delibes ballet Sylvia ... what charm, what elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm, and harmony. I was ashamed, for if I had known of this music then, I would not have written Swan Lake."
Initially a failure when it was first performed, Swan Lake has become a cornerstone of the Ballet Literature.
Click here for a synopsis of Swan Lake
Swan Lake | Ballet Story, Characters, Music & Performances (balletherald.com)
Tune in all week at 1 p.m. to hear these amazing ballets!
Only on Classic 107...