LinMM Posted December 14, 2015 Posted December 14, 2015 First Mods if there has been a previous topic on this then perhaps you can re title or move etc I've just been listening to the radio about a long held favourite piece of music of mine Beethoven's Spring Sonata. Just love it ....and all three movements absolutely equally. Has anyone ever choreographed a ballet with this music? If not I would love this to be used for a Ballet. Have others got a favourite piece they would like to see used for a ballet and those more knowledgable can always point out if it has been used already! Could be some interesting learning here.
Two Pigeons Posted December 14, 2015 Posted December 14, 2015 (edited) Anything by Elgar. There have been a few ballet's danced to his music, not least when LFB performed The Sanguine Fan which is his only specified written ballet. I cannot leave out Ashton's Enigma Variations and I have very happy memories of Michael Corder's Wand of Youth. Specially I would suggest his Elergy for Strings and Serenade for Strings. His Introduction and Allegro for Strings is my very favourite piece of music in all the world but I think it would take a really great choreographer to make that work. Edited December 14, 2015 by Two Pigeons 4
MargaretN7 Posted December 14, 2015 Posted December 14, 2015 Not so much a favourite piece of music, but something that would make a real fun full length ballet, and just think of all the roles - Gilbert & Sullivan's Mikado. 1
bangorballetboy Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Beethoven's 6th Symphony Minnesota have a ballet to this (called Pastoral). I know little about it though, I'm afraid. 1
SwissBalletFan Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Not so much a favourite piece of music, but something that would make a real fun full length ballet, and just think of all the roles - Gilbert & Sullivan's Mikado. Just think of all the roles indeed, Its a shame but I think it is very difficult to put on these days : Vivaldi Four Seasons Wayne MacGregor choreographed a piece on Ballett Zürich called Kairos a couple of seasons ago and it appeared at Edinburgh Festival this year to 5 star reviews. The music has been adapted by Max Richter who also appeared at the festival for his own concert. Pure energy! Links added to the words for newspaper article and youtube videos. 1
zxDaveM Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Minnesota have a ballet to this (called Pastoral). I know little about it though, I'm afraid. Then let there be another! :-)
Rachelm Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Debussy: Clair de Lune Michael Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First or Big My Secret (from The Piano) Tolga Kashif: The Queen Symphony 3rd Movement (Who Wants to Live Forever) Max Richter: Vivaldi Four Seasons Recomposed 3
Ian Macmillan Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Thomas Tallis - "Spem in Alium" - with full 40-part choir, and 40 matching dancers in eight groups of five. Oh, and choreographed by Cathy Marston. I think that's about it .... 6
Jan McNulty Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Vivaldi Four Seasons BRB had a choreographic workshop using Four Seasons and David Bintley choreographed a work with the same name a couple of years later. David Nixon uses Four Seasons and other music by Vivaldi in his Dangerous Liaisons. 1 1
Jan McNulty Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Debussy: Clair de Lune Michael Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First or Big My Secret (from The Piano) Tolga Kashif: The Queen Symphony 3rd Movement (Who Wants to Live Forever) Max Richter: Vivaldi Four Seasons Recomposed The Harrogate International Festival used to have a night of ballet. One year soloists from Stuttgart Ballet performed, including a very attractive work to Debussy's Bergamasque Suite. 1 1
zxDaveM Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Debussy: Clair de Lune Michael Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First or Big My Secret (from The Piano) Tolga Kashif: The Queen Symphony 3rd Movement (Who Wants to Live Forever) Max Richter: Vivaldi Four Seasons Recomposed That Max Richter/Vivaldi recomposed is awesome! 2
MAB Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 Vivaldi Four Seasons Already used catastrophically for Nicholas Le Riche's full length Caligula.
Amelia Posted June 2 Posted June 2 There is a very appealing concert at the Barbican on June 12th with a lot of music used in ballets, performed by Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili & Friends, including Nicola Benedetti, also a tenor and soprano… A program of rare generosity. https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/khatia-buniatishvili-friends Programme Johann Sebastian Bach. arr Alexander Siloti Prelude in B minor Jules Massenet. Méditation from ‘Thais’ Antonin Dvorak. Slavonic Dance in E Minor, Op 72/2: Dumka Allegretto grazioso for 4 hands Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker: Overture, Op 71a for 8 hands Johannes Brahms. Sixteen Waltzes Op 39: no 3, 5 and 6 for 4 hands César Franck. Violin Sonata in A major: movements 3 and 4 Antonio Vivaldi. Sovente il sole Francis Poulenc. Le travail du peintre FP 161: I. Pablo Picasso Samuel Barber. Sure on this shining night Antonio Vivaldi. The Four Seasons: Winter – II. Largo for 4 hands Vedrò Con Mio Diletto Arvo Pärt. Pari intervallo for 4 hands Antonio Vivaldi. The Four Seasons: Winter – I. Allegro non molto for 4 hands George Frideric Händel. Coronato il crin d'alloro from ‘Agrippina’ Astor Piazzolla. arr. Khatia Buniatishvili Libertango for 4 hands Oblivion Sofia Gubaidulina. Musical Toys: 6. Song of the fisherman Marcello-Bach. Adagio from Concerto in D Minor, BWV 974 Gioachino Rossini. Overture from ‘William Tell’ for 8 hands
DVDfan Posted June 2 Posted June 2 Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade - I'm sure it would make excellent music for a ballet of '1001 Nights', perhaps supplemented with Borodin's Polotsvian Dances. But it's probably been done? (Apologies for the spelling, if in error - I've got a very poor internet connection where I am and if I try to look anything up the poor thing will probably collapse altogether!) 4
Linnzi5 Posted June 2 Posted June 2 On 14/12/2015 at 16:42, LinMM said: First Mods if there has been a previous topic on this then perhaps you can re title or move etc I've just been listening to the radio about a long held favourite piece of music of mine Beethoven's Spring Sonata. Just love it ....and all three movements absolutely equally. Has anyone ever choreographed a ballet with this music? If not I would love this to be used for a Ballet. Have others got a favourite piece they would like to see used for a ballet and those more knowledgable can always point out if it has been used already! Could be some interesting learning here. What a lovely idea! I like all of the suggestions so far, especially anything Elgar. I think I'd like to see a short piece of ballet to go with Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni. Or Mèditation from Thaïs by Massenet (surely someone has created a short ballet work to that?) There are so many beautiful choices! 2
Tango Dancer Posted June 2 Posted June 2 This thread is really timely. I'm just back from ballet class Our pianist (Gerard the Incomparable) played Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne for the reverence tonight and I was really taken with it and thought someone could do an amazing ballet to some of it. I'd also love to see any of the following set for a ballet Grieg's piano concerto Barber's Adagio for Strings Copland Appalachian Spring Peer Gynt A ballet of Pride and Prejudice using the music from the 1995 miniseries Borodin's Polovtsian dances Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death Tango music by Pugliese and D'Arienzo Britten's Serenade for Tenor Horn and Strings Britten's Winter Words song cycle Taylor Scott Davis Magnificat Taylor Scott Davis How do I keep from singing John Rutter For the Beauty of the Earth I don't know how viable it is but I'd love to see a ballet using Schubert songs especially Erlkonig and Gute Nacht from die Winterreise because I think you could do a lovely spooky ballet about ghosts in German woods using some of it. 5
OnePigeon Posted June 2 Posted June 2 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said: What a lovely idea! I like all of the suggestions so far, especially anything Elgar. I think I'd like to see a short piece of ballet to go with Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni. Or Mèditation from Thaïs by Massenet (surely someone has created a short ballet work to that?) There are so many beautiful choices! Ashton choreographed a very beautiful Meditation from Thais for Dowell and Sibley. There are a few recordings out there of different partners over the years if you have a look on YouTube, including an interesting video of Ashton creating the piece with Sibley and Dowell. I’ve always thought Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise would make a beautiful short work. Edited June 2 by OnePigeon 7
LinMM Posted June 2 Author Posted June 2 (edited) I’d forgotten all about this thread lol! Can’t believe ten years have passed!! Id add any of Beethovens late piano sonatas especially no.30 opus 109 and a compilation of any of the Schubert waltzes!! Love Schubert generally especially Horowitz playing it. There’s also a lovely YouTube video of Riccardo Muti playing the Schubert G flat major Kupelwieser Waltz in what looks like his study at home and I thought well he’s nearly as untidy as I am all sorts on top of the piano lol. But a lovely informal recording. When I was an usher at the Festival Hall for a few years way back in my 20’s as an additional job ( how do you have that energy in your 20’s!!) I loved him being the conductor and he was so dishy back then …nearly fainted when he came into the back stage lift there once….There were certain conductors however especially one who shall remain nameless who were a bit of a pain as we were not allowed to let any latecomers in at all until the interval which latecomers were not too happy about of course!! Riccardo though was a sweetie so have had a soft spot for him ever since. Itzhak Perlman was a hoot too. The ballet Piece I mentioned on another thread which Lukas BB and Giulia Frosi danced as students ……Chanson by Derek Dean…was music from the Songs of the Auvergne ..Bailero I think. Edited June 2 by LinMM 2
Tango Dancer Posted June 2 Posted June 2 11 minutes ago, LinMM said: The ballet Piece I mentioned on another thread which Lukas BB and Giulia Frosi danced as students ……Chanson by Derek Dean…was music from the Songs of the Auvergne ..Bailero I think. That's the one we had as the reverence. I love the song cycle but that song is so beautiful and you just want to do great sweeping movements to it and really extend your leg and your port de bras as though you're welcoming the countryside into your dance. I really wanted Vadim to come along and lift me up and to do a really dramatic backbend and a dramatic end pose into a swan dive. Not that I can in any way dance with a ballet partner and he'd probably drop me. 3
LinMM Posted June 2 Author Posted June 2 I don’t know whether there’s a video of Lukas BB and Giulia dancing this but it was really beautiful.
alison Posted June 2 Posted June 2 2 hours ago, DVDfan said: Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade - I'm sure it would make excellent music for a ballet of '1001 Nights', perhaps supplemented with Borodin's Polotsvian Dances. But it's probably been done? Er, Ballets Russes? 🙂 3
FionaM Posted June 2 Posted June 2 @Tango Dancer La Scala premiered a new ballet by Edvard Clug a month or so ago of Peer Gynt. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIhEEvtJxlz/?igsh=MXZxeTFvcjR1dzI5bQ== 1
Richard LH Posted June 3 Posted June 3 Schubert ....Auf dem Wasser zu singen D.774....this version for flute and harp is particularly beautiful. 2
Richard LH Posted June 3 Posted June 3 Something for a rather longer work, with different movements..Grieg's Holberg Suite...played with particular gusto here by the Camerata Nordica String Orchestra. 2
Tango Dancer Posted June 3 Posted June 3 7 hours ago, Richard LH said: Schubert ....Auf dem Wasser zu singen D.774....this version for flute and harp is particularly beautiful. I definitely would support a ballet based on several Schubert Lieder. I love this one as well. 3
DVDfan Posted June 3 Posted June 3 22 hours ago, alison said: Er, Ballets Russes? 🙂 Doh, I should have thought of that! But is it still performed?
HillaryBennett Posted June 3 Posted June 3 On 02/06/2025 at 19:39, DVDfan said: Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade I find the fact that the Royal Ballet does not have some of the most beautiful music already created for ballet sad. Scheherazade is such a beautiful score. Likewise, theSpartacus score by Khachaturian is so wonderful. In my mind no music has ever been more perfect for a pas de deux than the 'Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia'. If KOH had any sense he would create a Royal Ballet Spartacus with the score! It's got name recognition, great music, and the scope for plenty of drama for men and women. 3
Mora Posted June 4 Posted June 4 9 hours ago, Tango Dancer said: I definitely would support a ballet based on several Schubert Lieder. I love this one as well. I love it too. In 2014, American Ballet Theatre principal James Whiteside used this piece for a (imo) lovely choreography he created for him and his fellow principal Gillian Murphy. There is a video available on Youtube if you're interested. 1
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