Appealing for help in choreographing something inspired by the long lost Sapphire from Jewels

[Michelle_Richer]

Do any of our members here know a little bit about George Balanchine’s original creation of the Ballet “Jewels” as I would like to create something inspired Jewels but including the long lost “Sapphire”, which I understand was his intention together with pearls, but I don’t know how far that evolved.

 

Sapphire was to be a fourth act of Jewels using the music of Arnold Schoenberg, does anyone have any idea what that music was or what city Sapphire was supposed to represent?

Edited July 15, 2016 by Michelle_Richer

[FLOSS]

Are you sure this is not an April fool's joke from 2012?  I believe that  someone  set up a story that Peter Martins was going to choreograph a ballet in Bournonville style called Sapphire that would be followed by Balanchine's Jewels explaining that as long as the company danced the three sections choreographed by Mr B in their prescribed order the Trust could do nothing to prevent it as the word "Jewels" could not be made subject to copyright.

Edited July 16, 2016 by FLOSS

[trog]

No it isn't an April Fool joke. In his book, Balanchine's Festival Of Ballet, he says "I thought of using sapphires, too, and had Schoenberg in mind, but the color of sapphires is hard to get across on stage." Unfortunately he doesn't say which music he had in mind.

 

He says of Emeralds, "I suppose if this part of the ballet can be said to represent anything at all, it is perhaps an evocation of France, the France of elegance, comfort, dress, perfume.

 

Further, he says, "Others seem to have found the second part, "Rubies", representative of America. I didn't have that in mind at all.

 

Created in 1967, he "fiddled" with Emeralds in 1976 - he created new dances for Violette Verdy and Jean-Pierre Bonnefous. I assume these revisions remain in the production today.

[Don Q Fan]

I heard MrB considered doing Sapphires but did not take it further. There is another Jewels type ballet I was told of by one of the Trocks, it was inspired by Jewels. I can't member the name right now but it did include Topaz and Peridot I think. If I remember any more I'll post it.

[Michelle_Richer]

The ROH website describes JEWELS as:

 

Each of the three movements draws on a different stone for its inspiration and a different composer for its sound. The French Romantic music of Fauré provides the impetus for the lyricism of ‘Emeralds’. The fire of ‘Rubies’ comes from Stravinsky and the jazz-age energy of New York. Grandeur and elegance complete the ballet in ‘Diamonds’, with the splendour of Imperial Russia and Tchaikovsky’s opulent Third Symphony. Each section salutes a different era in classical ballet’s history as well as a distinct period in Balanchine’s own life. Through it all, Balanchine displays his genius for combining music with visionary choreography.

 

Its my intention to create my own version, as I said inspired by Jewels, ideally as a solo for all  four piece. These wont actually be required in earnest until next year, but may be part of the rep I take up to Ballet West for polishing, having said that I already have the costumes for these pieces.

 

I already have my rep for Ballet West this August, but I do like to plan ahead.

 

 

These are my thoughts:

 

For Emeralds I do like the female solo to the Sicilian.

 

Rubies, I really don’t like it, as it is, however I will still try and retain a shortened version of the music and the fire and energy of the dance, but I fancy I will loose the jazz/ contemporary style  and turn it to more classical allegro, but nothing is cast in concrete yet.

 

Diamond: I really do love the opening waltz, although I do find it quite repetitive and boring after a while and will make a good candidate for shortening into a solo.

 

Sapphire: well there is the question, what era/ area should it represent and indeed what music. I guess English or Scottish may be an idea.

[Cara in NZ]

Gosh, I would be scared to do anything like this in case the Balanchine Trust's wrath descended!

[zxDaveM]

why don't you take a piece of music you like, with 4 'segments' and make something for each section. Just call them something other than 'Jewels', or 'Rubies', 'Diamonds', 'Emeralds' (there are plenty of other coloured gems to chose from that would match the costumes you have planned). Job done

[Michelle_Richer]

Oh what interesting responses, firstly as stated this is inspired by, which means it is not exactly the same, but similar, so should avoid copy right issues. As for the names of each gem stone, I have used that in the context what I like or in other words what inspires me. Minor renaming of those sections is obviously no problem.

As for “Sapphire” as it appears to the best of my knowledge at the moment nothing has been created for it, I know I could literally use anything, such as “WAG THE DOG, HE LOVES TO TANGO”, but sorry that just isn’t me. That’s why my original question about “Sapphire”, was to establish some form of authenticity to work from.

 

I think it’s also worth pointing out this is not a commercial venture; also any supporting documentation  I create should carry the words “Inspire by” as I think morally I have an obligation to give credit to George Balanchine for that inspiration..

To be fair giving credit by using the "inspired by" term is not uncommon.

[Katharina]

Sapphire: well there is the question, what era/ area should it represent and indeed what music. I guess English or Scottish may be an idea.

 

I think it might have been Vienna, considering Balanchine intended to use music by Arnold Schönberg who was one of the three most prominent members of the so called Second Viennese School (with Alban Berg and Anton Webern) and like Balanchine himself one of the most influential and innovative creative artists of the 20th century.

Since the ballets and composers of the three parts of Jewels seem to be identified with a city, that would be logical for me. Also Balanchine had made several ballets on Waltzes (Vienna Waltzes, Liebeslieder Walzer, La Valse) before and after Jewels.

 

edited to add: I don´t know what Schönberg piece Balanchine thoght about, but recently I heard his Variations for Orchestra (op. 31) which I liked very much. There are quotations of the B-A-C-H motive and allusions to various genres, including the Waltz (fourth variation).

So maybe a modern, post-Habsburg, 1920s take on the Waltz!

Edited July 26, 2016 by Katharina

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Katharina

Thank you so much for your suggestions, that has been really helpful.

 

I really like the idea that the area could be Vienna. I looked at "Variation for Orchestra OP 31" and most of the variations but unfortunately non are to my taste. However I did find in “11 Waltzes for String Orchestra” No 7 Kraftig, it a really lively piece, very nice and I do like it, but sadly the end is not well punctuated for dance.

 

Although I listened to a lot of Schonberg’s work, but needless to say, I did listen to several of Strauss’s Vienese waltzes too, and they would do very well, but with those I must confess I am drawn in the direction of Strauss’s Polkas.