List of famous ballets. The best ballet performances
in the 16th century, it has come a long way and by now has become popular all over the world. Numerous ballet schools and theater troupes, whose numbers increase every year, are both classical and modern.
But if there are dozens of famous show ballets, and, in fact, they differ from other dance ensembles only in the level of skill, then national ballet theaters with a centuries-old history can be counted on one hand.
Russian Ballet: Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters
You and I have something to be proud of, because Russian ballet is one of the best in the world. “Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, the famous plastic ballets that appeared in our country at the beginning of the 20th century, made Russia the second homeland of this art and provided our theaters with an endless stream of grateful spectators from all over the world.
Nowadays, troupes of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters compete for the title of the best, whose skills are improving day by day. Both troupes select dancers from among the students of the St. Petersburg Vaganova Academy, and from the first days of training, all its students dream of one day performing a solo part on the main stage of the country.
French Ballet: Grand Opera
The cradle of world ballet, whose attitude towards performances has been unchanged for three centuries, and where only classical academic dance exists, and everything else is regarded as a crime against art, is the ultimate dream for all dancers in the world.
Every year its composition is replenished with only three dancers who have passed more selections, competitions and tests than even astronauts could dream of. Tickets to the Paris Opera are not cheap, and only the wealthiest art connoisseurs can afford them, but the hall is full during every performance, since in addition to the French themselves, all Europeans come here who dream of admiring classical ballet.
United States: American Ballet Theater
Made famous by the release of Black Swan, American Ballet Theater was founded by a soloist at the Russian Bolshoi Theatre.
Having its own school, the ballet does not hire dancers from outside and has a distinctive Russian-American style. The productions combine classic themes, such as the famous “Nutcracker,” and new dance styles. Many ballet connoisseurs claim that ABT has forgotten about the canons, but the popularity of this theater is growing every year.
UK: Birmingham Royal Ballet
Supervised by the Queen herself, the London Ballet has a small number of dancers, but is distinguished by the strict selection of participants and repertoire. You won't find modern trends or genre deviations here. Perhaps this is why, unable to withstand the harsh traditions, many young stars of this ballet leave it and begin to create their own troupes.
It is not easy to get to a performance of the Royal Ballet; only the most famous and richest people in the world are awarded this opportunity, but once every three months, charity evenings with open admission are organized here.
Austrian Ballet: Vienna Opera
The history of the Vienna Opera goes back one and a half centuries, and all this time Russian dancers have remained the first soloists of the troupe. Known for its annual balls, which were held only during World War II, the Vienna Opera is Austria's most visited attraction. People come here both to admire talented dancers and to look at their compatriots on stage and speak their native language with pride.
It is very easy to get tickets here: thanks to the huge hall and the absence of resellers, you can do this on the day of the ballet, with the only exception being the days of premieres and the opening of the season.
So, if you want to see classical ballet performed by the most talented dancers, go to one of these theaters and enjoy the ancient art.
Ballet is a performing art form; this is an emotion embodied in musical and choreographic images.
Ballet, the highest level of choreography, in which the art of dance rises to the level of musical stage performance, arose as a courtly aristocratic art much later than dance, in the 15th-16th centuries.
The term “ballet” appeared in Renaissance Italy in the 16th century and meant not a performance, but a dance episode. Ballet is an art in which dance, the main expressive means of ballet, is closely connected with music, with a dramatic basis - libretto, with scenography, with the work of a costume designer, lighting designer, etc.
The ballet is diverse: plot - classical narrative multi-act ballet, dramatic ballet; plotless - symphony ballet, mood ballet, miniature.
World stages have seen many ballet performances based on literary masterpieces to the music of brilliant composers. That is why the British online resource Listverse decided to compile its ranking of the best ballet performances in history.
"Swan Lake"
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
The first, Moscow production of Swan Lake was not successful - its glorious history began almost twenty years later in St. Petersburg. But it was the Bolshoi Theater that contributed to the fact that the world was gifted with this masterpiece. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his first ballet at the request of the Bolshoi Theater.
“Swan Lake” was given a happy stage life by the famous Marius Petipa and his assistant Lev Ivanov, who went down in history primarily thanks to the staging of the standard “swan” scenes.
The Petipa-Ivanov version has become a classic. It underlies most subsequent productions of Swan Lake, except for the extremely modernist ones.
The prototype for the swan lake was the lake in the Davydovs' Swan Economy (now Cherkasy region, Ukraine), which Tchaikovsky visited shortly before writing the ballet. While relaxing there, the author spent more than one day on its shore, watching snow-white birds.
The plot is based on many folklore motifs, including an ancient German legend telling the story of the beautiful princess Odette, who was turned into a swan by the curse of an evil sorcerer, Knight Rothbart.
"Romeo and Juliet"
Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular ballets of the twentieth century. The ballet premiered in 1938 in Brno (Czechoslovakia). However, the edition of the ballet, which was presented at the Kirov Theater in Leningrad in 1940, became widely known.
“Romeo and Juliet” is a ballet in 3 acts, 13 scenes with a prologue and epilogue based on the tragedy of the same name by William Shakespeare. This ballet is a masterpiece of world art, embodied through music and amazing choreography. The production itself is so impressive that it is worth watching at least once in your life.
"Giselle"
Composer: Adolf Adam
“Giselle” is a “fantastic ballet” in two acts by the French composer Adolphe Adam to a libretto by Henri de Saint-Georges, Théophile Gautier and Jean Coralli, based on a legend retold by Heinrich Heine. In his book “On Germany,” Heine writes about the Wilis - girls who died from unhappy love, who, having turned into magical creatures, dance to death the young people they meet at night, taking revenge on them for their ruined lives.
The ballet premiered on June 28, 1841 at the Grand Opera, choreographed by J. Coralli and J. Perrault. The production was a huge success and received good reviews in the press. Writer Jules Janin wrote: “There is so much to be found in this work. And fiction, and poetry, and music, and the composition of new steps, and beautiful dancers, and harmony, full of life, grace, energy. That's what they call ballet."
"Nutcracker"
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
The history of stage productions of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker”, the literary basis of which was the fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, knows many author’s editions. The ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theater on December 6, 1892.
The ballet's premiere was a great success. The ballet “The Nutcracker” continues and completes the series of ballets by P. I. Tchaikovsky, which have become classics, in which the theme of the struggle between good and evil, begun in “Swan Lake” and continued in “Sleeping Beauty,” is heard.
The Christmas tale about a noble and handsome enchanted prince, transformed into a Nutcracker doll, about a kind and selfless girl and their opponent, the evil Mouse King, has always been loved by adults and children. Despite the fairy-tale plot, this is a work of real ballet mastery with elements of mysticism and philosophy.
"La Bayadère"
Composer: Ludwig Minkus
“La Bayadère” is a ballet in four acts and seven scenes with an apotheosis by choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Fedorovich Minkus.
The literary source of the ballet “La Bayadere” is the drama of the Indian classic Kalidasa “Shakuntala” and the ballad of V. Goethe “God and the Bayadère”. The plot is based on a romantic oriental legend about the unhappy love of a bayadère and a brave warrior. “La Bayadère” is an exemplary work of one of the stylistic trends of the 19th century - eclecticism. In “La Bayadère” there is both mysticism and symbolism: the feeling that from the first scene a “sword punishing from heaven” is raised over the heroes.
"Sacred spring"
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
The Rite of Spring is a ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, which premiered on May 29, 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The concept for “The Rite of Spring” was based on Stravinsky’s dream, in which he saw an ancient ritual - a young girl, surrounded by elders, dances until exhaustion to awaken spring, and dies. Stravinsky worked on the music at the same time as Roerich, who wrote sketches for the scenery and costumes.
There is no plot as such in the ballet. The composer sets out the content of “The Rite of Spring” as follows: “The bright Resurrection of nature, which is reborn to a new life, a complete resurrection, a spontaneous resurrection of the conception of the world.”
"Sleeping Beauty"
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
The ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” by P.I. Tchaikovsky - Marius Petipa is called the “encyclopedia of classical dance.” The carefully constructed ballet amazes with the magnificence of its varied choreographic colors. But as always, at the center of every Petipa performance is the ballerina. In the first act, Aurora is a young girl who perceives the world around her brightly and naively; in the second, she is an alluring ghost, summoned from a long-term sleep by the Lilac Fairy; in the finale, she is a happy princess who has found her betrothed.
The inventive genius of Petipa dazzles the audience with a bizarre pattern of diverse dances, the pinnacle of which is the solemn pas de deux of the lovers, Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré. Thanks to the music of P.I. Tchaikovsky, the children's fairy tale became a poem about the struggle between good (fairy Lilac) and evil (fairy Carabosse). “Sleeping Beauty” is a true musical and choreographic symphony in which music and dance are fused together.
"Don Quixote"
Composer: Ludwig Minkus
“Don Quixote” is one of the most life-affirming, vibrant and festive works of ballet theater. It is interesting that, despite its name, this brilliant ballet is by no means a dramatization of the famous novel by Miguel de Cervantes, but an independent choreographic work by Marius Petipa based on Don Quixote.
In Cervantes's novel, the image of the sad knight Don Quixote, ready for any exploits and noble deeds, is the basis of the plot. In Petipa's ballet to the music of Ludwig Minkus, which premiered in 1869 at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater, Don Quixote is a minor character, and the plot centers on the love story of Kitri and Basil.
"Cinderella"
Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
"Cinderella" is a ballet in three acts by Sergei Prokofiev based on the story of the fairy tale of the same name by Charles Perrault.
The music for the ballet was written between 1940 and 1944. “Cinderella” to Prokofiev’s music was first staged on November 21, 1945 at the Bolshoi Theater. Its director was Rostislav Zakharov.
This is how Prokofiev wrote about the ballet Cinderella: “I created Cinderella in the best traditions of classical ballet,” which makes the viewer empathize and not remain indifferent to the joys and troubles of the Prince and Cinderella.
The word "ballet" sounds magical. Closing your eyes, you immediately imagine burning lights, chilling music, the rustle of tutus and the light click of pointe shoes on the parquet. This spectacle is inimitably beautiful, it can be safely called a great achievement of man in the pursuit of beauty.
The audience freezes, staring at the stage. The ballet divas amaze with their ease and flexibility, apparently performing complex steps with ease.
The history of this art form is quite deep. The prerequisites for the emergence of ballet appeared in the 16th century. And already from the 19th century, people saw real masterpieces of this art. But what would ballet be without the famous ballerinas who glorified it? Our story will be about these most famous dancers.
Marie Ramberg (1888-1982). The future star was born in Poland, into a Jewish family. Her real name is Sivia Rambam, but it was later changed for political reasons. The girl fell in love with dancing from an early age, giving herself over to her passion. Marie takes lessons from dancers from the Parisian opera, and soon Diaghilev himself notices her talent. In 1912-1913, the girl danced with the Russian Ballet, taking part in the main productions. Since 1914, Marie moved to England, where she continued to study dance. In 1918, Marie got married. She herself wrote that it was more for fun. However, the marriage turned out to be happy and lasted 41 years. Ramberg was only 22 years old when she opened her own ballet school in London, the first in the city. The success was so stunning that Maria first organized her own company (1926), and then the first permanent ballet troupe in Great Britain (1930). Her performances become a real sensation, because Ramberg attracts the most talented composers, artists, and dancers to her work. The ballerina took an active part in the creation of the national ballet in England. And the name Marie Ramberg forever entered the history of art.
Anna Pavlova (1881-1931). Anna was born in St. Petersburg, her father was a railway contractor, and her mother worked as a simple laundress. However, the girl was able to enter the theater school. After graduating, she entered the Mariinsky Theater in 1899. There she received roles in classical productions - “La Bayadère”, “Giselle”, “The Nutcracker”. Pavlova had excellent natural abilities, and she constantly honed her skills. In 1906, she was already the leading ballerina of the theater, but real fame came to Anna in 1907, when she shines in the miniature “The Dying Swan”. Pavlova was supposed to perform at a charity concert, but her partner fell ill. Literally overnight, choreographer Mikhail Fokin staged a new miniature for the ballerina to the music of San-Saens. Since 1910, Pavlova began to tour. The ballerina gains worldwide fame after participating in the Russian seasons in Paris. In 1913, she performed for the last time at the Mariinsky Theater. Pavlova gathers her own troupe and moves to London. Together with her charges, Anna tours the world with classical ballets by Glazunov and Tchaikovsky. The dancer became a legend during her lifetime, having died on tour in The Hague.
Matilda Kshesinskaya (1872-1971). Despite her Polish name, the ballerina was born near St. Petersburg and has always been considered a Russian dancer. From early childhood she declared her desire to dance; no one in her family thought of stopping her from this desire. Matilda brilliantly graduated from the Imperial Theater School, joining the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. There she became famous for her brilliant performances of the parts of “The Nutcracker”, “Mlada”, and other performances. Kshesinskaya was distinguished by her signature Russian plastic art, into which notes of the Italian school were wedged. It was Matilda who became the favorite of the choreographer Fokine, who used her in his works “Butterflies”, “Eros”, “Eunice”. The role of Esmeralda in the ballet of the same name in 1899 lit a new star on the stage. Since 1904, Kshesinskaya has been touring Europe. she is called the first ballerina of Russia and is honored as the “Generalissimo of Russian ballet.” They say that Kshesinskaya was the favorite of Emperor Nicholas II himself. Historians claim that in addition to talent, the ballerina had an iron character and a strong position. It is she who is credited with the dismissal of the director of the Imperial Theaters, Prince Volkonsky. The revolution had a hard impact on the ballerina; in 1920 she left the exhausted country. Kshesinskaya moved to Venice, but continued to do what she loved. At 64, she was still performing in London's Covent Garden. And the legendary ballerina was buried in Paris.
Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951). Agrippina's father was a theater conductor at the Mariinsky Theater. However, he was only able to enroll the youngest of his three daughters in ballet school. Soon Yakov Vaganov died, the family had only hope for a future dancer. At school, Agrippina showed herself to be mischievous, constantly receiving bad grades for her behavior. After completing her studies, Vaganova began her career as a ballerina. She was given many third-rate roles in the theater, but they did not satisfy her. The ballerina was spared solo parts, and her appearance was not particularly attractive. Critics wrote that they simply did not see her in the roles of fragile beauties. The makeup didn't help either. The ballerina herself suffered greatly about this. But through hard work, Vaganova achieved supporting roles, and newspapers began to occasionally write about her. Agrippina then took a sharp turn in her fortunes. She got married and gave birth. Returning to ballet, she seemed to rise in the eyes of her superiors. Although Vaganova continued to perform second roles, she achieved mastery in these variations. The ballerina managed to rediscover images that seemed to have been erased by generations of previous dancers. Only in 1911 did Vaganova receive her first solo part. At the age of 36, the ballerina was sent into retirement. She never became famous, but she achieved a lot given her data. In 1921, a choreography school was opened in Leningrad, where Vaganova was invited as one of the teachers. The profession of a choreographer became her main one until the end of her life. In 1934, Vaganova published the book “Fundamentals of Classical Dance.” The ballerina devoted the second half of her life to the choreographic school. Nowadays it is the Dance Academy, named in her honor. Agrippina Vaganova did not become a great ballerina, but her name will forever go down in the history of this art.
Yvette Chauvire (born 1917). This ballerina is a truly sophisticated Parisian. At the age of 10 she began to seriously study dancing at the Grand Opera. Yvette's talent and performance were noted by directors. In 1941, she already became prima of the Opera Garnier. Her debut performances brought her truly worldwide fame. After this, Chauvire began to receive invitations to perform in various theaters, including the Italian La Scala. The ballerina became famous for her role as the Shadow in Henri Sauguet's allegory; she performed many roles choreographed by Serge Lifar. Among the classical performances, the role in “Giselle” stands out, which is considered the main one for Chauvire. Yvette demonstrated true drama on stage, without losing all her girlish tenderness. The ballerina literally lived the life of each of her heroines, expressing all emotions on stage. At the same time, Shovireh was very attentive to every little detail, rehearsing and rehearsing again. In the 1960s, the ballerina headed the school where she once studied. And Yvette’s last appearance on stage took place in 1972. At the same time, a prize named after her was established. The ballerina repeatedly went on tour to the USSR, where she was loved by the audience. her partner was repeatedly Rudolf Nureyev himself after his flight from our country. The ballerina's services to the country were rewarded with the Order of the Legion of Honor.
Galina Ulanova (1910-1998). This ballerina was also born in St. Petersburg. At the age of 9 she became a student at the choreographic school, which she graduated in 1928. Immediately after the graduation performance, Ulanova joined the troupe of the Opera and Ballet Theater in Leningrad. The young ballerina’s very first performances attracted the attention of connoisseurs of this art. Already at the age of 19, Ulanova danced the leading role in Swan Lake. Until 1944, the ballerina danced at the Kirov Theater. Here she became famous for her roles in “Giselle”, “The Nutcracker”, “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”. But her role in Romeo and Juliet became the most famous. From 1944 to 1960, Ulanova was the leading ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater. It is believed that the peak of her creativity was the scene of madness in Giselle. Ulanova visited London in 1956 on a tour of the Bolshoi. They said that such success had not happened since the days of Anna Pavlova. Ulanova's stage activity officially ended in 1962. But for the rest of her life, Galina worked as a choreographer at the Bolshoi Theater. She received many awards for her work - she became the People's Artist of the USSR, received the Lenin and Stalin Prizes, became a twice Hero of Socialist Labor and a laureate of numerous awards. The great ballerina died in Moscow and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery. her apartment became a museum, and a monument was erected in Ulanova’s native St. Petersburg.
Alicia Alonso (born 1920). This ballerina was born in Havana, Cuba. She began studying the art of dance at the age of 10. At that time there was only one private ballet school on the island, headed by Russian specialist Nikolai Yavorsky. Alicia then continued her studies in the USA. He made his debut on the big stage on Broadway in 1938 in musical comedies. Alonso then works at the Ballet Theater in New York. There she gets acquainted with the choreography of the world's leading directors. Alicia and her partner Igor Yushkevich decided to develop ballet in Cuba. In 1947 she danced there in Swan Lake and Apollo Musagete. However, at that time in Cuba there were no traditions of ballet or stage. And the people did not understand such art. Therefore, the task of creating the National Ballet in the country was very difficult. In 1948, the first performance of "Ballet of Alicia Alonso" took place. It was ruled by enthusiasts who staged their own numbers. Two years later, the ballerina opened her own ballet school. After the 1959 revolution, the authorities turned their attention to ballet. Alicia's company evolved into the coveted National Ballet of Cuba. The ballerina performed a lot in theaters and even squares, went on tour, and was shown on television. One of Alonso’s most striking images is the role of Carmen in the ballet of the same name in 1967. The ballerina was so jealous of this role that she even forbade staging this ballet with other performers. Alonso has traveled all over the world, receiving many awards. And in 1999, she received the Pablo Picasso Medal from UNESCO for her outstanding contribution to the art of dance.
Maya Plisetskaya (born 1925). It is difficult to dispute the fact that she is the most famous Russian ballerina. And her career turned out to be record long. Maya absorbed her love for ballet as a child, because her uncle and aunt were also famous dancers. At the age of 9, the talented girl entered the Moscow Choreographic School, and in 1943, the young graduate entered the Bolshoi Theater. There the famous Agrippina Vaganova became her teacher. In just a couple of years, Plisetskaya went from corps de ballet to soloist. A landmark for her was the production of “Cinderella” and the role of the Autumn Fairy in 1945. Then there were the classic productions of “Raymonda”, “The Sleeping Beauty”, “Don Quixote”, “Giselle”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”. Plisetskaya shone in “The Fountain of Bakhchisaray”, where she was able to demonstrate her rare gift - literally hanging in a jump for some moments. The ballerina took part in three productions of Khachaturian's Spartacus, performing the roles of Aegina and Phrygia. In 1959, Plisetskaya became People's Artist of the USSR. In the 60s, it was believed that Maya was the first dancer of the Bolshoi Theater. The ballerina had enough roles, but creative dissatisfaction accumulated. The solution was “Carmen Suite”, one of the main milestones in the dancer’s biography. In 1971, Plisetskaya also established herself as a dramatic actress, playing in Anna Karenina. A ballet was written based on this novel, which premiered in 1972. Here Maya tries herself in a new role - a choreographer, which becomes her new profession. Since 1983, Plisetskaya has worked at the Rome Opera, and since 1987 in Spain. There she leads troupes and stages her ballets. Plisetskaya's last performance took place in 1990. The great ballerina was showered with many awards not only in her homeland, but also in Spain, France, and Lithuania. In 1994, she organized an international competition, giving it her name. Now “Maya” gives young talents the opportunity to break through.
Ulyana Lopatkina (born 1973). The world-famous ballerina was born in Kerch. As a child, she did a lot of not only dancing, but also gymnastics. At the age of 10, on the advice of her mother, Ulyana entered the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Leningrad. There Natalia Dudinskaya became her teacher. At the age of 17, Lopatkina won the All-Russian Vaganova Competition. In 1991, the ballerina graduated from the academy and was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater. Ulyana quickly achieved solo parts for herself. She danced in Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, The Bakhchisarai Fountain, and Swan Lake. The talent was so obvious that in 1995 Lopatkina became the prima of her theater. Each of her new roles delights both viewers and critics. At the same time, the ballerina herself is interested not only in classical roles, but also in the modern repertoire. Thus, one of Ulyana’s favorite roles is the part of Banu in “The Legend of Love” directed by Yuri Grigorovich. The ballerina works best in the roles of mysterious heroines. Its distinctive feature is its refined movements, its inherent drama and high jump. The audience believes the dancer, because she is absolutely sincere on stage. Lopatkina is the winner of numerous domestic and international awards. She is a People's Artist of Russia.
Anastasia Volochkova (born 1976). The ballerina recalls that she decided on her future profession at the age of 5, which she announced to her mother. Volochkova also graduated from the Vaganova Academy. Natalia Dudinskaya also became her teacher. Already in her last year of study, Volochkova made her debut at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theaters. From 1994 to 1998, the ballerina's repertoire included leading roles in "Giselle", "Firebird", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker", "Don Quixote", "La Bayadère" and other performances. Volochkova traveled halfway around the world with the Mariinsky troupe. At the same time, the ballerina is not afraid to perform solo, building a career parallel to the theater. In 1998, the ballerina received an invitation to the Bolshoi Theater. There she brilliantly performs the role of the Swan Princess in Vladimir Vasiliev's new production of Swan Lake. In the main theater of the country, Anastasia receives the main roles in “La Bayadère”, “Don Quixote”, “Raymonda”, “Giselle”. Especially for her, choreographer Dean creates a new role as the fairy Carabosse in “Sleeping Beauty.” At the same time, Volochkova is not afraid to perform modern repertoire. It is worth noting her role as the Tsar-Maiden in The Little Humpbacked Horse. Since 1998, Volochkova has been actively touring the world. She receives the Golden Lion prize as the most talented ballerina in Europe. Since 2000, Volochkova has left the Bolshoi Theater. She begins performing in London, where she conquered the British. Volochkova returned to the Bolshoi for a short time. Despite the success and popularity, the theater administration refused to renew the contract for the usual year. Since 2005, Volochkova has been performing in her own dance projects. her name is constantly heard, she is the heroine of gossip columns. The talented ballerina recently began to sing, and her popularity grew even more after Volochkova published her nude photos.
Ballet as a musical form evolved from a simple complement to dance, to a specific compositional form that often had the same meaning as the dance that accompanied it. Originating in France in the 17th century, the dance form began as a theatrical dance. Formally, ballet did not receive “classical” status until the 19th century. In ballet, the terms "classical" and "romantic" evolved chronologically from musical use. Thus, in the 19th century, the classical period of ballet coincided with the era of romanticism in music. Composers of ballet music from the 17th to 19th centuries, including Jean-Baptiste Lully and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, were primarily in France and Russia. However, with his increasing international fame, Tchaikovsky during his lifetime saw the spread of ballet musical composition, and ballet in general, throughout the Western world.
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- Until about the second half of the 19th century, the role of music in ballet was secondary, with the main emphasis on dance, while the music itself was simply borrowed from dance tunes. Writing "ballet music" used to be the work of musical artisans, not masters. For example, critics of the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky perceived his writing of ballet music as something base.
From the earliest ballets until the time of Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), ballet music was indistinguishable from ballroom dance music. Lully created a separate style in which the music would tell the story. The first "Ballet of Action" was staged in 1717. It was a story told without words. The pioneer was John Weaver (1673-1760). Both Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau wrote an "opera-ballet" where the action was performed partly by dancing, partly singing, but ballet music became gradually less important.
The next big step took place in the first years of the nineteenth century, when soloists began to use special rigid ballet shoes - pointe shoes. This allowed for a more fractional style of music. In 1832, the famous ballerina Maria Taglioni (1804-1884) first demonstrated dancing on pointe shoes. It was in La Sylphide. It was now possible for the music to become more expressive. Gradually the dancing became more daring, with ballerinas being lifted into the air by men.
Until Tchaikovsky's time, the composer of ballet was not separated from the composer of symphonies. Ballet music served as accompaniment for solo and ensemble dance. Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake was the first musical ballet work to be created by a symphonic composer. On Tchaikovsky's initiative, ballet composers no longer wrote simple and easy dance parts. Now the main focus of ballet was not only on dance; the composition, following the dances, took on equal importance. In the late 19th century, Marius Petipa, a choreographer of Russian ballet and dance, worked with composers such as Cesar Pugni in creating ballet masterpieces that both boasted both complex dance and complex music. Petipa worked with Tchaikovsky, collaborating with the composer on his works The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, or indirectly through a new edition of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake after the composer's death.
In many cases, short ballet scenes were still used in operas to change scenery or costume. Perhaps the most famous example of ballet music as part of an opera is the Dance of the Hours from the opera La Gioconda (1876) by Amilcare Ponchielli.
A fundamental change in mood occurred when Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring (1913) was created.
The music was expressionistic and discordant, and the movements were highly stylized. In 1924, George Antheil wrote Ballet Mechanica. This was suitable for a film of moving objects, but not for dancers, although it was innovative in the use of jazz music. From this starting point, ballet music is divided into two directions - modernism and jazz dance. George Gershwin attempted to fill this gap with his ambitious score for Shall We Dance (1937), more than an hour of music that embraced cerebral and technically foot-dropped jazz and rumba. One of the scenes was composed especially for the ballerina Harriet Hoctor.
Many say jazz dance is best represented by choreographer Jerome Robbins, who worked with Leonard Bernstein in West Side Story (1957). In some respects it is a return to "opera-ballet", since the plot is mainly told in words. Modernism is best represented by Sergei Prokofiev in the ballet "Romeo and Juliet". This is an example of pure ballet, and there is no influence from jazz or any other kind popular music. Another trend in the history of ballet music is the tendency towards creative adaptation of old music. Ottorino Respighi adapted the works of Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) and their joint series in the ballet called "The Magic Shop", which premiered in 1919. Ballet audience prefers romantic music, so that new ballets are combined with old works through new choreography.A famous example is "The Dream" - music by Felix Mendelssohn, adapted by John Lanchbury.
Ballet composers
At the beginning of the 19th century, choreographers staged performances to collected music, most often composed of popular and well-known opera fragments and song melodies. The first to try to change existing practice was the composer Jean-Madeleine Schneizhoffer. For this, he was subjected to considerable criticism, starting from his first work, the ballet “Proserpina” (1818):
The music belongs to a young man who, judging by the overture and some motifs of the ballet, deserves encouragement. But I firmly believe (and experience supports my opinion) that motives skillfully selected to situations always serve the choreographer's intentions better and reveal his intention more clearly than music that is almost completely new, which, instead of explaining the pantomime, itself awaits explanation.
Despite the attacks of critics, following Schneitzhoffer, other composers began to move away from the tradition of creating ballet scores assembled from musical fragments based on motives of other famous (most often operatic) works - Ferdinand Herold, Fromental Halévy, and, first of all - and then fruitfully who worked with Marius Petipa, when creating his scores, strictly followed the instructions of the choreographer and his plan - right down to the number of bars in each number. In the case of Saint-Leon, he even had to use melodies assigned by the choreographer: according to the memoirs of Karl Waltz, Saint-Leon, himself a violinist and musician, more than once whistled tunes to Minkus, which he “feverishly translated into musical notations.”
This practice did not correspond to the principles of the same Schneitzhoffer, who valued his reputation as an independent author and always worked separately from the choreographer when creating scores (an exception was made only when creating the ballet La Sylphide together with
They are airy, slender, light. Their dance is unique. Who are these outstanding ballerinas of our century?
Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951)
One of the most important years in the history of Russian ballet is 1738. Thanks to the proposal of the French dance master Jean-Baptiste Lande and the approval of Peter I, the first school of ballet dance in Russia was opened in St. Petersburg, which exists to this day and is called the Academy of Russian Ballet. AND I. Vaganova. It was Agrippina Vaganova who systematized the traditions of classical imperial ballet in Soviet times. In 1957, her name was given to the Leningrad Choreographic School.
Maya Plisetskaya (1925)
An outstanding dancer of the second half of the 20th century, who went down in the history of ballet with her phenomenal creative longevity, Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya was born on November 20, 1925 in Moscow.
In June 1934, Maya entered the Moscow Choreographic School, where she consistently studied with teachers E. I. Dolinskaya, E. P. Gerdt, M. M. Leontyeva, but she considers Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova, whom she met already at the Bolshoi Theater, to be her best teacher , where she was accepted on April 1, 1943.
Maya Plisetskaya is a symbol of Russian ballet. She performed one of her main roles as Odette-Odile from Swan Lake on April 27, 1947. It was this Tchaikovsky ballet that became the core of her biography.
Matilda Kshesinskaya (1872-1971)
Born into the family of dancer F.I. Kshesinsky, a Pole by nationality. In 1890 she graduated from the ballet department of the St. Petersburg Theater School. In 1890-1917 she danced at the Mariinsky Theater. She became famous in the roles of Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty, 1893), Esmeralda (1899), Teresa (Rest of the Cavalry), etc. Her dance was distinguished by its bright artistry and cheerfulness. In the early 1900s she was a participant in M. M. Fokine’s ballets: “Eunika”, “Chopiniana”, “Eros”, and in 1911-1912 she performed in the Diaghilev Russian Ballet troupe.
Anna Pavlova (1881-1931)
Born in St. Petersburg. After graduating from the St. Petersburg Theater School, in 1899 she was accepted into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. She danced parts in the classical ballets “The Nutcracker”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”, “Raymonda”, “La Bayadère”, “Giselle”. Natural abilities and constant improvement of performing skills helped Pavlova to become the leading dancer of the troupe in 1906.
Collaboration with innovative choreographers A. Gorsky and, especially, M. Fokin had a huge impact on identifying new opportunities in Pavlova’s performing style. Pavlova performed the main roles in Fokine's ballets Chopiniana, Armida's Pavilion, Egyptian Nights, etc. In 1907, at a charity evening at the Mariinsky Theater, Pavlova first performed the choreographic miniature The Swan (later The Dying Swan) choreographed for her by Fokine "), which later became a poetic symbol of Russian ballet of the 20th century.
Svetlana Zakharova (1979)
Svetlana Zakharova was born in Lutsk, Ukraine, on June 10, 1979. At the age of six, her mother took her to a choreographic club, where Svetlana studied folk dancing. At the age of ten she entered the Kiev Choreographic School.
After studying for four months, Zakharova left the school as her family moved to East Germany in accordance with the new assignment of her military father. Returning to Ukraine six months later, Zakharova again passed the exams at the Kiev Choreographic School and was immediately accepted into the second grade. At the Kiev School she studied mainly with Valeria Sulegina.
Svetlana performs in many cities around the world. In April 2008, she was recognized as the star of the famous Milan theater La Scala.
Galina Ulanova (1909-1998)
Galina Sergeevna Ulanova was born in St. Petersburg on January 8, 1910 (according to the old style, December 26, 1909), in a family of ballet masters.
In 1928, Ulanova graduated from the Leningrad Choreographic School. Pretty soon she joined the troupe of the Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater (now the Mariinsky).
Ulanova had to leave her beloved Mariinsky Theater during the siege of Leningrad. During the Great Patriotic War, Ulanova danced in theaters in Perm, Alma-Ata, Sverdlovsk, performing in hospitals in front of the wounded. In 1944 Galina Sergeevna moves to the Bolshoi Theater, where she has performed periodically since 1934.
Galina's real achievement was the image of Juliet in Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet. Her best dances are also the role of Masha from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”, Maria from “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” and Giselle Adana.
Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978)
Born in St. Petersburg in the family of Mariinsky Theater dancer Platon Karsavin, the grandniece of Alexei Khomyakov, a prominent philosopher and writer of the 1st half of the 19th century, sister of the philosopher Lev Karsavin.
She studied with A. Gorsky at the Peturburg Theater School, which she graduated in 1902. While still a student, she performed the solo part of Cupid at the premiere of the ballet Don Quixote staged by Gorsky.
She began her ballet career during a period of academic crisis and the search for a way out of it. Fans of academic ballet found many flaws in Karsavina’s performance. The ballerina improved her performing skills with the best Russian and Italian teachers
Karsavina’s remarkable gift was manifested in her work on M. Fokin’s productions. Karsavina was the founder of fundamentally new trends in the art of ballet at the beginning of the 20th century, later called “intellectual art”.
The talented Karsavina quickly achieved the status of a prima ballerina. She performed leading roles in the ballets Carnival, Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and many others.
Ulyana Lopatkina (1973)
Ulyana Vyacheslavna Lopatkina was born in Kerch (Ukraine) on October 23, 1973. As a child, she studied in dance clubs and in the gymnastics section. On the initiative of her mother, she entered the Academy of Russian Ballet. AND I. Vaganova in Leningrad.
In 1990, as a student, Lopatkina participated in the Second All-Russian Competition named after. AND I. Vaganova for students of choreographic schools and received first prize..
In 1995, Ulyana became a prima ballerina. Her track record includes the best roles in classical and modern productions.
Ekaterina Maksimova (1931-2009)
Born in Moscow on February 1, 1939. Since childhood, little Katya dreamed of dancing and at the age of ten she entered the Moscow Choreographic School. In the seventh grade, she danced her first role - Masha in The Nutcracker. After college, she joined the Bolshoi Theater and immediately, practically bypassing the corps de ballet, began dancing solo parts.
Of particular importance in Maximova’s work was her participation in television ballets, which revealed a new quality of her talent - comedic talent.
Since 1990, Maksimova has been a teacher and tutor at the Kremlin Ballet Theater. Since 1998 - choreographer-tutor of the Bolshoi Theater.
Natalya Dudinskaya (1912-2003)
Born on August 8, 1912 in Kharkov.
In 1923-1931 she studied at the Leningrad Choreographic School (student of A.Ya. Vaganova).
In 1931-1962 - leading dancer of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. CM. Kirov. She performed the main roles in the ballets “Swan Lake” and “The Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky, “Cinderella” by Prokofiev, “Raymonda” by Glazunov, “Giselle” by Adam and others.
We admire the skill of these brilliant ballerinas. They made a huge contribution to the development of Russian ballet!
