Ballet Scores continued…

Please find Part 1 here, where I discuss Stravinsky’s musical background as well as his first two ballets- The Firebird and Petrushka.

The Rite of Spring (1913)
Duration: c. 40 minutes

The Rite of Spring (also known as Le Sacre du Printemps) was the third ballet in the famous Ballet Russes ‘trilogy’, alongside The Firebird and Petrushka, and was commissioned by Diaghilev for the 1913 Paris season. There have been various accounts of how the concept of ‘The Rite of Spring’ came about. Stravinsky himself told two different stories at different points in his life- one claiming that the music came first and that the pagan setting of the story was inspired by the nature of his music, and the other claiming that he had been struck by a vision of a pagan rite of a young girl dancing herself to death, thus inspiring the libretto. Other musicologists, such as Lawrence Morton, suggest that Stravinsky was likely inspired by the poem ‘Yarila’ that features in an anthology of poems by Sergey Gorodetsky entitled Yar, from which Stravinsky had already set two of the poems to music… but who can say which anecdote is true?

The stage design and costumes for The Rite of Spring were done by Nicholas Roerich, who had not only a reputation as an artist, but also as a mystic and expert on ancient Russian rituals and folk art. It was in May 1910 that Stravinsky started to discuss the idea of The Rite of Spring with him, quickly developing the working title- ‘The Great Sacrifice’- between them. Due to Stravinsky’s commitments to Petrushka, the work was put on hold, and it wasn’t until mid-1911 when him and Roerich finally decided on the structure of the whole ballet.

The original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky, who was seen as an incredible ballet genius by Diaghilev. However, although Stravinsky certainly praised Nijinsky as a dancer, he later admitted that he had had no confidence in him as a choreographer, saying "the poor boy knew nothing of music. He could neither read it nor play any instrument." Their relationship creating this work was clearly tenuous, particularly during rehearsals when Nijinsky was falling way behind schedule, however, miraculously by the final rehearsals the hugely difficult and original choreography was complete and the dancers had mastered it.

The Rite of Spring was premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on the 29th May 1913. As many of us know, it was deemed to be incredibly controversial, with its combination of avant-garde music and unorthodox choreography. The audience erupted into such loud and riotous behaviour, the dancers on stage were struggling to hear the music, so much so that Nijinsky had to shout the counts from the wings to keep them in time and to allow the show to continue.

Nevertheless, throughout the past century, The Rite of Spring has remained a pivotal moment in both the music and dance worlds. It was an instance of big change and has since been discussed and analysed from all angles as to why it is so significant. Although Stravinsky’s score was written for the ballet, it has had a life of its own as a concert piece, increasing its recognition and influence withing the classical music sphere.

L'Histoire du Soldat (1918)
Duration: c. 1 Hour

L’Histoire du Soldat, also known as The Soldier's Tale, is more of a theatrical work than a ballet, specifically. It is to be performed by three actors, at least one dancer and a septet of musicians, and therefore should be “read, played, and danced.” The idea was conceived by Stravinsky and C.F. Ramuz, a Swiss writer, and inspired by a Russian folktale titled The Runaway Soldier and the Devil.

Although there are only seven musicians, as the music changes time signature quite frequently, the work is often performed with a conductor. The score also incorporates many different forms and influences including: pasodoble, tango, waltz and ragtime, as well as klezmer music and chorales. It is said that the exploitation of these influences harkens back to Stravinsky’s earlier successes in Paris, in which the highly cosmopolitan attitude and artistic atmosphere bled together different cultures, styles and ideas.

L’Histoire du Soldat was premiered on the 28th September 1918, in Lausanne, Switzerland, conducted by Ernest Ansermet. The production was sponsored and supported by Werner Reinhart, a Swiss philanthropist, and so as a thank you, Stravinsky dedicated the work to him and gifted him the original manuscript.

Pulcinella (1920)
Duration: c. 35-40 minutes

Pulcinella is very much like the opera-ballets of the 18th century, in so far as it is furnished with arias for soprano, tenor, and bass soloists, and two vocal trios. This isn’t all that surprising when you consider that it is based on an 18th-century play titled Quatre Polichinelles Semblables (aka Four Similar Pulcinellas), centred around the stock commedia dell’arte character of Pulcinella.

The 21-section ballet, commissioned by Diaghilev, received its premiere on the 15th May 1920, at the Paris Opera. Léonide Massine created both the libretto and the choreography, as well as dancing in the title role. Pablo Picasso designed the costumes and sets, and Ernest Ansermet was the conductor.

As directed by Diaghilev, Stravinsky was commissioned to base a lot of the music on pieces then believed to be by the Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. However, later on musicologists have found that this attribution likely wasn’t the case, and instead there are an array of composers that may have written the music used as inspiration, including: Domenico Gallo, Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, Carlo Ignazio Monza and Alessandro Parisotti. Initially, Stravinsky wasn’t too keen on the idea of basing the music on ‘Pergolesi’ but once he had adjusted to the idea, he did well to bring the older music into a modern style, through adding his distinctive rhythms.Pulcinella is said to mark the beginning of Stravinsky’s neoclassical period as a composer, that shifted him towards different planes of thinking.

N.B. It should be noted that in 1965 he revised the score for Pulcinella.

Renard (1922)
Duration c.16-17 minutes

Renard (aka The Fox), composed in 1916, is a chamber opera-ballet for a quartet of male voices and sixteen instrumentalists. Originally the work was commissioned in 1915 by Winnaretta Singer, Princesse Edmond de Polignac, who wanted something that could be performed in her salon. The libretto, conceptualised by Stravinsky himself, was inspired by a Russian folk tale that had been collected by the ethnographer, Alexander Afanasyev, under the rather generic title- Tale of the Fox, the Cock, the Cat and the Ram. Stravinsky even worked on the staging of the ballet exploring ‘a new form of theatre in which the acrobatic dance is connected with singing.’

Despite all this effort, as well as being paid by the princess, the work was never performed in Winnaretta’s salon. In fact the premiere occured around eight years later, on the 18th of May 1922 at the Théâtre de l’Opéra in Paris. The production was choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska, designed by Mikhail Larionov, and conducted by Ernest Ansermet.

Les Noces (1923)
Duration: 25 minutes

Les Noces (aka The Wedding) is a ballet-cantata, dedicated to Diaghilev. Like Renard, it was also composed for a quartet of voices, however this time the orchestration included a chorus, four pianos and percussion. The ballet was premiered on the 13th of June 1923 at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Paris, by the Ballet Russes. Again, like Renard, the choreography was by Bronislava Nijinska, and the production was conducted by Ernest Ansermet. Although the premiere in Paris was well-received by the audience, the London performance that occurred three years later was met with a more negative response. All in all, it is an incredibly radical and original work that will appeal to some but not to others.

Apollo (1928)

Apollo (aka Apollon Musagète) is a neoclassical ballet that was commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, the American patron of the arts, to be performed at a festival of contemporary music that would be held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This production for the festival was originally choreographed by Adolph Bolm, and premiered on the 27th of April, 1928. However, at the time, Stravinsky took no interest in the American production and subsequently Bolm’s choreography is almost completely lost in time.

Instead, Stravinsky had ensured that Diaghilev would have the European rights to the music, resulting in a European premiere, performed by the Ballet Russes at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in Paris on the 12th of June, 1928. This production was choreographed by George Balanchine (who was only twenty-four at the time), with scenery and costumes designes by André Bauchant. Though, it is worth mentioning that different costumes were provided by Coco Chanel in 1929.

The libretto was conceptualised by Stravinsky who was greatly inspired by Greek mythology. The central character is of course Apollo, known as the Greek god of music. Apollo is visited by three Muses, including: Terpsichore, muse of dance and song; Polyhymnia, muse of mime; and Calliope, muse of poetry. In some ways all the characters come together to represent the different elements of a ballet.

Part 3 coming soon…