What is the ballet Les Sylphides about?
Synopsis. The story of La Sylphide concerns a young Scotsman, James, who is about to be married to Effie. The morning of the wedding day, James is dozing in a chair by the fire when a Sylphide appears beside him and wakens him with an airy kiss. She dances for him before she vanishes up the chimney.
When was Les Sylphides choreographed?
La Sylphide (English: The Sylph; Danish: Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836.
Who orchestrated Les Sylphides?
Its original choreography was by Michel Fokine, with Chopin’s music orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov. Glazunov had already set some of the music in 1892 as a purely orchestral suite, under the title Chopiniana, Op. 46….
Les Sylphides | |
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Based on | Chopiniana |
Why is La Sylphide a romantic ballet?
In 1832, Filippo created La Sylphide to show Taglioni to her best advantage. This supernatural, tragic story with its romantic Scottish setting, combined with Taglioni’s ethereal look, became a defining moment in Romantic ballet. Taglioni became the rage of Europe.
What does Sylphide mean in English?
A sylph is a lovely, slim young woman or girl. The 19th century French ballet “La Sylphide” is thought to have led to the use of sylph to describe slender girls, especially ballet dancers.
What is significant about the scarf that the sorceress gives to James?
Madge gives James the enchanted scarf with a promise that it will enable him to capture his true love. But as the cloth of the scarf touches the sylph’s skin, her wings fall to the ground. She becomes blind, painfully clutches her heart, and dies.
Who wrote the music for Les Sylphides?
Frédéric Chopin
Les Sylphides/Composers
What are three key characteristics of ballet in the Romantic era?
The movement style for Romantic ballerinas was characterized by soft, rounded arms and a forward tilt in the upper body. This gave the woman a flowery, willowy look. Leg movements became more elaborate due to the new tutu length and rising standards of technical proficiency.
Which romantic ballet showcased four of the greatest ballerinas together?
The Pas de Quatre
The Pas de Quatre which opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London played for only six performances. It was an overnight success and became legendary. The ballet was immortalised in a famous lithograph showing the four star ballerinas of the Romanic era.
What is a sylph creature?
Sylph, an imaginary or elemental being that inhabits the air and is mortal but soulless. The existence of such beings was first postulated by the medieval physician Paracelsus, who associated a different being with each of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). Compare gnome; undine.
Who is the orchestrator of Chopin’s Les Sylphides?
A number of musicians have orchestrated the Chopin pieces for major ballet companies, including Maurice Ravel, Benjamin Britten, Alexander Gretchaninov, Roy Douglas, and Gordon Jacob. The Ravel orchestration has been lost.
Who are the main characters in Les Sylphides?
Les Sylphides Premiere (as Chopiniana): 1907, Mariinsky Theatre Original ballet company Ballets Russes Characters the poet, sylphs Design Alexandre Benois (set) Léon Bakst (costu
Is there a story to the ballet Les Sylphides?
“ Chopiniana has no story, just one music after another. It’s one rare ballet of that era, an abstract choreographic miniature.” The Balletgoer’s Guide by Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp describes Les Sylphides ss one of the revolutionary works of the 20th century.
Are there fairies in the woods in Chopiniana?
The imagery of a man being surrounded by fairies in the woods – such as that depicted in the ballet classic Chopiniana – is now considered as an artistic spectacle. But there was a time when presenting something like this was risky, especially in Russia in the late 1800s to early 1900s, an era when the public favored story ballets.