Seeing we're on the build up to Christmas needless to say the other events that take place during this season have already started and amongst them is the grand tradition of the Christmas ballet show. I love the dances, costumes and music to many of these ballets.
Coppéllia
Coppélia is a sentimental comic ballet with original choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon to a ballet libretto by Saint-Léon and Charles Nuitter and music by Léo Delibes. The ballet is based on two macabre stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann (The Sandman), and Die Puppe (The Doll) premiering on May 25 1870 at the Théâtre Impérial de l´Opéra.
The story of Coppélia concerns a mysterious and faintly diabolical inventor, Doctor Coppéliuswho has made a life-size dancing doll. It is so lifelike that Franz, a village swain, is infatuated with it, and sets aside his true heart's desire, Swanhilde, who in Act II shows him his folly by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life. It's a favourite of mine having bought many years ago the Mari recording of the music on an imported HMV UK record.
It's been such a long time since I went to the ballet. I remember going to see the Nutcracker with a school group when I was very little, and coming back and being so infatuated with Ballet.
ReplyDeleteI so wanted to take ballet but my parents wouldn't let me. They didn't feel I would be athletic enough of stick with it (since I was always quite the pudgy child)...
They did, however buy me a VHS of the Nutcracker danced by Mikhail Baryshnikov. I so wanted to be one of the girls but that's the only name I remember.
N-e-ways, I've probably seen several renditions of the Nutcracker in Sacramento, San Francisco, and elsewhere, ranging from Professional to School productions and always loved them. But for some reason, I've never been to any Ballet performance that wasn't the nutcracker.
-HuGgLeS-
-PiggilyTails