onegin an introduction

O n eg in An In trod u ction C h oreog rap h y an d lib retto: Joh n C ran ko, after a p oem b y Alexan d er P u sh kin M u sic: P y otr Ilyitch Tch aikovsky Arran g em en t an d orch estration : K u rt-Hein z S tolze

A R oyal O p era Hou se E d u cation R esou rce

C on ten ts

In trod u ction

2

B ackg rou n d

3

C h aracters

4

Th e S tory

10

Joh n C ran ko (19 27–19 72)

14

Th e S tyle

16

S alien t m om en ts

18

D an ce: look for…

20

Th e M u sic

26

M u sic: liste n for…..

28

P rod u ction an d D esig n

41

1

In trod u ction Th is p ack is p rep ared for teach ers. W h ilst m ost of th e m ate rial is p articu larly su itab le for u se w ith p u p ils in K ey S tag e 3, it is easily ad ap tab le for w ork w ith b oth you n g e r an d old e r stu d e n ts.

Te ach e rs are e n cou rag e d to select from an d /or ad ap t th e m aterial accord in g to th eir n eed s. Th e con ten ts of th e p ack are su fficien t to su p p ort an e xten sive p rog ram m e of learn in g . Th e re are section s on th e story, ch aracte rs, h istorical b ackg rou n d , m u sic, com p oser, p rod u ction an d d e sig n . Accom p an y in g each section are id e as for classroom activities th at vary in level of d ifficu lty .

Te ach e rs p ressed for tim e w ill fin d it ad van tag e ou s to focu s on selecte d asp ects. S tu d e n ts atten d in g a live p e rform an ce of th e b allet sh ou ld at least b e th orou g h ly fam iliar w ith th e story an d , id eally , sh ou ld b e in trod u ce d to a n u m b e r of ‘an ch or p oin ts’ - m om en ts or asp e cts to look for an d to listen to. S om e form of follow -u p activity is also an essen tial com p on en t in th e ‘p e rform an ce exp erien ce’.

It sh ou ld b e stressed th at b alle t in volves se ve ral in ter-related art form s. L isten in g w ith ou t th e visu al d im en sion , or focu sin g on d esig n ele m en ts in d ep e n d e n tly of th e m u sic or d an ce , are valu ab le ap p roach e s in raisin g stu d e n ts’ aw aren e ss b u t th e y sh ou ld to an exte n t b e reg ard e d as a m ean s to an en d . In b allet th e w h ole is m u ch m ore th an th e su m of th e p arts!

Th e m aterial in th e p ack m ay b e p h otocop ied for u se in class on ly. Th e m aterial is covered b y cop y rig h t an d all rig h ts are rese rved .

A teach in g p ack d evised for th e C lore D u ffield S ch ools’M atin ee in 20 0 4

2

B ackg rou n d Joh n C ran ko’s th ree -act b alle t O n eg in receive d its p rem iere on 13 Ap ril 19 6 5 at th e W u ttem b e rg S tad th eate r in S tu ttg art, G e rm an y . Th e p lot h ad b e en d erived from th e n ovel E u g en e O n eg in , w ritten b y th e R om an tic R u ssian p oet Alexan d er P u sh kin b etw een 18 25 an d 18 33, as w e ll as from an atten tive re ad in g of P y otr Ilyich Tch aikovsky’s 18 79 op era b ase d on th e sam e literary w ork.

Am on g th e orig in al in te rp reters of th e b alle t, Joh n C ran ko’s secon d m ajor n arrative w ork for th e S tu ttg art B allet, w e re som e of th e ch oreog rap h er’s favou rite an d m ost in sp irin g d an ce rs, su ch as h is artistic m u se M arcia Hay d ee, as Tatian a, an d E g on M ad sen , as L e n sky. R ay B arra w as O n eg in , an d An n a C ard u s p ortray ed O lg a.

Th e p resen t ve rsion of th e b allet is h ow ever slig h tly d ifferen t from th e on e orig in ally seen in 19 6 5 . C ran ko h im self revise d th e w ork an d rem ove d som e scen e s h e re g ard ed as su p erflu ou s. W h at cou ld b e reg ard e d as th e b allet’s ‘d e fin itive’ version , th erefore, w as first p resen ted in N e w Y ork in 19 6 9 . Alth ou g h th e b alle t h as lon g b ee n a fam iliar title to B ritish b alletg oers – it w as on e of th e sell-ou t titles of L on d on F estival B alle t’s rep e rtoire in th e early 19 8 0 ’s – O n eg in en te re d th e rep ertoire of Th e R oy al B allet on ly in N ove m b er 20 0 1. As su ch , it also m arked th e retu rn of form e r R oy al B allet star Ad am C oop er to C ove n t G ard e n , w h o ap p eare d as O n eg in in th e first ru n of p erform an ce s tog eth er w ith Tam ara R ojo as Tatian a, Alin a C ojocaru as O lg a an d E th an S tie fel as L en sky.

3

C h aracters O n e of th e m ost d istin ctive traits of C ran ko’s O n eg in is, arg u ab ly , th e w ay h e m an ag ed to focu s th e en tire ch oreog rap h ic action on th e fou r “you n g ” ch aracters of th e d ram a, th u s le avin g asid e th e com p le x w e b of su b p lots th at are fou n d in b oth P u sh kin ’s n ovel an d , to a lesse r exten t, in Tch aikovsky’s op e ra. Th e b alle t b e com es th u s th e ch ore og rap h ic p ortrayal of th e d ram a of fou r y ou n g sters com in g to term s w ith th e trag ed y of life. In sp ired b y P u sh kin ’s d ep iction of each ch aracter, C ran ko focu sed on an e xp loration of th e d ive rse p sych olog ical traits of th e fou r p rotag on ists, th u s creatin g a n ow d elicate , n ow p ow erfu l g am e of ch oreog rap h ic, d ram atic an d n arrative con trasts am on g th em .

His read in g of th e fou r m ain roles, m oreover, b rin g s th ose p arts to life b y ren d erin g th eir b e h aviou r as w ell as th e ir id iosyn crasies im m e d iate ly accessib le to th e con tem p orary view e r. In C ran ko’s vie w , th e fou r y ou n g sters are ve ry sim ilar to th e restless y ou n g sters of th e m id d le 19 6 0 s. At th e tim e of th e b alle t’s p rem iere su ch read in g attracted som e criticism , for it d id n ot m atch th e fairly stereotyp ical p e rcep tion of R om an tic b eh aviou r p e op le h ad at th at tim e. Tod ay, th an ks to n ew rese arch an d a re vised h istorical attitu d e tow ard s th e p ast, w e are m ore in clin ed to accep t su ch a “m od ern ist” read in g of th e R om an tic era. In d ee d , C ran ko’s Tatian a, O lg a, O n eg in an d L e n sky are everyth in g b u t card b oard fig u res from an old n ovel, eve n th ou g h th ey rem ain cre d ib ly lin ked to th e atm osp h ere of th e tim e th ey w ere con ceived .

In th e n ovel as w e ll as in th e op era, Tatian a, th e b ookish , sh y an d in trovert g irl arou n d w h om th e d ram a u n fold s, an d O lg a, h e r flirtatiou s, carefree an d slig h tly irre sp on sib le sister, b elon g clearly to a h istorically recog n isab le social class, n am e ly th at of th e R u ssian g en tlefolk w h o h ad ch ose n to resid e in th e cou n try aw ay from th e b u stlin g life of b ig citie s 4

su ch as S t P e te rsb u rg or M oscow . Th eir w orld w as in evitab ly re g ard ed as ‘p rovin cial’ b y th e likes of O n eg in , w h o e m b od ies th e typ ical you n g m an w h o th rives in th e b ig city life, for it is in th e b ig city th at h e can e n joy h is freed om from an y fam ily d u ty – h e is an orp h an – as w ell as w h at is b e lieved to b e a con sid erab le in h eritan ce.

His frien d L e n sky too, com es from th e b ig city , b u t, n ot u n like m an y y ou n g R u ssian aristocrats of th e e arly R om an tic era, h e feels an irresistib le attraction tow ard s th e cou n try life, w h ich h e sees as th e m ajor sou rce of in sp iration for th e p oetry h e w rites. Alth ou g h in th e b allet n o su ch in form ation can b e p rovid e d , th e essen ce of e ach ch aracte r com e s e q u ally across in a d irect, vivid w ay , th an ks to a care fu lly p lan n ed ch oreog rap h ic ch aracterisation .

R eg ard less of th eir social statu s, Tatian a an d O lg a re m ain tw o very d iffe re n t sisters – as it is ofte n th e case. Th e form er fin d s escap ism from e ve ry d ay re ality, b y re ad in g rom an tic n ovels, w h ile th e oth e r can n ot w ait for th e m om e n t sh e w ill m arry an d le ave h er fam ily estate. Y et, th ey b oth en joy, m ore or less exp licitly , livin g w ith in th e safety of th e R u ssian cou n trysid e. F or Tatian a, b ein g in th e cou n try is th e id eal, q u iet se ttin g w ith in sh e can re ad u n d istu rb e d . F or O lg a, th e fairly u n e ve n tfu l cou n try life is w h at m akes h er e b u llie n t ch aracte r alw ays at th e cen tre of atten tion .

Th eir p sy ch olog ical m ake u p is clear from th e ve ry b e g in n in g of th e b allet. Tatian a sits on th e g rou n d in w h at is a typ ically 19 6 0 s w ay, th u s con vey in g th e relaxed attitu d e of th e p erson w h o fin d s th e cou n try q u ietn e ss id e al for re ad in g an d , at th e sam e tim e , th e in trovert n atu re of h er ch aracter– for sh e is stayin g in ten tion ally aw ay from h er m oth e r, h e r siste r an d h er n an n y, w h o are b u sy ch attin g ab ou t h e r b irth d ay p arty. Tatian a is n ot ju st a sh y g irl, th ou g h . Th e n ovels sh e read s m ake h e r d ream of torm en te d loves an d im p ossib le stories. S u ch a com b in ation of

5

sh yn ess an d secre t p assion is clearly evid en t in th e m ovem en ts sh e p erform s w h en sh e first e n cou n ters O n eg in an d acce p ts to take a stroll w ith h im . L y rical b u t restrain ed , th ose m ovem e n ts d ep ict cle arly a tim id , ye t p assion ate ly vib ratin g p e rson ality. An d it is n ot p u rely coin cid en tal th at, like a m u sical m ain th em e, som e of th ose m ove m en ts are th e n rep e ated in th e b e d room scen e , even th ou g h th eir in itial calib rated e con om y is re p lace d h ere b y a m ore am p le u se of sp ace, as if to sig n ify th at th e g irl is fin ally free to let h er p assion s an d fe elin g s ru n P h otog ra p h e r: B ill C oop e r

w ild , aw ay from in tru d in g eyes.

A sim ilar con trast b etw ee n restrain ed m ove m en ts an d free -flow in g on es reoccu rs in th e b allet’s fin al act. In th e secon d b allroom scen e , h ow ever, th e con strain e d , stately n atu re of th e m ovem en ts d oes n ot d e p ict Tatian a’s sh y n e ss an y lon g er, b u t h e r n ew ly acq u ire d social statu s in stead . Havin g b ecom e P rin cess G re m in , sh e h as n ow to ab id e b y th e restrictive ru les of aristocratic e tiq u ette. It is on ly in th e in tim acy of h er ow n b o u d o ir, th e re fore , th at sh e can le t h er fee lin g s d e flag rate on ce m ore , as sh e d oe s in th e fin al scen e .

W ith in b alle t h istory, th e role of Tatian a is re g ard ed as on e of th e g reatest fe m ale roles eve r create d . M u ch of its u n iq u e n e ss stem s m ain ly from th e fact th at, n ot u n like som e of th e p rin cip al fem ale ch aracters from th e 19 th cen tu ry classical re p ertoire , Tatian a is a ‘d ou b le’ role, in th at it req u ires th e in te rp reter to sh ow tw o d iffe re n t an d som e w h at con trastin g face ts of th e sam e p art. Th e y ou n g p rovin cial g irl of th e first

6

tw o acts, in fact, b ecom es an aristocrat in th e last act; th e sh y, rom an tic g irl m atu re s th u s th rou g h sorrow in to a p ow e rfu l w om an , w h o, at th e e n d of th e story , h as acq u ired en ou g h stre n g th to b id fore ver fare w ell to w h at on ce w as h e r d ream love.

At first, h er sister O lg a d oe s n ot com e across as a p rotag on ist, b u t m ore as a secon d ary ch aracter. S till it is O lg a, an d n ot Tatian a, w h o is th e first on e to d an ce on e of th e m ost b e au tifu l d u ets of th e e n tire b allet, an d it is O lg a, w ith h er ch ild ish an d irresp on sib le b e h aviou r, w h o sp arks, th ou g h u n w illin g ly , th e d ram a. Th an ks to C ran ko’s g e n iu s, O lg a b ecom es a p ivotal ch aracter in th e d ram a an d a tru e p rotag on ist of it. L ittle m atters if sh e d isap p ears at th e e n d of th e secon d act. He r im ag e, or th e m em ory of h er im ag e h au n ts th e last act as w ell. E ch oes of h er p e rson a, an d of h er h ap p y carefree an d flirtatiou s d an cin g at Tatian a’s b irth d ay p arty , can b e seen in th e m ove m en ts p erform e d b y th e fem ale d an cers th at su rrou n d an d try to e n tice O n eg in at th e en d of th e b all in P rin ce G re m in ’s h ou se . E ach of th ose h ap p ily d an cin g w om en , in oth er w ord s, cou ld b e seen as O lg a’s g h ost. It is in terestin g to n ote th at C ran ko p rovid ed th at p art w ith a u n iq u e p alette of ch oreog rap h ic m ovem e n ts, ran g in g from th e very lyrical, slow an d su stain e d on es to fast, b rillian t foot-w ork. S u ch a variety of ch oreog rap h ic solu tion s is m ore th an ob viou sly aim ed at b estow in g p sych olog ical d e p th on to th e role, th u s sh ow in g th at th ere is m ore to O lg a th an a silly , flirtatiou s, tw od im en sion al g irl.

Her lover too, th e n ow p assion ate ly ly rical n ow rom an tically e b u llie n t L en sky, is treate d b y C ran ko as a p rotag on ist. After all, h is d eath is w h at se ts th e w h ole d ram a in m otion . As it h as b een m en tion ed , P u sh kin in form s u s th at L en sky is a p oe t – th ou g h n ot a g ood on e ! In C ran ko’s h an d s, th is asp e ct of L e n sky’s p erson ality is re n d ered b y an e asily d e te ctab le ch oreog rap h ic m otif w h ich en com p asses a n u m b er of lyrical, su stain e d an d elon g ated m ove m en ts. Th ey occu r first in th e b rief solo

7

d an ce w ith w h ich h e e xp resses h is love for O lg a in th e first act, an d are th e n rep e ated in w h at is n orm ally re ferre d to as ‘L e n sky’s d eath solo’, at th e b eg in n in g of th e secon d scen e of Act II. S till, w h ile b ein g rep e ated , th e m ovem e n ts are also varied slig h tly, so th at w h at w as orig in ally read ab le as an e xp ression of you n g love b e com es a far m ore som b re e xp ression of sad n e ss an d trag ic foreb od in g .

Th e cen tral ch aracter, O n eg in is ofte n reg ard e d as a n eg ative h e ro. In d ee d , h is b ore d , sn ob b ish an d cru el b e h aviou r d oes n ot m ake an yon e e m p ath ize w ith h im , e ve n th ou g h , like eve ry n e g ative ch aracte r, h e is n on eth e le ss cap tivatin g . It is a w e ll kn ow n fact th at C ran ko d id n ot w an t to p ortray h im as a villain , in lin e w ith P u sh kin ’s in ten tion s. Th an ks to a th orou g h exp erim en tation w ith d iffe re n t m ovem en t solu tion s, th e ch oreog rap h er m an ag ed to cre ate a ch aracter th at stan d s ou t for h is u n settlin g , typ ically rom an tic aloofn e ss. N o on e is allow e d to kn ow th e reason s for h is b ein g so d etach e d , b u t h is b lack attire leaves n o d ou b t. He is m ou rn in g , an d is th u s lost in h is ow n sorrow . He is also th e on e w h o, m ore or le ss u n w illin g ly, w ill cau se th e d eath of h is b est frien d , th u s b rin g in g d eath in to th e p lot. As su ch , h e is th e tru ly rom an tic ch aracter of th e d ram a, if w e acce p t th e n otion of th e rom an tic m an lost in an in n e r tu rm oil of n eg ative , often d eath -re lated th ou g h ts. In d eed , h is m ove m en ts are typ ically rom an tic in th e strictest b alletic sen se. M yste riou s an d aristocratically d etach e d at first, in th e sam e w ay m an y b allet ‘p rin ce s’ are, h e th en lau n ch es h im self in to a vib ran t exp ression of h is rem orse an d p assion in th e last act. His solo in P rin ce G re m in ’s p alace is in d eed a sp len d id e xam p le of 20 th cen tu ry en g ag in g ad ap tation of p u re 19 th cen tu ry rom an tic d an cin g .

An an alysis of th e b allet ch aracter w ou ld n ot b e com p le te w ith ou t takin g in to accou n t th e sig n ifican t role p laye d b y th e se con d ary p arts an d th e co rp s d e b allet. Alth ou g h O n eg in is n ot a ch oral b allet, th e strate g ic d e p loy m en t an d u se of secon d ary ch aracters an d co rp s d e b allet

8

m em b e rs en h an ces th e m ore in tim ate d ram a of th e p rotag on ists b y cre atin g a w ell-d e vised ch oreog rap h ic an d th eatrical con trast. In C ran ko’s n arrative w orks, th e co rp s d e b allet is n ever u se d for m ere orn am e n tal p u rp oses, b u t takes con stan tly an active p art in th e d e velop m en t of th e action . Th is is th e case w ith O n eg in too, a b allet in w h ich secon d ary p arts an d co rp s d e b allet m em b e rs are u sed in a m y riad of d ifferen t, factu ally active w ays. L ook, for in stan ce , at th e in d ivid u al, sp irite d an d h u m orou s ch aracterisation s of th e g u e sts at Tatian a’s b irth d ay p arty . Th eir caricatu red action s cre ate a u n iq u e b ackg rou n d ag ain st w h ich th e h e roin e ’s d e sp air an d th e d ram atic flirtation s of O n e g in w ith O lg a con trast vivid ly, th u s com in g across in a u n iq u ely p ow e rfu l w ay . O r look at th e w ay th e co rp s d e b allet h as b e en u sed to p ortray th e g u e sts at P rin ce G rem in ’s b all. U n like th e p articip an ts in Act II’s p arty , th e se on es m u st all look th e sam e , to con vey th e reg im e n te d rig id n ess of Tatian a’s n ew life.

Activities 1.

An alyse th e ch aracters of (a) Tatian a; (b ) O n eg in ; (c) O lg a an d (d ) L en sky. W h at are th eir stren g th s an d w eakn esses? W h at m otivates th em to b eh ave as th ey d o? D o you feel m ore sym p ath y for an y on e of th ese ch aracters th an for th e oth ers?

2. Th e even ts of Act III take p lace after a lap se of ten years. How h ave th e p rin cip al ch aracters, Tatian a an d O n eg in , ch an g ed ? C on sid er th eir b eh aviou r, attitu d es, ap p earan ce , q u ality of m ovem en t etc. U se sp ecific exam p les to su p p ort you r op in ion . Im ag in e th eir lives in a fu rth er ten years. W h at d o you foresee?

3. D o th e feelin g s exp erien ced b y th e ch aracters on ly occu r on stag e or can th ey occu r in e veryd ay life tod ay? Th e even ts of O n eg in take p lace in th e early 19 th cen tu ry . W h at ch an g es w ou ld b e n eed ed to set th e b allet in 20 0 4?

9

Th e S tory Act I S cen e 1: Th e g ard e n ou tsid e M ad am e L arin a’s h ou se , som ew h e re in R u ssia in th e early d ecad e s of th e 19 th cen tu ry

M ad am e L arin a, h er you n g e r d au g h te r O lg a an d th e n an n y F ilip e vn a, are m errily d iscu ssin g th e p rep aration s for Tatian a’s forth com in g b irth d ay p arty. Tatian a, O lg a’s eld e r sister, is n ot far from th e m , re ad in g a b ook. S h e is n ot rem otely in tereste d in th e p arty p re p aration s an d p ays little atten tion to th e b eau tifu lly em b roid ered d ress h er sister sh ow s h er. S om e you n g p easan t g irls from th e estate arrive an d con vin ce th e tw o siste rs to p lay a g am e w ith a m irror. Accord in g to an an cie n t R u ssian su p erstition , if a g irl looks in to it at a sp ecific tim e sh e w ill see th e im ag e of h er fu tu re h u sb an d . Th e you n g L en sky , O lg a’s b e troth ed , arrives from th e city w ith h is frien d E u g e n e O n eg in . W h ile everyon e else is e xch an g in g p olite g ree tin g s, Tatian a looks in to th e m irror an d , to h er am aze m en t, sees O n e g in ’s face . He in vites h er to take a stroll, w h ile L en sky an d O lg a d eclare th eir love an d tease g e n tly each oth er. O n eg in is ob viou sly n ot in terested in sp en d in g a d ay in th e cou n try an d fin d s e ve ry th in g b orin g an d p rovin cial, in clu d in g th e b ook Tatian a is read in g . F in ally , th e tw o m e n take leave from th e g irls an d th e sce n e en d s w ith a vig orou s R u ssian p e asan t d an ce , p e rform e d b y th e serfs of th e L arin ’s estate.

P h otog rap h er: B ill C oop er

10

S cen e 2: Tatian a’s b e d room

Alon e in h e r b ed room , Tatian a p on d e rs on h er en cou n te r w ith O n e g in . Her n an n y arrives an d tries in vain to con vin ce h er to g o to b e d . As soon as th e old w om an h as left, th e g irl g oes b ack to h er d esk an d starts w ritin g a lette r to th e m an sh e th in ks sh e h as fallen in love w ith . B u t sh e falls asleep . In h e r d re am , O n e g in ste p s ou t of th e m irror an d d an ce s w ith h er, in a h au n tin g ly p assion ate w ay.

Act II S cen e 1: In sid e M ad am e L arin a’s h ou se

All sorts of g u ests arrive to cele b rate Tatian a’s b irth d ay p arty. Th e old on es w atch th e you n g an d com m en t on th e variou s love-related in cid en ts th at take p laces d u rin g th e d an cin g . M an y com m e n t favou rab ly on O lg a an d L e n sky an d on h e r en g ag em en t. P rin ce G rem in arrive s too an d starts cou rtin g Tatian a, w h o ig n ores h im . S h e fin ally m an ag e s to h ave an in tim ate m om en t w ith O n eg in , b u t is h orrified w h e n h e rep roach e s h e r for w h at h e con sid e rs to b e a silly exp re ssion of h er ch ild ish in fatu ation an d tears h er le tter u p . In a d ram atic cre scen d o, th e osten sib ly b ored O n eg in starts flirtin g w ith O lg a, w h o re sp on d s jokin g ly to h is ap p roach es. L e n ksy, je alou s an d en rag e d , ch allen g e s O n e g in to a d u el am id st g en e ral con ste rn ation .

S cen e 2: An op e n in g n e ar a w ood at d aw n Alon e , L en sky p on d e rs on h is d e stin y, w h ile w aitin g to fig h t O n e g in . O lg a an d Tatian a arrive to b eg h im to d e sist, b u t h e ob stin ate ly re fu ses. E ven O n e g in ’s atte m p t of re con ciliation is rejecte d , an d L en sky is kille d in th e e n su in g d u el.

11

Act III S cen e 1: A b allroom in P rin ce G re m in ’s p alace

A few ye ars h ave p assed b y an d O n e g in arrive s at a b all in P rin ce G re m in ’s p alace . Th ere h e d iscove rs th at Tatian a h as b ecom e P rin cess G re m in . F u ll or re m orse an d h au n te d b y h is ow n m e m orie s, h e d e cid es to m eet h er.

S cen e 2: Tatian a’s b ou d oir Tatian a re ad s th e le tter O n e g in h as sen t h e r. He arrives an d for a m om en t it see m s th at h er old d re am is com in g tru e. B u t sh e h as ch an g ed an d sh e can n ot ob literate h e r sad m e m orie s. S h e th en tears O n e g in ’s lette r u p an d com m an d s h im to le ave. O n ce alon e, sh e collap se s in d esp air.

P h otog rap h er: B ill C oop er

12

Activities 1.

After you h ave seen O n eg in , w rite a letter to a frien d . In n o m ore th an fou r or five sen ten ces tell you r frien d w h at th e b allet is ab ou t. D on ’t d escrib e th e d etail of w h at you h ave seen , ju st p ick ou t th e im p ortan t h ap p en in g s an d eve n ts in th e story.

2. Th e title of th e b allet is O n eg in , b u t w h ose story d oes it tell, O n eg in ’s or Tatian a’s? W h ose view p oin t is b ein g exp ressed ?

3. If you cou ld ‘freeze’ on e m om en t to take a still p h otog rap h to su m m arize w h at O n eg in is ab ou t, w h ich m om en t w ou ld you ch oose? W h at w ou ld b e in th e p ictu re? W h ich sin g le w ord m ig h t su m m arize th e b allet’s th em e? C om p are you r ch oices w ith th ose of oth er p u p ils.

4. Im ag in e you are Tatian a. W rite you r letter to O n eg in . R em em b er you h ave n ot m et b efore tod ay. W h at d o you w an t to say? W h at q u estion s d o you w an t to ask? W h at d o you h op e w ill h ap p en as a con seq u en ce of you r letter? How are you g oin g to p h rase th e letter to try an d b rin g th is ab ou t?

13

Joh n C ran ko (19 27–19 72) B orn in R u sten b u rg , S ou th Africa, h e started h is d an ce train in g in h is h om e tow n at th e ag e of 17. W h ile still very you n g , h e m ad e h is ch oreog rap h ic d eb u t in C ap e Tow n w ith h is ow n ve rsion of Ig or S travin sky’s H isto ire d u S o ld at. In 19 46 h e m oved to E n g lan d , w h ere h e join ed th e S ad ler’s W ells Th eatre B allet u n d er th e d ire ction of N in e tte d e V alois. V e ry soon h is ch oreog rap h y starte d cap tivatin g B ritish au d ien ce s an d w in n in g n ation al acclaim . Am on g h is early w orks w ere th e ever so p op u lar P in eap p le P o ll (19 5 1), se t to a m e d ley of tu n es from G ilb e rt an d S u llivan ’s op e re ttas, an d th e still sp le n d id T h e L ad y an d th e F o o l (19 5 6 ), se t to m u sic d e rive d from G iu sep p e V e rd i’s op eras. C ran ko w as also th e first to ch ore og rap h B e n jam in B ritten ’s b allet T h e P rin ce o f P ag o d as (19 5 7), an d alth ou g h th is b alle t w as n ot a g reat su ccess, it e arn ed h im an in vitation to S tu ttg art, w h e re h e w as offe re d th e artistic d irectorsh ip of th e re sid en t b alle t com p an y .

Th e w elcom ed ap p oin tm en t ch an g e d d rastically th e cou rse of b allet h istory in G e rm an y , for th e S tu ttg art B allet soon b ecam e on e of th e b est com p an ies at b oth n ation al an d in te rn ation al le vel. In 19 6 2, C ran ko cre ated w h at h as b e en con sid ered b y m an y h is m aste rw ork as w e ll as h is “visitin g card ”, n am e ly h is ow n version of R o m eo an d Ju liet to th e w ellkn ow n score b y S e rg e i P rokofiev. Th e creation of O n eg in , th re e years later, con firm ed h is in g en iou s ap p roach to n arrative ch oreog rap h y. O n eg in w as th e n follow e d b y oth e r, an d e q u ally acclaim e d , fu ll-even in g n arrative creation s, su ch as h is sp arklin g ch oreog rap h ic tran slation of W illiam S h akesp e are’s T h e T am in g o f th e S h rew (19 6 9 ). C ran ko’s caree r an d life, h ow e ve r, w ere trag ically cu t sh ort w h en h e d ie d u n exp ecte d ly at 45 d u e to a rare le th al re action to a m ild slee p in g tab le t. Th e S tu ttg art B alle t re m ain s th u s h is u n iq u e leg acy to con tem p orary b allet an d h is

14

m an y w orks, n on e of w h ich ever ag ed , are still p erform ed all ove r th e w ord .

15

Th e S tyle Th e b allet O n eg in is con sid ered b y m an y as th e q u in tesse n tial e xp ression of w h at is g en e rally refe rred to as “C ran ko’s sty le”. Y e t, to e xp lain th at style, is n o e asy task. Th ere is little d ou b t th at th e train in g h e receive d in E n g lan d an d th e op p ortu n ity to w ork w ith in a stim u latin g artistic e n viron m en t, su ch as th e S ad ler’s W ells Th e atre B allet an d th e com p an y w h ich d evelop ed eve n tu ally from it – n am ely tod ay ’s R oy al B allet – h ad a tre m e n d ou s in flu en ce on h is ap p roach to d an ce-m akin g . N ot u n like som e of th e ch oreog rap h ers w ith w h om h e g rew u p , artistically, an d som e of h is e q u ally illu striou s con te m p orarie s, su ch as K e n n e th M acM illan , C ran ko d e velop e d a u n iq u e n arrative ab ility. E ach of th e ch oreog rap h ic solu tion s h e cre ated for h is story b allets, w e re n ever m ere sh ow cases of tech n ical b ravu ra for th e d an cers, b u t m e an in g fu l com b in ation s of m ovem en ts w h ich , in th e ch ore og rap h er’s m in d , cou ld con vey sp e cific n arrative con cep ts, th u s b ecom in g th e p erfect tran slation of a lite rary text. Y et, alth ou g h h e sh are d th is creative form u la w ith th e like s of M acM illan , h e w as soon ab le to resort to h ig h ly in d ivid u al solu tion s an d creative can on s.

Am on g th e m ost recog n isab le traits of C ran ko’s d an ce -m akin g , th e u se of stilln ess is, arg u ab ly, th e m ost d istin ctive . In ju xtap osin g a u n iq u ely flu id m ove m en t vocab u lary w ith w h at cou ld b e re g ard e d as ‘froze n ’ p ose s, C ran k h eig h te n e d th e d ram atic an d n arrative ten sion of h is story b allets, creatin g an often b re ath takin g ly im m e d iate th eatrical e ffe ct.

An oth er ch aracteristic trait of h is ch oreog rap h ic ou tp u t is fou n d in th e tech n ical layou t of th e p as d e d e u x or d u et. N ot u n like som e of h is fellow B ritish d an ce-m ake rs – an d th e n am e of M acM illan is th e first to sp rin g to m in d – C ran ko create d d u e ts th at still stan d ou t for th e in ten se an d tech n ically d e m an d in g p articip ation of th e tw o d an ce rs. Th e ofte n 16

sp e ctacu lar, th ou g h n ever g ratu itou sly th e atrical, n atu re of C ran ko’s d u ets n e ver d e tracted from th e n arrative or d ram atic p ath os of th e m om en t, th ou g h . In stead of b ecom in g close d n u m b ers aim ed at d isp layin g th e skills of th e tw o p rin cip al in terp reters, C ran ko’s d u ets tie s flu id ly in w ith , an d con trib u te actively to, th e d e ve lop m en t of th e action . Th ey are, in oth er w ord s, d u ets th at ‘te ll a story’.

F in ally , an oth e r ty p ical an d recog n isab le com p on en t of ‘C ran ko’s style’ is th e con stan t u se of g e stu re s th at, th ou g h n eve r lite ral, are h ig h ly e xp ressive an d th u s con trib u te g reatly to con vey in g eith e r a sp e cific situ ation or a

P h otog rap h : N eil L ib b ert

p sy ch olog ical state . As a m id 20 th cen tu ry ch ore og rap h e r, C ran ko refu ted th e u se of old con ven tion al g estu res – g en e rally kn ow n as ‘b alle t m im e ’ – an d p re fe rred to in ven t m ove m en ts of th e u p p e r p art of th e b od y th at, in h is view , illu strate d w ith eclectic im m ed iacy w h at h ad to b e e xp resse d . L ook for in stan ce at th e w ay O n eg in “en circles” Tatian a in th e fin al d u e t, or th e w ay L en sky p erform s a “d ig g in g ” like m ovem e n t, w h ile on h is kn ee s in th e fam ou s ‘d e ath solo’. N e ith e r m ove m en t com es d ire ctly from th e w ell affirm e d 19 th ce n tu ry trad ition of b alle t m im e , an d yet th ey are p erfectly read ab le an d im m e d iate . Th e form e r, th e ‘circlin g caress’ as it w as called b y som e , e xp re ss at on ce O n eg in ’s d esire as w ell as h is typ ically rom an tic ‘w orsh ip p in g ’ Tatian a. Th e latter, an effective m ove m en t, con veys b oth th e m an ’s d e sp air an d h is kn ow in g alread y th at it w ill b e h im at th e e n d of th e d u el, w h o w ill b e ‘b u rie d in th e g rou n d ’ – h en ce th e q u ick, alm ost im p erce p tib le ‘d ig g in g ’ m otion .

17

S alien t m om en ts Th e ap p reciation of a ch oreog rap h ic te xt relies m u ch on an in d ivid u al resp on se to th e te xt itself. S till, th e re are som e m om en ts in O n eg in th at h ave acq u ired in tern ation al p op u larity an d are g en e rally looked at as key se ction s from th e b allet.

Th e first on e is, w ith n o d ou b t, th e love d u e t b etw een O lg a an d L e n sky, a d u et in w h ich th e n atu re of th e tw o ch aracters is im m ed iately illu strate d . L en sky’s lon g , su stain ed tu rn s, stre ss h is ‘p oe t in love’ n atu re , w h e re as th e n e at, in tricate footw ork sp eaks volu m e s ab ou t O lg a’s carefree life. Th ere is also a p le asan t, th ou g h n ever lackad aisical flirtin g g oin g on b e tw e en th e tw o, w h ich also e n com p asses h in ts of th e im p e n d in g trag ed y , for on on e occasion , L en sky see m s to ‘d rift’ aw ay from O lg a, w h o trie s to re g ain h is atten tion in th e m ost coq u ettish w ay.

Th e R u ssian d an ce , w h ich en d s th e first scen e of th e first act, is an oth e r g reat ch ore og rap h ic in ven tion . Th e d iag on al lin e s of p e asan t g irls d artin g forw ard are sim p ly b reath takin g an d p ortray in fu ll th e rom an ticised view of th e b eau ty of cou n try life . Its vig orou s, alm ost e xp losive clim ax, m oreover, create s a vib ran t con trast w ith th e follow in g scen e, n am ely th e b ed room on e . An d , at th e sam e tim e , th e b oiste rou s p e asan t d an ce su m m arise s th e excite m en t of th e en d of a p articu lar d ay for Tatian a.

S trateg ically p laced w ith in th e b ed room sce n e , th e ‘m irror’ d u et is, arg u ab ly, on e of th e m ost fam ou s 20 th ce n tu ry p as d e d eu x. It relies on a ch oreog rap h ic b u ild u p of w ild p assion , w h ich re ach e s a p oin t in w h ich it is d ifficu lt to u n d erstan d w h eth e r th e d re am is still a d ream or h as tu rn e d in to a sort of n ig h tm are .

18

Alth ou g h Tatian a’s b irth d ay p arty scen e d oes n ot con tain an y g reat ch oreog rap h ic m om en t, th e w h ole seq u e n ce stan d s ou t for th e w ay th e m ood of th e action sh ifts from a h u m orou s, often slap stick caricatu re (th e old g u e sts lookin g at th e you n g on es) to p u re trag ed y (L e n sky’s ch allen g in g O n e g in ) th an ks to b oth th e d ram atically q u ick p ace d rh yth m of th e n arrative an d th e corresp on d in g ch ore og rap h y , in w h ich th e atrically e xp ressive solu tion s are in terw oven w ith a b alle tic ad ap tation of e arly R om an tic b allroom d an cin g .

Th e follow in g scen e con tain s w h at h as b een referre d to b y m an y d an ce w riters as ‘th e m ost in ten se m ale solo of b allet h istory ’, n am ely L en sky ’s ‘d eath solo’. Th e d an ce stan d s ou t for its d elicate, b u t effective sad n ess, im m e d iate ly ju xtap ose d w ith th e m ore overtly d ram atic arrival of th e tw o sisters.

Th e strikin g fe atu re of th e b eg in n in g of th e follow in g act is th e P olon aise , a stately d an ce com m on ly p erform ed at every aristocratic 19 th cen tu ry g ath e rin g , w h ich op e n s th e scen e takin g p lace in P rin ce G rem in ’s p alace . Th e visu al im p act of th e w ell-ord ered co rp s d e b allet, an d of th e P olon aise itself is u n iq u e an d reveals C ran ko’s u n iq u e sen se of th e atre.

Y et, it is w ith th e fin al d u e t th at th e b allet reach e s its clim ax, b oth in ch oreog rap h ic an d th eatrical term s. Tatian a’s in n er tu rm oil is b e au tifu lly p ortraye d b y th e w ay sh e tries to escap e from O n e g in ’s arm s an d , at th e sam e tim e, th e w ay sh e le ts h im en circle h er w ith th e g estu re d e scrib ed in ‘Th e S tyle ’ section . Th e w h ole action lead s to b e lieve th at sh e is ab ou t to g ive in , so th at h er su d d en ch an g e of m in d com e s across p ow erfu lly an d e n d s th e b alle t on a vib ran tly d ram atic h ig h n ote.

19

D an ce: look for… Th e in form ation in th e p reviou s section on Joh n C ran ko’s style w ill aid u n d erstan d in g an d ap p reciation of th e b allet. C on sid e ration of th e ch oreog rap h y sh ou ld also in clu d e d iscu ssion s ab ou t th e ran g e an d q u alities of m ovem en t, u se of sp ace, re lation sh ip s b e tw een th e variou s ch aracters an d ch oreog rap h ic d evices.

C ran ko d rew u p on d an ce in flu en ces oth er th an classical b allet su ch as folkd an ce an d b allroom d an cin g . He u ses th e social d an ce s of th e d ay , a w altz, m azu rka an d a p olon aise for h is b ig g rou p n u m b e rs. Th e p as d e d eu x (a d an ce for tw o p eop le) is cen tral to th e b allet, d e scrib in g th e relation sh ip s b etw een th e m ain ch aracters an d h ow th e se ch an g e over tim e.

Th e follow in g p oin ts are to h elp you n otice d iffe re n t asp ects of th e d an ce – som e of th ese corre sp on d to e xam p les in th e m u sic section .

Act I S cen e 1

S om e of th e first d an cin g w e see is th at of th e g irls from th e n eig h b ou rh ood join ed b y O lg a. W h at w ord s w ou ld you u se to d escrib e th e g en eral feelin g an d m ood of th eir d an cin g ?

S ee h ow a p articu lar step or m ove m en t is u sed to d e scrib e a ch aracte r. F or in stan ce, th e b allo tté sm all ju m p from tw o fee t to on e, th e b od y lean in g forw ard an d b ackw ard d u rin g e ach ch an g e of w eig h t) p erform ed b y O lg a at th e b eg in n in g of h er solo. Th is ste p m ost fam ou sly ap p ears d an ced b y th e lead in g ch aracter of th e rom an tic b alle t, G iselle, an d

20

d e scrib e d a you th fu l, sp irited y ou n g g irl. As seen h e re th e step h as a lig h t, b u oy an t, en erg etic q u ality th at ag ain d escrib es a you n g , joyfu l, p lay fu l ch aracte r. Th e ju m p lan d s effacé (op en to th e au d ien ce) as op p osed to cro isé (crosse d to th e au d ien ce) an d th is len d s th e solo a n aïve, u n sop h isticate d q u ality . N otice th e form ation of th e g irls’ d an ce an d w h ere O lg a b e g in s an d en d s h er solo in relation to th e m . W h at d oes th is tell u s ab ou t th e ce n tral role sh e takes in th e b alle t?

D escrib e th e d yn am ic (a com p on e n t of m ovem e n t th at d e scrib e s HO W m ove m en t is p erform ed ) of L en sky’s solo. F or in stan ce , L en sky’s solo in volves a serie s of slow su stain ed p irou ettes (tu rn s on on e leg ) th at are slow an d su stain ed su g g estin g th e rom an tic n atu re of th e p oet. Th rou g h ou t th e b alle t n otice h ow a p irou ette can b e e xe cu ted w ith m an y d iffe re n t m ovem en t q u alitie s: fast, b rig h t or sm ooth an d flow in g .

S ee h ow th e ch oreog rap h e r p osition s O lg a d u rin g L en sky’s solo an d h ow L en sky’s solo le ad s d irectly in to th eir p as d e d eu x. Th rou g h ou t th e b allet m eetin g s an d tran sition s are stag ed to m ake d ram atic se n se .

D u rin g th is p as d e d e u x O lg a p erform s a serie s of p iq u és (a ste p on to p oin te) an d p irou e ttes on th e d iag on al an d is th en ‘cau g h t’ b y L e n sky to rep e at th e seq u e n ce. He r ste p s are ch ore og rap h e d m u sically to b e p e rform e d on e cou n t ah ead of L e n sky an d h e h as to catch u p w ith h e r. W h at e ffe ct d oe s th is h ave an d w h y d o you th in k C ran ko m ig h t h ave ch ose n to d o th is? S ee h ow th e p ace of th e p as d e d eu x ch an g e s to reflect th e ch an g es in th e m u sic. How m an y tim es d oes th is h ap p en an d can you list som e of th e m ove m en ts th at b elon g to e ach se ction ?

Th e folk d an ces of th e p e asan ts in Act I h ave a trad ition al flavou r; th e d an cers often p e rform lin ke d h an d in h an d or arou n d th e sh ou ld ers, reflectin g th eir b oisterou s joy an d solid arity. Th e g irls p erform a circu lar, rh y th m ic w alkin g step th at le ad s w ith th eir h eels an d g ives th em a

21

g rou n d ed w eig h tie r ap p e aran ce. Th e m en p erform kn ee b en d s an d h ig h leap s re m in iscen t of a C ossack step . W h at w ord s d escrib e th e m ove m en t q u alitie s of th e p e asan ts? C om p are an d con trast th ese w ith w ord s th at d e scrib e th e m ove m en t q u alitie s of th e m ore b alletic ste p s like b allo ttés or p iq u és.

S cen e 2

Th e m aid d oes n ot p erform sp ecific b allet ste p s. How w ou ld y ou d e scrib e h e r m ove m e n ts an d g estu res an d w h at d oes th is tell u s ab ou t th e ty p e of p erson sh e is? How d oes h e r m u sic su p p ort th is?

Th e p as d e d eu x b e tw e en Tatian a an d O n eg in d e scrib e s a you n g g irl’s fan tasy. W h at th eatrical d e vice d oes C ran ko u se to su g g est Tatian a’s reflection in th e m irror an d h ow d oes th e e n tran ce of O n eg in su g g e st th at h e is a fig m e n t of h e r im ag in ation ?

Th e p as d e d eu x in volve s m an y h ig h lifts an d ‘ab an d on ed ’ tu rn s. Th e m ove m en t is extre m e an d in its w ild n ess an d exag g e ration h as a d ream like q u ality. C ran ko’s m ovem en t d oes n ot d e scrib e a re alistic m e etin g b e tw e en tw o p eop le b u t rath e r h e attem p ts to d e scrib e Tatian a’s th ou g h ts an d feelin g s, h er state of m in d . Th is p as d e d eu x th erefore h as a p sy ch olog ical d im en sion .

Act II S cen e 1

Th e g u ests at Tatian a’s b irth d ay p arty p e rform w h at w ou ld h ave b ee n th e social d an ces of th e d ay , a w altz an d m azu rka. He re th ey ap p e ar in a ‘b alle ticize d ’ form . F or in stan ce in th e w altz th e lad ies are still in p oin te sh oes an d tu rn e d ou t an d th eir m ale cou n te rp arts lift th em off th e floor in a variation of a tu rn in g assem b lé (an asse m b lin g of th e leg s in th e air.) 22

C ran ko se ts th e d ram atic action of th e scen e ag ain st an d w ith in th is con text. Th e lead ch aracters d an ce ou t th eir d ram a b efore th e m ain g rou p d an ces of th e p arty g u ests.

Tatian a’s solo en d s in an aw kw ard con fron tation b etw ee n h e rself an d O n e g in , an d M ad am e L arin a is ab le to e ase th e p arty b ack in to action b y callin g u p on O lg a an d L e n sky an d h er g u e sts to resu m e d an cin g . Ag ain th is tran sition m akes m u sical, d ram atic an d th e atrical se n se.

Th e d ram a an d d an cin g are in terw oven . S ee h ow O n e g in lu re s O lg a from h er g am e of card s to d an ce th e m azu rka an d h ow d e sp ite L en sky’s attem p ts to

P h otog rap h er: B ill C oop er

se p arate th e p air th ey are re u n ite d d u rin g its p rog re ssion . D u rin g th e cou rse of th e m azu rka th e d an cin g an d d ram a escalate sim u ltan eou sly. W h at h ap p e n s at th e clim ax of th e d an ce? How d oes C ran ko ach ieve op tim u m im p act?

D escrib e th e frieze at th e en d of th is scen e an d w h at it com m u n icates.

S cen e 2

How is th e ten sion an d u rg e n cy of th e d u el scen e ach ie ve d ? In p articu lar n otice th e arran g em en t of th e tw o cou p les, rep e tition of certain m ove m en ts an d th e u se of d iffe re n t le vels.

23

Act III S cen e 1

W h at is th e n am e of th e d an ce p erform ed b y th e g u ests in th e b allroom ? W h at sort of an occasion is th is an d h ow can w e tell? L ook ou t for th e form ality of th e floor p atte rn s an d see h ow th e g u e sts rem ain at th e sid es of th e stag e alm ost as d ecoration .

W h at is th e e ffe ct of th e g u e sts’ p resen ce th rou g h ou t th e p as d e d e u x b e tw e en Tatian a an d h e r h u sb an d P rin ce G re m in ? W h at w ord s w ou ld y ou u se to d escrib e th e relation sh ip b etw een G rem in an d Tatian a as it ap p ears h ere? Th e p as d e d eu x d oes n ot in clu d e an y of th e sp e ctacu lar lifts or tu rn s of th e b e d room p as d e d eu x b etw ee n Tatian a an d O n eg in . W h y d o you th in k th at is an d w h at effect d oes th is h ave ? Are y ou aw are th at Tatian a h as m atu red b y ten ye ars an d d oe s th e w ay sh e d an ces su g g est th at? S e e h ow th e p ace of th e m u sic an d m ove m en t effect th is.

Th e fin al p as d e d eu x is th e clim ax of th e b alle t. O n e g in atte m p ts to se d u ce Tatian a an d w in h er h e art on ce m ore . How d o w e see th at Tatian a is resistin g h im ? Are th e re m om en ts w h en sh e looks like sh e is g oin g to g ive in to h im ? W h at d oes O n eg in ’s circu lar arm m ove m en t over an d arou n d Tatian a’s stan d in g form su g g est an d w h at e ffe ct is ach ie ved b y h er facin g aw ay from h im . W h at is Tatian a’s fin al g e stu re to O n e g in ? Is it h ow you exp ected th eir p as d e d e u x to en d an d w h at sort of im p act d oe s it h ave ? W ou ld th e sam e effect h ave b e en ach ieved w ith a less e con om ical u se of g estu re or m ovem en t? How are w e m ad e aw are of th e d ifficu lty of Tatian a’s fin al d ecision an d action ?

24

Activities 1.

In th e sam e w ay th at C ran ko creates a con versation b etw een Tatian a an d h er n u rse , w ork w ith a p artn er to create in d ivid u al ch aracters an d a situ ation in w h ich th e tw o of you h ave a ‘d ialog u e’. Im p rovise u sin g g estu re an d m ovem en t in stead of w ord s. S ee h ow w ell you can com m u n icate th rou g h g estu re an d m ovem en t alon e.

2. D raw on e of th e floor p attern s you see in th e b allet. C reate a sh ort p h rase travellin g in th e p ath w ay. C h oose a p artn er an d teach each oth er you r p h rase. P erform th e seq u en ces trave llin g alon g th e tw o p ath w ays an d u sin g d ifferen t typ es of m ovem en t, for exam p le w alkin g , skip p in g , leap in g . Try alterin g th e seq u e n ces, sid e-b y-sid e, m irrorin g . Th is cou ld b e d evelop ed in g rou p s of fou r or m ore. L ook at th e relation sh ip s am on g st th e d an cers in th e g rou p . S ee h ow th e ch oice of step s an d floor p attern s m ig h t con vey a sen se of form ality as in th e b allroom or th e g en eral sp on tan eity of th e folk d an cin g scen e.

3. C reate a seq u en ce of m ovem en t an d stilln e ss. E xp lore an d d iscu ss th e d ifferen t effects th at m om en ts of stilln ess can ach ie ve d ep e n d in g on h ow an d w h ere in th e seq u en ce th ey ap p ear.

4. M ake a list of th e g estu res an d p assag es of d an ce th at C ran ko h as u sed to tell th e story an d th en m ake an oth er th at lists th e m ovem en ts an d p assag es of d an ce th at attem p t to d escrib e a ch aracter’s em otion al or m en tal state. C reate g estu res an d m ovem en t th at com m u n icate on a literal n arrative leve l, you r ow n orig in al m im e vocab u lary, an d th en create g estu re an d m ovem en t th at exp re sses a p articu lar th ou g h t or em otion .

5 . C reate a frieze to d ep ict a certain p art of th e b allet or an oth er situ ation of you r ch oice. W ork w ith th e d ifferen t levels, relation sh ip s an d sp aces b etw een you r d an cers to create d ifferen t an d g reater effect.

25

Th e M u sic Alexan d er P u sh kin ’s n ovel E u g en e O n eg in p rovid ed th e in sp iration for tw o im p ortan t w orks in oth er art form s. Tch aikovsky ’s op era of th e sam e n am e w as first p rod u ced in M oscow in 18 79 . Joh n C ran ko’s b allet O n eg in receive d its p rem ier in S tu ttg art alm ost a h u n d re d y ears later (19 6 5 ). L ike th e op era, th e b allet h as m u sic b y Tch aikovsky, b u t th ere is n o overlap b e tw ee n th e tw o w orks. Th e scores are e n tirely d iffe re n t.

M u sic for th e b alle t w as selecte d an d arran g ed b y th e com p oser K u rtHein z S tolze. Alm ost th re e q u arte rs of th e m aterial w as take n from Tch aikovsky’s little kn ow n p ian o com p osition s, som e from th e op era T h e C ap rices o f O xan a, an d a little from a d u et for an in ten d e d op e ra, R o m eo an d Ju liet, w h ich failed to m aterialise. Th e p as d e d eu x in Act III w as b ased on th e secon d m ove m en t from th e sym p h on ic p oem F ran cesca d a R im in i. E ven th e set d an ce s (th e w altz an d th e m azu rka e tc) u sed id eas cu lled from Tch aikovsky ’s w orks.

O f cou rse, selectin g an d g ath erin g th e m aterial rep rese n ted on ly th e first stag e . N ext cam e th e task of m ou ld in g th e m ate rial to m atch C ran ko’s d ram atic stru ctu re; of creatin g con tin u ity an d flow rath er th an a d isjoin ted collection of sep arate d an ce s; of creatin g leitm otifs to in terrelate variou s p h ase s of th e story. Th en , too, th e id e as h ad to b e cloth e d - th at is, th ey h ad to b e orch estrated . In th is task S tolze h as m ad e clear w h at h e w as seekin g to ach ieve: ‘I felt it w as im p ortan t n ot to d e p art too m u ch from th e ty p ical Tch aikovsky orch estration .’ He n ce, w e freq u e n tly fin d im p ortan t th e m es are an n ou n ced b y solo w ood w in d in stru m en ts an d m om en ts of em otion al in te n sity are exp re ssed b y strin g s p lay in g in octaves.

26

Th e resu lt is h u g e ly effective . M ayb e K u rt-He in z S tolze d ese rves g reater re cog n ition th an h e u su ally receive s for h is con trib u tion to th e su ccess of O n eg in .

27

M u sic: listen for….. In trod u ction It is h e lp fu l to re cog n ise th at n ot all of th e m u sic in O n eg in serve s th e sam e p u rp ose. F or con ve n ien ce w e can id e n tify th ree b road categ ories:

1. S e t d an ce s, su ch as th e w altz, m azu rka an d p olka p rovid e e n tertain m en t for social occasion s - in th is in stan ce , to celeb rate Tatian a’s b irth d ay . In Act III, a p olon aise is in kee p in g w ith th e form al atm osp h e re at P rin ce G rem in ’s p alace. S ocial d an ces of th is kin d are u su ally d an ce d b y th e co rp s d e b allet or b y g rou p s. Th eir fu n ction is to e n tertain rath er th an to ad v an ce th e u n fold in g of th e story, alth ou g h th ey are som e tim es u sed as a b ackd rop to h ap p en in g s an d e xch an g es in volvin g th e p rin cip al ch aracters. Th e d an ces are tu n e fu l an d h ave a sim p le stru ctu re com p risin g m e lod ic rep e tition an d at least on e con trastin g section .

2. D isp lay d an ces, su ch as th e variou s p as d e d eu x, p rovid e op p ortu n ity for p rin cip al d an cers to exh ib it th eir tech n ical an d exp ressive skills. In th e classical b allets of th e 19 th cen tu ry th ese d an ce s often in clu d ed a n u m b er of solo variation s w h ich con traste d in style an d ch aracter. In O n eg in th e d isp lay d an ces are less e xten sive an d h ave a d ram atic p u rp ose .

3. M u sic for storytellin g is n ot tied to form al stru ctu res. Its fu n ction is to su p p ort th e d ram a, w h e th er th e n ee d is for a sh ort, u n ob tru sive p assag e (su ch as in Act I sce n e 1 w h en Tatian a is e n g rossed in h er read in g ), or som eth in g very d ram atic (su ch as th e d u el scen e in Act II scen e 2). In stru m e n tal in term e zzi are u sed to p rep are th e m ood w h e n th e re is a ch an g e of sce n e. R ep e ated th em atic frag m en ts (leitm otifs)

28

are som e tim e s u se d to m ake lin ks b etw een in cid en ts in d iffe re n t p arts of th e story (as, for e xam p le, w h en , n ear th e en d of th e b allet, a th e m e from Tatian a’s d ream is recalled as a rem in d er of w h at m ig h t h ave b een ).

O f cou rse, th e m u sic an d d an ce w ill n ot alw ay s fit con ven ien tly in to ju st on e of th e se cate g ories. Th e re ason for ou tlin in g th em is to raise aw aren ess: to p rom p t th e q u e stion ‘w h at is th e p u rp ose of th is p articu lar d an ce or p assag e ?’

Th e extracts Th e sele ction of m u sical extracts p rovid e s a fram ew ork of au ral ‘lan d m arks’ an d w ill p articu larly assist th ose w h o are seein g th e b alle t for th e first tim e. R ep eated listen in g is on e w ay of b e com in g fam iliar w ith th e extracts, b u t actu ally p e rform in g th em is even b ette r. P erform in g in volves d o in g as w ell as listen in g , an d rep etitio n is re q u ire d in ord e r to p e rform com p e te n tly . Th e aim m u st b e to associate e ach e xtract w ith th e con te xt in w h ich it occu rs in th e b alle t.

AC T I S cen e 1 •

M ad am e L arin a, O lg a an d th e n u rse are m akin g d resses for Tatian a’s b irth d ay p arty. It is a h ap p y an d joyfu l scen e . Th e m u sic is ap p rop riate ly b risk, b rig h t an d b ou n cy. E xtract 1 is th e op en in g th e m e an d im m ed iately se ts th e m ood , e ven b efore th e cu rtain rise s.

29

•

E xtract 2 accom p an ies a d an ce b y g irls from th e n e ig h b ou rh ood . It is a sim p le tu n e w ith a p astoral, folk-like ch aracte r. O lg a join s in .

•

Th e g irls g ath e r arou n d a m irror p rovid ed b y M ad am e L arin a. Accord in g to folk trad ition it is su p p osed th at w h e n a g irl looks in to a m irror sh e w ill see th e im ag e of h er fu tu re h u sb an d . O lg a is th e first to take h er se at b efore th e m irror. U n seen b y O lg a, L en sky en ters accom p an ied b y th e m u sic of E xtract 3(a), p lay ed b y th e ob oe.

30

W h en O lg a se es L en sky’s refle ction h e r d elig h t is exp re ssed in a flu tte r of excite m en t on th e flu tes ab ove a d escen d in g fou r n ote fig u re p lay ed b y a m u ted tru m p e t (E xtract 3(b )).

•

Th e arrival of L e n sky’s frien d , O n eg in , is accom p an ie d b y a b road , su ave tu n e , p layed b y th e cellos (E xtract 4(a)).

•

Tatian a h as take n O lg a’s p lace b efore th e m irror an d is u n aw are of O n e g in ’s p resen ce u n til sh e see s h is re flection . Th e m u sic w h ich accom p an ies h er reaction is sim ilar to E xtract 3(b ), b u t is n ow in th e m in or ke y. N otice , too, h ow th e re p eate d sem iq u avers of th e m u te d tru m p et in je ct ad d ition al em otion al ten sion (E xtract 4(b )).

31

•

E xtract 5 (a) is d e rive d from E xtract 3(a) b u t is n ow in 3/4 tim e . It is th e op en in g of th e p as d e d eu x d an ced b y O lg a an d L e n sky. It is th e b eg in n in g of L en sky’s variation . Th e sw ee p in g , e xp ressive m elod y is p laye d b y th e strin g s.

•

F ollow in g h is solo variation , L en sky is join ed b y O lg a. V iolin s an d cellos, p layin g in octaves, p rovid e rich n ess an d w arm th for th e b road , su stain e d p h rases of E xtract 5 (b ):

•

E xtract 6 (a) in trod u ce s th e p as d e d eu x b etw een O n e g in an d Tatian a. N ote th is th e m e an d listen carefu lly for its re ap p e aran ce tow ard s th e en d of Tatian a’s d re am as sh e recollects th is occasion , th e ir first m ee tin g .

32

•

E xtract 6 (b ) is th e op e n in g of O n e g in ’s variation . It is p layed b y u p p er strin g s an d u p p e r w ood w in d an d th e n , after a b rief con trastin g section , b y cellos an d violas accom p an ie d b y d e corative scale fig u res on solo flu te .

•

As if to con firm Tatian a’s ‘cou n try g irl’ b ackg rou n d , b oys from th e n eig h b ou rh ood arrive an d im m ed iately p e rform a lively trad ition al d an ce. Th e m u sic is ch aracte rised b y sh ort p h rase s, a rep e ated rh y th m p attern an d a stron g folk m u sic-like flavou r create d b y e xp loitin g th e m od al n atu re of th e m in or key . E xtract 7 (a) is first p lay ed b y a solo ob oe.

•

A con trastin g section for th e g irls (E xtract 7 (b )) is p laye d first b y solo tru m p et.

33

S cen e 2 •

Th e orch estral in trod u ction to scen e 2 con trasts w ith th e g rou p p lay fu ln ess of th e first scen e. Th e tem p o is n ow relaxed ; th e d y n am ics are h u sh ed . Th e sm ooth p h rase s of th e strin g s su g g est stilln e ss an d calm . An isolated solo ob oe cap tu res th e in tim acy an d p rivacy of th e scen e.

E xtract 8 is p laye d b y solo flu te as Tatian a sits at h er tab le, w ritin g .

•

E xtract 9 accom p an ies th e en tran ce of th e n u rse . Th e reed y, b u b b ly tim b re of th e solo b assoon p ortrays a w arm , frien d ly p e rson ality. Th e folk ch aracter of th e tu n e su g g ests h er social statu s: sh e is ‘of th e p eop le’. Th e tu n e is rep e ated b y solo clarin et.

•

W h ile w ritin g h er lette r to O n eg in , Tatian a falls asleep . In h er d ream sh e an d O n eg in d an ce a sen sitive an d se n su ou s p as d e d eu x.

34

E xtract 10 (a) is th e b e g in n in g of th e d an ce. Th e liq u id p h rase s of a solo flu te float ab ove th e g en tle, su stain ed strin g accom p an im e n t. Th e th e m e is rep e ated b y a clarin et b efore b ein g d evelop ed .

E xtract 10 (b ) is in trod u ced b y th e violin s p lay in g in octaves. Th e sw eep in g p h rase s of th e m elod y, com b in ed w ith a re stless trip le t accom p an im en t in th e low e r strin g s, con trib u te to th e em otion al ch aracter of th e m u sic.

Th e th ird th e m e, E xtract 10 (c), is in trod u ced , g e n tly, b y ob oe an d flu te ab ove a sm ooth ly flow in g strin g accom p an im en t. Th e w ood w in d p h rases are an sw ered b y b rief arp eg g io fig u res p layed b y th e violin s.

Th e th ree th em es are exp an d ed an d d eve lop e d as th e d an ce p rog resses.

35

AC T II S cen e 1 •

Th e scen e is Tatian a’s b irth d ay p arty , a q u ite form al occasion an d , ap p rop riate ly, th e g u ests join in a w altz (E xtract 11).

•

Th e w altz is follow ed b y a m azu rka (E xtract 12).

•

D u rin g th e d an cin g of th e m azu rka, O n eg in arrives. Th e m u sic q u ie ten s, th e te m p o relaxes a little, th e g u ests le ave an d Tatian a an d O n eg in are left alon e. To th e accom p an im en t of E xtract 13, p laye d b y violin s, th e p air d an ce tog e th er b riefly b e fore O n e g in con fron ts Tatian a w ith h e r lette r to h im .

36

•

Th e ‘social’ d an cin g re su m e s w ith a p olka (E xtract 14).

•

E xtract 15 is th e op en in g of th e p as d e d eu x b etw een O lg a an d O n eg in . It is a b rig h t an d lively d an ce w h ich th e p air th orou g h ly en joy - too m u ch so, in L e n sky’s op in ion ! N otice th e u n u su al 5 /8 tim e sig n atu re .

S cen e 2

Th e trag ic m ood for th e d u el scen e is set b efore th e cu rtain rises. In th e h u sh e d in te rm ezzo a re p eate d sig h in g fig u re, p laye d first b y an ob oe an d th e n b y a h orn , ab ove a sh im m e rin g trem olan d o strin g accom p an im en t, cre ates an atm osp h e re of ten sion an d ap p reh e n sion . •

E xtract 16 accom p an ie s L e n sky’s d an ce . It is p lay ed first b y a solo cello, follow ed b y a cor an g lais an d th en a solo violin . Th e lig h t scorin g of th e accom p an im en t an d th e p lain tive ton es of th e solo in stru m en ts com b in e to u n d e rlin e L e n sky’s isolation an d fee lin g of m en tal an g u ish at th e d ecision h e h as m ad e .

37

N otice , th e re is a fin al b rief refe re n ce to th is th em e in th e closin g b ars of th e act, as L en sky lies d yin g .

AC T III S cen e 1 •

As b efore, th e m ood is set b efore th e cu rtain rises. Th e scen e is a b all at th e p alace of P rin ce G rem in in S t P e te rsb u rg . It is a g ran d occasion an d , ap p rop riate ly, th e m u sic is a stately p olon aise. As th e cu rtain rise s th e d an ce b eg in s (E xtract 17).

•

O n e g in en te rs w ith P rin ce G re m in , w h o p re sen ts h im to th e oth er g u ests. O n eg in d an ces w ith th e g irls - som etim e in d ivid u ally, som etim e s in p airs - to th e m u sic of E xtract 18 p laye d b y th e cellos. Th e lon g , sm ooth p h rases of th e m elod y, tog e th er w ith th e w arm th of th e cello tim b re , e xp re ss eleg an ce , g race an d ch arm .

38

•

P rin ce G rem in an d h is w ife , Tatian a, d an ce a p as d e d eu x to th e m u sic of E xtract 19 . Th e g en tle tu n e is p lay ed first b y solo flu te an d clarin et, b u t is take n u p m ore p assion ately b y th e strin g s late r in th e d an ce . It is sy m b olic of Tatian a’s love for h e r h u sb an d an d recu rs in th e n ext sce n e w h en Tatian a, d istu rb e d b y th e u n exp ected reap p earan ce of O n eg in after 10 ye ars an d th e fe elin g s h e arou ses w ith in h er, re affirm s h er love for, an d d u ty to, P rin ce G rem in .

S cen e 2 •

Tatian a is alon e in h e r room w h en O n e g in en ters. He n ow reg rets th e foolish n e ss of h is b eh aviou r in th e p ast an d , in E xtract 20 , a rep e n tan t an d g rovellin g O n eg in d e clares h is love an d p lead s for forg iven e ss. Th e tu n e is p layed b y solo clarin et.

Tatian a is in a state of e m otion al con fu sion . P ast, an d even p rese n t, fe elin g s for O n e g in trou b le h er. S h e fin d s it d ifficu lt to reject h im , an d yet sh e kn ow s sh e m u st. As th e d an ce reach es its clim ax th e re call of E xtract 10 (c) from th e d ream p as d e d eu x, in Act I scen e 2, p rovid e s a re m in d er of w h at m ig h t h ave b een .

39

Activities 1.

W orkin g eith er in d ivid u ally or in sm all g rou p s, u se w h atever in stru m en ts are availab le to create ‘in cid en tal m u sic’ to accom p an y th e scen e in Tatian a’s b ed room as sh e sits at th e tab le, w ritin g .

2. C om b in e th e resu lts of th e p reviou s activity w ith ‘S yn op ses’ activity 4, w ith on e p u p il read in g alou d accom p an ied b y th e m u sical com p osition .

3. U sin g th e rh yth m p attern of E xtract 12, com p ose th e first 8 b ars of you r ow n m azu rka.

40

P rod u ction an d D esig n B alle t is m e an t to b e seen . How ever in tere stin g an d e xcitin g th e m u sic is it can on ly p rovid e on e p art of an art form th at h as th ree com p on en ts: d an ce, m u sic an d d esig n . It is th e d esig n e r’s resp on sib ility to create th e sp ace (th e en viron m en t) in w h ich th e d an ce rs p erform an d to d esig n th e costu m e s th ey w ear. Th e ch oreog rap h er an d d esig n e r m u st w ork closely so th at e ach u n d e rstan d s w h at th e oth er is tryin g to ach ieve.

• W h at is you r first im p re ssion as th e cu rtain rises? -

Th e scen e is M ad am e L arin a’s g ard en . Is th e d esig n ‘re alistic’ (d oes it b e ar a stron g re sem b lan ce to th e scen e as it m ig h t ap p ear in real life, or is it ‘re p re sen tation al’ (are a fe w care fu lly selected sh ap es or item s u sed to su g g est a sen se of p lace)?

-

D o an y p articu lar featu re s of th e d e sig n attract you r atte n tion ? W h y?

-

Has th e d esig n er ch osen to u se m ore th an on e stag e level?

-

W h at colou rs are u se d ? D oe s th e ch oice of colou r(s) su g g est a p articu lar m ood ? 41

-

Is th e scen e b rig h tly lit? Are all areas lit eve n ly? U se th e sam e q u estion s to an alyse th e oth e r scen es.

• In ad d ition to th e stag e set (th e scen e ry) m ost p lays, op eras, m u sicals an d som e b allets req u ire a ran g e of ‘stag e p rop erties’, or p ro p s as th ey are u su ally called . P rop s are loose ite m s su ch as ch airs, tab les, a b ook e tc., - an y th in g , in fact, th at is carrie d on stag e an d is cap ab le of b e in g m ove d arou n d . L ist th e p rop s in e ach scen e .

N otice th at w h ile som e p rop s h elp to estab lish a sen se of p lace, oth ers are essen tial to th e story - su ch as Tatian a’s lette r. • O n eg in req u ire s a w id e ran g e of location s - a g ard en , a b ed room an d a p alace b allroom to list ju st th ree. How is th e p rob lem solved ? Is th ere a lon g in terval at th e en d of e ach scen e w h ile th e sce n ery is ch an g ed , or h as an altern ative an sw e r b een fou n d ? • S om e scen es h ave a larg e n u m b e r of d an cers on stag e an d , ob viou sly, it is im p ortan t to allow su fficie n t sp ace to accom m od ate th eir m ovem en t. O th er scen es req u ire a sm all p rivate sp ace . Th e actu al size of th e stag e d oes n ot ch an g e : h ow is th e p rob lem resolved ?

42

• Th ere are costu m e d esig n s for variou s g rou p s of d an ce rs - th e you n g frien d s of O lg a an d Tatian a, th e eld e rly relatives an d frie n d s atte n d in g th e b irth d ay p arty, th e g u ests at P rin ce G em in ’s p alace . W h at e xam p le s are th ere of d esig n s for in d ivid u al ch aracters? D o th e ir costu m es te ll u s an yth in g ab ou t th em e.g . w h at sort of p eop le th ey are , th e ir statu s in life? C om p are th e costu m e s of O n e g in , L en sky an d P rin ce G rem in . • Th e costu m e d esig n er h as b e en p re sen ted w ith th e p rob lem of cre atin g d esig n s th at rep re sen t th e p eriod (early 19 th cen tu ry R u ssia) b u t w h ich also p rovid e th e d an ce r w ith fre ed om of m ovem en t. Th e d e sig n e r m u st allow th e q u ality of th e d an cers’ m ovem en ts to b e seen b y th e au d ien ce.

B u t som e ch aracters are n ot re q u ire d to b e very active an d w e can im m e d iate ly re cog n ise th at th is is so from th e ir costu m es. Th e n u rse is on e; can you id en tify oth ers? • N otice th e d iffe ren t typ es of m ate rial u sed for th e costu m es. In b allet th e d esig n er m u st con sid er h ow m aterials w ill b eh ave d u rin g a p e rform an ce an d , of cou rse , th e effect th at w ill b e p rod u ced . C ostu m e s m u st retain th eir sh ap e, even w h en su b je cted to rou g h tre atm e n t su ch as leap s, lifts an d extrem e p h y sical m ovem en t. In ad d ition , d an cers p ersp ire h eavily .

N otice , too, th e footw ear. (Y ou m ay w ish to research th e sh oes b allet d an cers w ear.) • M ake -u p , in clu d in g th e u se of w ig s, b eard s, e tc., is an im p ortan t asp ect of d e sig n . B ecau se b allet d em an d s stren g th an d stam in a com b in e d

43

w ith g race of m ovem en t, m ost d an ce rs are y ou n g an d slim . W h ich ch aracters d o y ou th in k m ig h t h ave sp en t m ost tim e in th e m ake -u p artist’s ch air? • A m arked d iffe re n ce in ag e b e tw een ch aracte rs is, p erh ap s, m ost e asily con veyed th rou g h th e n atu re an d q u ality of m ovem e n t. N otice h ow d ifferen t ch aracters m ove, e sp ecially at th e b irth d ay p arty. • How is lig h tin g u se d to cre ate m ood an d atm osp h ere? Try to com p are th e u se of lig h tin g in th e d ifferen t sce n es. C on sid er: − Th e q u an tity of lig h tin g ; h ow b rig h tly lit is th e scen e ? F or exam p le , com p are th e lig h tin g for th e tw o scen es in Act III. − Is sele ctive lig h tin g u sed at an y tim e to p ick ou t p articu lar featu re s or ch aracters? F or e xam p le, h ow d oe s O n e g in first ap p ear in Tatian a’s d ream ? − Is sele ctive lig h tin g u sed to cast in to sh ad ow u n w an ted are as of th e stag e? − How d oes th e colou r of th e lig h t affect m ood ? W h at d oe s th e cre ative u se of lig h t ad d to th e d u el scen e ?

44

Formations and patterns frequently used in classical ballet choreography

ii

45

Th is resou rce w as cre ated b y G ian n an d rea P oesio, B e rt G ill an d R O H E d u cation

R oyal O p era Hou se E d u cation D ire ct Tel: 0 20 7212 9 410 D irect fax: 0 20 7 212 9 441 E m ail: e d u cation @ roh .org .u k W e b site: w w w .roh .org .u k/d iscove r

46