''La flûte magique'' ( en. ''The Magic Flute'') ( ru. «Волшебная флейта», ''Volshebnaya Fleita'') is a ''ballet comique'' in one act, originally choreographed by

Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (russian: link=no, Лев Ива́нович Ива́нов; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet. ...

to the music of

Riccardo Drigo Riccardo Eugenio Drigo ( ru. Риккардо Эудженьо Дриго) (30 June 18461 October 1930) was an Italian composer of ballet music and Italian opera, a theatrical conductor, and a pianist. Drigo is most noted for his long career a ...

. First presented by students of the

Imperial Ballet School The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief h ...

at the school's theatre on . Although it has the same title as Mozart's opera ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

'', the two works have no other connection.

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

''The Magic Flute''

History

''La flûte magique'' was originally created for the graduation performance of students of the Imperial Ballet School. The ballet premiered on the stage of the school's theatre on , and featured a young

Mikhail Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and a ...

in the principal role of Luc. ''La flûte magique'' was soon transferred to the repertory of the

Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

, where it was first presented on at the

Imperial Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...

with Anna Johansson in the role of Lise and

Pavel Gerdt Pavel Andreyevich Gerdt (russian: Па́вел Андре́евич Ге́рдт), also known as Paul Gerdt (near Saint Petersburg, Russia, 22 November 1844 – Vamaloki, Finland, 12 August 1917), was the ''Premier Danseur Noble'' of the Imperial ...

in the role of Luc. The ballet served as a useful vehicle for the ballerinas of the Tsarist stage including

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...

, who would later include the work in the repertory of her own touring company. Riccardo Drigo's score was later published in

piano reduction In music, a reduction is an arrangement or transcription of an existing score or composition in which complexity is lessened to make analysis, performance, or practice easier or clearer; the number of parts may be reduced or rhythm may be ...

and orchestral partition by the music publisher Zimmerman in 1912. The score was recorded in 1990 by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Richard Bonynge and issued on the label

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The ballet has been re-staged in several versions, notably by

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as ...

for the School of American Ballet. This production was first presented on 9 May 1981. A second premiere was given by the

on 21 January 1982, at the

New York State Theater The David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet, modern and other forms of dance, part of the Lincoln Center, at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Originally ...

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

with décor designed by David Mitchell and costumes by Ben Benson.

Program

List of scenes and dances from ''The Magic Flute'' taken from the published piano score and the original program of 1893. ''Ballet comique in one act'' * no.01 ''Danse villageoise'' * no.02 ''Pas d'action'' * no.03 ''Scène et danse forcée'' (ancien air de ballet d'auter inconnu) * no.04 ''Pas de deux'' * no.05 ''Grand ballabile —'' ::a. ''Grand adage'' ::b. ''Variation pour quatre danseuses'' ::c. ''Variation de Luc'' (M.

) ::d. ''Pizzicato de Lise'' (Mlle. Stanislava Belinskaya) ::e. ''Grand ballabile''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magic Flute, The Ballets by Peter Martins Ballets by Riccardo Drigo 1981 ballet premieres Ballets designed by David Mitchell Ballets designed by Ben Benson Ballets designed by Ronald Bates

History

Program

See also

References