La Perle (ballet)

''La Perle'' ( en. ''The Pearl'') ( ru. «Жемчужина» or «Прелестная жемчужина»; ''Zhemchuzhina'' or ''Prelestnaya Zhemchuzhina'') ( en. ''Pearl'' or ''Pretty Pearl'') is a ''ballet-divertissement'' in one act, with libretto and choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Riccardo Drigo.

History

In 1892 Marius Petipa planned to create a one-act ballet originally
titled ''La Perle merveilleuse'' with a libretto taken almost unchanged from the unperformed danced tableau ''Ballet de la Reine—"La Pérégrina"'' from Verdi's opera ''Don Carlos''. The music was commissioned from the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet's ''Director of Music'' and principal conductor Riccardo Drigo, with costumes by the Director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres Ivan Vsevolozhsky and décor by the celebrated designer Pyotr Lambin. Petipa originally intended the starring role of the White Pearl for the ballerina Varvara Nikitina, but for reasons unknown the ballet was shelved.

When a one-act pièce d'occasion of appropriate subject was required for the lavish celebratory gala held at the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow in honor of the 1896 coronation of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Fydorovna, Petipa turned to ''La Perle merveilleuse'', now titled simply as ''La Perle''. The ballet had its premiere after a performance of scenes from Mikhail Glinka's opera ''A Life for the Tsar'' on . The original cast of ''La Perle'' featured the highest ranking dancers from the St. Petersburg and Moscow Imperial theatres.

While the ballet was in the early stages of production, a list of potential dancers for inclusion in the cast was created for review by a committee responsible for the coronation and its subsequent celebrations. Among those chosen for consideration in the principal roles was Nicholas II's former mistress, the ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya. In light of the history between Kschessinskaya and the new Emperor, his mother the Dowager Empress Marie Fyodorovna demanded that the ballerina be removed from the cast, as it would be considered scandalous for Kschessinskaya to perform in front of the Emperor's new wife, the Empress Alexandra. When Kschessinskaya learned of this, she appealed to the Emperor's uncle, the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, whose influence reinstated the ballerina in the cast in spite of the fact that at this point the Ballet Master Petipa and the composer Drigo had completed all of the choreography and music. Petipa became extremely frustrated when he learned that he and Drigo were nonetheless required to compose a number for Kschessinskaya, which took the form of a classical ''pas de deux'' for a new character dubbed "La Perle jaune" (the Yellow Pearl) and her suitor, performed by the danseur Nikolai Legat.

''La Perle'' was later transferred to the regular repertory of the Imperial Ballet, where it was first performed on at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. Marius Petipa would revive the ballet on only one occasion for a gala performance given at Petergof in 1900. ''La Perle'' was performed often throughout the 1900s and was given its final performance in 1910.

Music

Riccardo Drigo's score featured an off-stage chorus and a large orchestra consisting of nearly 100 musicians. Contemporary critics praised the score for its rich melodic content and orchestration. Drigo would later admit in his memoirs that he found it challenging to compose the many solo variations for the ballerinas while still maintaining variety.

The Russian pedagogue Konstantin Sergeyev utilized pieces from Drigo's score for ''La Perle'' for his class concert for the Vaganova Academy titled ''School of Classical Dance (or From Landé to Vaganova)'' ( ru. «Школа классического танца (От Ланде до Вагановой)»).

Synopsis

Marius Petipa's libretto was based on the danced tableau ''La Pérégrina: Ballet de la Reine'' from Verdi's opera ''Don Carlos''. The scene was omitted before the premiere of the opera, and would have been choreographed by Petipa's brother Lucien.

''La Perle'' is set in a colossal subterranean grotto deep in the sea, where the White Pearl resides with her sister pearls of differing colors. The Genie of the Earth descends to the ocean floor in an attempt to abduct the White Pearl as an adornment for his crown. The King of the Corals comes the White Pearl's aid by causing a battle between the elements of the earth and of the sea. The Genie of the Earth succeeds in capturing the White Pearl, and the King of the Corals thereupon orders all of the ocean denizens to salute the Genie of the Earth side by side with the White Pearl. In an apotheosis, the Triumph of Amphitrite and Poseidon is depicted.

Original cast

Résumé of scenes and dances

Taken from the program for the coronation gala of 1896 and from Riccardo Drigo's memoirs.

''Divertissement-ballet in one act''
*No. 01 ''Danse des perles''
*No. 02 ''Scène dansante''
*No. 03 ''Combat des coraux et métaux''
*No. 04 ''Pas de deux''
*No. 05 ''Grand pas d'ensemble''
*No. 06 ''Danse pyrrhique des armées du Roi corail, du Génie de la terre, et des perles''
*No. 07 ''Apothéose: La triomphe d'Amphitrite et de Poséidon''

Gallery

File:Laperlemikhailbocharov.jpg,
File:La Perle Curtain Bolshoi Theatre 1896.jpg,
File:La Perle -costume design.JPG,
File:Illustrated libretto la perle.jpg,
File:Perle (1896) 14 -B.JPG,
File:Perle apotheose (Programme 1896).JPG,

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perle, La
Ballets by Marius Petipa
Ballets by Riccardo Drigo
1890s ballets
1896 works
Ballets premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre