''Rhapsody'' is a one-act ballet choreographed by
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue.
Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositio ...
to Rachmaninoff's ''
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
The ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'', Op. 43, (, ''Rapsodiya na temu Paganini'') is a concertante work written by Sergei Rachmaninoff for piano and orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto, all in a single movement. Rachmaninoff wrote ...
''. The ballet was made for both
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...
's 80th birthday, and
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...
's guest appearance with
the Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...
. It premiered on 4 August 1980, at the
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
, with the two principal roles danced by Baryshnikov and
Lesley Collier. The ballet is dedicated to the Queen Mother.
Choreography
Ashton had stated that his inspiration was "not just from the nineteenth-century classics, but from classicism." He added, "I've worked to develop my classicism so as to enrich and fit in with the repertory of a classical company."
[ The ballet is danced by a principal couple and a corps de ballet of six men and six women.][ The lead male role resembles the virtuosic Russian ballet style.][ Some critics interpret this role as the embodiment of the violin.][ The female principal role is in the British ballet style. She only enters the stage half-way through the ballet.] The contrast becomes less obvious when the principal male role is danced by Royal Ballet-trained dancers.[ The two mostly dance separately, but the moments when they are together have been compared to ]Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) and Ginger Rogers (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) were dance partners in a total of 10 films, 9 being released by RKO Pictures from 1933 to 1939, and 1, '' The Barkleys of Broadway'', by Metro-Gol ...
.[ While the two leads are the main focus of the ballet, the ensemble also has its own dances.][
]
Production
Ashton first choreographed to ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
The ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'', Op. 43, (, ''Rapsodiya na temu Paganini'') is a concertante work written by Sergei Rachmaninoff for piano and orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto, all in a single movement. Rachmaninoff wrote ...
'' for Vincente Minnelli
Vincente Minnelli (; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American Theatre director, stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovat ...
and Gottfried Reinhardt
Gottfried Reinhardt (20 March 1913 – 19 July 1994) was an Austrian-born American film director and producer.
Biography
Reinhardt was born in Berlin, the son of the Austrian theater director Max Reinhardt (until 1904: Max Goldmann), mana ...
's 1953 film ''The Story of Three Loves
''The Story of Three Loves'' (also known as ''Equilibrium'') is a 1953 American Technicolor romantic anthology film made by MGM. It consists of three stories, "The Jealous Lover", "Mademoiselle", and "Equilibrium". The film was produced by Sid ...
''. The dance was featured in the story "The Jealous Lover." The scene features the character portrayed by Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer King, Lady Kennedy (17 January 1926 – 31 January 2006) was a Scottish ballet dancer and actress. She was famous for her performances in Powell and Pressburger's ''The Red Shoes (1948 film), The Red Shoes'' (1948) and ''The Tales ...
, dancing what she "supposedly improvised," before the corps de ballet joins her. Ashton had stated that he "hates" the set-up.[ However, he was still interested in the music years later.][
Ashton finally choreographed to the same score again in 1980. According to him, ]Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.
...
approached him about "doing something" for the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...
, with whom Ashton was friendly.[ Coincidentally, ]Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...
was invited to make guest appearances at the Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...
in July and August 1980. However, he did not want to dance classical ballets, and would only perform with the company if Ashton would choreograph a new ballet for him.[ Ashton had already wanted to create a ballet for Baryshnikov in 1977, after the latter's performance as Colas in the former's '']La fille mal gardée
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
'' with the Royal Ballet.[ Ashton said, "with a gun held at my head and the Queen Mother's birthday, I pulled out the plugs," and decided to choreograph to ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini''.][
Lesley Collier was cast as the female lead. She said she was not sure why she was chosen as she believed she was "not an inspiring dancer." She added, "With me shtonhas to work and work to find something – he has to start completely from scratch." However, she also said that her speed might be why she was cast.][ Six men and six women, all younger members of the company, were chosen as the corps de ballet.][ ''Rhapsody'' was Ashton's first ballet in many years without the involvement of ]Michael Somes
Michael George Somes CBE (28 September 191718 November 1994), was an English ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, London, and the frequent partner of Margot Fonteyn.
Early years
Somes was born in Horsley, Gloucestersh ...
, instead, Christopher Newton was chosen as the répétiteur
A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is .
Opera
In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...
, a decision with which Somes disagreed.[
Ashton began choreographing ''Rhapsody'' in May 1980. Baryshnikov, however, was only able to arrive in June. Ashton therefore could not work on the ballet chronologically, as he would have preferred.][ Since he usually mapped out the structures of his works, he was able to work around Baryshnikov.][ The actual steps were determined once Ashton started working with the dancers, as he wanted "the feeling of spontaneity to the movement".][ However, Collier had a knee injury, so Ashton had to work around her too. By the time Baryshnikov arrived, the ballet had been outlined. Baryshnikov had a small injury that delayed production for a few days.][ The choreography of the ballet was completed in late July.][
Baryshnikov had hoped that by dancing with the Royal Ballet, he would learn the British ballet style. However, Ashton had him dance in the Russian style, for which Baryshnikov was "a bit disappointed," as he "was trying to escape all those steps."][ Ashton told him that if he disliked the steps, they could be tweaked, though Baryshnikov did not request any changes to the choreography. Recalling working with Ashton, Collier said, " shtondoes not tell you what's on his mind... he lets it remain a mystery and it's better that way, because then it can change." However, Ashton did tell her about the past dancers who inspired her role, which was "his way of giving you his vision."][ On working with Baryshnikov, Ashton said, "Baryshnikov contributes so much. He's a marvellous dancer, of course. He rings some of his sensational steps and I modify them or develop them to suit the moment. One works with the material they present."][
The original set was devised by Ashton, inspired by 18th-century ]arch
An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
es. William Chappell, an old friend of Ashton, designed the costumes, though he disagreed with Ashton's feedback so much that they "were practically passing notes to each other by the end."[ In 1995, the original costumes and sets were replaced by new ones by Patrick Caulfield.][ They were redesigned in 2005, this time by Jessica Curtis. In 2016, the costumes and sets were reverted to the original designs.
''Rhapsody'' is "by gracious permission" dedicated to the Queen Mother.][
]
Original cast
Source:
Performances
''Rhapsody'' premiered on 4 August 1980, during the Queen Mother's birthday gala, at the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
.[ The performance was attended by the Queen and the Queen Mother.][
In 1996, the ]Paris Opera Ballet
The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...
debuted ''Rhapsody''.[ ]Sarasota Ballet
The Sarasota Ballet is an American ballet company based in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1987 by former ballet dancer Jean Weidner Goldstein and is now acclaimed for its performances of Sir Frederick Ashton's ballets under its director Iai ...
and K-ballet had also performed the ballet.
Reception
Writing for the '' Dancing Times'', David Vaughan wrote that ''Rhapsody'' "is no mere gala party piece." He added that the ballet "is in the same lineage in the Ashton canon as '' Les Rendezvous'', '' Symphonic Variations'', '' Scenes de Ballet''," as well as '' Monotones'' and ''Birthday Offering
''Birthday Offering'' is a pièce d'occasion in one scene choreographed by Frederick Ashton to music by Alexander Glazunov, arranged by Robert Irving (conductor), Robert Irving. The ballet was created in 1956, to celebrate the Royal Ballet's 25t ...
''.[ ]Arlene Croce
Arlene Louise Croce (; May 5, 1934 – December 16, 2024) was an American dance critic. She co-founded '' Ballet Review'' magazine in 1965 and served as its first editor. From 1973 to 1996 she was a dance critic for ''The New Yorker'' magazine. ...
of ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' criticised the work: "Although the expansive material suits the melodramatic Rachmaninoff score, it effectively separates Baryshnikov from the rest of the cast and from the Royal Ballet style." She also wrote that "Baryshnikov doesn't look fresh in ''Rhapsody''. Ashton has indulged an image of him which he has outgrown."
References
{{Frederick Ashton
1980 ballets
Ballets to the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff
Ballets by Frederick Ashton
Ballets created for The Royal Ballet
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother