Dearest readers, it is with an irrepressible pirouette of delight that I gather you today, on this magnificent 18th of July, 2024, to celebrate the glorious world of ballet music. A symphony of emotions, a cascade of artistry, and a tapestry woven from the finest threads of melody and rhythm - this, my darlings, is the enchantment we are about to delve into.
For those of you who, like a curious fledgling taking its first flight, are just beginning to explore the breathtaking landscape of ballet, I invite you to picture this: a shimmering stage, bathed in ethereal light. In the heart of this scene, a dancer, sculpted from grace and poise, glides effortlessly through the air, her every movement echoing the harmonious symphony of the orchestra.
Ballet music, like a skilled choreographer, sets the tone for the entire performance. From the exhilarating and invigorating pulse of a classical overture to the ethereal and whispered grace of a mournful adagio, the music paints a breathtaking canvas upon which the dancers weave their magic. Imagine the soaring, elegant notes of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, evoking the ethereal grace and fragility of the swans. Or the sweeping grandeur of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, igniting primal instincts with its ferocious and compelling energy.
There is, however, something infinitely enchanting about the way ballet music transcends the stage. Its melodic whispers can transport us to a realm of pure fantasy, where emotions surge and passions ignite. Even those of us who haven't stepped into a theatre can feel the warmth of the music weave its way through our veins, stirring memories and emotions we thought were long forgotten. This is the magic of ballet music: a universal language that speaks to the heart.
A favourite aspect of ballet for me, dear readers, lies in its delicate dance between elegance and strength. The grace and femininity that embodies ballet, so often intertwined with elegance and strength, embodies a balance of contrasts. It reminds us that true beauty lies in the embrace of opposing forces - the soft touch that carries a warrior’s power. One can witness this perfectly mirrored in the delicate, diaphanous pink tutu, adorned by the ballerinas - a symbol of exquisite grace - alongside a leotard, an undergarment designed for resilience and strength, usually donned in a contrasting, bold colour, often black or dark blue. A colour choice reflecting the fierce determination and focused energy required of each ballerina. In a beautiful paradox, it embodies the duality of the ballerina's strength.
Today, dear readers, let us not simply appreciate the symphony of music; let us become immersed in its magic. Let us explore the world of ballet music, one exquisite note at a time.
So, shall we begin?
Let us embark on a journey through time and sound, discovering the composers whose works have become synonymous with the art of ballet. These visionary musicians have shaped our understanding of this art form, crafting sonic landscapes that remain as captivating and moving today as they were decades, even centuries ago.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Let us begin our exploration with a true titan of the ballet world: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. This Russian composer, whose melodies still echo through concert halls and ballets, truly understood the essence of dance.
It is his masterpieces like Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker, that truly enthralled the world. Each score, bursting with emotion, paints a vivid tableau. Swan Lake, with its hauntingly beautiful adagios, embodies both the vulnerability and majestic strength of its avian namesake. Sleeping Beauty, brimming with triumphant waltzes and charming melodies, conjures the enchanting world of a fairy tale come to life.
And then there is The Nutcracker, a magical Christmas confection, transporting us to a world where toys dance and dreams take flight. Its music has become a holiday staple, echoing in our hearts year after year. Its "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," with its ethereal charm and intricate musical flourishes, remains a classic, while the rousing "Waltz of the Flowers" brings an exhilarating burst of colour and vitality to the ballet.
And let us not forget the hauntingly beautiful music Tchaikovsky crafted for his opera, Eugene Onegin. This poignant story of love and regret has a truly timeless power that reverberates beyond the confines of the stage.
With Tchaikovsky, the emotional depth of ballet was not only underscored, but catapulted onto a global stage.
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
From the romanticism of Tchaikovsky, we journey to the bold and innovative sounds of Igor Stravinsky. This Russian composer, like a maverick, challenged convention and pushed the boundaries of musical expression. His compositions, characterized by their rhythmic vitality and dissonances, revolutionized ballet and contemporary music alike. His works are infused with primal energy, tapping into the ancient rituals and myths that have captivated humanity for centuries.
Stravinsky's magnum opus, The Rite of Spring, unleashed a tempest of controversy upon its 1913 premiere in Paris. The sheer audacity of the music, with its jarring rhythms and dissonances, caused an uproar. However, its primal force, its unflinchingly modern energy, captured the hearts of many, marking the birth of modernism in music and dance. The choreography for the ballet, with its radical departure from the traditional grace of ballet, perfectly matched the explosive power of the music, leading to its lasting significance as an iconic, groundbreaking work.
Stravinsky's music, whether it is the pulsing rhythms of The Rite of Spring, or the dark and brooding Firebird, a story of a firebird caught between the realm of gods and man, continue to hold us spellbound, forcing us to confront the raw energy and powerful emotions that lie beneath the surface of our being. It reminds us that even within the strictures of a traditional art form, like ballet, there exists a limitless capacity for innovation and expression.
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
The emotional and melancholic Rachmaninoff, whose romanticism speaks to the deepest recesses of the soul, has an equally profound impact on ballet, especially in the realm of choreographers like George Balanchine.
Rachmaninoff, a true virtuoso of the piano, wrote a haunting score for a ballet titled "The Nightingale." Based on Hans Christian Anderson's story of an empress who seeks the embrace of the natural world, this piece allows the music to be truly a canvas onto which emotions are painted, evoking the natural world with tender lyricism and soulful expression. It's not simply dance-worthy; it's profoundly moving in a way that draws you deeply into the story.
And while Rachmaninoff was no stranger to dramatic music as witnessed in the bold symphony of "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" he created music for his ballet, "Aleko", drawing upon the tragic power of "Liebestod" from "Tristan und Isolde," in an act of artistic homage to Wagner's enduring contribution to opera and its musical expressions of love and longing.
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
A contemporary of Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, the French composer, brought his own vibrant signature to the world of ballet. Ravel, whose music embraced the allure of the exotic and the enchantment of fairy tales, gave us some truly memorable ballets. Ravel, the French musical wizard, created ballets with his distinct and alluring signature that captures the allure of the exotic, the enchantment of fairy tales. These ballets like “Daphnis and Chloe” and “Bolero”, evoke the essence of Greek mythology and passionate, exotic sensuality.
In “Daphnis and Chloe” the swirling energy, evoking a story of passionate love and lyrical sensuality, transports audiences to the ancient Greek world, a world of love, longing, and eventual joy.
In the ballet "Bolero", a masterpiece of orchestration, Ravel crafts a sonic journey that is not based on narrative but instead creates a sense of building tension, energy, and sensual anticipation.
From Ravel's music one learns the artistry of how dance can move beyond merely the traditional to explore powerful metaphors. As with Ravel, music becomes a conduit, a means to engage us at the core of our human emotions.
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
This Russian composer, whose music explored the complexities of human existence in the face of adversity, had a poignant and often heartbreaking contribution to the art of ballet. He crafted a ballet, "The Age of Gold", a powerful statement of social commentary against oppression. This ballet, a triumph of dark artistry and bold musicality, allowed the composer to utilize a more dramatic, orchestral scope, evoking social struggles, political oppression, and ultimately the yearning for a world that cherishes humanity.
His music, like his life, is infused with the shadows of conflict, a bittersweet reflection of the challenges of the world, the pain of existence, yet his music rises beyond them, into a lyrical dance with despair itself, culminating in the hope of something better.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
It is perhaps more obvious to list the works of Bernstein as music written FOR ballet. Yet he crafted for the ballet "Fancy Free" (a predecessor to the famed musical "On the Town"), some memorable, rhythmically complex, and emotionally layered compositions.
Yet there is no ballet score from Bernstein to compare to his "West Side Story". The musical "West Side Story" became, thanks to Jerome Robbins, a ballet stage classic. A tale of love, betrayal, and vengeance that takes the musical dance forms to its own powerful and modern apex. The music, whether for the haunting beauty of the duet, “Somewhere”, or for the explosive fight sequence, "Jet Song", creates a narrative ballet so timeless and poignant that it transcends its age.
John Williams (Born 1932)
Perhaps not typically thought of in a ballet context, the work of John Williams - a contemporary of Bernstein and someone who carried on a tradition of musical excellence through film and stage - deserves a special mention for the danceable and inspiring themes and orchestrations of his cinematic music.
With his mastery of symphonic and cinematic composition, John Williams has created memorable music in such films like, "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," and "Jaws," He infused into them musical structures and themes that lend themselves well to ballet.
Think of the soaring majesty of the Imperial March theme in "Star Wars," its majestic pace, it's almost balletic grandeur in its own right. The dance sequences within that series and within the Indiana Jones movies owe much of their impact to the brilliant scoring from John Williams. These works provide rich material for contemporary ballet choreographers to explore, to take Williams' themes and spin them into the stories of a modern dancer on a grand stage. This type of crossover, using classic cinematic themes, allows the audience a chance to experience beloved movie scores from a fresh new perspective - and with a graceful, theatrical, twist.
Modern Ballets
Of course, no ballet would be complete without its composers today, who push the boundaries of dance music even further. These trailblazers often blend classical techniques with modern elements, crafting music that is bold, experimental, yet undeniably expressive, a reflection of a contemporary sensibility,
Let us not forget that the world of dance is constantly evolving. In the same way fashion finds inspiration in the past and updates itself with new, modern trends, so too does ballet find its inspirations through the history of dance and finds ways to push itself into a newer era. The sound of ballet today includes experimental, minimalist composers like Philip Glass, or those who push boundaries such as Steve Reich. The list continues on, and there is a new generation of composers today whose contributions are making waves in dance music.
The music itself often serves a different purpose than in the grand, classically-focused ballets of the past, creating something modern and avant-garde with dance themes.
In closing, as our journey into the heart of ballet music concludes, I must remind you: ballet is not just a performance, but an experience. A symphony of emotion that plays upon our hearts. It invites us to dream, to soar, to lose ourselves in a world where beauty and strength intermingle. The dance between the dancer and the music - that’s what truly creates magic.
So, as we stand before the footlights of the ballet stage, may the enchantment of music and the elegance of dance carry us away, inspiring our minds and souls, long after the final curtain falls.