It is April Foolsâ Day and my little heart is brimming with excitement because, just this evening, we're going to dance! As I pen these words, the sunlight outside my window paints the sky in hues of rosy pink and lavender. Itâs a perfect spring morning for reflecting upon a dance world so alive, so colourful and so⌠utterly delightful! The world of ballet music â where composers take flight in sonic leaps, dips and arabesques. A world where we can transcend our earthly form to journey in the ether of artistry, artistry made of silk and sounds!
So, shall we take flight on this magical, magical day, my dears? Shall we waltz into a whirlwind of ballet music with the spirit of a thousand ballerinas swirling in our skirts? Then come, I invite you, into my world, a world where a musical note can take you from a dusty theatre box to a sparkling, silver-lit stage. Here, the instruments of the orchestra become characters in their own right. The cello, a mournful lover, yearning for its muse; the violin, an elegant dancer with a dazzling solo in the final act; the flute, whispering a secrets song; and the piano, always the loyal friend who underpins the drama.
Donât even get me started on the drums. Oh, those drums! Imagine them beating like the heart of a fierce, joyous warrior! A heartbeat that races through a battlefield, carrying the ballet story forward in leaps and bounds.
Don't you love the idea that the instruments of the orchestra play like dancers, with such life, personality and drama? It makes our appreciation of the score much deeper and so wonderfully more magical! And just like a seasoned ballet dancer can tell you when a turn is going to be tricky based on the music alone, I can too!
Right now, as Iâm sitting in my studio apartment in Kensington, a sweet melody wafts into my consciousness from my window. Itâs a symphony playing in Hyde Park. Every single one of these melodies carries within it the promise of untold narratives, of heroic feats and heartbroken sighs, and oh, the costumes! And don't get me started on the shoes â those magical, wondrous pointe shoes that give ballerinas their grace, precision and otherworldly power. They're like tiny dancers on their own! A symbol of elegance, a testament to a lifetime's work and⌠Oh, I simply cannot stop gushing!
Let's indulge, dear readers, and discover some ballet music milestones that have woven their way into our lives and captured our imaginations:
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky â Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker
Yes, that Russian master, Tchaikovsky, truly gifted us with a cornucopia of memorable musical treasures! From the lilting melody of the âWaltz of the Flowersâ in The Nutcracker, where our hearts literally leap for joy, to the mournful strains of âThe Dance of the Dying Swan,â where we all sob a tear for Odette and her heartbreaking predicament, there is so much beauty to be found in Tchaikovskyâs orchestral tapestry. Did you know, by the way, that Tchaikovsky's swan princess music for Swan Lake almost did not reach the stage because the original premiere of the ballet was a complete disaster? Thankfully, in true âif-it-doesnât-kill-you-it-makes-you-strongerâ fashion, it rose again from the ashes â a true triumph!
- Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
It seems an impossibility today, but this masterpiece almost created a riot at its 1913 premiere! At the time, many in the audience simply could not grasp the innovative spirit, raw, passionate expression and sheer originality of Stravinskyâs revolutionary composition.
It was scandalous and ground-breaking! It's amazing that such an emotional powerhouse â that so raw and primal a ballet score â could even have survived its controversial beginnings, and, indeed, flourish and prosper, yet it did. Its place within the pantheon of ballet music is more than secure; its legacy a vibrant pulse felt across dance worlds, inspiring, challenging and even dividing to this very day!
When it was finally heard for what it truly was - a magnificent symphony of humanityâs emotions and primal urges - it soared in its true glory! For those in the know, for the initiated who can âseeâ beyond the boundaries of the typical, itâs simply impossible to comprehend a ballet universe without it!
- Sergei Prokofiev â Romeo and Juliet
And who can forget Romeo and Juliet? With their passion, heartache, love, pain and glorious dance moments, we have been captured, transported and emotionally ravaged by Prokofiev's work for decades. Oh, yes! We love, hate and love again these young souls - the ballet audienceâs own eternal flame, forever rekindled by their tragic love.
So, dear reader, youâve likely heard most of these pieces - each, a milestone in the history of ballet music and each deserving of their own lifetime of praise and worship. And yet⌠do you, like me, secretly harbour a longing to discover new scores and listen to works never heard before?
Maybe I canât change your tastes in music overnight but I can certainly invite you to delve a little deeper, dear reader, and, dare I say, expand your sonic horizon.
Imagine, for a moment, the world of ballet scores beyond the classic, famous ones you already know so well. Picture these lesser-known but still very wonderful works:
- Maurice Ravel - Bolero
Ravel's Bolero is an absolute icon! A rhythmic journey, crescendoing to a grand climax! And whatâs best? It can make your legs ache and heart race all over again from your own phantom ballet moves! Don't believe me? Try listening with closed eyes and really âfeelingâ it!
- Johann Strauss II - The Blue Danube
Ah! Strauss II! The king of waltzes! What a joyous, sparkling world he brings to the stage with his waltzes. His music fills a theatre with shimmering grandeur! When I first listened to it, it made me feel like I was gliding around an imperial ballroom and oh my gosh, so, so glamorous!
Today I want to celebrate all those talented dancers and choreographers who have not only brought their dreams to the stage but who have dared to tread where few have been before and have innovated! Who have looked into the very soul of these magical ballet music scores and said âIâm ready to show you something entirely new!â.
You might be asking: whatâs in it for us, though, if we open our ears to such daring, contemporary pieces? Here is what! It is our gift, my dear reader, to discover new beauty, to rediscover ourselves as artists, to break free from the tried-and-true and push those boundaries, to feel, feel and feel, and then, most importantly, feel once more!
And then⌠oh, and then⌠to dance! To move! It's like our very souls awaken! Donât forget! This is a time to dance for freedom, for hope and to dance the fears, the anger, the anxieties and the anxieties away! I, for one, am already starting to plan my ballet wardrobe - the tulle, the velvet, the chiffon! Yes, the most perfect pink tulle tutu to match a sparkling, silver leotard for tonight's party, with its shimmering accents of gold, so beautifully decadent, oh my god, what could be more perfect?
Let us, together, celebrate this remarkable and joyous world of dance! It is, as the world itself, constantly evolving, constantly breathing with new life, and constantly offering an extraordinary opportunity for us to create, to share, to be and, most importantly, to feel.