A Pirouette Through Time: A Ballet Music Review
15th October 2007
My darlings, let us whisk ourselves away from the humdrum of everyday life and step into a world where every note dances, every phrase twirls, and every silence resonates with the promise of movement. Today, we shall take a graceful journey through the magical world of ballet music, celebrating its intricate beauty, its emotive power, and its timeless allure. This is, after all, the soundtrack to the soul, the rhythm of our hearts. Let’s begin by taking a look at a recent trend : the world of dance is blossoming with contemporary ballets that use classical music in exciting new ways. The *Royal Ballet* just last week unveiled a new rendition of Tchaikovsky’s *Swan Lake* , set not in the conventional opulent palace, but a gritty, industrial landscape. The score was retained but the director dared to juxtapose the romance of the ballet’s plot against a stark backdrop of contemporary reality. The result was stunning, with the dancers using their movements to highlight the raw emotions inherent in the music. And if you’re ever lucky enough to experience it yourself, try looking at the principal dancer's feet — in such powerful and emotive roles, ballet shoes almost become an afterthought, barely a visible detail in the midst of all the incredible movement. A real spectacle, this *Swan Lake*. But there’s also a little black dress hiding beneath the dramatic surface that keeps bringing me back again and again – a tiny, whispered nuance that adds a layer of intrigue to the whole affair:
- It is precisely this - the beauty and raw truth of emotion portrayed within the music - that gives ballet its magical effect. There’s nothing like the simple perfection of an expertly timed gesture, and it’s even more mesmerizing when combined with an incredible piece of music like *Swan Lake*.
But while the contemporary dance world is boldly reinventing the past, classical composers are continuing to enchant us with their innovative music for ballet. A little birdie told me there is an exciting new ballet premiering in London in the coming months with a brand-new score. My ears perked up when I heard the composer’s name, a contemporary maestro of his generation who breathes new life into the genre: the wonderfully talented *Simon Bainbridge* will be scoring a ballet adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s *The Picture of Dorian Gray*. As you can probably imagine, there’s a wonderful dark and twisted element to the soundtrack of *The Picture of Dorian Gray*. With this performance, *Bainbridge* is going to be proving that ballet can hold its own within modern musical territory and that a brand-new composition is not an automatic guarantee of failure, as is the case for *some* of the ballet composers working with big dance companies at the moment. It’s really interesting to me how music and dancing come together in such intimate and visceral ways — there is truly a relationship of complete surrender to the moment in such performances. A symbiosis, you might say.
Perhaps this symbiosis is most apparent when looking at composers like Tchaikovsky , a man who dedicated his life to expressing the intricacies of the human soul through music. One needn't mention how influential *The Nutcracker* is, but *Sleeping Beauty*, now that’s a show that keeps bringing me back to the theatre. The *Aurora’s* waltz is not just music — it's pure magic, my dears. I’ve said this before, but the waltz in this ballet is the *pinnacle* of danceable and melodious composition: it moves with so much grace, even the tiniest imperfections are impossible to detect within the beautiful sweeping music and choreographic motions. And there’s such a strong visual theme associated with it too:
- Just as the *Sleeping Beauty’s* dress was a brilliant palette of ivory silk and sparkling silver sequins, so is the music full of beautiful harmonies and an overall radiant brilliance. The dress was actually created to match a shimmering blue and rose pink tutu for the ballerina in the performance - but the blue just couldn’t keep up with such a sparkling, vibrant dress and so a soft pink was used instead. What could be more captivating, you ask?
I’ve been going to ballet shows since I was little, and the *Sleeping Beauty* dress really is what captured my imagination. The entire play was a world unto itself, a beautiful spectacle, a glittering fantasy. And so, to complete this fantastical tale of a shimmering dress and a captivating musical score, it would be remiss not to mention *leotards* as the foundation for these gorgeous ballet outfits. *Sleeping Beauty’s* leotard was designed in a pale, shimmering champagne silk that matched perfectly the pale colours of the dancing silks used during the dress performance. A little like champagne at the close of a fabulous day, the dress is almost always a subtle blend of colors like pink, rose gold and white, as well as the soft tones of light blue and silver that all blend and shift depending on how the dancer turns. You simply *have* to see it yourself - and try not to be jealous of Aurora and her shimmering dresses!
In the world of ballet costumes, *leotards* are a vital aspect, creating the necessary structure for the dance and allowing for freedom of movement and grace. The *Sleeping Beauty* leotard was not so different from that worn in most performances at the time. The ballet leotard was traditionally a simple piece of stretchy, yet strong, knit material designed in shades of pink and lilac, or white, which helped to emphasize the line of the dancers and draw attention to their moves. You've just got to keep in mind that the dance form was at the pinnacle of fashion trends during the late 1940s - which means that if *you* were to look for a *Sleeping Beauty* leotard of this era, it will likely be simple and sleek in design - almost too understated compared to some of the pieces we’ve seen in ballet shows of more recent times, like in *The Nutcracker* ballet where a huge, colourful leotard made from the finest cotton satin takes the stage in a swirling symphony of pinks and blues, creating a true representation of *Sugarplum Fairy*. *That* leotard can give the dancers wings.
The modern leotards that you see worn in ballet schools across the world these days will vary from ballerina to ballerina. The important thing is that it complements their shape - especially if you happen to be wearing a beautiful, sparkly tutu that moves with every flourish, swirl and *en pointe* kick. One popular style, in fact, is the *cape-shoulder* leotard. You’ll notice that some ballerinas are always wearing those these days — a great way to *complement* the tutu of a dance, which we just have to get into right now. The combination of *leotard* and *tutu* makes for an interesting juxtaposition. Leotards will sometimes be a much plainer or solid color compared to a sparkling, billowing tutu which gives the dance more dramatic contrast, you might say. Take *Giselle* for example — there’s something rather shocking in the contrast of a classic pink and black tutu that looks almost like an embroidered dress that moves around a pale or bright leotard, a bold statement, you might say. The modern trend toward this use of contrast seems almost intentional — it draws your eyes toward both the leotard and the tutu, bringing a beautiful new dynamic to the ballet.
But let’s get back to what *we* really want to talk about - music! *Tchaikovsky*’s score for *Giselle*, now there’s a heart-wrenching story full of raw passion. It truly shows the evolution of dance within a context of great historical accuracy - just by listening to the score you could tell what kind of dress and outfit to put together for it. And *then* there are all those fabulous ballets set to Debussy and Ravel! Now, we’re not just talking *passionate* scores anymore — we’re talking elegant, subtle and absolutely gorgeous! The musical style is a total departure from that found in *Giselle* - more of a *classical* score, the one Debussy gave us with *L’Apres-midi d’un faune*, it really *has* a story to tell — a sensual tale in itself — the soundtrack to the most divine moments that life has to offer! And when it comes to choreography, one must, of course, make mention of *Vaslav Nijinsky*. There really hasn’t been another dancer who can carry off that type of artistry in quite the same way since Nijinsky.
You simply *can’t* create such breathtaking choreography for *L’Apres-midi d’un faune* unless you’re *connected* to the music, and let it dictate how you want the ballet to play out, *emotionally*. This is why there will always be such an exquisite tie between dance and ballet - because it’s about moving your body and interpreting music, which, really, is the human experience in the simplest sense. And with this thought, we’re approaching the final stages of our trip today — that is, the finale!
The finale is often the high point of a ballet and always concludes with a series of graceful bows, each dancer's head adorned with glittering jewels and crowns. Just as ballet is at the height of grace and perfection, so too does the music reach an equally triumphant level. When I think of music for ballets, *Swan Lake* springs to mind — as soon as you start to hear the last, melodic chords of Tchaikovsky's symphony, a sense of euphoria kicks in. Or the *Nutcracker*, when Clara wakes to the sound of dancing toys — such pure joy in this musical interlude. Every ballet, however, is going to bring with it its own uniquely moving musical elements.
And what’s a ballet review without at least one mention of the **composer who always delivers* a stunning orchestral ballet composition? Why, *Igor Stravinsky*, of course. For so long the most influential and celebrated modern composer, his ballets are as important for contemporary music and composition as Tchaikovsky’s scores were for a former generation of dancers. *Stravinsky* is an innovator who never failed to capture and mesmerize — that *rhythm* in his music...It’s so addictive, so exciting, it moves even those who claim to hate classical music to tap their feet. Ballet companies like the Royal Ballet have consistently used his music and brought back new performances again and again - his composition *The Rite of Spring* is one such ballet with an iconic status amongst dance enthusiasts - the costumes, the choreography, the way the music seems to move through you… It is a modern classic in the truest sense.
If we look back at the early years of classical ballet music, we can say that French and Italian baroque composers paved the way for the music of composers like *Tchaikovsky*, and to give them due credit, without composers like *Jean-Baptiste Lully* or *Antonio Vivaldi* it is likely that Tchaikovsky's score would have taken a much different path. That is, a less triumphant path. Baroque dance is still the foundation for ballet composition - the musical forms and themes are a direct link to how composers later chose to orchestrate music for ballets.
Let's face it, my darlings: *no* story can really compare to a ballet in its beauty and drama. And every aspect — costume, lighting, and choreography — is only made stronger when the score of a ballet takes us deeper into a wonderful world where the dancers bring characters to life, and dance becomes our truest language.