Le Diable à Quatre (ballet)

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For other uses, see Le Diable à Quatre (disambiguation).

Newspaper lithograph advertising the premiere of the Mazilier/Adam Le Diable à Quatre, Paris, 1845. The lithograph depicts, from left to right - Lucien Petipa, Jean Coralli, Carlotta Grisi, Joseph Mazilier, and Maria Mazilier.

Le Diable à Quatre (AKA The Willful Wife) is a Grand ballet in 2 Acts/3 Scenes, with choreography by Joseph Mazilier and music by Adolphe Adam.

First presented by the Ballet of the Académie Royale de Musique on August 11, 1845. Principal Dancers - Carlotta Grisi (as Mazourka) and Lucien Petipa (as Count Polinski)

[edit] Revivals/Restagings

Restaging by the Ballerina Ekaterina Sankovskaya for the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, first presented December 15/27 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1846 in Moscow, Russia.

Restaging by Jules Perrot for the Imperial Ballet in 4 Acts/5 Scenes, with Cesare Pugni extensively revising and adapting Adam's score. First presented on November 15/27, 1851 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Revival by Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet under the title The Willful Wife, with Léon Minkus making additions and re-editing Adam's score in Pugni's 1851 revision. First presented on January 23/February 4, 1885 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. For this revival Petipa changed the name of the principal Ballerina's role from Mazourka to Countess Berta. Principal Dancers - Eugeniina Sokolova (as Mazourka), Mariia Gorshenkova (as the Basket Maker), and Pavel Gerdt (as Count Polinski).

[edit] Notes

A variation from this ballet, to music by Adam, is also part of the famous Paquita Pas de Trois (AKA Minkus Pas de Trois), and is almost always danced by the lead male soloist.

Richard Bonynge conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in a recording of Adolphe Adam's original score for Le Diable à Quatre, which was released on the label Decca.