Don Quixote (ballet)
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The ballet Don Quixote is based on the famous Miguel de Cervantes novel Don Quixote de la Mancha. Although there have been many ballet adaptations of the work, the most celebrated and enduring version was created by the choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Léon Minkus, first presented on December 14, [[1869] by the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre.
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[edit] Plot outline
The plot is taken from Cervantes' novel of the same name. It concerns the unsuccessful attempt by a rich man, Comacho (called Gamache in the ballet) to marry the beautiful Quiteria (Kitri), who in turn is in love with Basilio (Basil), a young man from her village. She wants to marry Basil, but her father is trying to make her marry Gamache. In the end, Kitri runs away with Basil only to come back and be married.
[edit] History
The story was first adapted for the ballet in 1740 by Franz Hilverding in Vienna, Austria. Another version was mounted at the Paris Opéra in 1743 under the title Don Quichotte Chez la Duchesse to the music of Joseph Boismortier. In 1768, the great Balletmaster Jean Georges Noverre mounted a new version of Don Quixote in Vienna to the music of Josef Starzrin, a production which appears have been a revival of the original by Hilverding.
Charles Didelot, known today as the "father of Russian Ballet" staged a two act version of Don Quixote in St. Petersburg for the Imperial Ballet in 1808. In 1809 a version of the work was mounted at Her Majesty's Theatre by James Harvey D'Egville. Paul Taglioni (uncle of Marie Taglioni) presented his own version of Don Quixote for the Berlin Court Opera Ballet in 1839, and his uncle, Salvatore Taglioni set a production at the Teatro Regio, in Turin during the in 1843.
The most famous and enduring ballet adaptation was created by the choreographer Marius Petipa, unrivaled Maître de Ballet of the Tsar's Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, and the composer Léon Minkus. By special commission, Petipa mounted the work for the Ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The production premiered on October 26, 1869 (old style 14 October) to great success. Principal dancers at the premiere were: Wilhelm Vanner (Don Quixote), Anna Sobeshchanskaya (Kitri), Sergei Sokilov (Basil), Polina Karpakova (Dulcinea), Vassily Geltser (Sancho Panza), Leon Espinosa (Harlequin), Dmitri Kuznetsov (Gamache).
Petipa then restaged the ballet in a far more opulent and grandiose production for the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet, premiering November 21, 1871 (old style 9 November). Principal dancers included: Alexandra Vergina (Kitri), Timofei Stukolkin (Don Quixote), Lev Ivanov (Basil). This new production consisted of five acts (eleven episodes, a prologue, and an epilogue), and used the same designs as the first production.
Alexander Gorsky presented his revival of the ballet for the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre on December 6, 1900, a production which replaced Petipa's 1871 original for the Imperial Ballet in 1902 when he staged it at the Maryinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, premiering January 20, 1902. The cast was an eminent one: Kitri was danced by Mathilda Kschessinskaya, Basil by Nikolai Legat, Don Quixote by Aleksei Bulgakov, Sancho Panza by Enrico Cecchetti, and Gamache by Pavel Gerdt, with the roles of the Street Dancer, Amor, and Juanita taken by the young ballerinas Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Tamara Karsavina, and Anna Pavlova respectively. For his productions of 1900 and 1902 Gorsky interpolated new dances. For his 1900 production, the composer Anton Simon scored new music — a variation for the Dryad Queen (a character which Gorsky created) and a dance for the Dryad Queens's mistresses, as well as an additional Spanish dance for the last scene. When he staged the production in St. Petersburg in 1902, the composer Riccardo Drigo composed two new variations for Kschessinskaya — the famous Variation of Kitri with the fan for the ballet's final Pas de deux, and the, Vatriation of Kitri as Dulcinea for the scene of Don Quixote's dream (these variations are still retained in modern productions). Gorsky then interpolated the Grand pas des toreadors from Petipa's 1881 ballet Zoraiya, a piece which is still included in modern productions of Don Quixote.
The ballet lived on in Russia well after the revolution of 1917, where as many other ballets ceased to be performed into the Soviet period. As a matter of fact, it became part of the permanent repertoire both of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre (the most famous productions being those of Aleksandr Gorsky in 1906, and by Rostislav Zakharov and Kasyan Goleizovsky in 1940) and the Leningrad Kirov Theatre (which saw productions by Fedor Lopukhov in 1923, with new choreography for the fandango, and by Petr Gusev in 1946, with the scenario modified by Yuri Slonomsky and with new dances introduced by Nina Anisimova).
[edit] From Russia to the West
- See also: List of New York City Ballet repertory
Don Quixote was brought to the West first by Anna Pavlova's company in 1924 in an abridged version, though the full-length work was not staged in the west for many years. The famous Grand Pas de Deux from the ballet was staged in the west as early as the 1940s, given first by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The first full-length production was mounted outside of Russia was presented by Ballet Rambert in 1962. In 1966 Rudolf Nureyev staged his version for the Vienna State Opera Ballet, with Minkus' score adapted by John Lanchbery. In 1973, Nureyev filmed his version with the Australian Ballet, and Robert Helpmann as Don Quixote. Mikhail Baryshnikov mounted his own version in 1980 for American Ballet Theatre, a production that has been staged by many companies. Today the ballet has been staged by many companies all over the world in many different versions, and is considered to be among the great classics of the ballet.
American choreographer George Balanchine famously created a modern version in 1965 for the New York City Ballet to the music of Nicolas Nabokov, with Balanchine himself appearing as Don Quixote and Suzanne Farrell as Dulcinea. This production had nothing to do with the Minkus version. It was only given until the mid 1970s, and then taken out of the repertory of the company. In 2005 it was reconstructed by Farrell for the company, and continues to be performed.
[edit] Analysis
Today Don Quixote is considered one of the most joyous and festive of the classical ballets, brimming with spectacular virtuoso dancing. At the same time this abundance of dancing is well organized, showing a clear choreographic and dramatic vision (particularly in the Kirov version).
A short prologue based on mime action is followed by an episode called A Square in Barcelona, in which classical choreography imitating the "Spanish Style" is predominant, with a sprinkling of character dances.
The second episode, The Gypsy Camp, comes as a sharp contrast- here pantomime and characters dancing reign supreme (although some 15 years ago this scene also contained a lyrical pas de deux for the two main characters).
The next episode, Dulcinea's Garden, is a purely classical one in which only female dancers appear. This is followed by A Tavern in Seville; once again, there is plenty of character dancing and acting- and traditionally, even the ballerina wears heeled shoes in the scene.
The final wedding celebration is an extended classical grand pas with the now famous pas de deux of the main characters.
The characters of the ballet do much more than just perform their numerous variations, however; they express their thoughts and emotions through dancing, and each character has his or her own idiosyncrasies which are expressed in the choreography itself.
Don Quixote is also distinguished by what can be called its democratic spirit: the only "noble cavalier" in the ballet is Gamache, and he is the butt of everyone's jokes and tricks. Don Quixote himself is treated with an increasing irony, friendly though it may be. By contrast, Kitri and Basil are heroes of the people; they belong to the crowd and the crowd interferes in their lives without any second thoughts.
[edit] Sources
- Bremster, M. (ed.) 1993. "International Dictionary of Ballet" Detroit: St James Press ISBN 1-55862-084-2 (Vol. 1 and 2)
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