Sleeping Beauty is based on the baroque fairy tale La belle au bois dormant (The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood) by Charles Perrault (1628-1703). Perrault wrote his fairy tales for the amusement of Louis XIV and the Sun Kingís court, who were amused by tales of the simple folk. Marius Petipa (181-1910), the ballet master who choreographed Tchaikovskyís score, staged it in the style of Louis XIV court, constructing marvelous stage sets made from painted gauze veils and movable walls, as well as lavish costumes from the 17th century French style. Although the ballet had a lukewarm reception at its premiere, it took on a life of its own in the 20th century, with many imitators and devotees of Petipa attempting to produce the original performance and choreography. Act Three is the crux and highlight of the ballet, the marriage of Princess Aurora and Prince Desire, where all of the characters from Perraultís fairy tales come to life and appear in the ballroom. Puss-in-Boots, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Cinderella; a whole menagerie from Perraultís well-known Tales of Mother Goose appears throughout the production.
The version of the production in the DVD is the one choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich in 1973. Grigorovich does not try to recreate Petipaís style; rather, he incorporates Petipaís legacy of ìsymphonizing the dance.î This involves traditional classical numbers with several demi-character or related numbers, which fit within the overall visual framework yet follow the musical flow. The performance is truly a delight and feast for the eyes, with all of the various fairy tale characters and dance pieces that remind one of The Nutcracker and its many visual and musical pieces. The Bolshoi Ballet does a wonderful job performing and costuming the various dancers, and the music is done quite well.
Dr. Brad Eden
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
image=http://www.operatoday.com/content/sleeping_beauty.gif
image_description=Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty
product=yes
product_title=Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty
Ballet in three acts and a prologue.
product_by= Princess Aurora, Nina Semizorova; Prince Desire, Aleksei Fadeyechev; Lilac Fairy, Nina Speranskaya; Carabosse, Yuri Vetrov; Bluebird, Aleksandr Vetrov; Princess Florine, Maria Bilova; King Florestin, Andrei Sitnikov; Queen, Irina Nesterova. Choreography by Marius Petipa. Libretto by Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius Petipa. Based on the Tales of Charles Perrault. Staged by Yuri Grigorovich. Performed by The Bolshoi Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre Orchestra, Aleksandr Kopilov, conductor. Recorded at the Bolshoi Ballet 1989.
product_id=ArtHaus Musik 101 113 [DVD]