I really love how highlighted The Seasons by Glazunov - he also wrote ballet music for "Raymonda". The Seasons is something feeling even close to Tchaikovsky for me, and superior to Vivaldi, and I'm really sad that it isn't performed more . there had been a Gala performance by the Mariinsky ballet with it...
Wow, you hit the jackpot. I am a through-and-through balletomane. I love ballet as dance as well as in music. For one thing, my very favourite ballet of them all of Delibes' "Coppélia" and it's your fave, too. Also, I adore Glazounov's "Four Seasons", musically as glorious and scenic melodic as they come. ("Raymonda" is done more often, and very entertaining in dance terms, but less melodically rich than "Seasons".) Your other choices are on the same "strike it rich" path. I think that Prokoviev deserves a second entry on the list, "Cinderella", but, heck, that's okay. By the way, a composer whose instrumental music was absolutely drunk on dance rhythms is Luigi Cherubini. It's amazing how many and what a variety the dance elements there are in a work like the Fifth String Quartet that one encounters. Cherubini's music, when not in tragic mode, was full of dance elements. I won't go on about that, but I have had a life-long hankering to hear his ballet, "Achille à Scyros", which must be a real hoot and very funny, since Achilles and the ohter heroes of the Trojan Wars are what it is about, and about those stalwart guys, at that, cross-dreesed in women's attire! The ballet scandalised Paris, because, for the French, making fun of Greek mythological heroes was tantamount to blasphemy. Oh, let's start a campaign on the great New York City dance companies to bring back Cherubini's "Achille à Scyros"!
I have finished listening to this selection of Ballets and I enjoyed them as a whole the most of any of the essential beginner lists. I think I liked these because they sounded more like albums to me and made for a more complete listening experience. I listened to recordings to all of these except Swan Lake which I watched the ballet since it felt like it was an iconic ballet that I should see at least once. I liked them all but I loved the Copland and have listened to it several times now. I also enjoyed the Falla and liked how different it was to the others. It is strange that the Opera grouping has been my least favorite and the Ballet my favorite because I thought it would be the other way around prior to listening so you just never know what will move you.
I only praised the Georges Pretre Les Biches, coupled with a fizzing Gaite Parisienne and said David made me smile with his pantomime. Try again it maybe was a glitch.😃
Poulen's "Les Biches" is a lot of fun visually. The nubile cast is sexy nubile-male and sexy nubile-female. The nubile young males "chasing tail" are meant to be guys in late teens ardently and mischievously pursing nubile young ladies, all wearing somewhat skimpy beach attire. It just oozes youthful sexiness. Diaghalev produced it at the Ballets russes, and one can find at least one, all-Diaghilev revival production of the work on a subterranean DVD label as mounted in Germany (at Stuttgart, I think that it was, maybe in a different German city, though).
I don't think they did, as it's proprietary to Martha Graham Dance Company. The Joffrey did quite a bit of recreating historically important works from the early 20th Century, including The Green Table, Petrushka, Parade, and others.
Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty was my gateway to classical music. I still have that old LP, some 60 years now. I enjoy ballet music, but still don't appreciate the dancing.
So glad you included a Copland ballet in the mix - I was getting worried he wouldn't get a look in! So much great American ballet music around by the likes of Bernstein, Barber, Morton Gould and even Elliot Carter!
Suggestion: Ten best symphonies from each decade of the Twentieth Century. Not just for beginners.
oh I love Bacchus et Ariane so much, Roussel's harmonic and rythmic sense is so fabulous.
I absolutely agree with your assessment of Glazunov's Seasons....wonderful wonderful music....
I really love how highlighted The Seasons by Glazunov - he also wrote ballet music for "Raymonda". The Seasons is something feeling even close to Tchaikovsky for me, and superior to Vivaldi, and I'm really sad that it isn't performed more . there had been a Gala performance by the Mariinsky ballet with it...
"The Spider's Feast"! Crunch crunch! Yeah! And so diaphonously! So glad you mentioned it! One of my personal Top 10 ballets.
To the person who told Dave, "Why dontcha give 'em a break..." I salute you. It just made me laugh.
Wow, you hit the jackpot. I am a through-and-through balletomane. I love ballet as dance as well as in music. For one thing, my very favourite ballet of them all of Delibes' "Coppélia" and it's your fave, too. Also, I adore Glazounov's "Four Seasons", musically as glorious and scenic melodic as they come. ("Raymonda" is done more often, and very entertaining in dance terms, but less melodically rich than "Seasons".) Your other choices are on the same "strike it rich" path. I think that Prokoviev deserves a second entry on the list, "Cinderella", but, heck, that's okay. By the way, a composer whose instrumental music was absolutely drunk on dance rhythms is Luigi Cherubini. It's amazing how many and what a variety the dance elements there are in a work like the Fifth String Quartet that one encounters. Cherubini's music, when not in tragic mode, was full of dance elements. I won't go on about that, but I have had a life-long hankering to hear his ballet, "Achille à Scyros", which must be a real hoot and very funny, since Achilles and the ohter heroes of the Trojan Wars are what it is about, and about those stalwart guys, at that, cross-dreesed in women's attire! The ballet scandalised Paris, because, for the French, making fun of Greek mythological heroes was tantamount to blasphemy. Oh, let's start a campaign on the great New York City dance companies to bring back Cherubini's "Achille à Scyros"!
Dave. This is a wonderful series. Oh how I wish I had access to these videos as a younger man starting to like this classical music stuff :)
I have finished listening to this selection of Ballets and I enjoyed them as a whole the most of any of the essential beginner lists. I think I liked these because they sounded more like albums to me and made for a more complete listening experience. I listened to recordings to all of these except Swan Lake which I watched the ballet since it felt like it was an iconic ballet that I should see at least once. I liked them all but I loved the Copland and have listened to it several times now. I also enjoyed the Falla and liked how different it was to the others. It is strange that the Opera grouping has been my least favorite and the Ballet my favorite because I thought it would be the other way around prior to listening so you just never know what will move you.
Great video. Really explain the suite vs the whole work difference.
I only praised the Georges Pretre Les Biches, coupled with a fizzing Gaite Parisienne and said David made me smile with his pantomime. Try again it maybe was a glitch.😃
Perfect list!
Poulen's "Les Biches" is a lot of fun visually. The nubile cast is sexy nubile-male and sexy nubile-female. The nubile young males "chasing tail" are meant to be guys in late teens ardently and mischievously pursing nubile young ladies, all wearing somewhat skimpy beach attire. It just oozes youthful sexiness. Diaghalev produced it at the Ballets russes, and one can find at least one, all-Diaghilev revival production of the work on a subterranean DVD label as mounted in Germany (at Stuttgart, I think that it was, maybe in a different German city, though).
Small correction, if I may: Falla, not "Falle" (in the description).
Oh good heavens! Thank you. Can't proofread my own stuff sometimes.
Correct me if I am wrong but did the Joffrey Ballet Company do the Appalachian Spring ?
It was written for Martha Graham I am certain!
I don't think they did, as it's proprietary to Martha Graham Dance Company. The Joffrey did quite a bit of recreating historically important works from the early 20th Century, including The Green Table, Petrushka, Parade, and others.
Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty was my gateway to classical music. I still have that old LP, some 60 years now. I enjoy ballet music, but still don't appreciate the dancing.
So glad you included a Copland ballet in the mix - I was getting worried he wouldn't get a look in! So much great American ballet music around by the likes of Bernstein, Barber, Morton Gould and even Elliot Carter!
I was expecting "Job".
He was busy.