Carnaval (ballet)
Encyclopedia
Carnaval is a ballet
of the Ballets Russes
, based on the music of Robert Schumann
's, Carnaval, for piano
, as orchestrated by Aleksandr Glazunov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
, Anatole Liadov
, Alexander Tcherepnin
. It was choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to his own libretto, with costumes designed by Léon Bakst
, and premiered in Pavlovsk on 5 March (old style, 20 February) 1910.
The leading dancers of the Imperial Ballet
were engaged in the production: Tamara Karsavina
(Columbine), Leonid Leontiev (Harlequin), Vera Fokina (Chiarina), Ludmila Schollar (Estrella), Bronislava Nijinska
(Papillon), Vsevolod Meyerhold
(Pierrot), Vasily Kiselev (Florestan), Aleksandr Shiryaev (Eusebius). The ballet became world-famous due to its production by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
(Theater des Westens, Berlin
, 20 May 1910), with new sets and costumes by Bakst, with Lydia Lopokova as Columbine and Vaslav Nijinsky
as Harlequin. On 14 September 1933, the ballet was revived in London
by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
(staged by Woizikovsky) for Alexandra Danilova
(appearing as Columbine).
There is a scene with the dreamy Eusebius and Chiarina, one with Estrella and Florestan, and another with Pierrot trying (and failing) to catch Papillon in his hat.
Columbine and Harlequin tease the pompous Pantalone and are eventually betrothed. The Philistines are routed by all the dancing couples, and Harlequin binds Pantalone with Pierrot's sleeves.
For the benefit performance, the chasing of the Philistines took place in the audience, but this action later took place on stage.
Among the outstanding variations were the solo by Harlequin, where he finished one series of pirouettes by slowing down and sitting on the final chord, a pas de trois by Estrella and two friends, and a duet by Harlequin and Columbine, in which his steps were performed to the melody of the flute
and clarinet
and hers, in counterpoint, to the strings
.
When Fokine was approached by two young men involved in the publication (Mikhail Kornfeld, later to be its publisher, and the later-famous poet Potemkin
) they gave him free rein, although they mentioned that the theme of the event was to be carnival
. The choreographer immediately thought of Schumann
's Carnaval Suite for Piano
, which he had long admired.
characters Harlequin, Columbine, Pierrot and Pantalone), and stage directions written in after it was completed.
There are also autobiographical references to Ernestine Von Frichen, with whom Schumann was in love when he was very young, to Clara Schumann
, his wife, and in the final section of the music, entitled "Marche des Davidsbundler contre les Philistines", to the composer's advocacy of the "new" art, as against the conservation of the old. The "Davidsbund" was an artistic society invented by Schumann as a foil to the conservative musical establishment].
was put together by Fokine and Léon Bakst
and has no real plot; rather it is a series of light, humorous, and joyous incidents combined with some moments of poignancy and an undercurrent of satire.
The four charactes of the commedia
are complemented by Florestan, representing the impulsive side of Schumann
's nature, Eusebius, the thoughtful solitary side, Estrella (Ernestine), Chiarina (Clara), Papillon, a fluttering lady, six light-hearted couples, and four Philistines.
For the gallant males, coquettish females, and lovers who teasingly accept and reject each other, Fokine devised numerous pas de deux, pas de trois and pas seuls.
, was of utmost importance.
His sketches for the costumes gave Fokine further inspiration for the finely etched characters he created. The simple set— the ante-room of a ballroom delineated by a curtain running all around the stage and up to the flies, with two chandeliers and two small striped sofas— as well as the costumes, were designed in the style of Biedermeier
.
Even the traditional commedia dell'arte
figures were altered slightly to fit this viewpoint. The set had evidently the effect of making the dancers appear smaller- thus making the audience feel even more strongly that they were watching a finely tuned miniature.
As was the case with many of his works, the roles depended to a large degree upon the talents of the original performers, and if one looks at just the steps (except for the one Harlequin solo) they are almost simplistic. It was the infusion of lightness, gaiety, coyness, and self-absorption, combined with an underlying sadness- all of which must be contributed by the dancers- that resulted in what most critics of the time regarded as a most effective adaptation of Schumann
's music and characters.
Recent attempts to reconstruct the work in England
, Sweden
, and the United States
have had varying degrees of success. This is because the roles must be created from within each individual performer, not from externally imposed steps or gestures. They require someone like Fokine himself to elicit this from the dancers- an almost impossible task.
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
of the Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg...
, based on the music of Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
's, Carnaval, for piano
Carnaval (Schumann)
Carnaval, Op. 9, is a work by Robert Schumann for piano solo, written in 1834-1835, and subtitled Scènes mignonnes sur quatre notes . It consists of a collection of short pieces representing masked revelers at Carnival, a festival before Lent...
, as orchestrated by Aleksandr Glazunov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
, Anatole Liadov
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov or Liadov was a Russian composer, teacher and conductor.- Biography :Lyadov was born in St. Petersburg into a family of eminent Russian musicians. He was taught informally by his conductor father from 1860 to 1868, and then in 1870 entered the St. Petersburg...
, Alexander Tcherepnin
Alexander Tcherepnin
Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin was a Russian-born composer and pianist. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin and his son, Ivan Tcherepnin were also composers, as are two of his grandsons, Sergei and Stefan. His son Serge was involved in the roots of electronic music and instruments...
. It was choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to his own libretto, with costumes designed by Léon Bakst
Léon Bakst
Léon Samoilovitch Bakst was a Russian painter and scene- and costume designer. He was a member of the Sergei Diaghilev circle and the Ballets Russes, for which he designed exotic, richly coloured sets and costumes...
, and premiered in Pavlovsk on 5 March (old style, 20 February) 1910.
The leading dancers of the Imperial Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet is a classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's leading ballet companies...
were engaged in the production: Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Platonovna Karsavina was a famous Russian ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was most noted as a Principal Artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev...
(Columbine), Leonid Leontiev (Harlequin), Vera Fokina (Chiarina), Ludmila Schollar (Estrella), Bronislava Nijinska
Bronislava Nijinska
Bronislava Nijinska - February 22, 1972)) was a Russian dancer, choreographer, and teacher of Polish descent.Nijinska was born in Minsk, the third child of the Polish dancers Tomasz and Eleonora Nijinska . Her brother was Vaslav Nijinsky...
(Papillon), Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold was a great Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting made him one of the seminal forces in modern international theatre.-Early...
(Pierrot), Vasily Kiselev (Florestan), Aleksandr Shiryaev (Eusebius). The ballet became world-famous due to its production by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg...
(Theater des Westens, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, 20 May 1910), with new sets and costumes by Bakst, with Lydia Lopokova as Columbine and Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
as Harlequin. On 14 September 1933, the ballet was revived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was a ballet company created by members of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in 1938 after Léonide Massine and René Blum had a falling-out with the co-founder Wassily de Basil...
(staged by Woizikovsky) for Alexandra Danilova
Alexandra Danilova
Aleksandra Dionisyevna Danilova was a Russian-born prima ballerina who became an American citizen....
(appearing as Columbine).
Plot outline
The curtain rises on three ladies pursued by three swains. Then Chiarina and Estrella appear. Suddenly Pierrot appears anxiously through a curtain and dances with long sleeves flapping, as if in search of love. Harlequin bounds in and teases him.There is a scene with the dreamy Eusebius and Chiarina, one with Estrella and Florestan, and another with Pierrot trying (and failing) to catch Papillon in his hat.
Columbine and Harlequin tease the pompous Pantalone and are eventually betrothed. The Philistines are routed by all the dancing couples, and Harlequin binds Pantalone with Pierrot's sleeves.
For the benefit performance, the chasing of the Philistines took place in the audience, but this action later took place on stage.
Among the outstanding variations were the solo by Harlequin, where he finished one series of pirouettes by slowing down and sitting on the final chord, a pas de trois by Estrella and two friends, and a duet by Harlequin and Columbine, in which his steps were performed to the melody of the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and hers, in counterpoint, to the strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
.
History
Le Carnaval was created in three spontaneous rehearsals in 1910 for a charity performance in Pavlov Hall, St. Petersburg, to benefit the magazine Satyricon.When Fokine was approached by two young men involved in the publication (Mikhail Kornfeld, later to be its publisher, and the later-famous poet Potemkin
Potemkin
Potemkin is a Russian surname which derives from the word Потёмка Potyomka meaning "dark". It may refer to:People*Prince Grigory Potyomkin, statesman and lover of Catherine the Great...
) they gave him free rein, although they mentioned that the theme of the event was to be carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
. The choreographer immediately thought of Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
's Carnaval Suite for Piano
Carnaval (Schumann)
Carnaval, Op. 9, is a work by Robert Schumann for piano solo, written in 1834-1835, and subtitled Scènes mignonnes sur quatre notes . It consists of a collection of short pieces representing masked revelers at Carnival, a festival before Lent...
, which he had long admired.
Score
It has musical references (to Chopin and Paganini), literary ones (to the four commedia dell'arteCommedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
characters Harlequin, Columbine, Pierrot and Pantalone), and stage directions written in after it was completed.
There are also autobiographical references to Ernestine Von Frichen, with whom Schumann was in love when he was very young, to Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
, his wife, and in the final section of the music, entitled "Marche des Davidsbundler contre les Philistines", to the composer's advocacy of the "new" art, as against the conservation of the old. The "Davidsbund" was an artistic society invented by Schumann as a foil to the conservative musical establishment].
Libretto
The librettoLibretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
was put together by Fokine and Léon Bakst
Léon Bakst
Léon Samoilovitch Bakst was a Russian painter and scene- and costume designer. He was a member of the Sergei Diaghilev circle and the Ballets Russes, for which he designed exotic, richly coloured sets and costumes...
and has no real plot; rather it is a series of light, humorous, and joyous incidents combined with some moments of poignancy and an undercurrent of satire.
The four charactes of the commedia
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
are complemented by Florestan, representing the impulsive side of Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
's nature, Eusebius, the thoughtful solitary side, Estrella (Ernestine), Chiarina (Clara), Papillon, a fluttering lady, six light-hearted couples, and four Philistines.
For the gallant males, coquettish females, and lovers who teasingly accept and reject each other, Fokine devised numerous pas de deux, pas de trois and pas seuls.
Costumes and Sets
They illustrate another instance where the role of the designer, in this case BakstLéon Bakst
Léon Samoilovitch Bakst was a Russian painter and scene- and costume designer. He was a member of the Sergei Diaghilev circle and the Ballets Russes, for which he designed exotic, richly coloured sets and costumes...
, was of utmost importance.
His sketches for the costumes gave Fokine further inspiration for the finely etched characters he created. The simple set— the ante-room of a ballroom delineated by a curtain running all around the stage and up to the flies, with two chandeliers and two small striped sofas— as well as the costumes, were designed in the style of Biedermeier
Biedermeier
In Central Europe, the Biedermeier era refers to the middle-class sensibilities of the historical period between 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and 1848, the year of the European revolutions...
.
Even the traditional commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
figures were altered slightly to fit this viewpoint. The set had evidently the effect of making the dancers appear smaller- thus making the audience feel even more strongly that they were watching a finely tuned miniature.
Analysis
Carnaval seems to have been the most delicate, most exquisite ballet Fokine ever created, as well as the most difficult to pinpoint.As was the case with many of his works, the roles depended to a large degree upon the talents of the original performers, and if one looks at just the steps (except for the one Harlequin solo) they are almost simplistic. It was the infusion of lightness, gaiety, coyness, and self-absorption, combined with an underlying sadness- all of which must be contributed by the dancers- that resulted in what most critics of the time regarded as a most effective adaptation of Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
's music and characters.
Recent attempts to reconstruct the work in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
have had varying degrees of success. This is because the roles must be created from within each individual performer, not from externally imposed steps or gestures. They require someone like Fokine himself to elicit this from the dancers- an almost impossible task.