Walpurgisnacht Ballet
Encyclopedia
Walpurgisnacht Ballet is a ballet made by New York City Ballet
's co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine
for a 1975 production of Gounod's
1859 Faust at the Théâtre National de l'Opéra
including the additional ballet music from 1869. The New York City Ballet premiere was its first presentation as an independent work and took place on Thursday, May 15th, 1980, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center
. Balanchine had previously made dances for a production of Faust at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
, danced by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
, as well as in 1935 for the Metropolitan Opera
and 1945 for the Opera Naçional, Mexico City.
Walpurgisnacht is found at the beginning of the last act if Faust. Mephistopheles shows Faust the folk celebration before May Day
when the souls of the dead are released briefly to wander as they will. The ballet does not directly depict Walpurgisnacht but builds on a sense of joyful revelry.
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
's co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
for a 1975 production of Gounod's
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
1859 Faust at the Théâtre National de l'Opéra
Théâtre National de l'Opéra
Théâtre National de l'Opéra may refer to the opera company commonly known as the Paris Opera or one of two different theatres used during periods when the company was officially named Théâtre National de l'Opéra:* Salle Le Peletier...
including the additional ballet music from 1869. The New York City Ballet premiere was its first presentation as an independent work and took place on Thursday, May 15th, 1980, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
. Balanchine had previously made dances for a production of Faust at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house located in the principality of Monaco.With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des Bains de Mer, decided on the construction of an opera house. Initially, it was Charles III's...
, danced 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...
, as well as in 1935 for the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
and 1945 for the Opera Naçional, Mexico City.
Walpurgisnacht is found at the beginning of the last act if Faust. Mephistopheles shows Faust the folk celebration before May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
when the souls of the dead are released briefly to wander as they will. The ballet does not directly depict Walpurgisnacht but builds on a sense of joyful revelry.
NYCB
- Suzanne FarrellSuzanne FarrellSuzanne Farrell is an eminent 20th century ballerina and the founder of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C....
- Heather WattsHeather WattsHeather Watts was a principal dancer with New York City Ballet. A native of California, Ms. Watts was born as Linda Heather Watts in Long Beach on September 27, 1953. She started taking up ballet at the age of 10, came to New York at the age of 13 on a Ford Foundation scholarship to attend the...
- Stephanie Saland
- Judith Fugate
- Adam Lüders
Reviews
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40B14FC3A5A1A738DDDAD0A94D0405B8788F1D3Sunday NY Times by John MartinJohn Martin (dance critic)John Martin became America’s first major dance critic in 1927. Focusing his efforts on propelling the modern dance movement, he greatly influenced the careers of dancers such as Martha Graham...
, August 24th, 1947]
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10816FE345D17728DDDA10994DD405B8084F1D3Sunday NY Times by Anna KisselgoffAnna KisselgoffAnna Kisselgoff is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for the New York Times. She began at the Times as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she held until 2005...
, May 18th, 1980] - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/arts/dance/02balanchine.htmlNY Times by Alastair MacAulayAlastair MacaulayAlastair Macaulay is a dance critic for the New York Times. He was previously chief dance critic at The Times Literary Supplement and chief theater critic of the Financial Times, both of London...
, June 1st, 2010]