- Les Millions d'Arlequin
"Les millions d'Arlequin" (a.k.a. "Harlequinade") is a ballet in two acts with libretto and choreography by
Marius Petipa and music byRiccardo Drigo . First presented at theImperial Theatre of the Hermitage by theImperial Ballet inSt. Petersburg, Russia on OldStyleDate|23 February|1900|10 February. The ballet was given a sceond premiere on the stage of the stage of theImperial Mariinsky Theatre with the same cast on OldStyleDate|26 February|1900|13 February.The
Ballet Master Fyodor Lopukhov later restaged the ballet as "Harlequinade" in a one act version for the Ballet of the Maly Theatre ofLeningrad . The production premiered on13 June ,1933 . Audiences outside of Russia are perhaps most familiar withGeorge Balanchine 's revival, which the Ballet Master staged as "Harlequinade" for theNew York City Ballet . This production that premiered at theNew York State Theater inNew York City on4 February ,1965 .Riccardo Drigo's score spawned two popular repertory pieces, the "Serenade—Notturno d'amour" and the "Valse bluette", both of which are considered cornerstones of
Salon music . The "Serenade" was later given lyrics and has been performed by many noted singers.Performance history
Originally created by the choreographer
Marius Petipa and the composerRiccardo Drigo for theImperial Ballet ofSt. Petersburg, Russia . It was first performed for the Imperial Court on February 10, 1900 at theImperial Theatre of the Hermitage , and given a second premiere for the public on February 13, 1900 at theImperial Mariinsky Theatre . The original cast for both performances wasMathilde Kschessinskaya as Columbine,Georgi Kiaksht as Harlequin,Olga Preobrajenska as Pierrette,Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot,Enrico Cecchetti as Casandré, andAnna Urakhova as the Good Fairy. Included at the first performance wereTsar Nicholas II andEmpress Alexandra Feodorvna (to whom Drigo dedicated the score). So moved was the imperial audience by Drigo's music that the composer was mobbed during the final curtain calls.Drigo's score spawned two very popular salon repertory pieces: "Notturno d'Amore - Serenade" and the "Valse Bluette". Both excerpts have been arranged for every conceivable instrument, particularly the violin and piano.
George Balanchine staged an important revival of the work in honor of the ballet's 65th anniversary for theNew York City Ballet , premiering February 4, 1965 under the title "Harlequinade". The leading dancers werePatricia McBride as Columbine,Edward Vilella as Harlequin,Suki Schorer as Pierrette, andDeni Lamont as Pierrot.In April 2007, the
Salt Creek Ballet of Westmont, Illinois performed a version of the Petipa/Drigo "Harlequinade". Performed at College of DuPage, the program was a success and received outstanding reviews from several major newspapers. The principal cast was Alexander Kozadayev as Harlequin, and Katherine Bruno as Columbine, and Hartley Parrish as the Good Fairy.
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