New Bristol Sinfonia - Archive

©Rob Townley

An evening of music inspired by ballet!

Tonight’s concert immerses itself in the world of ballet. Tchaikovsky’s Suite from Sleeping Beauty is our first work, and was first published in 1899 after the composer’s death. His music for the ballet Sleeping Beauty was completed a decade earlier to much critical acclaim, and the suite consists of five movements consisting of themes from the original ballet score. The first introduces the Lilac Fairy. The second sees Princess Aurora meeting her four suitors (Rose Adagio). The third is a sketch on Puss in Boots and the White Cat (Pas de caractere), while the fourth movement sees the Prince magically conveyed to Princess Aurora’s castle (Panorama). The final movement is the Valse - the scene of the Princess’s 16th birthday celebration.

Our second piece tonight stays with the story of Sleeping Beauty - and is Stravinsky’s arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Pas de deux. Stravinsky was asked to make an arrangement for small orchestra of the "Bluebird" pas de deux in Act III of the ballet, by the founder of The Ballet Orchestra. The company’s orchestra was much depleted by the military draft in the months prior to the outbreak of World War II, so the piece calls for only a small number of strings to convey the ballet’s final act theme of Princess Aurora’s wedding.

Our third piece is Berio’s arrangement of Da Falla’s "Siete Canciones Populares Espanolas". Da Falla composed these songs in Madrid in 1914, having just returned from spending seven years living in Paris working alongside Ravel, Debussy and Dukas. He based his songs on traditional Spanish folk tunes, which he combined with harmonies and modal sonorities no doubt influenced by his time in Paris.

Our final work tonight is Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Leonard Bernstein once remarked of one particular passage "That page is sixty years old, but it’s never been topped for sophisticated handling of primitive rhythms" - and in fact, on its premiere, the ballet provoked one of the most famous riots in classical music history. The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites appeared to divide the audience, although it was later agreed that it was Nijinsky’s wild choreography, rather than Stravinskys’ music, that upset the audience the most. After its concert premiere in Paris in 1914, the composer was carried through the streets on the shoulders of a cheering crowd. The work is in two parts - A Kiss of the Earth, and The Exalted Sacrifice. The work was further popularised after it appeared in Walt Disney’s Fantasia in 1940, depicting the evolution of life on earth, from the beginning of simple life, through the era of dinosaurs to their eventual destruction.

Concert Details

Date: Saturday 16 October, 2010
Time: 7.30pm

Venue: Victoria Rooms, Clifton, Bristol. Click here for a map

Programme:

• Tchaikovsky - Suite from Sleeping Beauty
• Tchaikovsky arr. Stravinksy - Pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty
• da Falla arr. Berio - 7 Canciones populares Espanolas
• Stravinksy - Rite of Spring

Conductor: James Lowe
Mezzo-Soprano: Polly May
Leader: Mark Bunker

Tickets:
We recommend booking in advance with our Box Office: 07796 573869.
Cheques are accepted and there is no booking fee.
Pre-booked tickets will be posted to you or can be picked up at the door.

Most seats for this concert are numbered and can be reserved in advance. Click here to see a seating plan of the Victoria Rooms. The Box Office can advise on which seats are available and which have the best view.

The ticket prices are:

• £13 (£11 concessions) balcony
• £10 adults (£8 concessions) stalls
• £5 students
• £2 children/school parties

Pre-concert talk:
James will be presenting a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm. This is open to all and entry is free.