Faust ballets are a set of ballets, choreographed between the 18th and 20th centuries, based on the legend of Faust. As early as 1723, London-based

John Rich John Rich (born January 7, 1974) is an American country music singer-songwriter. From 1992 to 1998, he was a member of the country music band Lonestar, in which he played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist. After d ...

put on a Faust-inspired ballet pantomime called ''The Necromancer'' at the

Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre Lisle's Tennis Court was a building off Portugal Street in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. Originally built as a real tennis court, it was used as a playhouse during two periods, 1661–1674 and 1695–1705. During the early period, ...

. In the 19th century several productions took Faust as their subject matter including

August Bournonville August Bournonville (21 August 1805 – 30 November 1879) was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. He was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nep ...

s 1832 production ''Faust'' for the Royal Danish Ballet. In 1833, Andre Deshayes ''Faust'' premiered in London with music by Adolphe Adam. On 12 February 1848, a Faust ballet premiered at the

Ballet of the Teatro alla Scala The La Scala Theatre Ballet ( it, Corpo di ballo del Teatro alla Scala) is the resident classical ballet company at La Scala in Milan, Italy. One of the oldest and most renowned ballet companies in the world, the company pre-dates the theatre, ...

in Milan. This version featured choreography and libretto by

Jules Perrot Jules-Joseph Perrot (18 August 1810 – 29 August 1892) was a dancer and choreographer who later became Ballet Master of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. He created some of the most famous ballets of the 19th century including ...

and music by Giacomo Panizza, Michael Andrew Costa, and

Niccolò Bajetti Faust ballets are a set of ballets, choreographed between the 18th and 20th centuries, based on the legend of Faust. As early as 1723, London-based John Rich put on a Faust-inspired ballet pantomime called ''The Necromancer'' at the Lincoln's I ...

, with Fanny Elssler (as Marguerite), Perrot (as Mephistophelis), Effisio Catte (as Faust), and Ekaterina Costantini (as Bambo, Queen of the Demons). Perrot revived the ballet three times between 1848 and 1854, the last featuring a revised score by Cesare Pugni. In 1867,

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (russian: Мариус Иванович Петипа), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818), was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters an ...

revived this version again for the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, St. Petersburg, using the revised Pugni score. In 1852 Paul Taglioni, brother of

Maria Taglioni Marie Taglioni, Comtesse de Voisins (23 April 1804 – 22 April 1884) was a Swedish-born ballet dancer of the Romantic ballet era partially of Italian descent, a central figure in the history of European dance. She spent most of her life in th ...

(the first ballerina to dance '' en pointe''), choreographed ''Satanella oder Metamorphosen'' with music by composed by

Peter Ludwig Hertel Peter Ludwig Hertel (21 April 1817 – 13 June 1899) was a German composer of dance music and Ballet (music), ballet music. He is best known as the composer of the ballet ''La fille mal gardée''. He also composed the music for the Faust ballet ' ...

. A few years later, Julius Reisingers ''Mephistophelia'' premiered in Hamburg and Meyer Lutz composed the score for Joseph Lanners 1895 production. The trend continued into the 20th century with ballets created by Remislav Remislavsky, Heiner Luipart and female choreographer

Nina Kirsanova Nina Kirsanova (1898 – 3 February 1989) was one of the most important ballet artists in Belgrade, who distinguished herself as a lead principal dancer, choreographer, head of ballet and ballet teacher. She also spent time as a nurse, archaeologis ...

based on an unstaged 19th century

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Der Doktor Faust, written by

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

composer Berliozs ''La Damnation de Faust'' was staged by French choreographer Maurice Béjart for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1964). Béjarts 1975 production ''Notre Faust'' was set to Bachs ''B minor Mass''. Béjart himself danced in ''Notre Faust'' at its New York City premiere in 1977.

References

{{Faust, state=collapsed Faust Works based on the Faust legend Ballets based on literature Ballets by Jules Perrot Ballets by Marius Petipa Ballets by Giacomo Panizza Ballets by Michael Costa (conductor) Ballets by Niccolò Bajetti 1848 ballet premieres Ballets premiered at the La Scala Theatre