''The Seasons'' (russian: Времена года, ''Vremena goda''; also french: Les Saisons) is an

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

ballet in one act, four scenes, by the

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...

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 ...

, with music by

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 190 ...

, his Op. 67. The work was composed in 1899 and first performed by the

Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia.

History

Composition history

The score for

's ''Les Saisons'' (''The Seasons'') was originally intended to have been composed by the Italian composer and conductor

Riccardo Drigo Riccardo Eugenio Drigo ( ru. Риккардо Эудженьо Дриго) (30 June 18461 October 1930) was an Italian composer of ballet music and Italian opera, a theatrical conductor, and a pianist. Drigo is most noted for his long career a ...

, who was Glazunov's colleague and close friend. Since 1886, Drigo held the posts of director of music and ''chef d’orchestre'' to the Ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, while also serving as conductor for performances of the Italian operas in the repertory of the Imperial Opera. Petipa's ''

Les Millions d’Arlequin ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' (English: ''Harlequin's Millions'') (Russian: "Миллионы Арлекина", ''Milliony Arlekina'') also known under the title ''Harlequinade'' (Russian: "Арлекинада", ''Arlekinada'') is a ''ballet co ...

'' (also known as ''Harlequinade'') was also in its preliminary stages at the same time as ''Les Saisons'', and was originally intended to have had a score supplied by Glazunov. Since Drigo and Glazunov had an affinity towards each other's assigned ballet, the two composers agreed that Glazunov would compose ''Les Saisons'' and that Drigo would compose ''Les Millions d’Arlequin''. Petipa's ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' was presented for the first time at the Imperial Theatre of the Hermitage on . ''Les Saisons'' premiered three days later. For both performances the whole of the Imperial court was in attendance. In 1907,

Nikolai Legat Nikolai Gustavovich Legat (russian: Никола́й Густа́вович Лега́т) (30 December 1869, Moscow – 24 January 1937, London) was a Premier danseur, premier dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet from 1888 to 1914, and also ...

staged a revival of ''Les Saisons'' at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. This production was performed on occasion by the Imperial Ballet after the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

, being performed for the last time in 1927. ''Les Saisons'' lived on in an abridged edition in the repertory of

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...

's touring company.

Performance history

St. Petersburg premiere (World Premiere) *''Date'': *''Place'': Imperial Theatre of the Hermitage,

Winter Palace The Winter Palace ( rus, Зимний дворец, Zimnij dvorets, p=ˈzʲimnʲɪj dvɐˈrʲɛts) is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the Russian Emperor from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now ...

, St. Petersburg *''Balletmaster'':

*''Conductor'':

*''Scene designer'': Pyotr Lambin *''Costume designer'': Yevgeni Ponomaryov Other notable productions *1900, February 13, St. Petersburg, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, same ensemble as the premiere *1907, St. Petersburg, Mariinsky Theatre, balletmaster Nikolay Legat, conducted by Drigo, décor by Lambin, costumes by Aleksandr Golovin.

Roles and original cast

Publication history

*1901, M.P. Belyayev, Leipzig

Instrumentation

Woodwinds: 1

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the s ...

, 2

flutes The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, 2

oboes The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

(2nd doubling

english horn The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alt ...

in F), 2

clarinets The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. ...

in B-flat and A, 2

bassoons The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

Brass: 4 french horns in F, 2

trumpets The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

in B-flat, 3

trombones The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

Percussion:

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, tho ...

, military drum,

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The gloc ...

Keyboard:

celesta The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five- octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ...

, pianino (upright piano) Strings:

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orc ...

, 1st and 2nd

violins The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

violas ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

cellos The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

contrabass Contrabass (from it, contrabbasso) refers to several musical instruments of very low pitch—generally one octave below bass register instruments. While the term most commonly refers to the double bass (which is the bass instrument in the orchest ...

Synopsis

Tableau 1 — ''A winter landscape'' Winter is surrounded by his companions: Hoar-frost, Ice, Hail and Snow, who amuse themselves with a band of snowflakes. Two

gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

s enter, and soon light a fire that causes all assembled to vanish. Tableau 2 — ''A landscape covered with flowers'' Spring dances with Zephyr, flower fairies, and enchanted birds. Upon feeling the heat of the sun, the assembly takes flight. Tableau 3 — ''A landscape of flowing fields of wheat'' Cornflowers and poppies revel in the light and warmth of the sun. They take rest after their exertion. Now

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

s appear, who bring water to refresh the growth, and the Spirit of Corn dances in thanksgiving.

Satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, ex ...

s and

faun The faun (, grc, φαῦνος, ''phaunos'', ) is a half- human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology. Originally fauns of Roman mythology were spirits (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their ...

s enter playing their pipes, and attempt to carry off the Spirit of the Corn, but she is rescued by the wind of Zephyr. Tableau 4 — ''A landscape in Autumn'' The Seasons take part in a glorious dance (the well-known "autumn bacchanale") while leaves from autumn trees rain upon their merriment. Apotheosis — ''The Sable sky'' Constellations of stars sparkle above the earth.

Résumé of dances and the mise-en-scène

List of the numbers comprising ''The Seasons'' taken from the ''Yearbook of the Imperial Theatres, 1899-1900'', being the original titles of the dances and ''mise en scène'' as originally staged. *No.01 ''Prélude'' Tableau I — ''L’Hiver'' (winter) *No.02 ''Scène de l’Hiver'' *No.03 ''Variation du givre'' (frost) *No.04 ''Variation de la glace'' (ice) *No.05 ''Variation de la grêle'' (hail) *No.06 ''Variation de la neige'' (snow) *No.07 ''Coda'' Tableau II — ''Le Printemps'' (spring) *No.08 ''Entrée de Printemps, Zéphyre, les Fées des fleurs, les oiseaux et les fleurs'' Tableau III — ''L’Été'' (summer) *No.09 ''Scène de l’Été'' *No.10 ''Valse des bleuets et des pavots'' (Waltz of the Cornflowers and Poppies) *No.11 ''La Barcarolle – Entrée des naïades, le satyres et des faunes'' *No.12 ''Variation de l’Esprit du maïs'' *No.13 ''Coda'' Tableau IV — ''L’Automne'' (fall) *No.14 ''Grande bacchanale des saisons''— ::a. ''Entrée des saisons'' ::b. ''L’Hiver'' ::c. ''Le Printemps'' ::d. ''Bacchanale'' ::e. ''L’Été'' *No.15 ''Petit Adagio'' *No.16 ''Variation du Satyre'' *No.17 ''Coda générale'' Apotheosis *No.18 ''Apothéose: La Révélation des étoiles''

Discography

*1929, Aleksandr Glazunov, unknown orchestra *1953, Roger Désormière,

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France sinc ...

*1956, Albert Wolff,

Paris Conservatoire Orchestra Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

*1966,

Ernest Ansermet Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)"Ansermet, Ernest" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 435. was a Swiss conductor. Biography Ansermet ...

Suisse Romande Orchestra The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) is a Swiss symphony orchestra, based in Geneva at the Victoria Hall. In addition to symphony concerts, the OSR performs as the opera orchestra in productions at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. History Er ...

*196?, Konstantin Ivanov, USSR Symphony Orchestra *196?, Robert Irving, Concert Arts Orchestra *1978,

Yevgeny Svetlanov Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov (russian: Евгéний Фёдорович Светлáнов; 6 September 1928 – 3 May 2002) was a Russian conductor, composer and a pianist. Life and work Svetlanov was born in Moscow and studied conducting ...

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, ...

*1987,

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, ...

Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the Or ...

*1989,

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

*1993, Edo de Waart,

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Em ...

*1987, Ondrej Lenard, Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra *2004, José Serebrier,

Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the O ...

Uses in popular culture

*Part of the Adagio from Autumn was chosen by Guy Mauffette as the musical theme for the long-running Radio-Canada soap opera ''Un homme et son péché'' (1939–1962) and its later adaptation for television, ''

Les Belles Histoires des pays d'en haut ''Les Belles Histoires des pays d'en haut'' is a Canadian television drama series, which aired on Radio-Canada from October 8, 1956, to June 1, 1970. One of the longest-running programs in the history of Canadian television, the series produced 4 ...

'' (1956–1970). *The Autumn Bacchanale is used as the introductory music to BBC TV's annual

Richard Dimbleby Lecture The ''Richard Dimbleby Lecture'' (also known as the ''Dimbleby Lecture'') is an annual television lecture founded in memory of Richard Dimbleby (1913—1965), the BBC broadcaster. It has been delivered by an influential business, scientific or ...

s (1972–). *Excerpts from the ballet were heard on a recording featuring Don Wilson narrating the story of Ceres and

Proserpina Proserpina ( , ) or Proserpine ( ) is an ancient Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of Greek Persephone. Proserpina replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera, whose ...

(here called Proserpine), with the music, played by the Continental Symphony Orchestra, serving as accompaniment. This recording was part of an LP issued by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

entitled ''Classics for Children''.

External links

*
YouTube clip of the Autumn variation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Season, The 1900 ballet premieres Ballets by Alexander Glazunov Ballets by Marius Petipa Ballets designed by Alexander Golovin 1899 compositions Ballets premiered at the Hermitage Theatre