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 comique'' in two acts and two tableaux with libretto and choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Riccardo Drigo. It was first presented at the Theatre of the Imperial Hermitage Museum by the Imperial Ballet in Saint Petersburg on . The ballet was given a second premiere with the same cast at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on .

The ''Sérénade'' from the first act of the ballet became a popular repertory piece that has been arranged for various instruments and recorded on numerous occasions.

History

Ivan Vsevolozhsky took up the directorship of the Imperial Hermitage Museum in 1899, a post that required supervision over performances given at the museum's theatre. Vsevolozhsky commissioned Marius Petipa—the renowned ''Premier maître de ballet'' of the Saint Petersburg Imperial Theatres—to begin work on three short ballets for the 1900–1901 season that would be performed privately for the imperial russian court. Petipa began crafting scenarios for these ballets, which were ''Les Ruses d'amour'' (''The Pranks of Love''), '' Les Saisons'' (''The Seasons''), and ''Les Millions d'Arlequin''. Petipa's libretto for ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' was based on episodes featuring the stock characters from the Italian ''Commedia dell'arte''.

''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' was first presented on with a cast that included Mathilde Kschessinskaya as Columbine, Georgy Kyaksht as Harlequin, Olga Preobrajenskaya as Pierrette, Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot, and Enrico Cecchetti as Cassandre. The first performance was given for a private audience consisting of the whole of the Imperial Russian court as well as the Emperor Nicholas II, the Empress Alexandra, and the Dowager Empress Maria. Private royal theatrical performances of that time were extremely formal affairs where rigid etiquette and protocol were strictly adhered to, and as such applause or cheering were not permitted. Nevertheless, within moments of the final curtain the typically subdued royal audience erupted into thunderous applause. The ballet master Petipa and the entire cast received a tumultuous ovation as they took their bows before the curtain. But much to the surprise of everyone present, the composer Drigo received such a reception that he was mobbed by several princes and Grand Dukes who tripped over one another in their enthusiasm to congratulate him for his music. The Empress Alexandra was also delighted with the ballet, and commanded two additional court performances on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the first being given on .

Later productions

The ballet master Fyodor Lopukhov staged ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' as ''Arlekinada'' in 1933 in a one-act redaction for the newly formed Maly Theatre Ballet of Leningrad. The production included costumes and décor designed by the artist Tatiana Bruni. The premiere on 6 June 1933 was the company's first performance as the Maly Theatre's official dance troupe. Lopukhov's production of ''Arlekinada'' was performed by the company consistently until the 1990s, and was even filmed on two occasions.

In honor of the 65th anniversary of ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'', George Balanchine created his own version of the ballet for the New York City Ballet as ''Harlequinade''. This production premiered at the New York State Theater in New York City on 4 February 1965 with Patricia McBride as Columbine, Edward Villella as Harlequin, Suki Schorer as Pierrette and Deni Lamont as Pierrot. The New York City Ballet still perform ''Harlequinade'' consistently to the present day.

Alexei Ratmansky's reconstruction

Marius Petipa's choreography for ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' was recorded in the Stepanov method of choreographic notation not long after its premiere in 1900. Today, this notation is part of the Sergeyev Collection at Harvard University. In 2018, the choreographer Alexei Ratmansky utilized the notation of ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' to stage a reconstruction of the Imperial Ballet's original production for American Ballet Theatre, with the designer Robert Perdziola creating décor and costumes based on the designs created for the ballet's original production of 1900. The production was staged as ''Harlequinade'' and premiered on June 4, 2018 at the Metropolitan Opera House. The production was very successful and was later staged for the Australian Ballet in 2022.

Publication of the music

After the premiere of ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' in 1900, plans were underway by the music publisher Zimmermann to issue Riccardo Drigo's score in both piano reduction and orchestral partition. Riccardo Drigo recounts in his memoirs of how his colleagues urged the composer to dedicate his score to the Empress Alexandra. This required the composer to submit a request for the dedication to the Minister of the Imperial Court, which brought about a lengthy correspondence by a commission set up to investigate whether or not the composer's character and background were worthy of his offering a dedication to a Russian Empress. In the end the response was favorable and the dedication was graciously accepted.

The "Sérénade"

The first act of ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' featured a scene where the character Columbine appears on the balcony of her house and is serenaded from the street by the character Harlequin with his prop mandolin (though a prop guitar was also used in subsequent performances). Drigo's music for this scene became popular in its own right and was published separately in arrangements for various instruments. The "Sérénade" would go on to become a staple of salon music during the Edwardian era and the inter-war period, and was even issued by music publishers under several alternate titles including "Valse Boston" or "Serenatina veneziana" ("Venetian Serenade"). The "Sérénade" was among the pieces in the White Star Line songbook, and was played by the Musicians of the RMS Titanic.

The "Sérénade" was later adapted into the song "Notturno d'amore" by the lyricist S. Focacci in 1922. The Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli made a worldwide hit with his recording of the song in 1926. "Notturno d'amore" would go on to be recorded by many notable singers, while various adaptations of the ''Sérénade'' have been recorded on countless occasions.

Gallery

File:Hermitageprogramme.jpg,
File:EgorovaIIandSedovaHarlequinadePizz.jpg,
File:Harlequinade -Pas des alouettes -Julie Sedova -ca. 1905.JPG,
File:Harlequinade - Pavlova & Fokine -1902.JPG,
File:Harlequinade -Serenade -Anna Pavlova.JPG,
File:LukianovAsPierrot.png,
File:LegatCaricatureLukianovPierrot.jpg,

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Millions D'arlequin, Les
Ballets by Marius Petipa
Ballets by Riccardo Drigo
1900 ballet premieres
Ballets premiered at the Hermitage Theatre