Les Millions D’Arlequin
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''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 Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...
and music by
Riccardo Drigo Riccardo Eugenio Drigo (; 30 June 1846 – 1 October 1930) was an Italian composer of ballet music and Italian opera, a theatrical Conducting, conductor, and a pianist. Drigo is most noted for his long career as kapellmeister and Director of Mu ...
. It was first presented at the Theatre of the Imperial Hermitage Museum by the
Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () 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 Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...
in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
on . The ballet was given a second premiere with the same cast at the
Imperial Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...
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 Ivan Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky (; 1835–1909) was the Director of the Imperial Theatres in Russia from 1881 to 1898 and director of the Hermitage from 1899 to his death in 1909. Vsevolozhsky ran the Imperial Theatres with a determination f ...
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—''Premier maître de ballet'' of the Saint Petersburg Imperial Theatres—to create three short ballets for the 1900–1901 season that would be performed privately for the imperial Russian court. Petipa crafted the librettos for these ballets himself: the one-act '' Les Ruses d'amour'' (''The Pranks of Love''), with a scenario inspired by French
rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
; the one-act '' Les Saisons'' (''The Seasons''), a ''ballet-
divertissement ''Divertissement'' (from the French 'diversion' or 'amusement') is used, in a similar sense to the Italian 'divertimento', for a light piece of music for a small group of players, however the French term has additional meanings. During the 17th an ...
'' featuring dance episodes inspired by the four
seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
; and ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'', a two-act work based on the stock characters from the Italian ''
Commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...
''. ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' was first performed on a double bill after two acts of Alexander Serov's opera ''
Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...
'' at the Imperial Theatre of the Hermitage Museum on . In the principal roles were Mathilde Kschessinskaya as Columbine, Georgy Kyaksht as Harlequin,
Olga Preobrajenskaya Olga Iosifovna Preobrajenska (; born Preobrazhenskaya; – 27 December 1962) was a Russian ballerina of the Mariinsky Ballet, Russian Imperial Ballet and a ballet instructor. Biography She was born in Saint Petersburg as Olga Preobrazhensk ...
as Pierrette, Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot, Enrico Cecchetti as Cassandre, Nikolai Aistov as Leandre, and Anna Urakova as the Good Fairy. This performance was a private occasion given for the Imperial Russian court. Among the audience was the
Emperor Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...
, 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 began to applaud, with the ballet master Petipa and the cast receiving an enthusiastic ovation as they took their bows before the curtain. But much to the surprise of everyone present, the composer Drigo received such a reception after the performance 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 admired the ballet, and commanded two additional court performances, this time on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the first being given on . ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' became a popular work in the repertory of the Imperial Ballet. Marius Petipa's original production was given its final performances in the 1920s.


Later productions

In 1933 the ballet master
Fyodor Lopukhov Fyodor Vasilyevich Lopukhov (; 20 October 1886, Saint Petersburg – 28 January 1973, Leningrad) was a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer and choreographer. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1956). Training and dance career Lopukhov was born into a f ...
staged ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' as ''Arlekinada'' for the newly formed Maly Theatre Ballet of Leningrad. Lopukhov's version was a redacted version in one-act with costumes and décor designed by the artist Tatiana Bruni. The premiere on June 6, 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 until the 1990s, and was filmed on two occasions for Russian television. Lopukhov's version would go on to be staged by various companies and schools throughout Russia.


The New York City Ballet's production by George Balanchine

In honor of the 65th anniversary of ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'',
George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...
created his own version of the ballet for the
New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...
as ''Harlequinade''. This production premiered at the New York State Theater in New York City on 4 February 1965 with
Patricia McBride Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's youngest principal. ...
as Columbine,
Edward Villella Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...
as Harlequin, Suki Schorer as Pierrette and Deni Lamont as Pierrot. The New York City Ballet still perform ''Harlequinade'' 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 The Sergeyev Collection (officially Nikolai Sergeev Dance Notations and Music Scores for Ballets) is an assemblage of materials that document the repertory of the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg as it existed at the turn-of-the 20th century. The ...
at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. In 2018, the choreographer
Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-Ukrainian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet. He left Russia in 2008. In 2009 he was appointed the ar ...
utilized the notation of ''Les Millions d'Arlequin'' to stage a reconstruction of the Imperial Ballet's original production for
American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...
, with the designer Robert Perdziola creating décor and costumes based on the ballet's original production of 1900. Ratmansky's 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 The Australian Ballet (TAB) is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur an ...
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 In music, a reduction is an arrangement or transcription of an existing score or composition in which complexity is lessened to make analysis, performance, or practice easier or clearer; the number of parts may be reduced or rhythm may be ...
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'' includes a scene called ''La Sérénade'' where the character Columbine appears on the balcony of her house and is serenaded from the street by the character Harlequin and his friends. The music became a popular excerpt in its own right and would go on to become a staple of
Edwardian Era In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...
salon music Salon music was a popular music genre in Europe during the 19th century. It was usually written for solo piano in the Romantic music, romantic style, and is often performed by the composer at events known as "Salon (gathering), Salons". Salon compo ...
/
light music Light music is a less-serious form of Western classical music, which originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and continues today. Its heyday was in the mid‑20th century. The style is through-composed, usually shorter orchestral pieces and ...
. The piece was published in several arrangements for various instruments under many different titles such as ''Valse Boston'' or ''Serenatina veneziana'' (''Venetian Serenade''). The ''Sérénade'' was among the pieces in the
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...
songbook, and was played by the
Musicians of the RMS Titanic The musicians of the ''Titanic'' were an Octet (music), octet orchestra who performed chamber music in the first class section aboard the ship. The group is notable for playing music, intending to calm the passengers for as long as they possi ...
. The ''Sérénade'' was later adapted into the song ''Notturno d'amore'' (''Nocturne of Love'') by the lyricist S. Focacci in 1922. The Italian tenor
Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer ( lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a sho ...
made a worldwide hit with his recording of the song in 1926.


Résumé of dances

Taken from the original programme for the premiere of the ballet at the Hermitage Museum, 1900. Act I *No. 01 ''Prélude'' *No. 02 ''La clef dérobée'' *No. 03 ''Ballabile par une compagnie de masques'' *No. 04 ''La sérénade'' *No. 05 ''Le rendezvous des amoureux (Pas d'ensemble)—'' ::—a. ''Andante'' ::—b. ''Danse des amis de Columbine et d'Arlequin'' ::—c. ''Variation pour Columbine'' *No. 06 ''La batte enchantée'' Act II *No. 07 ''Polonaise'' *No. 08 ''Arlequinade: Ballabile des enfants—'' ::—a. ''Danse des Polichinelles'' ::—b. ''Danse des Arlequins et Columbines'' ::—c. ''Danse des Pierrots et Pierrettes'' ::—d. ''Danse des Scaramouches'' ::—e. ''Coda du ballabile des enfants'' *No. 09 ''Pizzicato: La réconciliation de Pierrot avec Pierrette'' *No. 10 ''La chasse aux alouettes (Pas d'action)—'' ::—a. ''Entrée'' ::—b. ''Andante'' ::—c. ''Valse des alouettes'' ::—d. ''Variation pour Arlequin'' ::—e. ''Berceuse: Variation pour Columbine'' ::—f. ''Coda du pas des alouettes'' *No. 11 ''Quadrille des merveilleuses et galop final'' (''"Marlborough s'en va-t-en fuerre"'', vieille chanson populaire française)


Gallery

File:Hermitageprogramme.jpg, File:Harlequinade-Preobrajenska-Obukhov-ca1910.png, 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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Millions D'arlequin, Les Ballets by Marius Petipa Ballets by Riccardo Drigo 1900 works 1900s ballets Ballets premiered at the Hermitage Theatre