Ballet goes back to the beginnings

Press, 28 April 1981, Page 23

Ballet goes back to the beginnings

The New Zealand Ballet has gone right back to the beginning for its touring proauction of “Giselle.” which will open for a four-night season in the Theatre Royal tomorrow. ‘ '

The choreography and production by Dorothea Ashbridge and Harry Haythorne are based on the 1884 version, and the-, music to be used is the score, performed in the first production of the 140-year-old ballet. "Giselle,” one of the oldest ballets still being performed, is a romantic ballet in the style which was initiated by “La Sylphide” in 1832 and culminated in the 1895 version of “Swan Lake.”

"Giselle” was first produced in Paris in 1841. The inspiration for it came to the poet, Theophile Gautier, from a passage in a work by Heinrich Heine about the “Wilis,” nocturnal sprites who, lured -young men to death by ceaseless dancing. Gautier and a colleague, Vernoy de Saint-Georges, developed the story from this.

The music was commissioned from Adolphe Adam who, unusually for the day, created an original score — the general practice for ballets at that time was to build a score around popular melodies, there being no copyright law to inhibit such 'a procedure.

The original choreography and production were by Jean Coralli, ballet master of the Paris Opera, although Giselle’s own dances and scenes were created by, or in collaboration with, Jules Perrot.

Since the first performance the ballet has undergone many changes and revisions both in music and choreography, the most notable having been in 1884, when Marius Petipa choreographed a production in what is now generally accepted as the “traditional” version.

The score originally contained much more music than is usually heard today. Later producers and choreographers removed large sections and replaced them with music by other composers. Even at the first performance a Peasant pas de Deux by Friedrich Burgmuller was added. Fori the New Zealand Ballets version the producers have returned to the original score, and have deleted all music not by Adam apart from the Peasant pas de Deux, which has been retained because of its inclusion at the first performance. Wherever possible the 'traditional’-’ choreography has been adopted. Some choreography designed for music by later composers has. been changed to fit Adam’s music. New steps have been devised in a style consistent with the traditional version for some sections from which the original has been lost. The ballet company says the return to the original version of the ballet is not dictated solely by a desire for greater musical purity and coherence. A major aim is to reestablish the position, depth, and roundness of all the characters in the story. Too often, say the producers, “Giselle” has become a vehicle for the talents of the dancers portraying the roles, of Giselle and Albrecht; the other characters have become “cardboard cut-outs,” essential only to move the plot along.

Double header Christchurch gallery-goers seeking a full understanding of “Domain,” the huge 15part painting by Rob Taylor which is on display in the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, may well have to go to two exhibitions.

Taylor has given a public talk about his painting in the gallery, and has provided a written “tourist’s guide” to the work for viewers; and the exhibition is accompanied by a selection of the artist’s working drawings for “Domain.”

But those whose appetites are merely whetted, not satisfied, by all of this will have to go to the Brooke/Gifford Gallery to see 40 paintings which represent some other aspects of his works. Some of these paintings served as stepping stones on the way to “Domain.” They are on display until May 8. “Domain,” with its mixture of figurative and abstract images, is baffling to many viewers, but according to the artist “its immediate concern is with the nature of communication in art.”

The work has its genesis in Taylor's perennial fascination with things archaeological and historical, which began on a childhood visit to the ancient ruins at Stonehenge. Its figurative images include the tin knight, the phoenix, a megalithic gate, and anyman and his dog. According to Taylor the work is a direct acknowledgement by the artist that viewers will “read” the canvas in different ways, according to their natures and experiences.

Notes distributed by the gallery.quote him as saying that the works are intended to be open to individual interpretation.

“They represent references from a wide range of social, political, environmental concerns and represent the artist’s synthesis of accumulated reactions to humanity's domain,” says the McDougall Gallery. According to Taylor, in spite of his preoccupation with “communication” art is not “communication as one generally understands that concept.” He says: “If I wish to communicate I write a letter, get on the phone. But in the distillation of the individual and his life-content as it is organised on to a canvas there is, if it achieves the status of art, a powerful accumulative communication;”

He cites Goya’s “Third of May 1808” and “Disasters of War”, and Picasso’s “Guernica” as forceful works of communication even though all three were produced years after the events which inspired them. “These are not impotent works. They have accumulated a considerable communicated force,” he says.

Russian dragon A translation of a plav written during World War II by a Russian satirical dramatist is the major production for this year by the St Christopheris Drama Group and the play, “The Dragon” by Evgeny Shvarts, has been translated and adapted by John Goodliffe, who also has a major acting role in the production. Shvarts, born in 1897, began his carer as an actor, but gave up acting to concentrate on writing. His speciality was plays for children, but his three bestknown works, “The Naked King” (1933), “The Shadow” (1940) and “The Dragon” (1943) use the fairy tale as a vehicle for satire bn political tyranny. After the first performance of “The Dragon” in Leningrad and Moscow in 1944, the play was withdrawn from the repertory. It was briefly revived in 1962, after the author’s death, but has not been performed since then, except outside the Soviet Union.

In the St Christopher's production the part of the Dragon. in a number of unexpected disguises, is played by Keith Cooke. The Mayor is played by John Goodliffe, and Andrew Stammer has the role of the Mayor’s son, the scheming and ambitious Henry. On the side of virtue are John Harker as Lancelot, Rosalind Peek as Charlotta, and Maggie Hillock as her daughter Elsa, the Dragon’s projected victim. Shirley Caddick is directing. The production will be presented in the Elmwood Playhouse; in Fulton Avenue, from April 29 to May 2. All in the family The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra will give its second subscription concert in the Town Hall on Saturday night. Vanco Cavdarski will be the guest conductor, and his son, Igor, will be the soloist — a repetition of the combination which gave a very successful concert in Christchurch last November. Since November, father and son have been in Europe. Vanco Cavdarski made an extended visit to Yugoslavia, where he conducted the Belgrade Philharmonic, of

which he will soon become musical director. Igor Cavdarski also visited Yugoslavia. where he appeared as soloist with a number of orchestras. As well, he studied in Paris with the French pianist, Aldo Ciccolini, and in London, where he gained a British Arts Council scholarship to study at the Moscow Conservatorium. Bookings for Saturday's concert have been much heavier than usual, the orchestra reports. . The programme combines the popular with the novel. The overture. "Santiago de Espada,” written by the Master of the Queen’s Musick, Malcolm Williamson, and dedicated to Sir Adrian Boult, is a new work to Christchurch audiences, but the other two are familiar — Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Dvorak’s most popular symphony, the “New World.” Trio music Music by Purcell. Brahms. Mozart, and a number of lesser-known composers will be featured in a concert to be given twice this week by the unusual combination of piano, voice, and cello. The voice will be that of Rosemary Ellis, a member of the Harmonic Choir and Chorale and the Jubilate Singers. The cellist will be Judi Pattinson, who studied at the Royal Academy of Music and has been a music teacher in New Zealand since 1979; and the pianist will be John Pattinson, a member of the staff of the School of Music at the University of Canterbury. Their programme consists mostly of songs and arias by a variety of English and European composers, plus a few instrumental works. They will present it in the Ran’giora Methodist Church on Thursday, at 8 p.m., and again on Sunday afternoon in St Alban’s Methodist Church, Merivale. Murder Indian style Three real Indians will play the roles of Indian servants next week in a locallywritten play about the supposed murder in the Old Stone House at the foot of Cashmere hill.

The play, written by a member of the Cracroft Community Centre. Lynley Young, is set in the Old Stone House, which was the first New Zealand home of the Cracroft Wilsons. It is being directed by Mary and Guus de Koster. The title is “The Enquiry,” and the brief season will run from May 5 to 7. The performances will be given in the "Barn,” the girl guide training centre, and afterwards both cast and audiences will be invited to the Old Stone House for Indian supper.

Dr Ikram. of the heart department at Princess Margaret Hospital, is cast as the villain, and Dr Amama Thornley, of the South Christchurch Medical Centre, is his posible victim. The role of Yasmin is played by Krishna Haszard. Fund raisers A group of members of the Christchurch Gilbert and Sullivan and Light Opera Society have launched themselves as a "self-contained entertainment group” in a

novel fund-raising effort for the society’s planned production of the Strauss operetta, “Die Fledermaus,” in September. The group, which calls itself the “Gillivan Varieties." will give performances in hotels and clubs, and all the proceeds will go towards the cost of mounting the operetta — estimated to be $45,000. The members describe the Gillivan Varieties as a "fastmoving. two-hour variety show, moving through a century of music and fun. with plenty of room for audience

participation.” Its first engagement is a series of six Thursday’ performances at the Papanui Tavern, scheduled to begin on May 7. Harold Beesley is directing the varieties, and Elizabeth Dorn is musical director. The principal performers are Irene MacDoald. Pam Coote, Yvonne Howman. John Jefferies. and Ron Gray. Warren Bennie is the compere. "Die Fledermaus,” which will be performed in the James Hay Theatre from September 10 to 19. will be the society’s, twenty-first production. Bryan Aitken, for-

merly of the Court Theatre < and the star recently of t "Half a Sixpence.” ’ will i. direct, and Philip Norman will be music director. ’ Auditions will be held on i Saturday and Sunday. 5 Space opera The Canterbury Children’s - Theatre has almost comi pleted its rehearsals for the home-grown "space opera" i planned for the May holiJ days, and is getting set for i the grand opening of the ? production on May 8. The play. "The Revenge of - Badsky,” was commissioned

' 'by the group from the Christf church playwright, Ken Hudl son. and the author and his i wife will be guests on the first night. i The society's special-effects have haspecialists have had a field day preparing for the show. The setting in "outer space" includes a sun that turns the skin purple, exploding fruit, and a sophisticated and well-armed robot named "Geog." There are also the Togos. strange creatures with stranger habits. ‘7 ■ "Badsky” will be presented in the Repertory Theatre from May 8 to Mav 16.