Voices of Spring (Ashton)
Voices of Spring | |
---|---|
Choreographer | Frederick Ashton |
Music | Johann Strauss |
Premiere | 31 December 1977 Royal Opera House, London |
Original ballet company | The Royal Opera |
Voices of Spring is a short
Background
The Royal Opera performed Die Fledermaus for
The production contained two additional Strauss pieces, choreographed by Ashton as ballets: the Frühlingsstimmen waltz and the Explosions-Polka. These appeared in Act II of the operetta, part of a ball scene. The Explosions-Polka was performed by an ensemble cast, while the Frühlingsstimmen waltz, a pas de deux was performed by Merle Park and Wayne Eagling.[2]
In September 1978, the Frühlingsstimmen waltz dance was premiered as an independent piece, under its English name Voices of Spring, at the Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles.[3]
Description
Frühlingsstimmen itself is a short piece with no plot, around eight minutes long. It is a lively Viennese waltz and the dance is suited to the music; it has a strong sense of effortless and joyful movement, strongly influenced by the boldness of the Bolshoi Ballet.[4]
It is performed by one male and one female dancer, neither named and both simply identified as "Dancer".[5]
Critical reception
Reviews of the first performance did not focus on the dance, but the Times described it as "danced admirably and a great improvement on the Explosions-Polka".[6] The 1980s independent performances were likewise not heavily remarked upon. In the 2004 revival, the Guardian noted that while not the centrepiece of the performance, Voices was "the kind of crowd-rousing display that suits programmes of highlights".[7]
Revivals
The piece is rarely performed, but was revived for performance by the Royal Ballet in 1981 and 1983, when it was again performed by Eagling and Park, then in 2004 and 2012.
The most recent performance was again as part of a series of works by Ashton, marking 25 years since his death, and was danced alternatively by Yuhiui Choe and Alexander Campbell, and Emma Maguire and Valentino Zuchetti.[11]
Notes
- ^ Performance details: Die Fledermaus, 31 December 1977
- ^ Programme 2012/13, p. 25
- ^ Work details: Voices of Spring
- ^ Programme: Ashton 100 Celebrations; Programme 2012/13, p. 10
- ^ a b Programme: Ashton 100 Celebrations
- ^ The Times, 3 January 1978
- ^ a b Roy, Sanjoy (30 July 2004). "Artists from the Royal Ballet". Guardian.
- ^ Production details: Voices of Spring
- ^ Programme: 2 April 1981
- ^ Performance details: Voices of Spring; "Lincoln Centre Festival - Program 2004".
- ^ Programme 2012/13, p. 25
References
- Royal Opera House. "Work details: Voices of Spring".
- Royal Opera House. "Production details: Die Fledermaus - 31 December 1977 Evening".
- Royal Opera House. "Performance details: Voices of Spring (1981)".
- Royal Opera House (2012). Royal Ballet Programme: 2012/13.
- Royal Opera House (2004). Royal Ballet Programme: Ashton 100 Celebrations.
- Royal Opera House (1981). Royal Ballet Programme: 2 April 1981.