Ballet "La Sylphide". Libretto for ballet performances

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The ballet "La Sylphide" is a creation of the Norwegian composer Herman Lövenskold. The plot of the play is fantastic.

Composer

Herman Severin von Löwenskold, who created the ballet La Sylphide, was born in 1815 in Copenhagen. He was born into a noble family. His father served at the king's court as a Jägermeister. Mother was an amateur composer, composing music that accompanied the king in hunting fun when he was on their estate. At the age of 14, the future composer began to study music professionally. The ballet La Sylphide can be called his debut work. The performance was very successful. The composer traveled a lot to improve his skills, he visited St. Petersburg, Vienna, Italy for this purpose. From 1841 he served at the Royal Theater and became the author of music for many performances, and also wrote several chamber ensembles, concert overtures and so on. In 1851 he received the post of organist at the royal court.

Successful debut

The ballet "La Sylphide" is based on a novel of a fantastic nature, authored by the writer Charles Nodier. The play premiered in 1836 in Copenhagen. The choreographer of the fantastic story, August Bournonville, also became the first performer of the main male part. The author of the libretto for the ballet is A. Bournonville. Lucille Grand, a seventeen-year-old dancer, became the performer of the main female part. The Russian public saw the ballet in 1837.

Characters

The content of the ballet is revealed by the following characters:

Sylph - the spirit of the air in the form of a young girl.

Anna is a widow, her husband was a farmer.

James is her son.

Gurn is his rival.

Effie is James' fiancee.

Madge is a witch.

Nancy is Effy's girlfriend.

And also peasants, sylphs, children, witches, old people, beasts.

Storyline

So, the ballet "La Sylphide". The content of action 1 is as follows. A Scottish castle is on stage. It's James and Effy's wedding day. Everyone is preparing for the celebration, the groom dozed off in an armchair. A Sylph appears beside him - a beautiful winged girl. She kisses James on the forehead, causing him to wake up. He is fascinated by the air maiden and wants to catch her, but she flies away. Gurn is in love with Effy and, having learned that the thoughts of her fiancé have been taken over by another, he tries to woo her beloved, but she is all in dreams of marriage and does not pay attention to his advances. James continues to dream about the Sylph and does not notice his bride at all.

The sorceress Madge sneaks into the castle, she wants to warm herself by the fire. James does not like her presence and tries to drive her away, but Effy persuades the groom to allow the old woman to stay and tell fortunes to the guests. He agrees, meanwhile, Madge is fortune-telling Effy and predicts to her that she will marry Gurn. Jamesfurious and showering the sorceress with threats, she curses him in response. The bride leaves James alone and leaves to put on her wedding attire. At this time, the Sylph again appears to the young man, she says that she loves him and that they should be together. Gurn tries to tell Effy that her fiancé doesn't love her anymore, but she won't listen to anything. The wedding begins and Sylph appears at the celebration, she calls James with her, and he, unable to resist her charms, leaves the bride. Effy's heart is broken.

The ballet "La Sylphide" does not end there. Read the contents of step 2 below. Forest Glade. The sorceress Madge is eager to take revenge on James, in her magic cauldron she wove a scarf that will enchant anyone, and no one can resist his magical power. The sylph brings James to her realm. The girl gave the young man water to drink, fed her berries, but she never allowed him to hug her, and when he tried to catch her, she eluded him. The sylph summons her sisters and they entertain the young man with their dances.

Effy and her fiancé's friends went looking for James but couldn't find him. Old Madge is with them. Gurn proposes to Effy, the sorceress persuades the girl to accept him. James' fiancee becomes Gurn's fiancee and everyone leaves the forest to get married. Madge finds James and gives him a magical scarf, saying that with it he can capture the Sylph. The young man accepts the gift and, when his maiden of air appears, throws it over her shoulders. The sylph is really unable to resist the charms of the scarf, she allows James to kiss her. He embraces the girl and kisses her. The sylph is dying. For the spirit of the air, his caresses are deadly. James is desperate. In the distance, he sees a wedding procession and regrets that he left the bride. He comes to the realization that, chasing what is unattainable, he lost what he had.

Reviews

About the ballet "La Sylphide" reviews can be found as follows:

• This is a great performance with a fabulous storyline.
• The ballet is charming, its old style is impressive.
• The music of "Sylphs" is tender and beautiful.
• The choreographic language is crisp and clear.
• This is a very beautiful ballet that is very easy to understand.
• Composer H. Löwenskold and choreographer A. Bournonville turned out to be a true masterpiece.