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 23 February [O.S. 10 February] 1900. The ballet was given a second premiere with the same cast at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on 26 February [O.S. 13 February] 1900.
Les Millions d'Arlequin, or Harlequinade
Frontispiece of the original piano reduction of Drigo's score as issued by the publisher Zimmerman, 1901
23 February [O.S. 10 February] 1900 (Hermitage) 26 February [O.S. 13 February] 1900 (Imperial Mariinsky Theatre)
Design
décor: Orest Allegri costumes: Ivan Kaffi
Genre
Ballet comique
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.
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 23 February [O.S. 10 February] 1900 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 26 February [O.S. 13 February] 1900.
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"
Waltz from Drigo's "Serenade" (1:41)
Recorded prior to 1917, from Russian State Archive of Sound Recordings
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
Program for the first performance of Les Millions d'Arlequin at the Theatre of the Hermitage Museum. 1900.
Lyubov Egorova (left) and Julia Sedova (right) costumed for the Pizzicato of act II. St. Petersburg, 1900.
Julia Sedova costumed for the Pizzicato of Act II. Saint Petersburg, 1900.
Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Fokine costumed as friends of Harlequin and Columbine for the Sérénade of act I. St. Petersburg, 1900.
Anna Pavlova costumed as a friend of Harlequin and Columbine for the Sérénade of act I. St. Petersburg, 1900.
Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot. St. Petersburg, 1900.
Caricature of Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot in Les Millions d'Arlequin by the brothers Nikolai and Sergei Legat for their book The Russian Ballet In Caricature, 1903.
References
External links
Media related to Les millions d'Arlequin at Wikimedia Commons
January 07, 2023
millions, arlequin, this, article, about, petipa, ballet, italian, subsequent, british, theatre, forms, harlequinade, this, article, does, cite, sources, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenge. This article is about Petipa s ballet For the Italian and subsequent British theatre forms see Harlequinade This article does not cite any sources Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Les millions d Arlequin news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Les Millions d Arlequin English Harlequin s Millions Russian Milliony Arlekina Milliony Arlekina also known under the title Harlequinade Russian Arlekinada 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 23 February O S 10 February 1900 The ballet was given a second premiere with the same cast at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on 26 February O S 13 February 1900 Les Millions d Arlequin or HarlequinadeFrontispiece of the original piano reduction of Drigo s score as issued by the publisher Zimmerman 1901ChoreographerMarius PetipaMusicRiccardo DrigoLibrettoMarius PetipaBased onepisodes from La commedia dell artePremiere23 February O S 10 February 1900 Hermitage 26 February O S 13 February 1900 Imperial Mariinsky Theatre Designdecor Orest Allegricostumes Ivan KaffiGenreBallet comiqueThe Serenade from the first act of the ballet became a popular repertory piece that has been arranged for various instruments and recorded on numerous occasions Contents 1 History 1 1 Later productions 1 2 Alexei Ratmansky s reconstruction 2 Publication of the music 3 The Serenade 4 Gallery 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditIvan 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 maitre 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 23 February O S 10 February 1900 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 26 February O S 13 February 1900 Later productions Edit 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 decor 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 Edit 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 decor 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 EditAfter 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 Serenade Edit Waltz from Drigo s Serenade 1 41 source source Recorded prior to 1917 from Russian State Archive of Sound Recordings Problems playing this file See media help 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 Serenade 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 Serenade was among the pieces in the White Star Line songbook and was played by the Musicians of the RMS Titanic The Serenade 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 Serenade have been recorded on countless occasions Gallery Edit Program for the first performance of Les Millions d Arlequin at the Theatre of the Hermitage Museum 1900 Lyubov Egorova left and Julia Sedova right costumed for the Pizzicato of act II St Petersburg 1900 Julia Sedova costumed for the Pizzicato of Act II Saint Petersburg 1900 Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Fokine costumed as friends of Harlequin and Columbine for the Serenade of act I St Petersburg 1900 Anna Pavlova costumed as a friend of Harlequin and Columbine for the Serenade of act I St Petersburg 1900 Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot St Petersburg 1900 Caricature of Sergei Lukianov as Pierrot in Les Millions d Arlequin by the brothers Nikolai and Sergei Legat for their book The Russian Ballet In Caricature 1903 References EditExternal links Edit Media related to Les millions d Arlequin at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Les millions d 27Arlequin amp oldid 1118669755, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
