Snow White & Mahler

[Flosshilde]

Snow White: Angelin Preljocaj's romantic, modern version of the classic fairy tale danced to Mahler's symphonies. With captivating acrobatic dwarves and striking Jean Paul Gaultier costumes. (Sky Arts 2, Christmas Day)

Can anyone think of a more un-natural pairing than Snow White & Mahler?

[PatrickOD]

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?

[Biffo]

It doesn't seem as heinous as the ballet Song of the Earth that was in the repertoire of the Royal Ballet - the thought of it makes my blood run cold. A Snow White to some of the Wunderhorn movements is feasible I suppose but I'd rather they didn't bother.

[Flosshilde]

It doesn't seem as heinous as the ballet Song of the Earth that was in the repertoire of the Royal Ballet - the thought of it makes my blood run cold.

I wasn't able to get to Scottish Ballet's performance at the Edinburgh Festival this year, so I haven't seen the Song of the Earth ballet (have you?) but I can't see what would be wrong in interpreting it in dance? Whereas using Mahlers' music to tell the story of a fairy tale (most familiar through Disney or pantomime) seems so wrong in many ways

The Sky Arts programme does specifically say it's music from the symphonies - the last movement of the 9th when SW bites the popisoned apple?

[scottycelt]

Snow White: Angelin Preljocaj's romantic, modern version of the classic fairy tale danced to Mahler's symphonies. With captivating acrobatic dwarves and striking Jean Paul Gaultier costumes. (Sky Arts 2, Christmas Day)

Can anyone think of a more un-natural pairing than Snow White & Mahler?

The Sugar Plum Fairy & Bruckner ... ?

[Roehre]

Snow White: Angelin Preljocaj's romantic, modern version of the classic fairy tale danced to Mahler's symphonies. With captivating acrobatic dwarves and striking Jean Paul Gaultier costumes. (Sky Arts 2, Christmas Day)

Can anyone think of a more un-natural pairing than Snow White & Mahler?

Snow White and the Wunderhorn texts stem from the same sources, and therefore I can imagine some Mahler music fitting very well for a Snow White ballet.

[Biffo]

I wasn't able to get to Scottish Ballet's performance at the Edinburgh Festival this year, so I haven't seen the Song of the Earth ballet (have you?) but I can't see what would be wrong in interpreting it in dance?

I anticipated this question and the answer is an unapologetic NO. I don't want to see it and I am 100% confident that seeing it would not somehow make me change my mind. On the contrary I doubt if I could bear more than 2 minutes of it.
Das Lied von der Erde is a work of supreme beauty, a wondrous blend of words and music. It doesn't need anything else adding to it, least of all dancers prancing around. Also a performance of it should be a special event not something knocked out nightly (twice on Saturdays).

Various great composers have written ballet scores and the succesful ones did it bearing in mind it was to have a visual component and had to be danceable. Some of these works have entered the concert repertoire because of the quality of the music but a large proportion of ballet remains in the theatre where it belongs. Mahler wrote a symphony not a ballet and it should be left at that; dancers, no matter how artistic balletomanes might find them are a distraction. Some of the more pictorial movements of his early symphonies might possibly be danced to but, as I said before, I'd rather they weren't.

If you believe the great music of the past is there to be plundered for ballets, background music, films, advertising jingles, pop songs, lift music etc, well fine, but don't expect me to agree with you.

[Petrushka]

Snow White: Angelin Preljocaj's romantic, modern version of the classic fairy tale danced to Mahler's symphonies. With captivating acrobatic dwarves and striking Jean Paul Gaultier costumes. (Sky Arts 2, Christmas Day)

Can anyone think of a more un-natural pairing than Snow White & Mahler?

Pierre Boulez conducting The Mikado?

Aren't there enough genuine ballets to dance to without roping in music that is wholly unsuitable? Not exactly a restricted repertoire is it?

[Chris Newman]

It doesn't seem as heinous as the ballet Song of the Earth that was in the repertoire of the Royal Ballet - the thought of it makes my blood run cold. A Snow White to some of the Wunderhorn movements is feasible I suppose but I'd rather they didn't bother.

It was actually very good, Biffo, and extremely moving. It will be a great delight if somebody turns up with a decent recording of one of the evenings with Sir Adrian Boult conducting fabulously with Alfreda Hodgson and John Mitchinson singing.

Merry Christmas.

[Flosshilde]

I anticipated this question and the answer is an unapologetic NO. I don't want to see it ... but don't expect me to agree with you.

So you don't like contempoary ballet. From your description it sounds as if you haven't seen any. The reaction of a creative artist to another work of art can be illuminate the original.

Macmillan's 'Das Lied ...' has been considered a powerful interpretation of Mahler's work. I very much doubt if using bits of Mahler's symphonies to tell the story of Snow White will add anything to our understanding or appreciation of them.

[Mr Pee]

Snow White: Angelin Preljocaj's romantic, modern version of the classic fairy tale danced to Mahler's symphonies. With captivating acrobatic dwarves and striking Jean Paul Gaultier costumes. (Sky Arts 2, Christmas Day)

Can anyone think of a more un-natural pairing than Snow White & Mahler?

Well, I've just been watching the first half hour or so, and I have to admit that it has confounded my expectations; and I speak as one who usually finds ballet an annoying distraction from the music. This seems to work extremely well- the music is well chosen and the choreography very much compliments it. Let's not forget that much of Mahler's music was heavily influenced by Landler and other traditional dance. And the costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier are wonderful.

In fact I am so impressed by what I've seen that I have set my Sky+ box to record the whole 2 hours when it is repeated next Tuesday. But now I must dash- my annual Church visit calls, (weddings and funerals excepted!!! ).

[Flosshilde]

Well, perhaps I should watch it tomorrow - if my mother-in-law's Virgin subscription includes Sky Arts 2.

[Biffo]

I can only repeat, I don't need dancers to make Das Lied von der Erde moving.

[Mr Pee]

I can only repeat, I don't need dancers to make Das Lied von der Erde moving.

Neither do I.

[Roehre]

I can only repeat, I don't need dancers to make Das Lied von der Erde moving.

IMO Das Lied von der Erde is completely unsuitable to be used as balletmusic (apart perhaps from the Youth-movement).
I'd never even contemplate to watch such a production (though I might be tempted by Wunderhorn-music used as Snow White music)