Following yesterday’s post about Giselle, I want to discuss a topic that lies close to my heart—musicality in ballet. As a former professional flutist, my perspective may be biased, but I firmly believe that musicality is often underestimated in ballet performances.
Let’s begin with a snippet from the Bolshoi Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty. It’s worth noting that Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on March 4, 1877. Today, the Bolshoi Ballet is considered one of the best in the world in 2024.
As you watch, I encourage you to turn up the volume and listen closely…of the oboe…
This example may be extreme, but it underscores a common tendency: critiques and audiences often focus more on technical execution and acting, while musicality—the soul of the ballet—takes a backseat.
why?
Ballet is a comprehensive artistic presentation, where theatre and dance merge into an intricate visual experience. Music, while integral, often serves more as a backdrop than the main attraction. In many productions, the music must bend to the needs of the dancers, with composers sometimes speeding up or slowing down pieces to match the artistic choices on stage.
Critics and audiences tend to weigh emotional expression and technical prowess more heavily than musical timing—as long as dancers are approximately on beat, it’s deemed sufficient.
This perspective makes sense when considering ballet as a holistic art form—if one is too obsessed in music she might as well ends up well in a concert…
but you can’t sit a ballet without music, either
Despite these trends, we cannot ignore the critical role of music. Iconic ballets are inextricably tied to their scores—think Tchaikovsky, Bizet, and Rachmaninoff. For instance, in The Jewels, the Emerald variation’s success hinges on musicality—of that Cicily variation.
Consider Marianela Nuñez’s performance in the Myrtha Queen of the Wilis Variation. Her mastery of both music and movement elevates the piece to a new level, especially when she accelerates her turns at subtle downbeats:
The most beloved ballets thrive on a symbiosis of exquisite choreography and compelling music.
reference
Wikipedia contributors. “Bolshoi Theatre.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Sep. 2024. Web. 6 Oct. 2024.