REORCHESTRATION OF BALLETS AND OPERAS
My sources and inspirations for my ballet reorchestrations are a combination of people, i.e. testimonials and interviews with both ballet people and Eastern European/Russian ballet orchestra musicians from around the years 1997-2003, and written resources. These testimonials regarded how ballet music was enhanced either ad libitum by the players or with formal written reorchestrations by the conductors in the 19th century.
People:
Mainly Anna-Marie Holmes, Arthur Leeth, and Ivo Klatev – formerly of Munich Hochschule für Musik and former Bulgarian State ballet/opera. Other sources: interviews with musicians in my visits to Belgrade, St. Petersburg, Riga, Moscow, Katowice, Kiev, and other opera houses. While these people of course were not alive in the 19th century, they had a good memory of traditions passed down to them from their predecessors.
Written Sources:
1.) "Nineteenth-Century Italian Ballet Music Before Unification" by Denise P. Gallo (1994). This dissertation provides an in-depth survey of Italian ballet scores from 1800 to 1870, examining various adaptations and modifications made during that period.
“Piano Reductions, Full Scores, and Orchestration: The complete ballet scores in piano reduction certainly served a purpose beyond purely musical enjoyment. The mime music makes little sense without the plot and the visual action, and while the dance music is quite pleasing, it can become too regular in phrasing and structure without the synergy of the visual spectacle of dancing, costume and scenes. Unfortunately, orchestration-the saving grace of many a ballet score (and what many admire in Tchaikovsky) - is lost for much of the musical material, leaving the keyboard as the sole transmitter of sounds. In this regard, many of the reducers were not of the caliber of those who, for example, transcribed operas and symphonies for pianistic enjoyment or exhibition of virtuosity. However, the full scores examined in this dissertation do reveal an attention to color changes in both repeated sections and between numbers that should not be underemphasized just because we lack a large volume of full orchestral scores. Orchestration, like the choreography, may have sparkled, mesmerizing audiences in ways we only have glimpses of. Nineteenth-century consumers of these piano reductions must have wanted a way to access the ballet in their homes, and while much is left to the imagination in these sources, they were continually published throughout the entire period 1800-1870 and beyond, indicating a demand.” core.ac.uk
2.) "The Role of the Ballet Composer at the Paris Opéra: 1820–1850" by Stephanie Jordan (1981). Published in Dance Chronicle, this article explores the contributions of composers like Ferdinand Hérold and Adolphe Adam, who elevated ballet music by incorporating innovative orchestrations and thematic developments.
Sample list of reorchestrated works:
1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: "Idomeneo" (1781) – reorchestrated by Richard Strauss (1931)
Strauss expanded the orchestration, adding more Romantic-style textures while preserving Mozart’s structure.
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: "Die Zauberflöte" (1791) – reorchestrated by Felix Mottl (late 19th century.) Mottl arranged a fuller, Wagnerian-style orchestration for large-scale performances.
3. Gioachino Rossini : "Guillaume Tell" (1829) – reorchestrated by Gustav Mahler (1894). Mahler revised the orchestration for performances in Vienna, making it more dramatic and symphonically rich. ROSSINI: Several Rossini operas reorchestrated by different hands in the 19th century Rossini’s operas were frequently altered to accommodate changing vocal and orchestral trends.
4. Giuseppe Verdi: “Don Carlo" (1867) – reorchestrated versions by various conductors. The opera underwent revisions that included orchestration changes, with notable contributions from Antonio Ghislanzoni and others.
5. Giuseppe Verdi: "La Forza del Destino" (1862) – reorchestrated by various conductors. Verdi himself revised the orchestration, but later musicians, including Riccardo Muti, adapted it further.
6. Richard Wagner: "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (1853-1874) – reorchestrated by Lorin Maazel ("The Ring Without Words”.) Maazel created a symphonic suite based on Wagner’s music, with new orchestral transitions.
7. Georges Bizet : "Carmen" (1875) – reorchestrated by Ernest Guiraud. After Bizet’s death, Guiraud added recitatives and adjusted the orchestration to make it more standard for grand opera.
8. Modest Mussorgsky : "Boris Godunov" (1874) – reorchestrated by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and later by Dmitri Shostakovich. Rimsky-Korsakov smoothed out Mussorgsky’s raw, rugged orchestration, while Shostakovich later attempted a more authentic approach.
9. Claude Debussy : "Pelléas et Mélisande" (1902) – reorchestrated by Marius Constant.
Constant created a reduced orchestration for smaller ensembles.
10. Igor Stravinsky :"The Rake’s Progress" (1951) – reorchestrated for chamber ensemble. Several adaptations have been made for reduced forces, often for practical performance reasons.
11. Richard Strauss: "Ariadne auf Naxos" (1912) – reorchestrated by Strauss himself (1916) and later adapted by others. The original had a small chamber ensemble, which Strauss later expanded.
12. Riccardo Drigo: “Reveil de Flore” – reorchestrated by Fried Walther (aka Walther Emil Schmidt, 1907-1996,) Semperoper Dresden.
13. George Frederich Handel: Messiah (1741) - 3/5ths reorchestrated (1789) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as “Der Mesias”.
14. Tchaikovsky: “Swan Lake” A notable example is the 1895 revival of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, with significant revisions to the original 1877 score by composer Riccardo Drigo. Drigo's modifications included reordering dances, altering tempos, and incorporating new compositions, many of which have become standard in contemporary performances.
15. Carl Maria von Weber: “Invitation to the Dance” Hector Berlioz’ 1841 orchestration of the piano piece "Invitation to the Dance" was for a production of Weber's opera
16. Carl Maria von Weber: "Der Freischütz" at the Paris Opera. Berlioz transposed the piece from D-flat major to D major and adapted it for orchestral performance, integrating it as a ballet segment within the opera.
17. Jean Dauberval (? not certain?): "La Fille Mal Gardée" the ballet underwent various musical adaptations since its premiere in 1789. Ferdinand Hérold composed a new score for an 1828 production, which itself incorporated existing melodies. Subsequent versions further modified the music, blending compositions from different sources to suit evolving performance practices.
18. John Lanchbery (1923-2003): Australian conductor John Lanchbery did many well-known reorchestrations of 19th century Russian ballets. Said orchestrations seem somewhat less in use today; some describe his orchestrations as somewhat bombastic, but I would rather leave such judgments to the taste of the listener. Maestro Lanchbery certainly was a fine musician and an important part of ballet music history.