Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Vaughan, David, 1924-
2. Macaulay, Alastair
3. Greskovic, Robert

Description

1. 6 sound discs (approximately 6 hours): digital; 4 3/4 in. +

Summary

1. This panel discussion on Swan lake moves through the ballet sequentially, with the speakers commenting on the music, choreography and mime of various versions of the ballet as well as on the characters, performances by various dancers, design and costume elements, artistic and historical influences, and plot and thematic elements, as they relate to individual scenes and variations. Alastair Macaulay introduces the discussion and asks each speaker to comment on which versions of the ballet they have seen, and the productions, ballerinas, choreographers, and literary and pictorial sources that have influenced their views of the ballet. Throughout the conversation, the speakers frequently refer to a film of Swan lake performed by the Sadler's Wells Ballet, featuring Margot Fonteyn, shot by Victor Jessen between 1950 and 1959. (This film, cataloged under the call number *MGZIDF 1708, can be viewed via on line streaming on site at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.) Other major productions frequently discussed are the 1877 production (the speakers discuss at length the changes to Peter Ilich Tchaikovskys original score), and the 1895 production choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov for the Mariinsky Ballet; productions for the Royal Ballet staged by Nikolai Sergeyev, Frederick Ashton, Ninette De Valois, and Anthony Dowell; American Ballet Theater productions staged by David Blair, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Kevin McKenzie; New York City Ballet productions by George Balanchine and Peter Martins; and productions for the Kirov Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet by Alexander Gorsky and Yuri Grigorovich. The speakers comment throughout the discussion on their preferred stagings, performances, and interpretations. Performers frequently discussed include Margot Fonteyn, Natalia Makarova, Alicia Makarova, Marianella Nuñez, and Rudolf Nureyev. Critics and historians referred to throughout the discussion include Arlene Croce, Roland John Wiley, Cyril Beaumont, and Aleksandr Demidov. At times the speakers refer to pictures in books, which they identify. They discuss literary and artistic sources for the ballets thematic elements; comparisons between Swan lake and The sleeping beauty, and comparisons between Swan lake and Giselle; romantic versus classical elements of the ballet; and interpretations of the ballets symbolism and dramatic content

Subject

1. Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich, 1840-1893.
2. Petipa, Marius, 1818-1910.
3. Ivanov, Lev, 1834-1901.
4. Balanchine, George.
5. Baryshnikov, Mikhail, 1948-
6. Ashton, Frederick, 1904-1988.
7. Fonteyn, Margot, 1919-1991.
8. Makarova, Natalia, 1940-
9. Nureyev, Rudolf, 1938-1993.
10. Markova, Alicia, Dame, 1910-2004.
11. Dowell, Anthony.
12. Nuñez, Marianela.
13. Ivanov, Lev, 1834-1901. Lebedinoe ozero.
14. Balanchine, George. Swan lake.
15. Martins, Peter, 1946- Swan lake.
16. Blair, David, 1932-1976. Swan lake
17. Baryshnikov, Mikhail, 1948- Swan lake.
18. Swan lake (Choreographic work : McKenzie, after Ivanov and Petipa)

Call number

1. *MGZTL 4-2998

Language

1. English

Note

1. Robert Greskovic, Alastair Macaulay, and David Vaughan discuss the choreography, history, and artistic and cultural significance of the ballet Swan lake, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City, on June 24, 25, and 26, 2013.
2. Title supplied by cataloger.

Access (note)

1. Transcripts may not be photographed or reproduced without permission.

Funding (note)

1. The recording of this panel discussion was made possible by a gift from Anne H. Bass. The processing and cataloging of this recording was made possible in part by a gift from Anne H. Bass and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The support of the National Endowment for the Arts is also gratefully acknowledged.

Local note

1. For transcript of recording: see *MGZMT 3-2998

Type of content

1. spoken word
2. text

Type of medium

1. audio
2. unmediated

Type of carrier

1. audio disc
2. volume

Digital file characteristics

1. audio file

Event

1. Recorded at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts June 24, 25, and 26, 2013 New York (N.Y.)

Added author

1. Vaughan, David, 1924- speaker.
2. Macaulay, Alastair, speaker.
3. Greskovic, Robert, speaker.
4. Bass, Anne H., funder