<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: No One Can Beat George Balanchine
Review: Balanchine had a unique ability to understand the ballet and to be able to explain it to others, even if they did not know anything about it. This book which he wrote with Francis Mason, is very handy for balletomane's to have on their shelves. It explains about different ballet's, both classical and contemporary, and describes their story line or plot and gives detailed comments about how the ballet is presented. Good for reference or for curious readers.
Rating:
Summary: Book For The Lovers And The Haters
Review: I purchased this book and now regret it. So many of the ballets decribed are minor pieces that are rarely performed any more, while many major classic ballets that are still performed and/or that are important in dance history are totally neglected (e.g. Le Corsaire, Raymonda, Paquita, Esmerelda). Other descriptions focus only on one part of the ballet rather than telling you the actual story. The entry on "La Bayad?re," for instance, focuses almost entirely on Act IV, which is frustrating since this is a ballet with a complicated libretto that could really benefit from a complete summary. I'd recommend going to a library and photocopying the info on the ballets that interest you rather than purchasing this as a handy reference book to have at home. It's just not worth the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Save Your Money
Review: I purchased this book and now regret it. So many of the ballets decribed are minor pieces that are rarely performed any more, while many major classic ballets that are still performed and/or that are important in dance history are totally neglected (e.g. Le Corsaire, Raymonda, Paquita, Esmerelda). Other descriptions focus only on one part of the ballet rather than telling you the actual story. The entry on "La Bayadère," for instance, focuses almost entirely on Act IV, which is frustrating since this is a ballet with a complicated libretto that could really benefit from a complete summary. I'd recommend going to a library and photocopying the info on the ballets that interest you rather than purchasing this as a handy reference book to have at home. It's just not worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Book For The Lovers And The Haters
Review: This book is one of the best book I have obtained over the years. My brother uses it when he has to attend ballet with our family since he can never figure out what is goin on since there is no speaking. Balencine has a great understanding of the ballets and tells you the important parts and leaves out the "hoopla". I recamend it for anyone who attends the ballet as a person that apreciates the art or someone just forced to go.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Helpful, But Now Dated
Review: This book should be of interest to any ballet fan, as it contains the librettos of many famous ballets. It was written by George Balanchine, the famous choreographer of New York City Ballet, along with Francis Mason, a dance critic. In the preface, Mr. Balanchine writes, "This book contains stories of 101 ballets. Fifty are old favorites, ballets in the standard repertory that are performed regularly, plus a few ballets of major historical importance. The fifty-one others are among the many new ballets that have appeared in the past six years, since 'Balanchine's New Complete Stories of the Great Ballets' appeared in 1968. The idea behind this paperback edition is to keep up with main trends in the repertory while also providing the background of the standard repertory. (p. ix) I learned that I needed a book such as this one, when after viewing act 1 of "Giselle," I realized that I had become completely lost in trying to understand the story line, and there was no libretto provided on the VCR tape. I suppose that one could watch a ballet just for the sake of the dancing and the music, but I like to understand the plot as well! Many of the crucial points in understanding a ballet often come down to interpreting mime gestures, or dance movements that function as a mime gesture, as there are no spoken words in a ballet. That's where this book can really help out. Each entry begins with an overview that contains a lot of information and historical data. Here is a typical entry from "Romeo and Juliet": "Ballet in three acts. Music by Sergei Prokofiev. Choreography by Kenneth MacMillan. Scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis. Lighting by William Bundy. First presented by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, February 9, 1965, with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn as Romeo and Juliet. First presented in the United States by the Royal Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, April 21, 1965." (p. 373) In some cases, there are multiple versions of same ballet. For instance, there are five different interpretations of "Romeo and Juliet," those of Leonid Lavrosvsky, Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, John Cranko, and Kenneth MacMillan. Following the overview, there is a detailed analysis of every scene of each act. Even if you are familiar with a particular ballet, you may come to appreciate some finer points through the expert analysis. Sometimes at the end, Balanchine will also provide his own commentary, and there are often excerpts from critical reviews. It's too bad that the third and last edition of this book was made in 1975, as Balanchine died in 1983. It would be nice to have something more contemporaneous, but this is the only one of its kind that I have been able to find, except for a few for children. As was stated in the quote from the preface above, half of this book is devoted to ballets that were created in the six years prior to 1975. I cannot say how well all of these ballets have held up over time, or whether they are actively being performed. But, at a minimum, the fifty ballets from the standard repertory should be helpful to today's ballet fan. This book does not include mention of any new interpretations of these standards from the last twenty-five years, but these librettos will probably get you fairly close. Despite the fact that this book is now dated, I still find it extremely helpful and valuable.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Helpful, But Now Dated
Review: This book should be of interest to any ballet fan, as it contains the librettos of many famous ballets. It was written by George Balanchine, the famous choreographer of New York City Ballet, along with Francis Mason, a dance critic. In the preface, Mr. Balanchine writes, "This book contains stories of 101 ballets. Fifty are old favorites, ballets in the standard repertory that are performed regularly, plus a few ballets of major historical importance. The fifty-one others are among the many new ballets that have appeared in the past six years, since 'Balanchine's New Complete Stories of the Great Ballets' appeared in 1968. The idea behind this paperback edition is to keep up with main trends in the repertory while also providing the background of the standard repertory. (p. ix) I learned that I needed a book such as this one, when after viewing act 1 of "Giselle," I realized that I had become completely lost in trying to understand the story line, and there was no libretto provided on the VCR tape. I suppose that one could watch a ballet just for the sake of the dancing and the music, but I like to understand the plot as well! Many of the crucial points in understanding a ballet often come down to interpreting mime gestures, or dance movements that function as a mime gesture, as there are no spoken words in a ballet. That's where this book can really help out. Each entry begins with an overview that contains a lot of information and historical data. Here is a typical entry from "Romeo and Juliet": "Ballet in three acts. Music by Sergei Prokofiev. Choreography by Kenneth MacMillan. Scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis. Lighting by William Bundy. First presented by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, February 9, 1965, with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn as Romeo and Juliet. First presented in the United States by the Royal Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, April 21, 1965." (p. 373) In some cases, there are multiple versions of same ballet. For instance, there are five different interpretations of "Romeo and Juliet," those of Leonid Lavrosvsky, Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, John Cranko, and Kenneth MacMillan. Following the overview, there is a detailed analysis of every scene of each act. Even if you are familiar with a particular ballet, you may come to appreciate some finer points through the expert analysis. Sometimes at the end, Balanchine will also provide his own commentary, and there are often excerpts from critical reviews. It's too bad that the third and last edition of this book was made in 1975, as Balanchine died in 1983. It would be nice to have something more contemporaneous, but this is the only one of its kind that I have been able to find, except for a few for children. As was stated in the quote from the preface above, half of this book is devoted to ballets that were created in the six years prior to 1975. I cannot say how well all of these ballets have held up over time, or whether they are actively being performed. But, at a minimum, the fifty ballets from the standard repertory should be helpful to today's ballet fan. This book does not include mention of any new interpretations of these standards from the last twenty-five years, but these librettos will probably get you fairly close. Despite the fact that this book is now dated, I still find it extremely helpful and valuable.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Book
Review: This is a great book. I read the story, then watch the ballet. It has helped me to understand the ballets.
<< 1 >>
|
