# Favorite music written for ballet



## ZombieBeethoven (Jan 17, 2012)

A friend has been trying to interest me in ballet performances. For me, however, music is more interesting than dance. I am curious, what musical pieces that were written for ballet are your favorites?


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Prokofiev - Suite - Love for Three Oranges


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## crmoorhead (Apr 6, 2011)

Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, obviously.  Actually, most of Stravinsky's music for ballet: The Firebird, Agon, Petrushka, The Fairy's Kiss. Speaking of the latter, how can we forget Tchaikovsky with his Swan Lake, Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty? All the best ballet music is Russian, since the other creator of wonderful music for ballet is Prokofiev through his Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. 

I have very little interest in watching ballet outside of its brief inclusion to operas, but some of the music is very good.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

I'm partial to ballet music written during the 20th century's 2nd half by Scandinavian composers, such as Karl-Birger Blomdahl's SISYPHOS...










... and LOVIISA by Eero Hameenniemi:










Ballets like these are off the beaten path, though. One might first consider exploring less obscure material, such as Bartok's THE WOODEN PRINCE and/or THE MIRACULOUS MANDARIN, as well as KHAMMA by Debussy.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I quite like *Khatchaturian's* _Gayaneh_, which is full of great music (every item is great!). Can't say the same for his _Spartacus_ though, the only bit that makes an impact on me is the _Adagio of Spartacus and Phyrigia_ (but that bit in itself is very good, a classic). The Russians I generally like - eg. *Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Stravinsky*. Also check out *Shostakovich's* ballet suites.

THe Americans did some good ballets, eg. check out *Copland's* _Appalachian Spring_, _Rodeo_ and _Billy the Kid_ and *Bernstein's* _Fancy Free_. A number of works by *John Cage* also where used or reworked as ballet music, and I think *Barber's* _Medea's Dance of Vengeance _had a run as a ballet.

As for the French, I'm mixed with them, but *Manuel Rosenthal's* arrangement of various* Offenbach* things into a ballet called _Gaite Parisienne_ is a lot of fun. Also, two classics are *Ravel's* _Daphnis et chloe_ and *Debussy's* earlier _Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun _& the late _Jeux _(along with two other late ballets he did, but they're only in piano form, not orchestrated). Then there's *Saint-Saens' *_The SWan_, made famous by Anna Pavlova, but it did not start life as a ballet originally.

Of the German area, I remember *Beethoven's* _Creatures of Prometheus _being very good, but ages since I've heard it (indeed, I've got a copy of it waiting for a first listen!).

The Brits did some good ballets, notably *Arthur Bliss* - eg. _Adam Zero_ & _Checkmate _- also *Holst *(eg. _The Perfect Fool_) and *Walton* (a ballet drawn from his _Facade _song-cycle).

Some *Australian* ones are John Antill's _Corroboree_, Peter Sculthorpe's _Rites of Passage _and Barry Conyngham's _Vast_.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Yep, I second what everyone has already said. Russian ballet is particularly my favorite, but there are great ballets from many other countries.


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## ZombieBeethoven (Jan 17, 2012)

I suppose I should mention that Petrushka is my favorite. In the spirit of full disclosure, I suppose that I should admit that there were a few mentioned that I did not realize were originally ballets!


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Tomorrow night im going to see La Creation du Monde by Milhaud, a great favourite of mine.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I quite like Satie's contributions - Parade (which resulted in a Rite-like riot at the premiere), Relache and Mercure. Allowing for the unorthodoxy that Satie was renowned for I can only guess what the actual choreography must have been like. Poulenc is another composer whose two contributions to ballet I like a lot - Les biches and Les animaux modeles.


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## Merve (Jun 7, 2012)

Mine tends to change but it's been Petrouchka for a while now


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## MaestroViolinist (May 22, 2012)

Yes yes! I second what someone said about Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. I think I've heard his Swan Lake way too many times to like it anymore...  

Also, Prokofiev - Love for Three Oranges.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Debussy ~ L'apres midi d'un faun / Jeux / Khamma

Ravel ~ Daphnis et Chloe

Prokofiev ~ Scythian suite

Stravinsky ~ Petrushka / Le Sacre du Printemps / Pulicinella / Apollo / Orpheus / La Baisee de la Fee.

Copland ~ Appalachian spring (suite, original chamber orchestration, 13 players)

Poulenc ~ Les Biches / Aubade (piano and 18 instruments)


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Wagner - Ballet from Rienzi


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Funny how nobody's mentioned Adam's _Giselle_ and Delibes' _Coppelia_ and _Sylvia_. Maybe it's cos they're so bloody boring, save for a few bits.

& speaking of ballets for opera, the French did this a lot, they liked any excuse for girls dancing on stage. So Wagner added a ballet bit in _Tannhauser_ for its French production - I think the Venusburg bit - and I think Verdi & other Italians did the same. Gounod wanted to avoid doing it with _Faust,_ but they would not take him seriously until he injected a ballet into the opera. Correct me if I'm wrong, all you opera experts on this forum!

...& another Australian one I forgot is by Richard Mills, _Snugglepot and Cuddlepie_, based on the characters drawn by May Gibbs, a famous illustrator of ours in the early 20th century.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Satie: Relâche. :lol: Weirdest piece of music ever written! Satie was certainly an eccentric character!


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## Arsakes (Feb 20, 2012)

*Khachaturian* is the best specially for Gayane.
*Delibes* for Sylvia and Copplia.
*Tchaikovsky*'s ballets are also very good, but I've heard them too many times.


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## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

Couchie said:


> Wagner - Ballet from Rienzi


I have the same opinion. I'd like to buy a Rienzi's dvd production and watch that ballet and the gladiators... but such dvd doesn't exist  The Berlin production of Rienzi is too short and ridiculous.

I'd like too the ballet from Les Troyens, spectacular! 
The ballet from L'Africaine is very nice too, and the Aida's ballet.

More ballets: Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Copelia, Sylvia....


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Satie: Relâche. :lol: Weirdest piece of music ever written! Satie was certainly an eccentric character!


Satie ~ "Parade" is right up there, too!


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

PetrB said:


> Satie ~ "Parade" is right up there, too!


I'm not into ballets per se, but if Parade were staged, that's one I'd actually show up for.

I know the Joffrey Ballet restaged it in the '70s or '80s. Has that ever ended up on video?


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