Persée et Andromède (ballet)
| Persée et Andromède | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native title | Persée et Andromède |
| Choreographer | Pierre Gardel |
| Music | Étienne-Nicolas Méhul |
| Based on | Perseus and Andromeda |
| Premiere | 8 June 1810[1] Théâtre de l'Académie Impériale de Musique, Paris, France |
| Original ballet company | Paris Opera Ballet |
| Genre | Pantomime |
| Type | Ballet |
Persée et Andromède (English: Perseus and Andromeda) is a French ballet-pantomime created in 1810 by Pierre Gardel and performed at the Opéra de Paris.
Background
[edit]The ballet Persée et Andromède was presented in three acts with choreography by Pierre Gardel (ballet master at the Opéra) and music arranged by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul. It was based on the subject of Perseus and Andromeda.[2] Certain elements of the myth were altered to amplify interest and effectiveness. Gardel dedicated it to the Prince of Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp, an Austrian diplomat, military leader, and ambassador of Francis II, the Emperor of Austria.[3]
On 8 June 1810, Persée et Andromède was premiered at the Théâtre de l'Académie Impériale de Musique (Opéra de Paris) in Paris, France.[3]
Music
[edit]Gardel's ballet composition was set to music arranged by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul. Méhul incorporated a rondeau from a sonata by German composer Steibelt.[4]
Setting
[edit]The theatre in act one was a flower-adorned public square prepared for games, bordered by Juno's temple and the king's palace, with a bridge in the background. Act two portrayed the king's gardens, featuring statues such as Jupiter's. The set design in act three depicted a palace courtyard of Cepheus, with a sea arm visible in the distance.[3]
Roles
[edit]The principal roles were entrusted to artists such as:
| Role | Première cast, 8 June 1810 (Cast member: - ) |
|---|---|
| Cassiopeia (Queen and wife of Cepheus) | Mlle Chevigny |
| Andromeda (only daughter of Cepheus and Cassiope) | Madame Gardel |
| Cepheus (King of Ethiopia) | Louis Milon |
| Perseus (son of Jupiter, loved by Andromeda) | Auguste Vestris |
| Phineus (prince of the family of Cepheus) | Albert[4] |
| Juno (wife of Jupiter) | Mlle Victoire Saulnier |
| Mercury | Louis-Stanislas Montjoie |
| Neptune | M. Galais |
| Jupiter | M. Galais |
| Hymen | M. Charles Vestris |
| L'Amour | Mlle Hullin |
| Apollo | M. Albert |
| Diana | Mlle Saulnier |
| Venus | Mlle Athalie |
| Pallas | Mlle Gaillet |
| Zephyr | M. Beaulieu |
| Hebe | Mlle Milliére |
| Flora | M. Delisle |
| Mars | M. Mérante |
| The Great Priest of Juno (Le grand-Prêtre de Juno) | M. Godefroy |
| An Ethiopian (Un Éthiopien) | M. Goyon |
References
[edit]- ^ L'Académie impériale de musique: histoire littéraire, musicale, politique et galante de ce théâtre, de 1645 à 1855. (1855). France: Castil-Blaze.
- ^ Picot, É. (1876). Bibliographie Cornélienne; ou, Description raisonnée de toutes les éditions des oeuvres de Pierre Corneille, des imitations ou traductions qui en ont été faites, et des ouvrages relatifs à Corneille et à ses écrits. [With a portrait.]. France: Auguste Fontaine, libraire.
- ^ a b c Gardel, P. G. (1810). Persée et andromède: ballet-pantomime en trois actes. France: chez Bacot.
- ^ a b Le Ménestrel: journal de musique. (1884). (n.p.): Le Menestrel.