Pulcinella personality

About this Piece

The ballet Pulcinella (1920) was one of those collaborations among gigantic talents that seemed to have taken place repeatedly in the early years of the last century. The backstage cast included Igor Stravinsky (composer), Serge Diaghilev (producer), Pablo Picasso (designer), and Léonide Massine (choreographer). The conductor was Ernest Ansermet, and the dancers included Tamara Karsavina (who a decade earlier had created the title role in Stravinsky’s Firebird and the Ballerina in his Petrushka) and the Diaghilev company’s ballet master, Enrico Cechetti, who had danced in the world premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty in 1890 and who had been a primary teacher of Pavlova, Karsavina, and Nijinsky.

Hovering over them all was the benign spirit of the short-lived (1710-1736) Neapolitan composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, on whose music Stravinsky based his witty score — or so he thought.

With all that genius on one spot, however, nothing was likely to progress smoothly. Rehearsals began with a battle between designer and producer over the set, which Di

Stella Joseph-Jarecki explores the historical context of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella, which premiered in 1920 at the Paris Opéra. The concert suite taken from the ballet was performed by the Weiss Chamber Orchestra directed by Dale Barltrop at National Music Camp 2019.

The creation of Pulcinella (1920) came about through Igor Stravinsky’s fruitful collaboration with Serge Diaghilev, the impresario who established the legendary Ballet Russes dance company. The Ballet Russes was founded on a principle of artistic collaboration, bringing together artists, composers and dancers to create vibrant works which both enthralled and shocked audiences in the early 20th century. Unusually for the time, the Ballet Russes regarded the design of the set and costumes as being of equal importance as the choreography itself. Vibrant costumes made from luxurious fabrics became a trademark feature of the productions, with the style of the costumes even influencing fashion trends in Paris.

Before Pulcinella, Stravinsky’s works for the Ballet Russes included The Firebird (1910),

Pulcinella (ballet)

1920 ballet by Igor Stravinsky

This article is about Stravinsky's ballet. For Justin Peck's ballet, see Pulcinella Variations.

Pulcinella is a 21-section ballet by Igor Stravinsky with arias for soprano, tenor and bass vocal soloists, and two sung trios. It is based on the 18th-century play Quatre Polichinelles semblables, or Four similar Pulcinellas, revolving around a stock character from commedia dell'arte. The work premiered at the Paris Opera on 15 May 1920 under the baton of Ernest Ansermet. The central dancer, Léonide Massine, created both the libretto and the choreography, while Pablo Picasso designed the costumes and sets. The ballet was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev, impresario of the Ballets Russes. A complete performance takes 35–40 minutes. Stravinsky revised the score in 1965.

History

Diaghilev wanted a ballet based on an early 18th-century commedia dell'arte libretto and music then believed to have been composed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. This attribution has since been proved to be spurious.[1] Som

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