La Bayadère - Acte II

Description

Ludwig Minkus (1826-1917) was a Vienna-born composer who wrote a great deal of ballet music for the Russian Imperial Theatres. La Bayadère, choreographed by Marius Petipa, was first performed in St Petersburg in 1877. Set in ancient India, it tells of the love between the temple dancer Nikiya and the warrior Solor, and of her rivalry with Gamzatti, the ruler's daughter who is to marry him.

The second act is the festivity celebrating the betrothal of Solor and Gamzatti. This piece plays music from that act on the piano, written in D major and 6/8. 6/8 is counted in two broad beats to the bar and has a buoyant flow. It lasts just under four minutes with 970 notes, and the range runs from E2 to A6, making wide use of the upper register.

It is rated intermediate, at about four notes a second. Ballet music has a clear beat for the dancers, so above all keep the two-beat flow of 6/8 intact. At nearly four minutes, it is best divided where the character changes, practised section by section with A-B looping, and brought back up to full speed gradually. Checking how melody and accompaniment are divided with the hand colours also speeds up reading. The range fits a 61-key keyboard.

Piano arrangements of ballet music, including Adam's "Giselle" and Minkus's "La Bayadère," recreating the drama of the stage on the keyboard alone.