Music: Pas De Quatre

[The_Lilac_Fairy]

In my variations class we are learning pieces from pad de quatre except my teacher can't find the CD so we have to use tapes and the quality is terrible. If anyone knows where I can find it on a CD that is not extremely expensive please help me out. Maybe if you know the CD title I will look it up online.

Thank you.

[Mel Johnson]

Oh, dear. That's not easy to find anymore. There has been only one recording of the whole thing ever made, by Richard Bonynge in a collection called "The Art of the Prima Ballerina", although it's not without its drawbacks. Check the used market, via the Amazon link at the top of the page, it's been out of print for awhile. Search on Pugni.

[Doubleturn]

Last May I bought a collection of 10 CDs new entitled "Fete du Ballet" on Decca recorded by Richard Bonynge conducting various orchestras. It is subtitled, A Compendium of Ballet Rarities". The boxed set cost just over £20!!! I could not believe the value. It includes the CD "The Art of the Prima Ballerina" with the Pas de Quatre.

 

I just stumbled across it when I was looking for ballet music on Amazon.co.uk - however it may well be on Amazon.com. In any case I regularly buy items on line from US and have them shipped, the cost is small, so I can't see why it shouldn't work the other way.

 

The code number on the CD box is 468 578-2 D C 10.

 

The quality is OK although obviously old recording remastered.

[Mel Johnson]

Yes, "Fête du Ballet" is staring me right in the face here. It's a 10-disk compendium of most of the 19th-century ballet music recorded by English Decca (old London) by Bonynge. Where it exists at all, it's being remaindered, so good savings, but the trick is to find it!

[quill]

Amazon has it--the least expensive is around $72.00

[The_Lilac_Fairy]

Thankyou for your responses coincidentally my friend has that set so im getting the music im soooo excited!!!!!

[Mel Johnson]

Good, you'll find that you have to fiddle with the tempi a bit, but it's a serviceable recording.

[boybluetights]

If you have access to "The Glory of the Kirov" video, it has the Pas de Quatre, a re-creation of that extraordinary evening, choreographed by Anton Dolin. There doesn't appear to be a recording on the market with the right tempo as Mel indicated - it's serviceable - but not ideal.

[Victoria Leigh]

I have staged this work, in the Dolin version, many times using this recording. I only adjusted tempi in the Grahn and Grisi variations. The group sections are fine, and, depending on the dancers abilities, the other variations are okay. The ending diagonal in Taglioni's variation is a tad slow unless you have a good jumper!

[dance_through_life]

Uh oh... my studio is staging this for our spring concert, and I'm doing Taglioni's role to the same recording! Let's just say jumps.... not my strength

[Victoria Leigh]

Okay, on the final diagonal jumps, add a little precipité glissade between the 4 counts of beat steps each time after the first set, and that should make it work.

[rg]

someone is selling FETE DU BALLET now ebay.

if you type in 'fete du ballet' on ebay you'll find it - it's starting bid is on 5.00GBP