Le Pas d'acier (Prokofiev)
Encyclopedia
Le pas d'acier is a ballet
in two scenes, and also suite
of music based on the ballet score (Op. 41), by Sergei Prokofiev
.
Sergei Diaghilev
. Prokofiev wrote the score, based on a scenario by Georgi Yakulov and Prokofiev, in 1925-1926. With choreography by Léonide Massine, the Ballets Russes
premiered the work in Paris at the Theatre Sarah-Berhardt on June 7, 1927.
The ballet was judged a success by the Parisian audiences, but was not performed again after 1931 until 2005 at Princeton University
, in a version called faithful to the original, never-performed concept of a celebration of Soviet workers' lives, instead of a mockery of them, which was the version seen by audiences of the early 20th century.
and features staging with factory machines and sprocketed wheels, the setting for a danced romance between a sailor and a young girl factory worker.
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
in two scenes, and also suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
of music based on the ballet score (Op. 41), by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
.
History
The ballet was commissioned by ballet impresarioImpresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev , usually referred to outside of Russia as Serge, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise.-Early life and career:...
. Prokofiev wrote the score, based on a scenario by Georgi Yakulov and Prokofiev, in 1925-1926. With choreography by Léonide Massine, the Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg...
premiered the work in Paris at the Theatre Sarah-Berhardt on June 7, 1927.
The ballet was judged a success by the Parisian audiences, but was not performed again after 1931 until 2005 at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, in a version called faithful to the original, never-performed concept of a celebration of Soviet workers' lives, instead of a mockery of them, which was the version seen by audiences of the early 20th century.
Libretto
The theme of the ballet centers on life in the then-decade old Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and features staging with factory machines and sprocketed wheels, the setting for a danced romance between a sailor and a young girl factory worker.