The orchestral suite is a staple in the light-classical repertory. It consists of the following sections: I. “Introduction.” Raymonda’s sorrow at the absence of her lover. A scene in Raymonda’s castle where pages indulge in athletics. II. “La Traditrice.” The dance of pages and maidens. III. “Moderato.” Fanfares announce the arrival of a stranger. Joy and general animation. As Raymonda enters, girls throw flowers in her path. IV. “Andante.” Raymonda is playing the lute outside the castle in the moonlight. Raymonda dances. VI. “Entr’acte; Valse fantastique.” Raymonda dreams she is in fairyland with her beloved. VII. “Grand Pas d’action.” At a feast given by Raymonda at her castle the Saracen appears, woos her, and is spurned. VIII. “Variation.” Raymonda defies the Saracen, who now tries to dazzle her with his wealth. IX. “Dance of the Arab Boys.” “Dance of the Saracens.” X. “Entr’acte.” The triumph of love and the festivities attending the nuptials.
Scènes de ballet, suite for orchestra, op. 52 (1894) is made up of eight parts. The first, “Préamble,” has an extended introduction to a main section in which the main subject is given by the violins. “Marionettes,” offers a lively theme for piccolo and glockenspiel with which this section opens and closes; midway comes a trio with main theme in first violins. The third part is a “Mazurka” for full orchestra. The fourth is a “Scherzo,” its principal idea in muted strings and woodwind. An expressive melody for cellos and violins is the heart of the fifth section, “Pas d’action,” while the sixth, “Dame orientale” is a sensuous, exotic dance melody set against the insistent beats of a tambourine. The ensuing “Valse” begins with an introduction following which the main waltz melody is presented by the violins. The suite concludes with a dashing “Polonaise” for full orchestra.
The orchestral suite, The Seasons, op. 67—like that of Raymonda—comes from a ballet score. The ballet—choreography by Marius Petipa—was first performed in St. Petersburg in 1900. The scenario interprets the four seasons of the year in four scenes and an apotheosis. First comes Winter and her two gnomes; they burn a bundle of faggots, whose heat causes Winter to disappear. Spring now arrives with Zephyr, Birds and Flowers. All of them join in a joyous dance. When Summer comes he is in the company of the Spirit of the Corn. Various flowers perform a dance, then fall exhausted on the ground. Satyrs and fauns, playing on pipes, try to recapture the Spirit of the Corn who is protected by the flowers. In the Autumn scene, Bacchantes perform a dance in the company of the Seasons. The Apotheosis presents an idyllic scene with stars shining brightly in the sky.
The orchestral suite adapted from the ballet score by the composer for concert purposes is one of his best known compositions. It consists of the following sections: I. “Winter: Introduction; The Frost; The Ice; The Hail; The Snow.” II. “Spring.” III. “Summer: Waltz of the Cornflowers and Poppies; Barcarolle; Variation; Coda.” IV. “Autumn: Bacchanale—Petit Adagio. Finale—The Bacchantes and Apotheosis.”
The Valse de concert Nos. 1 and 2, D major and F major respectively, opp. 47 and 51, are among the composer’s most delightful shorter pieces. The first waltz, written in 1893, begins with a brief introduction after which the principal waltz melody is heard first in violas and clarinets, and subsequently in violins. A second theme is then offered by the clarinets against plucked strings, after which the first waltz reappears. The second waltz came one year after the first. This also has a short introduction in which the main waltz melody is suggested. This melody is finally given by the strings. While other thematic material occasionally intrudes, the main waltz subject dominates the entire composition.
Reinhold Glière
Reinhold Glière was born in Kiev, Russia, on January 11, 1875. He was graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1900. After two years in Berlin, he returned to his native land to become professor of composition at the Kiev Conservatory; from 1914 to 1920 he was its director. After 1920 he was a member of the faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Glière’s most famous works are his third symphony (named Ilia Mourometz) introduced in Moscow in 1912, and the ballet, The Red Poppy. But he wrote many other works—orchestral, chamber, and vocal, as well as ballets. On two occasions he received the Stalin Prize: in 1948 for his fourth string quartet, and two years later for his ballet, The Bronze Horseman. He died in Moscow on June 23, 1956.
Two excerpts from the Soviet ballet, The Red Poppy, are perhaps the composer’s best known compositions. The ballet was first presented in Moscow on June 14, 1927 with extraordinary success. Its setting is a port in China where coolies are exploited. When a Soviet ship comes to port, its captain falls in love with a Chinese girl, Tai-Hao. She is ultimately killed by the port commander while she is trying to escape from China on the Soviet ship. Her last words urge the Chinese to fight for their liberty, and she points to a red poppy as a symbol of their freedom.
The most celebrated single excerpt from this ballet is the Russian Sailors Dance, for orchestra, with which the third act comes to a whirlwind conclusion. The main melody is a simple Russian tune that appears first in lower strings. It is then subjected to a series of variations, and is permitted to gain momentum through acceleration of tempo and expanding sonorities until an orgiastic climax is reached. Less popular, but still often performed, is the “Dance of the Chinese Girls” from the same ballet. A repeated descending interval leads to an Oriental dance in the pentatonic scale; in this dance percussion instruments and the xylophone are used prominently and with telling effect.