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The Enchanted Forest (ballet)

La Forêt enchantée
Drigo -Foret enchantee frontispiece.jpg
Frontispiece for the piano reduction of Riccardo Drigo's score for Lev Ivanov's La Forêt enchantée as issued by the music publisher Zimmerman, 1909.
Choreographer Lev Ivanov (1887)
Marius Petipa (revival, 1889)
Music Riccardo Drigo
Libretto Lev Ivanov
Premiere

5 April [O.S. 24 March] 1887
Imperial Ballet School

15 May [O.S. 3 May] 1887
Imperial Mariinsky Theatre

25 July [O.S. 13 July] 1889
revival, Peterhof
Design Orest Allegri
Type Ballet fantastique

5 April [O.S. 24 March] 1887
Imperial Ballet School

15 May [O.S. 3 May] 1887
Imperial Mariinsky Theatre

La Forêt enchantée (en. The Enchanted Forest) (ru. «Очарованный лес», Ocharovanyi les) is a ballet fantastique in one act, originally choreographed by Lev Ivanov to the music of Riccardo Drigo, first presented by students of the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the school's theatre on 5 April [O.S. 24 March] 1887.

La Forêt enchantée was originally produced for the Imperial Ballet School's annual graduation performances of students of the Imperial Ballet School. The ballet was Lev Ivanov's first original work after having recently been appointed second maître de ballet to the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres. The ballet was also the composer and conductor Riccardo Drigo's first complete score for a full-length ballet after having been appointed to the dual position of director of music and Kapellmeister to the Imperial Ballet, as well as principal conductor of ballet and Italian opera performances at the Mariinsky Theatre. The first student performances of La Forêt enchantée featured the graduate Alexandra Vinogradova in the principal role of Valeria.

La Forêt enchantée was soon transferred to the repertory of the Imperial Ballet. Revisions were made to the ballet, among them was the changing of the name of the ballerina's character from Valeria to Ilka, while the danseur's character was changed from Petrus to Josi. Choreographic changes were made as well, among them was Ivanov's expansion of the corps de ballet of dryads. The first performance was given on 15 May [O.S. 3 May] 1887 at the Mariinsky Theatre on a bill with Jules Perrot's ballet La naïade et le pêcheur. For this performance the ballerina Varvara Nikitina led the cast.


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