Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (1836 - 1891) was a
French composer, best known for his ballets and operas.
His works include the ballets Coppélia (1870) and
Sylvia (1876) and the opera Lakmé (1883).
Born into a musical family, Delibes enrolled at
France's foremost music academy, the Conservatoire de
Paris, when he was twelve, studying under several
professors including Adolphe Adam. After composing
light comic opérettes in the 1850s and 1860s, while
also serving as a church organist...(+)
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (1836 - 1891) was a
French composer, best known for his ballets and operas.
His works include the ballets Coppélia (1870) and
Sylvia (1876) and the opera Lakmé (1883).
Born into a musical family, Delibes enrolled at
France's foremost music academy, the Conservatoire de
Paris, when he was twelve, studying under several
professors including Adolphe Adam. After composing
light comic opérettes in the 1850s and 1860s, while
also serving as a church organist, Delibes achieved
public recognition for his music for the ballet La
Source in 1866. His later ballets Coppélia and Sylvia
were key works in the development of modern ballet,
giving the music much greater importance than
previously. He composed a small number of mélodies,
some of which are still performed frequently.
Delibes had several attempts at writing more serious
operas, and achieved a considerable critical and
commercial success in 1883 with Lakmé. In his later
years he joined the faculty of the Conservatoire,
teaching composition. He died at his home in Paris at
the age of 54. Coppélia and Sylvia remain core works
in the international ballet repertoire, and Lakmé is
revived from time to time in opera houses. .
Sylvia, originally Sylvia, ou La nymphe de Diane, is a
full-length ballet in two or three acts, first
choreographed by Louis Mérante to music by Léo
Delibes in 1876. Sylvia is a typical classical ballet
in many respects, yet it has many interesting features
that make it unique. Sylvia is notable for its
mythological Arcadian setting, creative choreographies,
expansive sets and, above all, its remarkable
score.
The ballet's origins are in Tasso's 1573 play Aminta,
which provides the basic plot of Delibes' work. Jules
Barbier and Baron de Reinach adapted this for the Paris
Opera. The piano arrangement was composed in 1876 and
the orchestral suite was done in 1880.
When Sylvia premiered on Wednesday, June 14, 1876, at
the Palais Garnier, it went largely unnoticed. In fact,
the first seven productions of Sylvia were not
commercially successful. It was the 1952 revival,
choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, that popularized
the ballet. Ashton's success set the stage for the
1997, 2004, 2005 and 2009 productions, all of which
were based on his 1952 choreography.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9o_Delibes)
Although originally written for Orchestrated Opera and
later Piano (4-Hands), I created this arrangement of
the Variation Valse from the Sylvia Ballet (ILD 54) for
Concert (Pedal) Harp.
