Here lies a rose, of which all kings may be jealous.

Soulêve ta paupière close
Qu'effleure un songe virginal!
Je suis le spectre d'une rose
Que tu portais hier au bal.
Tu me pris encore emperlée
Des pleurs d'argent de l'arrosoir,
Et, parmi la fête étoilée,
Tu me promenas tout le soir.

Ô toi qui de ma mort fus cause,
Sans que tu puisses le chasser,
Toute la nuit mon spectre rose
À ton chevet viendra danser;
Mais ne crains rien, je ne réclame
Ni messe ni De Profundis.
Ce léger parfum est mon äme,
Et j'arrive du du paradis.

Mon destin fut digne d'envie,
Pour avoir un trépas si beau,
Plus d'un aurait donné sa vie;
Car j'ai ta gorge pour tombeau,
Et sur l'albâtre où je repose
Un poëte avec un baiser
Écrivit: "Cigît une rose,
Que tous les rois vont jalouser."


Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky

Open your closed eyelid
Which is gently brushed by a virginal dream!
I am the ghost of the rose
That you wore last night at the ball.
You took me when I was still sprinkled with pearls
Of silvery tears from the watering-can,
And, among the sparkling festivities,
You carried me the entire night.

O you, who caused my death:
Without the power to chase it away,
You will be visited every night by my ghost,
Which will dance at your bedside.
But fear nothing; I demand
Neither Mass nor De Profundis;
This mild perfume is my soul,
And I've come from Paradise.

My destiny is worthy of envy;
And to have a fate so fine,
More than one would give his life
For on your breast I have my tomb,
And on the alabaster where I rest,
A poet with a kiss
Wrote: "Here lies a rose,
Of which all kings may be jealous."

Translation from French to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

Nijinsky as the Rose Spirit photographed by E. O. Hoppe in 1911.

Le Spectre de la Rose is amongst the most famous repertoire of the Ballets Russes. Based on a poem by Théophile Gautier and set to the music taken from Carl Maria von Weber's short piece Invitation to the Dance, it was choreographed by Michel Fokine with costume and set designs by Léon Bakst (to see more marvellous art of Léon Bakst, click here). The premiere of Le Spectre de la Rose took place on April 19, 1911 by the Ballets Russes in the Théâtre de Monte Carlo, with Vaslav Nijinsky as the Rose and Tamara Karsavina as the Girl.

Le Spectre de la Rose is such a magnificent piece and yet extremely difficult to execute well. The role of the Rose Spirit demands both technical brilliance and, more importantly in my opinion, a subtle/gentle sense of masculinity in the embodiment of a beautiful rose. In English National Ballet's celebratory performance of the Ballets Russes centenary last week, I found the dancer of the Rose Spirit to be too effeminate, albeit exhibiting near-flawless techniques.


A precious video clip of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Dame Margot Fonteyn performing Le Spectre de la Rose at the Monte Carlo Opera House in 1979. Fonteyn was 60 years of age (and still so gorgeous and extraordinary!) whilst Baryshnikov was 31.


This is my favourite version in terms of the Rose Spirit solo. I have never seen another Rose Spirit quite like Misha (unfortunately there is no surviving film footage of Nijinsky's original Le Spectre de la Rose). Just like his interpretation of Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, every movement of Misha is a painting. I highly recommend this DVD where you can see the most stunning performance of Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (and a lot more!). Misha is also my favourite Albrecht (see here, here & here). Being an unparallelled virtuoso in the classical ballet world, I love how he strove to bring out the essence of each character he danced, and at the very same time conveyed his passionate love for this art in an elegant and effortless way. I can never forget seeing him as Basil (or Basilio, the title role in Don Quixote) in American Ballet Theatre's production, dancing that infamous variation with those vertiginous grand pirouettes at the end - how beautifully he executed the piece and how infectious his big smile was. It is as though he was having the greatest time of his life! Ah the thrill of it all... Baryshnikov is truly a gem. I admire that he never ceases to reinvent himself and express his love as well as creativity in different artistic media (photography, music composition, and of course, dance).


Musically speaking, Le Spectre de La Rose is part of the song cycle Les Nuits d'Été composed by Hector Berlioz (again set to Théophile Gautier's poems). Here it is sung by Dame Janet Baker.



I fell in love with Les Sylphides after seeing English National Ballet's faithful production and interpretation last week - Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes lived again. Here is the waltz from Les Sylphides danced by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Marianna Tcherkassky (the Girl in Le Spectre de la Rose, second clip above).

此曲只應天上有，人間能得幾回聞

Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49: Arthur Rubinstein (piano), Jascha Heifetz (violin) and Gregor Piatigorsky (cello).

The piano trio has four movements:
Molto allegro e agitato
Andante con moto tranquillo
Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace
Finale: Allegro assai appassionato (sadly missing in this video recording...)

Gregor Piatigorsky plays the second movement from Chopin's Cello Sonata, accompanied by pianist Ralph Berkowitz.


Gregor Piatigorsky plays Tchaikovsky Waltz, with pianist Ralph Berkowitz.


Gregor Piatigorsky plays Romance by Rubinstein.

The Dying Swan

As tomorrow evening I am attending English National Ballet's special performance in celebration of Ballets Russes' centenary, I thought I would dedicate this post to one of the most beautiful and inspiring works in the history of ballet - The Dying Swan choreographed by Michel Fokine, as well as to the legendary Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova for whom this piece was created.

I have gathered a selection of vintage photographs, original footage of this ballet as performed by the great Anna Pavlova (some set to Camille Saint-Saëns's original score Le Cygne; whilst others accompanied by contemporary music which I feel might bring a different light to the interpretation of this extraordinary dance), a rare video of the very moving rendition by French Prima Ballerina Yvette Chauviré (coach of Sylvie Guillem and often described as France's greatest ballerina), Russian Prima Ballerina Assoluta Maya Plisetskaya's 1975 performance, and eventually, Kirov Ballet's Uliana Lopatkina dancing The Dying Swan at Saint Petersburg 300 Years Gala in 2003. One can see how much the art of ballet has evolved over time. (Aside from Anna Pavlova whose movement and beauty belong in such a bygone era, my personal favourites are Yvette Chauviré and Uliana Lopatkina.)

*Remember to pause the music player on the left-hand side column before you enjoy these videos. ;-)



Pablo Casals plays Saint-Saëns's The Swan (Le Cygne) for HMV in 1925. One of his earliest electrical recordings, and one of his most famous recordings ever made. With silent footage of Anna Pavlova dancing The Dying Swan.


Anna Pavlova, Kirov Ballet.

Music: "Ho Renomo" by Cluster & Eno


Maya Plisetskaya







*Another article of interest: Ma Pavlowa - Lucia Lacarra

A Grotesquely Stunning Beauty

Bizarrely magnetised and curiously "haunted" by the combination of this song and the collage of images...


Décollage by Les Balayeurs du désert

I've learned to clip my wings
And soften my ways
I've learned
These are ordinary things

like you'd estimate, just average
But evidently he does not agree
like you'd estimate, just average
But I've learned to clip my wings
And soften my ways

(*Slideshow made by St0pTheNoise)

賈鵑麗 Jia Juan Li

I discovered the exquisite world of Jia Juan Li's oil paintings while browsing a friend's photo albums, and was instantly attracted to the gorgeous, soft yet sensual colours, the cloud-like, dreamy textures, and most importantly, the poetic allusions to Chinese literature and history with which she creates her unique artistic vision and conveys understanding (as well as appreciation) of her own culture and heritage.

A lot of her paintings remind me of the great Chinese classical novel, Dream of the Red Chamber; whilst other 'portraiture' of Qing Dynasty princesses and female aristocrats emanates simultaneously a sense of innocence and certain effulgence of feminine authority. Her artworks are elegant, poetic, and they enchant the viewer with a subtle mystique, something perhaps a little darker, sinister even, underneath the pastel-hued dreamscapes, hidden behind the half-open screens or at the bottom of the deep blue pond, lit only by the reflection of moonbeam. Quiescence of those stories from thousands of years past.

L'automne

Jardin

Branche de Pêcher

Fleurs

Éventail

Fan Fan

Princess Wang

Jia Juan Li was born in Hangzhou in 1960, and is currently based in Paris, France. Since 1998, Jia has been a member of La Maison des Artistes en France (The French Artists Association). Praised as one of the most renowned and important Chinese female artists in the world, Jia is highly acclaimed both in Asia and internationally. She is famous for using her virtuosic western oil painting technique to depict scenes of dream-like elegance inspired by Chinese history and culture.

(Biography information taken from The Marigold Gallery.)

The Beauty and Wonder that is Cloud Gate

In this post I would like to share some wonderful photographs of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (one of my favourite dance companies in the world). I grew up with Cloud Gate and Lin Hwai-Min's choreographic works, but it was not until I went to their Moon Water premiere performance in London that I felt I had finally entered into the spiritual world of Lin Hwai-Min, and was able to properly appreciate the beauty of Cloud Gate. Moon Water, along with Cursive Trilogy (Cursive, Cursive II and Wild Cursive) remain to be my favourite works of Cloud Gate's gems.

水月 (Moon Water): set to Bach's serene Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, Moon Water represents a dream, like the reflection of the moon in water, the flower seen only from within a mirror. It is Tai Chi in dance form.








狂草/行草 (Wild Cursive/ Cursive I & II): inspired by the aesthetics, spirit and essence of Chinese calligraphy. All three pieces in Cursive Trilogy are such stunning works of art that the sheer beauty and strength completely take my breath away.






雲門舞者周章佞在莫斯科最古老的馬利劇院排練《行草》。攝影/林敬凱
(Cloud Gate rehearsal of "Cursive" in the oldest theatre of Moscow - the Maly Theatre.)




九歌 - 湘夫人 (Nine Songs): inspired by Jiu Ge, a set of ritualistic short poems written more than 2,400 years ago and attributed to Qu Yuan, one of the greatest Chinese poets. They were published in Chu Ci (楚辭 Songs of Chu, or Songs of the South) and are amongst the finest examples of shamanic poetry in ancient China.



紅樓夢 (The Dream of Red Mansions): inspired by the Qing Dynasty masterpiece of Chinese literature - Dream of the Red Chamber - one of the Four Great Classical Novels.


竹夢 (Bamboo Dream)



花語 (Whisper of Flowers)

Mystique of Aurae and String Quartets

Images and sounds which I am currently in love with. The elegantly enchanting series Displaced Auras by photographer and artist Jessica Langley, Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, opus 131, and Schubert's Death and the Maiden String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810.






Beethoven's heartrendingly beautiful and yet profoundly transcendent String Quartet No. 14, performed by The Lindsay String Quartet. Richard Wagner remarked upon the first movement, "...the most melancholy sentiment ever expressed in music. (...) he hastily turns from material reality, and slips into the harmonious cosmos of his soul."



The String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, opus 131, by Ludwig van Beethoven was completed in 1826. (The number traditionally assigned to it is based on the order of its publication; it is actually his fifteenth quartet by order of composition.) About 40 minutes in length, it consists of seven movements to be played without a break, as follows:
1. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
2. Allegro molto vivace
3. Allegro moderato
4. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile — Più mosso — Andante moderato e lusinghiero — Adagio — Allegretto — Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice — Allegretto
5. Presto
6. Adagio quasi un poco andante
7. Allegro
This work, which is dedicated to Baron Joseph von Stutterheim, was Beethoven's favourite from the late quartets. He is quoted as remarking to a friend: "thank God there is less lack of imagination than ever before". The work was dedicated to von Stutterheim as a gesture of gratitude for taking his nephew, Karl, into the army after a failed suicide attempt in 1826. Together with the quartets op. 130 and 132, it goes beyond anything Beethoven had previously written. (Op. 131 is the conclusion of that trio of great works, written in the order 132, 130 with the Grosse Fugue ending, 131; they may be profitably listened to and studied in that sequence.) It is said that upon listening to a performance of this quartet, Schubert remarked, "After this, what is left for us to write?". The Op. 131 quartet is a monumental feat of integration. Beethoven composes the quartet in six distinct key areas, closing the quartet again in C-sharp minor. The choice of key is of specific importance: the only other work that Beethoven wrote in C-sharp minor is the Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" sonata composed in 1801. The parallelism between the Moonlight sonata and the evocations of fantasia throughout the Op. 131 quartet is evident. The Finale directly quotes the opening fugue theme in the first movement, prompting Joseph Kerman to note that "blatant functional reference to the theme of another movement: this never happens." According to Michael Tusa's article "Structural Implications of Beethoven's C-minor mood," Tusa argues that many of these works that are imbued by the c-minor mood possess similar musical devices. For instance, the first movement of the work tends to open with a strong attack on the tonic and an upward leap. This is analogous to the Finale of the Op. 131. Kerman posits that the c-sharp minor quartet in fact resolves the pretensions aired by the c-minor mood. This in turn becomes another index of normality in the Op. 131. Since the Op. 131 string quartet is strongly end-weighted according to a similar mentality as the musical trajectory of the Op. 27, No.2, we may thus consider the Finale of the movement to be akin to the first movements of Tusa's article. Upon examination of the opening of the Op. 131, we indeed find a strong attack on the tonic.

Schubert's Death and the Maiden String Quartet performed by The Takács Quartet. A beautifully fluid, moving as well as passionate rendition reminiscent of the lyrics of Schubert's lied of the same name (the original music of this piece), which mention the soft embrace of death. "A stale tempo rids this piece of the lyrical phrasing and 'watery' feel that I think do the original lyrics proper justice, as well as giving the slightly more sprightly movements adequate phrasing and energy."*



The String Quartet in D minor was written in 1824 by Franz Schubert, just after the composer became aware of his ruined health. It is popularly known as the Death and the Maiden Quartet because the second movement is adapted from the piano accompaniment to Schubert's 1817 song (or Lied), Death and the Maiden. In the numerical order of his quartets it is his String Quartet No. 14, and is D. 810 in Otto Erich Deutsch's thematic catalogue of Schubert's works. The work is a string quartet in four movements:
1. Allegro, in D minor and common time
2. Andante con moto, in G minor and divided common (2/2) time
3. Scherzo: Allegro molto, in D minor and 3/4 time
4. Presto, in D minor and 6/8 time
The opening movement is, along with that of the preceding and next quartet and that of his string quintet, among the most extended and substantial in his chamber music output, if not in his output as a whole. It is a sonata form movement whose exposition encompasses three main key regions, D minor, F major and A minor.
The second movement is a theme — taken from his macabre song Der Tod und das Mädchen (D 531 in Deutsch's catalog) — and five variations, with coda.
The third movement's main theme can also be heard in one of a set of piano dances; its lyrical D major trio varies its 'repeats'.
The relentless finale-tarantella is a sonata-rondo in form — a rondo whose first episode returns as the last, and whose central section contains elements of development. Its coda promises major-mode triumph, and snatches it away.
*Quote from the original YouTube user who posted these wonderful recordings of Schubert's string quartet.
**Detailed information on these two pieces is taken from their respective Wikipedia entries here and here.