Le Papillon (ballet)

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Le Papillon (The Butterfly) is a "fantastic ballet" in 2 acts, with choreography by Marie Taglioni and music by Jacques Offenbach. Libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges (1861), and revised by Marius Petipa (1874).

First presented by the Ballet du Théâtre Impérial de l´Opéra on November 26, 1860, in Paris, France. Principal Dancers - Emma Livry (as Farfalla/the Butterfly), and Louis Mérante (as Prince Djalma), Louise Marquet (as the Fairy Hamza), and Mme. Simon (as the Diamond Fairy).

[edit] Revivals/Restagings

• Revival by Marius Petipa in 4 acts/4 scenes for the Imperial Ballet, with Léon Minkus making additions and adapting Offenbach's score. First presented on January 7/19 (Julian/Gregorian calendar dates), 1874 at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers - Ekaterina Vazem (as Farfalla/the Butterfly), Lev Ivanov (as Prince Djalma), Pavel Gerdt (as Patimate), Mathil'da Madaeva (as the Fairy Hamza), and Lubov Radina (as the Diamond Fairy).

[edit] Notes

• For his revival of 1874, Petipa added a variation to the Grand Pas des Papillons to a waltz by Luigi Venzano especially for the Prima Ballerina Ekaterina Vazem - this variation became known as the Pas Vazem, and was much celebrated among the balletomanes of St. Petersburg.

• Farfalla, the name of the lead role, is the Italian word for Butterfly.

• Richard Bonynge conducted a recording of Offenbach's original score for Le Papillon.

v • d • e The Ballets and *Revivals of Marius Petipa in Russia *Paquita (1847) · *Le Diable amoureux (as "Satanella") (1848) · Leda, the Swiss Milkmaid (1849) · *Giselle (1850, 1884, 1899, 1903) · The Star of Granada (1855) · The Rose, the Violet, and the Butterfly (1857) · *Le Corsaire (1858, 1863, 1868, 1885, 1899) · A Marriage During the Regency (1858) · The Parisian Market (1859, *1861) · The Blue Dahlia (1860) · Terpsichore (1861) · The Pharaoh's Daughter (1862, *1885, *1898) · The Beauty of Lebanon (1863) · *The Traveling Dancer (1864) · Florida (1866) · Titania (1866) · *Faust (1867) · The Benevolent Cupid (1868) · The Slave (1868) · Le Roi Candaule (1868, *1891, *1903) · Don Quixote (1869, *1871) · Trilby (1870) · *Catarina (1870) · The Two Stars (1871) · *La Péri (1872) · Camargo (1872) · *Le Papillon (1874) · *Ondine (as "The Naiad and the Fisherman") (1874) · The Bandits (1875) · The Adventures of Peleus (1876, *1897) · A Midsummer Night's Dream (1876) · La Bayadère (1877, *1900) · Roxana (1878) · Ariadne (1878) · The Daughter of the Snows (1879) · Frizak the Barber (1879) · Mlada (1879, *1896) · *La Fille du Danube (1880) · Zoraiya (1881) · La Vivandière (as "Markitenka") (1881) · *Pâquerette (1882) · The Night and the Day (1883) · Pygmalion (1883) · *Coppélia (1884) · *Le Diable à Quatre (as "The Willful Wife") (1885) · *La Fille Mal Gardée (1885) · The Magic Pills (1886) · The King's Command (1886, *1887, *1900) · *La Esmeralda (1886) · The Sacrifices to Cupid (1886) · *Fiametta (1887) · The Vestal (1888) · The Talisman (1889) · The Caprices of a Butterfly (1889, *1895) · The Sleeping Beauty (1890) · Nénuphar (1890) · Kalkabrino (1891) · A Fairy Tale (1891) · *La Sylphide (1892) · The Nutcracker (1892) · Cinderella (1893) · The Awakening of Flora (1894) · Swan Lake (1895) · The Little Humpbacked Horse (as "The Tsar Maiden") (1895) · The Calvary Halt (1896) · The Pearl (1896) · Bluebeard (1896) · Raymonda (1898) · Les Ruses d'amour (1900) · The Seasons (1900) · Harlequinade (1900) · The Heart of the Marquis (1902) · The Magic Mirror (1903) · The Romance of the Rosebud and the Butterfly (never presented)