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BALLET: The Snow Queen
THE SNOW QUEEN
a ballet based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale
music and libretto by Susan Hulsman Bingham
THE SNOW QUEEN at its premier performance
VOICING:
treble choir (singing about 10 minutes of music within the ballet)
CAST:
Narrator dressed as Andersen, Devil, Demons, Spirit of the Rose, Snow Queen, Gerda, Slivers of Glass/Snowflakes, The Raven, Grandmother/Kindly Witch'Robber Woman, Rose Buds, Villagers/Coach Passengers, Flowers (Convolvulus, Snowdrop, Hyacinth, Narcissus, Buttercup), Robber Girl, Reindeer
ACCOMPANIMENT:
chamber orchestra: Flute/Piccolo, B-flat clarinet, Bassoon, Horn in F, Percussion, Piano/Synthesizer, Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass, and treble chorus.
CHORUS:
treble chorus, non acting
PROPS:
slides to be projected on back screen; minimal other props; costumes as desired
SOURCE OF TEXTS:
Andersen fairy tale
LANGUAGE:
English
MUSICAL STYLE:
melodic, lyrical, with some ethnic (Finnish/Samish) tonalities
SCENES:
one
DURATION:
90 minutes
PREMIER:
Hamden High School, Hamden, CT, May 1998 with The New Haven Ballet, Noble Barker, Choreographer, and James Sinclair, Conductor and Music Director, Orchestra New England, and the Chancel Opera Company of Connecticut Children's Chorus. Costumes by Vladimir Shpitalnik. Lighting design by William B. Warfel. The Snow Queen was made possible by a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven. The orchestration was funded in part by a grant from the Margaret Fairbank Jory Copying Assistance Program of the American Music Center in New York City. Sets and costumes by Vladimir Shpitalnik
Left: Rosa Polan as one of the Roses • Right: The
Chariot Chase
To
see more photos of THE SNOW QUEEN, click here
Click to hear "A Dark Waltz" from THE SNOW QUEEN )
(Midi recording)
Click to hear another Sound Clip
Played by Orchestra New England, James Sinclair, Conducting.
The Devil and her Demon Students build a mirror which causes everything reflected in it to look ugly and distorted. The mirror buckles, however, when pure angels look into it, and the mirror breaks into millions of tiny splinters when the pure rose is reflected in it. The broken mirror’s splinters fly over the earth and get into the eyes and hearts of many people. Kay, dear childhood friend of Gerda, turns sour and suspicious when one of the mirror slivers enters his eye and heart. He becomes ensnared by the Snow Queen, who takes him to her bitterly cold palace in the northernmost regions of the earth.
The ballet is about Gerda’s search for her beloved friend, whom she finds and redeems on the strength of her love for him.
Piano/conductor score of The Snow Queen: $110. Price includes shipping within the US. Price also includes performing rights and permission to make sufficient copies for cast and accompanists for one season.
CD of The Snow Queen: $17. Price includes shipping within the US.
If you would like to save money, ask for a CD of the FINALE files of THE SNOW QUEEN. Please call for information.