(c) Opera National de Paris La Fille mal gardée: Opéra National de Paris
Paris, Palais Garnier
About the Event
Watch how the oldest ballet of classical repertoire, Jean Dauberval's La Fille mal gardée, unfolds with captivating choreography by Frederick Ashton at the Palais Garnier in Paris.
A rooster and hens, peasants wielding scythes, headscarves and clogs: such is the bucolic world of La Fille mal gardée, where young Lise, a farm girl in love with the peasant Colas, continually outwits her watchful mother, who wants to force her to marry another man – wealthier but simple‐minded.
Created in July 1789 at Bordeaux’s Grand Théâtre, this ballet, the classical repertoire’s oldest, originally choreographed by Jean Dauberval, took on new colours in 1960 with Frederick Ashton’s version for the Royal Ballet in London.
Entering the Paris Opera’s repertoire in 2007, its choreography delights with its freshness and sometimes comical fantasy. A virtuoso craftsman, Frederick Ashton created a gallery of irresistible characters to the strains of popular songs and comic‐opera arias, adding here and there touches of tender romantic poetry, embodied in the delicacy of a pink satin ribbon.
Cast / Production
La Fille mal gardée
Ballet in two acts
Music: Louis‑Joseph‑Ferdinand Hérold
Arrangements: John Lanchbery
Choreography: Frederick Ashton, after Jean Dauberval
Set and costume design: Osbert Lancaster
Lighting design: Jean‐Pierre Gasquet, Pascal Neniez
Conductor: Philip Ellis
Les Étoiles, les Premiers Danseurs et le Corps de Ballet
Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris
Address
Palais Garnier, 8, rue du Scribe, Paris, France — Google Maps
