An exploration of opera-ballet as a music theatre trend: from the Ballets Russes to the present day

Thesis

This thesis seeks to shed light on the emergence and evolution of opera-ballet over the past century, providing a foundation for further exploration of this music theatre trend in an accompanying composition portfolio. During the Ballets Russes era in Paris, there was a revival of French baroque stage works. This appears to have inspired, or at least steered, Diaghilev and Benois to shape their answer to Gesamtkunstwerk to align with Parisian tastes for productions where narrative delivery was shared between song and dance. By using the Ballets Russes’ modernist opera-ballets as the foundation for a discussion on more recent works and productions, the second chapter proposes contemporary opera-ballet as a trend within music theatre. The final chapter comprises a critical commentary on the composition portfolio, representing three distinct branches of my compositional aesthetic. Two of these works explore the fusion of contemporary classical and jazz idioms, whilst another two inhabit a contrasting soundworld that utilises a nature-inspired pitch collection. Finally, the major work in my composition portfolio, is "The Orchestras of Auschwitz", which illustrates my creative engagement with ‘found’ music. Specifically, the work incorporates the restoration of music manuscripts previously overlooked in the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

Authors: Geyer, L

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-aqb5bxjv0
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: holocaust; Auschwitz; composition; Ballets Russes; opera-ballet
• Subjects: Composition (Music); Opera; Ballet; Holocaust memorials