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Products featuring this work
| Format | Title | Version | AMC Library | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Score |
Dancing in St Petersburg : for string ensemble / Jessica Wells. |
String orchestra | Available for loan | $40.91 | Add to cart |
|
Score |
Dancing in St Petersburg : for string quartet / Jessica Wells. |
String Quartets | Available for loan | $40.91 | Add to cart |
Work Overview
In homage to "Polovtsian Dances" from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" (1890), the first movement of the string quartet explores the Polovtsians (Turkish nomads) dancing to entertain Prince Igor at the request of his captor Khan Konchak. The music delves into elements of traditional Turkish "makam" scales which include quarter-tones and odd-metered rhythms. The central melodic section is in response to the slave girl dance used at the opening of the scene. The women in the opera chorus sing about their homeland, hence the use of traditional Turkish elements to reflect the setting in 12th Century Europe.
The second movement of the quartet gets its name from the Shostakovich ballet written in 1931. Both "The Bolt" and Borodin's "Prince Igor" were premiered in the famous Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg (though 41 years apart). In Stalin's Russia of the time, artists were under scrutiny for being too "avant-garde", and unfortunately Shostakovich's ballet was banned after only one performance. The composition brings forth some of the more modern aspects of the score with a mechanical factory scene, and scenes which amused audiences for their comedy and pastiche of Western dance music. You will hear a slow drunken waltz, Tango, Charleston, Polka and a Communist March.
Work Details
Year: 2022
Duration: 10 min.
Performances of this work
15 Jan 25: featuring Australian Youth Orchestra.
2025: featuring Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
3 Jun 2022: at Borodin, Shostakovich, Wells (Adamstown Uniting Church). Featuring Acacia Quartet.
25 Mar 2022: at Bowral Autumn Music Festival 2022 (St Jude's, Bowral). Featuring Acacia Quartet.
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