Though known as a master of opéra-comique, Daniel-François-Esprit Auber was crucial to the development of Romantic ballet. His grand operas featured long danced interludes, and his music later inspired ballets by choreographers like Frederick Ashton.
Cesare Pugni
Based on a popular Russian fairy-tale, The Little Humpbacked Horse tells of the spectacular deeds of Ivanushka with the help of a magical horse. Created by Arthur Saint-Léon with music by Cesare Pugni, it was the first ballet based on Russian folklore.
Romualdo Marenco
In Manzotti’s spectacular allegorical ballet Excelsior, the rise of human civilization is an embittered struggle between Light and Darkness. As inventions triumph, Marenco’s exhilarating music celebrates an apotheosis of light, progress, and peace.
Ludwig Minkus
Marius Petipa’s exuberant ballet Don Quixote, with its celebrated score by Ludwig Minkus, is based on the adventures of Kitri and Basilio from Cervantes’s novel. This edition reproduces the piano score of the classic St. Petersburg version.