Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty"
Music Director Cynthia Woods will lead the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in a very special livestream production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, "Sleeping Beauty," on Sunday, May 23 at 4 p.m. Inspired by the plot of Charles Perrault's fairy tale, Tchaikovsky’s "Sleeping Beauty" is a magical story in music and dance first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1890. Tchaikovsky's gorgeous music is fully on display in this score, with a wealth of melodies, great rhythmic vitality, charming character dance pieces and rich orchestration. Tchaikovsky was supremely satisfied with his enchanting achievement, writing that "the music from this ballet will be amongst my best works. The subject is so poetical, it is so suited for music, that in composing it I was utterly absorbed, and wrote with a fervor and passion which always result in work of merit.”
The CSO rises to the occasion with an original, virtual production filmed at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Grand Ballroom, with CSO musicians performing the music from their homes in the style of the Holiday Pops 2020 event. The performance will feature dancers from City Ballet of Boston, alongside the resident choreographer, Gianni Gino Di Marco, as production director, with special appearances from the students of the Young Artist program of Tony Williams Dance Center.
The CSO 2020-21 season is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. CSO is grateful to the Cambridge Community Foundation and the City of Cambridge for generously funding this project. Stay up to date with the CSO on Twitter (@CSO_Tweets) as well as Facebook and Instagram (@CambridgeSymphonyOrchestra). Follow along using #CSOSleepingBeauty.
Cast:
From City Ballet of Boston
Ruth Whitney as Princess Aurora / Sleeping Beauty
Joe Gonzalez as Prince Charming
Gianni Gino Di Marco as Carabosse
Juliet Brown as The Canary Fairy (Fairy of Playfulness) and The White Cat
Betsy Boxberger Khalil as The Lilac Fairy (Fairy of Wisdom)
Amane Takaishi as The Violente Fairy (Fairy of Courage)
Christian D. Gonzalez as Puss in Boots
Avery Saulnier de Reyes as Little Red Riding Hood
Jean Robens Georges as The Wolf
Wiliam Whitney as The King
Cynthia Woods as The Queen
From Tony Williams Dance Academy — Erika Lambe, instructor
Mae Anthony, Ella Moye Gibbons, and Benedicte Saint Pierre Louis as Carabosse’s minions
Anna Lucia Heebner, Maxine Cavallaro, Gabrielle Inniss, Zoe Arnold O’Grady, Avani Shah, Eleni Moulis, Amelia Brown, Greta Gorman as the Garland Dancers