Every weekday morning at 10 a.m., the hosts at Classical MPR play a stand-out work based on the theme for the week. We call them Morning Glories.
Were ballets the predecessors to silent films, telling stories without the use of audible words?
That's a question for you to ponder throughout the week, as we highlight ballets with cinematic connections.
Monday
Leo Delibes: Sylvia
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra; Martin West, conductor
The Flower Duet from Delibes's opera Lakme might be more recognizable in movies than themes from his ballet Sylvia. Maybe that's because the "Pizzicato" melody from Sylvia is a bit...sneaky. As a result, it's frequently used in suspenseful scenes.
Tuesday
Sergei Prokofiev: Cinderella
Scottish National Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
Prokofiev's music for films and ballets is used for underscoring quite often - for example, Montagues and Capulets from his ballet Romeo and Juliet often provides heft during tense scenes.
Wednesday
Paul Dukas: La Peri
French National Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor
In perhaps one of the most beloved scenes in cinematic history, Dukas' short symphonic work The Sorcerer's Apprentice was brought to life in Disney's Fantasia. It's also, sadly, one of just a few of his existing pieces of music, which also include this exotic ballet.
Thursday
Leonard Bernstein: Fancy Free
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor
The music from Fancy Free first hit the big screen in 1949, after Bernstein reworked it for On the Town. This music also made an appearance in Hitchcock's Rear Window.
Friday
Peter Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty Suite
Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra; Aleksander Lazarev, conductor
Themes from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty have been used in many films. Perhaps most famously, they were turned into catchy songs in Disney's adaptation of the fairy tale.
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