Galas and Special Occasions

Notable ballet performances in late 19th and early 20th century London

Giselle_-Paris_Opera_-1867

History

Following the re-introduction of narrative ballet to the London stage in the late 1870s and early 1880s, ballet began to be seen as a Society event, as much so as opera and theatre. This intensified through the 1880s and by the 1890s ballet had become an intrinsic part of the social Season. 

At Her Majesty’s Theatre, William Thompson, as part of his efforts to restore ballet to what he believed to be its rightful place, wished to return ballet to galas and state performances. Up until then, galas and state performances had entirely consisted of extracts from operas, with few, if any, ballet diversions included as part of the programme. Thompson eventually succeeded in his efforts, resulting in the inclusion of a ballet (or an extract from a ballet) in galas and state performances becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Galas

Unlike in St Petersburg, it was not a usual thing to hold gala performances where the evening consisted solely of extracts from various ballets. Instead, a gala performance in London would usually consist of extracts from both opera and ballet, with the former generally preceding the latter. In general, the ballet extracts would be either a fully contained diversion or a complete act of a ballet as opposed to a programme of various pas taken from various ballets. 

There were two main types of galas given at Covent Garden. The first were galas held for occasions connected to the royal family, such as coronations, weddings and jubilees. However, these galas included both opera and ballet, and due to their royal connections blurred the line between gala and state performance. 

The second were the Graduation Galas for the Royal Ballet School. These end of year performances were created to showcase the talents of the graduating students, to display the skills of the school to the public and to allow the balletmaster the opportunity to see the students in a performance context and thus inform his decision as to whom invitations would be extended to join the troupe. 

State Performances

State performances were performances requested by the monarch or wider royal family for a special occasion. They differed from Royal Command Performances in their form and function. Royal Command Performances were usually specific plays, operas or performances that were requested by the reigning monarch at their personal discretion, and so did not even need to be held in a theatre, with Queen Victoria requesting command performances to be held at both Windsor Castle and Balmoral. State performances, on the other hand, were near universally held in theatres, and were requested for specific occasions such as coronations, weddings, jubilees and visits of foreign royalty and other dignitaries.

The first State Performance for which Thompson staged a ballet was the State Performance for the Wedding of the Duke of Albany (Queen Victoria’s fourth son) and Princess Helen Frederica of Waldeck-Pyrmont in 1882. Placed after extracts from two operas, the ballet that was staged was The Vivandiere. Thompson initially wished to stage the second act of The Corsair (the revival of which was well received the previous year 1881) but James Henry Mapleson (the theatre manager at the time) refused for so long an extract to be staged, especially since Mapleson preferred a complete diversion to be staged rather than an extract from a larger work. Thompson would continue to stage ballets (and later extracts from ballets) until his 1896 retirement, and Richard Hague, his successor, would continue to do so into the twentieth century.

List of Ballets Staged for State Performances 

Her Majesty’s Theatre

State Performance for the Wedding of the Duke of Albany and Princess Helen Frederica of Waldeck-Pyrmont (10 April 1882)

State Performance for the Wedding of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg (27 July 1885)

  • Ballet: Diavolina
    • Diavolina: Isabella Velluti
    • Gennariello: Samuel Penrose

State Performance for the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra (13 August 1902)

Covent Garden

State Performance for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (23 June 1887)

State Performance for the Visit of the Shah of Persia (2 July 1889)

  • The Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti
  • Act 4 of Fausto, Gounod 
  • Act 1 of Mefistofele, Boito
  • Ballet: Act 2 of The Corsair
    • Médora: Marta Draeger
    • Conrad: Rafael Caravetti
    • Gulnare: Sarah Nicholson
    • Birbanto: Charles Jennings
    • Odalisques: Ivy Gregson, Mary Butler and Joséphine Decoin
    • Seyd Pasha: Edward Lamb
    • Lanquendem: Jean Rousset
    • Head Eunuch: George Cox

State Performance for the Visit of the German Emperor and Empress (8 July 1891)

  • Act 1 of Lonhegrin, Wagner
  • Act 4 Romeo and Juliet, Gounod
  • Act 4 of Gli Ugonotti, Meyerbeer 
  • Ballet: Act 2 of Ondine
    • Ondine: Marta Draeger
    • Mattéo: Frederick Hale
    • Hydrola: Sarah Nicholson
    • Naiads: Ivy Gregson and Mary Butler

State Performance for the Wedding of the Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck (4 July 1893)

  • Romeo and Juliet, Gounod
  • Ballet inserted into Act 4 (music taken from The Beauty of Ghent)
    • Cracovienne: Sarah Nicholson and Frederick Hale
    • Pas de Diane Chasseresse: Marta Draeger

State Performance for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria (23 June 1897)

  • Act 2 of Tannhäuser, Wagner
  • Act 3 of Romeo and Juliet, Gounod
  • Act 4 of Gli Ugonotti, Meyerbeer 
  • Ballet: Act 3 of The Buccaneers
    • Rôles:
      • Jovita Cavallines: Sarah Nicholson
      • Don Altamirano: Frederick Hale
      • Notary: George Cox
      • Don Cavallines: Jean Rousset
      • Catarina, Inès and Amalia: Marie Saunier, Giulia Moretti and Louise Grignon
      • Don Alvar: James Elton
    • Dances:
      • Danse de Caractère Mexicaine: Lucia Rinaldi and Patrick Walsh
      • Danse de Caractère Européenne: Clara Whitmore and James Elton
      • Danse des Demoiselles: Marie Saunier, Giulia Moretti, Louise Grignon, Lily Clifford, Teresa Montoro, Jane Wheaton, Ada Ross and Sofia Zacchini
      • Ballabile des Enfants: Students of the Royal Ballet School
      • Grand Pas Classique: Sarah Nicholson and Frederick Hale
      • Variation: Harriet Linwood
      • Finale: Dancers of the Royal Ballet

State Performance for the State Visit of Her Majesty Queen Victoria (16 July 1900)

  • Fausto, Gounod
  • Act 5 Walpurgisnacht Ballet
    • Cléopâtre: Giulia Moretti
    • Hélène: Harriet Linwood
    • Phryné: Sarah Nicholson

State Performance for the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra (16 August 1902)

State Performance for the Visit of the French President (7 July 1903)

  • Act 1, Scene 2 of Rigoletto, Verdi
  • Act 2 of Carmen, Bizet
  • Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet, Gounod
  • Ballet: Act 3 of Coppelia
    • Swanhilda: Sarah Nicholson
    • Franz: James Elton
    • Dawn: Giulia Moretti
    • Prayer: Louise Grignon
    • Work: Harriet Linwood
    • Hymen: Teresa Montoro 
    • Discord: Jane Wheaton

State Performance for the Visit of the King of Spain (8 June 1905)

  • Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet, Gounod
  • Act 3 of La Bohème, Puccini
  • Act 4 of Gli Ugonotti, Meyerbeer
  • Ballet: The Two Peasant Girls
    • Justine: Harriet Linwood
    • Irène: Giulia Moretti

State Performance for the Visit of the King and Queen of Denmark (11 June 1907)

  • Act 1 of Madama Butterfly, Puccini
  • Act 1 of La Bohème, Puccini
  • Act 3 of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Wagner
  • Ballet: Act 2 of Esmeralda
    • Esmeralda: Giulia Moretti
    • Fleur de Lys: Louise Grignon
    • Diane: Sofia Zacchini
    • Beranger: Carolina Ferreira
    • The Rose: Jane Wheaton

State Performance for the Visit of the President of the French Republic (27 May 1908)

  • Act 1 of I Pescatori di Perle, Bizet
  • Act 2 of Fausto, Gounod
  • Ballet: Act 2, Scene 2 of The Beauty of Ghent
    • Béatrix: Jane Wheaton
    • Julie: Giulia Moretti
    • Diane: Louise Grignon
    • Masked Revellers: Dancers of the Royal Ballet 

State Performance for the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary (26 June 1911)

  • Act 2 of Aida, Verdi
  • Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet, Gounod
  • Act 2 of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini
  • Ballet: Fairest Isle
    • Britannia: Jane Wheaton

 State Performance for the State visit of the King and Queen of Denmark (11 May 1914)

  • Act 1 of Tosca, Puccini
  • Act 2 of La Bohème, Puccini
  • Act 2 of Aida, Verdi
  • Ballet: The Automaton

Benefit Performances

Benefit performances were held for the retirement of a notable dancer, choreographer or composer. In general, the privilege of a benefit performance was part of the contract of a première danseuse, and was usually (though not always) part of the contract of a premier danseur. The première (or other beneficiary) would request management for a certain ballet to be revived or newly created for their benefit, and management would either approve, reject or amend the proposal. A portion of the revenue generated by the performance (usually pre-specified in the contract) would go to the beneficiary as a parting gift to their years of service to the stage. 

Below is a list of benefit performances and their beneficiaries:

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