The Sylph of the Highlands

La Sylphide is the story of a young Scottish farmer, James, who is visited by the Sylphide – a tree fairy – on the eve of his wedding to Effie. He is enchanted by her, and follows her away into the woods. The evil witch Madge gives him a magic shawl to put around the Sylphide’s shoulders to transform her into human form, but it is a trick! When the shawl is placed around her shoulders, the Sylphide’s wings fall off and she dies. In falling in love with this otherworldly beauty James has destroyed his chances of happiness in the real world: he returns to discover that Effie is now engaged to his cousin Gurn.

La Sylphide was originally brought to the stage by Filippo Taglioni in 1832 for his daughter Marie and was the world’s first Romantic ballet. This was also the first ballet to put women on pointe, ensuring his place in ballet history. After Taglioni refused permission to re-stage his work, Bournonville was forced to create his own version, using a new score by Herman Severin Løvenskjold. He also refocused the choreography to give prominence to the male lead role, which he danced in the premiere season in 1836.

While Taglioni’s La Sylphide faded from repertoire by the 1860s, Bournonville’s version has survived. In 2005 The Australian Ballet will bring back to the stage Erik Bruhn’s 1965 re-staging that was first performed by The Australian Ballet in 1985. Multi-award winning Danish born Bruhn was a foremost exponent of the Bournonville style. He had a long association with The Australian Ballet, having been one of its first guest artists in 1962. He also made a special appearance as Madge during The Australian Ballet's 1985 season of La Sylphide. Set and costume designer Anne Fraser won the 1985 Green Room Award for Ballet Design for La Sylphide and in 1993 she was awarded an AM for her contribution to design.

La Sylphide will be performed at the Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House 8 - 28 April 2005

For more information about the programme of works by August Bournonville
please click here

www.rad.org.uk
www.australianballet.com.au

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