106. Josef-Legende (La Légende de Joseph) 1931
Choreographic Narrative in Eight Scenes
- Music
Richard Strauss (Op. 63, 1913-14, commissioned by Serge Diaghilev)
- Choreography
Originally choreographed by Michel Fokine (1914); rechoreographed by George Balanchine
- Production
Scenery and costumes by Kjeld Abell. Scenery executed by Axel Bruun
- Premiere
January 18, 1931, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Theater, Copenhagen. Conductor: Victor Schiøler
- Cast
Josef, Børge Ralov; Father, Karl Merrild; Mother, Edel Pedersen; Josef’s Brothers, 10 men; 2 Young Women; 3 Merchants; 4 Slave Girls; Leader of Pharaoh’s Bodyguard, Richard Jensen; His Wife, Ulla Poulsen; Bodyguards; Slaves; Guests; Onlookers.
SCENE I: Joseph’s Home. SCENE 2: The Well. SCENE 3: The Father. SCENE 4: The Masked Ball. SCENE 5: Interlude. SCENE 6: Temptation. SCENE 7: Interlude. SCENE 8: Pharaoh
Performance Type
Ballet
Note
Balanchine abandoned the original libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal (used by Fokine) and based his work on the story of Joseph as recounted in the Old Testament. Presented with Balanchine’s restaging of Apollon Musagète [84, with Leif Ørnberg] and Barabau [53, with Harald Lander] in the second of two Royal Danish Ballet series called Ballet Evening by George Balanchine.
