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Gods Go A-Begging, The: Ballet Suite
Composers:- Handel, George Frideric
- Beecham, Thomas Sir
- Beecham, Thomas
Duration: 17
Description:
The operas of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) had fallen into almost total neglect while the composer still lived, and most of the 42 surviving stage works never had many performances, as opposed to Handel’s oratorios. Any occasional attempt to revive the operas resulted in curiosity but not a proper revival. The great English conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) was among the few who was familiar with Handel’s operas, owning thirty-seven of the forty-two surviving scores, which he annotated extensively, and which he used to frequently program individual arias. In an effort to make the concert-going audience aware of Handel’s opera again, Beecham arranged/orchestrated several concert suites and ballet suites over the course of several decades, using modern instrumental forces, a decision many critics found to be inappropriate. One of the ballet suites, THE GODS GO A’BEGGING (LES DIEUX MENDIANTS), was commissioned in 1928 by Serge Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes. The simple plot of the ballet introduces a shepherd who comes across a nobleman’s picnic, where he ignores the attention given to him by two ladies, choosing to instead dance with a serving maid. The picnic party’s indignation abates when the shepherd and maid are revealed to be gods in disguise. Following its July 1928 premiere at His Majesty’s Theatre in London, the ballet became a staple of the Diaghilev company until the impresario’s death, though other ballet companies did adopt the work themselves later. Movements: 1. Introduction (Overture to Act II of ADMENTO); 2. Allegro (or First Dance or Fugato) (from Overture to TESEO); 3. Minuet (from ALCINA); 4. Hornpipe (from CONCERTO GROSSO, Op. 6/7); 5. Musette (from IL PASTOR FIDO); 6. Ensemble (or Second Dance) (from ORGAN CONCERTO, Op. 4/4); 7. Larghetto (or Dream) (from ALCINA); 7a. Tambourine (from ALCINA); 8. Gavotte (from ALCINA); 9. Dramatico (from TERPSICORE); 10. Bourrée (from RODRIGO). Instrumentation: 2(1st d.Picc).2(2nd dEH).2.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp.Perc(1): Hpschd/Hp(opt.): Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Pno Cond. and Vn Cond. included in set along with full score. Reprint edition.
