Le Corsaire: Pas de Deux: Full Orchestra, Ensemble Works Conductor Score

The ballet LE CORSAIRE, inspired by Lord Byron's poem, tells the story of the love between a pirate and a beautiful slave-girl against a backdrop of the open sea, remote grottoes, amid the hustle and bustle of an eastern bazaar, and the languid luxury of a sultan's harem. Premiered by the Ballet of the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris, France on January 23 1856, the original music was entirely by Adolphe Adam. Over the years, significant revisions and the addition of a substantial amount of new music has involved numerous other composers in the ballet, including Cesare Pugni, Léok Delibes, Ludwig Minkus, Pyotr Oldenburgsky, Ivan Trubetskoy, and Antoine Simon. Riccardo Drigo's (1846-1930) contribution of the "Pas de Deux" was requested by choreographer Marius Petipa's 1899 revival as a spectacular vehicle for the reigning ballerina, Pierna Legnani, and is now among classical ballet's most iconic and performed excerpts. This edition was orchestrated and revised by William McDermott in 1987. Instrumentation in set: 2(2dPicc).2.2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp: Hp: Str (4-4-3-3-3).