Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 21, 2005

Rita Sangalli as Sylvia in the 1876 production

Sylvia is a full-length ballet in two or three acts, first choreographed by Louis Mérante to music by Léo Delibes in 1876. Sylvia is a typical classical ballet in many respects, yet it has many interesting features which make it unique. Sylvia is notable for its mythological Arcadian setting, creative choreographies, expansive sets, great influence on the arts and, above all, its remarkable score. The ballet's origins are in Tasso's 1573 poem "Aminta," which describes the basic plot of Delibes' work. Jules Barbier and Baron de Reinach adapted this for the Paris Opera. This piano arrangement was composed in 1876 and the orchestral suite was done in 1880. When Sylvia premiered on June 14, 1876 at the Palais Garnier, it went largely unnoticed. In fact, the first seven productions of Sylvia were not successful. It was the 1952 revival, choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, that popularized the ballet.

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