The Sleeping Beauty is a
ballet by
Tchaikovsky, with
choreography by
Marius Petipa, first performed at the
Maryinsky Theatre in
St Petersburg on 16 January 1890.
In this the princess is called Aurora, and the prince who comes to rescue her is either Florimund or Désiré. The wicked fairy is Carabosse, and the good fairy who leads Prince Florimund to the entangled castle is the Lilac Fairy, the fairy of wisdom. The king, Aurora's father, is Florestan XXIV.
The prologue is the reception of the fairies at the princess's birth. Those who bring her gifts are
- Candide (Candour), the fairy of purity
- Coulante, Fleur de Farine (Wheat Flour), the fairy of vitality
- Miettes qui Tombent (Breadcrumbs), the fairy of generosity
- Canari qui Chante (Canary), the fairy of eloquence
- Violente (Temperament), the fairy of passion
- La Fée des Lilas (the Lilac Fairy), who reserves her gift till last
Act I contains Aurora's Rose adagio; and has national dances (Swedish, Russian, Spanish, and French) from the princes who come to woo her. Act II concerns itself with the Prince's search for the Princess. The wedding celebrations in Act III include dances of other fairy-tale characters such as Puss-in-Boots, Red Riding Hood (dancing with the Wolf), and the Bluebird.
The productions I've seen by the Royal Ballet had variations choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, and by the producer Anthony Dowell. It is one of the most sumptuously beautiful ballets I've seen.
Tsar Alexander III attended a closed dress rehearsal on 2 January 1890, and a public dress rehearsal on the 15th was attended not only by the Tsar but by the seven-year old Igor Stravinsky. The role of Aurora was created by Carlotta Brianza, the Lilac Fairy by Maria Mariusovna Petipa, and Carabosse by Enrico Cecchetti.
It was presented in Milan in 1896 and Moscow in 1897. Pavlova danced it a shortened version in New York in 1916, and Diaghilev presented it in London in 1921 (under the title of The Sleeping Princess). Margot Fonteyn danced Aurora in the Sadler's Wells production, starting 2 February 1939, and on 9 October 1949 she first appeared in the United States, in that role (at the Met).