If you are in the Nashville area this weekend, the Nashville Ballet Company is premiering a new ballet written by Nashville composer, arranger, and orchestrator Don Hart and choreographed by Paul Vasterling.
The ballet, based on the classic children’s story by Margery Williams, originally was supposed to have about 30 minutes of music, but by the time it was finished included more than twice that amount. The Nashville Symphony is performing the score, with Paul Gambill conducting.
Concerning the working process, Don related the following to nashvillecitypaper.com:
“We’ve moved it from England to the South, and I’ve utilized some things to reflect the period (early ‘20s),” Hart said. “There are some jazz and 20th century classical things, and it reflects the influences of composers like Gershwin, Ravel and Stravinsky. The story goes through some fantasy elements and it’s been done to be more of a family piece, rather than just a children’s story.”
Hart added that he’d been working on the piece about a year and a half, and that there were some alterations and adjustments that had to be made in order to make it compatible for dancers.
I have had the chance to attend rehearsals of the dancers and the orchestra, as well as the dress rehearsal, and can attest to its excellence and appeal. Don and Paul have done a wonderful job of transferring the story from book to stage and music. I’m looking forward to hearing the suites Don is planning on arranging of this music.