Danse de la peur

Danse de la peur
(Dance of Fear) for 2 pianos and small orchestra, from ‘Die blaue Blume’ (The Blue Flower), ballet music

Year of composition

1936

Duration

15'

Scored for

2 pianos and small orchestra: 0 0 2 0 - 0 2 3 1 - timp. - perc. - celesta - alto+tenor sax - strings; see also Die blaue Blume (complete ballet)

Publication information

Universal Edition (UE15845)

Commentary

Danse de la peur
The Danse de la peur (Dance of the Fear) is taken from a ballet which never actually saw the light of day. Written for a competition organised by the Zürich Theatre in 1935, it was based on a scenario by the ballet master P. Mlakar entitled Die Blaue Blume (The Blue Flower). The entire action takes place in a gypsy camp. As for the scene which the piece for two pianos and orchestra illustrated, I can do no better than to quote the original scenario:
 A person runs in, apparently fleeing from something, and falls to the ground in the middle of the stage. He picks himself up again and seems relieved. A helpless, exhausted dance.
 Suddenly a man with a briefcase and bowler hat appears from a far corner. (He and all following figures represent the ineluctable constraints of a harried, civilised city-dweller). The man approaches the person who, noticing his pursuer, seeks to escape. Now a second man appears from whom he also tries to flee. Then two men together confront him from the third corner, followed by more and more until they form a chorus of pursuing tormentors. The dance develops into a terrible manhunt. Finally the figure is caught and dragged around before being abandoned, apparently lifeless.

I may add that I won a prize for the ballet, which however was judged too difficult to perform. [That is why Frank Martin never orchestrated this music, apart from the scene which he arranged for concert performance under the title Danse de la peur, Ed.].

Text by Frank Martin from A propos de… commentaires de Frank Martin sur ses œuvres (Neuchâtel, 1984) | English translation by Rachel Ann Morgan

Premiere

World première of ‘Danse de la peur’: Geneva 28 June 1944. Madeleine and Dinu Lipatti, piano; Edmond Appia, conductor

Recordings (selective list)

  • ‘Complete Music for Piano & Orchestra’
    Paul Badura-Skoda & Sebastian Benda, piano
    Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana
    Christian Benda, conductor
    ASV CD DCA1082 ℗ 1999 (FMS181)

  • Piano Duo Soós-Haag
    Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur
    Jac van Steen, conductor
    Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm ℗ + © 2004

  • Begonia Uriarte & Karl-Hermann Mrongovius, piano
    Münchner Philharmoniker
    Theodor Guschlbauer, conductor

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