Ballet Suite in 5 movements (revised version)
Instrumentation: 3222; 4331; timp, perc, hp, pno; stgs
Duration: 24'
Composed: 2008
Published by: Alla Pavlova Music
Although it maintains the charm of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, Alla Pavlova's Thumbelina is a considerable musical, visual and narrative expansion of the story to make it suitable as a full-length ballet and family-programming alternative to The Nutcracker.
Musically, it is scored for full symphony orchestra ([3,2,2,2]-[4,3,3,1]-[timp.,perc.]-[Hp]-[Strings], Percussion: Bass dr., Snare dr., Wooden Block, Tambourine, Triangle, Glock., Vibraphone, Celesta) and contains not only many beautiful, lyrical and moving waltzes and other “classical” themes, but also rhythms such as tango, boogie-woogie and ragtime.
Narratively, the story has been adapted to include a varied and colorful cast of characters.
The Thumbelina Suite (which has been recorded by the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra for Naxos) can be heard at http://www.allapavlova.com/listen.html or by clicking on the image below.
She has created a synopsis of the ballet, which is of course based on the Andersen fairy tale. We’ll gladly send this synopsis on request.
Recording:
21st Century Classics – Naxos 8.579003
Performance materials available on rental only:
Subito Music Rental Library via Zinfonia 