Ondine is a ballet in three acts created by the choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton and composer Hans Werner Henze. Ashton originally produced Ondine for the Royal Ballet in 1958, with Henze commissioned to produce the original score, published as Undine, which has since been restaged by other choreographers. The ballet was adapted from a novella titled Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué and it tells the tale of a water nymph who is the object of desire of a young prince named Palemon. The première of the ballet took place at the Royal Opera House, London, on 27 October 1958, with the composer as guest conductor. The first major revival of this Ashton/Henze production took place in 1988.
History The three-act ballet of Ondine was commissioned and produced for The Royal Ballet in 1958 by the choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton. The resulting ballet was a collaboration between Ashton and the German composer Hans Werner Henze, who was commissioned to write the score. It is the only full length ballet that Ashton choreographed to original music, and the score is regarded as a rarity by musicians, as it is a "20th century full-length ballet score that has the depth of a masterwork".
The ballet was originally intended as a vehicle for The Royal Ballet's then prima ballerina, Margot Fonteyn and the title role of Ondine was choreographed specially for her and led one critic to describe the ballet as "a concerto for Fonteyn". From its première in 1958 until the work was removed from the repertoire in 1966, nearly every performance of Ondine saw Fonteyn cast in the lead role, with the only occasional exceptions seeing Nadia Nerina and Svetlana Beriosova dancing the role. Maria Almeida became the first ballerina to dance the role of Ondine in a revival, with Anthony Dowell dancing the role of Palemon. Staged in 1988 and conducted by Isaiah Jackson, the revival was a success and the ballet has been regularly performed ever since.
Music Ashton initially approached Sir William Walton to compose the score for Ondine. They had worked together before on a ballet called The Quest for the Sadler's Wells company in 1943, and agreed to collaborate again for the 1955–56 season; they decided on Macbeth as their subject. Fonteyn, however, was firmly opposed to playing Lady Macbeth, and was not enthused by Ashton's next suggestion, Miranda in a ballet of The Tempest. By the time Ashton had lighted on Ondine as an alternative, Walton was immersed in work on a concerto. He suggested that his friend Henze be approached. Accordingly, the music was commissioned from Henze, who titled the score Undine.
Henze and Ashton met at the former's home on the island of Ischia, just across the bay from Naples, to decide their key approaches to this new ballet. They decided to ignore the northern origins of Fouqué's novella Undine and move it to the Mediterranean. Ashton and Henze chose Lila De Nobili to design the set and costumes. She was described by Henze as "an Italian bewitched by English landscape and culture", however her first intention was to make the sets in the style that might have been seen on the stage of La Scala a hundred years earlier. However, Henze and Ashton had decided not to make their ballet a mix of all the great works of the nineteenth century, but rather that it would be the product of their own contemporary sensibilities with references to other works. Eventually, the three of them decided that Ondine would have a "gothic-revival" setting.
Despite his experience in the ballet world, Henze had never before composed a subject in the romantic style which Ashton requested, however Ashton had been impressed by Henze's treatment of magical material in his opera König Hirsch. Henze attended many ballet performances at Covent Garden, frequently accompanied by Ashton who told him clearly what he liked and what he did not like in music for dance. Eventually the work was completed, but when Ashton heard a recording of the orchestrated score he realised that he would have to revise his ideas; the sustained orchestral sounds were such a contrast to the piano score and made him think very differently.
Henze later arranged the Wedding Music for wind orchestra in 1957 and a further two orchestral suites in 1958.
Critical reception After its première in 1958 it was greeted with mixed, half-hearted reviews, although the first night reviews of Ondine were unanimous about one thing: Fonteyn's triumph in the title role. A.V.Coton spoke of "the supernormal sensitivity of feeling, interaction and mutual understanding which exists between Ashton and his heroine", and Cyril W. Beaumont saw the ballet as Ashton's "greatest gift" to his ballerina. Nothing else about the piece pleased everybody, though most reviewers liked Lila De Nobili's designs and praised the contribution of the supporting cast – Beaumont called Alexander Grant's Tirrenio "of Miltonic stature, magnificently danced and mimed". Edwin Denby dismissed Ondine: after praising Fonteyn he said "But the ballet is foolish, and everyone noticed". Most critics disliked the music and Mary Clarke was in the minority when she called it "rich and romantic and superbly rhythmical". Fernau Hall thought Henze showed "little understanding of the needs of classical dancing", and that Ondine would establish itself firmly in the repertoire "if it were not for Henze's music".
In 1958 the ballet was widely seen as having choreography and décor in harmony with each other but fighting with the music; now it's the choreography and the music which seem to speak the same language, while the sets look not only backward but to the north. Even when it was revived in 1988, it was hailed neither as a disaster nor as a lost masterpiece. Henze's modern music is also perceived as a reason for the few performances of this ballet before its revival in the 1990s.
Synopsis Ondine bears a resemblance to The Little Mermaid. The story derives from Fouqué's novella Undine, the tale of a water-nymph who marries a mortal. Similar to other 19th century fairy tales, the plot is based on man (Palemon) encountering the supernatural (the water nymph Ondine), but the outcome is rather different from many of the 19th century classics: here, it is the man that dies, and the female character survives. Ondine makes her first entrance from a fountain, shivering in the cold air as we would in water, and dances with her shadow, which she has never seen before. She meets the hero, Palemon, and is astonished when she feels his heartbeat as she doesn't possess a heart. Palemon deserts Berta, whom he has been courting, and decides to marry Ondine. During a particularly strong storm while at sea, Ondine is lost overboard. Palemon survives the shipwreck created by the angry Ondines and, believing Ondine is lost, ends up marrying Berta. Ondine returns, however, and is heartbroken when she discovers Palemon's unfaithfulness. When she kisses him, he dies and she brings his body back into the sea with her forever.
In the published score, as with the title of the ballet, Henze also retained the original spellings of the character names. The London ballet production was given as Ondine, but the score was titled Undine, and names the lead character as Undine. Henze also uses the original name Beatrice rather than Berta.
Principal characters Ondine (Undine) The title role is undoubtedly the main focus of the ballet. She is a gentle water sprite who the audience discovers dancing in a waterfall and then with her own shadow. Her love for Palemon is deep, which is what makes his unfaithfulness so devastating and dramatic.
Palemon The male lead is bewitched by the feminine allure of Ondine. He has never seen a creature as lovely as her and decides to marry Ondine, forsaking his betrothed, Beatrice (Berta). Similar to the Prince in Swan Lake, Palemon is destroyed by breaking the trust of his intended.
Berta (Beatrice) She is the perfect female contrast to Ondine. Ondine belongs to the sea, whereas Berta is definitely from the land. She is manipulative, possessive and highly demanding, while Ondine is gentle and loving.
Tirrenio He is the uncle of Ondine and also Lord of the Mediterranean Sea. He tries to warn Ondine that what she intends to do with Palemon goes against what is expected of her. When she chooses not to listen to his advice, he creates the conditions for a shipwreck where she is returned to the sea. When Ondine once again finds Palemon and realises how he has betrayed her, Tirrenio exacts a terrible revenge with his fellow Undines by causing death and destruction for all Palemon's guests.
Original cast RoleDescriptionDancer Ondine A water nymph Margot Fonteyn Palemon Michael Somes Berta Julia Farron Tirrenio Lord of the Mediterranean Sea Alexander Grant Hermit Leslie Edwards Ondines Monica Mason, Brenda Taylor, Deirdre Dixon, Shirley Grahame, Georgina Gray, Margaret Wing, Christine Beckley, Doreen Eastlake, Jennifer Gay, Jacqueline Daryl, Vyvyan Lorrayne, Hylda Zinkin, Jennifer Layland, Patricia Thorogood, Audrey Henderson, Desmond Doyle, Ronald Hynd, Gary Burne, Christopher Newton, Ronald Plaisted, Petrus Bosman, Derek Rencher, Keith Rosson, Richard Farley The Hunt Act I Dorothea Zaymes, Hylda Zinkin, Robin Haig, Patricia Thorogood, Brenda Bolton, Julie Wood, Peter Clegg, Ray Powell, Stanley Holde, Douglas Steuart, John Sale, William Wilson Wood sprites Act I Merle Park, Doreen Wells, Mavis Osborn, Judith Sinclair, Antoinette Sibley, Ann Howard, Derek Rencher, Richard Farley, Keith Rosson, Graham Usher, Maurice Metliss, Benjamin Stevens People from the port Act II Dorothea Zaymes, Hylda Zinkin, Robin Haig, Patricia Thorogood, Brenda Bolton, Julie Wood, Romayne Austin, Sandra Vane, Jane Bartlett, Maurice Metliss, Stanley Holden, Terry Westmoreland, Douglas Hill, Lambert Cox, Kenneth Barlow Sailors Act II Ronald Plaisted, Derek Rencher, Keith Rosson, Christopher Newton, Richard Farley, Petrus Bosman, Douglas Steuart, John Sale, Graham Usher, Benjamin Stevens, William Wilson, Robert de Warren Grand Pas Classique Act III Rosemary Lindsay, Annette Page, Ronald Hynd, Desmond Doyle, Brenda Taylor, Christine Beckley, Doreen Eastlake, Margaret Wing, Jacqueline Daryl, Audrey Henderson, Dorothea Zaymes, Ann Howard, Clover Roope, Brenda Bolton, Robin Haig, Julie Wood, Ronald Plaisted, Derek Rencher, Petrus Bosman, Richard Farley, Keith Rosson, Christopher Newton Divertissement Act III Maryon Lane, Merle Park, Doreen Wells, Brian Shaw, Peter Clegg, Pirmin Trecu, Shirley Grahame, Deirdre Dixon, Georgina Gray, Judith Sinclair, Antoinette Sibley, Mavis Osborn, William Wilson, Douglas Steuart, Benjamin Stevens, Graham Usher, Stanley Holden, John Sale Wedding guests Act III Ann Kenward, Myrleen Hedley, Rosalind Eyre, Louanne Richards, Janet Varley, Jane Bartlett, Kenneth Barlow, Robert de Warren, Clive Hicks, Maurice Metliss, Jeffrey Phillips, Lambert Cox Lackeys, Footmen,Acolytes, Pages Act III Kenneth Barlow, Jeffrey Phillips, Clive Hicks, Douglas Hill, Arthur Sweet, Anthony Mangan, David Hughes, Alan Cooper, David Gordon, John Bodemeaid Solo pianist Margaret Kitchin Children's roles Students of Edith Cavell Secondary School
The music Since the original 1958 production of the ballet, the score has been published as a standalone work, and has been used for other dance productions, which have also used the title Undine.
The score is constructed with the certainty of technical accomplishment and inlaid with a lyricism that emanated from his experience of Italian life and Mediterranean colour. The score combines various genres, including the Neoclassicism from his early years. This combination of the genres of early German Romanticism and the neoclassicism of Stravinsky gives the score a 'modern' sound "automatically made it anathema to the avant-garde of the 1950s". Therefore, the music was often seen as revolutionary and not suited to ballet.
Act 1