ballet class music

CD Review: Modern Ballet Studio Melodies Vol 4

December 5, 2013 by 4dancers

Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 4 by the talented Christopher Hobson is a standout for its variety in style and its inspiring energy. The album contains thirty-six tracks of music with no repeats for the seventeen barre pieces. Hobson plays something for everyone, from Debussy and Prokofiev to the themes from “South Park,” ET and Indiana Jones.

All the music on the disc is dynamic, and the adagio tracks, seven in all, are especially sensitive and lyrical. The two grande allegro tracks are on the slow side, but the rest of the allegro music has a wide enough range of length and tempi to make this CD work for many different class levels. The same is true of the music for barre: most exercises have multiple choices of music. The versatility offered here comes as no surprise; in addition to composing and arranging music for the studio and the stage, Hobson has been commissioned to compose music for the International Dance Teachers Association’s entire ballet syllabus.

Overall Christopher Hobson delivers a delicious mix of brightness, weight, attitude, and spice on Modern Ballet Studio Melodies 4. It’s suitable and inspiring for many levels from intermediate student to professional.

Behind The Keys – Ballet Pianist Anna Buchenhorst

September 2, 2013 by 4dancers

At 4dancers we believe that music is a big part of dance, and that the people who conduct it and play it are as much a part of the art form as the dancers themselves. To that end, today we hear from Swedish pianist Anna Buchenhorst, who recently released a CD of ballet music. Learn a little bit about what life is like for her behind the keys…

How did you get involved with playing music for dance?

I was dancing ballet myself from the age of four until eighteen. At that age I choose the piano 100% and it wasn’t until ten years later that I came back into a ballet studio as a pianist. I instantly liked being there!

What do you think the challenges are in terms of playing this type of music?

The challenge is to play helpful music that fits to the steps, and still use beautiful, inspiring music with a big variety. One dancer once told me that she could feel it in her body the whole day, that I had been playing her favorite music for class. That was really nice to hear.

How do you select the music you use for dance?

To me it´s like a sport. Even when I go to the opera, or listen to the radio I can think that this aria, or ballade would be great for an adagio in the middle and so on. I am a collector of great pieces and I want to leave them like they are as much as possible. I also improvise a lot, but not on this record.

What do you like best about playing music for dancers?

To watch the dancers improve, when you pick the right music. It´s functional, fantastic and full of good spirits.

BIO: Anna Buchenhorst is a piano soloist and the full-time ballet pianist of the Royal Swedish Ballet since 2002. She has a repertoire that extends from the baroque to contemporary music, including solo works, chamber music and concertos for piano and orchestra. She has worked together with leading European choreographers and ballet teachers of our time, among them Mats Ek, as well as playing for celebrities such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, John Neumeier and Dame Beryl Grey.

She graduated as a Master of Fine Arts, under Professor Stella Tjajkovski, at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg.

In the early nineties she received a scholarship from the Swedish Institute enabling her to become a full-time student of the Liszt Academy in Budapest. With Professor Márta Gulyás as her piano teacher, she refined her virtuosic technique and musical insights.

CD Review: Dancing Keys 3

August 9, 2013 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

Dancing Keys 3 contains 29 tracks of original solo piano music. Gill Civil’s compositions are clear and expressive, richly textured, and full of life. The CD includes fourteen “bonus tracks”—repeats of existing tracks that are either double length, slower, or faster. This feature makes Dancing Keys 3 suitable for a variety of class levels. However, the usefulness of these extra tracks is dampened somewhat by the fact that they are all lumped together at the end of the disc instead of appearing next to their originals within the class sequence. Even the most melodious CD can be consigned to the bottom of the stack if it’s difficult to use or disrupts the flow of class. It’s a shame this beautiful music collection has been arranged with a built-in handicap, albeit a small one.

There are thirteen tracks for barre, with double-length versions for plies, tendus, jetes, frappes, ronds en l’air, and petit and grand battements. Center contains sixteen tracks including port de bras, tendus, several waltzes, a march, and plenty of allegro music. Meters and are varied and tempi are clear. Adapted tracks here include double-length tendus, waltz, and sautés; a slower waltz and march, and faster allegro for batterie.

Production shortcoming aside, the music on Dancing Keys 3 is simply lovely.

Gill Civil’s Dancing Keys 3 is available on www.pianomusicforballet.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes.

CD Review: Ballet Class with Piano, Vols 1&2

August 2, 2013 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

Ahn Hyewon and Jeong Mijin’s Ballet Class with Piano CDs each contain over forty tracks of original and classical solo piano music. Volume 1 is comprised mostly of classical pieces, with fourteen of the 41 tracks original compositions by Ahn and Jeong. The first volume includes some fun adaptations of well-known classical music (Ivanocivi’s “Donauwellen Walzer” in a straightlaced 2/4) as well as a few Western popular and show tunes. Volume 2 is mostly original work by Ahn and Jeong, with a few classical melodies tossed in.

Both CDs feature repeated tracks for barre, six tracks for centre work, adage, and pirouettes, fourteen tracks for allegro, and music for pointe work. Meters and tempi are clear and consistent, if somewhat lacking in variety. All of the center tracks are quite short, making these discs best suited for a beginner or intermediate-level class.. The overall flavor of this CD is a pleasant balance of lightness and formality.

Christopher Hobson – Creating Music For Ballet Class

July 9, 2013 by 4dancers

We love talking with musicians that are involved with ballet–after all–the music is such a big part of it! Today we have Christopher Hobson with us to talk about his experience playing for dancers and making music for class…

How did you get involved in doing music for ballet class?

I originally started playing for contemporary dance. I suppose like most musicians, I got into this by accident! I was playing a jazz gig and got talking to somebody at the bar who said they liked what I was playing and would I be interested in auditioning for a job playing for contemporary dance. As I wasn’t working at the time I thought ‘why not’! When I started I didn’t know what the job entailed and was thrown in at the deep end.

After a couple of years of contemporary dance I moved cities and took a job with Elmhurst School for Dance, specialising in ballet! This was the first time I’d ever played for ballet and again it was a real learning experience and some of the great teachers who were in this institution at the time took me under their wing and took the time to explain to me just what was required when playing for ballet and what the differences were in terms of style, accompaniment and support between ballet and contemporary dance. Without this support from colleagues I doubt I would be where I am today. I was only 18 when I first entered a dance studio as a musician!

What is the most difficult thing about creating music for dance class?

You have to be able to be creative, 100% of the time! There is no time to sit on your reputation or relax – I believe that my job is to inspire the dancers who are in the class and if I do my job well it will enable the dancers to not only do their job well, but enjoy doing their job. This can be particularly difficult if you’ve been stuck in a recording studio for days, travelling from venue theatre to theatre or just if you’re slightly tired!

What is the most rewarding thing about making music for ballet class?

When playing live, I try to use music from as many different genres as possible – from baroque, classical, jazz standards, musical theatre and popular culture – also not forgetting the occasional improvisations! I love it when a particular melody I play reflects the movement of a dancer. From behind the piano you can see the smiles on dancers faces and that of the ballet master. This makes me feel like the movement and music are working as one – just as it does in a good performance.

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