The Finnish National Ballet

Recently we visited Helsinki and attended a performance of the ballet Don Quixote in the superb Opera House there. The score is by Aloisius Ludwig (also known as Leon Fedorovich) Minkus (1826-1917). An Austrian composer of Polish or Czech origin, he wrote music for many of the Petipa staged ballets in St. Petersburg. The details of his life – and his death, are obscure. There are for example three accounts of his demise in three different places. His early contacts and work in Paris remained a focal point throughout his life, but most of his work was done in Russia, which became his home. The suggestion commentators make is that he was overshadowed by Tchaikovsky, who of course was much more than a composer of ballet music which was Minkus’ main interest. At the time of Don Quixote’s great success in 1869 he was appointed to the post of official Composer to the Imperial Russian Ballet.

The music we heard in February (excellently played) was delightful, well orchestrated with some lovely wind solos and often quite evocative – though the attempt at simulated Spanish music for one of the corps de ballet items was very heavy handed; almost a clog dance with castanets! The experienced ballet conductor John Lanchberry has said that Minkus ‘can occasionally lapse into trite note-spinning’, which is rather harsh. This is music suitable for its time and for the classical Russian ballet of that period, enhancing the action on the stage without distracting the listener.

There was plenty of action on the Helsinki stage, if a very tenuous story line and without much reference to the Don, who crept in and out of the narrative without contributing anything to it. It was a fine performance, lavishly staged, with a largely young company showing great enthusiasm and commitment, the two principles Carolina Aguero and Jaakko Eerola dancing with great skill and beauty.

Earlier on the day we were there, we had the privilege of a tour of the opera house which included all the dressing rooms, workshops and backstage equipment. The building had been in mind for seventy years, but was eventually completed only a few years ago in a beautiful setting facing the sea; on this occasion a sea full of pack ice! It is a well planned and tastefully designed building; one had a sense of great achievement and dedication by the opera and ballet company and the supporting staff. And in the evening we felt we had a special insight into the immense preparation and collaboration that goes into such a performance.

B.R.