There are two versions of “La Sylphide” ballet. The first one was staged in France by Filippo Taglioni for his daughter Maria Taglioni in 1832. It was the first ballet when ballerina stood on point shoes. Four years later, in 1836 “La Sylphide” was staged in the Royal Danish Ballet by August Bournonville accompanied by the music of Herman Løvenskiold. It was a “forced stage”. In truth, Bournonville wanted to demonstrate the Taglioni’s version of the ballet but financial circumstances got in the way. Nevertheless, Bournonville’s ballet became as popular as the one of Taglioni’s. In Moscow Music Theatre and other Russian theatres, for instance, only the Danish version was played.
In 2021 the French version of “La Sylphide” is revived in MAMT’s repertoire. The ballet is revived by prominent and experienced director Pierre Lacotte. He revived Taglioni’s version using the archive materials that he also presented in Grand Opera Paris in 1972. In Russia, this version of the ballet can only be seen in Moscow Music Theatre.
