Sweeney Todd (ballet) - Misplaced Pages

Sweeney Todd
Choreographer	John Cranko
Music	Malcolm Arnold
Based on	The String of Pearls
Premiere	10 December 1959
Original ballet company	Royal Ballet
Characters	Sweeney Todd Tobias Ragg Johanna Mark Ingestre Colonel Jeffrey
Design	Alix Stone
Setting	Fleet Street, London
Genre	Horror

The ballet Sweeney Todd, Op. 68 by Malcolm Arnold was completed in 1959. It is a one-act ballet based on the legend of Sweeney Todd, a villain in The String of Pearls serial. The scenario and original choreography were by John Cranko and the scenery and costumes by Alix Stone in the style of Victorian toy theatres. It was first performed by the Royal Ballet touring company on 10 December 1959, at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, with the Royal Opera House Orchestra conducted by John Lanchbery. The dancers who created the roles in the first production were Donald Britton (Sweeney Todd), Johaar Mosaval (Tobias), Elizabeth Anderton (Johanna), Desmond Doyle (Mark Ingestre), Ian Hamilton (Colonel Jeffrey).

Concert suites

In 1984, the composer David Ellis compiled a 20-minute concert suite, Op. 68a from the ballet in collaboration with the composer. The suite was first performed on 19 June 1990 at Bristol University with the University Chamber Orchestra. A shortened version of the suite was arranged for brass band by Phillip Littlemore. It had its first performance on 22 October 2006 at the Malcolm Arnold Festival, Derngate in Northampton by the Rushden Windmill Band led by Richard Graves.

References

Percival J. Theatre in my blood - a biography of John Cranko. The Herbert Press Ltd, London, 1983.
Bland A. The Royal Ballet – the first 50 years. Threshold Books, London, 1981.
Burton-Page P. Liner notes for Conifer Classics recording CDCF224 (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley), 1993.

External links

v t e Sweeney Todd
Characters	Sweeney Todd Johanna Barker Judge Turpin Mrs. Lovett Lucy Barker Adolfo Pirelli Tobias Ragg
Films	Sweeney Todd (1928) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936) Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970) The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1997) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) soundtrack
Other	The String of Pearls "Not While I'm Around" Sweeney Todd (ballet) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (musical) Lunch Ladies "Andy's Play" Ravenous Devils

v t e Malcolm Arnold
Ballet	Homage to the Queen Sweeney Todd
Orchestral music	Symphony No. 1 (1949) Symphony No. 2 (1953) Symphony No. 3 (1957) Symphony No. 4 (1960) Symphony No. 5 (1961) Symphony No. 6 (1967) Symphony No. 7 (1973) Symphony No. 8 (1978) Symphony No. 9 (1986) English Dances Four Scottish Dances Peterloo Tam O'Shanter Overture
Concertante	Concerto for Two Violins and String Orchestra Clarinet Concerto No. 2 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra
Miscellaneous	The River Kwai March
Film score	Wings of Danger (1952) The Sound Barrier (1952) Stolen Face (1952) The Holly and the Ivy (1952) It Started in Paradise (1952) The Captain's Paradise (1953) Albert R.N. (1953) Hobson's Choice (1954) You Know What Sailors Are (1954) The Sleeping Tiger (1954) The Belles of St Trinian's (1954) The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954) The Night My Number Came Up (1955) 1984 (1956) Trapeze (1956) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) The Roots of Heaven (1958) Dunkirk (1958) The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) The Key (1958) Tunes of Glory (1960) Whistle Down The Wind (1961) No Love for Johnnie (1961) The Inspector (1962) The Lion (1962) Nine Hours to Rama (1963) Tamahine (1963) The Chalk Garden (1964) The Heroes of Telemark (1965) Sky West and Crooked(1966) Africa Texas Style (1967) The Reckoning (1969) David Copperfield (1969)
Named for Arnold	Malcolm Arnold Academy
Related articles	Curse of the ninth
List of compositions by Malcolm Arnold Category:Compositions by Malcolm Arnold

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