Portal:Classical music/Selected article/3

Sylvia, originally Sylvia ou La Nymphe de Diane, is a full-length ballet in two or three acts, first choreographed by Louis Mérante to music by Léo Delibes in 1876. Sylvia is a typical classical ballet in many respects, yet it has many interesting features which make it unique. Sylvia is notable for its mythological Arcadian setting, creative choreographies, expansive sets and, above all, its remarkable score. The ballet's origins are in Torquato Tasso's 1573 verse drama Aminta, which describes the basic plot of Delibes' work. Jules Barbier and Baron de Reinach adapted this for the Paris Opera. The piano arrangement was composed in 1876 and the orchestral suite was done in 1880. When Sylvia premiered on 14 June 1876 at the Palais Garnier, it went largely unnoticed. In fact, the first seven productions of Sylvia were not successful.