Part 1 - Correspondence concerning the score

Identity area

Reference code

RAD/2/MAC/3/1/33/1

Title

Correspondence concerning the score

Date(s)

  • 1976-2006 (Creation)

Level of description

Part

Extent and medium

Five pages of photocopied letters, four typed letters, one carbon copy of a letter, two compliments slips, one fax (photocopied onto four pages of archival paper), one typed and one handwritten list

Context area

Name of creator

(1929-12-11 - 1992-10-29)

Biographical history

Kenneth MacMillan was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and began ballet classes in Retford, England, in 1940. He joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet School in 1944 and later the Sadler's Wells Ballet but gave up dancing for choreography partly due to crippling stage fright. His first choreographic work was Somnambulism, created for the Sadler's Wells Ballet Choreographic Group in 1953 and he created works for both Royal Ballet companies throughout his career. He created significant works for The Stuttgart Ballet and his works are danced by ballet companies world-wide. He has also created work for television and cinema.
Kenneth MacMillan was Director of the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin from 1966 to 1969, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet from 1970 to 1977 and its Principal Chroreographer from 1977 until his death. He was also Associate Director of American Ballet Theatre from 1984 to 1989, and Artistic Associate of the Houston Ballet from 1989 to 1992.
Kenneth MacMillan was knighted in 1983, and he received honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh (1976) and the Royal College of Art (1992). His awards include the Evening Standard Ballet Award (1979); Society of West End Theatre Ballet Award, 1980 and 1983; and, posthumously, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 1993 for The Judas Tree; the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 1993; and the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 1994 for Carousel

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Benjamin Britten's score was commissioned by the Royal Opera House for John Cranko's ballet of The Prince of the Pagodas first performed in 1957. The Royal Opera House and Kenneth MacMillan approached Britten in 1976 about the possibility of a new version of the ballet but Britten was reluctant to agree to any cuts to the score. MacMillan used the full score for his version of The Prince of the Pagodas in 1989, and musical cuts were agreed with the Britten-Pears Archive for subsequent revivals. The material in this file comprises:

  1. Photocopy of a typed letter from Benjamin Britten to Kenneth MacMillan asking if there was any news about his plans, 21 Jan 1976. The letter is unsigned but there is a compliments slip from the Britten-Pears Library with a handwritten covering note to Jann Parry confirming the sender, 19 Jun 2006
  2. Four pages of a photocopied two-page fax from Anthony Russell-Roberts to Donald Mitchell re agreed changes to the score, 25 Sep 1992

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