Martha Graham Dances "Appalachian Spring"

"Appalachian Spring", the ballet by Martha Graham with music by Aaron Copeland, premiered at the Library of Congress in 1944. As Jennifer McDonald says in this short blog entry, it "became an instant treasure". She also helpfully reminds me that it is a great thing to see Martha Graham's dance and hear Aaron Copeland's music, and that we can, thanks to this beautiful recording filmed in 1959, when Graham was in her mid-60s.

Dancers in this film:
The Bride: Martha Graham
The Husbandman: Stuart Hodes
The Revivalist: Bertram Ross
The Pioneer Woman: Matt Turney
The Revivalists' Flock: Yuriko, Helen McGehee, Ethel Winter, Miriam Cole

Film Directed and Photographed by Peter Glushanok, Produced by Nathan Kroll, Presented by WQED Pittsburgh. Filmed in 1959.

[YouTube link for Part I, for those who don't see the embedded player.]

[YouTube link for Part II, for those who don't see the embedded player.]

[YouTube link for Part III, for those who don't see the embedded player.]

[YouTube link for Part IV, for those who don't see the embedded player.]

Posted on January 27, 2011 at 20.37 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Music & Art

2 Responses

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  1. Written by BearToast Joe
    on Monday, 7 February 2011 at 17.25
    Permalink

    It's hard to remember it was a ballet, and for chamber orchestra, at that. A favorite piece of mine, we usually hear it as a big orchestral piece. Either way, it's wonderful.

  2. Written by rightsaidfred
    on Saturday, 12 February 2011 at 20.47
    Permalink

    Martha Graham was noticeably less limber than the other members, but remarkable for a 60 year old. I'm wondering if the modern cohort would do as well: I see a lot of joint problems in quite young people. Is it our diet, compared to the oldsters? Too much phosphoric acid in soda?

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