Welcome to Part Two of COPPELIA WEEK on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. We’re telling the story Léo Delibes’ ballet Coppelia over the course of the week.
Yesterday, we were introduced to the young couple in our story, Franz and Swanhilda. A couple in love who are supposed to get married under the town’s new bell.
Today we are introduced to Dr. Coppelius and his daughter Coppelia, who has some pretty strange characteristics. And so our mystery begins. Franz becomes fascinated by Coppelia, and so Swanhilda tries a game with a wheat stalk to be sure of his love. Here's how the game works: if you shake the stalk near your ear, and you hear it rattle - you're in love! The wheat rattles in Swanhilda's ear, but Franz doesn't hear anything. He pretends he does - and this makes Swanhilda pretty sad.
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Coppelia: Ballade de l'épi ("Dance of the Wheat Stalk")
Léo Delibes
Richard Bonynge/National Philharmonic Orchestra
Here's today's Kids Commute:
Here is a video of dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet performing the "wheat dance" from Coppelia:
