Sleeping Beauty Suite (Simpson)

The ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”, Op. 66, was composed in 1889 on commission from the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg and received its premiere in January 1890 to great acclaim. In it, Tchaikovsky set the famous fairy tale by Charles Perrault to music, creating a score of extraordinary richness: melodically memorable, harmonically sophisticated, and distinguished by a magnificent orchestral palette. Many connoisseurs of music count the work among his most mature achievements in ballet composition.

The Suite, Op. 66a, distills the finest moments of this music into a concert sequence of characterful pieces. It brings together festive fanfares, tender lyrical episodes, and lively dance movements to form a varied programme that vividly conjures the sound world of the fairy tale. The "Lilac Fairy" and the celebrated "Waltz" are highlights in particular, pieces that have delighted audiences for generations.

For orchestras and concert presenters, the Suite offers an ideal opportunity to bring Tchaikovsky's incomparable ballet music to life outside the theatre. The work combines the highest musical quality with immediate accessibility, and stands among the most beloved orchestral pieces of the late nineteenth century.