Still Life at the Penguin Cafe is a ballet choreographed by David Bintley and featuring music composed by Simon Jeffes, founder of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It is also the title of the accompanying album. Geoffrey Richardson co-wrote one of the pieces.[1] The name of the ballet is derived from that of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, which was Simon Jeffes' ensemble.
The ballet's debut production in 1988 was performed by The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, in England. The ballet was conceived by David Bintley (at that time resident choreographer at Covent Garden), who approached Simon Jeffes about the music that was to be used in the choreography. The music for the ballet was drawn from several musical pieces composed by Jeffes before the ballet was conceived, composed during the period 1981 to 1987. Most of the pieces were originally written for small ensembles, consisting of, for example, violin, cello, guitar and piano. Jeffes orchestrated the pieces for the ballet, and in the Royal Ballet production, they were performed by a full orchestra. The ballet was filmed in 1988 by Thames Television and commercially released. The ballet premiered in the United States in 1991.[2]
Southern Cape Zebra (SCZ) (musical piece White Mischief)
Rain Forest People (musical piece Now Nothing)
Brazilian Woolly Monkey (musical piece Music By Numbers)
Conclusion (musical piece Numbers 1–4)
Story line
The ballet begins with a voice-over (by Jeremy Irons) describing how the great auk was very recently made extinct by man. The initial segment is set in a cafe, and several humans and penguins dance. Each subsequent segment prior to the conclusion shows an endangered species (or, in the case of the Rain Forest People, a culture.) The conclusion shows all the characters withstanding a downpour, and gathering on an ark-like boat.
The overall theme of the ballet is pro-environment, pro-conservation. The ballet seeks to make the audience more aware of endangered species.
Laser Disk: London/Decca #071 222-1 (1991). See production details above for choreographer, etc. Out of print.
Sheet music, arranged for piano by Henry Roche. Published by Peters Edition Ltd (London) 2002; ISBN0-9542720-0-5. Still in print as of November 2007.
VHS tape— Polygram Records; ASIN 630202367X, 1992. Out of print.
DVD— Published by ArtHaus. ASIN: B000Y351ZC. In print since January 2008.
Both the Laser Disk and DVD contain a 50-minute documentary on the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
Album
The music for the ballet was released as an album, under Jeffes' name, together with an 18-minute suite called Four Pieces for Orchestra, comprising orchestral recordings of earlier PCO tracks:
Perpetuum mobile
Southern Jukebox Music
Oscar Tango
Music for a Found Harmonium
CD: Polygram records (1991) ASIN B00000E42T. BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth. Out of print but available as a digital download.
Footnotes
↑ Roche, Henry, Still Life at the Penguin Cafe: Arranged for Piano by Henry Roche, Edition Peters, 2002
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by British guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, the band toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elements of exuberant folk music and a minimalist aesthetic occasionally reminiscent of composers such as Philip Glass.
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra Mini Album is an EP by Penguin Cafe Orchestra consisting of six pieces, two derived from previous released recordings, two that were recorded from a live performance in Tokyo, and two previously unreleased pieces which had not appeared elsewhere. The two live pieces were recorded by NHK Radio at the Kan-i Hoken Hall on 10 June 1982. "Piano Music" is a solo piece recorded by Simon Jeffes in Tokyo on 7 July 1982 and "The Toy" was recorded in 1983. The cover painting was by Emily Young.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra is the second studio album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, released in 1981, and recorded between 1977 and 1980. By this album, the line-up for the band had expanded greatly, with contribution including Simon Jeffes, Helen Leibmann, Steve Nye, Gavyn Wright of the original quartet, as well as Geoff Richardson, Peter Veitch, Braco, Giles Leamna, Julio Segovia and Neil Rennie. All pieces were composed by Simon Jeffes except for "Paul's Dance", "Cutting Branches" (traditional), and "Walk Don't Run". The cover painting is by Emily Young.
Music from the Penguin Cafe is the first studio album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It was recorded between 1974 and 1976, and released in 1976.
Simon Harry Piers Jeffes was an English classically trained guitarist, composer and arranger. He formed, and was the primary performer of, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He was the composer of the ballet Still Life at the Penguin Cafe, of the much-recorded piece Music For A Found Harmonium, and other music recorded by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
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Helen Liebmann was a founding member of the avant garde music group Penguin Cafe Orchestra in 1973. A cellist, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music. In addition to playing cello with a number of different ensembles, she is also a practicing music therapist.
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The Prince of the Pagodas is a ballet created for The Royal Ballet by choreographer John Cranko with music commissioned from Benjamin Britten. Its premiere took place on 1 January 1957 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, conducted by Britten.
Penguin Cafe is a band originally conceived by Arthur Jeffes, son of Simon Jeffes and Emily Young, as a continuation of his father's project, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The group is distinct from the original Penguin Cafe Orchestra, despite the similarities in genre, name, and even repertoire There are no members of the original PCO in Penguin Cafe.
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Stephen Jefferies is a retired ballet dancer, artistic director and choreographer. He was a senior principal dancer for The Royal Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada.
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