Joni Mitchell postpones ballet world premiere

Joni Mitchell has decided that she isn't able to express all she feel about live in just one ballet, so she has postponed her work's upcoming premiere.

In 2007, Mitchell and Jean Grand-Maitre, artistic director of the Alberta Ballet, created The Fiddle and the Drum, a ballet that utilized music from Joni's catalog. It was a huge success, spinning off a longer version of the work for the 2008-09 season, going on tour and releasing a soundtrack CD.

On July 1, Mitchell and Grand-Maitre announced that they were collaborating on a second ballet, this time inspired by the "greatest love songs she has ever written. ... "It will be a poignant reminiscence as well as a deep and personal reflection on her entire career as a composer, a poet and a visual artist."

The new work was set to premier on May 1 and run through the 3rd in Calgary and move to Edmonton from May 9 to 10.

That has been scuppered by Mitchell's Wednesday announcement.

The Joni Mitchell World Premiere Ballet presented by Alberta Ballet has been postponed. Joni Mitchell has come to the conclusion that she cannot produce a song list that encompasses all that she needs to say about the theme of Love in one ballet. Joni Mitchell has never been known for compromising when it comes to her art and music, and this is no exception.
Where this goes from here is unknown. A pair of ballets looks to be Mitchell's aim but that will need to be agreed to by the producers and the company. For now, it appears Joni will continue to work out a song list that suits her ideals.

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