There is just snow stopping famous tale
One of Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous fairytales, the Danish author is said to have been inspired to write The Snow Queen after his romantic advances were spurned.
He fell in love with Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind after they met in 1840 but, when she wasn’t interested in him romantically, Andersen modelled the frosty Snow Queen character on her. The story was published in 1845.
It tells the story of the struggle between good and evil, focusing on the relationship between best friends and neighbours Gerda and Kai, and explores how the discovery of a fragment of a magic mirror which magnifies evil things, and the appearance of The Snow Queen, affects their friendship.
The story has been adapted many times across television, film, dance and opera, and it also inspired the 2013 Disney movie, Frozen, which was subsequently adapted into a hit Broadway musical and led to a 2019 sequel.
As well as versions for the screen by the Soviet Union, Finland, Japan, the UK and Denmark, there have been several operatic adaptations and it was first made for the theatre in 1969 by Josef Weinberger.
The first full-length ballet production was choreographed by the California Contemporary Ballet company in 1998 and ran for 16 consecutive December seasons.
Subsequent adaptations were made off-broadway, by English National Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Eugene Ballet in Oregon and at the Grand Theatre in Poland.
Scottish Ballet’s version is choreographed to a score arranged from music by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-korsakov and borrows elements from Frozen, such as
The Snow Queen’s sister, the splintering palace and wolves.