"A Streetcar Named Desire" w/ Cottbus Ballet - Ella Fitzgerald

Aside from the previous classical composer, the musical palette that shapes the musical dramaturgy of my “Streetcar Named Desire” has three jazz songs in it.

The first one is a tune called “St. Louis Shuddle”, played by the “Veterinary Street Jazz Band” in the fashion of New Orleans Jazz music.

The second tune is none other than “Easy Living”, sung by Billie Holiday (which will be the subject of another post later), and last but not least “, Baby; it’s Cold Outside”, sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

“Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.

After a tumultuous adolescence, Fitzgerald found stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, performing across the country but most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" helped boost both her and Webb to national fame. After taking over the band when Webb died, Fitzgerald left it behind in 1942 to start her solo career. Her manager was Moe Gale, co-founder of the Savoy,[1] until she turned the rest of her career over to Norman Granz, who founded Verve Records to produce new records by Fitzgerald. With Verve, she recorded some of her more widely noted works, particularly her interpretations of the Great American Songbook.” (Source Wikipedia)

The song, albeit being labelled “Christmas song”, has been subject to controversy in light of the MeToo movement, as is actually a song about rape. Here is a link to an article in Rolling Stone Magazine about it.

https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/baby-its-cold-outside-controversy-holiday-song-history-768183/

In the ballet, it serves the story describing a status quo in the mid-20th century society, where non-consensual sexual advances were considered normality.