#I really want to write a video essay on ptutu someday

[astertiae]

I feel like I talk about this a LOT (sorry to friends who know me irl), but I do think Princess Kraehe’s introduction and her theme being Gymnopédie no. 1 is absolute genius!!! If you think about it, this is the antagonist’s debut! We’ve waited for half of the first act for the raven to reappear, and it’s this big, dramatic reveal! Tutu is about to return the heart shard of curiosity (I think, I can’t remember the exact name), and then Kraehe appears and snatches it away!

And you think: naturally, the antagonist/rival deserves a big, orchestral reveal for this whirlwind of feathers! But it’s not. The music in that moment when the dust settles and Kraehe floats down is Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie no. 1,” and it’s soft and contemplative and slow and sad (quite literally the pieces are meant to be played “douloureux” or full of pain). It’s really fitting for a girl whose past and future were stolen from her, who was cast in this villain role against her will, who doesn’t even know who she really is. It’s why when she’s asked who she is, she breaks, unable to discern whether she’s Rue or Kraehe, and the music reflects that part of her.

I love the piece, and I also love Rue, and I’m glad Princess Tutu the show gives her that piece of musical development!