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Guide to the Repertory
2013-2014 Season Guide to the Repertory 13–14 Following is a guide to the new works premiering during the 2013-14 Season, engaging public programs, and calendars of the fall, winter, and spring performances, as well as biographical information for the ballets, composers, and choreographers that will be onstage. Please check your performance dates and times before traveling to the theater. Company Founders GEORGE BALANCHINE and LINCOLN KIRSTEIN Founding Choreographers GEORGE BALANCHINE and JEROME ROBBINS Ballet Master in Chief PETER MARTINS Company History New York City Ballet is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, maintaining a roster of dancers trained in the classical tradition. Solely responsible for training its own artists and creating its own repertory, New York City Ballet performs annual seasons at its two permanent homes, the David H. Koch Theater (formerly New York State Theater) at Lincoln Center and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, and also tours both within the U.S. and abroad. In 2011, the Company created New York City Ballet MOVES, an innovation in ballet touring, showcasing a rotating, select group of dancers and musicians. New York City Ballet owes its existence to Lincoln Kirstein, who envisioned an American ballet where young dancers could be trained and schooled under the guidance of the greatest ballet masters. When he met George Balanchine in London in 1933, Kirstein knew he had found the right person for his dream. Balanchine traveled to America at Kirstein’s invitation, and in 1934 the two men opened the School of American Ballet, where Balanchine trained dancers in an innovative style that matched his idea of a new, unmannered classicism. In 1946, Kirstein and Balanchine formed Ballet Society and presented their new company at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York. After seeing a Ballet Society performance, the chairman of the City Center finance committee invited Balanchine and Kirstein’s fledgling company to officially join the performing arts complex. On October 11, 1948, New York City Ballet was born with a performance that featured Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Orpheus, and Symphony in C. In 1949, Jerome Robbins joined the Company as an associate director and, with Balanchine, choreographed a varied repertory that grew each season. NYCB moved into its current home at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in 1964 (then known as the New York State Theater). Balanchine served as ballet master for New York City Ballet from its inception until his death in 1983, choreographing countless works and creating a company of dancers renowned for their linear purity, sharpness of attack, and overall speed and musicality. Following Balanchine’s death in 1983, Robbins and Peter Martins were named Co-Ballet Masters in Chief, and since 1990 Martins has had sole responsibility for the Company’s operations. Like Balanchine, Martins believes that choreographic exploration is what sustains excellence in the Company and in the art form itself, and NYCB continues to present new work as an ongoing part of its performance seasons. The Company’s active repertory of more than 170 works—nearly all of which were choreographed in the past half-century by Balanchine, Robbins, Martins, Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, and others—is unparalleled. Widely acknowledged for its enduring contributions to dance, NYCB is committed to creative excellence and to nurturing new generations of dancers and choreographers. New Works Six World Premieres Including Two Commissioned Scores Fall 2013 CAPRICIOUS MANEUVERS MUSIC: Lukas Foss CHOREOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN PECK COSTUMES: Prabal Gurung PREMIERE: September 19, 2013, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater September 19 (World Premiere) NEVERWHERE MUSIC: Nico Muhly CHOREOGRAPHY BY BENJAMIN MILLEPIED COSTUMES: Iris van Herpen PREMIERE: September 19, 2013, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater September 19 (World Premiere), May 27, 28, 30, June 1 SPECTRAL EVIDENCE MUSIC: The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs (1942), No. 22 from Song Books (1970), Dream (1948, arr. 1974), No. 52 “Aria No. 2” (Relevant) from Song Books (1970), Experiences No. 2 (1948), by John Cage; additional music by 79D: untitled CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ COSTUMES: Olivier Theyskens COSTUME SUPERVISION: Marc Happel LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: September 19, 2013, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Tiler Peck, Robert Fairchild, Megan Fairchild, Georgina Pazcoguin, Gretchen Smith, Adrian Danchig-Waring, Chase Finlay, Amar Ramasar Winter 2014 Spectral Evidence, Angelin Preljocaj’s second ballet for NYCB (the first was La Stravaganza in 1997) premiered at the 2013 Fall Gala. The ballet takes its inspiration from the infamous witch trials held in Salem, Massachusetts between 16921693. The trials are invoked by several concepts in the ballet underscored by the taped music of John Cage, which consists of harsh expressive vocals, sounds of passionate breathing, lightning, thunder, and glottal sounds. Box-like ramp structures appear on the stage which are an integral part of the ballet and change configuration during the piece. Four male and four female dancers evoke the turbulent episode in American history. The men are costumed in black with white collars, bringing to mind clerical vestments, while the women (or witches) are in sheer white chiffon, each with a different mark or stigmata on a part of her body. The women are in pale makeup and dance in ballet shoes rather than on pointe. They can be seen enchanting the men, one of whom is eventually driven mad, his agony portrayed in an innovative and breathtaking solo by the lead male dancer. Or, was the enchantment merely in the minds of the men? The women are eventually burned with the sounds of fire consuming them as they writhe in coffin-like boxes. Although most of the accused “witches” of Salem were actually hanged, we still have the image of witches burned at the stake. September 19 (World Premiere), October 3, 5 Eve, 8, 10, 12 Mat, January 31, February 5, 8 Mat, 11 ACHERON MUSIC: Concerto for Organ, Timpani, and Strings, in G minor (1938) by Francis Poulenc CHOREOGRAPHY BY LIAM SCARLETT COSTUMES: Liam Scarlett COSTUME SUPERVISION: Marc Happel LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: January 31, 2014, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Sara Mearns, Rebecca Krohn, Ashley Bouder, Adrian Danchig-Waring, Tyler Angle, Amar Ramasar, Anthony Huxley Death is the muse for both the choreography and the score of Acheron. Named for one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld, the abstract ballet conveys a sense of eternity and infinity. It brings to mind those who were sent to recover another from the world beyond, but never returned. Grey toned leotards, pale blue dresses, and dim, shadowy lighting enhance the dream-like, other worldly ambiance. Three principal couples, 10 corps dancers, and a male soloist display choreographer Liam Scarlett’s use of upper body pliancy, athletic lifts, and overall fluidity of movement. “I’m a big believer in everything being connected and having a kinetic aesthetic and flow,” he said. Scarlett’s ballet is set to Concerto for Organ, Timpani, and Strings, in G minor by Francis Poulenc, a piece influenced by the untimely death of the composer’s colleague and friend, Pierre-Octave Ferroud. The work was commissioned by Princesse Edmond de Polignac and premiered in her Paris salon in 1938. Acheron is Scarlett’s first work for New York City Ballet. He has choreographed for The Royal Ballet, where he is currently the artist in residence, as well as the Miami City Ballet, and the Norwegian National Ballet. His ballet Asphodel Meadows won Best Classical Choreography at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in 2011 and he is an alumnus of the New York Choreographic Institute. January 31 (World Premiere), February 5, 8 Mat, 11, 21, 26, March 1 Mat & Eve, May 1, 3 Spring 2014 NEW PECK MUSIC: comissioned score by Sufjan Stevens CHOREOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN PECK PREMIERE: May 8, 2014, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater Soloist Justin Peck’s latest work for the Company is set to a commissioned score by American singersongwriter Sufjan Stevens. May 8 (World Premiere), 22, 29, 31 Mat & Eve Public Programs New York City Ballet offers programs specially designed to enhance your enjoyment and bring you closer to what you see onstage. With behind-the-scenes access and opportunities to interact with members of the Company, these engaging programs will strengthen your appreciation for NYCB’s inspiring artists. Tickets for public programs are available by phone at (212) 496-0600, online at nycballet.com/publicprograms, and in person at the David H. Koch Theater Box Office. Programs for Families with Children CHILDREN’S WORKSHOPS IN MOTION WORKSHOPS FAMILY SATURDAYS 45-Minute Pre-Performance Movement Workshops for Ages 5-8 45-Minute Pre-Performance Movement Workshops for Ages 9-12 One-Hour Ballet Selections for Ages 5+ All Children’s Workshops take place before family-friendly Saturday and Sunday matinee performances. All In Motion Workshops take place before family-friendly Saturday and Sunday matinee performances. Join the artists of New York City Ballet in an exploration of the music, movement, and themes of a ballet featured in the following matinee performance. NYCB Teaching Artists lead children in a ballet warm-up and movement combination, concluding in a lively performance for accompanying family and friends. During this unique experience, participants hear first from a NYCB Company member who will share personal experiences about studying dance and the journey to becoming a professional ballet dancer. Then children will participate in a ballet warm-up and learn a movement combination inspired by a ballet featured in the following matinee performance. Saturday, September 21 at 12:45 PM Sunday September 22 at 1:45 PM Saturday September 28 at 12:45 PM Saturday, December 7 at 12:45 PM Sunday, December 15 at 11:45 AM Saturday, December 21 at 12:45 PM Saturday, January 25 at 12:45 PM Saturday, February 15 at 12:45 PM Sunday, February 16 at 1:45 PM Sunday, May 18 at 1:45 PM Saturday, June 7 at 12:45 PM Sunday, June 8 at 1:45 PM TICKETS: $12 per person (both children and adults). Performance tickets must be purchased separately and are not required. LOCATION: New York City Ballet Rehearsal Studios at the Samuel B. & David Rose Building, 7th Floor (165 West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) Sunday, September 22 at 1:45 PM Saturday, September 28 at 12:45 PM Sunday, December 8 at 11:45 PM Saturday, December 14 at 12:45 PM Saturday, January 25 at 12:45 PM Sunday, February 16 at 1:45 PM Sunday, May 18 at 1:45 PM Saturday, June 7 at 12:45 PM TICKETS: $12 per person (both children and adults). Performance tickets must be purchased separately and are not required. LOCATION: New York City Ballet Rehearsal Studios at the Samuel B. & David Rose Building, 7th Floor (165 West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) Join us for these Saturday morning presentations designed especially for family audiences. Featuring short works and excerpts from New York City Ballet’s diverse repertory, NYCB artists guide you through the program, offering insights on the music and choreography. These performances are the perfect introduction to New York City Ballet and the world of classical dance! Saturday, October 12 at 11 AM Saturday, February 22 at 11 AM Saturday, May 10 at 11 AM TICKETS: $20 per person (both children and adults) LOCATION: David H. Koch Theater (West 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue) Public Programs Tickets for public programs are available by phone at (212) 496-0600, online at nycballet.com, and in person at the David H. Koch Theater Box Office. Programs for Audiences of All Ages SEMINARS DANCER CHATS FIRST POSITION DISCUSSIONS 90-minute onstage panel discussions, featuring NYCB dancers, musicians, choreographers, designers, ballet masters, and guest speakers. Join us on these Friday evenings for informal preperformance chats with NYCB dancers. This is your chance to ask questions about a dancer’s daily routine and performance rituals one-on-one. These pre-performance talks are open to everyone with a performance ticket. Join NYCB docents 20 minutes before curtain on the Fourth Ring theater right side on select dates for these informal chats on the following program. Then during intermissions, the docents will be available for questions and further discussion. Please see following calendars for First Position Discussion dates. For further information on First Position Discussions, call (212) 870-5666. Monday, September 30 at 6 PM Monday, January 27 at 6 PM Monday, February 10 at 6 PM Monday, May 19 at 6 PM Monday, June 2 at 6 PM TICKETS: $15 per person, free for NYCB Members. Membership benefits begin at $90, call (212) 870-5677 for more information. LOCATION: David H. Koch Theater (West 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue) Friday, September 27 at 6:45 PM Friday, October 11 at 6:45 PM Friday, January 24 at 6:45 PM Friday, February 14 at 6:45 PM Friday, February 28 at 6:45 PM Friday, May 9 at 6:45 PM Friday, May 23 at 6:45 PM Friday, June 6 at 6:45 PM TICKETS: Free for all audiences. Please call (212) 870-5666, visit nycballet.com, or visit the David H. Koch Theater Box Office to reserve seating for each chat. LOCATION: New York City Ballet Rehearsal Studios at the Samuel B. & David Rose Building, 7th Floor (165 West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) TICKETS: Free for all ticket holders LOCATION: David H. Koch Theater (West 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue) Fall 2013 SEPTEMBER 17—OCTOBER 13 Tickets available at nycballet.com or (212) 496-0600 Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sat Sun at 7:30 PM at 7:30 PM at 7:30 PM at 8 PM at 2 PM at 8 PM at 3 PM SEPTEMBER 17 † SEPTEMBER 18 SEPTEMBER 19 SEPTEMBER 20 † SEPTEMBER 21 † SEPTEMBER 21 SEPTEMBER 22 † SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE FALL GALA at 7 PM SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SEPTEMBER 27 SEPTEMBER 28 SEPTEMBER 28 SEPTEMBER 29 † Capricious Maneuvers (Peck World Premiere) —— Neverwhere (Millepied World Premiere) —— Spectral Evidence (Preljocaj World Premiere) —— Western Symphony (Fourth Movement & Finale) SEPTEMBER 24 † SEE THE MUSIC... BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE The Four Temperaments —— Episodes —— Duo Concertant —— Symphony in Three Movements SEPTEMBER 25 † SEPTEMBER 26 † BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE TRADITION AND INNOVATION The Four Temperaments —— Episodes —— Duo Concertant —— Symphony in Three Movements Vespro —— Duo Concertant —— Dances at a Gathering JUST FOR FUN JUST FOR FUN Carnival of the Animals —— Jeu de Cartes —— The Four Seasons Carnival of the Animals —— Jeu de Cartes —— The Four Seasons BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE The Four Temperaments —— Episodes —— Duo Concertant —— Symphony in Three Movements OCTOBER 1 OCTOBER 2 † OCTOBER 3 † OCTOBER 4 OCTOBER 5 OCTOBER 5 † BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE JUST FOR FUN CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS Soirée Musicale —— Spectral Evidence —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement The Four Temperaments —— Episodes —— Duo Concertant —— Symphony in Three Movements SEE THE MUSIC… SHORT STORIES ALL BALANCHINE The Four Temperaments —— Episodes —— Duo Concertant —— Symphony in Three Movements Carnival of the Animals —— Jeu de Cartes —— The Four Seasons La Sonnambula —— Prodigal Son —— Slaughter on Tenth Avenue Soirée Musicale —— Spectral Evidence —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement JUST FOR FUN Carnival of the Animals —— Jeu de Cartes —— The Four Seasons OCTOBER 6 JUST FOR FUN Carnival of the Animals —— Jeu de Cartes —— The Four Seasons OCTOBER 8 OCTOBER 9 OCTOBER 10 OCTOBER 11 † OCTOBER 12 † OCTOBER 12 † OCTOBER 13 CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS BALANCHINE SHORT STORIES CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS SHORT STORIES ALL BALANCHINE CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS SHORT STORIES ALL BALANCHINE BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE Spectral Evidence —— Soirée Musicale —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement La Sonnambula —— Prodigal Son —— Slaughter on Tenth Avenue Spectral Evidence —— Soirée Musicale —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement La Sonnambula —— Prodigal Son —— Slaughter on Tenth Avenue Spectral Evidence —— Soirée Musicale —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement La Sonnambula —— Prodigal Son —— Slaughter on Tenth Avenue The Four Temperaments —— Episodes —— Duo Concertant —— Symphony in Three Movements SEE THE MUSIC... includes an orchestral demonstration †FREE First Position Discussion on the scheduled program for all ticket holders, 20 minutes before curtain on the Fourth Ring theater right side. Winter 2014 JANUARY 21—MARCH 2 Tickets available at nycballet.com or (212) 496-0600 Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sat Sun at 7:30 PM at 7:30 PM at 7:30 PM at 8 PM at 2 PM at 8 PM at 3 PM JANUARY 21 JANUARY 22 † JANUARY 23 JANUARY 24 † JANUARY 25 † JANUARY 25 † JANUARY 26 ALL BALANCHINE Concerto Barocco —— Kammermusik No. 2 —— Who Cares? JEWELS JEWELS BALANCHINE & ROBBINS: MASTERS AT WORK Dances at a Gathering —— Union Jack SATURDAY AT THE BALLET WITH GEORGE ALL BALANCHINE Concerto Barocco —— Kammermusik No. 2 —— Who Cares? SATURDAY AT THE BALLET WITH GEORGE JEWELS ALL BALANCHINE Concerto Barocco —— Kammermusik No. 2 —— Who Cares? JANUARY 28 † JANUARY 29 JANUARY 30 † JANUARY 31 † FEBRUARY 1 † FEBRUARY 1 FEBRUARY 2 † JEWELS ALL BALANCHINE Concerto Barocco —— Kammermusik No. 2 —— Who Cares? JEWELS NEW COMBINATIONS Vespro —— Spectral Evidence —— New Scarlett (World Premiere) ALL BALANCHINE Concerto Barocco —— Kammermusik No. 2 —— Who Cares? BALANCHINE & ROBBINS: MASTERS AT WORK Dances at a Gathering —— Union Jack JEWELS FEBRUARY 4 † FEBRUARY 5 FEBRUARY 6 † FEBRUARY 7 FEBRUARY 8 FEBRUARY 8 FEBRUARY 9 † SCENIC DELIGHT Bal de Couture —— DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse —— The Four Seasons NEW COMBINATIONS Vespro —— Spectral Evidence —— New Scarlett BALANCHINE & ROBBINS: MASTERS AT WORK Dances at a Gathering —— Union Jack CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS La Stravaganza —— A Place for Us —— Todo Buenos Aires NEW COMBINATIONS Vespro —— Spectral Evidence —— New Scarlett SCENIC DELIGHT Bal de Couture —— DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse —— The Four Seasons BALANCHINE & ROBBINS: MASTERS AT WORK Dances at a Gathering —— Union Jack FEBRUARY 11 FEBRUARY 12 † FEBRUARY 13 † FEBRUARY 14 FEBRUARY 15 † FEBRUARY 15 † FEBRUARY 16 † NEW COMBINATIONS Vespro —— Spectral Evidence —— New Scarlett SCENIC DELIGHT Bal de Couture —— DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse —— The Four Seasons 20TH CENTURY VIOLIN CONCERTOS Opus 19/The Dreamer —— Barber Violin Concerto —— Stravinsky Violin Concerto COPPÉLIA COPPÉLIA COPPÉLIA COPPÉLIA FEBRUARY 18 † FEBRUARY 19 FEBRUARY 20 FEBRUARY 21 † FEBRUARY 22 † FEBRUARY 22 FEBRUARY 23 † 20TH CENTURY VIOLIN CONCERTOS Opus 19/The Dreamer —— Barber Violin Concerto —— Stravinsky Violin Concerto 20TH CENTURY VIOLIN CONCERTOS Opus 19/The Dreamer —— Barber Violin Concerto —— Stravinsky Violin Concerto SEE THE MUSIC… 20TH CENTURY VIOLIN CONCERTOS Opus 19/The Dreamer —— Barber Violin Concerto —— Stravinsky Violin Concerto À LA FRANÇAISE New Dalbavie/Martins (World Premiere) —— Afternoon of a Faun —— Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— La Valse 20TH CENTURY VIOLIN CONCERTOS Opus 19/The Dreamer —— Barber Violin Concerto —— Stravinsky Violin Concerto COPPÉLIA COPPÉLIA FEBRUARY 25 † FEBRUARY 26 FEBRUARY 27 FEBRUARY 28 † MARCH 1 MARCH 1 † MARCH 2 CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS La Stravaganza —— A Place for Us —— Todo Buenos Aires À LA FRANÇAISE New Dalbavie/Martins —— Afternoon of a Faun —— Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— La Valse SCENIC DELIGHT Bal de Couture —— DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse —— The Four Seasons SCENIC DELIGHT Bal de Couture —— DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse —— The Four Seasons SEE THE MUSIC… À LA FRANÇAISE New Dalbavie/Martins —— Afternoon of a Faun —— Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— La Valse À LA FRANÇAISE New Dalbavie/Martins —— Afternoon of a Faun —— Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— La Valse BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE Concerto Barocco —— The Four Temperaments —— Stravinsky Violin Concerto SEE THE MUSIC... includes an orchestral demonstration †FREE First Position Discussion on the scheduled program for all ticket holders, 20 minutes before curtain on the Fourth Ring theater right side. Spring 2014 APRIL 29–JUNE 8 Tickets available at nycballet.com or (212) 496-0600 Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sat Sun at 7:30 PM at 7:30 PM at 7:30 PM at 8 PM at 2 PM at 8 PM at 3 PM APRIL 29 † APRIL 30 MAY 1 † MAY 2 MAY 3 MAY 3 † MAY 4 21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I Barber Violin Concerto —— This Bitter Earth —— Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement SEE THE MUSIC… 21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS II Year of the Rabbit —— La Stravaganza —— DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse 21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS III Vespro —— Sonatas and Interludes —— Two Hearts —— New Scarlett 21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I Barber Violin Concerto —— This Bitter Earth —— Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement 21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS II Year of the Rabbit —— La Stravaganza —— DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse 21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS III Vespro —— Sonatas and Interludes —— Two Hearts —— New Scarlett 21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I Barber Violin Concerto —— This Bitter Earth —— Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux —— Namouna, A Grand Divertissement MAY 6 † MAY 7 MAY 8 MAY 9 † MAY 10 † MAY 10 MAY 11 † ALL BALANCHINE Raymonda Variations —— The Steadfast Tin Soldier —— Le Tombeau de Couperin —— Symphony in C ALL BALANCHINE Raymonda Variations —— The Steadfast Tin Soldier —— Le Tombeau de Couperin —— Symphony in C SPRING GALA at 7 PM New Stevens/Peck (World Premiere) —— Additional Ballets TBA ALL ROBBINS Glass Pieces —— Opus 19/The Dreamer —— The Concert ALL ROBBINS Glass Pieces —— Opus 19/The Dreamer —— The Concert ALL BALANCHINE Raymonda Variations —— The Steadfast Tin Soldier —— Le Tombeau de Couperin —— Symphony in C ALL BALANCHINE Raymonda Variations —— The Steadfast Tin Soldier —— Le Tombeau de Couperin —— Symphony in C MAY 13 MAY 14 † MAY 15 MAY 16 † MAY 17 MAY 17 MAY 18 † ALL BALANCHINE Raymonda Variations —— The Steadfast Tin Soldier —— Le Tombeau de Couperin —— Symphony in C ALL BALANCHINE Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze” —— Union Jack ALL BALANCHINE Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze” —— Union Jack TRADITION AND INNOVATION A Place for Us —— Todo Buenos Aires —— Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze” ALL BALANCHINE Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze” —— Union Jack ALL ROBBINS Glass Pieces —— Opus 19/The Dreamer —— The Concert ALL ROBBINS Glass Pieces —— Opus 19/The Dreamer —— The Concert MAY 20 † MAY 21 † MAY 22 MAY 23 MAY 24 MAY 24 † MAY 25 † ALL BALANCHINE Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze” —— Union Jack TRADITION AND INNOVATION A Place for Us —— Todo Buenos Aires —— Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze” CLASSIC NYCB I Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— New Stevens/Peck —— The Four Temperaments JEWELS JEWELS JEWELS JEWELS MAY 27 † MAY 28 MAY 29 MAY 30 † MAY 31 MAY 31 JUNE 1 CLASSIC NYCB II Concerto Barocco —— Other Dances —— New Dalbavie/Martins —— Who Cares? CLASSIC NYCB II Concerto Barocco —— Other Dances —— New Dalbavie/Martins —— Who Cares? CLASSIC NYCB I Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— New Stevens/Peck —— The Four Temperaments CLASSIC NYCB II Concerto Barocco —— Other Dances —— New Dalbavie/Martins —— Who Cares? CLASSIC NYCB I Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— New Stevens/Peck —— The Four Temperaments CLASSIC NYCB I Walpurgisnacht Ballet —— New Stevens/Peck —— The Four Temperaments SEE THE MUSIC… CLASSIC NYCB II Concerto Barocco —— Other Dances —— New Dalbavie/Martins —— Who Cares? JUNE 3 † JUNE 4 JUNE 5 † JUNE 6 JUNE 7 † JUNE 7 JUNE 8 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM SEE THE MUSIC... includes an orchestral demonstration †FREE First Position Discussion on the scheduled program for all ticket holders, 20 minutes before curtain on the Fourth Ring theater right side. The Repertory AFTERNOON OF A FAUN BAL DE COUTURE BARBER VIOLIN CONCERTO CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS MUSIC: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (189294) by Claude Debussy CHOREOGRAPHY BY JEROME ROBBINS SCENERY AND LIGHTING: Jean Rosenthal COSTUMES: Irene Sharaff PREMIERE: May 14, 1953, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama ORIGINAL CAST: Tanaquil Le Clercq, Francisco Moncion MUSIC: Polonaise (Act III, No. 19) from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 (1879), Élégie in G for Strings (1884), Entr’acte and Waltz (Act II, No. 13) from Eugene Onegin by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky CHOREOGRAPHY BY PETER MARTINS COSTUMES: Valentino Garavani LIGHTING: Mark Stanley COSTUME SUPERVISION: Marc Happel PREMIERE: September 20, 2012, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Maria Kowroski, Teresa Reichlen, Rebecca Krohn, Ana Sophia Scheller, Sterling Hyltin, Abi Stafford, Tiler Peck, Megan Fairchild, Ashley Bouder, Janie Taylor, Jared Angle, Ask la Cour, Jonathan Stafford, Andrew Veyette, Robert Fairchild, Amar Ramasar, Chase Finlay, Joaquin De Luz, Gonzalo Garcia, Sébastien Marcovici MUSIC: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14 (1941) by Samuel Barber CHOREOGRAPHY BY PETER MARTINS COSTUMES: William Ivey Long LIGHTING: Jennifer Tipton PREMIERE: May 12, 1988, New York City Ballet, American Music Festival, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Merrill Ashley, Adam Lüders, Kate Johnson, David Parsons MUSIC: Le carnaval des animaux (1886) by Camille Saint-Saëns, additional musical arrangements by Andrea Quinn CHOREOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON NARRATION: John Lithgow SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Jon Morrell LIGHTING: Natasha Katz PREMIERE: May 14, 2003, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Yvonne Borree, Kyra Nichols, Christine Redpath, Rachel Rutherford, Pascale van Kipnis, John Lithgow, Charles Askegard, James Fayette, Arch Higgins, PJ Verhoest Debussy’s music, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, was composed between 1892 and 1894. It was inspired by a poem of Mallarme’s which the poet began writing in 1876. The poem describes the reveries of a faun recalling a real or imagined encounter with nymphs. In 1912 Nijinsky presented his famous ballet, drawing his ideas from many sources, including Greek sculpture and painting. This pas de deux, choreographed by Jerome Robbins, is a variation on these themes. It was first performed in 1953 by New York City Ballet, and is dedicated to Tanaquil Le Clercq, for whom the ballet was choreographed. Set to selections from Tschaikovsky’s 1879 opera Eugene Onegin (including the well-known polonaise and waltz), Bal de Couture was first performed at the 2012 Fall Gala, honoring the legendary 80-year-old fashion designer Valentino Garavani. He designed the dazzling black and white ball gowns and the three tutus (one each in black, white, and red) worn by the ballerinas, along with the men’s elegant black suits, for this series of celebratory dances and a romantic pas de trois that echoes the opera’s plot. Barber Violin Concerto contrasts classical composure and modern sensibility. It is a work in three movements for two couples performed in a series of mixed and matched pas de deux. All are dressed in white with the classical dancers performing in pointe shoes and ballet slippers while the modern dancers are typically barefoot. The first two movements are sensuously melodic and passionately inquisitive. The work’s third movement, a fast-paced scherzo, provides the opportunity for a rousing chase that brings the work to its breathless conclusion. Carnival of the Animals is a delightfully lighthearted ballet that centers on a young boy named Oliver who falls asleep while on a class trip to New York City’s famed American Museum of Natural History. A kindly night watchman—first performed by actor John Lithgow, who wrote the ballet’s text—discovers the young lad and leads the audience into the world of his dreams. The museum’s inhabitants come to life in a magical menagerie of characters that strangely resemble Oliver’s friends, school chums, teachers, and parents. His professor is suddenly a Lion, and his schoolmates are rambunctious Weasels and Rats, while their parents have become Hens and Cockerels who strut and bob in their finest. Throughout the night, the nocturnal parade continues: The librarian, a Kangaroo, is transformed in her own dreams into an ethereal mermaid; a group of Jackasses, the school wrestling squad, engages in an athletic romp. Oliver recalls an outing to the ballet with his elegant great aunt, who briefly takes to the stage as a Swan in her own reverie of days gone by. Although his worried parents appear briefly during the night as Cuckoos and dance a poignant pas de deux, all ends happily as the night watchman orchestrates a tender reunion that brings the young boy’s midnight adventures to a close. The Repertory (cont.) THE CONCERT CONCERTO BAROCCO COPPÉLIA MUSIC: Frédéric Chopin 1. Polonaise “Militaire” (1838) 2. Berceuse, Op. 57 (1843-44) 3. Prelude, Op. 28, No. 18 (1836-39) 4. Prelude, Op. 28, No. 16 (1836-39) 5. Waltz in E Minor (Posth.) (1830) 6. Prelude, Op. 28, No. 7 (1836-39) 7. Prelude, Op. 28, No. 4 (1836-39) 8. Mazurka in G Major (Posth.) (1842) 9. Ballade, Op. 47, No. 3 (1840-41) CHOREOGRAPHY BY JEROME ROBBINS DÉCOR: Saul Steinberg COSTUMES: Irene Sharaff LIGHTING: Ronald Bates PREMIERE: March 6, 1956, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama ORIGINAL CAST: Tanaquil Le Clercq, Todd Bolender, Yvonne Mounsey, Robert Barnett, Wilma Curley, John Mandia, Shaun O’Brien, Patricia Savoia, Richard Thomas MUSIC: Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, B.W.V. 1043 (1717) by Johann Sebastian Bach CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: June 27, 1941, American Ballet Caravan, Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro ORIGINAL CAST: Marie-Jeanne, Mary Jane Shea, William Dollar MUSIC: Coppélia, ou La Fille aux Yeux d’Émail (1870) by Léo Delibes with excerpts from Sylvia (1876) and La Source (from the ballet Naila, 1866) CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE AND ALEXANDRA DANILOVA, AFTER PETIPA (1884) BOOK: Charles Nuitter, after E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Der Sandmann SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Rouben TerArutunian DAWN, PRAYER, SPINNER, AND CHILDREN’S COSTUMES: Karinska ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: July 17, 1974, New York City Ballet, Saratoga Performing Arts Center ORIGINAL CAST: Patricia McBride, Helgi Tomasson, Shaun O’Brien, Marnee Morris, Merrill Ashley, Christine Redpath, Susan Hendl, Colleen Neary, Robert Weiss One of the pleasures of attending a concert is the freedom to lose oneself in listening to the music. Quite often, unconsciously, mental pictures and images form, and the patterns and paths of these reveries are influenced by the music itself, or its program notes, or by the personal dreams, problems, and fantasies of the listener. Chopin’s music in particular has been subject to fanciful “program” names such as the Butterfly Etude, the Minute Waltz, the Raindrop Prelude, etc. Balanchine said of this work: “If the dance designer sees in the development of classical dancing a counterpart in the development of music and has studied them both, he will derive continual inspiration from great scores.” In the first movement of the concerto, the two ballerinas personify the violins, while a corps of eight women accompany them. In the second movement, a largo, the male dancer joins the leading woman in a pas de deux. In the concluding allegro section, the entire ensemble expresses the syncopation and rhythmic vitality of Bach’s music. This work began as an exercise by Balanchine for the School of American Ballet, was performed by American Ballet Caravan on its historic tour of South America, and later entered the repertory of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1951 Balanchine permanently eliminated the original costumes and dressed the dancers in practice clothes, probably the first appearance of what has come to be regarded as a signature Balanchine costume for contemporary works. On October 11, 1948, Concerto Barocco was one of three ballets on the program at New York City Ballet’s first performance. Coppélia, traditionally considered one of the triumphant comic ballets of the 19th Century, marked the passing of ballet supremacy from France to Russia. Originally choreographed by Arthur St. Léon in Paris in 1870, it was restaged by Marius Petipa in St. Petersburg in 1884 and revised again by Lev Ivanov and Enrico Cecchetti in 1894. None of St. Léon’s choreography remains in today’s production, although Acts I and II retain his ideas and the story of mischievous young lovers. Balanchine provided entirely new choreography for Act III. In 1974, Balanchine decided to add Coppélia to the Company’s repertory, and he took the opportunity to gently update the ballet, adding some male solos, more pas de deux, and a new third act. He enlisted Madame Alexandra Danilova to restage the dances she knew so well for the first two acts and to coach the principal roles: Patricia McBride as Swanilda, Helgi Tomasson as Frantz, and Shaun O’Brien as Doctor Coppélius. In her memoirs, Danilova wrote, “I would show [Ms. McBride] the steps, and then Balanchine would come in at the end of our rehearsal and add a little, finishing up what I had started… In my acts, the choreography remained basically the same as before, but sometimes we found it too simple—there were empty spaces, and Balanchine filled them in. He made the dancing a little more up-to-date and complicated the movement, mostly in the variations and parts of the adagio. The dances between Swanilda and her friends and the business with Coppélius and the doll, he didn’t touch.” “Mr. B. always said that Madame had a great memory, that she remembered every step of the ballets she brought from Russia, and that was definitely true of Coppélia,” said Ms. McBride. “And she had such incredible energy; she taught Helgi, Shaun, and me our roles by dancing them all for us! This made the rehearsals such fun, and it also gave us a great view of her as a ballerina. We felt like we were part of history, watching Mr. B. and Madame working together. They worked so quickly, and they had great respect for each other.” Merrill Ashley was also in the original cast of Coppélia; Balanchine choreographed a solo for her (“Dawn”). For Ms. Ashley, Coppélia is an important part of the Company’s repertory: “I think Balanchine was doing Coppélia as a tribute to Madame [who herself danced the “Prayer” variation during her time with the State Academic Theater for Opera and Dance in Russia, and was later highly-acclaimed for her portrayal of Swanilda during her time with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo]—he very much valued her knowledge and her artistic vision, and he wanted to expose us to those aspects of her, so that we could pass them on. He felt that she represented something precious that should not be lost.” The Repertory (cont.) DANCES AT A GATHERING DGV: DANSE À GRANDE VITESSE DUO CONCERTANT EPISODES MUSIC BY FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (in order of performance): 1. Mazurka, Op. 63, No. 3 (1846) 2. Waltz, Op. 69, No. 2 (1829) 3. Mazurka, Op. 33, No. 3 (1837-38) 4. Mazurka, Op. 6, No. 2 (1830) 5. Mazurka, Op. 6, No. 4 (1830) 6. Mazurka, Op. 7, No. 5 (1831) 7. Mazurka, Op. 7, No. 4 (1831) 8. Mazurka, Op. 24, No. 2 (1834-35) 9. Waltz, Op. 42 (1840) 10. Waltz, Op. 34, No. 2 (1843) 11. Mazurka, Op. 56, No. 2 (1843) 12. Étude, Op. 25, No. 4 (1832-34) 13. Waltz, Op. 34, No. 1 (1835) 14. Waltz, Op. 70, No. 2 (1841) 15. Étude, Op. 25, No. 5 (1832-34) 16. Étude, Op. 10, No. 2 (1830) 17. Scherzo, Op. 20, No. 1 (1831-32) 18. Nocturne, Op. 15, No. 1 (1830-31) CHOREOGRAPHY BY JEROME ROBBINS COSTUMES: Joe Eula LIGHTING: Jennifer Tipton PREMIERE: May 22, 1969, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Allegra Kent, Sara Leland, Kay Mazzo, Patricia McBride, Violette Verdy, Anthony Blum, John Clifford, Robert Maiorano, John Prinz, Edward Villella MUSIC: MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse) (1993) by Michael Nyman CHOREOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Jean-Marc Puissant LIGHTING: Jennifer Tipton LIGHTING RECREATED BY: Jesse Belsky PREMIERE: November 24, 2006, The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, London NYCB PREMIERE: January 28, 2012, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater NYCB ORIGINAL CAST: Teresa Reichlen, Craig Hall, Ashley Bouder, Joaquin De Luz, Maria Kowroski, Tyler Angle, Tiler Peck, Andrew Veyette MUSIC: Duo Concertant (1931-32) by Igor Stravinsky CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: June 22, 1972, New York City Ballet, Stravinsky Festival, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Kay Mazzo, Peter Martins MUSIC: Symphony, Op. 21 (1928), Five Pieces, Op. 10 (1911-13), Concerto, Op. 24 (1934), Ricercata in Six Voices from Bach’s “A Musical Offering” (1934-35), Variations, Op. 30 (1940) by Anton von Webern CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 19, 1959, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama ORIGINAL CAST: Violette Verdy, Diana Adams, Allegra Kent, Melissa Hayden, Jonathan Watts, Jacques d’Amboise, Paul Taylor, Nicholas Magallanes, Francisco Moncion Mr. Robbins dedicated this ballet to the memory of lighting designer Jean Rosenthal (1912-1969). DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse (high speed dance), created for The Royal Ballet in 2006 and set to music by Michael Nyman, is the 19th ballet by Christopher Wheeldon to enter the New York City Ballet repertory. Michael Nyman’s minimalist score, MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse), was commissioned to celebrate the inauguration of the North-European line of the French high-speed train, the TGV. The score’s driving force and relentless speed suggest an ongoing journey. The ballet features four principal couples and an ensemble of 18 dancers. Four pas de deux form the essence of this work. The movement in DGV reflects the rhythm of the musical score in its continuity, successive movements, and symmetries that evoke never-ending travel, even in moments of silence. A contemporary set design—large metallic sculptural pieces that extend across the length of the stage—and sleek costumes by Jean-Marc Puissant, along with contrasting sharp and dark lighting by Jennifer Tipton are integral components of DGV; they serve as a base from which the music and movement advance the action of the ballet along its inevitable journey. Stravinsky dedicated Duo Concertant to Samuel Dushkin, a well-known violinist he met in 1931. The composer premiered the work with Dushkin in Berlin in 1932, and the pair gave recitals together across Europe for the next several years. The piece had long been a favorite of Balanchine’s who had first heard it performed by Stravinsky and Dushkin soon after it was composed. He did not decide to choreograph it until years later, when he was planning the 1972 Stravinsky Festival. The performance of the musicians onstage is integral to the conception of the ballet. Standing at the piano with the musicians, the dancers listen to the first movement. During the next three movements they dance, mirroring the music and each other, and pause several times to rejoin the musicians and to listen. In the final movement, the stage is darkened and the dancers perform within individual circles of light. Episodes grew out of Balanchine’s enthusiasm for Webern’s music, to which he had been introduced by Stravinsky. Balanchine wrote that Webern’s orchestral music: ...fills air like molecules: it is written for atmosphere. The first time I heard it...the music seemed to me like Mozart and Stravinsky, music that can be danced to because it leaves the mind free to see the dancing. In listening to composers like Beethoven and Brahms, every listener has his own ideas, paints his own picture of what the music represents. ... How can I, a choreographer, try to squeeze a dancing body into a picture that already exists in someone’s mind? It simply won’t work. But it will with Webern. -Balanchine’s Complete Stories of the Great Ballets, Francis Mason, 1977 Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein invited Martha Graham to choreograph a joint work with Balanchine using all of Webern’s orchestral pieces. The result was not a true collaboration, but a work comprised of two separate sections. Graham’s contribution, Episodes I, was danced by her company plus four dancers from New York City Ballet. Episodes II, created by Balanchine, was danced by New York City Ballet and Paul Taylor, who was then a dancer in Graham’s company. After 1960, Graham’s section and the solo variation were no longer regularly performed at New York City Ballet. The Repertory (cont.) THE FOUR SEASONS THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS GLASS PIECES JEU DE CARTES MUSIC: Excerpts from I Vespri Siciliani (1855), I Lombardi (1843), and Il Trovatore (1853) by Giuseppe Verdi CHOREOGRAPHY BY JEROME ROBBINS SCENRY AND COSTUMES: Santo Loquasto LIGHTING: Jennifer Tipton PREMIERE: January 18, 1979, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: David Richardson, Joseph Duell, Heather Watts, Peter Frame, Francis Sackett, Kyra Nichols, Daniel Duell, Jerri Kumery, Stephanie Saland, Bart Cook, Maria Calegari, Patricia McBride, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jean-Pierre Frohlich, Gerard Ebitz MUSIC: The Four Temperaments: Theme with Four Variations for String Orchestra and Piano (1940) by Paul Hindemith CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: November 20, 1946, Ballet Society, Central High School of Needle Trades, New York ORIGINAL CAST: Mary Ellen Moylan, Tanaquil Le Clercq, William Dollar, Fred Danieli, Todd Bolender, Beatrice Tompkins, Elise Reiman, Gisella Caccialanza, José Martinez, Lew Christensen, Francisco Moncion MUSIC: Rubric and Façades from Glassworks (1981) and excerpts from the opera Akhnaten (1983) by Philip Glass CHOREOGRAPHY BY JEROME ROBBINS PRODUCTION DESIGN: Jerome Robbins and Ronald Bates COSTUMES: Ben Benson LIGHTING: Ronald Bates PREMIERE: May 12, 1983, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Heléne Alexopoulos, Peter Frame, Lourdes Lopez, Joseph Duell, Lisa Hess, Victor Castelli, Maria Calegari, Bart Cook MUSIC: Jeu de Cartes (1936) by Igor Stravinsky CHOREOGRAPHY BY PETER MARTINS SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Ian Falconer LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 28, 1992, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Darci Kistler, Albert Evans, Damian Woetzel, Nilas Martins When opera was presented in Paris in the late 19th Century, the composer was obliged to include a ballet at the beginning of the third act, whether or not it had anything to do with the plot of the opera. Usually it didn’t, but it gave the Jockey Club, a group of wealthy subscribers, a chance to look over their favorite beautiful ladies of the ballet at a convenient time of the evening, and these patrons were attentively in their seats for the ballet, if not for the rest of the opera. The tradition of the third act divertissement was so firmly established that when Wagner put his Venusberg ballet at the very beginning of Act I of Tannhäuser, there were such forcible protests by the Jockey Club that the whole opera was nearly withdrawn. Fortunately for us, Verdi was less revolutionary about Parisian conventions and composed many third act opera ballets. Although seldom included in today’s productions, they contain some of the most delightful dance music of the period. For I Vespri Siciliani, he devised a ballet called The Four Seasons. His libretto called for Janus, the God of New Year, to inaugurate a series of dances by each of the seasons in turn. Verdi’s notes suggest such notions as ballerinas warming themselves in winter by dancing, spring bringing on warm breezes, indolent summer ladies being surprised by an autumnal faun, etc. The present ballet follows his general plan. The original score is augmented by a few selections of his ballet music from I Lombardi and Il Trovatore. Balanchine choreographed The Four Temperaments for the opening program of Ballet Society, forerunner of New York City Ballet. It is one of his earliest experimental works, fusing classical steps with a lean and angular style. The ballet is inspired by the medieval belief that human beings are made up of four different humors that determine a person’s temperament. Each temperament was associated with one of the four classical elements (earth, air, water, and fire), which in turn were the basis of the four humors (black bile, blood, phlegm, and bile) that composed the body. In a healthy body, the humors were in balance. But if one became predominant it determined an individual’s temperament. Thus a person dominated by black bile was melancholic (gloomily pensive); by blood, sanguinic (headstrong and passionate); by phlegm, phlegmatic (unemotional and passive); and by bile, choleric (bad-tempered and angry). The titles of the ballet’s four movements—Melancholic, Sanguinic, Phlegmatic, and Choleric—reflect these principles. Hindemith’s music was commissioned by Balanchine, an accomplished pianist, who wanted a short work he could play at home with friends during his evening musicales. It was completed in 1940 and had its first public performance at a 1944 concert with Lukas Foss as the pianist. HERMAN SCHMERMAN MUSIC: Just Ducky (1992) by Thom Willems CHOREOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM FORSYTHE PRODUCTION DESIGN: William Forsythe COSTUMES: Gianni Versace LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 28, 1992, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Kyra Nichols, Margaret Tracey, Wendy Whelan, Jeffrey Edwards, Ethan Stiefel In a conversation about Herman Schmerman, Mr. Forsythe said, “I first heard that phrase [‘Herman Schmerman’] used by Steve Martin in the film Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. I think it’s a lovely title that means nothing. The ballet means nothing, too. It’s a piece about dancing that will be a lot of fun. It’s just five talented dancers dancing around–and that’s good, isn’t it?” This ballet is the second work New York City Ballet commissioned from Mr. Forsythe, as is the electronic score from composer Thom Willems. In 1993 Forsythe added a pas de deux for principal dancer Wendy Whelan and guest artist Kevin O’Day. When NYCB revived the ballet in 1999, Forsythe decided to present just the pas de deux. It has been performed that way ever since. “Years ago, George Balanchine suggested that I choreograph Stravinsky’s Jeu de Cartes, not as a ballet about a card game but as an abstraction. I wasn’t interested. But when I heard the score recently, I was struck by its jazzy vitality, and I’ve decided to take Mr. B’s advice.” -Peter Martins Stravinsky composed Jeu de Cartes (Card Game: A Ballet in Three Deals) for the first Stravinsky Festival mounted by Balanchine at The Metropolitan Opera in 1937. In the original version, dancers were costumed to represent the four suits in a deck of cards, and the joker was the central character. In 2002, Peter Martins returned to this traditional thematic look for his ballet. He commissioned Ian Falconer to fashion a new set and costumes. Falconer designed a colorful card table and chips backdrop and clothed the corps in bright white with emblems representing the suits of a deck of cards. The leading ballerina is colorfully attired as the queen of hearts. She is escorted through the ballet by three men, each representing clubs, diamonds, and, for the leading male role, the ace of spades. The jazzy teasing interplay between the changing partners is now further enlivened by the “shuffling of the deck” the representational costumes allow. The Repertory (cont.) JEWELS KAMMERMUSIK NO. 2 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM MUSIC: Emeralds: music from Pelléas et Mélisande (1898) and Shylock (1889) by Gabriel Fauré Rubies: Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky Diamonds: Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY: Peter Harvey COSTUMES: Karinska LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: April 13, 1967, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Violette Verdy, Mimi Paul, Sara Leland, Suki Schorer, Conrad Ludlow, Francisco Moncion, John Prinz; Patricia McBride, Patricia Neary, Edward Villella; Suzanne Farrell, Jacques d’Amboise MUSIC: Kammermusik No. 2 (1924) by Paul Hindemith CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE COSTUMES: Ben Benson LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: January 26, 1978, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Karin von Aroldingen, Colleen Neary, Sean Lavery, Adam Lüders MUSIC: by Felix Mendelssohn 1. Overture and incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21 and 61 (1826, 1842) 2. Overtures to Athalie, Op. 74 (1845), and The Fair Melusine, Op. 32 (1833) 3. The First Walpurgis Night, Op. 60 (1841) 4. Symphony No. 9 for Strings (first three movements) (1823) 5. Overture to Son and Stranger, Op. 89 (1829) CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY AND ORIGINAL LIGHTING: David Hays, assisted by Peter Harvey COSTUMES: Karinska LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: January 17, 1962, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama ORIGINAL CAST: Melissa Hayden, Violette Verdy, Jillana, Patricia McBride, Suki Schorer, Gloria Govrin, Edward Villella, Arthur Mitchell, Conrad Ludlow, Francisco Moncion, Nicholas Magallanes, Bill Carter, Roland Vazquez Jewels is unique: a full-length, three-act plotless ballet that uses the music of three very different composers. Balanchine was inspired by the artistry of jewelry designer Claude Arpels and chose music revealing the essence of each jewel. He explained: f course, I have always liked jewels; after all, I O am an Oriental, from Georgia in the Caucasus. I like the color of gems, the beauty of stones, and it was wonderful to see how our costume workshop, under Karinska’s direction, came so close to the quality of real stones (which were of course too heavy for the dancers to wear!). Each section of the ballet is distinct in both music and mood. Emeralds, which Balanchine considered “an evocation of France—the France of elegance, comfort, dress, perfume,” recalls the 19th-century dances of the French Romantics. Rubies is crisp, witty, and jazzy, epitomizing the collaboration of Stravinsky and Balanchine. Diamonds recalls the order and grandeur of Imperial Russia and the Maryinsky Theatre where Balanchine was trained. Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp have written: “If the entire imperial Russian inheritance of ballet were lost, Diamonds would still tell us of its essence.” A ballet requiring great energy, speed, and precision, Kammermusik No. 2 has a complex structure, which echoes that of the music; one of the dancers in the original cast likened it to a computer. The ballet is performed by two couples and an eight-man ensemble. The men, with their jagged lines and stylized gestures, dance to the music of the orchestra. The soloists, dancing to the complex passages for piano, are in counterpoint to the ensemble. There are pas de deux for the couples, duets for the women, and a fast duet for the male soloists. The score is one of seven kammermusik, or “chamber music” pieces, written by Hindemith between 1923 and 1933, when the composer turned to a neoclassical style evoking the Baroque. There may be no greater celebration of the artistic process than William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Balanchine, who performed in the play as a youngster in Russia and could recite it by memory, knew this and made it the subject of his first wholly original full-length ballet in 1962. The choreography, in two acts and six scenes, follows the poet’s tale of merry romance, mischievous make-believe, and mistaken identity. The first act, set in an invisible fairy kingdom ruled by Oberon and Titania, tells the story of the mix up of two wooing mortal couples in the forest, the warring desires of the forest’s enchanted first couple, and the theatrical aspirations of Bottom and his band of would-be thespians. Act Two is a nuptial celebration uniting all in a series of grand divertissements, beginning with the familiar Wedding March and ending as Puck sweeps the forest clean of the romantic foibles that characterize spirits and humans alike. NAMOUNA, A GRAND DIVERTISSEMENT MUSIC: Namouna (1881-1882) by Édouard Lalo CHOREOGRAPHY BY ALEXEI RATMANSKY COSTUMES: Marc Happel and Rustam Khamdamov LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: April 29, 2010, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Wendy Whelan, Robert Fairchild, Jenifer Ringer, Sara Mearns, Megan Fairchild, Daniel Ulbricht, Abi Stafford Mystery, wit, drama, and romance share star turns in Alexei Ratmansky’s original and aptly named “grand divertissement.” With Édouard Lalo’s lively score from a 19th–century French ballet about a slave girl named Namouna as inspiration, Ratmansky has used what he calls “the clichés of classical ballets” in a new, endlessly inventive, and light-hearted way. A large corps, intriguing dance patterns, and virtuoso soloists fill out the playful plot involving a young man searching for this love. Using the props detailed in Lucien Petipa’s original 1882 production, alluring women dance for the young man as cymbals clang and a seductress tempts through a fog of cigarette smoke. Many distractions and whimsically-wigged look-alikes confound, confuse, and stand in the way before boy finally finds girl for a joyful, athletic, and romantic climactic pas de deux. The Repertory (cont.) OPUS 19/THE DREAMER A PLACE FOR US PRODIGAL SON RAYMONDA VARIATIONS MUSIC: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major (1917) by Sergei Prokofiev CHOREOGRAPHY BY JEROME ROBBINS COSTUMES: Ben Benson LIGHTING: Ronald Bates PREMIERE: June 14, 1979, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Patricia McBride, Mikhail Baryshnikov MUSIC: “Interlude” from Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (2010) by André Previn; Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1942) by Leonard Bernstein CHOREOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON COSTUMES: Joseph Altuzarra COSTUME SUPERVISION: Marc Happel LIGHTING: Penny Jacobus PREMIERE: May 8, 2013, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Tiler Peck, Robert Fairchild MUSIC: Le Fils Prodigue, Op. 46 (1928-29) by Sergei Prokofiev CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE LIBRETTO: Boris Kochno DÉCOR: George Rouault ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 21, 1929, Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, Paris ORIGINAL CAST: Felia Doubrovska, Serge Lifar, Michael Federov, Eleanora Marra, Nathalie Branitzka, Léon Woizikowski, Anton Dolin NYCB PREMIERE: February 23, 1950, City Center of Music and Drama MUSIC: Excerpts from Raymonda (1896-97) by Alexander Glazounov CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY: Horace Armistead COSTUMES: Karinska LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: December 7, 1961, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama ORIGINAL CAST: Patricia Wilde, Jacques d’Amboise Prokofiev’s first violin concerto was written in 1917 but did not have its premiere until 1923. It has been described as “Classical in its form, Romantic in its passion, and Twentieth Century in its harmonies.” OTHER DANCES MUSIC: Mazurka, Op. 17, No. 4; Mazurka, Op. 41, No. 8; Waltz, Op. 64, No. 3; Mazurka, Op. 63, No. 2; and Mazurka, Op. 33, No. 2 by Frédéric Chopin CHOREOGRAPHY BY JEROME ROBBINS COSTUMES: Santo Loquasto LIGHTING: Ronald Bates PREMIERE: May 9, 1976, Metropolitan Opera House ORIGINAL CAST: Natalia Makarova, Mikhail Baryshnikov NYCB PREMIERE: November 26, 1976, New York State Theater Christopher Wheeldon subtitled this charming pas de deux “For Jerome Robbins. A thank you,” and used a title from West Side Story, one of Robbins’ most acclaimed works. The two dancers, moving in a shifting pattern of spotlights, give a seemingly spontaneous and natural performance similar to the feeling that marked so many of Robbins’ ballets. The music, performed by a solo clarinet and piano, begins with the “Interlude” from Andre Previn’s clarinet and piano sonata. As the spotlight moves about, changing shapes, joining and separating the dancers, the pair seems to respond and react as though improvising. When the music changes to Leonard Bernstein’s jazzier Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, the couple becomes more playful, swaying, clapping, and spinning in motions that pay homage to many of Robbins’s moves. At one point the man stands back to watch and applaud as his partner shows off—and the audience follows suit. The 1929 premiere of Prodigal Son opened what was to be the last Paris season of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. The story of Prodigal Son comes from the parable in the Gospel According to St. Luke. Boris Kochno added much dramatic material and, to emphasize the themes of sin and redemption, ended the story with the prodigal’s return. When the ballet was revived in 1950, the title role was danced by Jerome Robbins. Balanchine’s choreography upset Prokofiev, who conducted the premiere. The composer’s concept of the Siren, whom he saw as demure, differed radically from Balanchine’s. Prokofiev refused to pay Balanchine royalties for his choreography. However, Prodigal Son was enthusiastically received by both audiences and critics and was one of the first of Balanchine’s ballets to achieve an international reputation. Throughout his life, Balanchine was attracted to Glazounov’s music for Raymonda. He loved what he called the music’s “grand and generous manner, its joy and playfulness.” As a student in St. Petersburg, Balanchine danced in the Maryinsky Theatre production that had originally been choreographed by Marius Petipa. After leaving Russia, Balanchine and ballerina Alexandra Danilova mounted the full-length Raymonda for the Ballet Russe in 1946. At New York City Ballet, Balanchine produced three works to portions of the Raymonda score: Pas de Dix, Cortège Hongroise, and Raymonda Variations. The music in Pas de Dix and Cortège Hongroise was taken mostly from the last act of Raymonda. For Raymonda Variations, Balanchine drew on music from the first act. The Repertory (cont.) ROBERT SCHUMANN’S “DAVIDSBÜNDLERTÄNZE” MUSIC: Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6 (1837) by Robert Schumann CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Rouben TerArutunian ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: June 19, 1980, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Karin von Aroldingen, Adam Lüders, Suzanne Farrell, Jacques d’Amboise, Heather Watts, Peter Martins, Kay Mazzo, Ib Andersen Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze” was one of Balanchine’s last major works. Against a setting inspired, in part, by the works of the 19thcentury German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, a series of dances unfolds for four couples. While not literally a biographical narrative, the ballet draws on the life of Schumann, its alternating moods suggesting the episodes of joy and depression that marked the composer’s short career. Schumann composed the 18 piano pieces that comprise Davidsbündlertänze to celebrate his reconciliation with sweetheart Clara Wieck after a 16-month estrangement in 1837; the work was published, at his own expense, the next year. The title, which literally translates as “Dances of the League of David,” refers to an imaginary society of artists created by Schumann whose members represent different aspects of his personality. Their common aim: to fight the Philistines, those who oppose art or innovation in the arts. SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE SOIRÉE MUSICALE SONATAS AND INTERLUDES MUSIC: from On Your Toes (1936) by Richard Rodgers, orchestrated by Hershy Kay CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY: Jo Mielziner COSTUMES: Irene Sharaff ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 2, 1968, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Suzanne Farrell, Arthur Mitchell MUSIC: Souvenirs Ballet Suite by Samuel Barber CHOREOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON COSTUMES: Holly Hynes LIGHTING: Penny Jacobus PREMIERE: June 6, 1998, School of American Ballet Workshop, The Julliard Theater NYCB PREMIERE: May 8, 2013, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater NYCB ORIGINAL CAST: Lauren Lovette, Brittany Pollack, Sara Adams, Kristin Segin, Indiana Woodward, Chase Finlay, Taylor Stanley, Harrison Ball, Peter Walker, Ralph Ippolito MUSIC: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (1960) by John Cage CHOREOGRAPHY BY RICHARD TANNER COSTUMES: Carole Divet LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: April 17, 1982, Eglevsky Ballet, Long Island, New York NYCB PREMIERE: May 5, 1988, American Music Festival, New York State Theater NYCB ORIGINAL CAST: Heather Watts, David Moore Balanchine originally choreographed Slaughter on Tenth Avenue in 1936 for the musical On Your Toes, in which Ray Bolger played The Hoofer and Tamara Geva portrayed The Stripper. The show was a parody of Broadway, Russian ballet, and the mob. Briefly told, it is the story of a jealous Russian premier danseur who hires a mobster to kill a rival during the premiere of a new ballet. Slaughter on Tenth Avenue is the story of a tacky strip joint and the customer who falls in love with the Big Boss’s girl. On Your Toes was the first of four Rodgers and Hart musicals choreographed by Balanchine. It was followed by Babes in Arms, I Married an Angel, and The Boys From Syracuse. Christopher Wheeldon was still a 25-year-old soloist with New York City Ballet when he created the first Soirée Musicale for the School of American Ballet Workshop in 1998, demonstrating early the talent that would make him one of the world’s premiere choreographers. This new version featuring many of the Company’s younger dancers retains the exuberance and lighthearted air of the original, with the addition of a new pas de deux. Ball gowns of layered net for the women and tuxedo-like attire for the men add to the festive feel of the ballet. Wheeldon chose a Barber score that was originally used for Todd Bolender’s 1955 Souvenirs, a comic sketch about silent-movie vamps. The playful suite consists of six pieces, each a change of mood and pace. Clever shifting pairings and interplay among the dancers begin with a swirling waltz, followed by a sprightly schottische, and then a whimsical tango with an ever-growing line of suitors vying to partner a lone ballerina. A lively two-step and intimate pas de deux lead up to a gala finale. Richard Tanner created this ballet using five pieces—Entre (Sonata III), Pas de Deux (Sonata XIII), Variation (First Interlude), Variation (Sonata V), and Coda (Sonata XI)—from Cage’s much longer work. The ballet’s two dancers, dressed in white unitards, are joined on stage by a pianist as the choreography unfolds in a shimmering, pearl-gray world of its own. The term “prepared piano” refers to a concept developed by Cage around 1938. Cage experimented with changing the piano’s sound by inserting bits of wood, paper, screws, or other objects between or on the strings at various points to produce a more percussive sound. Instructions, either written or described in diagrams, are given in the front of the score in minute detail. The pianist follows these instructions to prepare the piano. The Repertory (cont.) LA SONNAMBULA THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER LA STRAVAGANZA STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO MUSIC: by Vittorio Rieti based on themes from operas by Vincenzo Bellini, including La Sonnambula, I Puritani, Norma, and I Capuletti ed i Montecchi (1830-35) CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Alain Vaes LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: February 27, 1946, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, City Center of Music and Drama ORIGINAL CAST: Alexandra Danilova, Nicholas Magallanes, Maria Tallchief, Michel Katcharoff MUSIC: Jeux d’Enfants, Opp. 22-26, Nos. 3, 6, 11, 12 (1871) by Georges Bizet CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY AND COSTUMES: David Mitchell ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: July 30, 1975, New York City Ballet, Saratoga Performing Arts Center ORIGINAL CAST: Patricia McBride, Peter Schaufuss MUSIC: La Stravaganza, Op. 4 (1712-13), and Dixit Dominus, Laudate pueri Dominum by Antonio Vivaldi; Source of Uncertainty by Evelyn Ficarra; Eclats de Voix by Robert Normandeau; Naives by Serge Morand; Laureats by Åke Parmerud CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ SCENERY: Maya Schneizer COSTUMES: Herve-Pierre LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 22, 1997, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Samantha Allen, Stacey Calvert, Emily Coates, Rachel Rutherford, Kathleen Tracey, Melissa Walter, Tom Gold, Alexandre Iziliaev, Sébastien Marcovici, Benjamin Millepied, Alexander Ritter, Christopher Wheeldon MUSIC: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: June 18, 1972, New York City Ballet, Stravinsky Festival, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Karin von Aroldingen, Kay Mazzo, Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, Peter Martins Set in a darkly mysterious masked ball, the oneact La Sonnambula tells the story of a Poet who pays suit to a Coquette, who is escorted by the Host. After a series of exotic divertissements, the elegantly attired guests go in to supper, leaving the Poet to himself. An apparition in white descends from a tower and enters the ballroom. She is a beautiful Sleepwalker, wife of the Host. Entranced, the Poet tries repeatedly to wake her, but she eludes him. The jealous Coquette informs the Host of the Poet’s advances to the Sleepwalker; enraged, he stabs the Poet. The Sleepwalker reappears to bear the Poet’s lifeless body away. The atmosphere of sinister menace that shadows the story is underscored by the Coquette’s elaborate, encircling movements, the ball’s social dances, and the divertissements like the Moorish dance or danse exotique, and the harlequin dance. The combination of these choreographic elements with the central pas de deux for the Poet and Sleepwalker delineate the spirit of the 19th-century Romantic movement in stark contrast to the conventions it abhorred. The Steadfast Tin Soldier, based loosely on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, focuses on the wistful courtship and love between a tin soldier and a paper doll ballerina. The work was commissioned by the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The present pas de deux stems from a 1955 collaboration in which Balanchine, Francisco Moncion, and Barbara Milberg choreographed all of Bizet’s Jeux d’Enfants. Both the context and the woman’s variation of The Steadfast Tin Soldier were derived from this earlier work. The soldier’s variation was rechoreographed for the new pas de deux. Contemporary culture meets 17th-century society in this 1997 Diamond Project ballet created for an ensemble of 12 dancers. Excerpts from Vivaldi as well as electronic music provide the accompaniment. Despite the modern appearance of the choreography, particularly the head movements, this work stands upon a strong classical ballet foundation. La Stravaganza opens with an innocent curiosity but then encounters ambiguity, sensuality, and violence in the human landscape. Three modern couples burst through the allegro with lightning speed, athleticism, and energetic partnering. Their Vermeer-like counterparts, in contrast, proceed in slow, repetitive, stylized movements reminiscent of their daily tasks. A surprising pas de deux for a young modern woman and a 17th-century man brings the ballet to a climax. Mr. Preljocaj merges fantasy and reality throughout this work, a hallmark of his choreographic style. In 1941, Balanchine choreographed Balustrade for the Ballet Russe to Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto in D. When he returned to the score three decades later, he could no longer remember his original choreography. But Balanchine was not at all disturbed by the loss. “What I did then was for then,” he said, “and what I wanted to do to this music for our Stravinsky Festival … represented more than 30 years’ difference.” The new choreography follows the score directly: an opening toccata and a final capriccio enclose two central arias, which form contrasting pas de deux for two different couples. The Repertory (cont.) SWAN LAKE MUSIC: Swan Lake (1875-76) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky CHOREOGRAPHY BY PETER MARTINS, AFTER MARIUS PETIPA, LEV IVANOV, AND GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Per Kirkeby LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: October 27, 1996, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Theatre, Copenhagen ORIGINAL CAST: Silja Schandorff, Kenneth Greve AMERICAN PREMIERE: April 29, 1999, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater NYCB ORIGINAL CAST: Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel In 1996 the Royal Danish Ballet presented Peter Martins’ new full-length version of Swan Lake, the last of the enduring 19th-century Russian ballets. Although it was also the last of the famed Tschaikovsky-Petipa classics, Swan Lake was actually the composer’s first ballet score. It was commissioned in 1875 by the Moscow Imperial Theater, now the Bolshoi Ballet. Tschaikovsky, who thought that ballet was “the most innocent, the most moral of the arts,” suggested the libretto. Years earlier he had composed as a family entertainment a short ballet based on a German fairy tale about a wicked sorcerer who turns young girls into birds. Amazingly, the choreographer of the 1877 Moscow premiere (not Petipa) was not inspired by Tschaikovsky’s glorious music, the conductor didn’t like the score either, and the ballerina declared it too difficult to dance to and substituted her favorite music and choreography from other ballets. The composer blamed himself for the failure and would not write another ballet score for 12 years. When he resumed, it was to compose The Sleeping Beauty in 1890 and The Nutcracker in 1892. Tschaikovsky died the following year. As a memorial, the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg mounted a production of just the first lakeside scene, Tschaikovsky’s second act, where the Prince meets the Swan Queen. Czar Nicholas II was so impressed by the new choreography of Petipa’s assistant Lev Ivanov that he ordered the entire ballet be produced, with Petipa staging the first and third acts. The full St. Petersburg production of 1895 with the dual role of Odette and Odile is the classic ballet that we see today. While retaining the well-known set pieces from the traditional version by Petipa and Ivanov, Mr. Martins has imbued his production of Swan Lake with the speed and clarity of New York City Ballet. The lakeside scenes are based on the choreography of Balanchine’s one-act version, which Martins judges superior to the Petipa/Ivanov version. For the divertissements of the “Black Swan” scene, Martins has created a sensuous Russian dance intended as an homage to the exoticism of the early 20th-century Russian artist Leon Bakst. Mr. Martins also has set a pas de quatre for three ballerinas and a danseur with complex step combinations and intricate partnering unheard of in the 19th century. And he has given the ballet an innovative ending that 20th-century critics have called “intellectually provocative.” For this production Martins invited Denmark’s leading artist, Per Kirkeby, to design the scenery and décor. Mr. Kirkeby’s paintings, sculpture, and graphic art have been exhibited at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, the Venice Biennale, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Prague’s National Gallery, the Dallas Museum of Fine Art, London’s Barbican Center, and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, as well as numerous galleries throughout the world, including the Michael Werner Gallery in New York. Kirkeby is also a writer, geologist, filmmaker, and performance artist who has published more than 60 books of poetry, novels, and essays. Kirkeby’s costumes for New York City Ballet’s Swan Lake are based on the original costumes he designed in collaboration with Kirsten Lund Nielsen for the Danish production. The evocative lighting design is by Mark Stanley. SYMPHONY IN C SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS MUSIC: Symphony No. 1 in C Major (1855) by Georges Bizet CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE COSTUMES: Marc Happel LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: July 28, 1947, Paris Opera Ballet, Théâtre National de l’Opéra as Le Palais de Cristal ORIGINAL CAST: Lycette Darsonval, Tamara Toumanova, Micheline Bardin, Madeleine Lafon, Alexandre Kalioujny, Roger Ritz, Michel Renault, Max Bozzoni MUSIC: Symphony in Three Movements (194245) by Igor Stravinsky CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: June 18, 1972, New York City Ballet, Stravinsky Festival, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Sara Leland, Marnee Morris, Lynda Yourth, Helgi Tomasson, Edward Villella, Robert Weiss Bizet composed his Symphony in C Major when he was a 17-year-old pupil of Charles Gounod at the Paris Conservatory. The manuscript was lost for decades and was published only after it was discovered in the Conservatory’s library in 1933. Balanchine first learned of the long-vanished score from Stravinsky. He required only two weeks to choreograph it as Le Palais de Cristal for the Paris Opera Ballet, where he was serving as a guest ballet master. When he revived the work the following year for the first performance of New York City Ballet, he simplified the sets and costumes and changed the title. The ballet has four movements, each featuring a different ballerina, danseur, and corps de ballet. The entire cast of 52 dancers from all four movements gathers for the rousing finale. The New York City Ballet premiere took place on October 11, 1948, at the City Center of Music and Drama. The original NYCB costume design for the ballet performed in 1948 was by long-time Balanchine collaborator Barbara Karinska. In 2012 Peter Martins, NYCB Ballet Master in Chief, felt the costumes for this iconic ballet needed to be refreshed and Marc Happel, NYCB’s Director of Costumes, took up the challenge. He adorned the pure white tutu’s and the dark men’s tunics of his own design with a generous array of glittering Swarovski crystals. He therefore retained the dark and light contrast of Karinska’s designs while giving the new version a visually shimmering brilliance. Introduced on opening night of the 1972 Stravinsky Festival, Symphony in Three Movements, a large ensemble work, is startling in its breadth of energy, complexity, originality, and contrasts. Balanchine responded to the jazz flavor in Stravinsky’s score by using angular, turned-in movements and brisk, athletic walking sequences. Stravinsky composed the symphony’s three movements at different times for three different films, although they were never actually used on screen. He said the music expressed his impressions of World War II but vigorously denied that the composition was programmatic in any way— a denial shared by Balanchine. “Choreographers combine movements, and the ones I arranged for this music follow no story line or narrative,” Balanchine said. “They try to catch the music and do not, I hope, lean on it, using it instead for support and time frame.” THIS BITTER EARTH MUSIC: Dinah Washington and Max Richter CHOREOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON COSTUMES: Valentino Garavani COSTUME SUPERVISION: Marc Happel LIGHTING: MARY LOUISE GEIGER NY PREVIEW: September 20, 2012, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Wendy Whelan, Tyler Angle New York City Ballet’s 2012 Fall Gala included the New York preview of This Bitter Earth, a pas de deux from a new ballet by Christopher Wheeldon, Five Movements, Three Repeats, which was created for Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists. The full ballet received its New York premiere during the 2012 Fall for Dance Festival at City Center. The Repertory (cont.) TODO BUENOS AIRES TWO HEARTS UNION JACK LA VALSE MUSIC: Pachouli, Escualo, La Mufa, Todo Buenos Aires, and Michelangelo 70 by Astor Piazzolla; arranged by Ron Wasserman CHOREOGRAPHY BY PETER MARTINS COSTUMES: Holly Hynes LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 3, 2000, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Wendy Whelan, Albert Evans, Philip Neal, Darci Kistler, Nikolaj Hübbe, Robert Tewsley MUSIC: Two Hearts (2012) by Nico Muhly CHOREOGRAPHY BY BENJAMIN MILLEPIED COSTUMES: Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte COSTUME SUPERVISION: Marc Happel LIGHTING: Roderick Murray PREMIERE: May 10, 2012, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Tiler Peck, Tyler Angle MUSIC: traditional British sources adapted by Hershy Kay: “Keel Row,” “Caledonian Hunt’s Delight,” “Dance wi’ My Daddy,” “Regimental Drum Variations,” Scottish theme from the Water Music by George Frederick Handel, “Amazing Grace,” “A Hundred Pipers”; music-hall songs (ca. 18901914): “The Sunshine of Your Smile,” “The Night the Floor Fell In,” “Our Lodger’s Such a Naice Young Man,” “Following in Father’s Footsteps,” “A Tavern in the Town”; traditional hornpipe melodies, “Rule Brittania” CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY AND COSTUMES: Rouben Ter-Arutunian ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 13, 1976, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Helgi Tomasson, Jacques d’Amboise, Sara Leland, Peter Martins, Kay Mazzo, Karin von Aroldingen, Suzanne Farrell, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, Victor Castelli, Bart Cook MUSIC: Valses Nobles et Sentimentales (1911, orchestrated 1912), La Valse (1920) by Maurice Ravel CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY: Jean Rosenthal COSTUMES: Karinska ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: February 20, 1951, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama ORIGINAL CAST: Diana Adams, Tanaquil Le Clercq, Yvonne Mounsey, Patricia Wilde, Herbert Bliss, Frank Hobi, Nicholas Magallanes, Francisco Moncion Danced against lush black and purple drapery, this ballet offers different interpretations of tango. LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN MUSIC: Le Tombeau de Couperin (1919, orchestrated 1920) by Maurice Ravel CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE ORIGINAL LIGHTING: Ronald Bates LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 29, 1975, New York City Ballet, Ravel Festival, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Judith Fugate, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, Muriel Aasen, Susan Hendl, Marjorie Spohn, Delia Peters, Susan Pilarre, Carol Sumner, Jean-Pierre Frohlich, Victor Castelli, Francis Sackett, David Richardson, Hermes Condé, Richard Hoskinson, Richard Dryden, Laurence Matthews This suite of dances in 18th-century courtly style divides eight couples into left and right quadrilles. Each quadrille forms geometric patterns—diagonals, diamonds, squares—as they dance in unison or echo the movements of the opposite side. Tombeau means “memorial” or “tomb.” Ravel composed the dances in 1919 as a commemorative suite for piano in memory of six friends who died in World War I. He orchestrated and shortened the suite the following year. In the title, Ravel honors the French Baroque composer François Couperin, court musician and composer to Louis XIV, the Sun King. Two Hearts is the fourth collaboration between choreographer Benjamin Millepied and composer Nico Muhly. Millepied did not choreograph a narrative for Two Hearts. The pas de deux danced by the lovers are supported by twelve corps dancers who interact with each other and the principal couple. The sense of community created onstage is deliberate. “I wanted to have everyone together, like the ensemble work in Balanchine’s Le Tombeau de Couperin,” Millepied has said. Millepied’s ballet, unlike the Balanchine ballet for corps de ballet dancers that inspired it, has a lead couple as well as corps dancers and is driven by the choreographer’s images of the music itself, not the ballad that inspired the composer. Nico Muhly was inspired by choral music from an early age and often writes for choirs. His inspiration for this commissioned score was the 18thcentury North European ballad “Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor,” which unites beautiful melody and gruesome detail to tell the story of a man torn between marrying for love or for money and the murders and suicide that result. The lyrics are sung at the end of the ballet, during the final pas de deux for the leads, perhaps symbolizing the uniting of two lovers kept apart in life. However, it is the phrase structure of the ballad that informed the score for all sections of the ballet itself, if not the exact story. Muhly wanted the music to feel like folk music in the sense that it feels familiar. According to the composer, “You need to access a kind of melancholy for that.” Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, who designed the black and white geometric patterned costumes for Two Hearts, also created the ballet costumes in the movie Black Swan. Roderick Murray has been Millepied’s lighting designer since 2006. Union Jack was created to honor the British heritage of the United States on the occasion of America’s bicentennial. Part I is based on Scottish military tattoos and folk dance forms usually performed in the open air in castle squares. Part II is a music hall pas de deux featuring Pearly King, a costermonger, the Queen of London, two little girls, and a donkey. It is danced before a drop suggesting Benjamin Pollock’s toy theaters. Part III takes place at a dockside setting, where a series of variations are danced to hornpipes, sea songs, work chants, jigs, and Royal Navy drill orders. For the finale, hand flags signal “God Save the Queen” in semaphore code as the Union Jack unfurls. From the first measures of Ravel’s haunting music, one is transported into the midst of a tense, unsettled world. “We are dancing on the edge of a volcano,” Ravel wrote in his notes to La Valse, describing the work as “the mad whirl of some fantastic and fateful carousel.” Ravel’s words aptly describe both his music and Balanchine’s choreography, in which a woman in white enters a ballroom and is at once horrified and mesmerized by the uninvited figure of Death who ultimately claims her. Lincoln Kirstein wrote: “The big themes shatter, rhythms dissolve, a persistent beat grows tenuous, and as a succession of feverish motifs dissolve, the climax becomes chaos.” Diaghilev commissioned La Valse from Ravel for his Ballets Russes, but rejected it as “untheatrical.” When Balanchine chose to choreograph the piece for New York City Ballet, he decided that it was too short, and preceded it with the composer’s earlier Valses Nobles et Sentimentales. The Repertory (cont.) VESPRO MUSIC: Vespro (original composition, 2002) by Bruno Moretti CHOREOGRAPHY BY MAURO BIGONZETTI COSTUMES: Julius Lumsden LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 8, 2002, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Maria Kowroski, Alexandra Ansanelli, Jason Fowler, Sébastien Marcovici, Benjamin Millepied Vespro is the Italian word for vespers, or evensong—music sung as twilight fades into night. Bruno Moretti has described his composition as little pieces of dreams. The musicians—a pianist, soprano saxophonist, and countertenor— perform onstage with the dancers. The countertenor’s libretto is based on quotations from the artist Michelangelo Buonarroti about beauty, suffering, life, and desire. The ballet features a male principal dancer, two couples, and eight corps de ballet dancers. At times, the male principal appears to be leading the dancers and musicians; at others, he interrupts them. Each of the couples dances an extraordinarily intricate pas de deux that makes full use of the dancers’ flexibility. When they are not dancing, the corps members remain onstage as silent witnesses to the sometimes dreamlike actions of the principal dancers. Mr. Bigonzetti, one of Italy’s leading choreographers, combines the classical vocabulary with modern, angular moves using the floor and complex, innovative partnering. WALPURGISNACHT BALLET (FROM GOUNOD’S FAUST ) MUSIC: from Faust (1859, ballet music added in 1869) by Charles Gounod CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE COSTUMES: Karinska LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: May 15, 1980, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Suzanne Farrell, Adam Lüders, Heather Watts, Stephanie Saland, Judith Fugate In 1925 and 1932, Balanchine choreographed dances for a production of Gounod’s Faust given by the Opéra de Monte-Carlo; they were danced by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. He made dances for other productions of the opera: in 1935, when he was Ballet Master for the Metropolitan Opera, and in 1945 for the Opera Nacional, Mexico City. Walpurgisnacht Ballet was choreographed for a 1975 production of Faust by the Théatre National de l’Opéra, danced by the Paris Opera Ballet. The New York City Ballet premiere was the first presentation of the choreography as an independent work. The Walpurgisnacht scene occurs at the beginning of the opera’s last act, when Mephistopheles brings Faust to watch the traditional celebration on the eve of May Day when the souls of the dead are released to wander at will. Although the ballet does not depict Walpurgisnacht per se, it does build on a sense of joyful revelry. WHO CARES? YEAR OF THE RABBIT MUSIC: songs by George Gershwin, orchestrated by Hershy Kay (1970) CHOREOGRAPHY BY GEORGE BALANCHINE SCENERY: Jo Mielziner COSTUMES: Santo Loquasto LIGHTING: Mark Stanley PREMIERE: February 7, 1970, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Jacques d’Amboise, Karin von Aroldingen, Patricia McBride, Marnee Morris MUSIC: Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001), by Sufjan Stevens CHOREOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN PECK COSTUMES: Marc Happel LIGHTING: Brandon Stirling Baker PREMIERE: October 5, 2012, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater ORIGINAL CAST: Teresa Reichlen, Ashley Bouder, Janie Taylor, Robert Fairchild, Joaquin De Luz, Craig Hall In 1937, George Gershwin asked Balanchine to come to Hollywood to work with him on Samuel Goldwyn’s Follies. Tragically, Gershwin was felled by a brain tumor before he completed the ballet music for the film. Thirty-three years later, Balanchine choreographed Who Cares? to sixteen songs Gershwin composed between 1924 and 1931, including “I Got Rhythm,” “The Man I Love,” “Embraceable You,” and “My One and Only.” Kay’s orchestrations draw extensively on Gershwin’s own piano arrangements of his songs. Balanchine used the songs not to evoke a particular era, but as a way to portray an exuberance that is both broadly American and charged with the distinctive energy of Manhattan. Justin Peck’s second work for New York City Ballet is set to a propulsive, yet melodic, and rhythmic score by acclaimed indie-rock composer, Sufjan Stevens. Peck’s inspiration for the ballet was Stevens’ 2001 experimental electronic album and song cycle entitled Enjoy Your Rabbit, which is based on the Chinese Zodiac. For the ballet, the music was orchestrated for a string orchestra, a collaboration between the choreographer, the composer, and orchestrator Michael P. Atkinson. Peck selected six pieces of music from Enjoy Your Rabbit, referring to the zodiac animals “Ox,” “Rabbit,” “Tiger,” “Dragon,” “Rooster,” and “Boar.” These pieces, in addition to what the composer calls his “western music” (“The Year of Our Lord”), are used to form a seven-part ballet featuring 18 dancers. The visually dramatic lighting of this continually inventive ballet complements the intricate, often surprising, formations and patterns for the corps, the joyful playfulness of the ensemble, the energetic, gravity-defying choreography for the six principals, and the strikingly intense pas de deux set to Stevens’ “western music.” In a Playbill interview before the premiere, Peck explained: “The [relationship to] the Chinese zodiac is very loose, but the signs interact. I play on that chemistry by adding fragments of movement that interrelate, micro-motifs that ripple through the ballet. For example, the music at times feels like a pursuit with a predator and prey, giving it some danger. But I intend to have the ballet resolve in equilibrium, emotionally and balletically.” The Composers JOHN ADAMS (b. 1947) grew up in New England and studied at Harvard with Leon Kirchner and Roger Sessions. Influenced by the music of John Cage and Steve Reich, Mr. Adams’ music is both electronic and instrumental and is known for its combination of minimalism and romanticism. Mr. Adams’ composition On the Transmigration of Souls, a choral work commemorating the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Music. From 2003-2007 Adams held the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair at Carnegie Hall where he founded the annual In Your Ear festival. Mr. Adams’ memoir, Hallelujah Junction, was published in 2008. That same year San Fransisco Ballet premiered Joyride, a ballet choreographed by Mark Morris, to Adams’ Son of Chamber Symphony (2007). JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750) was born into a family of musicians successful for over two centuries. Although later in his career he became most noted for his choral and other church-related compositions, he also left a large body of instrumental music for solo instruments and ensembles. While his popular reputation was eclipsed by the fame of his sons, he was revered by musicians and composers. Finally, in the 19th Century, Mendelssohn brought his music to public attention, and he became recognized as one of the greatest of all composers. SAMUEL BARBER (1910-1981) won the Prix de Rome and twice was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music. He studied piano and conducting, as well as singing, and began composing while still a child. Throughout his career, Barber remained a highly lyrical, essentially conservative composer who dealt in unashamedly personal expression. His harmonic language was basically that of the late 19th Century. Virgil Thomsom has described the composer as a producer of “elegant neoromanticism,” but in his discipline and use of traditional forms, Barber could also be considered something of a classicist. The violin concerto, with its angular lines and diatonic dissonance in the last movement, demonstrated that Barber had broadened his scope of artistic choices by incorporating elements more in common with contemporary idioms. VINCENZO BELLINI (1801-1835) was born in Sicily and died in France. He was a celebrated and highly popular composer of opera when vocal melody and vocal agility were its most valued constituents. He was a friend of Chopin, who greatly admired his melodic gift. His operas included Norma, I Puritani, and La Sonnambula. LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918-1990), the gifted and versatile American conductor and composer of symphonic music and Broadway shows, was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. At the age of 17, he entered Harvard. He went on to study at the Curtis Institute and then at Tanglewood. Serge Koussevitzky took an interest in his talent and promoted his conducting career. Bernstein’s great chance came when, on short notice, he substituted brilliantly for Bruno Walter, who had become ill. He performed as a conductor and pianist and lectured at universities and on television. His compositions range from the classical to the musical stage and include Mass, Kaddish, West Side Story, Candide, and The Age of Anxiety. He was the first native-born American to become conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and he conducted around the world. GEORGES BIZET (1838-1875) is best known for Carmen, one of the most successful operas ever written. However, he had more success in his lifetime with non-operatic works. He was an excellent pianist and wrote many pieces for the piano, including Jeux d’Enfants. Many of the operas Bizet wrote, with the exceptions of Carmen and The Pearl Fishers, were destroyed by the composer or never finished. JOHN CAGE (1912-1992) was born in Los Angeles and was involved with dance as a composer and accompanist throughout his career. His concept of the prepared piano, his use of rhythmic pattern instead of pitch, and his incorporation of Eastern philosophy into his theories have had an international impact on avant-garde music. Some of his methods, such as the use of silence and the introduction of chance in composition, met with hostile reaction, but he remained in demand as a lecturer, teacher, and a performer. Cage was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1978 and received the New York City Mayor’s Award of Honor for Arts and Culture in 1981. He maintained a long artistic association with the choreographer Merce Cunningham. FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849) was born in Poland. He was one of the most important innovators for the piano, both in terms of composition and playing style. As a pianist he was mostly selftaught, and because he did not like to give public performances, his substantial reputation was based on very few concerts. Chopin influenced future composers, especially those of the French and Russian schools. The musical level he attained made future piano innovations possible, such as those of Debussy. Robbins’ ballets choreographed to the music of Chopin are The Concert (1956), Dances at a Gathering (1969), In the Night (1970), and Other Dances (1976). In recent years MARC-ANDRÉ DALBAVIE (b. 1961) has risen to prominence as a leading member of the new generation of French composers. Dalbavie, like several of his contemporaries, started exploring the potential of spectral music, the redefinition of timbre, and the concept of process in 1982. Since the 1986 premiere of his first major work, Diadèmes, Dalbavie’s music has been performed all over the world. Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Dalbavie studied at the Paris Conservatoire, winning several several major prizes, before attending Franco Donatoni’s class in Siena and studying conducting with Pierre Boulez. In 1985, Dalbavie joined the research department at IRCAM. At the invitation of the German Academy Austauschdienst (DAAD exchange program), he moved to Berlin in the early 1990s. He was awarded the Rome Prize in 1994. With Concerto pour violin, premiered in 1996 by violinist Eiichi Chijiiwa and the Orchestre National de France, Dalbavie launched a series of works exploring the spacialization of the orchestra. The Dream of the Unified Space, Antiphonie, and Concertate il suono, all develop the concept of the movement of sound in space. In 1997, he was appointed Professor of Orchestration at the Paris Conservatoire and won the Berlin Philharmonic’s Salzburger Osterfestspiele Prize. The French Ministry of Culture awarded Dalbavie the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in January 2004. In February of the following year, the composer was invited to Paris’ Présences Festival, where Sinfonietta and Comptine premiered and 17 of his other works were performed. During the past ten years he has composed a piano concerto for Leif Ove Andsnes, who recorded the work for EMI, and soloists such as Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Philippe Jaroussky, Magdalena Kozena as well as the world’s leading orchestras: the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, BBC Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, and many others. In 2010 the Zurich Opera presented the world premiere production of Dalbavie’s new opera Gesualdo. The Financial Times wrote “Gesualdo is a rare thing – a gripping new opera with a great libretto that sounds beautiful. This is a score you could listen to again and again, complex and beguiling.” In addition to a new ballet for New York City Ballet in 2014, Mr. Dalbavie has been commissioned to compose a new opera for the Salzburg Festival for the summer of 2014. The Composers (cont.) CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) began his first piano lessons when he was nine years old and showed early signs of musical talent. Before entering the Paris Conservatory at the age of 11, he studied with Antoinette Flore Maute, a former pupil of Chopin. During his Conservatory years, he studied piano and composition, winning the coveted Prix de Rome for his cantata L’Enfant Prodigue. Debussy, who created a style called “musical impressionism,” is considered one of the most important and innovative composers of his time. Although he did not write any symphonies or concerti, he wrote operas, chamber music, orchestral works, and a large repertory of piano music influenced by the painting and literature of his contemporaries. LÉO DELIBES (1836-1891) was renowned as a composer for dance, with the gift of illustrating action, creating atmosphere, and inspiring movement. His Coppélia was the first symphonic ballet score. It includes melodic national dances, descriptive passages introducing the main characters, and musical effects that have captivated audiences for more than 100 years. GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845-1924) was Maurice Ravel’s teacher. His work bridges romantic and impressionistic styles. He wrote piano and chamber music as well as incidental music for plays such as Pelléas et Mélisande and Shylock; he composed operas and many songs set to the words of French poets of the late 19th Century, especially Verlaine. EVELYN FICARRA was born in California in 1962. She later moved to Britain, where she studied composition, earning a master’s degree from the University of Sussex in 1986. She has also studied at Britain’s National Film and Television School. She is especially interested in cross-arts work and electroacoustic media. (Electroacoustic music, or electronic music, describes the use of electronic media to create and alter sounds.) In addition to her concert works, she has written music for dance, theater, film, and radio. GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937), was one of the most important composers of the twentieth century. His work for both musical theater and the concert hall has proved to be of enduring value, and the way in which he combined these two genres has influenced countless composers and musicians. Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on September 26, 1898. He had his first hit in 1919 with Swanee, popularized by Al Jolson. In 1924, Gershwin teamed up with his brother Ira to create Lady, Be Good!, which was followed by several other successful musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Of Thee I Sing. During these same years, Gershwin was composing for the concert hall, starting with Rhapsody in Blue in 1924. In 1935, with Ira and with DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, he co-wrote Porgy and Bess, a “folk opera” that famously used blues and jazz idioms. Gershwin was at the peak of his career, with numerous successes to his name and more projects underway when he died suddenly of a brain tumor on July 11, 1937. PHILIP GLASS (b. 1937) graduated from the University of Chicago, studied composition with William Bergsma and Vincent Persichetti at the Juilliard School, as well as with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. In 1965 his style underwent a fundamental change, influenced by an interest in Indian music and work with the sitarist Ravi Shankar. The new musical style that Glass was evolving was eventually dubbed “minimalism;” however, Glass himself disliked the term and preferred to refer to it as “music with repetitive structures.” Since 1975, nearly all of Glass’s compositions have been written for dance, film, or theater. Mr. Glass continues to present lectures, workshops, and solo keyboard performances throughout the world, and still appears regularly with the Philip Glass Ensemble. ALEXANDER GLAZOUNOV (1865-1936), a student of Rimsky-Korsakov, was director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music from 1906 to 1917. It was during his tenure there that he was called to the Maryinsky to play piano for a rehearsal of Raymonda; Balanchine was one of the dancers present. In addition to Raymonda, Glazounov composed eight symphonies, a piano concerto, a violin concerto, chamber music, and orchestral tone poems. CHARLES FRANÇOIS GOUNOD (1818-1893) was a central figure in French music during the third quarter of the 19th Century; his style influenced the next generation of French composers, including Bizet, Fauré, and Massenet. Faust, produced in 1859 (the ballet music was added in 1869), made Gounod’s reputation. Faust was drastically different from French opera of the previous 30 years because of its lighter style and sentiment, which relied less on the spectacular and more on the delineation of character through the music. Gounod wrote other operas, none as successful as Faust, and other forms of music, including songs and Symphony No. 1 in D Major (1855), which Balanchine used for his Gounod Symphony. PAUL HINDEMITH (1895-1963), a key representative of the neoclassical school, is considered one of the greatest German composers of the 20th Century. He fled the Nazis (who banned his music) and was a professor of music at Yale from 1940 to 1953. A conductor, violinist, violist, pianist, and theorist, he also wrote several books on musical theory. HERSHY KAY (1919-1981) established himself as a preeminent orchestrator of musicals with Leonard Bernstein’s On The Town in 1944. His works for the ballet include Cakewalk, Western Symphony, Stars and Stripes, Who Cares?, and Union Jack; his works for musical theater include Peter Pan, Once Upon a Mattress, A Chorus Line, Evita, and Barnum. A composer in his own right, Hershy Kay also reconstructed Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s Grande Tarantelle for Piano and Orchestra, which Balanchine later used for his ballet Tarantella. ÉDOUARD LALO (1823-1892), a French composer, studied at the Lille Conservatory and in Habeneck’s class at the Paris Conservatoire. As a violinist and teacher in Paris in the 1850s, he showed an unfashionable inclination toward chamber music, playing classical string quartets and composing string trios and a noteworthy quartet. During the 1870s he attracted attention for his instrumental works, especially for the Symphony Espagnole (1874), a five-movement violin concerto, and the powerful Cello Concerto (1877). After disappoint- ment at the poor reception of his opera Fiesque (1866-67), he took up stage music again in 1875, winning success with Le roi d’Ys (1888), on which his operatic fame has rested; his ballet score Namouna (1881-82) became popular as a series of orchestra suites. Among the hallmarks of Lalo’s music, the vigor of which stands in contrast to the style of Franck’s pupils and the impressionists, are his strongly diatonic melody, piquant harmony and ingenious orchestration. FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) was a German composer of the Romantic era. Like Mozart, Mendelssohn was a child prodigy who excelled in every aspect of music; he was one of the finest pianists of his time, as well as an excellent conductor. Mendelssohn was active as a composer, conductor, pianist, teacher, and founder of music festivals. He composed works of all types: symphonies, piano music, lieder, choral music, oratorios, and chamber music. SERGE MORAND is a French composer of electroacoustic music. BRUNO MORETTI (b. 1957) graduated with a degree in piano and composition from the St. Cecilia Conservatoire in Rome. He then studied with Nino Rota and at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Sienna. He made his conducting debut at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome with Madama Butterfly. He has also conducted the orchestras of Teatro La Fenice in Venice, San Carlo in Naples, Teatro Comunale in Florence, and the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, as well as in Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Padova, and Bari. Abroad, Mr. Moretti conducted at the Royal Festival Hall and at the Barbican Center in London, at the Brucknerfestival in Linz, and in China, Israel, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Since 1991, Mr. Moretti has focused on composition. Among his many works are his ballets Comoedia and Don Giovanni, emozioni di un Mito; his opera Lady E; an orchestral piece, il bestiario del XXI secolo, for the Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra; and the soundtrack for the film La ragione di un sogno. He composed the scores to four ballets in NYCB’s repertory: Vespro (2002), In Vento (2006), Oltremare (2008), and Luce Nacosta (2010), all choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti. The Composers (cont.) Composer NICO MUHLY (b. 1981) was born in Vermont and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a 2003 graduate of Columbia University with a degree in English Literature. In 2004 he received a Masters in Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied composition under Christopher Rouse and John Corigliano. Muhly’s orchestra works have been premiered by the American Symphony Orchestra, the Juilliard Orchestra and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Orchestra. A work for chamber orchestra, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, premiered in April 2010. He has worked extensively with Philip Glass as editor, keyboardist, and conductor for numerous film and stage projects. In October 2007, American Ballet Theatre premiered Muhly and Benjamin Millepied’s collaboration From Here On Out, and One Thing Leads to Another, another collaboration with Millepied, was premiered by the Dutch National Ballet on October 15, 2010. The Metropolitan Opera Lincoln Center Theater Opera/Theater Commissions Program, in a co-production with the English National Opera, commissioned Two Boys, premiering in June 2011 at the English National Opera with a libretto by Craig Lucas, directed by Bartlett Sher. His next opera, Dark Sisters, was commissioned by Gotham Chamber Opera, Music Theatre Group, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia and premiered in November 2011. His opera Two Boys is being performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 2013. ROBERT NORMANDEAU was born in Québec City in 1955 and earned a doctorate in electroacoustic composition in 1992. Mr. Normandeau has been a lecturer in acoustics and electroacoustics at Université de Montréal since 1988 and is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre. He is a founding member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community. MICHAEL NYMAN (b. 1944). As one of Britain’s most innovative and celebrated composers, Michael Nyman’s work encompasses operas, string quartets, film soundtracks, orchestral concertos, choral works, and compositions for his own band, which serves as the laboratory for his inventive and experimental compositional work. Mr. Nyman first made his mark in the late 1960’s when he invented the term “minimalism”. He is a composer, performer, conductor, bandleader, pianist, author, musicologist, photographer, and film-maker. His most notable scores number a dozen Peter Greenaway films, including such classics as The Draughtsman’s Contract and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; Neil Jordan’s The End of the Affair; several Michael Winterbottom features including Wonderland and A Cock and Bull Story, Gattaca, his unforgettable music for Jane Campion’s 1993 film, The Piano, and the Oscar nominated Man on Wire. He has also written widely for the stage. His operas include The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1986), and Facing Goya (2000), and he has provided ballet music for a number of the world’s most distinguished choreographers. In 2008, Mr. Nyman published the sumptuous photo-book Sublime. He has also collaborated with contemporary artists Bruce McLean, Mary Kelly, Damon Albarn, Carsten Nicolai, and Kultlug Ataman. Mr. Nyman’s visual work has been exhibited at the Tate Modern in London, the Reina Sophia Museum in Madrid, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. ÅKE PARMERUD was born in Sweden in 1953. He has been professionally active as a composer since 1978. He studied at the Göteborg Music Conservatory after having worked as a professional photographer. His work includes instrumental and electroacoustic compositions, multimedia, video, and music for theater and film. ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) was born in Argentina and moved to New York as a child, where he learned to play the bandoneon (similar to the accordion). He studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, who encouraged him to develop his own native music. As founder of the Quinteto Tango Nuevo, he incorporated classical and jazz elements into an avant-garde tango style. He was an innovative instrumentalist and arranger and also composed for opera, theater, and film. Piazzolla successfully brought the bandoneon and tango music from Buenos Aires dancehalls and nightclubs to the international concert stage. FRANCIS POULENC (1899-1963), born in Paris, was a brilliant composer from a wealthy family; his mother, an amateur pianist, taught him to play piano. He belonged to the Paris-based group of composers, Les Six; the other five members were Auric, Durey, Honnegger, Milaud, and Tailleferre. They led the neo-classical movement, rejecting the emotion of Romanticism. Poulenc followed the neo-classical formation of Ravel’s piano music and songs. He eventually rediscovered his Roman Catholic faith and his work took on new spiritual depth and in addition to his fine songs and piano pieces he was an inspired composer of religious music. His choral works Stabat Mater and Gloria are notable, as is his music for the organ, including a concerto considered among the most beautiful that organists have in repertoire. He was fond of woodwinds and planned a set of sonatas for all of them. He lived to complete four: sonatas for flute, oboe, clarinet, and horn. Among his important artistic contacts was Diaghilev, who commissioned him to write for his Ballets Russes. ANDRÉ PREVIN (b. 1929) left his native Germany in 1938 to live in Paris and to subsequently settle in Los Angeles in 1940. His early career of orchestrating film scores at MGM led quickly to conducting engagements of symphonic repertoire and on to an international career as Music Director of such orchestras as London, Los Angeles, Oslo, and Pittsburgh. In the 1980s, he concentrated increasingly on compositions for the concert hall and opera. His own richly lyrical style underscores his love of the late Romantic and early 20th-century masterpieces of which his interpretations as conductor are internationally renowned. SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) was a leading Soviet composer and brilliant pianist. He left Russia in 1918 and lived in Germany and Paris for the next 16 years, with frequent trips to America for concert appearances. In 1934, he settled in Moscow and composed prolifically until his death. Among his better known works are the ballet scores Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, and The Prodigal Son; the opera Love for Three Oranges; the children’s classic Peter and the Wolf; the film score and cantata for Alexander Nevsky; and the Classical Symphony. ANDREA QUINN was born in 1964 and studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music with Colin Metters, George Hurst, and John Carewe. In 1989 she left the Academy with the Ernest Read and Ricordi Conducting Prizes. She was then awarded the National Association of Youth Orchestras’ Conductor’s Bursary for further study abroad which took her to Hungary for the Bartok International Seminar. Andrea Quinn has worked with many of Britain’s leading orchestras. In 1997 Andrea Quinn made her début at The Royal Opera House conducting The Royal Ballet’s Anastasia. From 1998 to 2001 she was the Music Director of The Royal Ballet. From June 2001 to June 2006 Andrea Quinn was Music Director for New York City Ballet having made her debut with the company in 1999. As well as conducting for them at Lincoln Center, she has conducted the company at the Edinburgh International Festival, at the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and in Toyko. From 2005 to 2009 Miss Quinn was the Chief Conductor of SONO (the Symphony Orchestra of Norrlands Opera) in Umea, Sweden. Andrea Quinn conducted a recording of Paul McCartney’s Tuesday with the London Symphony Orchestra for EMI Records, for which she was nominated as Female Artist of the Year by the British Phonographic Industry’s inaugural Classical Brit Awards. MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937) was born in the French Basque town of Ciboure. His family moved to Paris and encouraged him to take piano lessons. At 14 he was admitted to the Paris Conservatory, where he studied with Fauré, who became his principal teacher of composition. His ballet scores include Pavane pour une Infante Défunte, Jeux d’Eau, Boléro, Daphnis et Chloe, Ma Mére l’Oye, and a ballet-opera, L’Enfant et les Sortiléges. MAX RICHTER (b. 1966) is an award-winning British composer whose work includes concert music, film scoring, and a series of acclaimed The Composers (cont.) solo albums. Working with a variety of collaborators including Tilda Swinton, Robert Wyatt, Future Sound of London, and Roni Size, Mr. Richter’s work explores the meeting points of many contemporary artistic languages, and, as might be expected from a student of Luciano Berio, his work embraces a wide range of influences. Recent projects include the ballet Infra for Wayne McGregor at The Royal Ballet, with scenography by Julian Opie, the award-winning score to Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir, and the music installation The Anthropocene, with Darren Almond at White Cube. Mr. Richter’s music has formed the basis of numerous dance works, including pieces by Lucinda Childs, NDT, Ballet du Rhin, American Ballet Theatre, Dresden Semper Oper, The Dutch National Ballet, and Norwegian National Ballet, among many others, while film makers using his work include Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island). Recent commissions include the opera SUM, based on David Eagleman’s acclaimed book, premiered at The Royal Opera House, London, and Mercy, commissioned by Hilary Hahn. Other projects include Vivaldi Recomposed for Deutsche Grammophon, recorded by British violinist Daniel Hope and the Konzerthaus Orchester, Berlin, as well as a variety of other recording and film projects. VITTORIO RIETI (1898-1991) was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and was educated in Milan and Rome. He composed the music for the ballets Barabau and Le Bal for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, both choreographed by Balanchine. He composed operas and orchestral and other instrumental works in the neoclassical style. He came to the United States in 1940 and collaborated with Balanchine on a number of ballets, including Waltz Academy for Ballet Theatre, Night Shadow (now called La Sonnambula) for Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne for Ballet Society, and Native Dancers for New York City Ballet. RICHARD RODGERS (1902-1979) met Lorenz Hart in 1918 and began to collaborate with him on the lyrics for popular songs. Their first success was Garrick Gaities in 1925. Between 1926 and 1930, Rodgers and Hart were among America’s most popular songwriters, producing many songs for musicals and revues on Broadway and in Lon- don’s West End. After four years in Hollywood (1930-1934) writing for films, they returned to New York in 1935. In 1936, Rodgers’ first major orchestral music for a ballet sequence was premiered in On Your Toes; it was the ballet Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. Hart’s death in 1943 ended a prolific partnership that had produced musicals, films, and film versions of their stage presentations. In 1943, Rodgers began collaborating with Oscar Hammerstein II; their first success, Oklahoma, won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1944. Other works that Rodgers and Hammerstein staged were Carousel, Allegro, The King and I (choreographed by Jerome Robbins), and The Sound of Music. Their work on South Pacific brought them a Pulitzer Prize in 1950. CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) was a virtuoso pianist and organist, as well as a composer. A child prodigy, he began performing and composing by the age of 10. Born in Paris, he received his training under Halévy at the Paris Conservatoire. A man of many talents, Saint-Saëns was also a poet, dramatist, essayist, amateur scientist, and music editor. His musical works include symphonies, symphonic poems, operas, concerti, chamber music, and church music. Among his more well known pieces are Le carnaval des animaux (1886), Danse Macabre (1874), and the opera Samson et Delila (1877). ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856), to many scholars, represents the quintessential Romantic composer, both for the emphasis on lyrical self-expression in his work, and for the emotional turbulence that characterized his life (his wooing and eventual winning of his wife Clara—one of the great pianists of the time—reads like a 19th-century novel). Known primarily for the genius of his piano pieces and lieder, Schumann also wrote music criticism and headed a circle that included many of Germany’s musical elite, including Mendelssohn and Brahms. SUFJAN STEVENS (b. 1975) mixes autobiography, religious fantasy, and regional history to create folk songs of grand proportions. A preoccupation with epic concepts has motivated two state records (Michigan and Illinois), an electronic album for the animals of the Chinese zodiac (Enjoy Your Rabbit), a five-disc Christmas box set (Songs for Christmas), and a programmatic tone poem with film accompaniment for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a large-scale ensemble piece commissioned by BAM in 2007. More recently, Mr. Stevens released two albums in 2010: a generous EP (All Delighted People) and the full-length The Age of Adz, a collection of songs partly inspired by the outsider artist Royal Robertson. Born in Detroit and raised in the upper reaches of Northern Michigan, Mr. Stevens attended Hope College, in Holland, Michigan, and the masters program for writers at the New School for Social Research. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971), born in Russia, is acknowledged as one of the great composers of the 20th Century. His work encompassed styles as diverse as romanticism, neoclassicism, and serialism. Ballets to Stravinsky’s music done for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes include The Firebird, Petruchka, The Rite of Spring, and Apollo. His music has been used in over 30 ballets originating with New York City Ballet since 1948, including Danses Concertantes, Orpheus, The Cage, Agon, Monumentum pro Gesualdo, Rubies, Symphony in Three Movements, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Concerto for Two Solo Pianos, Suite from L’Histoire du Soldat, Concertino, and Jeu de Cartes. PETER ILYITCH TSCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) studied at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg, where Balanchine later studied piano in addition to dance. Tschaikovsky is one of the most popular and influential of all Romantic composers. His work is expressive, melodic, and grand in scale, with rich orchestrations. His output was prodigious and included chamber works, symphonies, concerti for various instruments, operas, and works for the piano. His creations for the ballet, composed in close partnership with Marius Petipa, are Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. GIUSEPPE VERDI (1831-1901) did not have a formal music education, but rather studied privately, for the most part, with local musicians. He completely changed the course of Italian opera with such masterpieces as Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aïda, Otello, and Falstaff, popularizing the art form like no other composer before or since. Verdi was also a fervent supporter of the movement for Italian unification, which led to his being nominated for a seat in the Italian Parliament. ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741), one of the foremost Baroque composers, was born in Venice and died in Vienna. His unique musical language is evident in the variety of form, scoring, and imaginative conception in the more than 500 concerti that he composed. A creator of orchestral program music, Vivaldi made contributions to musical style, violin technique, and orchestration. ANTON VON WEBERN (1883-1945), an Austrian, was part of the neoclassical movement in music. He was a musical scholar who adopted and extended Schoenberg’s 12-tone method of composing music, which meant basing a composition on a “row” made up of the 12 chromatic scale notes, arranged so that no note was repeated within the row. Webern became more and more rigorous in his attempt to compress and simplify his own style. DINAH WASHINGTON (1924-1963) was an American singer and pianist. Though known primarily as a Jazz vocalist she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including Blues, R&B, and pop music. She sang with Lionel Hampton’s band in the 1940’s and worked with many of the leading jazz musicians of the time. Washington was well known for singing “torch songs,” appeared at jazz festivals, had frequent gigs at Birdland, and sang with Count Basie and Duke Ellington. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. THOM WILLEMS (b.1955) was born in Arnhem, Netherlands, and studied electronic and instrumental composition at the Royal Conservatory, The Hague. Mr. Willems has composed works for European television, radio, and movies. His work has been performed by Ballett Frankfurt, l’Opéra de Paris, San Francisco Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Royal Danish Ballet, and Netherlands Dance Theatre. The Choreographers GEORGE BALANCHINE (1904-1983) is regarded as one of the foremost ballet choreographers and one of the great artists of the 20th Century. His influence in the worlds of ballet, music, and modernism is immense, and he had a great and lasting impact on New York’s cultural scene during a particularly creative period of the city’s history. The son of a composer, Balanchine began studying the piano at the age of five, then studied at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg from 1913 to 1921. He continued his education with three years at the state’s Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano and musical theory, including composition, harmony, and counterpoint. Balanchine made his dancing debut at the age of 10 as a cupid in the Maryinsky Theatre Ballet Company production of The Sleeping Beauty. He joined the company’s corps de ballet at age 17 and also staged one work, Enigmas. In the summer of 1924, Balanchine – along with Tamara Geva, Alexandra Danilova, and Nicholas Efimov – left the newly formed Soviet Union for a tour of Western Europe. All four dancers were invited by impresario Serge Diaghilev to join his Ballets Russes in Paris. After watching Balanchine stage a new version of the Stravinsky ballet Le Chant de Rossignol, Diaghilev hired him as ballet master to replace Bronislava Nijinska. Balanchine served as ballet master with Ballets Russes until the company was dissolved following Diaghilev’s death in 1929. After that, he spent his next few years on a variety of projects that took him all over Europe, then returned to Paris to form his own company, Les Ballets 1933. It was then that he met American dance connoisseur Lincoln Kirstein. Kirstein’s great passion for the contemporary arts included the dream to establish an American ballet school and an American ballet company that would rival those of Europe. He persuaded Balanchine to come to the United States and help him fulfill this dream, and in 1934, the pair founded the School of American Ballet. The first original ballet Balanchine choreographed in this country — Serenade, set to music by Tschaikovsky—was created for dancers from the School and had its world premiere outdoors on the estate of Kirstein’s friend, Edward Warburg, near White Plains, New York The School remains in operation to this day, training students for companies throughout the United States and the world, but the first ballet companies founded by Balanchine and Kirstein were not as long-lived. American Ballet, Ballet Caravan, and American Ballet Caravan came and went in the years between 1936 and 1940. In 1946, following World War II, Balanchine and Kirstein joined forces again to form Ballet Society, a company which introduced New York subscription-only audiences over the next two years to such new Balanchine works as The Four Temperaments (1946), Stravinsky’s Renard (1947), and Orpheus (1948). Morton Baum, chairman of the City Center of Music and Drama, was so impressed by a performance of Orpheus that he invited Ballet Society to join City Center, but with a new name. On October 11, 1948, New York City Ballet was born, dancing an all-Balanchine program consisting of Concerto Barocco, Orpheus, and Symphony In C. Balanchine served as ballet master for New York City Ballet from that year until his death in 1983. An authoritative catalogue of his works lists 425 works created from 1920 to 1982, and many of these continue to be danced today. Born in Rome in 1960, MAURO BIGONZETTI trained at the Rome Opera Ballet School and became a company member of the Rome Opera Ballet in 1978, dancing works by Roland Petit, Leonide Massine, and Aurel Milloss, among others. In 1982, he joined Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia, where he danced works by George Balanchine, Glen Tetley, Antony Tudor, Alvin Ailey, Jiri Kylián, Donald Byrd, William Forsythe, August Bournonville, Amedeo Amodio, Jennifer Muller, and Lucinda Childs. “All of them have influenced me,” he explains, “but the most important have been Jiri Kylián and William Forsythe. I relate to their aesthetic and choreographic inspiration.” Mr. Bigonzetti retired from dancing at the age of 30 to pursue choreography, creating ballets for Aterballetto and many other dance companies and festivals in Italy and around the world, including the English National Ballet, Ballet Teatro Argentino, La Scala Ballet, Ballet du Capitole (Toulouse), Deutsche Opera (Berlin), Kirov Ballet, and Stuttgart Ballet. He was the artistic director of Aterballetto from 1997 to 2008, resigning to pursue choreography full-time. He has choreographed four works for NYCB: Vespro (2002), In Vento (2006), Oltremare (2008), and Luce Nascota (2010), all to scores by Bruno Moretti. MADAME ALEXANDRA DANILOVA (1903-1997) was an old-fashioned ballerina with a sense of the dramatic that tied her to the 19th Century, but she also had a vivacious charm that spoke directly to modern audiences. This combination proved irresistible, and Madame Danilova became one of the great ballet stars of her time. Her career spanned the 20th Century, from her childhood appearances in the decadent ballet productions of Imperial Russia to years of acclaim as a prima ballerina in Western Europe, and finally to a ballet school in New York, where she imparted her artistry to young dancers. Part of her legacy is New York City Ballet’s production of Coppélia, which she staged with George Balanchine in 1974. Danilova was born in Peterhof, Russia, in 1903, and studied dance at the Imperial Theater School in St. Petersburg. One of her classmates was George Balanchine; the two would later have a four-year romance, and their professional lives would remain entwined until Balanchine’s death. In the early 1920s, Danilova danced both traditional roles with the corps of the State Academic Theater for Opera and Dance and avant-garde work with Evenings of the Young Ballet, a troupe set up by Balanchine. In 1924, Danilova and Balanchine, along with several other dancers, left Russia to tour Germany; when the Soviet government summoned them back, the dancers resisted, and Danilova and Balanchine stayed in Europe and joined Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. This was the beginning of Danilova’s fame. Diaghilev, the great impresario, put her in some of the great roles (Odette, Aurora, Firebird) as well as in some of the company’s neo-classical works, including Balanchine’s first masterpiece, Apollon Musagète (performed today as Apollo). Ballets Russes lasted only until 1931, but the time with Diaghilev proved to be a launching pad for Danilova, an introduction to a sophisticated world. In St. Petersburg, the students and dancers were The Choreographers (cont.) isolated from the rest of the world; with Ballets Russes, they met everyone, toured to cosmopolitan cities, and spent time in glamorous hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs. Danilova danced with Massine and Lifar, went dancing with Vladimir Horowitz, talked to Igor Stravinsky about his childhood, visited casinos with Coco Chanel, and received George Bernard Shaw in her dressing room. And she had countless admirers, enthusiastic audiences, and thus began the start of her reign as one of the world’s leading ballerinas. After Ballets Russes dissolved, Danilova remained in Europe to dance with the Monte Carlo Opera Ballet, in the operetta Waltzes from Vienna, and with de Basil’s Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. Then, in 1938, Danilova became the prima ballerina of a new company formed by Léonide Massine and Serge Denham and named, confusingly enough, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. It was in this company that Danilova was paired with Frederic Franklin in what would prove to be one of the great ballet partnerships, and it was here that she danced Swanilda in Coppélia, a role that became closely associated with her. In 1944, noted dance writer Edwin Denby said of her, “Miss Danilova… is one of the world’s greatest dancers. Her wonderfully feminine charms, her wit and dance brilliance make of the Monte Carlo Coppélia a real event.” She had successes in the tragic roles, but audiences loved her most for roles that displayed her wit and vivacity. Danilova remained with Ballet Russe until 1951 and then danced for several more years, touring the world. After retiring as a dancer, she staged ballets she knew well for various companies, and in 1964, Balanchine invited her to join the faculty of the School of American Ballet. The curriculum at SAB was based on that of the old Imperial Theater School, and Danilova taught girls’ variations classes, coached the students, and staged ballets for the school’s annual workshop. To many of her students, Danilova represented the elegant past of ballet; she was a true ballerina. Darci Kistler, now a principal dancer at New York City Ballet, was coached by Danilova in Swan Lake for an SAB workshop: Madame loved the femininity of dance, what she called “the perfume of dance.” She taught you the allure, the haughtiness— she was a grande dame of ballet. For Madame, if you didn’t look like a dancer, you weren’t a dancer; she liked girls to dress well, to have their hair up—the old aesthetic. She could be very tough, but she was very generous and kind to me. WILLIAM FORSYTHE (b. 1949) studied and later performed with the Joffrey Ballet before joining the Stuttgart Ballet in 1973. In 1976 he created his first ballet, Urlicht, and has since created over thirty works for companies in Europe and the United States, including the Joffrey, Lyon Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet. Forsythe was the Artistic Director of Frankfrurt Ballet from 1984 until 2005 when he founded the Forsythe Company, which he continues to lead today. His commissions for New York City Ballet include Behind the China Dogs (1988) and Herman Schmerman (1992). The Moscow born LEV IVANOV (1834-1901) graduated from the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg where one of his teachers was Marius Petipa’s father, Jean Petipa. A gifted soloist and character dancer with the Imperial Ballet, he ultimately achieved the rank of principal dancer. He was also a natural musician who could play, by ear, an entire ballet score on the piano. Ivanov went on to teach at the Imperial Ballet school and served as rehearsal master of the Maryinsky Theatre. He was officially appointed as second ballet master, assistant to Marius Petipa, in 1885. His innate musicality influenced his choreography and it is believed that he was the chief choreographer of The Nutcracker (1892) though Petipa received the official recognition. The beauty of the corps dances for the snowflakes is believed to be Ivanov’s work. His musically sensitive choreography of the second and fourth lakeside scenes of Swan Lake (1894-95) is heralded for its lyrical poignancy. Though destined to always be in Petipa’s shadow, his lasting contribution to the evolution of ballet is his influence on Michel Fokine. He saw, in Ivanov’s choreography, how mood and effect could be achieved by an ensemble dancing to beautiful music, thereby influencing the creation of Fokine’s atmospheric yet plotless Les Sylphides (1909). Danish-born PETER MARTINS (b. 1946), one of the greatest classical dancers of our time, has spent more than 40 years with New York City Ballet as dancer, choreographer, and ballet master. He has choreographed over 75 ballets, many of which are in New York City Ballet’s extensive repertory, alongside the works of Balanchine and Robbins. His dances are also in the repertory of the world’s great ballet companies. Mr. Martins is a champion of contemporary music and has choreographed to a wide range of composers from George Gershwin, John Adams, Michael Torke, and Wynton Marsalis to Tschaikovsky and Stravinsky. As Ballet Master in Chief of New York City Ballet, he is responsible for the ongoing operations of the Company and provides opportunities for emerging choreographers through the New York Choreographic Institute. He is also the Artistic Director and Chairman of the Faculty of the School of American Ballet. Mr. Martins has choreographed for Broadway and published his autobiography, Far From Denmark, in 1982, his works have also been featured on many television programs. Mr. Martins most recent works include the full-length production Romeo + Juliet and Grazioso (both premiered in 2007) Naive and Sentimental Music (2009), Mirage (2010), Ocean’s Kingdom (2011), and Mes Oiseaux (2012). The Choreographers (cont.) BENJAMIN MILLEPIED (b. 1977) was born in Bordeaux, France, and began his dance training at the age of eight with his mother, a former modern dancer, and entered the Conservatoire National in Lyon, France, at age 13. In the summer of 1992, he studied at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, and returned with a scholarship from the French Ministry to study full-time in the fall of 1993. Millepied originated a principal role in the world premiere of Jerome Robbins’ 2 & 3 Part Inventions at SAB’s 1994 Spring Workshop performance. He joined New York City Ballet in 1995, was promoted to principal dancer in 2001, and retired in 2011 to focus on choreography. Millepied began choreographing in 2001, creating his first work, Passages, for the Conservatorie National de Lyon. He has since created works for American Ballet Theatre (Everything Doesn’t Happen At Once and From Here On Out), Pacific Northwest Ballet (3 Movements), Paris Opera Ballet (Amoveo and Triade), the School of American Ballet (28 Variations of a Theme By Paganini), and New York City Ballet (Plainspoken, Quasi Una Fantasia, Why am I not where you are, and Two Hearts). In 2005, Millepied choreographed a full-length production of Casse-Noisette for the Grand Théâtre de Genève, featuring sets and costumes designed by artist Paul Cox. He collaborated with filmmaker Olivier Simola on a solo work for Mikhail Baryshnikov in 2006, and served as Choreographer in Residence to the Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York, that same year. In 2010, Millepied choreographed and starred in Darren Aronofsky’s award-winning feature film Black Swan. In 2012, Millepied announced the creation of L.A. Dance Project, an artist collective aimed at promoting the work of emerging and established creators, and contributing to new platforms for contemporary dance. Beginning September 2014, Millepied will become the new director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet JUSTIN PECK (b. 1987) was born in Washington D.C., and began his dance training in 2003 at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, where he studied with Jock Soto, Peter Boal, and Peter Martins. In October 2006, Peck became an apprentice with NYCB, and he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in June 2007. He was promoted to soloist in 2013. Since joining the Company, Peck has performed various featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Benjamin Millepied. He began choreographing in 2009 and has since created Quintet (2009), Tales of a Chinese Zodiac (2010), In Creases (2011), and Mise En Place (2012) for the New York Choreographic Institute; A Teacup Plunge (2009) and Enjoy Your Rabbit (2010) for the Columbia University Ballet Collaborative; In Creases (2012), an elaboration of his 2011 work, Year of the Rabbit (2012), a collaboration with acclaimed singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens, Paz de la Jolla (2013), and Take-Offs and Landings (2013) for New York City Ballet; Chutes and Ladders (2013) for Miami City Ballet; and Murder Ballads (2013) for L.A. Dance Project. In 2011, Peter Martins designated Peck to receive the New York Choreographic Institute’s first year-long choreographic residency. MARIUS PETIPA was born in Marseilles on March 11, 1818, part of the middle of a three generation dynasty of dancers, of which he and his brother Lucien, long of the Paris Opera, were the most important. After an itinerant dancing career based in France, as well as Spain and America, Petipa arrived in Russia in 1847 as the replacement for a retiring dancer. In several months he staged two recent Parisian productions in St. Petersburg. From 1847-1861 Petipa pursued a dancing career in Russia and engaged in an informal apprenticeship with choreographer Jules Perrot (first ballet master of the Russian Imperial Theatres from 1849 to 1860). In the late 1850s, Petipa produced his first attributable ballets: The Star of Grenada (1855); a divertissement, A Regency Marriage (1858); The Parisian Market (1859); and The Blue Dahlia (1860). In 1862 he produced The Pharaoh’s Daughter on short notice, initiating a rivalry with Perrot’s replacement, Arthur Saint Léon, and defining his signature genre, the ballet as grand spectacle. Shortly after this premiere, he was promoted to the rank of ballet master. The years 1862-1870 were marked by the contentious Petipa/Saint Léon rivalry, of which the artistic highlights were Saint Léon’s The Little Humpbacked Horse (1864), Petipa’s Le Roi Candaules (1868), the elaborate interpolated tableau in Mazilier’s Le Corsaire called Le jardin anime (1868, to music of Delibes), and the first production of Don Quixote (1869, Moscow). In 1870, Petipa became first ballet master of the Imperial Theatres upon the death of Saint Léon. The years 1870-1885 were Petipa’s so-called Russian period, marked by continued collaborations with Russian ballerinas (and the ascendancy of his daughter, Marie Mariusovna Petipa), his assistant Lev Ivanov, and composer Ludwig Minkus. The period featured productions of Don Quixote (1871), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1876, to the music of Mendelssohn), and La Bayadere (1877). In 1881, Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky, a lover of ballet, was appointed Director of Imperial Theatres, and in 1885, Lev Ivanov was appointed second ballet master. Petipa’s Italian period, 1885-1901, was marked by the ascendancy of Italian ballerinas, mostly virtuosas, between the arrival of Zucchi and the retirement of Pierina Legnani. In 1886, Ludwig Minkus retired as official composer of ballet music and Tschaikovsky was approached to collaborate with Petipa. Their great collaboration resulted in the 1889 production of The Sleeping Beauty (Vsevolozhsky served as librettist and costume designer). The years 1890-1900 were Petipa’s late period, marked by the last decade of Vsevolozhsky’s directorship of the Imperial Theatres; sensing pressure from the emergent balletic avant garde, Petipa continued to stress the first principles of his art: brilliant spectacle and expressive choreography, even at the expense of coherent drama. The Nutcracker was produced in 1892 (with Tschaikovsky and Vsevolozhsky); after planning the ballet, Petipa, due to illness, yielded the choreography to Lev Ivanov. Petipa became a Russian citizen in 1894 and in 1895 Swan Lake was presented, in collaboration with Lev Ivanov. In December of 1896, Petipa celebrated 50 years of service on the Imperial stage. Raymonda was produced in 1898, and a year later, a new director of theaters, unsympathetic to Petipa, replaced Vsevolozhsky. During the last decade of his life Petipa struggled to maintain his position at the Imperial Theatre, receiving support from Tschaikovsky and his dancers. Petipa died in 1910 at age 92, and his remains are buried at Alexandre Nevsky Cemetery in St. Petersburg. We owe the formal structure of the full-length classical ballet, climactic pas de deux, and entertaining divertissements to the brilliance of this choreographer who created a great repertory of memorable ballets. The Choreographers (cont.) ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ (b. 1956) was born in the Paris region, in France, and began his dance training in classical ballet before going on to study modern dance with Karin Waehner. In 1980, he traveled to New York to study with Zena Rommett and Merce Cunningham, and then continued his studies in France with Quentin Rouiller, Dominique Bagouet, and American choreographer Viola Farber. He danced with Dominiqe Bagouet’s company until 1984, when he formed his own company, Ballet Preljocaj. His productions are now part of the repertoire of many companies, many of which also commission original production from him, notably La Scala of Milan, the Paris Opera Ballet, and New York City Ballet. In 1997, Mr. Preljocaj choreographed La Stravaganza, his first piece for New York City Ballet, as part of the Diamond Project. He has made short films (Le postier, Idées noires in 1991) and several full-length films, notably Un trait d’union and Annonciation (1992 and 2003), for which he was awarded the Grand Prix du Film d’Art in 2003, the Vidéo-Danse First Prize in 1992 and the Prague Video Festival Prize in 1993. In 2009, he made Snow White, featuring his own piece, and in 2011 he signed, for Air France, the commercial L’Envol, based on the choreography of Le Parc. Since then he has collaborated on several films of his own choreographic work: Les Raboteurs with Cyril Collard (based on the painting by Gustave Caillebotte) in 1988, Pavillon Noir with Pierre Coulibeuf in 2006 and Eldorado/ Preljocaj with Olivier Assayas in 2007. Throughout the course of his career, Preljocaj has received numerous awards, including the Grand Prix National de la Danse awarded by the French Ministry of Culture in 1992, the Benois de la danse for Le Parc in 1995, the Bessie Award for Annonciation in 1997, Les Victoires de la musique for Roméo et Juliette in 1997 and the Globe de Cristal for Snow White in 2009. He has been honored with France’s most prestigious decorations: Officer in the National Order of Arts and Letters in 1996, Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honor in 1998, and National Order of Merit in 2006. Since 2006, Ballet Preljocaj and its 26 permanent dancers have resided at the Pavillon Noir in Aix-en-Provence, a building entirely dedicated to dance, with Angelin Preljocaj as its artistic director. Russian-born ALEXEI RATMANSKY (b. 1968) trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow and was a principal dancer with the Ukrainian National Ballet (1993-95) and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada (1995-97) before joining the Royal Danish Ballet as a soloist in 1997. There, he was promoted to principal dancer in 2000, and he returned to Russia in January 2004 to assume the position of Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet, succeeding Boris Akimov. In 2008, Mr. Ratmansky stepped down as Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet in order to pursue choreography full-time. In 2009 he was appointed Artist in Residence at American Ballet Theatre. He participated in the Choreographer’s Workshop at the Royal Danish Ballet (1999) and the New York Choreographic Institute at New York City Ballet (2002). In 1998, he choreographed Poem of Ecstasy, Middle Duet, and The Fairy’s Kiss for the Kirov Ballet. In 2001, he created Turandot’s Dream and a new version of The Nutcracker for the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen. In 2002, he staged a new version of Cinderella for the Kirov Ballet, followed by The Firebird for the Royal Swedish Ballet. In 2003, he premiered Le Carnaval des Animaux for the San Francisco Ballet. His Charms of the Mannerism, Dreams about Japan, and Leah have been performed around the world by Moscow Dance Theatre. His works for the Bolshoi are versions of Shostakovich’s banned Stalin-era ballets, The Bright Stream and The Bolt. Among his ballets in New York City Ballet’s repertory are: Russian Seasons (2006), Middle Duet (2006), Concerto DSCH (2008) and Namouna, A Grand Divertissment (2010). In 1992, Ratmansky was awarded the Benois De La Dance Award for his choreography for a fulllength Anna Karenina, created for the Royal Danish Ballet in 2004. Ratmansky was made Knight of Dannebrog in 2002. JEROME ROBBINS (1918-1998) received world renown as a choreographer of ballets created for New York City Ballet, Ballets U.S.A., American Ballet Theatre, and other international companies. He received equal acclaim for his work as a director of musicals and plays for Broadway as well as a director of movies and television programs. His career as a gifted ballet dancer developed with Ballet Theatre where he danced with special distinction the role of Petrouchka, and character roles in the works of Fokine, Tudor, Massine, Lichine, and de Mille, and in his first choreographic sensation, Fancy Free (1944). This ballet was followed by Interplay (1945) and Facsimile (1946), all of which were performed by Ballet Theatre. He then embarked on an enormously successful career as a choreographer and later as a director of Broadway musicals and plays. Robbins’ first musical, On The Town (1945), was followed by Billion Dollar Baby (1946), High Button Shoes (1947), Look, Ma, I’m Dancing (1948, co-directed with George Abbott), Miss Liberty (1949), Call Me Madam (1950), and the ballet “Small House of Uncle Thomas” in The King and I (1951). His work continued with Two’s Company (1952), Pajama Game (1954, co-directed with Abbott), and Peter Pan (1954), which he directed and choreographed. In the same year, he also directed the opera The Tender Land by Aaron Copland. Two years after that, he directed and choreographed Bells Are Ringing (1956), followed by the historic West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959), and Fiddler on the Roof (1964). In 1988, he staged Jerome Robbins’s Broadway. In 1949, he joined New York City Ballet as Associate Artistic Director. Among his outstanding works for the Company are The Guests (1949), Age of Anxiety (1951), The Cage (1951), The Pied Piper (1951), Afternoon of a Faun (1953), Fanfare (1953), The Concert (1956), Dances at a Gathering (1969), The Goldberg Variations (1971), Watermill (1972), Requiem Canticles (1972), In G Major (1975), Mother Goose (1975), The Four Seasons (1979), Opus 19/The Dreamer (1979), Glass Pieces (1983), I’m Old Fashioned (1983), Antique Epigraphs (1984), Brahms/Handel (1984, with Twyla Tharp), In Memory of… (1985), Ives, Songs (1988), 2 & 3 Part Inventions (1994), West Side Story Suite (1995), and Brandenburg (1997). For his own company, Ballets U.S.A. (1958-1962), he created N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz (1958), Moves (1959), and Events (1961). For American Ballet Theatre’s 25th anniversary in 1965, he staged Stravinsky’s dance cantata, Les Noces, a work of shattering and immense impact. During this extraordinary career, Robbins served on the National Council on the Arts from 1974 to 1980 and the New York State Council on the Arts/ Dance Panel from 1973 to 1988. He established and partially endowed the Jerome Robbins Film Archive of the Dance Collection of the New York City Public Library at Lincoln Center. His numerous awards and academic honors included the Handel Medallion of the City of New York (1976), the Kennedy Center Honors (1981), three Honorary Doctorates, an honorary membership in the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (1985), and the National Medal of the Arts (1988). The Choreographers (cont.) LIAM SCARLETT (b. 1986) was born in Ipswich and trained at The Royal Ballet School. While at the School he won the Kenneth MacMillan and Ursula Moreton Choreographic Awards and was the first recipient of the De Valois Trust Fund Award. He choreographed Monochromatic and Allegro de Jeunesse for The Royal Ballet School. He joined the Company in 2005, and was promoted to First Artist in 2008. He choreographed Despite and Vayamos al Diablo for ROH2’s ‘In Good Company,’ and Of Mozart, Consolations, and Liebestraum for the ‘New Works at the Linbury.’ Of Mozart was nominated for the Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for best Choreography in 2008. His first main stage-ballet for The Royal Ballet, Asphodel Meadows (2010), won Best Classical Choreography at the Critic’s Circle National Dance Awards of 2011. Edward Villella invited Mr. Scarlett to choreograph for Miami City Ballet after seeing this work, and Mr. Scarlett created Viscera (2009), which later also entered the repertory of The Royal Ballet. He was appointed Royal Ballet Artist in Residence in 2012. He has also participated in the New York Choreographic Institute. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, RICHARD TANNER received his early dance instruction from Robert Lindgren and Sonja Tyven. He continued his dance training while simultaneously pursuing a course of academic study, ultimately receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah. Mr. Tanner continued his dance education at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet, where his teachers included Stanley Williams, Pierre Vladimirov, Andre Eglevsky, and Diana Adams. Mr. Tanner danced with Utah’s Ballet West as a Soloist from 1967 through 1970. He then joined New York City Ballet, where he danced for ten years. In 1971 Mr. Tanner choreographed two ballets for the Company: Concerto for Two Solo Pianos (Igor Stravinsky) and Octandre (Edgar Varese). In addition to appearing in a wide variety of roles from the Company’s extensive repertory, Mr. Tanner participated as both a dancer and a choreographer in the historic 1972 Stravinsky Festival, for which he choreographed Octour. From 1981 to 1983 Mr. Tanner served as Regisseur Generale at American Ballet Theatre, and from 1985 to 1990 he served as Associate Artistic Director of the Pennsylvania Ballet. Mr. Tanner has choreographed more than two dozen ballets for such companies as Ballet West, Eglevsky Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Oklahoma, Miami City Ballet and numerous touring groups. In addition to his work as a choreographer, Mr. Tanner has staged Balanchine repertory ranging from Bourrée Fantasque (Chabrier) to Symphony in Three Movements (Stravinsky) throughout the United States and Europe. CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON (b. 1973, Yeovil, Somerset, England) began his ballet training when he was eight years old. He began studying at The Royal Ballet School at the age of 11. In 1991 he joined The Royal Ballet and won the Gold Medal at the Prix de Lausanne competition. In 1993, he was invited to become a member of New York City Ballet, where he was promoted to soloist in 1998. He began choreographing for NYCB with Slavonic Dances for the 1997 Diamond Project, and his Scènes de Ballet, a collaboration with artist Ian Falconer, was created for the School of American Ballet’s 1999 Workshop Performances and NYCB’s 50th anniversary season. After creating Mercurial Manoeuvres for NYCB’s spring 2000 Diamond Project, Mr. Wheeldon retired from dancing to concentrate on his choreographic work. During the 2000-01 Season, he served as NYCB’s first-ever Artist in Residence, creating two ballets: Polyphonia, set to piano music by György Ligeti, and Variations Sérieuses, set to music by Felix Mendelssohn. In July 2001 he was named NYCB’s first Resident Choreographer, a position he held until 2008. His ballets for NYCB include Polyphonia (2001), Morphoses and Carousel (A Dance) (2002), Carnival of the Animals and Liturgy (2003), After the Rain and An American in Paris (2005), Klavier (2006), The Nightingale and the Rose (2007), and Estancia (May 2010). His latest works for NYCB, DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse (Company premiere) and Les Carillons (world premiere), both premiered in the winter of 2012. His last ballets for NYCB were A Place for Us and Soirée Musicale, which both entered the repertory in 2013. Mr. Wheeldon has also been in demand with other leading companies and has created such notable works as Continuum for San Francisco Ballet; Tryst, DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse, and Electric Counterpoint for The Royal Ballet; a fulllength Swan Lake for Pennsylvania Ballet (2004); and Misericors for the Bolshoi Ballet (2007). Outside the ballet world, he choreographed Dance of the Hours for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Ponchielli’s La Gioconda (2006), as well as ballet sequences for the feature film Center Stage (2000) and a Broadway version of Sweet Smell of Success (2002). Throughout his career, Mr. Wheeldon has been interested in working with other artists to provoke new dance directions. Among the composers who have written scores for him are James MacMillan, Bright Sheng, and Michael Nyman. He has also worked with such artists as Ian Falconer, James Buckhouse, and Jean-Marc Puissant; designers Adrianne Lobel and Narciso Rodriguez; the author and actor John Lithgow; and director Nicholas Hytner. In 2007, Mr. Wheeldon founded Morphoses/ The Wheeldon Company with the goal of introducing a spirit of innovation to classical ballet by fostering collaboration among choreographers, dancers, visual artists, designers, composers, and others who can bring new life and perspective to the art form. Morphoses was launched at the Vail International Dance Festival in August of that year and performed at Sadler’s Wells in London in September and New York City Center in October. For the inaugural season, Mr. Wheeldon choreographed two new works: Fools’ Paradise and Prokofiev Pas de Deux. He served as the company’s Artistic Director until 2010. In 2009 Mr. Wheeldon worked with Richard Eyre on a production of the opera Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, and in 2010 his new version of The Sleeping Beauty had its premiere with The Royal Danish Ballet. His new full-length ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was created for The Royal Ballet and given its premiere at the Royal Opera House in February 2011. For Your Reference Balanchine, George: Choreography by Balanchine: A Catalogue of Works Balanchine, George, and Francis Mason: Balanchine’s Complete Stories of the Great Ballets Beaumont, Cyril W.: Complete Book of Ballets Beaumont, Cyril W.: The Sleeping Princess (from Impressions of the Russian Ballet) Buckle, Richard: Diaghilev Buckle, Richard, in collaboration with John Taras: George Balanchine: Ballet Master Chujoy, Anatole, and P.W. Manchester, Eds.: The Dance Encyclopedia Conrad, Christine: Jerome Robbins: That Broadway Man, That Ballet Man Denby, Edwin: Dance Writings Duberman, Martin: The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein Garfunkel, Trudy: On Wings of Joy: The Story of Ballet from the 16th Century to Today Kirstein, Lincoln: Movement and Metaphor Kirstein, Lincoln: Thirty Years: New York City Ballet Koegler, Horst: Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet Reynolds, Nancy: Repertory in Review Sadie, Stanley, Ed.: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Schonberg, Harold C.: The Lives of Great Composers Stravinsky, Igor, with Robert Craft: Dialogues and a Diary Taper, Bernard: Balanchine: A Biography Volkov, Solomon: Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Warrack, John: Tchaikovsky Wiley, Roland John: Tchaikovsky’s Ballet © 2013 New York City Ballet Cover: Wendy Whelan, photo by Henry Leutwyler © 2012. Most of the items listed in For Your Reference are available at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Programs and pricing subject to change.
