395. Gaspard de la Nuit 1975
Maurice Ravel (Gaspard de la Nuit, three poems for piano solo, 1908, inspired by poems of the same name by Aloysius Bertrand)
George Balanchine
Scenery and costumes by Bernard Daydé; execution supervised by David Mitchell. Lighting by Bernard Daydé, in association with Ronald Bates
May 29, 1975, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater. Pianist: Jerry Zimmerman
ONDINE: Colleen Neary, Victor Castelli, 5 women; LE GIBET: Karin von Aroldingen, Nolan T’Sani, 8 women, 3 men; SCARBO: Sara Leland, Robert Weiss, 3 men
Performance Type
Ballet
Note
Included in the Ravel Festival. Bertrand’s Gaspard represents the evils of the night. The ballet’s atmosphere is black magic; mirrors figure importantly in each of the three sections, which bear the titles of the poems. (See FESTIVALS DIRECTED BY BALANCHINE.)