400. Chaconne 1976 | The George Balanchine Foundation

400. Chaconne 1976

Christoph Willibald Gluck (ballet music from Orfeo ed Euridice, produced 1762, with music from the Paris production of 1774)

George Balanchine, staged by Brigitte Thom

Lighting by Ronald Bates

January 22, 1976, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater. Conductor: Robert Irving

Suzanne Farrell, Peter Martins;
PAS DE TROIS: Renee Estopinal, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, Jay Jolley;
PAS DE DEUX: Susan Hendl, Jean-Pierre Frohlich;
PAS DE CINQ: Elise Flagg; Bonita Borne, Elyse Borne, Laura Flagg, Nichol Hlinka;
PAS DE DEUX: Farrell, Martins;
CHACONNE: Farrell, Martins; Susan Pilarre, Marjorie Spohn, Tracy Bennett, Gerard Ebitz, corps de ballet

Performance Type

Ballet

See Also

Note

The finale of Gluck’s opera is in the form of a dance rather than song. This choreography, first performed in the 1963 Hamburg State Opera production of Orfeo ed Euridice [345], was somewhat altered for presentation as the ballet Chaconne and Balanchine added a new pas deux at the beginning for Farrell and Martins. Initially danced in practice clothes; costumes by Karinska were added in the spring of 1976.

Additional Productions

Revisions

Stagings

1978   Paris Opera Ballet
1983   Pacific Northwest Ballet (with San Francisco Ballet)
1983   San Francisco Ballet (with Pacific Northwest Ballet)
1986   Pacific Northwest Ballet
1989   Pacific Northwest Ballet
1992   Pacific Northwest Ballet
1994   Stuttgart Ballet
1995   Miami City Ballet
1996 Pacific Northwest Ballet
2001 Pacific Northwest Ballet
2003   Suzanne Farrell Ballet
2005   State Ballet of Georgia
2007   Cincinnati Ballet
2007   The Suzanne Farrell Ballet
2008   Ballet West
2011 Ballet West
2014   Tbilisi Ballet
2017 Ballet West
2017 Suzanne Farrell Ballet
2018 Boston Ballet
2019 National Ballet of Canada
2022 Boston Ballet

Recorded Performances

Videos/DVD

1995, Nonesuch, The Balanchine Library: Choreography by Balanchine (excerpts [1978]);
2001, Kultur, Peter Martins: A Dancer (PAS DE DEUX);
2004, Kultur, Balanchine (excerpts)

Film

1978, The Film Company, Peter Martins: A Dancer (PAS DE DEUX)

Television

1978 excerpts (PBS, Dance in America)
1978 (CBC [Montreal])
1983 excerpt (PBS, Gala of Stars)
1984 Faust (French television, TF1)

Source Notes

Balanchine, Arlene Croce, Nancy Goldner, Barbara Horgan