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(from 1971 called TSCHAIKOVSKY SUITE NO. 3)
Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky (Suite No. 3 in G major, Op. 55, 1884)
George Balanchine
Scenery and costumes by Nicolas Benois; costumes for TEMA CON VARIAZIONI later redesigned by Ben Benson. Lighting by Ronald Bates
December 3, 1970, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater. Conductor: Robert Irving
ÉLÉGIE: Karin von Aroldingen, Anthony Blum, 6 women;
VALSE MÉLANCOLIQUE: Kay Mazzo, Conrad Ludlow, 6 women;
SCHERZO: Marnee Morris, John Clifford, 8 women;
TEMA CON VARIAZIONI: Gelsey Kirkland, Edward Villella, 4 demi-solo couples, 8 women, 8 men
Performance Type
Ballet
See Also
Note
The first three movements take place in a darkened ballroom with the women’s dresses long and flowing, their hair unbound; in the first movement they are barefoot. In the final movement, TEMA CON VARIAZIONI, the stage brightens, the women appear in tutus and the men are dressed as cavaliers. In 1947, as Theme and Variations, this section was premiered as an independent work.
Additional Productions
Stagings

2005   Ballet de San Juan
2012   Ballets de San Juan

Recorded Performances
Videos/DVD
1998, Nonesuch, The Balanchine Library: Choreography by Balanchine (ÉLÉGIE [1979])
Television

1979 Élégie (PBS, Dance in America)

Source Notes

Rosemary Dunleavy

Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky (final movement of Suite No. 3 for orchestra in G major, 1884)
George Balanchine
Costumes by Karinska (from Symphony in C [244]). Lighting by David Hays
February 5, 1960, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama, New York. Conductor: Robert Irving
Violette Verdy, Edward Villella, Susan Borree, Judith Green, Francia Russell, Carol Sumner, Conrad Ludlow, Richard Rapp, Roy Tobias, William Weslow; 8 women, 8 men
Performance Type
Ballet
See Also
Note
Originally presented by Ballet Theatre, New York, 1947.