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Balanchine Catalogue
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(briefly called PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2)
  • Music
Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44, 1879, abridged, rewritten, and rearranged by Alexander Siloti)
  • Choreography
George Balanchine
  • Production
Costumes by Karinska. Lighting by Ronald Bates
  • Premiere
January 12, 1973, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater. Conductor: Robert Irving. Pianist: Gordon Boelzner
  • Cast
Patricia McBride, Peter Martins; Colleen Neary; Tracy Bennett, Victor Castelli; 2 female demi-soloists; 16 women, 6 men.
ALLEGRO BRILLANTE–ANDANTE; ANDANTE NON TROPPO; ALLEGRO CON FUOCO
Performance Type
Ballet
See Also
  • *194. Ballet Imperial,
    349. Ballet Imperial
View Listings
Note
Originally presented by American Ballet Caravan, Rio de Janeiro, 1941, titled Ballet Imperial. While the choreography is essentially the same as the New York City Ballet version of 1964, the Imperial Russian décor and tutus used in 1941, and all productions thereafter were replaced in 1973 by simple chiffon dresses and a plain backdrop.
Additional Productions
New Productions by Balanchine Companies
1979, New York City Ballet: New costumes by Ben Benson
(from 1973 called TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2)
  • Music
Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky (Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44, I879, abridged, rewritten, and rearranged by Alexander Siloti).
  • Choreography
George Balanchine
  • Production
Scenery and costumes by Mstislav Doboujinsky
  • Premiere
June 25, 1941, American Ballet Caravan, Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro. Conductor: Emanuel Balaban. Pianist: Simon Sadoff. (Open dress rehearsal: May 29, Little Theatre of Hunter College, New York. Conductor: Fritz Mahler.)
  • Cast
Marie-Jeanne, William Dollar; Gisella Caccialanza; Fred Danieli, Nicholas Magallanes; 2 female demi-soloists; 16 women, 6 men.
ALLEGRO BRILLANTE–ANDANTE; ANDANTE NON TROPPO; ALLEGRO CON FUOCO
Performance Type
Ballet
See Also
  • 193. Serenata (Serenade),
    349. Ballet Imperial,
    382. Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2
View Listings
Note
A tribute to Imperial St. Petersburg, Petipa, and Tschaikovsky.
Additional Productions
Revisions
1942, Ballerina’s first-movement cadenza rechoreographed; 1944, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo: Corps reduced to 12 women and 4 men, or occasionally one or two more; 1950, Sadler’s Wells [later Royal Ballet]: Pantomime deleted and new pas de deux, with extra music, added in second movement; somewhat different groupings in third movement; new scenery and costumes by Eugene Berman; 1964, New York City Ballet: 1944 version with several changes and corps de ballet of 12 women and 4 men; 1973, New York City Ballet: Mime removed, corps increased to 16 women and 6 men.
New Productions by Balanchine Companies
New York City Ballet: 1964, with new scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian (based on the 1941 production) and new costumes by Karinska; 1973 (titled Piano Concerto No. 2, then Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2), staged without scenery, with new costumes by Karinska (classical tutus replaced by chiffon skirts), and lighting by Ronald Bates.
Stagings

1942   New Opera Company (New York City—1941-1944)
1944   Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
1950   Royal Ballet
1952   Teatro alla Scala (Milan)
1964   New York City Ballet
1967   The Australian Ballet
1968   Ballett der Deutschen Oper (Berlin)
1973   Geneva Ballet (Grand Theatre de Geneve [Ballet])
1975   Teatro Nacional de San Carlo (Naples)
1976   Den Norske Opera [Ballet] (Norway)
1980   The Australian Ballet
1980   Compania Nacional de Danza (Mexico City)
1986   Teatro alla Scala (Milan)
1988   American Ballet Theatre
1989   PACT Ballet (Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal—Johannesburg, South Africa)
1991   American Ballet Theatre
1993   Royal Ballet
1993   Boston Ballet
1993   Finnish National Ballet
1993   Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
1994   Matsuyama Ballet Company (Japan)
1996   American Ballet Theatre
1997   PACT Ballet (Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal—Johannesburg, South Africa)
1997   Tokyo Ballet/Japan Performing Arts Foundation
1997   Pacific Northwest Ballet
1998   Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
1999   Royal Swedish Ballet
2000   Pacific Northwest Ballet
2002   Perm State Ballet (Russia)
2003   Ballett der Deutschen Staatsoper (Berlin)
2003   Ballett der Deutschen Staatsoper (Berlin)
2003   Royal Danish Ballet
2004   American Ballet Theatre
2004   Kirov Ballet
2004   Tokyo Ballet / Japan Performing Arts Foundation
2005   Miami City Ballet
2006   Royal Ballet
2007   Pacific Northwest Ballet
2007   The Australian Ballet
2010   Teatro alla Scala (Milan)
2010   Los Angeles Ballet
2011   Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov)
2013   Houston Ballet
2013   Norwegian National Ballet
2014   Australian Ballet
2015   Los Angeles Ballet
2015   Perm State Ballet
2018   Miami City Ballet
2019   Boston Ballet
2019   Het Nationale Ballet (Stitchting Nationale Opera and Ballet)
2020   Japan Performing Arts Foundation/Tokyo Ballet/NBS

Recorded Performances
Videos/DVD
2005, Zeitgeist Films, Ballets Russes (excerpt)
Source Notes

Additional revisions and stagings information provided by Balanchine, Una Kai, Patricia McBride, Marie-Jeanne, Frederic Franklin.

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