Igor Stravinsky (Danses Concertantes for chamber orchestra, 1941-42, commissioned by Werner Janssen)
Choreography
George Balanchine
Production
Scenery and costumes by Eugene Berman. Scenery executed by E. B. Dunkel Studios; costumes executed by Karinska, Inc.
Premiere
September 10, 1944, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, City Center of Music and Drama, New York. Conductor: Emanuel Balaban
Cast
Alexandra Danilova, Frederic Franklin; I. VARIATION: Gertrude Svobodina, Nikita Talin, Nora White; II. VARIATION: Ruthanna Boris, Alexander Goudovitch, Dorothy Etheridge; III. VARIATION: Lillian Lanese, Herbert Bliss, Pauline Goddard; IV. VARIATION: Maria Tallchief, Nicholas Magallanes, Mary Ellen Moylan; PAS DE DEUX: Danilova, Franklin; FINALE: Entire cast
Stravinsky wrote the music for concert performance; Balanchine choreographed the score as his first new work for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo at the beginning of his two-year association with that company as choreographer.
Additional Productions
Revisions
1972, New York City Ballet (Stravinsky Festival): choreography entirely redone, made more complex, but still reminiscent of the first production in style and effect, using Berman’s original designs for costumes and scenery. In the 1972 production, only the fourth variation strongly resembled the 1944 original.
