Balanchine Catalogue Archive
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85.1. The Romance of the Toys 1929
- Music
Charles Laurent, arranged by Alexei Archangelsky
- Choreography
G. Bulanchin [George Balanchine], maître de chorégraphie
- Production
Produced by Morris Gest. Scenes conceived and directed by Nikita Balieff. Scenery and costumes by S. Sudeykin [Serge Soudeikine]
- Premiere
January 22, 1929, Balieff’s Chauve-Souris (The Bat Theater of Moscow), Jolson’s Theatre, New York. Conductor: S. Kogan. (Conceived, designed, set, and rehearsed in Paris, probably in Fall 1928.)
- Cast
Dancers: Mmes Alexandrova, Guerman, Karabanova, Tarassova; Messrs Gorodetsky, Romoff, Tcherniavsky
Performance Type
Concert Works
See Also
-
73. Grotesque Espagnol,
74. Sarcasm,
74.1. Romanesque,
85.2. The Celebrated Popoff's Porcelains,
85.3. Fragment of an Etruscan Vase
Note
Choreography credited to ‘Mr. George Balanchine’ in later programs. See 73, NOTE
Source Notes
Documentation of the 1929 production of Chauve-Souris provided by Claude Conyers
73. Grotesque Espagnol 1927
- Music
Isaac Albéniz (‘Córdoba’ from Cantos de España, suite for piano, Op. 232, 1896), arranged by Alexei Archangelsky
- Choreography
George Balanchine
- Production
Presented by F. Ray Comstock and Morris Guest. Conceived and directed by Nikita Balieff. Scenery and costume uncredited
- Premiere
October 10, 1927, Balieff’s Chauve-Souris (The Bat Theatre of Moscow), Cosmopolitan Theater, New York. Conductor: S. Kogan
- Cast
Tamara Geva
Performance Type
Concert Works
See Also
-
74. Sarcasm,
74.1. Romanesque,
85.1. The Romance of the Toys,
85.2. The Celebrated Popoff's Porcelains,
85.3. Fragment of an Etruscan Vase
Note
Grotesque Espagnol, Sarcasm [74], and Romanesque [74.1] were three of nineteen numbers in the 1927 version of Chauve-Souris, annual productions by Nikita Balieff of evenings of Russian cabaret which toured Europe and America. According to Tamara Geva, Balanchine choreographed the first two–and perhaps the third–before the company departed from Paris for a New York season, where they became the first Balanchine works to be performed in America, and the first Balanchine choreography seen by Lincoln Kirstein. Geva is the only source for this information; there is no choreography credit for any of the numbers.
Source Notes
Tamara Geva, Lincoln Kirstein. Although part of a revue, these pieces were reviewed separately by J[ohn] M[artin] in the New York Times, December 11, 1927. Additional information about the Chauve-Souris productions [73] [74, 74.1] [85.1, 85.2, 85.3] provided by Claude Conyers.
74. Sarcasm 1927
- Music
Sergei Prokofiev (Sarcasms, suite for piano, Op. 17, 1912-14), arranged by Alexei Archangelsky
- Choreography
George Balanchine
- Production
Presented by F. Ray Comstock and Morris Guest. Conceived and directed by Nikita Balieff. Scenery by Yuri Annenkov. Costume design uncredited
- Premiere
October 10, 1927, Balieff’s Chauve-Souris (The Bat Theatre of Moscow), Cosmopolitan Theater, New York. Conductor: S. Kogan
- Cast
Tamara Geva
Performance Type
Concert Works
See Also
-
73. Grotesque Espagnol,
74.1. Romanesque,
85.1. The Romance of the Toys,
85.2. The Celebrated Popoff's Porcelains,
85.3. Fragment of an Etruscan Vase
Note
In Petrograd, Kasian Goleizovsky, whom Balanchine cited as an influence, created a ballet, Sarcasms, to Prokofiev music, probably in the early 1920s. See 73
Source Notes
Tamara Geva, Lincoln Kirstein. Although part of a revue, these pieces were reviewed separately by J[ohn] M[artin] in the New York Times, December 11, 1927. Additional information about the Chauve-Souris productions [73] [74, 74.1] [85.1, 85.2, 85.3] provided by Claude Conyers.
74.1. Romanesque 1927
- Music
Alexander Glazounov (character mazurka from Raymonda, Act I, 1896), arranged by Alexei Archangelsky
- Choreography
George Balanchine [?], quite possibly with the assistance of Tamara Geva
- Production
Presented by F. Ray Comstock and Morris Guest. Conceived and directed by Nikita Balieff. Scenery by Perez Sucre. Costume design uncredited
- Premiere
October 10, 1927, Balieff’s Chauve-Souris (The Bat Theatre of Moscow), Cosmopolitan Theater, New York. Conductor: S. Kogan
- Cast
Tamara Geva
Performance Type
Concert Works
See Also
-
73. Grotesque Espagnol,
74. Sarcasm,
85.1. The Romance of the Toys,
85.2. The Celebrated Popoff's Porcelains,
85.3. Fragment of an Etruscan Vase
Note
Balanchine’s contribution to the choreography, if any, is not clear, since Geva gave conflicting accounts, sometimes crediting the choreography to herself (interviews 1939, 1976, 1980, 1984), sometimes to Balanchine (interviews 1991, 1997).
Source Notes
Tamara Geva, Lincoln Kirstein. Although part of a revue, these pieces were reviewed separately by J[ohn] M[artin] in the New York Times, December 11, 1927. Additional information about the Chauve-Souris productions [73] [74, 74.1] [85.1, 85.2, 85.3] provided by Claude Conyers.
