Symphony in C (ballet)

"Symphony in C", originally titled "Le Palais de Cristal", is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to Bizet's "Symphony No. 1" in C major (1855), which he wrote at the age of 17 while studying with Charles Gounod at the Paris Conservatory. The score was lost and only rediscovered and published in 1933; Stravinsky alerted Balanchine to the existence of the symphony.

The premiere was July 28, 1947, in the "Théâtre National de L'Opéra" with the Paris Opéra Ballet where Balanchine was guest ballet master. According to City Ballet docents ["4th Ring talk", Saturday matinee, May 3, 2008 ("4th Ring talks" are also known as "1st Position discussions".)] the four movements were originally associated with and designed using the colors four gemstones, three of which Balanchine subsequently retain for the three movements of his 1967 ballet "Jewels": Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. Even before the ballet was renamed "Symphony in C" he had eliminated the color scheme and changed to the white costumes still used.

The NYCB premiere took place as the first piece on first performance, October 11, 1948, of the newly renamed City Ballet at the City Center of Music and Drama with costumes by Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley. Jerome Robbins was in the audience at that performance and is quoted as saying that he immediately wrote to Balanchine asking to be hired in any capacity. ["4th Ring talk", Tuesday, May 13, 2008] Suzanne Farrell says that "Symphony in C" is the first ballet she ever saw and determined at once to become a ballerina and join City Ballet; which both did. When she was in rehearsal learning her rôle from Balanchine, he asked her whether she could touch her knee with her nose en penchée, which she could, and this addition to the choreographry remains to this very day. [ibid.]

Cast

original

*Lycette Darsonval
*Alexandre Kalioujny
*Tamara Toumanova
*Roger Ritz
*Micheline Bardin
*Michel Renault
*Madeleine Lafon
*Max Bozzoni

1948 NYCB

*Maria Tallchief
*Nicholas Magallanes
*Tanaquil Le Clercq
*Francisco Moncion
*Beatrice Tompkins
*Herbert Blass
*Elise Reiman
*Lew Christensen

= 2008 NYCB at the Kennedy Center =

*First Movement:::Abi Stafford:::Jonathan Stafford
*Second Movement:::Wendy Whelan:::Philip Neal
*Third Movement:::Ashley Bouder :::Benjamin Millepied
*Fourth Movement:::Tiler Peck:::Sean Suozzi

Notes

References

*"Playbill", New York City Ballet, Wednesday, April 30, 2008

*"Repertory Week", New York City Ballet, Spring Season, 2008 repertory, week 1

External links

* [http://www.nycballet.com NYCB website]

* [http://www.balanchine.com George Balanchine Trust website]

* [http://www.balanchine.org George Balanchine Foundation website]

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/arts/dance/30ball.html NY Times review by Alastair Macaulay, June 30, 2008]

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/arts/dance/27gure.html NY Times review by Matthew Gurewitsch, August 27, 2006]

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEEDC113DF932A25756C0A965958260 NY Times review by Anna Kisselgoff, May 11, 1993]

* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0917FB3E55157493C1AB178AD95F418785F9 Sunday NY Times review by Clive Barnes, November 23, 1975]

* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40D10FE3B5D13728DDDAC0A94DA405B8289F1D3 NY Times article, February 25, 1952]

* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00A16F93F5A107A93CBA9178AD95F4C8485F9 NY Times review by John Martin, November 9, 1948]