Orpheus (ballet)
Encyclopedia
Orpheus is a ballet made by George Balanchine
on Ballet Society, which he founded together with Lincoln Kirstein
and of which he was ballet master, to eponymous music from 1947 by Igor Stravinsky
, his frequent collaborator, with sets and costumes by Isamu Noguchi
.
The premiere took place on April 28, 1948, at City Center of Music and Drama
, New York
, and directly resulted in City Center's chairman, Morton Baum, inviting Balanchine and Kirstein to establish a resident company. The new company was named (or Ballet Society renamed) New York City Ballet
and Balanchine remained its ballet master until his death.
The program for City Ballet's first performance at City Center consisted of Orpheus, Concerto Barocco
and Symphony in C
on October 11, 1948; and Noguchi's rendition of Orpheus
' lyre
was apopted as and remains City Ballet's official symbol.
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
on Ballet Society, which he founded together with Lincoln Kirstein
Lincoln Kirstein
Lincoln Edward Kirstein was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and cultural figure in New York City...
and of which he was ballet master, to eponymous music from 1947 by Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, his frequent collaborator, with sets and costumes by Isamu Noguchi
Isamu Noguchi
was a prominent Japanese American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public works, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces,...
.
The premiere took place on April 28, 1948, at City Center of Music and Drama
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and directly resulted in City Center's chairman, Morton Baum, inviting Balanchine and Kirstein to establish a resident company. The new company was named (or Ballet Society renamed) New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
and Balanchine remained its ballet master until his death.
The program for City Ballet's first performance at City Center consisted of Orpheus, Concerto Barocco
Concerto Barocco
Concerto Barocco is a ballet made on students at the School of American Ballet by George Balanchine, subsequently balletmaster and co-founder of New York City Ballet, to Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, BWV 1043...
and Symphony in C
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 in C , which he wrote at the age of 17 while studying with Charles Gounod at the Paris Conservatory...
on October 11, 1948; and Noguchi's rendition of Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
' lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
was apopted as and remains City Ballet's official symbol.
Original cast
- Maria TallchiefMaria TallchiefMaria Tallchief was the first native-American prima ballerina. From 1942 to 1947 she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but she is best known for her time with the New York City Ballet from 1947 to 1965.-Early life:...
- Beatrice Tompkins
- Tanaquil LeClerqTanaquil LeClerqTanaquil Le Clercq was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, but her dancing career was ended when she was stricken with polio and paralyzed from the waist down....
- Nicholas MagallanesNicholas MagallanesNicholas Magallanes was a first-generation principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Along with Jerome Robbins, Francisco Moncion and Maria Tallchief, Magallanes was among the core group of dancers with which George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein formed the New York City Ballet in 1948...
- Francisco Moncion
- Herbert Bliss
Reviews
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10E17F73E5F167B93CBAB178FD85F4C8485F9NY Times by John MartinJohn Martin (dance critic)John Martin became America’s first major dance critic in 1927. Focusing his efforts on propelling the modern dance movement, he greatly influenced the careers of dancers such as Martha Graham...
, April 29, 1948]
Articles
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20717FB3F59157A93C4A8178ED85F4C8485F9Sunday NY Times by John MartinJohn Martin (dance critic)John Martin became America’s first major dance critic in 1927. Focusing his efforts on propelling the modern dance movement, he greatly influenced the careers of dancers such as Martha Graham...
, May 16, 1948]
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0081FFA3B5A157B93C5A8178AD85F4D8485F9NY Times by John MartinJohn Martin (dance critic)John Martin became America’s first major dance critic in 1927. Focusing his efforts on propelling the modern dance movement, he greatly influenced the careers of dancers such as Martha Graham...
, January 17, 1949]