question about Concerto Barocco

[silvy]

Hi

I have undertaken the mighty task of lecturing on Balanchine in my home town, as I truly believe that this choreographer deserves an homage for his centennial, which he almost did not have in my country, regrettably.

My question is the following: I remember reading a long time ago that in Concerto Barocco (set to Bach's double violin concerto) the 2 soloist ballerinas are supposed to impersonate one violin each. I would like to know, firstly, if this is true at all (I must tell true information at a lecture!!) and, in this case, if it is true for all the 3 movements in the ballet,as I only have an excerpt on DVD (in the Balanchine docummentary by PBS, where it is danced by Diana Adams and Tanaquil LeClerq), and I do not seem to find that correspondence between ballerinas and violins.

Thanks so much and sorry bothering!!!!!!!

Silvy

[carbro]

In the first and third movements, each ballerina dances to each solo violin. Obviously, this is not true in the middle section, where the second ballerina is barely on stage.

[rg]

it's perhaps also important to note that the clip on the balanchine biography program uses a pared down corps de ballet necessitated by the tight quarters of the television studio.

the leclercq/adams segment has a corps de ballet of 6 where the ballet should, on stage, use 8 dancers.

i don't think balanchine specifically set out to see his CONCERTO BAROCCO ballerinas as corresponding rigidly to the two violins.

in balanchine's 1947 SYMPHONIE CONCERTANTE (to mozart) he made a point of identifying one ballernina with the composition's violin and the other with the work's viola, but that was because this ballet was specially arranged as a music-and-dance demonstration showcase.