ABT in Paris and London - February 2007

[leonid17]

I do not know many people who think this to ballet to be significant within Balanchine’s oeuvre and I wonder why it was revived, as I find it looks like a ballet created for a graduation performance and a number of questions were asked by members of the audience as to why it was brought to London at all.

While Symphonie Concertante was not a graduation ballet, it was a teaching ballet. The leads were a young Tanaquil Leclerq and Maria Tallchief, then in her prime and with a formidable reputation. While the obvious conclusion was that it was Tallchief who would be Leclerq's example, Tallchief expressed in several interviews, including the ones in Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas, that it was she who was being taught by the example of Leclerq's pristine Balanchine technique. It was one of the first "tutu" ballets for the corps that Balanchine created for New York City Ballet. (Ballet Imperial, Symphony in C, and Theme and Variations were created for other companies.)

American Ballet Theatre has a bit of an exclusive on this ballet, since New York City Ballet had dropped it from its rep. From what I remember of a performance I saw in the early 80's, I preferred it to Gounod Symphony, which NYCB revived in the 80's. It's possible that it has been performed by another company, but I don't remember hearing about one by a company with ABT's reputation. In the US, people are starved for any "new" Balanchine, which probably is not the case in London. Why ABT chose it instead of another ballet to bring to London is a good question. ABT has a deep repertory of ballets by Tudor and deMille, for example, that were created and/or staged for them, and which they are sorely neglecting, and Theme, Balanchine that was choreographed for them.

Thank you for the information on "Symphonie Convertante" Helene.

Apart fron the Tudor and de Mille ballets which I think ABT should most definitely keep alive, I would love to see revivals of:CAPRICCIO ESPAGNOL,DESIGNS WITH STRINGS,GRADUATION BALL,INTERPLAY,THREE-CORNERED HAT,VOICES OF SPRING,THE WANDERER all once performed by ABT if they are revivable.

[volcanohunter]

Here is a link to a review of ABT in Paris.

American Ballet Theatre delivers mixed results in Paris