Balanchine's Suite Number 3

[Joseph]

I have a question-

Is the elegy, scherzo, waltz and theme and variations all put in the same ballet? I always thought that the ballet "Elegy" was a total seperate piece, and a totally different feel than Theme and Variations. How does this ballet work as a whole with all four parts? Do they change scenery / costumes? What exactly is it?

[carbro]

Suite 3 can be seen as describing ballet in evolutionary terms. The Elegie is danced in bare feet, it is lyrical and romantic, not terribly demanding technically. The Valse introduces pointe work and while still Romantic, feels a bit more structured than the Elegie. The Scherzo is an essay on turning, and Theme is a display of technique and a commentary on ballet in the Imperial style.

In the first three sections, the women wear long skirts and the lighting is dark and moody. Theme's women are in the classical tutus under bright lights.

We can discuss here whether Suite 3 holds together as one ballet or not. It's been a subject of debate since its premiere.

Please report back afterwards.

--Carley

P.S. I vote no.

[Dale]

On NYCB's website here, http://www.nycballet.com/about/rep_suite3.html , it explains how Balanchine choreographed the Theme and Variations for ABT in 1947 but then choreographed the preceding three movements in 1970. Sometimes the Elegy is performed separately, I think Miami City Ballet has done this, and of course it was taped that way for the Choreography by Balanchine videos.

Personally, I love it.

[rg]

it was, i think, in his very first 'notice' of TCHAIK. SUITE NO. 3 in 1970 that clive barnes suggested the work as a look at balanchine's choreographic heritage: Elegie = duncan; Waltz = fokine; Scherzo = gorsky; Theme = Petipa. i almost always think of this when i look at the ballet.

as for balanchine and ELEGIE/ELEGY - it is true that there are separate/individual balachine ballet's w/ this name:

ELEGY to rachmaninoff's 'elegie' dates from the 1923/24 era of balanchine's YOUNG BALLET

ELEGIE to Stravinsky's 'elegie' was first choreographed by balanchine in 1948 for leclercq and pat mcbride (not to be confused w/ patricia mcbride); it was rechoreographed for suzanne farrell in 1966; and then again, also for farrell in 1982. (if memory serves farrell has restaged the '82 dance for her own dancer(s) in the recent past.) [stravinsky's 1944 compostion for viola has been noted by the composer as a 'preview' of his ORPHEUS pas de deux.]

[oberon]

I do think SUITE #3 makes a cohesive ballet...even though each section is very different. For me, it is a "darkness into light" ballet...the progression from bare feet and hair down to pointe shoes, full tutu and the ballerina bun-look does seem to be showing a dance evolution. It also seems to construct an echelon, as if to say: "Almost anyone could waft around in bare feet and kick their leg up; a more select group can perform a classic waltz; even fewer people could jump and spin as they do in the scherzo, and only a precious few could do all that is demanded in T & V"...I do not mean to imply that the first 3 movements are easy, or less rewarding, but surely this ballet is all about building up. The ballroom set and the music itself are unifying aspects. After SERENADE it is the ballet I enjoy most throughly...not least because of its big cast.

Now, a question for everyone. My older programmes are boxed up and I don't really feel like lugging them out and digging thru, but I will if I have to in order to get to the bottom of this. I have, as part of my diary, a list of ballet performances (and operas)...just listing the works and principal dancers/singers. There is a very strange entry during the Tchaikovsky Festival...I wrote: "SUITE #3 Kistler, Christopher D'Ambroise - revised version with the same dancers in all 3 movements." Bearing in mind that this was back when I was more of a casual rather than dedicated ballet-goer, and excusing my foggy memory, can anyone shed light on this? It is doubly confusing because on the previous night I went to a performance which included the "normal" SUITE #3 with a different couple in each movement. Odder still, why would I refer to "all three movements" when the ballet has four? Does anyone have a recollection of this? Whenever I look at that entry on the list, I feel like I have to get some clarification...so, I will appreciate any input you may have. Otherwise, I must lug out my dusty boxes and start searching.

[rg]

could you possibly have meant that the date when kistler and d'amboise appeared (in the SCHERZO) that the suite's other 3 movements were danced by the same dancers previously cast (and seen by you) earlier in the run/week?

i rem. kistler well in the SCHERZO b/c of her esp. amazing hair.

[oberon]

That was a possibility, but why did I write: "revised version"? I think I have to go to my boxes...

Thanks for the reply! Yes, hair plays a big part in the scherzo...Janie Taylor's recently has been astonishing.

[Joseph]

Thanks everyone!

I have seen Miami City Ballet perform the "Elegie" section of this piece, but I have yet to see the waltz and scherzo. I have seen Theme and Variations a few times by ABT, Boston and Miami. When the whole suite is performed, do they keep one set or do they change it? I remember "Elegie" had a different set than "Theme..." did.

[oberon]

It is all set in a ballroom...it's the lighting that changes. The Elegie is like a dream -in fact, perhaps it IS the young man's dream. You can hardly see the set at all because the lighting is so dim. The Waltz & Scherzo are somewhat brighter, but then for Theme & Variations, the lights go way up and the chandeliers are fully lit.

I imagine the Elegie would make a nice free-standing piece, just as (in a totally different way) Theme does.

[Farrell Fan]

I don't think it's been pointed out yet that the first three movemnts are danced behind a scrim, making the lighting all the moodier. At the start of the Theme & Variations, the scrim is gone and the bright lighting is so dazzling that the audience gasps.

[Joseph]

Wow, I would really be curious to see this whole ballet. Is City Ballet the only company that does the whole thing?