On 24, 25 and 26 March, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will for the first time present George Balanchine’s one-act ballets The Prodigal Son, Scotch Symphony, Serenade and Apollo, the premiere of which is timed to mark the 135th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s birthday. The four productions will be the first ballet premieres of the Primorsky Stage this year.
At the beginning of the the last century, George Balanchine’s works stood apart in the world of choreographic art. The ballet master strove not to distract the audience’s attention from the dance. He removes the narrative, preferring minimalism in sets and costumes. The parts in his ballets are distinguished by sophistication and virtuosity and require performers’ serious physical training and masterful performance technique.
George Balanchine’s ballets have been successfully performed at the Mariinsky Theatre for over 20 years. Critics and western press note the triumphant success of the Mariinsky Ballet Company in working at this neoclassical choreography.
“Earlier, the Repertoire of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre was formed in such a way as to present to the audience narrative performances of the classical repertoire. The premiere of the Evening of George Balanchine’s ballets will not only supplement the theatre’s repertoire with the best pieces of neoclassical style, which Balanchine’s works, indeed, are, but will also take the company to a principally new level of its development”, noted Eldar Aliev, the head ballet master of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The Primorsky Stage repertoire has been enriched by four productions, belonging to different periods of George Balanchine’s creative activity: Apollo and the Prodigal Son resulted from the cooperation between Balanchine and Sergei Diaghilev, Serenade and Scotch Symphony were created at the time of formation of the American Ballet School. The Primorsky audience will have an opportunity to trace the changes in the choreographer’s style and to understand his most famous utterance: “See the music, hear the dance”.
The premiere performances will take place on 24, 25, 26 March and on 6 April at the Great Hall of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
