Brandenburg (ballet)

Last updated

Brandenburg
Choreographer Jerome Robbins
Music Johann Sebastian Bach
PremiereJanuary 22, 1997 (1997-01-22)
New York State Theater
Original ballet company New York City Ballet
Design
Genre Neoclassical ballet

Brandenburg is a neoclassical ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. Danced by a cast of twenty, the plotless ballet is set to Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, as well as individual movements from Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 6. The ballet premiered on January 22, 1997, at the New York State Theater, danced by the New York City Ballet. Brandenburg is Robbins' last work.

Contents

Choreography

Brandenburg is set to excerpts of Brandenburg Concertos , including the entirety of No. 3, and the second movement of No. 2, fourth movement of No. 1 and the third movement of No. 6. [1] [2] The ballet is danced by four principal dancers and a corps de ballet of sixteen. Jean-Pierre Frohlich, Robbins' ballet master, described the ballet as "a plotless piece in which the steps create the mood." [3]

In his biography of Robbins, Greg Lawrence described, "the ballet began with a festive folk dance, and from there the dancing alternated between duets for the principals and group formations for the rest of the communal gathering. The configurations were often quite intricate and marked by lightning-fast transformations." [3] Dance critics Anna Kisselgoff and Deborah Jowitt both compared the patterns in the ballet to a kaleidoscope. [1] [4]

Author Terry Teachout commented, "A large-scale ensemble piece structured along classical lines, it contains no implied relationships, and the dancers are not individually characterized. But a closer look reveals that it is also merely the latest in Robbins's long series of dances about dancers specifically, a corps of Robbins-style dancers performing a "neoclassical" ballet which incorporates all the choreographer's signature moves." [5] Dance critics noticed the ballet echoes Robbins' earlier works, including Dances at a Gathering , The Goldberg Variations , Glass Pieces , Fanfare , Interplay and Fancy Free . [5] [4]

Development

After Robbins used Bach's music for his 1971 ballet The Goldberg Variations, he did not use the composer's works again until his later life, when three of his last four ballets were set to Bach. The other two ballets were A Suite of Dances and 2 and 3 Part Inventions . [4] Robbins began working on Brandenburg in 1995. [1] On the music, he said, "I find the richness [of Bach] very, very exciting, thrilling, and disturbing in a way... It doesn't seem like something by an old man... He's taking strange journeys while searching out all the things he wants to find out". [3] With his poor health, Robbins worked on and off for two years to complete the ballet, [4] during which he had mitral valve replacement surgery, [6] shown symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and had issues with balancing as a result of a fall. [7] In early 1997, he felt well enough to focus on completing Brandenburg, [3] While working on the ballet, Robbins declared, "I feel I have one more big ballet in me." [8]

Robbins began developing the ballet as a pas de deux for two New York City Ballet principal dancers, Lourdes Lopez and Nikolaj Hübbe. Though Robbins usually inform the dancers the synopsis of the ballet from the outset, he did not tell the pair whether the pas de deux was an experiment or part of a bigger piece. [7] He then brought in another pair of principal dancers, Wendy Whelan and Peter Boal, along with the corps de ballet. [lower-alpha 1] [7]

Robbins described working with the young cast, "I can't show them what I want them to do so they all move around with stiff-legged movements imitating me and not my intentions... The kids realize I'm not my old self and are trying to be helpful. They are a lovely bunch. I don't know how they remember all the changes I make all the time." [3] Benjamin Millepied, a member of the corps de ballet, recalled that there were months when Robbins would show the ballet to different people, which Millepied believed stemmed from the practice of workshopping on Broadway theatre. [7] Whelan believed that Robbins knew this could be his last work and "wanted everything to be perfect and masterful." [7]

Boal believed that Robbins choreographed 90 minutes of material but only 40 minutes are used in the ballet. According to Boal, towards the end of the creation process, Robbins was struggling to complete the finale. Peter Martins, the leader of the company, told Robbins, "You did it, you have a ballet! We could give you another year, but it's been two already." [7] Frohlich felt that Robbins still completed the ballet quickly, and believed it was because Robbins was unable to demonstrate the steps to the dancers then reconsider it. Instead, he had to come up with a series of movements completely before giving them to the dancers. [6]

The costumes are designed by Holly Hynes, with the dancers in peasant attires. [1] Robbins gave many directions to her, such as "green with a little bit of yellow and not too close to blue", resulting in her re-dyeing the fabrics many times. [4] Jennifer Tipton designed the lighting. [1] The ballet was funded by New York City Ballet's New Combination Fund, which was founded six years prior to the premiere to support new choreography. [1]

Brandenburg premiered on January 22, 1997, at the New York State Theater. The premiere was on the late New York City Ballet co-founder George Balanchine's birthday, and was part of the first in an annual series on his birthday. [1] [3] With Robbins' death in 1998, Brandenburg became his last work. [8]

Critical reception

Critic Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times opined, "Never has Mr. Robbins moved bodies in space with such dazzling speed and density. Choreographically, he has outdone himself here." [1]

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Ballet</span> American ballet company

New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's first music director. City Ballet grew out of earlier troupes: the Producing Company of the School of American Ballet, 1934; the American Ballet, 1935, and Ballet Caravan, 1936, which merged into American Ballet Caravan, 1941; and directly from the Ballet Society, 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Robbins</span> American choreographer & director (1918–1998)

Jerome Robbins was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television.

Ib Andersen is a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, and painter.

Peter Boal is artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and director of its affiliated school in Seattle, Washington. He was born in Bedford, New York, in 1965 and began studies at the School of American Ballet (SAB) at age nine.

Helgi Tomasson is an Icelandic choreographer, and a former professional ballet dancer. He served as artistic director and principal choreographer for San Francisco Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Millepied</span> French multi oriented dancer and choreographer

Benjamin Millepied is a French dancer and choreographer, who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has also created choreography for the company, and choreographed pieces for other major companies. He retired from the NYCB in 2011.

West Side Story Suite is a ballet suite choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Robbins conceived, directed and choreographed the 1957 musical West Side Story, then co-directed its 1961 film adaptation, before including parts of the choreography in the anthology Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Robbins developed the latter to the ballet West Side Story Suite for the New York City Ballet, which premiered on May 18, 1995, at the New York State Theater.

Moves is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The ballet was made for Robbins's troupe Ballet: USA's 1959 tour, with Aaron Copland brought in to write the music. However, he struggled with the score, and Robbins ultimately decided to have the ballet performed in silence instead. The ballet premiered at the Festival of Two Worlds held in Spoleto, Italy, on July 3, 1959. It has since been revived by other dance companies, including the New York City Ballet. Copland's score was later published as Dance Panels.

Symphony in Three Movements is a neoclassical ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to the music of the same name by Stravinsky. The ballet was made for the New York City Ballet Stravinsky Festival in 1972, a tribute to the composer following his death. The ballet premiered on June 18, 1972, at the New York State Theater.

Andantino, originally titled Pas de Deux, is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. The ballet was made for the New York City Ballet's Tchaikovsky Festival, and premiered on June 4, 1981, at the New York State Theater, originated by Darci Kistler and Ib Andersen.

Piano Pieces is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet was made for New York City Ballet's Tchaikovsky Festival, and premiered on June 11, 1981, at the New York State Theater.

In the Night is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to four nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin. It premiered on January 29, 1970 at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet.

The Goldberg Variations is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to Bach's Goldberg Variations. A plotless ballet, it starts with two performers dancing to the Theme, followed by the variations divided into two parts, with variations repeated as Bach had intended in the score. Robbins made the ballet for the New York City Ballet, and premiered on May 27, 1971, at the New York State Theater.

A Suite of Dances is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites. The ballet was created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and premiered on March 3, 1994, at the New York State Theater.

<i>Concerto Barocco</i> Ballet by George Balanchine

Concerto Barocco is a neoclassical ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Bach's Concerto for Two Violins. Danced by a cast of eleven, the ballet is completely plotless, and according to Balanchine, "has no "subject matter" beyond the score which it is danced and the particular dancers who execute it". The ballet was made for the American Ballet Caravan's 1941 South American tour, and premiered on June 27, 1941, at Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro. The ballet has entered the repertories of many ballet companies, including Balanchine's New York City Ballet.

<i>Allegro Brillante</i> Ballet by George Balanchine

Allegro Brillante is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3. The ballet is danced by a principal couple and a corps de ballet of eight. Balanchine said it "contains everything I knew about classical ballet." Allegro Brillante was made for the New York City Ballet, and premiered on March 1, 1956, at the City Center of Music and Drama, with Maria Tallchief and Nicholas Magallanes originating the two principal roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Leland</span> American ballet dancer (1941–2020)

Sally Harrington, known professionally as Sara Leland, was an American ballet dancer and répétiteur. She started her career with the Joffrey Ballet in 1959, and was recruited to join the New York City Ballet by George Balanchine in 1960. She was promoted to principal dancer in 1972, and created roles for both Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisco Moncion</span> Dominican-American ballet dancer

Francisco Moncion was a charter member of the New York City Ballet. Over the course of his long career, spanning some forty years, he created roles in major works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and others. He was also a choreographer himself and a talented amateur painter.

Stravinsky Violin Concerto, originally titled Violin Concerto, is a neoclassical ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Stravinsky's Violin Concerto. Balanchine had previously choreographed another ballet to the concerto in 1941 for the Original Ballet Russe, titled Balustrade, though it was not revived following a few performances. He then reused the concerto for New York City Ballet's Stravinsky Festival in 1972, a tribute to the composer following his death. The ballet premiered on June 18, 1972, at the New York State Theater.

Maria Calegari is an American ballet dancer, teacher and répétiteur. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1974 and became a principal dancer in 1983. She left the company in 1994, then occasionally performed until 2004. She also teaches ballet and began working as a répétiteur for the Balanchine Trust and Robbins Rights Trust in 1996 and 2003 respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kisselgoff, Anna (January 24, 1997). "A Major Robbins Work, Both New and Familiar". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ "Brandenburg". New York City Ballet. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lawrence, Greg (May 7, 2001). Dance with Demons: The Life Jerome Robbins. ISBN   9781101204061.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Jowitt, Deborah (2004). Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance. p. 504-511. ISBN   9780684869858.
  5. 1 2 Teachout, Terry (April 1997). "Choreography by Jerome Robbins". Commentary. ProQuest   195872480.
  6. 1 2 Vaill, Amanda (May 6, 2008). Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins. p. 523-525. ISBN   9780767929295.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sulcas, Roslyn (May 6, 2023). "'Like He Was Going to Live Forever': Making Jerome Robbins's Last Ballet". The New York Times.
  8. 1 2 Kisselgoff, Anna (July 30, 1998). "Jerome Robbins, 79, Is Dead; Giant of Ballet and Broadway". The New York Times.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.