Details

George Balanchine's setting of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for string orchestra, created in 1934 for his students in New York is arguably the first American ballet. It is plotless, although references to Swan Lake andGiselle can be detected in its final movement, and a mood of romantic mystery prevails. The text incorporates several real life incidents from the rehearsal studio - one girl arrives late to take her place among the rows of dancers; another trips and falls - but its most famous feature is a waltz for the leading couple. Former Royal Ballet dancer and international choreographer, Michael Corder, created L'Invitation au voyage for the Company in 1982 and this is the first revival since 1985. The original cast included Antoinette Sibley, Alessandra Ferri and Stephen Jefferies. A sequence of songs composed by Henry Duparc are performed by a mezzo-soprano herself embedded in the dance and the revival uses the original designs of Yolanda Sonnabend. Balanchine's Theme and Variations received its World Premiere at New York's City Center on November 26, 1947, danced by Alicia Alonso and Igor Youskevitch. This plotless ballet is a vision of the Imperial Ballet in its heyday at the Maryinsky Theatre. It has been said that Theme and Variations could be considered the "niece" of The Sleeping Beauty. Serenade generously supported by The Friends of Covent Garden.

Creatives/Company

Music(s): Isobel Waller-Bridge, Tchaikovsky (Serenade), Henry Duparc (L'Invitation Au Voyage), Tchaikovsky (Theme and Variations)
Producer: Royal Ballet
Conductor: Barry Wordsworth
Choreographer(s): George Balanchine (Serenade), Michael Corder (L'Invitation Au Voyage), George Balanchine (Theme and Variations)
Costume: Barbara Karinska (Serenade)
Lighting(s): John B Read (Serenade), Paul Pyant (L'Invitation Au Voyage), John B Read (Theme and Variations)
Other(s): Patricia Neary (staging - Serenade), Patricia Neary (staging - Theme and Variations)
Design(s): Yolanda Sonnabend (L'Invitation Au Voyage), Peter Farmer (Theme and Variations)