Ballets

Symphonie Concertante was originally presented by students of the School of American Ballet in a 1945 Carnegie Hall program entitled "Adventure in Ballet." This large three-movement — Allegro maestoso, Andante, and Presto — work bears a very close relationship to its music. The two principal ballerina roles correspond to the solo instruments; one suggesting the violin part and the other, the viola. Balanchine noted that the ballerinas "do not represent the instruments in any literal sense; their dances are simply accompanied by the instruments. The ballerinas leave the stage when the violin and viola are silent, returning when the instruments are heard again."

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), an Austrian, was one of the supreme musical geniuses of all time. He excelled in all forms of music, including opera, symphonies, concerti for various instruments, and chamber, vocal, piano, and choral music, leaving a legacy that is one of the greatest achievements in music. Mozart was considered by many to be the finest pianist, organist, and conductor in Europe. He was a famous child prodigy, and possessed a natural facility for music that is unsurpassed in the history of the art.

Repertory notes provided courtesy of and adapted from New York City Ballet Online Repertory Index. Additional sources: Choreography by George Balanchine: A Catalogue of Works , An Eakins Press Foundation Book, published by Viking (1984); and Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds (1970; The Dial Press).

Photo credit: Photo uncredited

Music: Symphonie Concertante in E-flat major for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra, K.364

Composer: Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Premiere: November 12, 1947

Average Ballet Length: 29 mins

Number of Dancers: 25

Costumes: Yes

Scenery: No