Orpheus (ballet)

This article is about Balanchine's 1948 ballet. For the legendary Greek, see Orpheus. For other uses, see Orpheus (disambiguation).

Orpheus
Choreographer	George Balanchine
Music	Igor Stravinsky
Premiere	28 April 1948 (1948-04-28) City Center of Music and Drama, New York
Original ballet company	Ballet Society
Characters	Orpheus, Dark Angel, Eurydice, Leader of the Furies, Leader of the Bacchantes, Apollo, Pluto, Satyr, Nature Spirits, Friends to Orpheus, Furies, Lost Souls, Bacchantes
Design	Isamu Noguchi, Jean Rosenthal

Orpheus is a thirty-minute ballet composed by Igor Stravinsky in collaboration with choreographer George Balanchine in Hollywood, California in 1947. The work was commissioned by the Ballet Society, which Balanchine founded together with Lincoln Kirstein and of which he was ballet master. Sets and costumes were created by Isamu Noguchi.

The original cast consisted of 30 dancers: Orpheus; Eurydice; the Dark Angel of Death; Apollo; the leader of the Furies; the leader of the Bacchantes; eight women Bacchantes; nine women in various roles (Friends to Orpheus, Furies, Pluto, Satyr, and Nature Spirits); and seven men as Lost Souls.

The action was divided into three scenes and 12 dance episodes: (Scene One) Orphee; l'Ange de la mort et sa danse; Interlude; (Scene Two) Pas des furies; Air de danse; Interlude; Air de danse conclusion; Pas d'action; (Scene Three) Apostheose d'Orphee.

The premiere took place on April 28, 1948, at City Center of Music and Drama, New York, and directly resulted in City Center's chairman, Morton Baum, inviting Balanchine and Kirstein to establish a resident company. The new company was named (or Ballet Society renamed) New York City Ballet and Balanchine remained its ballet master until his death.

The program for City Ballet's first performance at City Center, conducted by Igor Stravinsky, consisted of Orpheus, Concerto Barocco and Symphony in C on October 11, 1948; and Noguchi's rendition of Orpheus' lyre was adopted as and remains City Ballet's official symbol.

Casts

original

• Maria Tallchief - Eurydice
• Beatrice Tompkins - Leader of the Furies
• Tanaquil LeClercq - Leader of the Bacchantes

• Nicholas Magallanes - Orpheus
• Francisco Moncion - The Dark Angel
• Herbert Bliss - Apollo

plus eight women Bacchantes, nine women in various roles (Furies, Pluto, Satyr,Nature Spirits, Friends to Orpheus), seven men as Lost Souls

Reviews

• NY Times by John Martin, April 29, 1948

Articles

• Sunday NY Times by John Martin, May 16, 1948

• NY Times by John Martin, January 17, 1949

External links

• Balanchine Foundation website
• NYCB website

• Balanchine Trust website
• City Center website