Best of Balanchine
Introduction
Three faces of a choreographic genius. It is now an accepted fact all over the world that George Balanchine (1904-1983) was the greatest dance innovator of the twentieth century. This Russian-American choreographer and founder of the famous New York City Ballet created more than 150 ballets.
Video
Images
programme
Though they varied in style and approach, they were always exceptionally musical, with an unparalleled visual logic and enormous freedom of expressive movement for the dancers. To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of his death, the Dutch National Ballet (which along with the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris is the largest European guardian of Balanchine’s oeuvre) is dancing three of his undisputed masterpieces.
Serenade (1934), the first ballet Balanchine created in America, stands out for its simplicity and lyricism, its wonderful spatial patterns and the exceptional synthesis between dance and music. Although Balanchine incorporated many rehearsal studio incidents in the piece, it does not tell a story. The choreographer’s main concern was to visualise the melodic and rhythmic lines of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
Totally different in atmosphere is Balanchine’s Agon (1957), also known as the ‘computer ballet’ or the ‘IBM ballet’. Performed in simple training clothes, the ballet has been stripped of every vestige of dramatic development. All the attention is focused on the pure construction of movement, which – fuelled by the striking rhythms of Stravinsky’s music of the same name – is complex and explosive, and demands an almost acrobatic virtuosity of the dancers.
Symphony in C (1947), originally created for the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris, shows ‘yet another Balanchine’. With its cool glitter, crystal-clear movement patterns and inventive pointe-work technique, this audience favourite refers to the classical Russian ballet divertissement of the 19th century. However, the influence that American life had on Balanchine is also clearly discernible in the fiery, whirling dance themes and the high speeds often seen in the choreography.
Running time will be approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes (including 2 intervals).
Credits
Accompanied by Holland Symfonia
Musical direction Andrea Quinn
Serenade
Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Agon
Music Igor Stravinsky
Symphony in C
Music Georges Bizet
Schedule
Pricing starts from € 15.00 to € 48.00
Pricing |
sat - sun |
mon - fri |
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Premium |
€ 48.00 | € 41.00* |
€ 45.00 | € 40.00* |
Rank 1 |
€ 43.00 | € 38.00* |
€ 41.00 | € 37.00* |
Rank 2 |
€ 34.00 | € 30.00* |
€ 33.00 | € 29.00* |
Rank 3 |
€ 26.00 | € 22.00* |
€ 25.00 | € 21.00* |
Rank 4 |
€ 18.00 | € 15.00* |
€ 17.00 | € 15.00* |
* with stadspas, CJP or below 16
Prices include € 2,- reservation costs
The duration of the show is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including two intermissions
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thu 7 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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fri 8 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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sun 10 feb 2013 |
14.00 uur |
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tue 12 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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fri 15 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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sat 16 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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sun 17 feb 2013 |
14.00 uur |
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tue 19 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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thu 21 feb 2013 |
20.00 uur |
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fri 22 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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sat 23 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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sun 24 feb 2013 |
14.00 uur |
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tue 26 feb 2013 |
20.00 uur |
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wed 27 feb 2013 |
20.00 uur |
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thu 28 feb 2013 |
20.15 uur |
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fri 1 mar 2013 |
20.00 uur |
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Prefer to order by telephone? Call the Boxoffice on +31 (20) 6 255 455
Castlist
Have a look at the castlist for this production.
> castlist
printed programme (1)
Reviews
De Telegraaf, 11 february 2013
Balanchine celebration
*****
'The Dutch National Ballet is holding a Balanchine celebration, not just in The Amsterdam Music Theatre but also on tour throughout the Netherlands. The programme features three of his best works, which show the enormous versatility and inventiveness of this choreographer, who passed away thirty years ago.'
> read complete review
Noordhollands dagblad, 9 february 2013
Balanchine remains refreshing
'A ballet that is over seventy years old can still be refreshing. This was proved by the Dutch National Ballet with their performance of Serenade by George Balanchine. Serenade is the oldest work included by the company in their tribute to one of the greatest dance innovators of the twentieth century: Mr. B.'
> read complete review
Theaterkrant.nl, 11 february 2013
The Dutch National Ballet strikes gold
*****
'Flawless lines and circles are drawn on stage and the dancers flow and mingle in perfect control. Amid these clear patterns, the choreographer George Balanchine works like a sculptor, and the duets and trios often work up to a sculptural form. It is a strongly ordered world, where the dance elevates musical motifs and makes tones and rhythms float and leap.'
> read complete review
Het Parool, 13 februari 2013
Classical ballet with a twist
****
Ode to ballet innovator and choreographer Balanchine.
'A Dutch National Ballet season would not be complete without an evening of Balanchine, the most prominent choreographer of the twentieth century, who embraced classical ballet technique as well as cleverly renewing it from the inside out.'
> read complete review