Discover Balanchine's ballet
Symphony in C
A dazzling display of classical dance, set to Bizet’s long-forgotten score.
Bizet wrote Symphony in C in 1855 as a student, but kept it among his papers and never promoted it. It was only rediscovered and published in 1933 and did not receive its first performance until 1935. Stravinsky, who had collaborated with Balanchine on several ballets, alerted him to its existence, knowing that its very ‘danceability’ would make it a fine score for a ballet. He was, indeed, correct.
Balanchine’s Symphony in C was created for the Paris Opera Ballet in the summer of 1947, when he was guest ballet master in the French capital. It was first added to the Royal Ballet repertory in 1991, with elegant costume designs by Anthony Dowell. The women wear white tutus and the men black tights and tunics, reminiscent of the traditional costumes of grand classical ballets of the 19th century.
Balanchine was inspired to produce a glittering piece of classical dance to Bizet's youthful symphony. Each of the ballet’s four movements is led by a different ballerina, her partner, several soloist couples and the female corps de ballet.
The first movement is an Allegro of brilliant energy requiring great athleticism from the dancers. Patterns of soloists and ensembles complement and contrast with each other bringing the melodies, rhythms and textures of Bizet’s score alive. They travel in almost constant movement in a dazzling virtuoso display.
The second movement is an Adagio with a pas de deux expressing pure romantic longing set to Bizet’s soaring and heartfelt melodies. This leads to the final Allegro third and fourth movements which build and build to an exhilarating finale that brings everyone together for an uplifting climax.
Symphony in C: in brief
Ballet in one act
Composer: Georges Bizet
Choreographer: George Balanchine
Music title:
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855)
Title notes: Original title:
'Le Palais de cristal'
World premiere: 28 July 1947,
Paris Opéra Ballet, Théâtre National de L'Opéra, Paris
Current Royal Ballet production
Premiere: 20 November 1991
Costume designer: Anthony Dowell
Lighting designer: John B Read
Revival staging: Patricia Neary
MORE ABOUT BALANCHINE
Patricia Neary from The Balanchine Trust describes working with George Balanchine.
[Listen] [Feed]
Discover the Composer:
Georges Bizet
George Balanchine's Jewels:
Watch the Backstage Film
Discover: our ballets
Choreographers
Who choreographed Swan Lake? Ivanov or Petipa? Find out more about their work.