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Prodigal Son (ballet)

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This article is about Balanchine's 1929 ballet. For other uses, see The Prodigal Son (disambiguation).

Prodigal Son, or Le Fils prodigue, is a ballet created for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes by George Balanchine, subsequently co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet, to music by Sergei Prokofiev (1928–29) and the libretto, based on the parable in the Gospel of Luke, by Boris Kochno who added a good deal of drama and emphasized the theme of sin and redemption ending with the Prodigal Son's return.

Serge Lifar created the role.[1] The premiere took place on May 21, 1929, at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt, Paris, with décor by Georges Rouault and lighting by Ronald Bates, in what was to be the Ballets Russes' last Paris season: "Balanchine's choreography upset Prokofiev, who conducted the premiere. The composer had envisioned a production that was 'real'; his concept of the Siren, whom he saw as demure, differed radically from Balanchine's. Prokofiev refused to pay Balanchine royalties for his choreography." [2]

Balanchine's American Ballet danced Prodigal Son at its first public performance in 1934.

The City Ballet premiere was February 23, 1950, at City Center of Music and Drama, New York, the title role danced by Jerome Robbins, with lighting by Mark Stanley. Hugh Laing and Francisco Moncion also danced it before it lapsed from the performance rota for a decade. It was restaged in 1960 with Edward Villella in the title role (Villella recounts his work in recreating the role in his autobiography of the same name).[3]

Mikhail Baryshnikov danced it with City Ballet in 1979, and Damian Woetzel danced it at his farewell performance, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. [4]

Cast

original

NYCB revivals

2008 Winter

2008 Spring

Damian Woetzel's farewell

2008 Saratoga Springs

2010 Winter

Notes

  1. ^ Villella, E., "Prodigal Son," University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998, p. 80. # ISBN-10: 0822956667 # ISBN-13: 978-0822956662
  2. ^ NYCB website repertory index
  3. ^ Villella, E., "Prodigal Son," University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998, p. 80. # ISBN-10: 0822956667 # ISBN-13: 978-0822956662
  4. ^ NYCB 2008 Spring Repertory

References

  • Playbill, New York City Ballet, Thursday, June 19, 2008
  • Repertory Week, New York City Ballet, Spring Season, 2008 repertory, week 8

Articles

obituaries

Reviews

External links

Template:Prokofiev ballets

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