Incorporating melodies by Tschaikovsky, Stravinsky’s divertimento is the passionate yet mysteriously foreboding groundwork for Balanchine’s ephemeral choreography.
In 1937 Balanchine choreographed the full-length ballet for his American Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House entitled The Fairy’s Kiss (also known as Le Baiser de la Fée), and set to Stravinsky’s score. For the 1972 Stravinsky Festival Balanchine created an entirely new work that used excerpts from the concert suite Stravinsky created in 1934. In 1974 Balanchine added a final movement to the ballet which is the version performed today as Divertimento from 'Le Baiser de la Fée.'
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