Symphonie Concertante

Symphonie Concertante was originally presented by students of the School of American Ballet in a 1945 Carnegie Hall program entitled Adventure in Ballet. This large three-movement — Allegro maestoso, Andante, and Presto — work bears a very close relationship to its music. The two principal ballerina roles correspond to the solo instruments; one suggesting the violin part and the other, the viola. Balanchine noted that the ballerinas "do not represent the instruments in any literal sense; their dances are simply accompanied by the instruments. The ballerinas leave the stage when the violin and viola are silent, returning when the instruments are heard again."