Performance Dates
The Festival Ignites with a Rousing Program of Singular Stravinsky-Scored Ballets
Stravinsky wrote the delightful, spirited Fireworks as a wedding gift for his mentor Rimsky-Korsakov’s daughter; upon hearing Fireworks, famed impresario Serge Diaghilev commissioned the original Firebird score. Firebird is presented here as restaged by Balanchine and Robbins, with evocative designs by Marc Chagall that capture the magic and mystery of the ballet’s fantastical tale, following two additional works set to eponymous Stravinsky scores: NYCB Resident Choreographer Justin Peck’s vibrant Scherzo Fantastique, with strikingly colorful costumes by frequent-Peck collaborators Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung; and Balanchine’s bold and breathtakingly kinetic Symphony in Three Movements, choreographed for the original 1972 Stravinsky Festival.
Ballets on this Program
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Scherzo Fantastique
A Summer 2016 commission marking the 50th anniversary of NYCB’s annual summer residence, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, this work is set to Stravinsky’s Scherzo Fantastique.
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Symphony in Three Movements
One of Balanchine’s most celebrated leotard ballets, Symphony in Three Movements is bold and breathtakingly jet-propelled, a kinetic achievement, striking for its confidence and power.
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Firebird
Dressed in Chagall’s exquisite sets and costumes, Firebird illustrates an enchanting Russian fairytale and the fantastical creatures of its strange world.
