Symphony in Three Movements

One-act ballet

Choreography by George Balanchine

First staged in 1972. This version was first performed in Perm in 2014. Runnig time: 21 minutes

It is well known that Igor Stravinsky did not approve of choreographers staging his ‘non-ballet’ music. However, when working with George Balanchine, he often made exceptions to his principles because of Balanchine’s ability to have a very clear vision of Stravinsky’s music. The Symphony in Three Movements was a rare example of the composer giving a detailed interpretation for his composition — it was written in 1945 and ‘every movement of the symphony is inspired by events of the [Second World] War, often from film images’, in particular, from documentary films. Balanchine first came across the score to the symphony in 1945, when he stayed with Stravinsky in Hollywood, but it took him a long time to finally decide to use it. Sadly, the decision only came following the death of the composer and the premiere was held in New York in 1972 at a festival dedicated to the memory of Stravinsky.

The ballet is staged in collaboration with the George Balanchine Foundation in accordance with Balanchine’s style and technique

Age category: 12+