The Four Seasons

G. Verdi Ballet 6+

One-act ballet to music from Giuseppe Verdi’s operas Les vêpres siciliennes, I Lombardi, and Il trovatore

Choreography by Jerome Robbins

First staged in 1979, the ballet had its première in Perm in 2007, and was restaged in 2017. Running time: 40 minutes

The Four Seasons is a brilliant example of neo-classical choreography. The story of this theatrical work began when Jerome Robbins wrote Spring, a choreographic miniature to music by Verdi, to be performed by New York City Ballet soloists Kyra Nichols and Peter Martins. The production enjoyed great success, and the choreographer decided to present all the seasons of the year in a similar fashion. This resulted in the creation of a divertissement dating back to the old traditions of court ballet.

The piece requires the performers to have a good sense of humour in addition to technical virtuosity. In his typical manner, Robbins dilutes lyricism with jokes: Thus, in Winter, for example, the “snowflakes” first feel cold from the frost, rubbing their frozen bare shoulders, and then, having “warmed up”, spin around in a whirl of dance.