''Concerto'' is a one-act ballet in three movements created by

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

in 1966 for the Deutsche Oper Ballet. The music is

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

's Second Piano Concerto (1957). The ballet premiered on 30 November 1966.

Production

The ballet is plotless and consists of three movements. The first was originated by

Didi Carli Didi Carli is an Argentinian former ballet dancer. The Russian balletmaster and choreographer Victor Gsovsky had seen Carli dancing at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and brought her to Europe, where he partnered her with Robert de Warren, to r ...

and

Falco Kapuste Falco Kapuste (born 1943) is a German former ballet dancer and choreographer. Kapuste was educated at the University of Music and Theatre in Hanover. Kapuste has danced with Hamburg State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berli ...

. The second movement is a '' pas de deux'' originated by

Lynn Seymour Lynn Seymour CBE (born 8 March 1939) is a Canadian-born retired ballerina, choreographer, and director. Early career She was born in Wainwright, Alberta, as Berta Lynn Springbett in a Canadian family of Scottish descent, and studied ballet in ...

and Rudolf Holz, and was inspired by Seymour's warm up. MacMillan had said that he "decided to incorporate the idea of the barre work into the choreography." The man acts as a "barre" for the female dancer. The third and final movement was intended for a "playful" lead couple, but the male dancer broke his foot prior to the premiere, so MacMillan turned the pas de deux to a female solo, danced by Silvia Kesselheim. The ballet also includes a corps de ballet, that dances in unison, originally 16 women and 8 men. The original design by Jürgen Rose uses a yellow backdrop, and the costumes are in orange, russet and yellow.

Other companies and revivals

''Concerto'' was added to other companies' repertoire. The

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

's co-founder

Lucia Chase Lucia Hosmer Chase (24 March 1897 – 9 January 1986) was an American dancer, actress, ballet director and also the co-founder of the American Ballet Theatre. Life and career Chase was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, the daughter of Elizabeth ...

requested to acquire the ballet immediately after watching the premiere, and the company danced it for the first time in Jacksonville, Florida in 1967, staged by

Georgina Parkinson Georgina Parkinson (20 August 1938 – 18 December 2009) was an English ballet dancer and ballet mistress. She joined The Royal Ballet in 1957 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1962. Best known for dancing 20th-century works, she was ...

and Wendy Walker.

Frederick Ashton Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositi ...

also sought to acquire it for Royal Ballet Touring Company (now

Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company ...

) , and the company premiered it at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

in 1967.

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

debuted ''Concerto'' in 1970. In the 2017, on the 25th anniversary of MacMillan's death, five ballet companies across the UK presented a mixed bill titled ''Kenneth MacMillan: A National Celebration'' at the Royal Opera House. ''Concerto'' was performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, with the lead roles danced by Momoko Hirata, Tzu-Chao Chou,

Jenna Roberts Jenna Roberts is a retired Australian ballet dancer, formerly a principal dancer with Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) Biography Roberts was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, and trained at the Marie Walton-Mahon Dance Academy in Newcastle, Austra ...

, Tyrone Singleton and Delia Mathews. In June 2020, in the first series of performance since the

's closure due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, which was broadcast online, The Royal Ballet's Fumi Kaneko and

Reece Clarke Reece Clarke (born 27 March 1995) is a Scottish ballet dancer. He joined the Royal Ballet in 2013, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2022. Early life and training Clarke is from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. His father was a steelworker and ...

performed the second movement pas de deux from ''Concerto''.

Videography

A 2010 revival of ''Concerto'' danced by the Royal Ballet was filmed and released on a DVD, featuring

Yuhui Choe Yuhui Choe ( ko, 최유희,崔有熙) is a Korean ballet dancer. She is a first soloist at The Royal Ballet. Early life Choe was born in Fukuoka, Japan. Choe started ballet training at the age of five. At the age of 14, Choe left her family an ...

, Steven McRae,

Marianela Nuñez Marianela may refer to: People * Carmen Barros (born 1925), Chilean actress and singer nicknamed Marianela * Marianela De La Hoz (born 1956), Mexican painter * Marianela González (born 1978), Venezuelan actress * Marianela Huen (born 1960), Venezu ...

, Rupert Pennefather and Helen Crawford. A 2019 performance was relayed in cinemas and was released on a DVD, as a part of a mixed bill. The lead roles were danced by Anna Rose O'Sullivan, James Hay,

Yasmine Naghdi Yasmine Naghdi (born March 25, 1992) is a British ballerina and principal dancer of The Royal Ballet in London. She joined The Royal Ballet in April 2010. In June 2017, she was promoted to the rank of principal ballerina. Early life Naghdi ...

Ryoichi Hirano Ryoichi Hirano (平野亮一, born 1983/84) is a Japanese ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Early life Hirano was born in Osaka. He had his ballet training at his mother's dance school. His bro ...

and Mayara Magri.

References

{{reflist

External links

Royal Opera House Website
Ballets by Kenneth MacMillan Ballets to the music of Dmitri Shostakovich 1966 ballet premieres