''Scènes de ballet'' is a suite of dance movements composed in 1944 by

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

. It was commissioned by Broadway producer

Billy Rose Billy Rose (born William Samuel Rosenberg; September 6, 1899 – February 10, 1966) was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. For years both before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in entertainment, with sh ...

for inclusion in the revue ''The Seven Lively Arts'' that opened at the Ziegfeld Theater on December 7, 1944. ''The Seven Lively Arts'' brought together a number of notable performers:

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989), known as Bea Lillie, was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedic performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debu ...

, Bert Lahr,

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

, and "Doc" Rockwell as well as showgirls – "the prettiest around at the moment," according to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review. The solo dancers for the ''Scènes de ballet'' were

Alicia Markova Dame Alicia Markova DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring international ...

and

Anton Dolin Anton Dolin may refer to: * Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) Sir Anton Dolin (27 July 190425 November 1983) was an English ballet dancer and choreographer. Biography Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey ...

(who was also the choreographer). Although Rose had requested a 15-minute work, "the music was cut to a fraction of its original length when ''The Seven Lively Arts'' ... opened in New York."

Music

''Scènes de ballet'' is a score of between 16 and 18 minutes duration, written in 1944. It was commissioned by

for a Broadway revue. The music occasioned one of the best-known Stravinsky anecdotes. Rose telegraphed Stravinsky: "YOUR MUSIC GREAT SUCCESS STOP COULD BE SENSATIONAL SUCCESS IF YOU WOULD AUTHORISE ROBERT RUSSELL BENNETT RETOUCH ORCHESTRATION STOP BENNETT ORCHESTRATES EVEN THE WORKS OF COLE PORTER." To which Stravinsky telegraphed back: "SATISFIED WITH GREAT SUCCESS." The score is in nine sections. The timings are those of the composer's 1963 recording. *Introduction 0:52 *Danses (Corps de ballet & Ballerina) 4:34 *Pantomime 2:08 *Pas de deux 2:49 *Pantomime 0:31 *Variations (Danseur & Ballerina) 2:24 *Pantomime 0:27 *Danses (Corps de ballet) 1:03 *Apothéose 2:12

Reception

On 8 December 1944, Lewis Nichols wrote a generally favorable review of the show, although he observed: "Markova and Dolin also have a couple of numbers, one to Stravinsky music, which probably is not the best they ever have done." Stravinsky himself later observed: "''Scènes de ballet'' is a period piece, a portrait of Broadway in the last years of the War. It is featherweight and sugared—my sweet tooth was not yet carious, then—but I will not deprecate it, not even the second Pantomime, and all of it is at least well made."Stravinsky and Craft. ''Dialogues.'' p. 83.

Subsequent productions

*1947–48: Frederick Ashton: Sadler's Wells Ballet. *1972: John Taras: New York City Ballet. *1999: Christopher Wheeldon: School of American Ballet.

Notes

References

*Nichols, Lewis. ''"The Play: 'Seven Lively Arts'."'' ''New York Times,'' 8 December 1944, archived a

*Stravinsky, Igor and Robert Craft. ''Dialogues and a Diary.'' (Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1963).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scenes de ballet (Stravinsky) Ballets by Igor Stravinsky 1944 ballet premieres