''Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet'' is a one-act ballet by

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

, to

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

's Piano Quartet No. 1, orchestrated by

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

. The ballet premiered on April 21, 1966 at the

New York State Theater The David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet and dance at Lincoln Center in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Originally named the New York State Theater, the venue has been home to the New York City Ballet sinc ...

, performed by the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...

Background and production

's orchestration of

's Piano Quartet No. 1 premiered in 1937. According to the

Trust, Balanchine had said the

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

were "too long, with too many repeats, and meant for small rooms", therefore went with the Schoenberg version. The ballet is plotless and has four movements, titled Allegro, Intermezzo, Andante and Rondo Alla Zingarese. In the original production,

Barbara Karinska Varvara Jmoudsky, better known as Barbara Karinska or simply Karinska (October 3, 1886 – October 18, 1983), was the Oscar-winning costumier of cinema, ballet, musical and dramatic theatre, lyric opera and ice spectacles. Over her 50-year care ...

, Peter Harvey and Ronald Bates designed the costumes, sets and lighting respectively. In 1985, two years after Balanchine died, NYCB switched to a new set designed by David Mitchell, Mark Stanley later redesigned the lighting. ''Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet'' premiered on April 21, 1966, performed by the

. On the premiere, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic

Clive Barnes Clive Alexander Barnes (13 May 1927 – 19 November 2008) was an English writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977, he was the dance and theater critic for ''The New York Times'', and, from 1978 until his death, the ''New York Post''. Barnes had sign ...

called the ballet "careful but tedious". Another reviewer,

Anna Kisselgoff Anna Kisselgoff (born 12 January 1938) is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for ''The New York Times''. She began at the ''Times'' as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she h ...

, wrote in 1985 that the ballet is not one of Balanchine's best, and in 1994 noted that the ballet is "too inconsistent" to be a masterpiece and "demands a strong performance." In 2016, the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

performed ''Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet'' with new sets and costumes by

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

. The

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Fra ...

had also performed the ballet.

Casts

*World premiere: World premiere: Melissa Hayden, Gloria Govrin,

Patricia McBride Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's youngest principal. ...

Allegra Kent Allegra Kent (born August 11, 1937) is an American ballet dancer, actress, children's book author and columnist. Life and career Iris Margo Cohen was born to Jewish parents, Harry Herschel and Shirley (née Weissman) Cohen, and later changed her ...

Suzanne Farrell Suzanne Farrell (born August 16, 1945) is a former American ballerina and the founder of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Farrell began her ballet training as a child in Cincinnati. In 1960, she received a ...

, André Prokovsky, Conrad Ludlow,

Edward Villella Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...

, Jacques d'Amboise *Paris Opera Ballet premiere (2016):

Dorothée Gilbert Dorothée Gilbert (born 25 September 1983) is a principal dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet. Training * 1990-1995 Toulouse National Conservatoire * 1995-2000 Paris Opéra Ballet School *2000 Joins the Corps de Ballet of the Paris Opéra * 2002 ...

Mathieu Ganio Mathieu Ganio (born 16 March 1984) is a French '' danseur étoile'' of the Paris Opera Ballet. Mathieu Ganio was born in Marseille, France, the son of Ballet National de Marseille principal dancers Dominique Khalfouni and Denys Ganio. He made hi ...

, Sabrina Mallem, Amandine Albisson, Stéphane Bullion,

Myriam Ould-Braham Myriam Ould-Braham (born January 1982) is a French ballet dancer. After joining the Paris Opera Ballet in 1999, she became a ''première danseuse'' (principal) in 2005 and was elevated to the rank of ''étoile'' (star) in 2012. Early life Born in ...

Mathias Heymann The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

, Laura Hecquet, Karl Paquette

References

External links

''Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet''
on the website of the Balanchine Trust {{DEFAULTSORT:Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet 1966 ballets Ballets by George Balanchine Ballets to the music of Johannes Brahms Ballets to the music of Arnold Schoenberg Ballets designed by Barbara Karinska Ballets designed by Ronald Bates New York City Ballet repertory