TRIBUTE TO JEROME ROBBINS (Paris Opera Ballet, 2008)
In G major (En Sol)
Composer: Ravel, Maurice
Ballet Company: Paris National Opera Ballet
Choreographer: Frohlich, Jean-Pierre
Choreographer: Redpath, Christine
Original Choreographer: Robbins, Jerome
Dancer: Gillot, Marie-Agnes
Dancer: Magnenet, Florian
Corps de Ballet: Paris National Opera Ballet
Orchestra: Paris National Opera Orchestra
Conductor: Kessels, Koen
Soloist: Bonnay, Elena
Lighting Designer: Tipton, Jennifer
Set Designer: Erte
Costumer Designer: Erte
Triade
Composer: Muhly, Nico
Ballet Company: Paris National Opera Ballet
Choreographer: Millepied, Benjamin
Dancer: Bezard, Audric
Dancer: Gillot, Marie-Agnes
Dancer: Moreau, Marc
Dancer: Pujol, Laetitia
Orchestra: Paris National Opera Orchestra
Conductor: Kessels, Koen
Soloist: Lagnau, Frederic
Lighting Designer: Besombes, Patrice
Costumer Designer: Millepied, Benjamin
In the Night
Composer: Chopin, Fryderyk
Ballet Company: Paris National Opera Ballet
Choreographer: Frohlich, Jean-Pierre
Original Choreographer: Robbins, Jerome
Dancer: Bullion, Stephane
Dancer: Letestu, Agnes
Dancer: Moussin, Delphine
Dancer: Osta, Clairemarie
Dancer: Pech, Benjamin
Dancer: Riche, Nicolas Le
Soloist: Hisayama, Ryoko
Lighting Designer: Tipton, Jennifer
Costumer Designer: Dowell, Anthony
The Concert
Composer: Chopin, Fryderyk
Arranger: Grundman, Clare
Ballet Company: Paris National Opera Ballet
Choreographer: Frohlich, Jean-Pierre
Original Choreographer: Robbins, Jerome
Dancer: Carbone, Alessio
Dancer: Cardinale, Alexandra
Dancer: Delfino, Clara
Dancer: Dominiak, Gregory
Dancer: Gilbert, Dorothee
Dancer: Guerri, Jean-Christophe
Dancer: Laffon, Laurence
Dancer: Muret, Laure
Dancer: Phavorin, Stephane
Dancer: Thibault, Emmanuel
Corps de Ballet: Paris National Opera Ballet
Orchestra: Paris National Opera Orchestra
Conductor: Kessels, Koen
Soloist: Pelovska, Vessela
Lighting Designer: Tipton, Jennifer
Costumer Designer: Sharaff, Irene
Date of Production: 2008
Venue: Paris Opera Ballet
Playing Time: 01:50:12
Catalogue Number: BAC070
UPC: 3760115300705
Ten years after his death, the Paris Opera Ballet payed homage to the American choreographer who considered the Paris Opera as his second home after New York City Ballet. The three pieces performed here illustrate not only the diversity of the choreographer's repertoire and sources of inspiration, but also his love of music and his all-embracing attitude to the performing arts. Jerome Robbins brought new energy to classical dance, introducing 20th century urban rhythms, confirming its status as a modern entertainment form and instilling it with the interrogations of contemporary theatre.
In G Major (En Sol), set to Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, follows no particular narrative line or dramatic effect. Echoing the music's jazzy invitations and light-heartedly copying Broadway style, this is a light and joyous piece for two soloists and an ensemble. It provided Jerome Robbins with an opportunity to reveal the relaxed, fluid feel so emblematic of his style.
In the Night and The Concert are two tributes to Frederic Chopin, each in a different register. Seeking to free the composer from the commonplaces that have often belittled his music, Robbins transforms Les Nocturnes into In the Night, a long and poetic pas de deux built like a metaphor of love in all its states. The Concert joins the ranks of the few comic ballets in the history of dance. Taking as its point of departure images inspired by some of Chopin's more fancifully entitled scores, Jerome Robbins' piano recital is a comic plea for the cause of human vulnerability.
At the very same period, Robbins was contributing to the renewal of the musical by bringing a tragic side to his West Side Story, a fact that only underlines his insatiable thirst for originality and his immense talent for freely combining genres and styles. Lastly, Benjamin Millepied, who made his dance debut with Robbins in New York, dedicates his second creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, Triade, to the choreographer. "Dance is composed of human relations," Robbins used to say. A worthy heir to his master, Benjamin Millepied matches this credo through a fruitful dialogue with composer Nico Muhly.
