Frédéric Chopin

In the Night (ballet)

In the Night is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to four nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin. It premiered on January 29, 1970 at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City

Structure#

In the Night features three couples, depicted at different phases of their relationships. The first duet, set to Chopin’s Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 1, shows a pair of young lovers. On the choreography of this section, Deborah Jowitt, the author of Robbins’ biography, wrote, “Over and over he lifts her or twines her through delicate balances; they separate only to rush together.” with the men lifting their partners off stage.

Original cast#

The original cast consisted of: * Kay Mazzo * Violette Verdy * Patricia McBride * Anthony Blum * Peter Martins * Francisco Moncion

Production#

Robbins began choreographing In the Night in late September 1969. several months after the premiere of his last Chopin ballet, Dances at a Gathering, although he went on vacation in November. Robbins intended McBride’s role for Melissa Hayden, who withdrew from the ballet. Moncion, who had been dancing with the New York City Ballet since 1946 (with the company’s forerunner Ballet Society), had stopped dancing virtuosic and intense roles, so in In the Night, Robbins’ made use of his charisma.

Performances#

In the Night premiered on January 29, 1970 at the New York State Theater. George Balanchine did not like In the Night, as Jowitt put it, “he couldn’t bear to see one abasing herself before a man.” Despite positive reviews from the premiere, the New York City Ballet did not revive the ballet the following year. In a letter to the company’s co-founder Lincoln Kirstein, Robbins wrote that he was shocked “because no one had informed me that you both felt it was unworthy.” Thenceforth, the ballet was revived by the New York City Ballet regularly. The Royal Ballet At New York City Ballet’s “A Festival of Jerome Robbins’s Ballets,” held in 1990, six dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet were invited to dance In the Night in New York. In March 1999, eight months after Robbins died, Paris Opera Ballet performed In the Night at a Robbins tribute gala.

Composer: Frédéric Chopin