In G Major

Choreography#

In G Major is set to Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major, which the composer said “uses certain effects borrowed from jazz, but only in moderation.” The ballet is performed by two soloists, who dance the central pas de deux that takes place in the second movement, and a corps de ballet consisting of six men and six women. Author Nancy Reynolds described, In In G Major, matching in spirit Ravel’s unaccustomed “borrowings” from jazz (as the composer called them), Robbins produced a rather clichéd but nonetheless skillful and entertaining work, with a creamy-smooth central pas de deux. Particularly in the outer movements, both music and dance gave the impression of having been seen or heard somewhere before. In Robbins’s extensive quotations of Broadway-style material… he seemed often to reach for the too-obvious solution, possibly in keeping with Ravel’s idea that a concerto should be “light-hearted and brilliant and not aim at profundity or dramatic effects.” Robbins’ biographer Amanda Vaill described the central pas de deux, “Drifting and slow, it was full of hesitations: first the girl step toward the boy, then retreats; then he advances and retreats; when they come together, he holds her as she unfolds herself, becomes known to him, and their duet is full of parallel partnering alternating with beautiful exultant lifts.”

Development and performances#

In 1975, the New York City Ballet, at the instigation of co-founder George Balanchine, held the Ravel Festival, in honor of Maurice Ravel’s centenary. Modelled after the Stravinsky Festival in 1972, the two-week-long Ravel Festival featured the premieres of 16 new works. Jerome Robbins contributed four, including In G Major, originally known as Concerto in G. In January, Robbins approached Suzanne Farrell about dancing in In G Major. Farrell had just returned to the New York City Ballet following years-long absence caused by a fallout with Balanchine in 1969, and she performed with Maurice Béjart’s Ballet of the 20th Century in the interim. Despite being the star of the company, previously, the only times Farrell had performed in a Robbins ballet was during her first year at the company, as a trumpet in Fanfare. In her biography, Farrell attributed this to Robbins’ absence at the company during the 1960s, only to return about the same time as her departure. In G Major entered the repertory of the Paris Opera Ballet later that year, under the title En Sol. The New York City Ballet acquired the Erté set and costumes in 1984, and continues to use them for the ballet.

Critical reception#

Clive Barnes of the New York Times commented, “Where Mr Robbins has been especially adept and adroit is in fitting the dances to the weight and the mass of the music, and his sense of the music’s structure is particularly pleasing.” However, in her biography of Robbins, Amanda Vaill stated the reception to In G Major was mixed.

External links#

• In G Major on the New York City Ballet website