Jerome Robbins’s In Memory Of . . . to the music of Alban Berg’s violin concerto is back in New York City Ballet’s repertory this season at the State Theater after being shown for only five performances last spring. Its premiere on June 13, 1985, marked the first time that Robbins has made a ballet for Suzanne Farrell, and it is a singular event for several other reasons. Robbins is now, with Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief of New York City Ballet. He has for decades been one of the most renowned choreographers in the world, a reputation he earned on his own, not one he gained by default on Balanchine’s death. (Balanchine was never as famous as Robbins.) His wide notice came from his work in now legendary hit Broadway shows like The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof West Side Story, and Gypsy. Even though the world of ballet is infinitely smaller than the worlds of musical theater and the movies, Robbins’s reputation as a ballet choreographer was never small; it started big and grew. We mainly know Farrell from her work with Balanchine, although she has always danced works mounted for her by the company’s other choreographers, including John Taras, Jacques d’Amboise, and Stanley Williams. She has danced in many of Robbins’s other ballets, and has even danced the first performance of one (In G Major, with Peter Martins), although it was not written for her and Martins but
-
This article originally appeared in The New Criterion, Volume 4 Number 6, on page 55
Copyright © 1986 The New Criterion | www.newcriterion.com