Elegy is a composition byIgor Stravinsky for soloviola composed in 1944. It was dedicated to the memory of Alphonse Onnou, the founder of thePro Arte Quartet. The score bears notime signature, but themetronome marking sets the tempo at
= 56. The opening section is in the style of achant above a rippling accompaniment. The middle section contains elements of afugue, though there are never more than two independent voices. After its climax, theElegy closes with a recapitulation of its opening. The viola is directed to play with mute throughout.[1]
The piece can alternately be played by a soloviolin pitched a fifth higher.[1]
| Élégie | |
|---|---|
| Choreographer | George Balanchine |
| Music | Igor Stravinsky |
| Genre | Neoclassical ballet |
| Type | Classical ballet |
Elegy was later choreographed as aneoclassical ballet byGeorge Balanchine. He made three versions of the ballet, which premiered in 1948, 1966, and 1982 respectively.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Carla Körbes in "Elégie" - 2012 Vail International Dance Festival, YouTube video |
The first version, apas de deux, premiered on April 28, 1948 at theCity Center of Music and Drama, during aBallet Society performance, with dancersTanaquil Le Clercq andPat McBride, and violistEmanuel Vardi. Stravinsky described this version as a preview of a pas de deux from the balletOrpheus.[2]
The second version is a solo premiered on July 15, 1966 at thePhilharmonic Hall, performed by dancerSuzanne Farrell and violist Jesse Levine, in a program about Stravinsky directed byLukas Foss. TheNew York City Ballet premiered it later that month with the same cast.[3]
The last version, again with Farrell, premiered on June 13, 1982 at theNew York State Theater,[4] as part of NYCB's Stravinsky Centennial Celebration, with Warren Laffredo playing the viola on stage.[5] Balanchine died the following year.[6] It was not revived until 2012 at the Vail Dance Festival, danced byPacific Northwest Ballet'sCarla Körbes. Artistic director of the festivalDamian Woetzel learned the choreography via tapes of Farrell, then taught it to Körbes. In 2020, due to thecoronavirus pandemic, the festival streamed video of the 2012 performance online.[7][8]
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