| Fanfare | |
|---|---|
| Choreographer | Jerome Robbins |
| Music | Benjamin Britten |
| Premiere | June 2, 1953 (1953-06-02) City Center of Music and Drama |
| Original ballet company | New York City Ballet |
| Genre | Neoclassical ballet |
Fanfare is a one-actballet choreographed byJerome Robbins to Benjamin Britten'sThe Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, in celebration of theCoronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The ballet premiered on June 2, 1953, the night of the coronation, at theCity Center of Music and Drama, danced by theNew York City Ballet.[1]
The ballet starts with amajordomo on stage reading Britten's explanatory text from the score, then proceeds to an ensemble performance with dancers representing different instruments,[2] including three women as apiccolo and twoflutes, a woman as theoboe, a man and a woman as theclarinets, two men as thebassoons, a man and a woman as theviolas,[3] three women as thecellos, a man as thedouble bass, a woman as theharp,[4] two men astrumpets, four men as atuba and threetrombones[5] and three men as thepercussion instruments.[4] There are no major solos in the ballet.[1]
According toDeborah Jowitt's biography ofJerome Robbins, it is believed thatGeorge Balanchine andLincoln Kirstein, bothNew York City Ballet co-founders andAnglophiles, requested Robbins to create a new ballet on the occasion of theCoronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[6] Balanchine wanted to contribute to the ballet. When Robbins was unavailable, he requested Balanchine to lead a rehearsal, but Balanchine added his touch to the choreography, which Robbins reversed once he found out. Balanchine would say "I fixed, but you changed" to Robbins wheneverFanfare was revived.[7]
The ballet is set to Britten'sThe Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, which is based on a theme byHenry Purcell and was commissioned for the 1946BBC documentary,Instruments of the Orchestra.[1][2][5] At the premiere, the costumes and set were uncredited,[1] thoughIrene Sharaff was later credited.[4][8]
The program on whichFanfare had its premiere, which was also the day of the coronation, was curated by Kirstein to honor British choreographers, composers and designers, though Robbins was born inManhattan.[2] It started with an address made byMajor-GeneralWilliam Dimoline of theBritish Army. Then, Walton'sOrb and Sceptre, which was used at the coronation earlier, was performed by the orchestra. Following performances of two ballets by choreographerFrederick Ashton andSwan Lake,Fanfare had its premiere.[1]
The New York City Ballet revivesFanfare infrequently, and the ballet was absent from the repertory between 1978 and 1987.[3]Fanfare was included in the 2008 Jerome Robbins Celebration program,[9] then was absent from the repertory again until the Robbins centenary program in the 2017/18 season.[10] Actors who have been the majordomo include Eric Swanson,[3] David Jaffe,[4]Bill Nolte,[5] David Lowenstein,[11] andDavid Aaron Baker.[12] In 2020, in response tothe impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts, the New York City Ballet released a video excerpt of the ballet.[13][14]
TheSchool of American Ballet, the affiliated school of the New York City Ballet, have includedFanfare in their annual workshop performances.[15][16] Robbins stagedFanfare for theRoyal Danish Ballet in 1956.[8] ThePacific Northwest Ballet have also performed the ballet with minor changes.[17]
Original cast:[18]