Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme refers to two different ballets by George Balanchine set to Richard Strauss's Concert Suite (1917),[1] with a libretto after Molière's 17th-century comédie-ballet of the same name.
This production was notable for being the first ballet Balanchine ever choreographed for Rudolf Nureyev[2] (who at the time was 41 years old).
Balanchine's first Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme ballet was performed in 1932 by Wassily de Basil & René Blum's Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo, featuring David Lichine and Tamara Toumanova, with sets by Alexandre Benois.
[2] The premiere took place on 8 April 1979 at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, as part of a double bill with Henry Purcell's short opera Dido and Aeneas.
[1] 1979 opening night cast: On 22 May 1980, the New York City Ballet produced the ballet at the New York State Theater, featuring Frank Ohman, Suzanne Farrell, Peter Martins, Heather Watts, and Victor Castelli.