Mozartiana is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite No.
The company was mainly funded by Edward James, and also backed by friends such as composer Cole Porter and fashion designer Coco Chanel.
[6] The students performed the ballet again in December that year, this time at Avery Memorial Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, at the invitation of Arthur Everett Austin Jr.[6] In 1935, Balanchine's American Ballet revived Mozartiana, with parts of the choreography revised.
[1] It was performed at the company's cross-country tour, starting at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.
[6] In 1945, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo revived Mozartiana, with a cast led by Alexandra Danilova and Frederic Franklin.
According to Farrell's memoir, she thought it was possible that Mozartiana would be the last time the two work together due to Balanchine's poor health.
[2]: 252 Despite her initial reservations, Farrell soon realized that Andersen fitted the vision Balanchine had for the ballet.
[8] Preghiera was the last section Balanchine worked on,[2]: 255 and was choreographed between the matinee and evening performances in one day.
[5]: 308 Both Farrell and former members of Ballet Russe noted the 1981 Mozartiana is completely different to the previous versions.
[5]: 307 Robert Maiorano, a former soloist at the company who went on to become a writer, was allowed to observe the development process for Mozartiana.
[5]: 307 He and Valerie Brooks then co-authored the book Balanchine's Mozartiana: The Making of a Masterpiece, published in 1985.
[4]: 401 Mozartiana is danced by a principal ballerina, two men, a corps de ballet of four tall women, and four young girls.
[8] Farrell commented, "Technically, this dance was short and simple, but it required a state of mind beyond anything I had ever attempted before.
[2]: 255 Balanchine's biographer Bernard Taper noted that in this section accented the theme of memento mori.
Unlike traditional pas de deux, it begins with several solos for each of the dancers, and ends with a duet, which Farrell described, "Even here the dancing was not at all the usual male/female partnering.
"[2]: 253 The finale features the entire cast, and was described as "joyous, full-blossoming" by critic Jennifer Dunning.
[2]: 262 According to Farrell, in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev had expressed interest in dancing Mozartiana but was unable to do so "for several reasons.
[13] Following the premiere, New York Times critic Anna Kisselgoff commented that "Mozartiana is a subtle work, deliberately simple-looking, from a choreographer who can create the most complex ballets in the world."