Who Cares? (ballet)

Who Cares? is a ballet made by New York City Ballet's co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to the songs of George Gershwin in an orchestration by Hershy Kay. The premiere took place on Saturday, February 7, 1970, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center with costumes by Barbara Karinska and lighting by Ronald Bates; it was at first performed without décor but from November 1970 with scenery by Jo Mielziner.

The conductor was Robert Irving and the pianist on opening night Gordon Boelzner; the orchestration had only been completed for two songs, Strike Up the Band and I Got Rhythm. Clap Yo' Hands was performed to a recording made by George Gershwin; this sequence was, however, eliminated by Balanchine in 1976; new costumes were commissioned from Ben Benson by Balanchine before his death and have been used since 1983.

Balanchine and Gershwin's plans to collaborate were frustrated by the composer's untimely death in 1937. Thirty-three years later, Balanchine chose seventeen of Gershwin's from Broadway musical songs for this ballet; Mayor John V. Lindsay presented Balanchine with the Handel Medallion, New York City's highest cultural award, on opening night.

The songs

Casts

original

ensemble

ensemble

    • Deni Lamont

    • Sieveling

    • Ohman

    • Merrill
    • Maioranom
repeated by ensemble

    • Marnee Morris

    • Morris

entire cast

NYCB revivals

2009 Winter gala

t.b.a.

2010 Winter

t.b.a.

Videography and DVD

  • 1996 The Balanchine Library: The Balanchine Celebration, Part Two

  • 2004 Kultur, Balanchine (Stairway to Paradise excerpt)

Television

  • 1971 CBC, Montreal
  • 1975 NBC, The Man I Love excerpt
  • 1982 PBS, Gala of Stars excerpt
  • 1983 PBS, A New York City Ballet Tribute to George Balanchine excerpt
  • 1983 French television, Channel 2
  • 1984 French television, Channel 2, Emmenez-moi au theatre
  • 1984 British television, Channel 4
  • 1986 ABC, Liberty Weekend excerpt
  • 1988 PBS, Dance in America: Baryshnikov Dances Balanchine concert version
  • 1989 BBC, London, Dance in America: Baryshnikov Dances Balanchine broadcast
  • 1993 PBS, Dance in America: The Balanchine Celebration concert version
  • 2004 PBS, Live from Lincoln Center: Balanchine 100 excerpt

See also

Reviews

External links

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