The Georgia Ballet is expanding its repertoire with the premiere of Janusz Mazon’s The Firebird, and the company premiere of Concerto Barocco, exi one of the great ballet masterpieces by George Balanchine at the opening to their 48th season on October 27-28, 2007. The Marietta based ballet company will also perform Peter Anastos’ humorous work Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet. “What an exciting performance this is, both for our dancers and audiences alike” says the company’s Artistic Director, Gina Hyatt-Mazon, “The opportunity to experience a classical masterpiece, a comedic jewel, and a world premiere in one performance is a unique fortuity.”

 

The Russian folktale of The Firebird is known to many by the music of Igor Stravinsky. Janusz Mazon, The Georgia Ballet’s resident choreographer, has created an original work which gives the old story a new treatment in this innovative and visually stunning production sure to ignite the senses.  A young girl stumbles upon a glowing Firebird and a host of characters in the terrible realm of the evil sorcerer Koschei. With the help of the bird, the girl fights to reclaim a valuable (and magical) egg that the sorcerer took from her family. In addition to choreographing, Mazon has also designing an adventurous and colorful moving set including giant polished steel trees, sparkling crystals, oversized flowers, and a dazzling glass egg.

 

Concerto Barocco premiered in 1941 by George Balanchine and his American Ballet Caravan. This neoclassical work, considered one of the most difficult in Balanchine’s repertoire, is an ideal marriage between music and movement, expressing the syncopation and rhythmic vitality of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins. Today, the choreography of Balanchine is carefully protected by the Balanchine Trust which conducts a review of each ballet company petitioning for the rights to perform any of his works. The Trust endeavors to preserve the artistic integrity of the works by providing Balanchine-trained repetiteurs to stage his ballets for qualified companies. The Georgia Ballet was granted the right to perform this work and in early September, Shawn Stevens, former dancer with New York City Ballet, spent two weeks setting Concerto Barocco on the professional ballet company. 

 

The amusing work Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet is a parody of the piano ballet genre and was created by Peter Anastos for the Broadway debut of Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo in 1976. The work affectionately satirizes the aristocracy of ballet in this clever and humorous work to the music of Frйdйric Chopin.

 

To help celebrate the Russian-themed The Firebird,  The Atlanta Balalaika Society Orchestra will make an appearance at fifteen minutes prior to matinee performances for a special performance of Russian folk music.

 

The Firebird and Concerto Barocco opens Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 2:00 pm at the Cobb County Civic Center. Additional performances will be Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, October 28 at 2:00 pm. To purchase tickets, call the box office at 770-528-0881.   Tickets can also be purchased online at The Georgia Ballet website, www.georgiaballet.org . Tickets start at $24.50 for students/seniors and $26.50 for adults. A discount is available for groups of 10 or more when purchased in advance by phone.