Balanchine's Orpheus and Eurydice, 1936

Authors :: Kirstein, Lincoln Edward
Source :: Ballet Review. Spring, 1996, Vol. 24 Issue 1, p41, 20 p.
Publication Year :: 1996
Abstract: Balanchine's adaptation of Gluck's 'Orpheus and Eurydice' was the culmination of an 'experimental' spring season of 1936 for the American Ballet. Orpheus was depicted as the embodiment of a male angel with real muscles for flying and real feather wings as opposed to using a girl androgyne. The Metropolitan Opera Association, which sponsored the season, objected to Balanchine's suggestion to use a tenor for the singer who performed the role of Orpheus.