Birthday Offering (1956)

Pièce d'occasion in one scene

MUSIC

Alexander Glazunov, arranged by Robert Irving
1 Overture, L’Eté from The Seasons, ballet, opus 67
2 Valse de concert No 1, opus 47
3 Grand adagio from Scènes de ballet, opus 52, and Coda from Ruses d’amour, ballet, opus 61
4 1st variation, Marionettes from Scènes de ballet
5 2nd variation, La Givre from The Seasons
6 3rd variation, La Glace from The Seasons
7 4th variation, La Grêle from The Seasons
8 5th variation, La Neige from The Seasons
9 6th variation, L’Eté from The Seasons
10 7th variation, from Ruses d’amour
11 Mazurka, opus 25 No 2, orchestrated by Robert Irving
12 Pas de deux, Grand pas des fiancées from Ruses d’amour
13 Finale, Valse de concert No 1, reprise

COSTUMES

André Levasseur

DANCERS

Margot Fonteyn, Beryl Grey, Violetta Elvin, Nadia Nerina, Rowena Jackson, Svetlana Beriosova, Elaine Fifield, Michael Somes, Alexander Grant, Brian Shaw, Philip Chatfield, David Blair, Desmond Doyle, Bryan Ashbridge

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Sadler’s Wells Ballet, Royal Opera House, London, 5 May 1956

New Stagings / Productions

Royal Ballet, 1965

NEW PRODUCTION

Royal Ballet; with new solo for David Blair

MUSIC

Variation III from Grand pas d’action, Raymonda Act II, ballet, opus 57

DANCERS

Margot Fonteyn, Svetlana Beriosova, Georgina Parkinson, Antoinette Sibley, Merle Park, Lynn Seymour, Maryon Lane, David Blair

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Royal Opera House, London, 24 March 1965

Royal Ballet, 1968

NEW PRODUCTION

Royal Ballet; with new solo for Rudolf Nureyev

MUSIC

Entrée des jongleurs from Raymonda Act II

DANCERS

Margot Fonteyn, Antoinette Sibley, Georgina Parkinson, Monica Mason, Merle Park, Ria Peri, Jennifer Penney, Rudolf Nureyev

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Royal Opera House, London, 29 March 1968

Ballet for All, 1972

STAGING

Ballet for All; Entrée, Variations, and Finale only

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Spa Pavilion, Felixstowe, 13 October 1972

Royal Ballet School, 1978

STAGING

Royal Ballet School

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Royal Opera House, London, 7 July 1978

Birmingham Royal Ballet, 1995

NEW PRODUCTION

Birmingham Royal Ballet

SCENERY & COSTUMES

Peter Farmer

DANCERS

Jennifer Gelfand, Sergiu Pobereznic

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Hippodrome, Birmingham, 27 September 1995

Royal Ballet School, 2006

NEW PRODUCTION

Royal Ballet School

REPRODUCED BY

Gailene Stock, Gary Norman, Jacqueline Barrett, Anthony Dowell, Anya Sainsbury

COSTUMES

Anthony Dowell after André Levasseur

DANCERS

Adeline Kaiser/Annie Carroll, Yasuo Atsuji/Pietro Zambello, Claire Calvert, Jacqueline Clark, Quenby Hersh, Angela Kenny, Moe Nieda, Callie Roberts, Charles Andersen, Paulo Arrais, Yannick Bittencourt, Jade Hale-Christofi, John Marsom, Valentino Zuchetti

FIRST PERFORMANCE

International Ballet Academy Festival, Kennedy Center, Washington DC, 26 January 2006

By Other Companies

Margot Fonteyn World Tour, 1963

STAGING

Margot Fonteyn World Tour; abridged version

DANCERS

Margot Fonteyn, Annette Page, Shirley Grahame, Pamela Moncur, Royes Fernandez, Ronald Hynd, Alexander Grant, Laurence Ruffell

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Herod Atticus Theatre, Athens, 10 August 1963

Festival of Ballet Stars, 1978

STAGING

Festival of Ballet Stars

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Sydney, Australia, 26 June 1978

Palm Beach Festival, 1983

NEW PRODUCTION

Palm Beach Festival; pas de deux version, under the title A Birthday Offering (Entrée, variations, adagio)

DANCERS

Antoinette Sibley, Anthony Dowell

FIRST PERFORMANCE

West Palm Beach Auditorium, Palm Beach FL, 23 March 1983

Australian Ballet, 1989

NEW PRODUCTION

Australian Ballet

REPRODUCED BY

Alexander Grant and Faith Worth

SCENERY & COSTUMES

Kenneth Rowell

DANCERS

Christine Walsh, Fiona Tonkin, Miranda Coney, Elizabeth Toohey, Justine Miles, Ulrike Lytton, Lisa Pavane, David Ashmole, Steven Heathcote, Adam Marchant, David McAllister, Robert Marshall, Ray Wilson, Ricardo Ella

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Canberra Theatre, Canberra, 8 June 1989

American Ballet Theatre, 1989

STAGING

American Ballet Theatre

REPRODUCED BY

Faith Worth and Margot Fonteyn

DANCERS

Susan Jaffe, Cheryl Yeager, Amanda McKerrow, Julie Kent, Leslie Browne, Alessandra Ferri, Christine Dunham, Ross Stretton, John Gardner, Guillaume Graffin, Ethan Brown, Loren Schmalle, Wes Chapman, Jeremy Collins

FIRST PERFORMANCE

Jesse H Jones Hall, Houston TX, 25 October 1989