''Jeu de cartes'' (also known in English as ''A Card Game'', ''Game of Cards'', or ''Card Party'') is a ballet in "three

deals Deals (previously stylized as ''DEAL$'') was a chain of discount variety stores owned by Dollar Tree. The chain operated more than 221 stores located in shopping centers, malls (until 2015), and urban areas in 19 states throughout the United Stat ...

" by

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

based on a libretto he co-wrote with Nikita Malayev, a friend of his eldest son Théodore. It was commissioned in November 1935, written late the next year, and premiered by the

American Ballet The American Ballet was the first professional ballet company George Balanchine created in the United States. The company was founded with the help of Lincoln Kirstein and Edward Warburg, managed by Alexander Merovitch and populated by students ...

at the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York on 27 April 1937 with the composer conducting. Its European premiere followed on 13 October at the Semperoper in Dresden, where

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz, St ...

conducted the

Staatskapelle Dresden The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (), or Saxon State Orchestra Dresden, is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, created by order of Maurice, Elector of Saxony in 1548. Under communist East Germany and until 1992 it was called Staatskap ...

. The idea of basing the ballet on a game of poker did not occur to Stravinsky until after August 1936, when the story took shape. The main character is the deceitful Joker who fancies himself unbeatable owing to his ability to transform into any card.

Structure

The ballet's three scenes are referred to as "

" in the score. It can be further partitioned by its tempo markings: 1. First Deal (''Première donne'') * Introduction. Alla breve * Pas d'action. Meno mosso * Dance variation. Moderato assai * Dance of the Joker. Stringendo * Waltz-Coda. Tranquillo 2. Second Deal (''Deuxième donne'') * Introduction. Alla breve * March. Marcia * Variation I. Allegretto * Variation II * Variation III * Variation IV * Variation V. Sostenuto e pesante * Coda. Più mosso * Reprise of March. Marcia * Ensemble. Con moto 3. Third Deal (''Troisième donne''). * Introduction. Alla breve * Waltz. Valse * Battle between Spades and Hearts. Presto * Final Dance * Coda. Tempo del principio

Casts

Original

Annabelle Lyon Annabelle Lyon (New York City, January 8, 1916 – November 4, 2011, Mansfield, Massachusetts) was an American ballerina. She was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. She was raised in Memphis, where her father Max ran a chain of ...

Leda Anchutina Leda may refer to: Mythology * Leda (mythology), queen of Sparta and mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology Places * Leda, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia * Leda makeshift settlement, Bangladesh, a refugee camp ...

* Ariel Lang * Hortense Kahrklin *

William Dollar William Dollar (April 20, 1907 – February 28, 1986) was an American dancer, ballet master, choreographer, and teacher. As one of the first American ''danseurs nobles'', he performed with numerous companies, including the Philadelphia Opera Balle ...

Reviews

* ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' review by

Anna Kisselgoff Anna Kisselgoff (born 12 January 1938) is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for ''The New York Times''. She began at the ''Times'' as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she h ...

, 30 May 1992

References

Sources

External links

* {{Authority control Ballets by Igor Stravinsky Ballets by George Balanchine 1937 ballets 1937 compositions Neoclassicism (music)