''Prodigal Son'', or ''Le Fils prodigue'', Op. 46 (russian: Блудный сын) is a ballet created for

Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pa ...

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. ...

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

to music by

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

(1928–29). The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

, based on the

parable A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, w ...

in the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascensi ...

, was by

Boris Kochno Boris Evgenievich Kochno or Kokhno (russian: Бори́с Евге́ньевич Кохно́; 3 January 1904 – 8 December 1990) was a Russian poet, dancer and librettist. Early life Kochno was born in Moscow, Russia, on 3 January 1904. His fa ...

, who added a good deal of drama and emphasized the theme of sin and redemption ending with the

Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father) is one of the parables of Jesus Christ in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. Jesus shares the parable wit ...

's return. Susan Au writes in ''Ballet and Modern Dance'' that the ballet was the last of the Diaghilev era, choreographed the year the great impresario died. She continues: "Adapted from the biblical story, it opens with the prodigal's rebellious departure from home and his seduction by the beautiful but treacherous siren, whose followers rob him. Wretched and remorseful, he drags himself back to his forgiving father."

History

Serge Lifar created the role.Villella, E., "Prodigal Son," University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998, p. 80. , The premiere took place on Tuesday, 21 May 1929 at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, Paris, with décor by

Georges Rouault Georges Henri Rouault (; 27 May 1871, Paris – 13 February 1958) was a French painter, draughtsman and print artist, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. Childhood and education Rouault was born in Paris into a po ...

and lighting by Ronald Bates, in what was to be the Ballets Russes's last Paris season: "Balanchine's choreography upset Prokofiev, who conducted the premiere. The composer had envisioned a production that was 'real'; his concept of the Siren, whom he saw as demure, differed radically from Balanchine's. Prokofiev refused to pay Balanchine royalties for his choreography." Balanchine's

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 of ...

danced ''Prodigal Son'' at its first public performance in 1934. The

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company ...

premiere was on Thursday, 23 February 1950 at City Center of Music and Drama, New York, the title role danced by

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

, with lighting by Mark Stanley. Hugh Laing and Francisco Moncion also danced it before it lapsed from the performance ''rota'' for a decade. It was restaged in 1960 with

Edward Villella Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...

in the title role (Villella recounts his work in recreating the role in his autobiography of the same name).

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Soviet Latvian-born Russian-American dancer, choreograp ...

danced it with City Ballet in 1979 and

Damian Woetzel Damian Woetzel (born May 17, 1967) is an American choreographer. Woetzel was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he performed from 1985 until 2008. He also frequently performed with companies like the Kirov Ballet and Ameri ...

danced it at his farewell performance on Wednesday, 18 June 2008.NYCB 2008 Spring Repertory
Prokofiev used the music from the ballet to form the basis of the two versions of his Symphony No. 4 composed in 1929 and 1947, respectively.

Cast

Premiere cast

Felia Doubrovska Felia Doubrovska (russian: link=no, Фелия Дубровская (real name Фелицата Леонтьевна Длужневская); born as ''Felizata Dlouzhnevska'' in St Petersburg, February 13, 1896 – d. Manhattan, September 18, ...

*Eleanora Marra *Nathalie Branitzka * Serge Lifar *Michael Fedorov (

Sophie Fedorova Sofia Vasylievna Fedorova (russian: Софья Васильевна Фёдорова; 28 September 1879, in Moscow, Imperial Russia – 3 January 1963, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France) was a Russian ballerina. Biography She graduated ...

's brother) *Léon Woizikowsky * Anton Dolin

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company ...
revivals

*2008 Winter *2008 Spring :* Teresa Reichlen :*

Pauline Golbin This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Devin Albe ...

Dena Abergel New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fi ...

Daniel Ulbricht This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Devin Albe ...

:* Ask la Cour :* Antonio Carmena :* Kyle Froman * Maria Kowroski *

(Damian Woetzel's farewell) * Ask la Cour * Sean Suozzi * Adam Hendrickson

Notes

References

* ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's p ...

'', New York City Ballet, Thursday, June 19, 2008 * ''Repertory Week'', New York City Ballet, Spring Season, 2008 repertory, week 8

Articles

Sunday ''New York Times''
by John Martin, November 4, 1934 ;Obituaries
''New York Times'' of Felia Doubrovska
by Jack Anderson, September 21, 1981

Reviews

''New York Times''
by John Martin, February 24, 1950
''New York Times''
by Anna Kisselgoff, January 13, 1979
''Ballet Magazine''
by Eric Taub, February–March 2004

by Alastair Macaulay, June 10, 2008

External links

*
Prodigal Son
on the website of the Balanchine Trust {{DEFAULTSORT:Prodigal Son Ballets by George Balanchine Ballets by Sergei Prokofiev Ballets by Boris Kochno Ballets designed by Georges Rouault Ballets designed by Ronald Bates 1929 ballet premieres Ballets Russes productions 1929 compositions New York City Ballet repertory