Episode 42.2: Hear the Dance: Glass Pieces (Part 2)

City Ballet The Podcast

Host Silas Farley delves deep into the creation of Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces in part two of this new Hear the Dance episode. Former NYCB Principal Dancers and husband and wife duo Maria Calegari and Bart Cook share intimate details about the second movement pas de deux, the development of which marked the beginning of their relationship; Corps de Ballet Member Gretchen Smith remarks on the shared legacy of performing these roles and knowing that “Everything we’re taught now is learned through those that were in the room”; and former Principal Dancer Helene Alexopoulos reflects on the importance of Glass Pieces as a celebration of the Company through its focus on the corps de ballet—and an important statement from Robbins, as the work premiered just two weeks after George Balanchine’s death. (30:07) Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Words Without Music by Philip Glass Jerome Robbins: By Himself by Amanda Vaill

Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Rubric and Façades from Glassworks, excerpts from the opera Akhnaten by Philip Glass All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.