Ives, Songs
Ives, Songs is a 1988 New York City Ballet work made by Jerome Robbins, the company's ballet master, set to a group of songs by Charles Ives sung live by a baritone with piano accompaniment rather than orchestra. It premiered on February 4, 1988 at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, with scenery by David Mitchell, costumes by Florence Klotz and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.
What is danced
The source article does not describe the choreography, the number of dancers, the vocabulary used, or any scene-by-scene structure — it gives only the premiere circumstances, the design credits, and the performers of the sung score (Timothy Nolen, baritone; Gordon Boelzner, piano). No synopsis or list of numbers is provided, so nothing concrete can be said here about steps, holds, or technical demands without inventing detail the article does not supply.
Context
The article situates the piece within a small cluster of NYCB works built on Ives's music — Peter Martins's Calcium Light Night, George Balanchine's Ivesiana, and Eliot Feld's The Unanswered Question — suggesting a recurring house interest at NYCB in Ives as a score source across different choreographers and generations. Beyond naming that company lineage, the article gives no further context on the choreographic climate of 1988 or Robbins's other work of the period.
Staging history
The only staging information given is the 1988 premiere cast and creative team; the references cited (a 2008 Repertory Week note and a 2008 Playbill) imply the work was still being programmed by New York City Ballet two decades later, but the article does not narrate any revival, restaging, or company beyond NYCB.
How to watch it
The article's one performance detail worth watching for is the presence of a live baritone and pianist rather than a pit orchestra, which shapes the pacing and intimacy of the piece; beyond that, no guidance on structure or vocabulary is available from this source.
Credits
- composer: Charles Ives