Sonate di Scarlatti is a plotless ballet made in 1979 by Peter Martins, then a leading NYCB principal dancer and later the company's ballet master in chief, set to eleven keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. It premiered under the title Tivoli, Giardino di Scarlatti before being renamed, and entered New York City Ballet's repertory that same season.
What is danced
The article gives no synopsis, cast list, or description of steps, formations, or technical demands, so nothing about the actual choreography can be responsibly reported from it. What is documented is only the musical basis (eleven named Scarlatti sonatas spanning his output from 1728 to 1757) and the performance history. Anyone wanting to describe the vocabulary of this piece will need a review, programme note, or company archive beyond this source.
Context
The article does not situate the work within any broader dance-historical narrative; it records only the bare premiere facts.
Staging history
The ballet premiered on 13 July 1979 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, which served as New York City Ballet's summer home. It received its New York City debut at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center that November, suggesting a standard NYCB pattern of a summer Saratoga premiere followed by a winter-season Lincoln Center transfer. The article records no later revivals, cast changes, or company transfers beyond this.
How to watch it
Given the source material — eleven discrete Scarlatti sonatas — a viewer should expect a suite structure of contrasting short movements rather than a narrative arc, in keeping with the plotless, music-driven format typical of NYCB repertory of this period. Beyond that formal expectation, the article supplies no detail on staging, costuming, or step vocabulary to guide attention during a performance.