people » Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849). Polish composer and musician
Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and pianist, who predominantly wrote for solo piano. He studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and moved to Paris in 1830, where he met many young composers and émigrés fleeing the revolt against Russian rule in Poland. His virtuosity as a pianist and composer, alongside his friendships with Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz led to the development of a notorious career, where he could evolve his Romantic compositional style with a high income. His music has been used in numerous ballets, often orchestrated by others, including Mikhail Fokine’s Les Sylphides; Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, Dances at a Gathering, In the Night and Other Dances; and Frederick Ashton’s A Month in the Country.

Timeline Event » 1970 – The Royal Ballet dances Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering for the first time

Dances at a Gathering, which had been created for New York City Ballet in 1969, represented the first work by Jerome Robbins to enter The Royal Ballet’s repertoire. Danced to music by Frédéric...

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Timeline Event » 1975 – The Royal Ballet performs Jerome Robbins’ The Concert for the first time

Jerome Robbins’ exploration of Frédéric Chopin found a comic outlet in The Concert, originally performed by New York City Ballet in 1956 and staged by The Royal Ballet in 1975. Audience-members...

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Timeline Event » 1976 – Premiere of Frederick Ashton’s A Month in the Country by The Royal Ballet

A Month in the Country was created in 1976 by Frederick Ashton for The Royal Ballet. It was based on the play by Ivan Turgenev, and was almost more than 40 years in gestation. It was pushed on its...

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