Conducting for dance

Abstract

Many great conductors have been associated with ballet companies at one time or another in their career-Monteux, Ansermet, Horenstein, Abravanel, Dorati, and Rozhdestvensky, for example-but few have chosen to devote their lives primarily to conducting for dance. Indeed, only Yury Fayer and Robert Irving come immediately to mind. Their talents would have assured them a brilliant career in concert or opera, but in the orchestra pits of the Bolshoi Theatre, Covent Garden, and the New York State Theater, they served the art of dance by making the musical performance the full partner to that on stage, raising the ballet to a level not found when lesser artists are on the podium. For forty years Robert Irving worked with the Sadler's Wells/ Royal Ballet (1949-1958) and the New York City Ballet (1958-1989), collaborating closely with Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins in the creation of dozens of ballets. With his firm yet flexible beat, understanding of musical architecture, and an instinctive feel for dance rhythms and pacing, he provided secure support for the dancers while upholding the integrity of the music. As a result, he and his orchestra were among the heroes of the New York City Ballet's Stravinsky Festivals (1972, 1982), Ravel Festival (1975), and Tchaikovsky Festival (1981). After meeting Martha Graham during the creation of Episodes in 1959, Irving conducted for her from 1960-