Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast, an exploration of New York City Ballet introduced by Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford, where we'll journey through our history, delve into our new and existing repertory, and reveal insider tidbits.

The Rosin Box with Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz

The Rosin Box gives you the opportunity to listen in on candid conversations with members of the New York City Ballet. Hosted by NYCB Soloist Aarón Sanz and recently retired Soloist Claire Kretzschmar, these episodes take you behind-the-scenes, offering you exclusive insight into the lives of the Company’s dancers.

New Combinations with Wendy Whelan

During our performance season, New York City Ballet showcases recent works from some of the most influential choreographers working today. Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan hosts the New Combinations episodes, where she talks to the choreographers and other artists behind the unique new works premiering this season at New York City Ballet.

Hear the Dance 

Explore our expansive repertory, from the earliest Balanchine works to more recent classics, with an insider’s take on the Company’s rich history with Hear the Dance. Taking on a new ballet each episode, the host is joined by many key players, from original cast members to ballet masters to current NYCB dancers, who share their personal experiences performing and coaching works from our illustrious repertory.

See the Music with Andrew Litton

In See the Music, New York City Ballet’s Music Director Andrew Litton takes us off the stage and into the orchestra pit, giving listeners an in-depth look at the scores from some of our most notable ballets, featuring discussions with both orchestra members and commissioned composers.

  1. All Episodes
  2. Episode 97: Hear the Dance: Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

Episode 97: Hear the Dance: Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

Sep 25, 2023

This week’s episode is a special Hear the Dance reunion: former NYCB Dancer Silas Farley hosts a wide-ranging conversation between legendary former Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley and current Principal Dancer Tiler Peck on George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2. As Peck shares, her first exposure to this daunting lead role was in a coaching session with Ashley, long before it became a mainstay in her repertory. Ashley describes the thrilling challenge of taking it on as a new-to-the-Company corps member, when the work was still referred to as Ballet Imperial, and the manner in which the ballet requires both stamina and style: “…the spirit is there. You’re the princess, the queen, and everyone else is your court.” (1:00:38)

Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Gus Reed

READING LIST:
Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky by Solomon Volkov
Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans
Dancing for Balanchine by Merrill Ashley
Tchaikovsky: A Biography by Anthony Holden

MUSIC:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G, Op. 44 (1879-80) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 75 (1892) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky

All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra