Symphony No. 3 (Tchaikovsky) - Use in Jewels

Use in Jewels

Third Symphony without its first movement was used by choreographer George Balanchine for Diamonds, the third and final part of his ballet Jewels. Created for the New York City Ballet, of which Balanchine was co-founder and founding choreographer, Jewels premiered on April 13, 1967 and is considered the first full-length abstract ballet. Choreographed with ballerina Suzanne Farrell in mind and inspired by the unicorn tapestries in the Musée de Cluny in Paris, Diamonds was meant to evoke the work of Marius Petipa at the Imperial Russian Ballet. Petipa collaborated with Tchaikovsky on the ballets The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, hence the use of Tchaikovsky's music in Diamonds.