Jewels

Fauré, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky 

Unique and iconic are words frequently used to describe George Balanchine’s full-length ballet Jewels. Its three acts are each inspired by a different jewel, inviting the audience into three distinct worlds set to music by Fauré, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky. 

They aced it!

Dance Europe, Gerard Davis 

A perfect match 

The Norwegian National Ballet has performed Balanchine’s choreographies for many years. When Jewels was first staged in 2024, it proved to be a major test of strength for both the dancers and the musicians of the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra. They rose to the challenge with brilliance, delighting audiences and critics alike: 

Yes! Bathe me in emeralds, rubies and diamonds

Norsk Shakespearetidsskrift, Toini Kristensen 

International publications such as Dance Europe were equally impressed. Reviewer Gerard Davis wrote: “I have never seen Jewels undergo such a personal, almost radical interpretation.” 

Three ballets in one 

Jewels is regarded as the first full-length abstract ballet ever created. It consists of three distinct and contrasting acts: Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. 

Balanchine drew inspiration from the work of jeweller Claude Arpels. His aim was to evoke the essence of three different jewels and to create three moods through dance, colour and music. The evening begins with elegance to music by Fauré, continues with fresh vitality to Stravinsky, and concludes grandly to Tchaikovsky. 

Neoclassical dance of the highest calibre

Klassisk musikk, Fredrik Rütter 

Only dance and music 

Balanchine distilled the movements of classical ballet to their purest form. For him, steps and music were to shine on their own—without narrative or unnecessary embellishment. “See the music, hear the dance” is one of his best-known sayings. 

Here you can listen to recordings featuring excerpts from Fauré’s Emeralds, Stravinsky’s Rubies and Tchaikovsky’s Diamonds: