Metropolitan Classical Ballet Press Release

The program will open with George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco (© The George Balanchine Trust) set to Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D minor for Two Violins. In 1941, the work began as an exercise by Balanchine for the School of American Ballet and was performed by American Ballet Caravan on its historic tour of South America; it later entered the repertory of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. On October 11, 1948, Concerto Barocco was one of three ballets on the program at New York City Ballet's first performance. It is now recognized as one of Balanchine's great masterpieces.

The program will continue with a world premiere, choreography and libretto by Alexander Vetrov. One Bridal Dress for Two is set to three movements from Amadeus Mozart's Symphony # 29. It is the first ballet Mr. Vetrov has choreographed especially for Metropolitan Classical Ballet.

The program will conclude with Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) a work by Leonid Lavrovsky set to music by Charles Gounod. Originally, the work was a ballet divertissement choreographed by Henri Justament for the last act of Gounod's opera Faust, which premiered March 3, 1869 at Paris Opera. Mr. Lavrovsky's version of Walpurgis Night premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow in 1941. It was premiered by Metropolitan Classical Ballet in March 2001.

Program order and casting for all productions is subject to change without notice.

Tickets for The Season Finale range in price from $10 - $30 and are available through the Bass Performance Hall Ticket Office at (817) 212-4280; toll free at (877) 212-4280, or online at www.basshall.com. Season, group and individual tickets may be purchased at the Metropolitan Classical Ballet administration office by calling (817) 465-4644 or at 500 West Abram Street in Arlington, Texas.

Metropolitan Classical Ballet 2005 / 2006 is made possible in part by its generous sponsors: American Airlines, WRR Classical 101, and the law firm of Hill Gilstrap.

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Media Note: Further information and photos may be obtained by contacting Judy Puder at (817) 465-4644.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2006

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - Metropolitan Classical Ballet's Season Finale, which will bring the 2005 / 2006 season to a close, will be held at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth on Saturday, June 3rd at 8:00 p.m. It comes on the heels of the highly acclaimed Spring Repertory program recently held at Bass Hall.

The mixed repertory program will consist of a work by the celebrated choreographer, George Balanchine, a world premiere by co-artistic director, Alexander Vetrov, and a work from the Bolshoi repertory by Leonid Lavrovsky. The Metropolitan Classical Ballet Orchestra under the direction of Music Director Ron Spigelman will accompany the performance.