Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

A plotless, abstract classical showcase rather than a story ballet: a corps de ballet in courtly formation opens the piece before a principal ballerina, a second soloist ballerina, and their male partners emerge to dance a sequence of increasingly virtuosic solos and ensembles. Balanchine described it as having no story, intending it instead as a tribute to Tchaikovsky, to Marius Petipa, and to the grandeur of Imperial St. Petersburg ballet. A hushed, dream-like central duet for the principal couple functions as an emotional high point before the full company reunites for a joyous, folk-tinged finale.