Dilettante Music

Agon is the last of Stravinsky's ballets, and while it does not have a plot, per se, it has a very specific program that relates directly to its music. As a point of departure, Stravinsky and choreographer George Balanchine extracted moves as represented in dance diagrams found in François de la de Lauze's Apologie de la Danse published in 1623.

Only a plain backdrop is used for Agon, and the dancers wear rehearsal clothing. Twelve dancers in all are used, and the ballet is divided into three sections of four dances each, separated by a prelude and two interludes. Agon begins with four male dancers with their backs to the audience, facing the featureless backdrop. The first section is presented as a traditional pas de quatre, the first dance being performed by the four men, the second by two groups of four women, and the last by the whole company of 12 divided into three groups.

After a brief prelude, a pas de trois begins with two women and a man. The man breaks away from the women and dances a solo sarabande. With the galliard, the two women dance to an instrumental combination consisting of three flutes, harp, chimes, mandolin, and low strings in one of the most attractive of the musical settings. With the coda, the male dancer returns, and though the instrumentation remains the same for this dance, the music switches from a diatonic mode to gestures derived from a 12-tone series.

The first interlude is played, and a new pas de trois is begun; however, this time it is danced by two men and one woman. The woman departs after being held aloft by the two men. This leads to the "Bransle simple" danced by the pair of males to the sound of two trumpets; the entrance of trumpets throughout the score signifies the presence of male dancers. This is followed by the "Bransle gai," danced by the solo female to the clicking of castanets. When the orchestra rejoins the performance in full cry, the men return and close the section with a "Bransle double" (Bransle de Poitou).

The final interlude opens the last section, which opens with a pas de deux for a male and female. The male dances a series of variations, followed by another series danced by the female, and this closes with a brief coda. Next are four duos given by eight dancers in pairs, and finally, three trios danced by the whole company. With the repeat of the opening bars of the music, all but the four men who began the ballet depart, and the men return to face the backdrop, backs to the audience, just as in the start of the work. ~ All Music Guide