Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 — also known as Ballet Imperial — is Balanchine’s grandest and fullest tribute to classical Russian ballet, a glorious outpouring of dance invention that tests its dancers to the limit and mesmerizes its audiences. The ballerina’s delayed entrance is a grueling test of exposed technique that has to look gracious and relaxed, yet...majestic. The fiendishly complicated yet incomparably beautiful windings and unwindings of the ten corps women and the lead male are enthralling. The grand climax is one of the most rousing finales in all of ballet. Balanchine went on modestly readjusting it until 1973, forty-two years after its premiere. He "was not interested in reviving the classical technique,” explained Nancy Reynolds, "but in revitalizing it.” The measure of his success is that after three-quarters of a century, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 remains a vital achievement, performed and acclaimed around the world.

Miami City Ballet premiere on March 18, 2005 at Jackie Gleason Theatre; Miami Beach, FL.
Originally choreographed in 1941 for American Ballet Caravan, the ballet was reworked by Balanchine as Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 for New York City Ballet in 1973.