Charles Gounod's 1859 opera Faust garnered him international renown, widely noted for its emphasis on musical motifs rather than theatrics to convey character. George Balanchine's Walpurgisnacht Ballet, choreographed for a 1975 production of the opera, similarly favors a pure-dance interpretation of the story's "witch night." See it just as it premiered at the Paris Opera on our Classic NYCB I program this coming winter: nycballet.com/classicnycb1winter | New York City Ballet