Symphony in C became a performance despite not being in the ‘plan’ of George Balanchine. It was his spontaneous gift for the ballet troupe of Opera national de Paris, which was presented in return for their inspiring cooperation.

In 1947, he was invited to transfer the legendary ballets of his youth to the Paris stage, where he decided to create a performance specifically for that troupe, which was at the top of its form. The fast moving forty-minute ballet became its ‘portrait’, populous and colourful, and was named Le Palais de Cristal. A year later, the choreographer showed it in New York with his own troupe. It was there where Le Palais gained a strict double chromaticity and the title Symphony in C, under which it is considered being one of the classics of the 20th century. To the Bolshoi Theatre, the ballet first arrived in 1999 and was revived in 2019.