In this week's See the Music episode, Associate Music Director Andrews Sill provides a taste of history and context for Tschaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, the score of the first ballet George Balanchine choreographed in the United States. Sill discusses the way the composition's symmetries represent an homage to Mozart, and how Tschaikovsky marries "classical forms, folk tunes, and extroverted romantic expression" in the piece, which, combined with Balanchine's choreography, resulted in the iconic ballet beloved by audiences, dancers, and musicians today. (13:14)

Edited by Emilie Silvestri

Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky. Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48 (1880) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra