Great Performances' predecessor,
New York Playhouse, premiered on October 7, 1972, with a production of
Antigone. In 1973,
Exxon and the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting provided grants to create
Theater in America, which reran the
New York Playhouse and some
NET Playhouse productions. The first original production for
Theater in America was of
Enemies. In 1974, WNET added
The Great Performance, a series of classical concerts. In 1976,
Great Performances became the umbrella title and the music section was named
Music in America. A third section,
Dance in America, was also added. The first episode, "Sue's Leg: Remembering the Thirties", featured choreography by
Twyla Tharp. Later episodes featured such performers as
Mikhail Baryshnikov. Although it is not seen as often as previously, there have recently been new
Dance in America programs, such as the
Emmy-winning 2005 production of
Tchaikovsky's
Swan Lake, starring
Angel Corella,
Gillian Murphy, and the
American Ballet Theatre. In 2007,
Great Performances began telecasting performances from the
Metropolitan Opera Live in HD series, a series of HD opera tapings repurposed from their original purpose as
Fathom Events films carried in high-quality
movie theaters for a premium admission price. Repeat guest hosts include
Walter Cronkite,
Julie Andrews,
Whoopi Goldberg, and
Hugh Bonneville. Major underwriters have included
The National Endowment for the Arts,
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS viewers,
Exxon,
Martin Marietta,
Texaco,
Deluxe,
Duracell,
Ernst & Young,
Chase Manhattan Bank, and
UBS. In 2009, new
theme music for
Great Performances was introduced, composed by
John Williams. On October 18, 2013, Great Performances celebrated its 40th anniversary with the release of the episode "Great Performances 40th Anniversary Celebration". The episode was taped at
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in November 2012 and dedicated to the memory of
Phil Ramone, who died from complications due to surgery in March 2013. ==Episodes==