command performance

American  

noun

1. a performance of a play, opera, ballet, or the like, given at the request of a sovereign or head of state.

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command performance British  

noun

1. a performance of a play, opera, etc, at the request of a ruler or of royalty

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command performance Idioms  

1. An occasion that one is obliged to attend, as in My boss's invitations to dinner are always a command performance. This term originally (late 1800s) denoted a theatrical or musical performance presented at the behest of a sovereign or head of state. By the 1930s it was also used figuratively for any more or less obligatory occasion or performance.

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Etymology

Origin of command performance

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

command performance

“Lee Zeldin’s command performance, despite coming up a little short, and quality candidates who really worked tirelessly in their districts, produced a great win for us,” Rep.-elect Marc Molinaro said.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 14, 2022

It was the solo command performance that followed his buffet style of basketball — all the scoring, defense and playmaking you can eat.

From Washington Post ● May 18, 2022

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was such a fan of the series that she requested the cast give a command performance on Nov. 21, 1988.

From Fox News ● Dec. 31, 2021

But neither the telecast nor the unofficial New Year’s Day cruise could replace what was meant to be the command performance of his high school career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2020

I grew tired of it and told her it could have been worse, that Maestro Frederic Chopin had once done the same thing at a command performance for the king and queen of Prussia.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• world premiere