Oberon's Grove

Minority Report

I loved the Bonnefoux ballet. So did my partner. We weren't expecting to, after reading other opinions.

The evening started with fresh casting in the leads of DONIZETTI VARIATIONS: Megan Fairchild & Joaquin de Luz won a rip-roaring ovation for their scintillating performance. Meeting all the technical demands with ease, they displayed natural charm and nicely matched port de bras when dancing in sync. Fairchild is light and vivacious and Joaquin dazzled the crowd with his blazing turns and beats. As if that were not enough, Carrie Lee Riggins gave a captivating performance leading the excellent corps. Riggins simply lights up the stage; her breezy style and sweeping extension are a joy and her gorgeous eyes & smile hold the viewer enthralled. Saskia Beskow, that matchless beauty, was also on fine form and Elizabeth Walker was sweet as the girl who tries to steal the spotlight. Severini, Paradiso & a newly authoritative Christian Tworzyanski were fine. Faye Arthurs, Melissa Barak & Glenn Keenan added to the glow of the piece, which was enthusiastically applauded.

TWO BIRDS WITH THE WINGS OF ONE is superbly lit & costumed; the unusual and atmospheric score was expertly played by NYCB's fine musicians - whom we so often take for granted. Lauren Flanigan, that bizarre soprano who was once the darling of the City Opera but has lately sort of faded from the scene, gave an amazing and risky performance of the 2 songs which form an integral part of the difficult & intriguing score. Mr. Sheng conducted; the ballet is ritualistic and romantic at the same time. The male corps have a tribal spirit; their dance is the choreographic highlight of the piece. As the lovers, Sofiane Sylve and Andrew Veyette were impressive. Sylve has two beautiful costumes, one black and the other red. She and Andrew made their solo passages - somewhat stylized - vibrant aspects of their spirits. Andrew is borne aloft by the men, a motif that repeats at the ballet's conclusion. I did think the very ending might benefit from a more sustained image and a change of lighting. My partner liked very much the juxtaposition of Asian music and European choreographic influences. We were both drawn in and I am hoping to get to another performance of this unusual work.

SYMPHONY IN C was somewhat spoilt by too-rapid tempi chosen by Faycal Karoui. The adagio was more like a jig, hardly giving Maria K the chance to sustain the flow of the steps. 3rd movement was also driven and the fourth was so fast that even that accomplished whiz-kid Tiler Peck was hard pressed to fit everything in. But there were many wonderful performances, starting with the Staffords who bring a joyous feeling to the first movement. Abi dances with great clarity and her musicality was especially persuasive in her opening solo passages. I enjoyed a rare appearance by Dana Hanson, replacing Krohn as a demi; Reichlen is deluxe here, too. Maria and Charles Askegard were able to overcome the overly speedy tempo; Maria's extension and poised lyricism are perfectly showcased by Charles, who gets the Palme D'Or for being the partnering paragon this season. They won a very affectionate ovation and were called out for a bow. Laracey & Arthurs are impeccable demi solistes here. Sterling Hyltin showed a major improvement over her first outing in the Allegro Vivace; despite the frantic tempo she was able to phrase and to bring increased elasticity to her dancing. Carmena was excellent and dances with unabashed pride in his accomplishments. Tiler Peck was a bit on the wild side, perhaps trying to deal with the tempo. Sean Suozzi was grand: really vivid, authoritative dancing - I truly enjoyed his performance. The finale, despite an unfortunate fall from Sterling, was full of life and stirred the audience to a whirlwind of applause.

A Different Kind of Revolutionary

After spending yesterday afternoon on the road with Che & Alberto, this afternoon I felt an urge to watch a very different story in the vein of revolutionaries and slipped in the 1984 ROH ANDREA CHENIER. I feel very retro watching VHS, but I would not part with my collection.

The opera is based on the final days of the poet Andre Chenier, executed near the end of the Reign of Terror. And to what avail? Like most (all?) political and religious persecutions, this one seems totally immoral.  Were it not for Giordano's opera, Chenier would have been just another of the forgotten hundreds of thousands who have died for their beliefs and ideals over the centuries. 

I wanted very much to hear the Improviso, the famous tenor aria in Act I where the poet Andrea Chenier, invited to an aristrocratic soiree on the eve of the French Revolution, is goaded into reciting a poem about love. He does not sing about a woman, however, but about love of his country: France. Domingo delivers this passionate address with all the bronze-toned splendour that has marked his singing over the years. Well, after that of course I could not stop and so the afternoon went on with the brimming lyricism of the great spinto soprano Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Maddalena) and the warmth & beauty of baritone Giorgio Zancanaro (Gerard) causing me several fits of weeping. All the time Domingo is just pouring out the sound, most memorably at his trial where he proudly tells the Tribunal to execute him but leave him his honor. In the final scene, Chenier reads his last poem in prison on the morning of his execution. Then Maddalena comes to St. Lazare and takes the place of a condemned woman so she can die with Chenier. The flooding emotions of their final duet, sung with unsparing magnificence by Domingo & Tomowa-Sintow, makes an almost unbearable climax. "To death's eternal embrace!"

Meeting Domingo last week, I knew I'd be wanting a big dose of him and this CHENIER hit the bulls-eye. Has there ever been a more generous singer?  Bravissimo!    

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

I discovered this movie by chance a couple of years ago and recently bought an old, used VHS copy at Alibris. The film documents a road trip under-taken in the early 1950s by the then-medical student Ernesto (Che) Guevara and his buddy Alberto Granado. The point of departure is Buenos Aires; their destination is a leper colony in Venezuela where they have committed to work as volunteers for a few weeks. The film has many funny & touching moments involving their delapidated bike and their bungling attempts at seducing  local girls along their way. But at the heart is Ernesto's discovery of the vast native population living in dire poverty and losing their lands and identities to "progress".

Guevara went on to become a notorious revolutionary, meeting his ghastly fate in the jungles of Bolivia. During his career in Cuba, Guevara oversaw the execution of hundreds and was ruthless in his workings for the revolutionary cause. MOTORCYCLE DIARIES has been condemned as glorifying and romanticizing Che, while ignoring his later brutality. However, the film is not about hind-sight but simply a "time piece" about two friends at a certain defining period of their lives. Viewed in this context, the film certainly paints a highly sympathetic portrait of Che and perhaps that is what upsets his detractors.

Gael Garcia Bernal, that profoundly sexy actor, gives a beautiful - no other word suffices - performance as Che and Rodrigo de la Serna is the charming, disarming Alberto. The film ends as the friends part, Che going back to school and Alberto having accepted a permanent job. They only met again once, a few years after their trip. At the time the film was made, Alberto was still alive and living in Cuba. I believe the aged face of a man shown in the film's final frames is the real Alberto. It is a deeply moving experience to watch this film.       

Kundry: Tatiana Troyanos

The recent performances of PASIFAL at the Met set off a discussion among my opera-going friends regarding the various mezzos and sopranos who have sung Kundry at the Met in the last 30+ years. My earliest encounter with the work was a Met broadcast (from the Old Met!) in the early 1960s with Regine Crespin in the role; frankly I was too young to understand or appreciate the work but I do remember the warmth of Crespin's singing. A decade later there was a new production in which Christa Ludwig gave a performance that was both vocally perfect and dramatically vivid. Then came Janis Martin, Irene Dalis, Mignon Dunn, Dame Gwyneth Jones, the spectacular Leonie Rysanek, Jessye Norman, Waltraud Meier and Violeta Urmana, the last being especially appealing in her first Met outings (before she switched from mezzo to soprano).

But the singer who made the most distinctive impression in the role - for me - was Tatiana Troyanos. It is her sound and inflections that remain most vividly in the mind whenever I think about the opera. And it is to her that other interpreters are subconsciously compared. Troyanos sang 3 Met broadcasts of PARSIFAL in the 1980s and I was fortunate to attend the second.

It was a memorable day (April 16, 1983) not just because of the performance but also because of the circumstances. Curtain time was 12:30 PM and I travelled down from Hartford with my best friend Richard that morning, catching an early train to allow ample time for getting to our hotel & having lunch before the matinee. Arriving in NYC we were greeted with a rainstorm of unbelievable ferocity. Umbrellas were of no use because of the heavy winds; every street corner was surrounded by a lake, and there was no let-up. We struggled to get to our hotel only to find that they had "no record" of our reservation. Baffled, we trekked back thru the monsoon to a large commercial hotel and were fortunate to find they had a room available - at double the price of my usual hotel - and we had to stand in a long check-in line. Dumping my stuff in the room, unable to get a cab, I sloshed over to the Met arriving  just as the chimes announced the opera was to start. I was starving, and saturated from head to toe. Then the opera started and slowly I was drawn into Wagner's world and all else was forgotten.

Troyanos had the perfect Kundry voice, dusky and sensuous but ferocious in dramatic accent. She had the blazing top notes needed for the climaxes and a pungent chest voice with which to snarl when her planned seduction of the Perfect Fool fails to come off. As the weary, weathered Kundry of Act I she listened with rapt stillness as Parsifal unfolded his story. And there has never been a temptress like Troyanos; her second act was on fire. I can still remember her obvious pleasure in being greeted by an enormous ovation at her curtain calls

It is a pity that there is no commecial recording of this great assumption, and what would I give to have a video document! But I have tapes of parts of her Met performances as well as a scene from the breath-taking Chicago performance she gave with Jon Vickers. Her premature death robbed us of the chance to hear Troyanos as Dalila, Genevieve in PELLEAS and probably other roles she would have tackled. Videos of her Dido (Berlioz), Venus, Octavian and Composer (ARIADNE) are wonderful souvenirs of this unique artists. But, alas, nothing of her Kundry which lives on only in the theatre of the mind.

M & M/Ana & Andrew/EVENFALL

In MONUMENTUM/MOVEMENTS, Reichlen & Krohn again reassured us that the future of NYCB is in good hands - at least where ballerinas are concerned. Reichlen's endless legs, generous extension and control are impressive while Krohn - having, in my view, a perfect ballerina body - manages to be cool yet smouldering. A paradox, but there is no other way to describe her. I look forward to many more evenings watching the progress of these two superb dancers. Sexy Albert took care of the girls with calm command. The ballets look remarkably fresh, with a fine corps; I especially enjoyed watching Carrie Lee Riggins and Allen Peiffer.

Ana Sophia Scheller and Andrew Veyette, in their first outing in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, were further evidence that we have some exciting talent coming along. Scheller's flowing lyricism in the adagio got Andrew smiling after a bit; her wafting extension and graceful port de bras are enhanced by her delicious face. They made a poised finish, Ana's right cheek about an inch from the floor and her feet tucked behind Andrew's head - she looked out and beamed a mega-volt smile to the audience. Andrew's solo was swift and secure with airy turns and a nice stretched-out jump. The orchestra adopted an almost military style here - last week they did the same thing for Andrew's solo passage in B-S Q. Maybe he asked the maestro to beef it up. It works! Scheller was like a luminous little bird in her solo with her darting, buoyant dancing. They swirled thru the coda with youthful bravado; I liked the way Ana varied the speed of her pique turns around the stage, playing with the music a bit before hitting warp speed as she sailed into the wings. Her brilliant fouettes were laced with multiples, easy and very musical, and the fish dives were successful. They are a very attractive partnership.

I went down to the lobby during the intermission and noticed an unusually long line at the box office and realized that people were buying tickets and coming in for EVENFALL. Great that the Wheeldon is a draw, but they missed a generous helping of Balanchine!

My third EVENFALL and yes, it is a masterpiece in my view. What makes a masterpiece? Something you want to see again and again, be it the Mona Lisa, Shakespeare's MACBETH or the RING cycle. I saw so much in the Wheeeldon that I had not yet noticed and I felt there is more to be found in this piece with repeated visits. It can be viewed as just a pretty neo-classical ballet but it is deeper than that in its "story" of a woman who attempts to hold onto something only to have it elude her. The sense of loss is nearly as profound as that in SERENADE, though of course different in tone. The very long embrace, where Miranda holds Damian in her arms for over a minute as the corps continues to dance, is broken as he gently moves out of her arms and steps away only to have her follow and again hold him. When the motif reappears later, he breaks away much sooner. He is not cruel to her, but he doesn't want to be tied down. His airy, swift solos sing of his need for freedom. Miranda, gentle and vulnerable, has moments of joyous expression (swift turns) but her joy doesn't last. He slips away just as the curtain falls, leaving her with out-stretched arms, longing after him. The corps, meanwhile, display subtle echos of SWAN LAKE - fluttering hands and poses on the floor. The boys sit with knees drawn up and heads bowed as the girls rest on their shoulders. What are they thinking about?  There's so much to take in, I need several more viewings! I must add that the opening picture of 6 girls in tutus in a V formation fronted by the very vivid Melissa Barak instantly grabs the audience and makes you want to see what will happen. Miranda and Damian were incredible, two of the great dance personalities of our time.

It strikes me as odd that the larger the audience the stingier they are with applause. A substantial house tonight but just so lethargic. Yet out on the promenades there was plenty of buzz about the programme and I heard many favorable comments in passing about the ballets and the dancers. Make some noise! Believe me, the dancers love to hear from you!

Six Ballets/Meeting Placi & Flicka

The matinee began with SONGS OF THE AUVERGNE which I liked a little better this time - but not much. They have a nice backdrop of misty hills, and Lucy Schaufer sings the songs with simple sincerity (she was a Flowermaiden in the recent Met PARSIFAL). Philip Neal was back and he looked great, dancing with freedom and partnering Darci very well. She put aside attempts to be overly girlish which detracted from her performance last season. Rebecca Krohn & Rachel Rutherford were both looking sweet, but the most captivating performance came from Sterling Hyltin. For me, Hyltin is a lyric rather than allegro dancer: a Sugar Plum rather than a Dewdrop. She can do the fast and fancy things, but I feel she really wants to "sing" something more sustained and romantic. She's a baby Darci. I'd love to see her partnership with Veyette explored.  She was very fondly applauded here.

IN THE NIGHT finally made it to the stage after two cancellations. Rachel & Tyler Angle are perfect compliments to one another and their duet was full of tender, youthful passion. The more subdued and stately couple were Sylve & Askegard = stylish & legato; Sylve is a sophisticated beauty. The frantic couple, madly in love but tossed by emotional tempests, were Ringer and Ramasar. Jeni has probably her greatest role - did I say that earlier about B-S Q? - portraying the woman's wildly fluctuating moods with such clarity and detail that the character seems real. Amar handled the tricky partnering with polish and looks madly handsome. They made the dancing & drama all of a piece: very exciting.

Abi & Jon Stafford were purely joyful in SYMPHONY IN C first movement; Jon was easy & fluent while Abi radiated with the unabashed pleasure of dancing Balanchine's sailing steps. Rebecca Krohn replaced Savannah Lowery as a demi-soliste and she & Reichlen gave sparkling performances. Then Wendy & Askegard appeared to unfold the adagio; Andrea Quinn provided just the right sense of mystery and weight from the pit, giving Wendy the opportunity to suspend reality and draw us into her heavenly realm. I have seen her dance this piece so often and each time she amazes me with the freshness and calm authority of her dancing. Everything beautifully sustained: rapture! Askegard is her ideal partner here. I wanted to look at Laracey and Arthurs in the demi roles, but I was glued to Wendy. Enslaved, actually. Then Fairchild & de Luz charmingly intruded on my reverie; I forgave them because they danced with such flair. Megan had a minor bobble in one supported arabesque but she made a nifty switch to the other foot. Tiler Peck wowed the audience with her brilliant opening passage in 4th Movement and proceeded to illuminate the stage with Arch Higgins as her cavalier. Then all the couples and all the corps filled the stage and brought the afternoon to an exhilirating conclusion, drawing lusty cheers from the audience.

With time to kill between performances, I ambled over to the Met stage door and ran into one of my opera buddies, Barry, and together we watched some of the stars arriving for the Volpe Gala: Stephanie Blythe, Renee Fleming, Juan Diego Florez, Rene Pape, Marius Kwiecien, Sam Ramey, long- time comprimario champ Charles Anthony, Maestro Gergiev, former mezzo Joanna Simon on the arm of Walter Cronkite, the incredible Marilyn Horne, Waltraud Meier. Domingo stopped to chat (Barry knows everyone) and dear Frederica von Stade came by and was so sweet to the knot of fans gathered there. And yes, Mollie, I gave her your greeting and took her picture! The last time I was at the Met stage door was after a Gwyneth Jones/Leonie Rysanek ELEKTRA. It was kind of fun to see everyone in glamourous attire. Except Denyce Graves was wearing jeans - if only she could still sing as good as she looks!

Then I met up with my guy and after dinner we were back at NYS Theatre. They reversed the programme, doing LIEBESLIEDER first. Good idea, as people tend to leave after the first half of that ballet if it is the closer. The ballet wove its spell again and the joy of watching four of the greatest ballerinas in one setting is sublime. Kyra, Darci, Wendy & Miranda offer a wealth of contrasting beauty and allure. I did not find the Tyler Angle/Weese pairing odd in the least: Tyler was wonderfully elegant and ardent and Miranda lusciously girlish. Askegard and Darci danced in their own world, and Hubbe & Wendy drew elated applause for their final duet. Darci swept thru a series of spectacular turns. Kyra looked wonderful; one touching moment came as Nilas knelt at Kyra's feet and kissed her hand; then he looked up into her eyes and his face lit up with a spontaneous smile. I liked Peter's RED VIOLIN a little better this time but the music is just too long & big to be sustained by only 8 dancers, though they were excellent. Somogyi in red creates a vivid picture; Sebastien was back looking magnetically sexy. My partner hated this ballet.

Then EVENFALL again showed its unique qualities. I found that knowing the ending did not distract from enjoying it, and I noticed more astutely the trajectory and progress of the relationship of the two principals which ends with him abandoning her. Weese and Woetzel were glorious throughout, and I especially liked the pairing of Kaitlyn G and William Lin-Yee among the excellent corps.

I could write more, but I have to go to work. Hope I can stay awake all day!

PARSIFAL at the Met

The evening after witnessing Edwaard Liang's inspired and inspiring performance in Bigonzetti's IN VENTO at NYCB, a parallel operatic assumption at the Met took place as Rene Pape gave a performance as Gurnemanz in PARSIFAL which seemed to transcend time and place. Can dance and vocal performances be compared? Possibly only in terms of the artist's commitment and the resulting sensation of elation produced. What impresses is the feeling of having crafted something moving and beautiful using the body as the instrument. The dancer and the singer spend endless hours honing their skills, all for that time onstage when they connect with the audience. I can only hope that the performers derive as much satisaction from their endeavors as those who are fortunate enough to witness the event.

The Met's production of PARSIFAL is not very interesting visually. I don't mind the darkness so much as the rather muddy impression. The opening forest scene is suitably claustrophobic but the temple scene lacks a feeling of mystery and ritual. Klingsor's realm looks junky and the garden is hideous with the girls in frivolous non-sexy costumes. The collapse of Klingsor's world is a non-event. The field spotted with daffodils on Good Friday looks kind of nice but as times passes the seams begin to show.

James Levine's absence gave us Peter Schneider on the podium. Schneider's been around for years; I remember his fine & weighty ZAUBERFLOETE at the Met several years ago and some good Wagner broadcasts from Europe. He did not bring a sense of mystery to the prelude, but as the work unfolded - at a faster rate of speed than Levine's - the beautiful playing of the orchestra and Schneider's unerring sense of pulse won the day. He knows how to let the singers be heard and never pushes them at the cimaxes.

Ben Heppner sounded better than I expected after the recent LOHENGRIN although there were several minutes in Act II when he sounded like he might be having some vocal troubles. But he gathered his resources and plunged ahead. He certainly does not look like a "foolish youth" and his acting seemed rudimentary. It's best when he just stands still. Waltraud Meier's voice is more angular than velvety; it is not a sensuous sound but she delivers the long narration in Act II with the finesse of a great lieder singer. When pressed at the climaxes of the second act, the top is spotty and she does not sustain, but earlier she nailed a thrilling top-B on "...und...lachte!" that put me in mind of Birgit Nilsson. Meier does not seem to use chest voice and let a few dramatic punctuation marks slip by. She is a beautiful stage figure, slender and graceful, and very moving in her stillness. Her death, in ecstacy as the Grail is wafted over her, was simple & eloquent. Thomas Hampson was an Amfortas of great power and pathos. The passion and tenderness of his singing, along with the unerring expression of remorse & regret, made the character vibrant and highly sympathetic. The voice now has something of a beat; inevitable when you have had a long career and are moving into heavier repertoire. But the beauty & control of the instrument are impressive. Rene Pape has been a magnificent Gurnemanz in the past here, but tonight he seemed to go beyond. From first note to last, he unrolled his majestic sound with unfailing opulence and generosity. As the evening progressed he seemed to draw us into the world of the Grail; far from being a tiresome old blabbermouth (as someone once described the character), Pape made him a magical story-teller.  His voice is wonderfully "present" in the house so that he is able to risk moments of subtle, piano singing with spine-tingling results. The climax of the anointing scene was the apex of the performance as Pape unfurled the triumphant benediction with a flood of tone.

The only negative aspect of the evening was the over-emphatic, loutish singing of Nicolai Putilin as Klingsor. On the plus side, Tamara Mumford beautifully sang the contralto solo at the end of Act I from the overhead lighting bay.

It's too bad audiences feel compelled to applaud the end of Act I but there's nothing to be done. The shushing is as annoying as the clapping. At the end of the performance, the cast and conductor were rightly given a tumultuous ovation. The house was packed, a rarity these days.

M & M/VENTO/B-S Q

This was a night when the soloists of NYCB swept into starring roles and showed us the depth of talent now on hand. In all three ballets, soloists - new and established - shared the limelight with the principals. In MONUMENTUM/MOVEMENTS, which in the Winter season had seemed somewhat tepid, Albert Evans partnered Teresa Reichlen and Rebecca Krohn. Reichlen has had many opportunities to shine and there is no question she is going to be one of the great ballerinas in the history of NYCB - in fact, she already is. But Rebecca Krohn sort of sneaks up on you. I had been drawn to her from her earliest days in the corps and she leapt into my imagination with her beautiful purple-gowned performance in BURLESKE. She was absent for a while but now the stars seem to be in alignment for her and tonight she had the look and the shining quality of a top-class NYCBallerina. She has an ideal body and an arresting face, with large eyes and clarity of expression. Both she and Reichlen delivered the steps with cool precision, while Albert - sexy as always - partnered them with a sort of detached efficiency that suits the music. The corps looked fresh and vibrant.

Seeing IN VENTO for the second time; this ballet held the audience enthralled. It is unlike anything else in the repertoire; the breathtaking score and mysterious lighting create a unique, sensual world. Surpassing his triumph of last week, Edwaard Liang seemed to find even greater nuance in his role. Seeming - to me - to portray a fallen angel, Liang gives one of the all-time great performances ever witnessed on the NYCB stage. Jason Fowler, another stellar soloist, partnered Kowroski magnificently in their starkly dramatic pas de deux. Having watched and enjoyed Fowler in many performances over the years, he has really come into his own in the last year and emerged as a very potent stage personality. Kowroski looks great dancing with him; she seems to be just about back to pre-illness form. The eight supporting dancers gave fascinating performances as a group and as indivduals; Tiler Peck was outstanding in her brief solo, and Robert Fairchild - stepping in for Craig Hall - showed himself totally at ease in the tricky clusters and human chains that evolve as the piece progresses. As the dancers concluded the ballet with a deep bow to the audience, the theatre erupted in a noisy and prolonged ovation. Kowroski, Fowler & Liang faced torrents of applause and cheers and an extra call was demanded. I remember once in an interview Maria said that Fowler & Liang were her best friends in the Company. They must have really enjoyed working together, and sharing a major success. 

Reichlen, Andrew Veyette, Sara Mearns & Amar Ramasar did the soloist rank proud in BRAHMS-SCHOENBERG QUARTET. Reichlen has such a felicitous role in the first movement, where her flowing musicality, ecstatic turns and poised balances were thrilling. Kyra Nichols danced beautifully with Charles Askegard; Kyra looked good last week and she looked great tonight - easy, free & floating. Askegard is "the man", a calmly assured partner who makes his ballerina look like a queen. The Intermezzo might be Jenifer Ringer's best role except that she's so wonderful in everything that next week I'll be saying the same thing about her in something else. She has this instinct about the smallest gesture or expression that puts such a finish on everything she does. But never fussy; always the sweep and flow of the dance is there. So musical and refined. Nilas partnered her beautifully and Jeni swooned so evocatively in his hands. Yvonne Borree was quite relaxed tonight after an initial bit of tension. Andrew Veyette continues to make a great impression; his ardent presence is both masculine and tender, and he handled the partnering very well. His solo, as the conductor unleashed the orchestra with a flood of sound, was really impressive - clarity of steps and lightnes of touch. He won a wave of applause.  Carrie Lee Riggins nearly stole the show in her demi-soliste role, wonderfully danced and expressed. Sara Mearns & Amar Ramasar revelled in the grand theatricality of the final movement. Sara is a plushy dancer and Amar devours the stage with his big-scale dancing. Their performance, grand yet full of subtle, sexy by-play, won the audience's enthusiastic response. 

Somogyi & Sloan

I picked up a copy of NYC Ballet News yesterday. In the current issue, Jennie Somogyi discusses her injury and her slow road back to the stage.  We all knew it was a bad injury, but just how bad did not hit me til I read this interview. It seems there was no clear indication that the injury would heal properly and allow her to walk again, to say nothing of dancing. Her doctors told her it was worse than any other tear injury they had encountered. But she did it. She walked again, and then she danced again. She speaks of herself as a changed dancer, and of her joy and relief to be performing again. 

Meanwhile, at The Winger, Kristin Sloan has been dealing with chronic pain. She talks about her attempts to find relief, and while she manages to find some lightness in her predicament, it is clearly an upsetting situation for a dancer to be in.

All of which makes me think of what the dancers go thru to bring us night after night of beauty, passion and enrichment. Last week, as I watched Jennie in her knock-out red tunic dancing RED VIOLIN and then saw her gorgeously gowned at the after-party, or watched Kristin's lyricism fill the stage as Beauty in MOTHER GOOSE, I was just thinking how impressive they were "in the moment". There's an awful lot going on behind the scenes, a lot of patience and fortitude, to get out onstage and deliver like these girls do. I imagine the Company is full of such stories. I think sometimes the public takes the dancers for granted, but I never do. They earn my admiration more and more as time goes by.

My partner was chiding me for planning to re-visit the Bigonzetti & Wheeldon pieces again so soon: "They'll do them in the Winter! Just wait!" But I can't wait. I feel compelled, addicted. So this week is 2 ballet nights plus PARSIFAL. I'm even giving RED VIOLIN a second chance (hopefully Sebastien will get back, or they will find someone to take on his role).

It would be difficult to pitch flowers to the stage from my location, but when I see Jennie & Kristin onstage again I will be mentally lobbing giant bouquets to them. 

DIAMOND PROJECT STRIKES GOLD - AGAIN!

I hated Bigonzetti's last NYCB effort, VESPRO. It struck me as one of the ugliest things I'd ever seen; it seemed to be trying so hard to be "different" but for me it seemed shallow and overwrought. The only saving grace was the score. So when Bignozetti was announced for the current Diamond Project, I pondered whether to go or not. Seeing it listed on an otherwise appealing programme (with IN THE NIGHT and SYMPHONY IN C) I figured even if it was awful I'd at least have 2 ballets I love to compensate.

IN THE NIGHT turned into a repeat of MOTHER GOOSE. SYMPHONY IN C received a somewhat flawed but overall enjoyable performance. Jenifer Ringer relaced Jennie Somogyi who was replacing the originally announced Miranda Weese in the first movement. I'd guess Jeni and Jon Stafford did not get a heck of a lot of rehearsal, but they worked it all out. Each danced their solo phrases beautifully; Jon pulled off a neat triple air turn, then bounced back up and did a double in the opposite direction. His flashing beats were also impressive. Jeni is always delightful here, she knows when to linger and when to accelerate. All was well til the final pose, where they miscalculated and couldn't hold it. Minor glitch, really. Teresa Reichlen was an imperial demi. Sara Mearns made her entrance exuding the luminous quality that commands the stage. As her Odette showed last Winter, she is an amazing adagio dancer. Tonight the conductor (Paul Hoskins) took a tempo that was just a litle too fast, pushing Sara & Charles Askegard rather than giving them a plushy support. They danced beautifully, but there was not time for the hypnotic sustained quality and the extended finishing touches we know Sara can deliver. Hopefully she'll be dancing this role many more times and will have ample opportunity to work her magic. Ashley Laracey & Faye Arthurs were striking as the demi-ballerinas here. In the allegro movement, Sterling Hyltin was a bit stiff; she is such an appealing dancer but I think she might be better cast in the first movement. Antonio Carmena was really impressive with his clean technique and ready smile. Abi Stafford was a thorough delight in the fourth movement; she fits in all the details of the footwork and her smile always says she's happy to be dancing. It was nice to see Arch Higgins onstage again.

Bigonzetti's IL VENTO was spellbinding. Coming right after the new Wheeldon, but as unlike it as one could imagine, these works certainly proved the value of the Diamond Project. Kristin Sloan at The Winger had mentioned how beautiful the score was, but I was still unprepared for the sheer lyricism of the piece. The stage is overall quite dark, the subtle lighting effects mesmerize us and underline the drama. The bare-chested boys in black pants and the girls - hair down - in black lacy leotards all look superb: Saskia Beskow and Craig Hall are about the most beautiful creatures to adorn any stage. Suozzi, Carmena, Jon Stafford and Tess Reichlen are strikingly individual dancers; Tiler Peck has a featured role which put me in mind of The Novice in CAGE. Relative newcomer Maya Collins held her own with this stellar group. Kowroski and Jason Fowler brought intensity to their duet; Maria looks striking and Fowler has blossomed in the last couple of years into a dynamic presence; he also did an incredible backbend at one point. At the center of the work, Edwaard Liang gave a performance to rank with the greatest dance experiences of my 30+ years of watching. Putting his classical technique into every movement, Liang used his body as an expressive instrument - his elasticity, intensity and control captivated the audience. As the work draws to a close, the dancers move to a narrow field of light stretching across the front of the stage and make a formal bow. The curtain fell to a roar of applause. The 8 corps dancers were rightly showered with applause, Kowroski and Fowler won a massive salute, and Liang brought the house down. Called before the curtain six times, the dancers revelled in the well-deserved approval. Liang's solo bows showed this great dancer's humility and grace. A memorable night.