Oberon's Grove

Musical Panorama @ NYCB

Saturday May 30, 2009 - At the ballet with Wei. Aside from the dancing, New York City Ballet are always offering interesting juxtapositions of musical styles in their mixed programmes. Tonight we heard from the great bel canto operatic composer Gaetano Donizetti (above), then from two vastly different 'voices' from the 20th century, and rounded it all off with the full-blown passion of Tchaikovsky.



DONIZETTI VARIATIONS: Megan Fairchild and Joaquin de Luz in Paul Kolnik's photo above. Balanchine used the ballet music from Donizetti's opera DOM SEBASTIAN; throughout much of the 19th century it was the custom - especially in Paris - to have a balletic interlude in a grand opera. Choreographers over the years have mined these musical gems, many of which are no longer heard when the operas are revived since the ballets delay the dramatic action and extend evenings beyond the attention span of many opera-goers.

Anyway, Megan and Joaquin were simply superb as they delivered one volley of fiorature fireworks after another in this ballet which has something of a Bournonville feel to it. Megan's speed, clarity and lightness of touch are remarkable as she whirls thru the combinations with breathtaking agility. Joaquin was a complete joy to watch, his buoyancy and his piquant varying of the speed of his numerous pirouettes eliciting much admiration from the crowd.

A trio of boys - Daniel Applebaum, Vincent Paradiso and Allen Peiffer (handsome devils all) - looked lively and gallant as they squired a bevy of pretty ballerinas thru Mr. B's choreographic patterns. Brittany Pollack had yet another opportunity to shine, and Stephanie Zungre stepped into the charming vignette of the the sly girl who steals her moment in the spotlight. Ellen Ostrom put Wei in mind of Dana Hanson, a ballerina we both liked so much when she danced with the Company (she now teaches at PNB).  
     

HALLELUJAH JUNCTION: Sterling Hyltin, Daniel Ulbricht and Gonzalo Garcia danced the leads in this Peter Martins/John Adams ballet, the score of which is named for a small town in California. Sterling looks super in this ballet where she shows off her long legs to perfection, dressed in white against the black backdrop. Gonzalo and Daniel revved things up with their vivid combinations. Gonzalo and Sterling in their expressive pas de deux and Daniel with his powerful technique and unbounded energy make a strong statement for this ballet, one of Peter's best creations.

The eight corps dancers who perform a series of fast-paced duets in this Peter Martins ballet were again very impressive to watch, both for the speed of their movement and their mastery of the tricky partnering.

    

A SIMPLE SYMPHONY: In Melissa Barak's very appealing setting of this early work by British composer Benjamin Britten (above), Abi Stafford and Jared Angle led a youthful cast with the girls all in Romantic-style pink creating an image that is both classic and contemporary. Abi and Jared danced joyously thru the music and again made me want to see them together in many other ballets. Melissa's ballet continues to impress for its refreshingly clean structure and its fine identification with the rhythmic patterns of the score. And it's just so visually attractive. 

SWAN LAKE: Dancing with Wendy Whelan (above), Sebastien Marcovici made his first appearance in the Balanchine setting of the second act of this classic Tchaikovsky work today. A few seasons back, Sebastien and Jenifer Ringer gave a deeply moving joint interpretation of the Peter Martins setting of SWAN LAKE; Sebastien brought the same intense air of poetic drama to the Balanchine version. In the diagonal passage of his solo where the music shifts to the minor key, Sebastien could not quite bring off the sudden stops into poses which inhibit the flow of the dancing; I've never much liked that part of the solo and it's tough to master. But everything else about Sebastien's performance was fine and the dramatic interaction which he and Wendy developed became quite gripping as the ballet progressed.

Wendy's Odette is so finely-wrought and so musically satisfying but beyond that there is the great fascination of just watching her express this iconic choreography with such delicate nuances etched into the overall dramatic span of her encounter with the Prince. As the music moves them to their inevitable sundering, Wendy and Sebastien seemed to transcend theatrical boundaries and speak to us of the humanity and passion which pulsate thru this music. Wendy's last gesture of touching Sebastien's face before taking leave of him was extremely moving. 

Have you watched Kristin Sloan's video of corps ballerina Marika Anderson talking about SWAN LAKE? If not, here it is, with some nice dance footage. The corps made a strong contribution tonight, despite one unfortunate slip-and-fall. Rebecca Krohn and Savannah Lowery were the smooth-dancing, vivid soloists. The all-black swans give the ballet an Edward Gorey dimension. I'd like to see them go back to all-white.

The Rapture: Suzanne Danco

After a long walk on this promise-of-summer day, I came home to our cool cavern of an apartment with just time enough to spare for a good listen. What to pick? As so often when I go to select something, the CD chooses itself. Today the Belgian soprano Suzanne Danco's recording of Debussy's Ariettes Oubliees was so transporting. (Photo above: Danco with conductor Pierre Monteux),

The songs, set to poems by Paul Verlaine, are intimate and redolent of longing and the perfume of lost romance. Even the one joyous song, 'Chevaux de bois' - about chasing the horses on a merry-go-round - turns pensive. Danco's voice has a tender fragility and beauteous demi-tints which make her interpretation so engrossing.

The Rapture is what I call an elusive vocal quality which can't truly be defined; it's a shining feeling underscored with sensuousness or passion that is somehow contained. It doesn't pour out of the singer on a grand scale but instead seeps mysteriously into the tone colours as the voice responds to the text. Some singers have it, some don't...some can only find it it certain music, others tend to bring it to everything they sing. Suzanne Danco certainly has it for these Debussy songs: a wonderful interlude on a beautiful day.

And now, off to the ballet.    

Roses for the Retiring Ballerinas

Louise Nadeau...Tina LeBlanc...Alexandra Ansanelli...and now Miranda Weese: each of these wonderful ballerinas has announced her retirement at the end of the current season. I'd like to hope we might see them dancing again in some capacity but as of now there's no indication of that. (Photo of the rose by JRC).

Ms. LeBlanc (above, with Joan Boada in Erik Tomasson's photo) has already had her gala good-bye at San Francisco Ballet, and Ms. Nadeau takes her final curtain calls at Pacific Northwest Ballet on June 7th. Alexandra's final performances with the Royal Ballet are slated to take place on their tour to Washington DC and Havana.

The recent news of Miranda's bidding farewell to Pacific Northwest Ballet appeared in the Playbill of their current programme. Miranda is of course a former principal at New York City Ballet where she danced a vast repertoire, illuminating the music with her luxuriant technique and striking presence. I always have a clear picture of her in my mind: the fair skin, the jet-black hair, the radiant eyes. (Photo of Miranda and Damian Woetzel).

I ran into Miranda last year when she was here for a visit. I simply said: "I love you!"...and that sums it up.

Maralin's Magical Note

Pirated opera performances are forever surfacing; I used to have a huge collection and I also recorded in-house for a few years (getting surprisingly good sound) but the tapes slowly deteriorated and I got tired of carting them around on my various moves.

Recently a friend gave me a recording of OTELLO from Pasadena 1968 with my beloved Maralin Niska in the role of Desdemona.

The sound quality is not bad as pirates go, and Maralin's voice is utterly distinctive from her opening line. I guess in France they would say she sings from the poitrine, which isn't to say chest voice but she uses a darkish resonance which seems to emanate from the sternum. I cannot think of another voice that I've heard that has quite the same characteristic; she was able to generate great power and remarkably the tone could also shine forth in the highest register. A scrupulous musician, everything Maralin sang has a particular finish to it.   

She is singing along in the love duet and the sound is so utterly Maralin and then on the phrase "Amen, risponda..." she suddenly pulls out a miraculous pianissimo and the conductor just lets her linger on it to ravishing effect. This is one of those notes that sends chills up the spine, penetrates the soul and makes listening to music so inspiring. Would a soprano today dareto take such a risk? And would a conductor be so accommodating? 

Brian Sullivan, who sings Otello, was a Met regular for several years. He is a passable Otello in the more lyric moments, but he is tested in the heroic phrases. About a year after this performance, he drowned himself in a Swiss lake, reportedly in despair over his declining career.

On the label, the Iago is simply listed as 'Gilbert'; the only baritone I can find from around that time period is someone named Ramon Gilbert. I have no idea if that is correct, but the voice does have a 'Spanish' vibrancy of tone. He's a pretty good Iago all in all, quite subtle...though a few more decibels would be nice in spots. I've been researching the name and the only references are a single recording: Richard Wernick's Kaddish Requiem in which Ramon Gilbert is listed as cantor, and his name appears (in good company!) among the winners of the 1958 Concert Artists Guild Competition:

1958
Howard Lebow, Piano
Victoria Markowski, Piano
Hugh Matheny Oboe
Raymond Michalski, Basso
Mayne Miller, Piano
Lois Carole Pachucki, Piano
Judith Basch, Violin
Frank Cedrone, Piano
Margaret Kalil, Soprano
Agustin Anievas, Piano
Joy Pottle, Piano
Judith Raskin, Soprano
Harold Johnson, Tenor
Ramon Gilbert, Baritone
Georgia Davis Contralto
Herbert Chatzky, Piano
Howard Aibel, Piano

These musical mysteries always intrigue me: a forgotten name is made tangible by the sound of a voice recorded 40 years ago and yet: do I have the right man? More research, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Balanchine & Robbins at NYCB

Thursday May 28, 2009 - This was the line-up for tonight:

ALLEGRO BRILLANTE: *T. Peck, *Ramasar 
     
OPUS 19/THE DREAMER: Whelan, Garcia 
     
SWAN LAKE: Kowroski, Neal, Abergel, Bar, Seth



The joint debuts of Tiler Peck and Amar Ramasar (headshots above by Paul Kolnik) in ALLEGRO BRILLANTE were highly successful and really enjoyable. Tiler danced with perfect clarity and musicality, her pirouettes delivered with a flourish. Amar seems to have polished up his technique, taking things up a notch. As a partnership, all went smoothly and they are both so attractive to watch. Again, as in TARANTELLA, Tiler for some reason made me think of Patricia McBride. The audience were with them every step of the way and they were warmly applauded. The ensemble of eight marvelous dancers - Rebecca Krohn, Faye, Ashley L, Lauren King, Adrian D-W, Craig, Christian and Austin - provided a luxurious 'corps'.

OPUS 19 is my favorite of all the Jerome Robbins ballets. The music alone would lure me to a performance of it, but I also think it's one of Robbins' most inspired and beautifully structured works. Photo above: Wendy Whelan in OPUS 19 by by Josef Astor. Arturo Delmoni played the solo violin part tonight, putting a nice tonal sheen on the sometimes buzzy texture of the music. 

Spellbound: that is how I felt watching Wendy and Gonzalo tonight. They moved thru the dreamscape with an extraordinary sense of nocturnal poetry; Gonzalo's superb physique and his other-worldly expression, and the many intriguing nuances of gesture that illuminate Wendy's dancing make this ballet so engrossing to watch. Both dancers exude incredible charisma. The musical atmosphere is enhanced by the corps who drift in and out of the dreamer's visions with subtle grace.  

Beautiful finale: Maria Kowroski as Odette in the Balanchine SWAN LAKE in the above Henry Leutwyler photo. Maria and Philip Neal drew a very enthusiastic response both for their technical accomplishment and for the elegance and poignancy of their interpretations. The iconic Kowroski legs seemed extraordinary tonight - yes, even after all these times I've seen her dance - as her arabesques and attitude balances flowed in her trademark adagio style. Philip is such a noble cavalier and he and Maria have developed a classic interpretation of the pas de deux that is so expressive while managing to avoid any sense of lacquered-on drama. How satisfying to hear the insistent applause call them out a third time tonight.

In truth, though, I found that the music seemed just a shade too fast - an uncharacteristic approach from Maestro Kaplow - with just a slight feeling of the dancers being rushed at times. I also have decided that I don't really like the black swans in the white act; the novelty has worn off.

The corps danced well and Ellen Bar led the Valse Bluette with authority and a dramatic air. Continuing her very impressive season, Dena Abergel's dancing in the Pas de Neuf was a pure pleasure - lyrical and serene, and marking the climax of her first solo passage with a remarkably plush sustained balance. Above, in Paul Kolnik headshots: Dena and Ellen.

Dancers at a Gathering

From Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of DANCES AT A GATHERING: Kaori Nakamura, Carla Korbes and Sarah Ricard Orza in a Joshua Trujillo photo.

Seth Orza with Sarah Ricard Orza.

Seth Orza and Kaori Nakamura.

Carla, Seth and Sarah all formerly danced with New York City Ballet. Photos: Joshua Trujillo.

TAKE Dance Rehearsal

Wednesday May 27, 2009 - TAKE Dance opened their rehearsal at the Alvin Ailey studio tonight to friends of the Company. Now in their fourth year, TAKE Dance is the creation of former Paul Taylor dancer Takehiro Ueyama. They are currently preparing for their season at Dance Theatre Workshop. Photo above: TAKE Dance performing LINKED.

I went to the rehearsal with Sophie Bromberg, the girl who first introduced me to TAKE Dance. The first part of the rehearsal was devoted to the work-in-progress on the new section of FOOTSTEPS IN THE SNOW which Take is adding to the two existing movements of this mysteriously dark work which we first saw last season performed by dancers from The New School. The new segment has evolved since we first saw it being worked on in May; Take is one to make changes, apparently right up to a premiere...and even afterwards.

The familiar music of Arvo Part's Speigel im Spiegel was sounding as we walked into the studio; NYC Ballet followers will know this music as the adagio from Christopher Wheeldon's AFTER THE  RAIN. The dancers finished their warm-up and then ran thru the piece in its present form. It's always fascinating to be up close to dancers while they are working and Take's dancers have become particular favorites of mine: a beautiful collection of faces, bodies and personal styles all melding together into the choreographer's vision. Take gives each dancer opportunities for expressive movement: brief solos or duets woven into the overall scheme of the dance allow us to focus on the particular gifts of each of these unique personalities.

Now I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the finished FOOTSTEPS will look like when it is dressed, lit and presented in its rather desolate snow-covered setting at Dance Theatre Workshop. For some reason the words of Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening kept running thru my mind.

In her brief introduction to the rehearsal, Jill Echo prepared us for the sombre FOOTSTEPS, saying that the dancers tended to become a little depressed while working on it. To shake off that mood, the rehearsal ended with the high-energy finale of Take's LINKED set to the dynamic flow of Pat Metheny's music. Here we had the chance to just sit back and watch the dancers swirl around the room with irrepressible vitality; the room suddenly seemed too small to contain them.

We stayed to talk to Take and the dancers for a while; although they were all exhausted they were full of mental energy and good stories. And some of them simply could not stop dancing.

Take talked about the challenge of continuing to dance while tackling the double duty of choreographing and running the Company. He is such a vivid and expressive physical mover, it would be a pity if he were to stop dancing altogether but understandably he wants to focus his energies on the creative aspects.

The film A YEAR WITH TAKE DANCE will be shown on June 18th. On July 17th & 18th, TAKE Dance will be at Chatham, NY. Then from July 30th - August 2nd at Dance Theatre Workshop. On August 29th, the Company will close the 2009 Inside/Out series at Jacob's Pillow. It was a Jacob's Pillow that I have my earliest memory of watching Takehiro Ueyama dance. He happened to be wearing a dress.  

The Dreamer

For me, OPUS 19/THE DREAMER is the most satisfying of all the Jerome Robbins ballets, in part because of the incredible other-worldly atmosphere that pervades the work and also because the score - Prokofiev Violin Concerto #1 - is so luminous and Robbins has really used the music in a way which 'visualizes' its most striking qualities.

The ballet returns to the New York City Ballet repertoire this week with two different casts; naturally I must see both. In the above Henry Leutwyler photo, Wendy Whelan and Robert Fairchild. They are both cast this week, but not together: Wendy opens on Wednesday May 27th with Gonzalo Garcia (his best role with the Company to date, in my view) and Rob will dance with Janie Taylor (!!!) in their joint  Lincoln Center debuts in this work on Saturday May 30th matinee.

Listen to the music: this recording featuring the superb playing of violinist Cho-Liang Lin is a perfect choice for NYCB devotees since you get not just the DREAMER score, but also the Stravinsky Violin Concerto which Balanchine set for one of his finest masterworks. 

You can also sample the Prokofiev #1 here: the third movement with its ear-tinging sheen played by the distinctive Hilary Hahn (above). 

   

Dancing

Hiroshi Miyamoto of inDance.

Blame It On Fidel

We watched this small masterpiece of a film over the holiday weekend. I'm not quite sure what prompted me to choose it since normally I have a tendency to pass over films in which children take the central roles. But however it ended up on our screen, we thoroughly enjoyed this story of a family swept up in the political unrest of the early 1970s as viewed from the eyes of a child, Anna de la Mesa (Nina Kervel-Bey, above).

Anna's comfortable Parisian life and her established routines are thrown into chaos when her parents, played by Julie Depardieu and Stefano Accorsi (above), suddenly transform themselves into activists as world events touch on members of her father's family in Spain. To Anna's horror, all of the things she has considered to be good and right are suddenly swept away by her parents in their new Leftist view: they move from their spacious home into a small apartment to better fit in with their new political-activist friends. The children's beloved nanny and cook, who had fled Castro's Cuba, is dismissed and takes with her the delicious recipes the children always loved. Anna is pulled from her catechism classes at the Catholic school she's always attended. And her father crushingly informs her that "Mickey Mouse is a fascist!"

As one assault on her perfect world follows another, Ms. Kervel-Bey as Anna tries to cling bravely to the old beliefs and to comprehend her shifting world; the young actress has a miraculous maturity of expression as she is alternately indignant at and mystified by events. Every so often a simple, straight-forward smile lights up her face, reminding us that for all her steadfast determination she is still a little girl. She begins to understand the realities behind such vague concepts as "communist", "solidarity" and "abortion" and she is quiety horrified to discover where her surname came from: "Our ancestors tortured people on a table! That's how we got this name. Mesa means table!" A timely revelation...

Aside from Nina Kervel-Bey's striking portrayal of Anna, there is another captivating performance by a youngster: Benjamin Feuillet (above) plays Anna's impish little brother Francois. His deliciously candid reactions to events swirling about him had Wei laughing aloud.

Armand Amar's colourful score is another plus for this movie.

From all the conflicting ideologies to which she has been exposed, Anna must construct her own world view. She is still evolving when the film ends as the girl, finally pulled by her parents from her straight-laced Catholic school, ventures onto the playground at public school for the first time. Initially isolated and wary, she is drawn into the dance of life.