Tuesday May 25, 2010 - Ashley Bouder's revelatory performance in Balanchine's DONIZETTI VARIATIONS gave this pretty bon-bon of a ballet a dimension of grandeur as she sailed thru the technical demands with the command of a great coloratura soprano in full flight. The audience were clearly bedazzled by Ashley's prodigious pirouettes, flashing jumps and the fiorature of her footwork, calling the ballerina and her dashing cavalier Andrew Veyette before the curtain three times at the end.
The music is so 'operatic' that one half expects the dancers to start singing. As cabaletta follows cavatina with bel canto inevitability Balanchine calls on the dancers for one flourish after another. Ashley and Andrew rose to every challenge, and the attractive ensemble were so much a part of the success. Georgina Pazcoguin in a featured passage and Faye Arthurs with her sweeping extension stood out among the girls; and there was also the handsome trio of Daniel Applebaum, Vincent Paradiso and Allen Peiffer.
Top photo of Ashley in another opera-derived Balanchine work, BALLO DELLA REGINA. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Robert Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin in STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO, photographed by Paul Kolnik. The Balanchine black-and-white ballets are looking good these days - and sounding good too, especially tonight when Kurt Nikkanen gave a brilliant rendition of the concerto conducted by Maurice Kaplow. The score is so fresh and alive and it was nice to hear the shouts of approval for the soloist when Sterling Hyltin brought him out for a bow.
This is one of the most marvelously structured of Balanchine's masterworks with each of the four principals having an introductory solo backed by quartets of corps dancers. Then come the two central duets followed by the concluding ensemble with its Russian flavor.
Above: Paul Kolnik's photo of Sebastien Marcovici and Maria Kowroski. Maria gave a spectacular performance: whether back-bending into a human arch, letting fly with her patented extension or weaving thru the intricacies of her pas de deux with the charismatic Sebastien Marcovici, Maria was on top form. Sterling looked sporty in her opening passage with the four boys and later had a lovely and longingly vulnerable quality for her duet with Robert Fairchild. Rob is having a really busy season; he looked great and danced with intensity. Excellent dancing from the corps and good to see Megan LeCrone and Ellen Ostrom dancing after not seeing them onstage for a while.
Nice pre-performance shadows on the Promenade.
That's a stunning photo of Robbie and Sterling!
Posted by: Marisa | May 26, 2010 at 08:35 AM