Sunday February 13, 2011 matinee - At New York City Ballet, the return to the repertoire of the Peter Martins production of SWAN LAKE has caused a major run on the box office. After eight performances sold out quickly, a ninth was added. This afternoon's performance was to have been the season premiere but the added performance took place two days earlier with essentially the same cast: Sara Mearns (in Paul Kolnik's photo above) and Jared Angle taking the roles of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried.
I was among the fortunate crowd who attended the first Mearns SWAN LAKE (in 2006) in which the ballerina, then essentially an unknown quality from the corps de ballet, gave an immaculate performance splendidly partnered by Nilas Martins. At the time, it was considered quite a gamble on the part of Peter Martins to thrust a young dancer into a high-profile debut. But Sara triumphed, and she has gone on to become a vivid, versatile and beloved star of the Company.
All of the ballerina's gorgeous attributes as dancer and woman find their fullest and most expressive grandeur in the iconic dual role of Odette/Odile. Sara has few peers as an adagio dancer these days: her style is so velvety, her upper body so supple in the surrendering backbends, the signature atttitude poses sculpted so memorably. She draws us into the sadness, the fear and the hope of this elusive creature so poetically. Her Odile is subtle in its manipulative allure, drawing cannily on all the Odette-motifs with which she easily dupes Siegfried. The Black Swan pas de deux majestically capped the court celebrations that featured excellent dancing from the entire Company, Sara and Jared throwing caution to the winds and sweeping onward buoyed by waves of applause. The tenderness of their final parting at the lakeside was so movingly conveyed in this, the best ending for this ballet that I've ever experienced, and all the more powerful each time it is seen.
Jared Angle (Henry Leutwyler photo, above) is an elegant Prince, a lost spirit yearning for something beyond the simple joys of his friendhip with the young villagers and the dread of his responsibilities at his mother's court. In the exotic and equally lost Odette he finds his soul-mate, but then he's duped into losing her forever. Jared danced fluently, partnered Sara tenderly and between the two of them the whole tragedy of a romance without hope was played out right to the end as Odette, doomed for all eternity, departs with her sister swans, leaving Siegfried in the depths of despair.
Jared & Sara in the Black Swan pas de deux, photographed by Paul Kolnik.
Faycal Karoui has a wonderful way with this glorious score and despite a few signs of player fatigue in the brass the music made its ever-potent mark today. The production takes some getting used to, but I long ago learned to tune-out certain elements and concentrate on the dancing and the clear and concise story-telling.
I had to laugh at one reviewer who bewailed the fact that the opening scene did not seem like a prince's court. Well, that's because it's not. These are the prince's friends from the village come to celebrate his birthday with dancing and wine. The girls in peasant style dresses should immediately signal that we are not inside the palace but on an outdoor terrace; these young people in their garish costumes would never see the inside of the royal residence. The Queen deigns to condescendingly drop in at this party to present her son with a crossbow.
The entire opening scene is I think one of Peter Martins' best choreographic efforts; in a long set piece for the villagers, there are lively and demanding combinations with interjections from the high-leaping Jester (Daniel Ulbricht today) and the introduction of some children who steer clear of cuteness and are woven skillfully into the adult dances.
Daniel's Jester provides the two party scenes with some brilliant passages; unlike in other productions I've seen, this Jester does not wear out his welcome but instead leaves us wishing he had more to do. Long Live the Queen: the beauteously regal Dena Abergel returns to the stage in this brief but important role, while another Company veteran Albert Evans is back as the manipulative Rothbart. (Luckily, the production does not feature a Tutor for the prince...one more reason for liking this staging.)
In the pas de trois Anthony Huxley as Benno danced with airy grace, his jump light and his footwork well-defined. Erica Pereira is such a pretty, precise and lovely dancer that you want to see her Swanhilda and Aurora, and Ana Sophia Scheller's solo was perfect - she should be dancing Odette/Odile though.
At the lake, the NYCB swans gave me a corps-watching treat as I swept my opera glasses up and down the ranks, enjoying them as individuals. Callie Bachman, Sara Adams, Lauren Lovette and Kristen Segin were the well-articulated Cygnets, winning strong applause.
Another highly enjoyable ensemble piece in this production is the dance of the six prospectives brides. Each wearing a pretty pastel dress and diadem, the six ballerinas each have a chance to shine as the others maintain a gracious dance-pattern: today we had Callie Bachman, Likolani Brown, Amanda Hankes, Lauren King, Georgina Pazcoguin and Mary Elizabeth Sell. A more susceptible prince would have asked his mother if polygamy was an option. Or - failing that - a harem.
In a brilliantly danced pas de quarte, four of the Company's virtuosos combined artistry and dazzle: Joaquin de Luz - ever the handsome and swift-spinning cavalier - squired Megan Fairchild, Tiler Peck and Abi Stafford; each of the girls sparkled in her solo and in the coda they danced in sync to joyous effect.
We've seen Jennie Somogyi in romantic, edgy, dramatic and contemplative roles, but: can she do sexy? Oh, yes. The lithe ballerina in her midriff outfit gave a languidly sensuous performance and Charles Askegard seemed rightly delighted to have such an enticing partner, tossing her into the air at one point. Welcome back, Rachel Rutherford! So nice to see this recent mom back onstage, dancing with Ask LaCour in Hungarian. Let's hope to see Rachel in more of her roles this Spring. Rebecca Krohn, Savannah Lowery, Craig Hall and Christian Tworzyanski were a high-powered Spanish team, and I loved Dronova and Antonio Carmena in Neopolitan.
The sold-out house was mostly attentive though folks now get up and wander to the restroom during the dancing - and are allowed re-entry, clambering over people to return to their seats. For shame, ushers!
ODETTE/ODILE: Mearns; SIEGFRIED: J. Angle; VON ROTBART: Evans+; QUEEN: Abergel+; JESTER: Ulbricht; BENNO: Huxley (replacing Suozzi); PAS DE TROIS: Pereira, Scheller; PAS DE QUATRE: M. Fairchild, A. Stafford, T. Peck, De Luz; HUNGARIAN: Rutherford, la Cour; RUSSIAN: Somogyi, Askegard; SPANISH: Lowery, Hall, Krohn, Tworzyanski; NEAPOLITAN: Dronova, Carmena; PRINCESSES: King, Sell, Hankes, Brown, Pazcoguin, Bachman
It all sounds beautiful! The photos of Sara Mearns in the NY Times today were stunning. Can't wait to see how the others do...Bouder is sure to be stunning, and Tess and Sterling have their debuts!!!
Posted by: Laura | February 14, 2011 at 08:31 PM
Not sure I will be able to get a seat for either of Sterling's performances!
I think they need to add a week of SWAN LAKEs to the Spring calendar...or maybe 2 weeks.
Posted by: Philip | February 15, 2011 at 09:45 AM