Tuesday September 20, 2011 - I couldn't resist this programme at New York City Ballet and since the "Society" seating was "Not Available" for the place I wanted to sit I ended up buying a 5th Ring seat at full price. I'm happy in the 5th Ring; it's a steep drop to the stage but with opera glasses you're OK there.
It was a very fine evening of Balanchine, with the orchestra playing Webern, Stravinsky and Hindemith impressively under Faycal Karoui's baton. The dancing was at a very high level all evening, and the ballets - including the earliest work by Mr B still in the active repertoire (APOLLO) - looked freshly minted and vividly alive.
The ultra-spare music by Anton Webern for the first three duets of EPISODES gives way in the end to a more courtly feeling in the final segment, a setting of Bach's Ricercar for Six Voices from A MUSICAL OFFERING where the timpani gives the piece a sexy and slightly ominous sway. Superb dancers in each duet: Abi Stafford and Tyler Angle were technically fastidious in the opening Symphony with its inverted batterie; then Teresa Reichlen and Ask LaCour, dancing in pools of white light, were mysterious and elegant in Five Pieces.
Wendy Whelan (above) and Craig Hall gave a magnificent Concerto where Craig manipulates the ultra-flexible Wendy into unusual contortions and sometimes sends her sliding across the floor. In the final movement, Ricercata, Rebecca Krohn (new to her role) gave an impressive performance, expanding her catalog of Balanchine black-and-white roles in which she excels; Jonathan Stafford was her sure and steady cavalier. Dancing together or in solo passages, Rebecca and Jon were a partnership I'd like to see developed.
The corps de ballet dancers who make so much of the atmosphere of EPISODES were wonderful; in Symphony three couples made a strong impression: Marika Anderson and Russell Janzen, Gywneth Muller and Allen Peiffer, and Gretchen Smith with Christian Tworzyanski. Enhancing the Whelan/Hall partnership in Concerto were Likolani Brown, Alina Dronova, Lauren King and Ashley Laracey.
After a pause we were treated to one of the best performances of APOLLO I've ever witnessed. Robert Fairchild gave an exceptional performance in the title-role. Although he's been consumed of late by preparations for the new Martins/McCartney ballet, Rob gave a thrillingly committed performance as Apollo, dancing with youthful vigor yet also showing a mature assurance of stagecraft. So many super-fine passages of dance in his interpretation with an especially vivid impetuosity in the twisty motif of his final entrance in the ballet.
Such a majestic young god merits equally marvelous Muses and we had a grand trio of ballerinas tonight: Sterling Hyltin (Terpsichore), Tiler Peck (Polyhymnia) and Ana Sophia Scheller (Calliope). To say that each of the girls was at her finest gives an idea of the level of the overall performance. With the orchestra (all strings) and Maestro Karoui giving the score a radiant polish, this APOLLO dazzled both eye and ear.
Lydia Wellington, with her long legs and distinctive look, set FOUR TEMPERAMENTS in motion with her opening duet partnered by Christian Tworzyanski. Lauren King and Allen Peiffer give their theme an allegro vitality, and Ashley Laracey and Adrian Danchig-Waring scuplted their lines beautifully in the third duet. I must say, Adrian's intensity and clarity were just fantastic tonight.
Gonzalo Garcia (above, photo by Henry Leutwyler) gave Melancholic a passionate rendering, the handsome danseur sweeping into fluid backbends. While the title implies a morose state of depression, the actual dancing calls for great physical energy and power. Gonzalo caught this dichotomy expertly and of course his personal magnetism holds the stage at every moment. Savannah Lowery and Jared Angle found a beautiful connection to Hindemith's music in the spacious Sanguinic pas de deux with Jared's ever-attentive partnering showing off Savannah's expansive dancing so well.
Amar Ramasar (above, in a Henry Leutwyler portrait) gave a thrilling performance of Phlegmatic with his innate charismatic quality aligned to dancing that was technically polished and infused with a sense complete command and stylistic assurance. Amar's performance was not only exciting in its own right but also reminded us of our good fortune in having this unique and generous dancer in our Company.
Appearing as Amar's top-flight Phlegmatic backup team were Marika Anderson, Kaitlyn Gilliland, Gwyneth Muller and Gretchen Smith.
Ashley Bouder's Choleric sent the trajectory of this already-exciting FOUR TEMPERAMENTS right off the charts. The ballerina, dancing with her trademark dazzling technique, brought a touch of sexiness to the role and seemed in the meantime to be expanding her range by leaps and bounds. A really remarkable performance.
The only damper on the evening came when one looked away from the stage and into the auditorium at the forlorn sight of the empty 4th Ring. Last season the Balanchine black-and-white ballets drew substantial crowds and an enthusiastic gallery. Tonight as I made my way up to the 5th Ring, the ushers stood ready to help 4th Ring patrons but only a dozen or so people showed up. Under the bizarre new seating/pricing scheme, it seems there was no real need to have the 4th Ring open tonight, especially as there were many empty seats in the 3rd Ring. I thought the idea was to "fill the theater from the bottom up." Obviously it's not what ballet-goers want; and the sight of the dark gaping cavern at the top of the house was dismaying. The scheme seems so pointless and so randomly applied.
I tried to get a friend to meet me tonight and attend the performance with me but although he was very interested in seeing Robbie Fairchild's Apollo, he said that the current marketing trends at NYCB have turned him off and he feels no impetus to make the effort to go. And this is a man who has been a passionate follower of NYCB for 30+ years. Unfortunately I am hearing the same thing from lots of people.
While purchasing my ticket earlier in the day the absurdity of the pricing hit home: 3rd Ring AA are $29 but 4th Ring AA are $55. How convoluted is that? And if people complained that the 4th Ring (gallery) seats were "too far from the stage" when they cost $30, why would people suddenly want them when the price is $89?
Despite having a great time this evening thanks to Balanchine, the music, and most especially to the dancers, I get a sinking feeling over the direction (or lack of) that the Company are currently taking. I hope the ship can be righted, and soon.