Oberon's Grove

Score Desk for NORMA @ The Met

"Il sacro vischio a mietere Norma verrà?"

Monday October 28th, 2012 - Angela Meade is one of the most talked-about sopranos in New York City these days. Having not - to date - been really impressed by the performances of her's that I have seen, I was still curious to hear (though not to see) her Norma, so a score desk was the place for me tonight.

In a Met ERNANI, I felt Meade's voice un-sorted and a bit shy of the needed power (she had no help from the conductor in that regard); in Rossini's MOISE ER PHARAON at Carnegie Hall she sang quite beautifully. As Leonora in a Met TROVATORE, the soprano had some lovely turns of phrase and vocal effects, but was dramatically nil, especially when she got down on the floor in the duet with di Luna and floundered around, provoking titters from those around me. Her Bellini Beatrice di Tenda at Carnegie was mostly attractively sung - though somewhat tremulous of tone and a bit under-powered in places - but a breach of stage etiquette near the end of the first half dissolved any atmosphere that had been created, and we headed for the exit as soon as the act ended, while a woman seated behind us hauled out her cellphone to tell someone: "This Angela Meade is sensational, she's so much better than Joan Sutherland!"

So we come to Norma, a daunting role under any circumstances; having just seen Sondra Radvanovsky give a very impressive performance of the role, I approached this evening with mixed expectations, hoping Ms. Meade would come thru with flying colours. 

Meade commenced with an authoritative rendering of Norma's opening recitative "Sediziose voci..."; the voice was ample, and her pacing and use of words marked a fine start to this arduous role. But in the "Casta diva" the innate flutter in Meade's tone began to intrude on my enjoyment of her singing. This is simply the nature of her voice, not really a technical flaw, and you are either going to like it or not. For me, it became increasingly irritating as the first act of the opera progressed.

Aside from some smudgy fiorature here and there, Meade had all the notes well in hand. Her use of pianissimo in the high register is so frequent that it's predictable, however attractive the effect might be. In the scene and duet with Adalgisa, Meade had many lovely passages but the flutter (there is no other word for it) in her voice undid any pleasure I was deriving from the evening. As the act surged towards its conclusion, the cognoscenti were expecting a high-D from the soprano; when it didn't materilaize, at least one famous fan showed his disappointment by gesticulating wildly. I could almost hear him saying 'Phooey!'

Jamie Barton's been in the news lately as winner of both the opera and lieder prizes at this year's Cardiff Singer of the World competition. It's a fine instrument, clear and warm and even, though as yet not a truly individual sound; one might be tempted to say it's a baby-Horne voice. She sang very well and was clearly the audience favorite tonight; we'll see how she develops in terms of distinctiveness. I sense a bit of tension in her upper register but otherwise the instrument seems very well-placed. The news that she's going to sing Fricka feels a bit premature (RHEINGOLD, fine; WALKURE, probably not a great idea at this point) but hopefully she'll stay on a steady course: it should be a long and interesting career.

Aleksandrs Antonenko seemed in better voice than in the earlier performance I saw (with Radvanovsky) and he tackled and sustained the written high-C in his aria, not prettily but emphatically. James Morris was a bit below his current best form but still held up his corner of the vocal quartet well enough. The orchestra and chorus seemed to thrive under Maestro Frizza, who was very supportive of his principal singers.

I left at intermission, knowing now that there's no real need for me to attend future Angela Meade performances, unless she just happens to be singing on a night I am going. She has plenty of admirers to sustain her, come what may.   

Metropolitan Opera
October 28, 2013

NORMA
Vincenzo Bellini

Norma...................Angela Meade
Pollione................Aleksandrs Antonenko
Adalgisa................Jamie Barton
Oroveso.................James Morris
Flavio..................Eduardo Valdes
Clotilde................Siân Davies

Conductor...............Riccardo Frizza

Joshua Beamish @ Ailey Citigroup Theater

Above: choreographer Joshua Beamish

Saturday October 26, 2013 - The planned New York City premiere presentation of Joshua Beamish's PIERCED at Ailey Citigroup had to be abandoned on very short notice due to extenuating circumstances. A combination of dancer injuries and a delay in obtaining visas (a result of the recent US government shutdown) caused the Canadian choreographer to assemble a new programme, literally on the spur of the moment. The evening proved rewarding in its own right, thanks to Joshua's charismatic personality, his gifts as both choreographer and dancer, and the assistance of two of Gotham's loveliest ladies: Deborah Wingert and Cathy Eilers.

Cathy introduced the evening, describing how she fell under Joshua's spell right from her first meeting with him at Joyce SoHo a few years ago. A film of a pas de deux from PIERCED was then shown, performed by Harrison James (National Ballet of Canada) and Jo-Ann Sundermeier (Smuin Ballet). The music is by David Lang, and the title PIERCED refers to Cupid's arrow.

Live dancing started with a solo that followed: Joshua - as the self-described 'guardian of love' - danced with hypnotic fluidity: his clarity of movement and caressive port de bras enhance his god-given handsomeness, creating a distinctive self-portrait.

In an interview that followed, Deborah Wingert posed just the right questions so that we got to know Joshua - his process and his way of thinking - without compromising his personal mystique. Many dance interviews fall flat, but Deborah's thorough understanding of dance from the inside out - as dancer, teacher, choreographer, stager and coach - assured an articulate and meaningful dialogue with Joshua, one coloured by honest emotion.

For now we must put PIERCED on our wish-list and hope that a future opportunity will bring Joshua's MOVE: the company to New York City in full force.

Tonight's performance continued with Jacklyn Wheatley of The Ailey School performing a new Beamish solo, Some is Lost, to music by Hauschka. The movement here is a feminine counter-poise to the solo Joshua danced earlier in the evening.

Music from Bach's cello suite #1 set the stage for Joshua's expressive dancing of a solo from his 2011 work Allemande. Sticking with the music of the great masters, Vivaldi was then summoned for a particularly satisfying performamce of an extended excerpt from This Black Vale which premiered earlier this year. Davon Rainey, totally at home in Joshua Beamish's flowing movement style, danced a solo and then a duet in which Joshua kept coming and going, their relationship a mystery. Davon's second solo was a more animated piece, and then, as the music seemed to fracture, Joshua re-appeared for the evening's final solo.

Joshua Beamish will be dancing a duet he choreographed for Wendy Whelan and himself at The Joyce as part of Wendy's production Restless Creature April 1st - 6th, 2014. Further details will be forthcoming.

Robin Becker's INTO SUNLIGHT

Above: the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC

Friday October 25th, 2013 - My association with Robin Becker's dancework INTO SUNLIGHT, set during the Vietnam War era, stretches back to November 2010 when my dancer/friend Paul (Oisin) Monaghan suggested that Kokyat and I drop in to one of Robin's rehearsals. I was immediately drawn to Robin's movement style and to the theme of the work.

Inspired by Pulitzer prize-winning author David Maraniss's book THEY MARCHED INTO SUNLIGHT, Robin Becker has crafted an hour-long dancework with a musical score by Chris Lastovicka. While the events depicted - the ambush of a batallion of American soldiers in the Vietnam jungle and the protest against Dow Chemical at the University of Wisconsin - took place on two consecutive days in October of 1967, INTO SUNLIGHT resonates far beyond those specific incidents, and will continue to resonate as long as mankind resorts to warfare as a way of settling religious and idelogical differences - differences which will never be settled anyway.

INTO SUNLIGHT was shown in June 2011 at the 92nd Street Y; now it has come to the Florence Gould Theater. For the most part, the leading dancers have retained their roles from the original cast: Nicole Sclafani, Yoko Sagimoto-Ikezawa, Lisa Clementi, Oisin Monaghan, Chazz Fenner-McBride and Edwardo Brito.  Sarah Parker is new to the Company and makes a beautiful impression.

Over the two years since I saw this dancework, the original dancers have matured: in physique, technique and stagecraft, they now give the work more nuance and complexity while maintaining their individual appeal as personalities. This developmental process has given INTO SUNLIGHT a more polished and compelling look, without sacrificing freshness. The Company are supplemented by an ensemble of nine young dancers who bring their own faces and forms into play.

Among the most vivid moments of INTO SUNLIGHT are two duets: in one, Nicole Sclafani and Paul Monaghan depict the dream a young woman had of her brother's horrific death from a massive abdominal wound - a dream which came true. Later - in the work's most poignant passage - Yoko Sugimoto-Ikezawa visits the grave of her beloved (the ensemble dancer Ricky Wenthen) where she seeks to connect with his spirit.

There is also an animated trio for three soldiers - Oisin Monaghan, Chazz Fenner-McBride and Edwardo Brito - recalling the innocent rough-housing of their younger days while dealing with the realities of serving in a war in a far-away land and watching their buddies being killed or maimed. Chazz also has a physically demanding solo depicting the moment that West Point football hero Don Holleder rushed heedlessly onto the battleground towards his vanquished comrades only to be gunned down. The three boys are distinctive stage personalities: Oisin, pale and enigmatic; Edwardo with his easy moves, handsome torso and expressive face; and Chazz, who has lost his puppy-dog boyishness and is now a muscularized young man, moving with compelling energy.

The work shifts between solemn rites and more animated emsemble passages; only near the end does the balance go off somewhat: the final two movements are perfomed mostly in slow-motion, the dancers re-arranging themselves in structures which then dissolve and re-form. As lovely as this is to watch, after a while it can't sustain us visually and our focus begins to falter. Some compression here would make for a more powerful experience as the work moves to its pensive conclusion.

But despite this concern, INTO SUNLIGHT is beautifully performed: it's a dancework that is thought-provoking and meaningful, even as civilization continues to blunder thru war after war. I congratulate Robin Becker, Chris Lastovicka, and everyone involved in bringing this work to the stage.

BalaSole: VISAGES

Thursday October 24th, 2013 - Roberto Villanueva's BalaSole Dance Company presenting VISAGES, a programme of solo danceworks, mostly self-choreographed, which was given at Ailey Citigroup Theater. Roberto provides a rare opportunity for dancers to perform solo works in professionally-staged productions before sizeable audiences of dance-lovers. His ever-changing roster of dancers is marked by diversity of race, body-type, age, style and individual expression.

Christa Hines (above) performed the opening solo entitled Falling Together, Falling Apart which was choreographed by Teal Darkenwald. Wearing a soft white belted tunic and heavy black boots, the dancer began in silence, moving haltingly about the space and periodically collapsing to the floor. The plaintive voice of Mimerose Beaubron seeps into our senses as the dancer continues her struggle against unseen forces. Ms. Hines, with an appealing quality between vulnerability and hope, signaled the start of a programme which was especially strong in its musical offerings.

Janina Clark performed the solo Sining (Art) to the delicate sounds of the koto. In a black tunic with a ruby-red sash, the dancer moved gracefully across the space, evoking images of a young geisha dancing alone in her own private world.

Steven Brown's solo Revealed was set to a haunting rendition (in Italian) of Nadir's aria from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers sung by the late tenor Salvatore Licitra. I had never heard this particular version before, and it was quite moving. Mr. Brown's performance - he remained stationary throughout, communicating with his expressive arm and hands - had a reverential and introspective quality, and he sustained the mood beautifully. 

Ursula Verduzco, the tall and stately ballerina, let her hair down for the solo Nothing To Hide, danced to the contemporary lyricism of Yann Tiersen. Eminently at home on the stage, and using the space with expressive assurance, the dancer's sense of urgency moves inevitably to a silent scream. This solo was a cohesive blend of music, movement and personal commitment. 

Jason Garcia Ignacio, a compact and muscular dancer from the Philippines, used harpsichord music by Louis Couperin to excellent advantage for his handsomely-danced solo My Brother's Keeper. Jason's supple body, finely lit to delineate his sculpted torso, showed compelling flexiblity in some deep backbends (that's Jason in the costume-photo at the top of this article).

The evening's most unusual work, Go To The Limits Of Your Longing, was created and performed by Anna Brown Massey (above).

Ms. Massey's solo opens with vocalist Julia Patinella seated onstage, clapping a rhythmic phrase. As dancer enters (above photo), Ms. Patinella bursts into song: her is voice rich, earthy and powerful. The dancer takes a seat across the stage and her entire solo is performed from this seated position, with Ms. Massey using her arms, hands, shoulders and neck to convey an interior monolog. The voice of Ms. Patinella filled the hall with passionate clarity.

Looking striking with her long hair and vivid make-up, dancer Katherine Alvarado showed a strong dramatic flair in her solo Distancia; the music, by Max Richter, seems Glassian at first but then evolves into expansive, full-blown lyricism. Ms. Alvarado, in a backless black outfit, used her entire body as a communicative vessel.

A strong house beat set Delphina Parentiv (above) in restless motion for her solo Body Rebellion. A vivid gestural language and space-covering combinations marked the dancer's high-energy performance which drew an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

Roberto Villanueva' s solo Seconds Remain The Same showed this magnetic dancer's presence and his flexibility of physique as he moved across the stage in a contemplative state, seemingly lured by some far-off vision. Eventually the dancer is seen in silhouette as he retreats from us into the distance.

The BalaSole tradition of opening and closing their programmes with ensemble works created in a brief rehearsal period was particularly rewarding tonight as the dancers introduced themselves (and bade us good-night) to the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, marked by celebratory getures and a series of pas de trois in which individual personalities emerged. The evening's performers were joined by emerging artist Ashley Peters who - it seemed to me - deserved a solo shot. Maybe in the next BalaSole show? 

I apologize for the darkness and lack of focus in some of these photos from the dress rehearsal: I am still trying to capture motion, but I have a long way to go...

...though I can do well enough when dancers stand still (Jason and Christa, above).

Intermezzo Dance Company/Update

Above: Carlos Lopez and Kurt Froman in the 'drunken duet' from Raymond Lukens' ballet VEILS from Intermezzo Dance Company's debut performance at the 92nd Street Y; photo by Sarah Sterner

Mary Cargill writes about the Intermezzo performance here, and Deborah Wingert covers it here.

Above: Aran Bell and Kurt Froman in VEILS; photo by Sarah Sterner

Above: Intermezzo ballerinas Kaitlyn Gilliland and Rina Barrantes; photo by Sarah Sterner

After the show: Craig Salstein (center) with the Intermezzo dancers and the members of the Wyrick String Quartet.

Great Piano Quartets @ Chamber Music Society

Above: pianist Gilbert Kalish of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Tuesday October 22nd, 2013 - Piano quartets from three centuries were on the bill today at this Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performance. As I walked down the corridor to enter the auditorium at Alice Tully Hall, I experienced the odd sensation of being in church; these CMS concerts are not only completely satisfying musically, but they are so spiritually uplifting in their ability to carry us out of the everyday world to something more pure and elevated. 

I had an incredible seat, second row center, looking up at the musicians at close range. The lines of communication - between player and player, and between musicians and audience - were so direct and intimate; I don't exaggerate when I say it was a transportive experience.

Above: pianist Orion Weiss

Mozart first: the ill-fated genius composed two piano quartets, a relatively rare genre during the Viennese Classical period. The E-flat major quartet K. 493 is the second of these, and dates from 1786. It is thought to be the piece that Mozart himself played at Count Joseph Thun's palace when the composer journeyed to Prague in 1787 to witness the overwhelming success there of his opera LE NOZZE DI FIGARO. This quartet is considered among the peaks of Mozart's chamber music, and it certainly seemed so today in a performance of remarkable musical clarity and emotional immediacy.

Orion Weiss was at the Steinway, with Nicolas Dautricourt (violin), Paul Neubauer (viola) and Keith Robinson (cello) center-stage. Their playing was impeccable, and I so deeply enjoyed watching the communication between them: a silent language of the eyes and a tilt of the head. Mr. Neubauer, as expressive of face as in his musicianship, seemed the conduit linking the four players emotionally. The music flowed freely as melody and embellishment passed from one player to another. An atmosphere of quiet intensity filled the hall, the audience breathing in the sustaining beauty of Mozart's perfection.

A complete change of mood as we were transported forward to 1931 and the intoxicating rhythms and alluring turns of phrase of the Spanish composer Joaquin Turina's A-minor quartet, opus 67. Here the players were out to seduce the ear, led by Yura Lee (violin) with Messrs. Neubauer, Robinson and Weiss.

Turina composed this piano quartet in 1931; its flavour of Spanish folk music, with gypsy and Andalusian nuances, is characteristic of the composer's work, which was influenced by his predecessors Manuel de Falla and Isaac Albeniz. Veering effortlessly from the fiery rhythms to the more sustained song-like motifs, Ms. Lee and her colleagues reveled in sensuous glow of the music; Mr. Weiss fulfilled the demanding piano writing with élan, and again I greatly enjoyed the the silent sense of conspiracy among the players as they wound their way thru the subtle turns of the music.

Yura Lee switched gracefully from violin to viola for the evening's concluding work, the Brahms Quartet #2, Opus 26. For this long (50 minutes) and demanding work, keyboard master Gilbert Kalish was at the Steinway, Nicolas Dautricourt returned with his violin, and the superb Mr. Robinson polished off his evening perfectly - the only player involved in all three works tonight. 

Johannes Brahms himself played the piano part at this work's premiere in 1863; Robert Schumann had already hailed Brahms as Beethoven's heir apparent, and the piano quartet was one of the works that propelled the composer into his position as one of the immortal Three Bs - Bach, Beethoven and Brahms - in the pantheon of classical music.

Tonight this masterpiece unfolded in all its glory. In a touching tribute in the playbill, Mr. Dautricourt spoke of being mentored by Mr. Kalish at Ravinia in 2002 when the Frenchman had first arrived in the United States. It must have been a great experience for them to perform together this evening.

Mr. Dautricourt's playing is so passionate and expressive; I found myself drawn to this tall and charismatic musician, who is apparently equally at home in both jazz and the classics. Mr. Kalish's playing was resonant and sublime, with Ms. Lee and Mr. Robinson yet again as pleasing to watch as to hear. The cumulative effect of their performance drew a sustained applause from the attentive and dedicated audience of music-lovers.

The anticipation I felt going into the concert was amply rewarded: I had expected the best that music can offer, but - intangibly - it was even better than that.

• Mozart Quartet in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 493 (1786)
• Turina Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 67 (1931)
• Brahms Quartet No. 2 in A major for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 26 (1861)

The participating artists tonight were:

Gilbert Kalish, piano
Orion Weiss, piano
Nicolas Dautricourt, violin
Yura Lee, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola
Keith Robinson, cello

Ballet Next: New Works-in-Progress

Above: Michele Wiles of Ballet Next

Monday October 21st, 2013 - Ballet Next had a huge turn-out (intentional pun!) for their choreographic exhibition at Ailey tonight. Three works being created for the Company's upcoming season at New York Live Arts were shown, all performed to live music under the direction of cellist Elad Kabilio.

The dates for the Ballet Next performances at New York Live Arts are January 13th - 18th, 2014; further information will be forthcoming.

Above: violinist Mario Gotoh played the Chaconne from the 'Partita #2'  for the pas de deux entitled Bach 260, choreographed by Robert Sher-Machernndl, and danced by Michele Wiles and Mr. Machernndl (photo below).

This duet, anchored in the classic vocabulary, takes a contemporary overlay with elements of pursuit and capture carrying the dancers about the space in movement that both sustains and sometimes counter-acts the Bach score, which Ms. Gotoh played so beautifully.

All the Drops of Water is a duet choreographed by Michele Wiles and danced by Tiffany Mangulabnan and Ms Wiles (above). The music, a lyrical quintet by Max Richter, was performed by Hajnal Karman Pivnik and Ms. Gotoh (violins), Caroline Gilbert (viola), Mr. Kabilio (cello) and Ben Laude (piano). The musicians were seated literally inches away from me - in fact, I could read Hajnal's score - while the two dancers in deep blue with their hair down seemed like contemporary nymphs. The choreography has a restless quality, inter-laced with moments of repose and tenderness.

 

Surmisable Units is an ensemble work with choreography by Brian Reeder. The dancers (above) are Tiffany Mangulabanan, Michele Wiles, Steven Melendez, Kaitlyn Gilliland, and Brittany Cioce. The score, Steve Reich's tricky and repetitive 'Piano Phase', was played by Peter Dugan and Ben Laude.

The choreography utilizes the space in quirky ways, with the dancers sometimes standing behind the two pianos (which are center-stage) and executing semaphoric arm gestures. At times the dancers wear metallic-silver face masks, making them anonymous. Solo dancing is woven in, and the combinations echo the speed and articulation of the relentless musical pulse.

Above: Kaitlyn Gilliland and Michele Wiles in Surmisible Units.

The large crowd of Company friends and supporters seemed very taken with the dancing and the music; I look forward to seeing these works in their staged settings at NYLA in the new year.

Lar Lubovitch @ The Joyce - Program B

Above: Kate Skarpetowska and Brian McGinnis in Lar Lubovitch's CRISIS VARIATIONS; photo by Kokyat

Sunday matinee October 20th, 2013 - Lar Lubovitch Dance Company's 45th anniversary was celebrated this afternoon at The Joyce as the Company marked the finale of their two-week season. Two familiar works - Transparent Things and Crisis Variations - were followed by a trio of new pieces: a stunning all-male ensemble work called As Sleep Befell, a new duet choreographed by Company dancer Kate Skarpetowska entitled Listen, and an over-the-top cowboy caper Crazy 8s. If the dancers were feeling any end-of-season fatigue, it didn't show. They danced their hearts out.

Lar Lubovitch was inspired by the Picasso painting 'Family of Saltimbanques' (above) for his 2012 ballet Transparent Things, set to the Debussy string quartet in G-minor. With the score performed live onstage by the Bryant Park Quartet, the union of music and dance was celebrated by the charming characterizations of the six dancers, each costumed exactly like a figure in the painting. 

This ballet weaves a very particular spell; the melding of art, music and movement gives it a Ballets Russes feeling - Diaghilev would approve, I am sure. The musicians played so well, and the dancers excelled. Attila Joey Csiki gave a wonderfully expressive performance as the Harlequin figure, his movement so fluent and graceful. As the quartet's third movement draws to a close, the dancers invade the musicians' space and wriggle their way between the chairs; as the light fades, Attila gently lays his head against the cello. A lovely murmur passed thru the house at that moment.

But the quartet has another movement still to come, and although it seemed to me that a perfect ending might have been forsaken, the actual end of the ballet is equally well-judged and drew more sighs of admiration from the crowd. The dancers - Katarzyna Skarpetowska, Laura Rutledge, Brian McGinnis, Clifton Brown and Reed Luplau (a dreamy Blue Boy) - were all endearing as individuals and, in addition to Attila's perfect rendering of Harlequin, made the ballet a poetic experience.

Lar's CRISIS VARIATIONS is set to a nightmarish score by Yevgeny Sharlat which features the unusual juxtaposition of harpsichord and saxophone; glimmers of melody shoot thru a dark, dense cloud of sound. This turbulent ballet is essentially an extended pas de deux for two remarkable dancers: Kate Skarpetowska and Brian McGinnis. Their partnering is risky, passionate but unromantic, and they perform it with unfettered physicality and angst. The ensemble - Nicole Corea, Laura Rutledge, Jonathan Alsberry, Reed Luplau and Anthony Bocconi - lay down, writhe. pile up, and periodically seem to try to escape from this ongoing dream. The ballet ends on a quizzical note as Kate suddenly vanishes beneath a mound of bodies.

Both of these first two works seem to have taken on new depths and fascinations since their premieres, showing that the more we devote ourselves to watching dance the more we will see.

Above: from AS SLEEP BEFELL, photo by Steven Schreiber

After the second intermission, new works were brought forth: the first of these, Lar's AS SLEEP BEFELL, was a staggeringly beautiful experience. Once again the unity of music, dance and setting combined to please, and to seduce. The musicians of Le Train Bleu are ranged in a semi-circle at the rear of the stage: all dressed in casual summer whites, they are barefooted. They strike up Paola Prestini's multi-hued score, conducted by Ransom Wilson. A tall, white-gowned priestess -vocalist Helga Davis - begins her chant which takes her from distrubing growls in chest voice to uncanny, sustained high tones; a throaty quality imbues her singing with a raw earthiness.

Ranged on the floor are six male dancers - Clifton Brown, Jonathan Alsberry, Reed Luplau, Anthony Bocconi, Oliver Greene-Cramer and Tobin del Cuore. They are bare-chested and wearing long diaphanous white skirts. They rise in a tribal ritual of dance that is primitive, sensuous, and hypnotic to behold. Expressive port de bras, fluid torsos, and long, muscular legs emerging from the white gowns create an alluring vision of male beauty. To a seductive rhythm, they link arms and sway in unison: a provocative passage.

AS SLEEP BEFELL might be viewed as a male counterpart to the sisterhood Jerome Robbins created in his masterpiece ANTIQUE EPIGRAPHS. Both ballets evoke communal rites and timeless visions of ancient realms and forgotten gods. 

Above: Nicole Corea and Reed Luplau in LISTEN, photo by Steven Schreiber

Kate Skarpetowska also turns to the music of Paola Prestini for her new pas de deux LISTEN. This duet will eventually be half of a longer work but even as it stands now, it's another excellent entry into Ms. Skarpetowska's catalog of work. In a shaft of bright light, Nicole Corea and Reed Luplau seem to be having a conversation set against Ms. Prestini's elaborate clockwork score. The movement is restless and quirky as the energy passes back and forth between the two dancers. The interjection of a soulful cello theme brings a new element to the ballet; then Nicole suddenly vanishes, leaving Reed to dance an animated solo. 

Nicole and Reed make a perfect pairing, and I'll look forward to seeing the resolution of this duet. This was my fourth experience with Kate Skarpetowska's choreographic work; in her musicality, her sense of visual poetry, and her imaginative use of both the physical and emotional characteristics of her dancers, she is already taking a distinctive place in the choreographic community.

Above: from CRAZY 8s, photo by Phyllis McCabe

The afternoon ended with a terrific little ballet called CRAZY 8s. After a half-century of creativity, a choerographer is entitled to a bit of fun, and Lar Lubovitch took off on a totally unexpected tangent with this piece which spoofs hoe-downs, square dancing, the Grand Ole Opry, the rodeo, and the whole cowboy culture. The score is a fractured mash-up of Wild West rhythms, square dance calls, and a country-Western heartbreak song. The dancers, clad in garish bright yellow tights and ten-gallon hats, threw high-falutin' artsy hogwash to the prairie winds and set to it with tongues-in-cheeks and a glint in their eyes. A special howdy-do to Jonathan Alsberry for his crazy/sexy-boy solo. This deft little romp sent the crowd home in high spirits.

San Francisco Ballet @ Lincoln Center

 

Above: San Francisco Ballet's Vitor Luiz and Vanessa Zahorian in Helgi Tomasson's TRIO; photo © Erik Tomasson

Saturday October 19th, 2013 (evening) - Welcoming back to New York City one of the world's greatest ballet companies: San Francisco Ballet!  I had hoped to attend both of the Company's programs during their first week at Lincoln Center, but things didn't turn out that way. When the Company were last here in 2008, I went to see everything they offered, and I fell in love with all the dancers. Fortunately tonight I was able to see many of those beautiful dancers again, though I missed some other favorites - like Lorena Feijoo and Taras Domitro. I very much admired the Company's programming, bringing works to New York City that we've not seen before. 

Above: the Company in Helgi Tomasson's TRIO; photo © Erik Tomasson

Helgi Tomasson's TRIO, which opened the performance, is a four-movement work in the Romantic style danced before an antique/Renaissance backdrop (by Alexander V Nichols). Mark Zappone's costumes, in shades of wine and dusty Autumn flame, set the dancers off beautifully. Tomasson's ballets always please the ear as well as the eye: TRIO is danced to Tchaikovsky's richly melodic Souvenir de Florence.

After a striking entrée where the ballerina is held aloft, the gorgeously elegant, the dark-haired Vanessa Zahorian swirls thru lovely supported pirouettes and covers the space beautifully with her joyous dance; her cavalier, Vitor Luiz, shows off some unusual flourishes in his combinations. Their duet, backed by the ensemble, is filled with demanding partnering motifs; they gave a wonderful performance, setting the tone for the entire evening.

Above: Sarah Van Patten and Tiit Helimets in TRIO; photo © Erik Tomasson

New York City has Wendy Whelan and San Francisco has Sarah Van Patten: I feel these two dancers might be sisters under the skin. Ms. Van Patten's striking presence and passionate physicality transcend the steps and music. In the adagio of TRIO she appears first in a sensual duet with the marvelous Tiit Helimets; we are basking in their expressive perfection when the charismatic Anthony Spaulding suddenly appears, making his own claim to the ballerina. The trio's passions and tensions ebb and flow thru their pas de trois, a finely-crafted dance drama.

Maria Kochetkova, a petite ballerina with who radiates enormous charm and technical authority, dazzled the audience with her ebullient dancing; she and her vividly handsome partner Davit Karapetyan led the ballet's third and fourth movements which range from classic partnering à la Russe to some stylized motifs that maintained the ballet's freshness.

Among the ensemble, soloist Hansuke Yamamoto made an outstanding impression. This Tomasson ballet made me crave a revival of his 2000 Beethoven work for New York City Ballet: PRISM. 

Martin West conducted the Tchaikovsky score for TRIO and also had the baton for the evening's second work: Christopher Wheeldon's GHOSTS set to music by C F Kip Winger.

Above: Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in Wheeldon's GHOSTS. Photo © Erik Tomasson.

Christopher Wheeldon's GHOSTS, which premiered in 2010, is performed by an ensemble of dancers in gossamer white beneath the pallid glow of a full moon. CF Kip Winger's score has a cinematic feel, with passages of Romantic styling mingled with quirky, more angular effects.

Christopher Wheeldon (who was on the Promenade this evening during the intermission) describes GHOSTS as a "mass gathering of souls ... creating only atmosphere, not story." The ballet's marriage of music and mood evoke a dreamworld in which the dancers move with sonnambulistic grace, often falling to the floor only to rise again in a restless quest for some elusive sense of closure.

The ravishing Yuan Yuan Tan and her superb partner Damian Smith perform an ethereal pas de deux; Seeing Yuan Yuan Tan onstage again reminded me of a very special hour Kokyat and I spent in Jessica Lang's studio two years ago when the ballerina was rehearsing with Clifton Brown for an appearance at Fall for Dance.

Sofiane Sylve (above in a © Erik Tomasson photo) is a more restless spirit: the beauteous ballerina is still missed here at Lincoln Center where she danced as a principal at New York City Ballet from 2003 - 2007. Sylve in GHOSTS casts a spell in her pas de trois with Mr. Helimets and Shane Wuerthner.

Soloist Clara Blanco, a particular favorite of mine during the Company's last New York visit in 2008, stood out among the ensemble...I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Above: from Wayne MacGregor's BORDERLANDS, photo © Erik Tomasson

BORDERLANDS, a 2013 Wayne McGregor ballet, has a strong contemporary feel and demands great stamina and focus from a dozen of the Company's generously talented dancers. Set in an enormous bare-walled enclosure, the stage is first bathed in steely-grey light; this will shift to Autumnal gold for the central pas de deux and then to vivid neon blue as the ballet moves to its end. The dancers wear shorts, displaying their leggy allure. They often stand or kneel around the edges of the space to observe their fellow-dancers.

In this austere, stylized ballet the music of Joel Cadbury and Paul Stoney ranges from the kozmic and other-worldly thru a cinematic/romance to a rock-like statement and a final anthem. The dancers move with athletic intensity; the choreographic and partnering demands are strenuous and the dancers come and go throughout the work: their relationships uncharted, sometimes mechanical and always mystifying.

The San Francisco dancers threw themselves with complusive energy into this unusual movement style: particularly excellent work from Frances Chung and Mlles. Sylve, Van Patten and Kochetkova, and from the ever-fascinating Mr. Spaulding.

Above: Maria Kochetkova and Lonnie Weeks in McGregor’s BORDERLANDS. Photo © Erik Tomasson

All photos in this article are copyright: Erik Tomasson.

Repertoire and dancers: Saturday evening, October 19th, 2013:

Trio
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Martin West

Vanessa Zahorian, Vitor Luiz
Sarah Van Patten, Tiit Helimets
Anthony Spaulding
Maria Kochetkova, Davit Karapetyan

Ghosts
Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon
Composer: C.F. Kip Winger
Conductor: Martin West

Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith
Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets, Shane Wuerthner

Borderlands
Choreographer: Wayne McGregor
Composer: Joel Cadbury and Paul Stoney
Conductor: Martin West

Maria Kochetkova, Jaime Garcia Castilla
Sarah Van Patten, Pascal Molat

Frances Chung, Carlos Quenedit
Sofiane Sylve, Anthony Spaulding
Koto Ishihara, Lonnie Weeks
Elizabeth Powell, Francisco Mungamba

Premiere Performance: Intermezzo Dance Company

Friday October 18th, 2013 - Since I was involved in the early planning stages of these first performances by Craig Salstein's Intermezzo Dance Company. I can't really write about their premiere performance tonight at the 92nd Street Y with any sense of detachment - not that we should ever be detached from dance. But of course I loved the music - the Verdi string quartet and a fantasia on themes from his opera A MASKED BALL (all played live by the Wyrick Quartet) - and the choreographers and dancers all came thru with flying colours. And the audience was simply loaded with dance-world celebrities. 

With three sold-out performances, Intermezzo's off to a fine start, and I know Craig has some exciting future plans - which can't, as yet, be announced.

Hopefully I'll soon have some production photos to share.