Davidsbündlertänze

Maybe this is too strange an idea (I seriously don't have enough common sense to know if it is strange), but something like an "Internet Ballet Database" would be very useful like the IMDb. I wonder if that could happen. I used to visit the site "Musical Theatre in Europe" (couldn't find it recently; they must've changed the name) and it had all the stats for opera singers who performed in European halls - easy-to-use & very convenient. Edited to add: I should have googled "Internet Ballet Database" before writing this post. I guess I'm really behind the times: there seems to have been an IBD - but it doesn't exist anymore?? That's a shame!

On a related note: The "unpleasant episode" over money between Balanchine and Prokofiev (p.112, Taper's Balanchine) is also mentioned in David Nice's Prokofiev: from Russia to the West. Prokofiev denied that the incident happened, and Nice implies that Balanchine was exaggerrating (or possibly made it all up? I have a hard time believing Balanchine would do that.) I returned the book to the library (so I can't quote it exactly), but that's what I remember. Needless to say, Prokofiev comes off as a real jerkface in Taper's book. I still love his music, though.

Before taking a 12 hour flight last year, my friend gave me John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany ("I love this book! You must read this book!") Ugh. I wish I had left it on the plane. Or better yet, thrown it at the propeller.

What was I thinking? I will definitely read Winter Season for Farrell info. Thanks dirac! I will also try to read her book on Karinska.

ROFL. I just watched MacMillan's TRIAD for the umpteenth time on dvd. I like the ballet (love Prokofiev's 1st violin concerto), but your description fits! Every time I see it, I feel so bad for La Fosse in the PDD - he looks like he's about to collapse. I'd rather be the person being twisted into a pretzel. I think that would be lots of fun!!!

I'll just spit it out: I hated this book. There. I said it. I love Suzanne Farrell, I'm impressed that Toni Bentley was a ballerina with the NYCB & became a writer (I enjoy her articles in the NYTimes), but I just found it utterly painful to read this book. Maybe my timing was off. Immediately before reading this one, I read Taper's bio of Balachine and Kirstein's book about the 30 Years of NYCB. Both books were a joy to read and I had very high hopes for Farrell's bio. Instead, utter disappointment. I'm thankful for the information, but I was just so put off by the writing style (I know, I'm no great stylist, but I'm not a professional writer. This is only my opinion.) I must have underlined the phrase "of its own accord" thirty times? For some reason, the repetition of that phrase annoyed me to no end. This is the reason I've been avoiding Winter Season. I'm scared of it. I want to know about the real life of a dancer, but if it's anything like Holding onto the Air....

Balanchine says that Tchaikovsky "tried to catch cold, to chill himself to death, and that's not the same thing as committing suicide" when he was married. As to his actual death later on, Balanchine speculates on the story that Tchaikovsky drunk a glass of unboiled tap water in a restaurant during a cholera epidemic. This may have been a "kind of Russian Roulette," a "playing with fate." He says he believes the composer had thought about his death for a long time, that though he was devout and certainly thought suicide a sin, he wrote in a letter that he didn't believe in a punishing God, and that he wrote the "Pathetique "as a kind of suicide note." With all due respect to Balanchine, I'm wary of looking at the Pathetique as Tchaikovsky's swan song. I read Brown's bio of Tchai., and I think he convincingly writes about how the composer was in the midst of really enjoying his success, his place in life, his own skin - so suicide was the last thing on his mind. He was, argues Brown, a man content in the present & optimistic about the future. (Edited too add: "Suicide was the last thing on his mind" - and this is how Brown supports the theory of Tchaikovsky being forced to commit suicide. You'll have to read the book to get the juicy details.) I guess composers' last symphonies have a tendency to be seen as farewells to life, especially if they pass on [during] or shortly after, like Mahler's last one. But I remember reading in the journal of the International Gustav Mahler Society (can't locate the article; I get their journal approx. twice a year) that Mahler's last was more a farewell to love, not of life. H. de la Grange has found info. that supports the fact that Mahler was recovering from Alma & was ready to move on with his life without her. Grange also discounts those characterizations of Mahler that made him sound very weak and frail - instead, Grange has found that Mahler was quite robust & relatively healthy, and he certainly didn't expect to expire during the time before he died. Mahler was looking towards the future & had everything to live for - the same could be argued for Tchaikovsky. Therefore, the Pathetique is a farewell to love (for his nephew "Bob."), if one is convinced of that theory.

LMAO!! I do this all the time! A few months ago, I mentioned "Quentin Crisp" to a friend and he said, "I didn't know he was a ballet critic!" And recently, I was searching for an interview with Clement Crisp that I read 4 or 5 years ago - but I typed "Quentin Crisp" into google - and I kept getting THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT. This went on for 15 minutes until I realized... but The Naked Civil Servant is a wonderful film. I haven't seen it, but I heard that the best parts of the film are when the main character is either being naked or being civil. It is difficult, though, to be both naked and civil at the same time. (And yes, I've completely lost it.)

That's how I found this site! I should have read this introductory section first - there's a lot of helpful info! What would happen if all 3,000 members logged on at the same time? Would this website explode? I know this would never happen....but I really wish I could see it. That would be pretty wild. (I'm joking, btw)

LMAO!! I do this all the time! A few months ago, I mentioned "Quentin Crisp" to a friend and he said, "I didn't know he was a ballet critic!" And recently, I was searching for an interview with Clement Crisp that I read 4 or 5 years ago - but I typed "Quentin Crisp" into google - and I kept getting THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT. This went on for 15 minutes until I realized...

Thanks to everyone who responded! 1) I haven't seen RAY yet - I'm putting it on my list of things to watch. 2) muppets and muppeteers - I didn't know Henson and co. were musicians!! Sehr interessant! 3) Valley of the Dolls - Haven't seen this either, but I've heard of it. Isn't it a Corman film written by Ebert? 3) a person doesn't have to be qualified to comment - you know bad impersonations when you see them!

papeetepatrick Posted Jun 8 2008, 09:35 PM: Agree, one of the most horrible things I've ever seen, but I'm only talking about the 45 minutes I kept it on. I rented it from Netflix, so I felt obligated to finish it...to the bitter bitter end. When it was all over, I pumped my fists into the air in victory: "Hooray! It didn't kill me!" But I remember saying to my friend, as a joke, when the film started: "I bet the 'Red' is ketchup." And I was right! (Ok, it's not really ketchup, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet.) I've never seen THE PIANO, actually. Is that the one with Michael Nyman's music? Another bad example I forgot to mention: David Thewlis in BESIEGED. He's one of my favorite actors, but he really screwed up what should have been a tremendous scene. Such a letdown! It's still a favorite film of mine, though.

I forgot about that film! Yes, I saw it and I liked it a lot, especially Pollack. Hmmmm...so it turns out that I like three of Woody's films, not two. I'm sure he'll be so happy to hear that.

After watching dozens of clips from vintage Sesame Street & the muppet show, I was impressed with how realistic those muppets looked when they sang & played instruments (ex. "Letter B", "Country Gardens", etc...) The puppeteers really did an excellent job: they should have coached the following actors: Adrien Brody - THE PIANIST "I'll just wiggle my fingers near the top of the keyboard when the music gets high..." But it's more than the fingers, of course. Romain Duris - THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED He's worse than Brody. All the actors in THE RED VIOLIN ugh, impersonations of violinists!! what a nightmare!! And the movie itself was awful. There's a problem when purple and green puppets look more human playing musical instruments than humans, no?? The BEST ones I've seen: Helena Bonham-Carter - A ROOM WITH A VIEW She looks like she can really play the piano. But later I found out she never touched a piano until she was coached for the film. Amazing! Hugh Grant - IMPROMPTU Grant as Chopin: I also thought he must have been an amateur pianist possibly. Nope - he never took piano lessons either. But in the film, when Chopin plays one of his etudes, Grant totally looks like he's performing it. Not a fan of the film itself though. Geoffrey Rush - SHINE Well, nothing to say except amazing & totally believable. His academy award was well deserved. This is a brief list because I try to avoid films about musicians (I'd rather watch the real thing). But I'm interested in your picks for the worst (and best?)

Brad Pitt playing an Irish character in that movie with Harrison Ford (can't remember the movie name). He keeps saying "oy, oy, oy, oy." Barf.