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NYCB Weeks 1-3: SWAN LAKE Reviews


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I really don't care what Robert Gottlieb thinks about anything.

1/18

LAC DES CYGNES with French ballerina and conductor. Sofiane Sylve is a gorgeous woman, a true prima ballerina, thrilling to watch. But for me, she had very little to say about Odette. She danced it perfectly, aside from a minor stumble early on, but I didn't feel anything. I just sat there watching a beautiful woman do beautiful things with her body. Although they were vastly different in approach, I thought each of the four other women I saw dance it this year were far more interesting to watch. Sylve is a more natural Odile, to my mind. She clearly has the technical abilities and then some, but sometimes she seemed a bit loose to me. I guess I just like a crisper attack at certain points. The fouettes, kicked off with a triple pirouette and some doubles & triples, were excellent though near the end a bit of her headpiece came flying off, which was a distraction. The final scene was again beautifully danced but only for a split second as she finally morphed back into her swan state did I feel a twinge of emotion. Sylve won a good ovation, with some whoops, though I do think she has a slight tendency to milk the applause. Askegard danced quite well, partnered her well aside from that little glitch, and he is a good & sincere balletic actor.

Henry Seth is, for my money, the best Rotbart I've ever seen. Tom Gold again served up his trusty Jester; Sean Suozzi was a fine Benno with Dronova & Riggins. Among the boys in the opening scene, Robert Fairchild & William Lin-Yee stood out for height and elegance, Giovanni Villalobos for his easy charm. Faye Arthurs is a remarkable dancer with an uncanny extension; both here and as a "princess" at the ball she was outstanding. The pas de quatre again created a sensation, Jon Stafford dancing with airy assurance. Maestro Karoui gave Scheller a fiendishly fast tempo for her solo but she managed to pull it off...between her Dewdrop and this role in SWAN I have fallen in love with her. Tiler Peck was fantastic and Fairchild spun off her turns with great precision and flair. Wished I'd had big bouquets of roses to throw to these girls: pink for Fairchild, red for Scheller, and pale peach for Tiler Peck. Hungarian (Rutherford & Fowler) and Spanish (Bar, Muller, Craig Hall & Tyler Angle) were still full of zest at the end of the run; Albert Evans brought his sexy presence and adept partnering to the Russian dance, with Melissa Barak in a very impressive debut - she perfectly balances the ballerina and character elements of the piece, siezes on the drama of the dance, and knows how to hold the audience. Excellent! Amanda Edge & Adam Hendrickson are both so attractive and they gave a spirited, fluent Neopolitan. Aside from two overly fast segments (the big Swan waltz and Scheller's solo) Karoui gave a fine rendition of the score. I half thought he might ask the horns to use that watery sound that the French seem to prefer. But he didn't.

For all the venom heaped on this production over the years, it is interesting to note that it attracts very large audiences - at all five performances I attended the house was nearly full; actually there were more empty seats at the four NUTCRACKERs I attended this Winter. I long ago made peace with the decor and some of the costumes by simply tuning them out. The story is told very clearly and the ending is harrowing. Having dozed thru ABT's version a couple years ago, I'll at least give Peter credit for keeping me awake.

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An excellent review.  I can't speak to Gottlieb's take on the quality of dancing in this series of performances, but he has put into clear and simple words  some of the reasons I have been relatively  unmoved by this production/version when I have seen it in the past.

(Edited after reading drb's post, following this one.)  Is it possible to take the dancing (in a ballet as iconic and powerful as Swan Lake) and see it separate from the context?  I know I couldn't do it, except possibly to regret the lost opportunities.

Bart,

Well I finally saw this live last night as opposed to the telecast, which I disliked so much I shut off.

I had trouble too trying to take the dancing out of context so as to block out all the other stuff (sets, costumes, choreography) but my success with that was only intermitent. This was mostly only when Sylve was dancing as she approached it in a somewhat abstract way.

I thought her performance had tremendous authority to it, although as Oberon notes, it wasn't a trouble free evening for her. Within a minute of her entrance, a lift went back and she ended up on the floor.

I would agree with Oberon though on the Ballroom pas de quatre, it had plenty of sizzle to it and a great sense of flow.

I can't see myself going back to this very soon.

Richard

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drb: Color-coding? Not really. These girls remind me of the three girls I dated in high school. I was always one to send roses, and each girl had her unique color. But then I outgrew all of that. Men generally don't send roses to other men.

Richard: I hated the production when I first saw it. HATED. I swore never to go back. But when the dancers you love are dancing, you make adjustments. I came to accept the visual aspects of the settings & costumes. 80% of any given evening I am watching thru opera glasses and focussing on individuals. The overall stage picture recedes. What I like about this SWAN LAKE is, it contains alot of DANCING and it has a devastating ending. Of course I'd be happy if the sets were easier on the eye and the green-orange-blue costume "salad" was modified in the opening scene, but I just don't let that detract from what my dancers are doing.

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From Bart's post above, first quoting Gottlieb's article, then a statement by Bart:

...

"For Martins, all this is reduced to a mere divertissement—a series of dances, ably staged, with no content whatsoever."

...

Is it possible to take the dancing (in a ballet as iconic and powerful as Swan Lake) and see it separate from the context?  I know I couldn't do it, except possibly to regret the lost opportunities.

We are accustomed to Swan Lake being a story ballet, yet numerous contemporary choreographers have changed that story (Wheeldon, most recently). Still, as Bart suggests, most of us really do want a story or context in which to feel the full power of this masterpiece. And yet many feel, with Mr. Gottlieb, that the Peter Martins Act I (in the traditional four act numbering) is without content. I have been unhappy (angry) with this production for what I feel are two not quite fair reasons.

1. I miss the great traditional versions of this ballet that have been discarded by major classical companies, such as The Royal and ABT (and longer ago by the Mariinsky--despite the beauties of their mimeless version). Blame perhaps should go to those companies, not to one with dancers schooled to meet other choreographic needs.

2. There is no adequate story, or worthy/useful context, given in this production to frame the choreography and give full breadth to the music.

At my age, I have less time to bother with anger, and what there is, is more appropriately directed to those companies that have stolen the great ballet, mothballing it at best, while satisfying demands for a "creativity" confounded with newness. But great dancers are now, as they've always been. And, as NYCB has so clearly demonstrated this season, it is a company loaded with O/O's. Else, how explain joy after joy expressed these two weeks by people mostly unhappy with the production? So I am trying to come to terms with this production, looking for story and context.

I think that this Royal Danish Ballet production ought to be considered in terms of its origins. Peter Martins, as we know, is somewhat focussed on abstract choreography. So, perhaps look elswhere for the story-telling. The Danish painter Per Kirkeby is responsible for everything we see except the dancing. He is many things other than a painter: a novelist and scientist among others. His Thesis was on Arctic Geology and he's explored Greenland. Not such crowded places, either with people or other stuff. As a painter he gives primacy to color as predominant over form and associates color and emotion. Lots more about him under Swan Lake at NYCB's site.

The "painting" we watch before the opening scene begins can be studied in three parts. To the Right Royal Blue dominates, to the Left warmer colors seem to be breaking through, not nearly as dominating on their side as blue is on its side. The center is mostly blue, and where bits of warm seem trying to enter the painting the net effect is a rather depressing mud. Chaos permeates all.

The opening scene. It is cleary set in some, probably small, urban setting, say in Denmark. The costume similarity (young men and Prince) in Act 1 is merely an example of urban teens following the latest fad. But the common folk wear warm colors, a rebellion against the drabness of life under the monarchy. The prince wants to be one with his fellow teens and almost gets it right, but can't escape the Royal Blue. We don't have to like the look, it is just a fad, and thereby tells us much about this Prince. Also, he just can't dance with the commoners, even though he's rebelled against the Royals (and no wonder, look at how Queenie is trapped in that dress conformity, her neck confined in Royal Blue like a figure in some van Whoever painting). Look at the spartan seat the Prince has in Act 1, and in Act 3 Queenie's got to sit on a cushionless wooden throne. It is hard, being a Royal. The Jester, at least as played by Hendrickson, is a closet revolutionary, always seeking the seat of power. In Act 1 his colors mimic the urban-warm colors, but in a more confusing jumbled way. He covets the Prince's Royal seat, and the Prince later crudely throws him from it to the floor. Poor Prince can't escape the Royal stranglehold. In Act 3 the Jester in court dresses in green, mimicking the Queen (her head still trapped in Royal Blue). But perhaps not quite the Zambian Emerald green of the Queen's dress, more the green of a Tsavorite, the green garnet of Kenya. Emerald-garnet. This jester is like a politician, playing both sides.... Again, given the chance, he captures the Royal Throne. Perhaps the Jester is a bridge between the people and the Royals. In this version the Prince just cannot be that. The Prince certainly wants something different, but it isn't to be a commoner. Where he is heading is to the mud in the center of the painting.

I know, it is not THE story. But I need the help of one, since with THESE dancers in THIS company, I really want to watch them evolve in this great role.

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I do not know what kind of "story" people want to see in the first act (first scene) of SWAN LAKE that cannot be seen clearly in Peter's production. The prince is celebrating his birthday with his friends - not courtiers but villagers. The Jester is there to entertain and keep everyone feeling lively. The Queen comes in; she does not approve of the Prince hanging out and having fun when he should be thinking about getting married and producing an heir for the throne. Producing heirs is a key duty in any royal family, and princes marry young to insure plenty of time for "issue". The Queen lays a little guilt trip on her son. Then she gives him a birthday gift - a crossbow. Hunting is the great diversion - and a necessity - for noble/royal men of that era - I'm just reading a novel about James VI of Scotland's great love of the hunt. So when the party guests depart, the Prince gets kind of pensive thinking maybe it's time to do what his Mom wants even though he'd really rather not. To shake him out of his sombre mood, Benno suggest a trip to the lake to shoot a few birds and try out the new crossbow. So they take off, with eventual disastrous results.

What is it about this scenario that people cannot grasp, or are they too put off by the colours of the costumes?

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What is it about this scenario that people cannot grasp, or are they too put off by the colours of the costumes?

Perhaps it's not a question of people failing to "grasp" that there is a story.

Perhaps they just are not convinced or moved by the way that story is edited and presented.

Generally, people on all sides of this question seem quite capable of grasping a great deal. And expressing their thoughts quite well.

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It's the same story that is told in the first act of every SWAN LAKE I've ever seen, it just isn't bogged down by the fussiness of being a formal court celebration and there is no tiresome tutor and alot of mime and promenades. The only purpose of this scene is to introduce us to the prince, to show him coming of age and under pressure to "do something" with his life. Of course there was one production where he was supposedly in love with Benno or vice versa.

Peter's version tells the story with perfect clarity. And continues to do so to the end. He just tells it quickly, the sooner to get us to the lake, which is the heart of the matter. Unfortunately he tells it against a decor that is not very attractive.

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There would be a red swan pas de deux, and the jester's costume will be

a Nehru suit.

Hopefully we'll all be around for the next revision to share the joys and

the inevitable horrors.

Keeping in mind that most everyone detests this production, look how many

attended multiple performances. After all, it's the timelessness of Tchaikovsky's

score, the brilliant dancing, and of course these dancers that couldn't keep us

away. For those unable to attend at least once, Orange you all Green with envy

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I believe Mr. Ligeti will be 83 this Spring. But his sense of humor may get the best of anyone who commissions an evening-length work from him. After all, his composition titled 0'00", the shortest known composition, was his response to John Cage's 4'33".

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Donning Moderator's cap

We have veered far off the topic of Swan Lake as it was performed by NYCB in January, 2006. My comments aren't ready, and perhaps others still have a word or two about this production and its recent casts.

Meanwhile, if you want to suggest possible replacements for or improvements to the Martins Swan, I'm opening a new thread -->here. I think this group has the creativity to come up with some real winners!

Doffing Mod's cap

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I went to see Sara Mearns. I had promised myself I wouldn't go, having seen it some years ago...but the casting was irresistable. She was beautiful. She brought glamour to the stage, she has that "star-power" thing going that not everyone does. Her face conveys so much emotion and she has some hints of the "russian back". Her first jump onto the stage was the highlight of the performance for me. All of a sudden, she just soared onto the stage out of nowhere, like this swan in flight, startling yet beautiful. I found the pas de deuxs much stronger than her individual variations, especially in Act Two- or rather- the scene of the White Swan. But that will surely come in time. Mearns is the next big thing!

Afterwards, I thought to myself that since I was already there I'd love to see Sylve...but I wasn't able to.

The Pas de Quatre would be a great gala excerpt, with, of course the Bouder/Fairchild, Peck, Scheller, and de Luz cast. Quinn conducted at inhumane speeds, it was almost ridiculous at the end but somehow they pulled through and were indeed more syncopated than the Rockettes on their best nights. These four are like matching firebolts, the power quatre.

Other standouts were Tyler Angle in the Hungarian Dance and Rebecca Krohn in the Russian dance, though I am still utterly bewildered by their costuming- the choreography is quite russian-ized in some parts and just listen to the music! Not to mention the name...but then again its unnecessary to point out the many bewildering aspects of the Martins Swan Lake...

I won't make this another bashing of the production comment, so I'll just leave this by saying Mearns made the 2 and a half hours worthwhile enough.

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Giselle, so glad to hear how much you enjoyed Sara Mearns. It will be fun

to watch her progression through the repertoire.

I've come to terms with the Russian Dance in this respect - the lady's

costume is similar to the Arabian/Coffee number from the Nutcracker. A quote

from Balanchine approving the scanty outfit was "something for the fathers

to see". Maybe PM is tipping his hat to Balanchine and all the fathers who

drove us to Ballet Class and paid for our lessons. Just a thought...

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