1973 NYCB recordings

[emilienne]

Some of them were in the library the last time I visited. They are, as rg noted, catalogued quite oddly. I've looked for a few others (Valse Fantaisie and Liebeslieder) but have not yet found them. Will update when I do.

Episodes

Filmed in Berlin in 1973 by R.M. Productions. Choreography: George Balanchine. Music for Sections I, II, III: Anton von Webern; music for Section IV by J.S. Bach, orchestrated by Webern.

CONTENTS: I. Symphonie, opus 21. Soloists: Sara Leland and Anthony Blum. -- II. Fünf Stücke, opus 10. Soloists: Karin Von Aroldingen and Frank Ohman. -- III. Konzert, opus 24. Soloists: Allegra Kent and Bart Cook. -- IV. Ricercare. Soloists: Renée Estopinal and David Richardson.

La Valse

Performed by members of New York City Ballet: Sara Leland, Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, Francisco Moncion, Susan Pilarre, Susan Hendl, Marnee Morris, Merrill Ashley, Renee Estopinal, Marjorie Spohn, Bart Cook, Tracy Bennett, Anthony Blum, and others.

(note here that there are incomplete portions of a 1950s performance in the Victor Jessen collection. Sigh!)

Pulcinella

Performed by members of New York City Ballet. Pulcinella: Edward Villella. A Girl: Carol Sumner. The devil: John Clifford. Singers: Elizabeth Thoman, Wolfgang Bruneder, Franz Handlos.

[rg]

if this is the silent footage LA VALSE to which you refer, it's not Jessen's work, it's the work of Carol Lynn, but it is in that 'family' of filming; the VALSE portion, as listed belwo, was available on a boxed set compilation of 4-disc set, TREASURES OF AMERICAN CINEMA (or some such title), but i think once is sold out it was not re-issued:

From silence to sound [videorecording] : synchronizing original music to master silent films. George Balanchine's choreography, La valse and La source / Jerome Robbins Archive of the Recorded Moving Image of the Dance Collection of The New York Public Library ; produced and directed by Ron Honsa of Pensa Communications ; choreography by George Balanchine. c1995. 1 videocassette (25 min.) : sd., col. and b&w

Notes :The recording of the music to these silent films of Balanchine choreography was made possible through the cooperation of The George Balanchine Trust, S.I. Newhouse Foundation, Robert Gottlieb, and the Jerome Robbins Archive of the Recorded Moving Image of the Dance Collection of The New York Public Library.

Pianist, Dianne Chilgren.

Danced by members of the New York City Ballet: Tanaquil Le Clercq, Nicholas Magallanes, Violette Verdy, Edward Villella, and others.

La valse [excerpts] (b&w) / filmed at Jacob's Pillow, Lee, MA, in 1951, by Carol Lynn ; music, Maurice Ravel ; danced by Tanaquil Le Clercq and Nicholas Magallanes.

La source [excerpts] (col.) / filmed ca. 1969 ; music, Léo Delibes ; danced by Violette Verdy, Edward Villella, and female ensemble.

La source and La valse project: pianist, Dianne Chilgren ; supervising artist, Violette Verdy ; creative consultants, Robert Gottlieb, Arlene Croce ; special consultant, Christine Redpath ; project director, Madeleine M. Nichols ; production supervisor, Jan Schmidt.

Recorded at Sony Music Studio, New York, on August 30, 1994, by John Alberts Sound Design.

Two silent films of choreography by George Balanchine, with piano accompaniment added.

[Jack Reed]

If rg can't find these at the NYPL either, I feel exonerated.

So I turned to Google. No corps list yet, but in the meantime here's a page on an unfamiliar site where Jillana tells what it was like to dance this, with Mr. B in the wing:

http://www.ballet-dance.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3079&sid=9dadc9dbc89f753bb274f4ebc440527f

[carbro]

Besides Delia Peters and Merrill Ashley, the corps includes the two Susies -- Hendl and Pilarre -- and Christine Redpath.

And Lisa de Ribere? If so, that accounts for six of the eight.

[jsmu]

I'll refrain from posting the links, but I will also observe that there are also quite a lot of _whole_ Russian performances, including a Ananiashvili/Filin Giselle (1997) and various other captures of DVDs in wide release.

In the Maryinsky Bizet, who are the First and Fourth Movement ballerinas? I think it's Lopatkina and Vishneva in Second and Third? and anyone know who all the danseurs are?

[Mme. Hermine]

one of them (third from left in the beginning?) looks like Sergei Vikharev.

[Mme. Hermine]

and Alexander Kurkov is partnering Lopatkina.

[emilienne]

and Alexander Kurkov is partnering Lopatkina.

The female dancers as identified in the video blurb are Somova, Lopatkina, Osmolkina, Goncharova. However, I think jsmu is right that the third movement may be Vishneva instead. I think the fourth movement may be Maya Dumchenko.

[nysusan]

and Alexander Kurkov is partnering Lopatkina.

The female dancers as identified in the video blurb are Somova, Lopatkina, Osmolkina, Goncharova. However, I think jsmu is right that the third movement may be Vishneva instead. I think the fourth movement may be Maya Dumchenko.

We may be talking about a different video but I've watched that Russian TV Bizet a dozen times and the one I've seen is Noradze, Lopatkina, Vishneva, Ayupova. I don't know any of the danseurs

[Lidewij]

and Alexander Kurkov is partnering Lopatkina.

The female dancers as identified in the video blurb are Somova, Lopatkina, Osmolkina, Goncharova. However, I think jsmu is right that the third movement may be Vishneva instead. I think the fourth movement may be Maya Dumchenko.

We may be talking about a different video but I've watched that Russian TV Bizet a dozen times and the one I've seen is Noradze, Lopatkina, Vishneva, Ayupova. I don't know any of the danseurs

The danseurs for that performance are Viktor Baranov, Alexander Kurkov, Sergei Vikharev and Stanislav Belyaevsky. I did not watch the video in the link so I cannot confirm if it's the same.

[jsmu]

Thank you, Mme. Hermine, emilienne, nysusan, lidewij--now that I hear there are probably two vids, I'm just about sure I'm looking at Nioradze in First Movement; trust me, as much as I loathe Somova, I'd recognize her, especially despoiling Balanchine! I don't know Nioradze but this does resemble a photo I've seen, and the Fourth Movement ballerina is very fine, which would match Ayupova. I'm almost dead certain Vishneva is the jumper.

[jsmu]

Watching this Barocco again, Bart is right--McBride is splendid as usual but it's true that people often think of her first in 'soubrette' roles, and she was equally as wonderful as a serious ballerina. Sumner was described perfectly by Joan Brady as having a body 'rather like Alicia Markova's....with the crisp springtime elegance of a daffodil', and she is a pleasure to see although she does seem to tire a bit near the end. (McBride, indefatigable and always buoyant, would be hard to keep up with as a 'partner', to say the least)

One extremely noticeable thing, which has been mentioned glancingly by identifications of most of the corps personnel in this performance, is the extraordinarily gorgeous and strong corps dancing. Now it's true even now that Barocco is usually a plum corps role (and that with Susie H, Susie P, Peters, Redpath, Ashley, de Ribere, etc this was Future Soloists of America) but it does not look like this now at NYCB and has not in MANY years, lamentably. It is glaringly obvious that Balanchine was alive and rehearsing these dancers, as it is so sadly apparent now that he is not and that Martins obstinately opposes the idea of having the Balanchine repertory coached by great dancers who were great in it.

[lmspear]

Wow!!! I am humbled and floored by everyone's responses to my little discovery. It makes me feel like I uncovered an artifact that supports evidence for the proof of Atlantis (substitute your Utopia of choice). http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif

Bart, I saw your post when I got back from Sunday brunch where they were playing Ella Fitzgerald in the background. Your post made me see McBride as a balletic Fitzgerald. The sunny personality and beautiful performance quality come to mind when thinking of either one, and then you remember the technical ability (the chops) to do seemingly anything. I would love to see McBride get a Kennedy Center honor in the near future.

[lmspear]

Duplicate entry created by mistake. I couldn't see how to delete it. Sorry.

[emilienne]

We may be talking about a different video but I've watched that Russian TV Bizet a dozen times and the one I've seen is Noradze, Lopatkina, Vishneva, Ayupova. I don't know any of the danseurs

nyususan, that's a different clip. There's also another one that's Ayupova/Makhalina/Christiakova/Dumchenko. This is a theater camera one and was made recently (Somova's pretty recognizable in the first movement). I'm 90% sure that my casting is correct but I can't be sure without access to my cast list.

[lmspear]

Francia Russell's comments on Concerto Barocco filmed when staging the work for the Het National Ballet: