Looking for Balanchine's Episodes

[jonellew]

Hello,

I'm looking for a video of all or part of any performance of Balanchine's Episodes (1959). Any info appreciated.

Thanks!

Jonelle

[Ray]

Hello,

I'm looking for a video of all or part of any performance of Balanchine's Episodes (1959). Any info appreciated.

Thanks!

Jonelle

Isn't there a tiny bit of it in the PBS Balanchine biography? But the only recordings are probably at the NY Public Library (though part of me seems to remember seeing the Ricercata, Episode's final movement, on TV--perhaps in a dream?)

[rg]

i can only confirm the existence of the snippets of EPISODES on BALANCHINE 1 &2 (the PBS docu), these from a '69 film that has not been released commercially.

i know of no telecasts of the Ricercata.

of course the NYPLibrary will have a number of items, but not all are 'open to the public' i suspect.

[chrisk217]

Episodes was one of the ballets filmed in Berlin in 1973 (the horribly edited ones). So you were probably not dreaming Ray. Allegra Kent & Bart Cook were in the Concerto part, not sure about the rest of the cast.

Ballets from that recording tend to be broadcasted at infrequent intervals on German theater sat channels. Perhaps jonelle you could find someone in Germany or with access to sat TV in Europe that might be able to help?

[rg]

yes, i forgot about this berliin film.

the NYPL doesn't even seem to have a copy.

i think the Ricercata of that cast might have been Renee Estopinal and David Richardson, but i'd have to check that.

i think S. Leland leads the Symphony and K.V.Aroldingen, the Cinq Pieces.

[emilienne]

The NYPL does have the 1973 German Film of Episodes. I remember staring in fascination at the overhead angle as Allegra Kent turned and turned (turns green).

http://catnyp.nypl.org/record=b3643171

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.

NYPL also holds one film talking about the original production, with interviews by a member of the Martha Graham Company (http://catnyp.nypl.org/record=b3648336).

Various theater recordings exist (see NYPL catalogue, mostly from the 80s and 90s)

There is one 1969 complete film with Violette Verdy in the first movement with Michael Steele, this is a 16 mm that one of the librarians will have to thread up for you

http://catnyp.nypl.org/record=b3624692

Ann Barzel apparently made some recordings of Episodes, including more of Violette Verdy with Jonathan Watts. It's on Cassette 6, somewhere in the middle.

http://catnyp.nypl.org/record=b4076494

last, this is a 1984 retrospective on Dance in America. However, I don't understand the listing for Episodes:

http://catnyp.nypl.org/record=b3637982

Can anyone remember anything about this broadcast?

---

emi

yes, i forgot about this berliin film.

the NYPL doesn't even seem to have a copy.

i think the Ricercata of that cast might have been Renee Estopinal and David Richardson, but i'd have to check that.

i think S. Leland leads the Symphony and K.V.Aroldingen, the Cinq Pieces.

[rg]

the '84 ref. is the two-part BALANCHINE bio. made by PBS after Balanhine died.

the snippets are threaded through the narrative and the "Unaswered Question" here is from the '69, canadian kinescope, if i've got this correctly.