Sylvia

[DeborahB]

I've never seen "Sylvia" before and loved it! Paloma (she's one of my favorites) and Marcelo were simply wonderful. I also really liked Alexandre Hammoudi (Orion). The orchestra was in fine form, and the house was packed!

[sealings]

I attended yesterday's matinee (Herrera/Gomes) and Friday night (Vishneva/Stiefel). I was so impressed with this production; the sets and music and staging were all beautifully done without any fluffiness or garish moments. The set in the third act was just sublime. What a contrast to ABT's Corsaire and Swan Lake. This is one of the best ballets I've seen at the Met in a few years and I really hope they keep it in the rep next season.

As I said earlier, Vishneva was just excellent on Friday night. I preferred her and Stiefel to the second cast I saw by far. Her expressiveness throughout and acting abilities overwhelm comparison to anyone else. Her interactions with Stiefel in Act I were bold and illuminating. She created a whole narrative in her gestures. I found her interpretations to be very comical in their aggression, holding her hand up to him to say "no," the first moment she drew the arrow... I was laughing, and seeing it a second time, these motions lost their weight in Herrera's performance. I agree with Amour that it was like watching a different ballet with Diana in the role; she handed the pointe work with fluidity and power and had a musical lightness as well. Herrera used a more pitiful approach to the beginning of Act II; she was very sad while Vishneva seemed more defiant. Otherwise, I found Paloma emotionally a little disconnected, despite strong dancing. She was cool and clear, and she and Marcelo partnered beautifully in Act III. Vishneva/Stiefel had a couple shaky moments; he grabbed onto Diana's knee at one point to keep her on his shoulder. I liked Stiefel better overall though, for his dynamism and his intensity. I like Gomes but I'm not as big a fan as some other posters on here. I just find him kind of soft.

What's the jump Sylvia and Aminta do in the variations in act iii? Like a rond de jambe en l'air with each leg, they do three of them. I could see a big contrast between the casts on these jumps; Diana and Ethan's were huge and clean, while both Herrera and Gomes toned them down.

Alexandre Hammoudi was especially entertaining as Orion on Saturday. On Friday, I found Jared Matthews restrained in the role; he didn't give Vishneva much to work with, but Hammoudi was forceful and funny. Leann Underwood also stood out to me as Ceres on Saturday, and I loved Kristi Boone as Diana. Simkin and Lane were charming goats on Friday night. I couldn't stop laughing at Simkin and his little goat-hands.