52 replies to this topic

[Nanarina]

  For some time now I have found it difficult to name just one ballet as my favourite when asked the question.   My immediate response would be to say The Stone Flower, choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, and danced by both the Bolshoi and Kirov Companies.  But it is little known of in the west. I first saw it at the ROH in the 1960's when the Kirov  visited and I worked helping their wardrobe staff.  It is a fantastic ballet, with wonderful character dancing.brilliant structured esembles and soloist's.  It has had a marked effect on me over the years. The music is some of the best written by Prokofiev for Ballet. There is a DVD released by NVC Arts - Warner Music Video in 1991
but I do not know if it is still available.  Every time I watch I recall the excitement and wonder I felt all those years ago. It was modern for the era, and we had seen nothing like it before.


However, being true to my interest. and saying I do not have one particular favourite ballet, but I like different parts of many ballets. All of whom I am quite happy to watch from beginning to end.   There are so many varied and entertaining productions in existance these days I find it very hard to choose just one.  Then the question arrises concerning different versions of the same ballet, some I like others i do not.  I am not that keen on Nureyev's re-workings of the classics, but I love Peter Wright, Pierre Lacotte, John Neimeirer  John Cranko, Jerome Robbins, Serge Lifar, Keneth Mc Millan, Sir Fred Ashton  and others to many to name.(Excuse my spelling!!)
It would be good to hear your comments.

[Helene]

"Liebeslieder Walzer" has been my favorite ballet from the first time I saw it.

[Hans]

My unquestionable favourite is The Sleeping Beauty.

[papeetepatrick]

Hans, on Sep 14 2009, 08:37 PM, said:

My unquestionable favourite is The Sleeping Beauty.

I can't think why I thought it was, Hans.     It's mine too, of course.

[PeggyR]

La Sylphide (unfortunately, only on video; I'd love to see it live).

[cubanmiamiboy]

Of course...Giselle...

[bart]

I get the most satisfaction watching Balanchine..  His choreographic invention is so vast that it can't be reduced to a single work.  My favorite tends to be the last major Balanhcine work I've been able to look at closely.  Currently its Symphony in C.  Liebeslieder Waltzer is a very close second.

But next season?

[atm711]

Les Sylphides---the first ballet I saw.  I am still in awe of the beauty of the groupings.  I have seen many performances over the years---good, bad and indifferent...but the beautiful workings of the choreography still shines through--and it would, I think, even performed in leotards.

[Mashinka]

Ashton's Symphonic Variations.

[volcanohunter]

Balanchine's Serenade, though I, too, am exceedingly fond of Liebeslieder Walzer. I saw a lot of ballets in New York last spring, but the clincher that made me get on the plane in the first place was Liebeslieder.

[Rosa]

Hands down, Swan Lake (Sergeyev's and Sir Peter Wright's productions).

[MakarovaFan]

Emeralds is my current favorite.

[duffster]

La Bayadere     I have seen many companies perform this ballet.     The entrance into the Kingdom of the Shades I think is truly beautiful -It still inspires me, either seeing it live or on tape.

[carbro]

What makes this difficult to answer -- or maybe easier, if you switch perspectives -- is the wrong-headedness of some of the recent productions of old masterpieces.  When Hans said, and others seconded, The Sleeping Beauty, I thought of the McKenzie-Kirkland-Chernov staging at ABT and cringed.  But SB's set pieces of choreography are exquisite, and at least in the abstract SB remains for me the idealization of late 19th Century ballet.  In the abstract, it shares favorite 19th C. ballet with La Sylphide.  Take away the dancing and you're left with the music, and SB wins by miles.

But my numero uno favorite ballet (and I've seen plenty of bad perfs of this over the years, too) is Concerto Barocco.

[Helene]

bart, on Sep 15 2009, 04:19 AM, said:

My favorite tends to be the last major Balanhcine work I've been able to look at closely.

My book's in storage, so I'm lifting this quote by Arlene Croce from a Boston Phoenix review of "Ballo della Regina":

" A few nights ago, when Concerto Barocco was put on in place of Ballo della Regina, I felt a qualm. What if we should never see dear little Ballo again. Who cares if it isn’t great? The greatest Balanchine ballet is the one you happen to be watching. "