63 replies to this topic

[Jack Reed]

A very good time, owing to the high quality of the work of all the presenters, but especially the performers, and something for everyone, too.  It could serve as an introduction to Giselle for someone who hadn't seen it but might; it could serve as an update for those who haven't seen it enough, not least the insertion of lots of unfamiliar pantomime (like Bertha's whole paragraph about the opening of the earth and the emerging demons populating the dark forest - wow!), which raises the question not so far discussed here:  

If pantomime has generally been discarded on the grounds that modern audiences don't comprehend it - not bad reasoning, I think; if people are sitting there "reading" what's happening, they're apt to miss the beauty of the movement, or again, worse, if they go home thinking, That's what they do here?  Never again!, they'll miss a lot more - they aren't entertained by it, in other words, compared to the few of us who were delighted by the enrichment of detail of familiar matters - to say nothing of the large clarity and flowing grace, the fullness, of these performers' movement - what about that problem?  Is the PNB audience likely to "take it"?  Or is this project a courageous gamble?  Any word on what Boal and his circle think about this  (beyond his passing reference to whether Giselle is suitable for kids)?  

Meanwhile, power to him, I say, and to his board; and where are the good seats, and how does a non-subscriber from afar get some?

As to the picture quality of this transmission, I had more problems with the nervous camerawork than with the video artifacts, though I have never seen these before - it looked to me like the screen was composed of narrow vertical glass strips which you noticed or not depending whether something was lined up exactly behind the edge of one - but if there's no chance for preparation, framing tends to suffer.  Still, if the format of this presentation was similar to previous ones, it ought to occur to someone just to show the space the dancers are going to use rather than draw back so often to include the narrator as well (once we've ben shown this is the scene), and things like that.

(SandyMcKean's remarks about video image size vs. apparent quality are right on.  In general, I find, if you can save a video and play it in a "player" - I'm talking about software - which gives you control of the image size, you can strike your own best compromise on a case-by-case basis.)

[kfw]

Helene, on 10 January 2011 - 09:22 AM, said:

The press release mentioned the live streaming for the 7:30pm performance.  I'm not sure how 61 people found out it would be screened in the afternoon.

There were only 15 when I discovered the program was streaming, 10 minutes after it had begun. It's possible that some weren't actually watching, but just had the website up as a reminder to watch that evening (as I did), and weren't at their computers. A few of the others may have seen my alert, although judging from the number comments on the alert thread, probably only a few. In any case, I'm so glad the programs are archived!

[shopgirl]

If you're asking how to get tickets to Giselle specifically, you can get them on the PNB website at pnb.org.  Just click on Performances & Tickets, and then click on the 2010-11 Season.  Seats in the Orchestra Side and Gallery Lower are very good seats for the money--although if you sit in the Gallery Lower you'll want to sit Row E or back or else you can't see the feet, and that's essentially what you want to see!  The Sat., 6/11 @ 2:00 performance must be an add-on because there are LOTS of good seats still available for that particular performance.

[SandyMcKean]

Quote

Or is this project a courageous gamble? Meanwhile, power to him, I say, and to his board.....

My opinion is that it is a "courageous gamble".  You are right-on about the board.  I've talked to a couple of them, and I am always impressed with how willing the board seems to be to allow risky programs.  The company doesn't go hog-wild mind you, but it is not afraid to take risks.  This season for example, does have "Giselle" which might be "too much" mime for the average audience member, but then again it is still what most folks probably expect ballet to look like (as opposed to say Kylian's "Petite Mort" done earlier this season).  PNB is also doing Stowell's "Cinderella" and Balanchine's "Midsummer's Night Dream" making 3 of the season's 6 programs a marketing department's dream (counting "Giselle").

Quote

where are the good seats

shopgirl gives good advise on where the best bang for the buck is; however, naturally where one sits depends greatly on what you like.  Her recommendations are in the orchestra, fairly (or even very) close, and where your eye level isn't much above the stage.  If you have more bucks to spend, and like the orchestra, one can sit more centrally of course (but don't go further back than row W or you will be under a low balcony ceiling).  A bit more pricey than shopgirl's suggestions is the Upper Galley (best in seats 1 thru 4); here you can be both close-ish and a bit elevated.  The Dress Circle is quite pricey, but is central and at an ideal elevation (altho even the 1st row is too far back for my tastes).  The more forward of the 2nd tier boxes can be interesting if you like something unusual and don't mind missing one of the upstage corners.

Perhaps best of all is that PNB has an automated system on the internet such that you can see what seats are available in real time; you can select a seat and purchase it just as if you were spending minutes (or hours ) talking to a box office agent (go here to see an example).

[Helene]

SandyMcKean, on 10 January 2011 - 03:24 PM, said:

A bit more pricey than shopgirl's suggestions is the Upper Galley (best in seats 1 thru 4); here you can be both close-ish and a bit elevated.  The Dress Circle is quite pricey, but is central and at an ideal elevation (altho even the 1st row is too far back for my tastes).  The more forward of the 2nd tier boxes can be interesting if you like something unusual and don't mind missing one of the upstage corners.

Here's the seating chart:
http://www.pnb.org/S...bscription.aspx

Here is a "Select Your Own Seat" for Saturday, 4 June matinee; it shows seat number, section, and price for available tickets if you position your mouse over the blue dot:
http://www.pnb.org/S...e/?perf=116R602

Some info about the Galleries:

The Galleries (Floor, Right, and Left) are long banks of seats that starts at the far Orchestra level and connects to the Dress Circle (DC is the equivalent of First Tier at State Theater or Grand Tier at the Metropolitan Opera House. I don't know the venues in Miami.)  There are four rows of Floor, six rows of Gallery Lower, and 11 rows of Gallery Upper that have 1-6 seats per row, with "1" closest to the center, and 6 on the far outer aisle. These end with row "W".  To the far side of 4 is not great for ballet.  Even 3 is a bit tough.  If I have to sit that far out, I opt for farther back, too.

The last four rows of Gallery Upper are the far end seats of the Dress Circle Level.  Those rows are labeled "X", "B", "C", and "D".  In row "X", the seats are numbered 1-4, like the rest of Gallery Upper, but for rows B-D, the higher the number, the closer to the far aisle.  Seats 1-8 are Dress Circle; seats 9-17 in rows B and C and seats 9-13 in row D are Gallery Upper.  The difference in price is $73 for Gallery Upper vs. $105 for Dress Circle vs. $165 for Dress Circle Preferred (the first two rows of the two center sections).  My subscription seat has been in Gallery Upper seat 9 in row B for several years, and I think it's a great seat, the best combination of price and visibility.  If you look at the seating chart, you'll see gaps between the far aisle seats in row X on either side.  That's some kind of light box that doesn't restrict the view and also means no one in front of you.  

The tricky part is that the hall has sections with repeat numbers.  Gallery Upper Right is section "DC 24".  The section next to it, closer to the center, is all Dress Circle, and those seats start again with 1 closer to the center and 14 on the farther aisle.  If you do opt for Dress Circle, be sure you know which section you're in.


If you opt for Orchestra, my favorite seats are the center-most aisle of the two end sections.  You can see from the chart that there's a slight flare, which means being able to see around the person in front of you, if that becomes an issue.

[SandyMcKean]

Helene said:

My subscription seat has been in Gallery Upper seat 9 in row B for several years, and I think it's a great seat....

I agree.  Helene, in her usual thoroughness, has manuveored herself into what is arguably the best seat in the house considering cost, viewing angles, and distance from the stage (personally I'd want binoculars, but I always have them with me anyway).

[Helene]

The subscription people have been very kind to me.  Wanting a single seat almost always helps getting a better one than wanting a pair or more.

[lmspear]

Jack Reed, on 10 January 2011 - 12:47 PM, said:

If pantomime has generally been discarded on the grounds that modern audiences don't comprehend it - not bad reasoning, I think; if people are sitting there "reading" what's happening, they're apt to miss the beauty of the movement, or again, worse, if they go home thinking, That's what they do here?  Never again!, they'll miss a lot more - they aren't entertained by it, in other words, compared to the few of us who were delighted by the enrichment of detail of familiar matters - to say nothing of the large clarity and flowing grace, the fullness, of these performers' movement - what about that problem?  Is the PNB audience likely to "take it"?  Or is this project a courageous gamble?  Any word on what Boal and his circle think about this  (beyond his passing reference to whether Giselle is suitable for kids)?  

I think it's time to consider adding surtitles to ballet pantomime.  The opera lovers I know really like them.

[innopac]

Does anyone know if there are plans to produce a dvd of Peter Boal’s new staging of Giselle?

[Helene]

Unless a very big donor comes along with a very big check for that specific use, the odds are heavily stacked to "no".  It's unlikely that public TV would or could raise the money like the BBC did for the PNB "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  PNB's "The Nutcracker", the only other commercial recording by the company, was a studio production, not a video/film of a live performance.

While the excerpts were wonderful, and the restoration of the fullness of the mime is significant, it's still too early to know how significant the final version's choreography will be, since Boal will be making the decisions, and he's indicated that he's relying on the dancers' assessment  of difficulty and comfort for input.  Besides the difference in today's dancers' bodies and technique that Doug Fullington mentioned, Boal is looking at this with a modern eye.  The difference in the man's variation in "Peasant Pas de Deux" between the notated version, excerpted by James Moore, and the one Boal chose, danced it it's entirety, is striking.  The chosen version had less detail and was bigger.  It reminded me very much of the comparison of the "Baisee de la Fee" in the Jordan/Morrison DVD "Ashton to Stravinsky:  A Study of Four Ballets", where the Balanchine version was bigger with less detail than Ashton's, and Macmillan's even more so.

[cubanmiamiboy]

I wonder how "complete" this restoration will be in terms of how much will be chosen from subsequent added segments.  I'm curious to know if that Act I PDD-(deleted long ago and discussed in this board, and only included in the Zuraitis recording for the Bolshoi)-was ever notated, or the rarely played female variation from the Peasant PDD, or the coda from the male variation from the same Pas-(almost always absent too).  What about the very final scene...? Will they restore the whole party of people witnessing Giselle and Albretch final moments..Bathilde included..with the gesture of Giselle for her to take possession of Albretch...? Too many details...but it would be wonderful if at least this very final scene was revived.

[Paul Parish]

I completely agree about the Bournonville feeling - A dance-historian friend here pointed out that there was no mention of the fact that Petipa rarely choreographed male variations but left them to the virtuoso performers, and that the man's variation was probably choreographed by  Bournonville's star student Johannsen, who went to St Petersburg and was principal dancer in Petipa's time. The "50 Bournonville combinations" video documents this pair of steps -- single air tours in opposite directions back to back -- as part of the Bornonville syllabus.

In any case, THESE dancers made the steps look very graceful, including the air tours in both directions. Perhaps other dancers can't make them look so satisfying -- but there's a heavenly  sparkle to the girl's, especially that sissone around the corner, and a sweet softness to the boy's which is less dazzling but more grounded and appealing than the all-beating-all-the-time variant the director decided upon, which looks very exciting but kinda giddy.
............
Editing to add
Congratulations to everybody. The presentation in itself was fascinating, especially Marian Smith's uniformly interesting information about the annotated autograph score esp the human voices  to be heard in the music. [Though I'd like to add that even the printed scores have SOME indication of voices -- for example, there's the "rire satanique des Wilis," i.e the satanic laughter  of the Wilis -- which is written above the piano reduction of the score I've used from in the UC music library, the kinda terrifying long trill that occurs just before the Wilis run Hilarion (and later Albrecht) onto the stage -- it's the same sound MS Smith calls Giselle's giggle.

ANd just a side note -- Helgi Tomasson's production also includes Berthe's mime speech, and it's very welcome, very effective; I've seen it delivered powerfully by several powerful mothers, including Anita Paciotti and Katita Waldo.

[Helene]

The Mother's Mime is in Olga Evreinoff's staging for Ballet Arizona.  It creates a dramatic arc in the first act, and at the same time presages Act II.

The Bournonville classes are impossibly difficult, but that kind of training makes variations like in the Peasant Pas de Deux more probable.

The music itself -- i.e., what parts of the score will be used -- wasn't discussed in the presentation, apart when Doug Fullington noted that the Peasant Pas de Deux, while in the premiere, was added late, and that the music wasn't by Adam, but by Burgmüller.  According to the notes from Ballet Met, "The peasant pas de deux was inserted at the last minute for Nathalie Fitzjames, a soloist in the favor of an influential ballet patron. Mlle. Fitzjames danced with Auguste Mabille."

[Paul Parish]

Helene, unless I'm mistaken, Fullington and Boal are making NO attempt to reconstruct the original production -- all this is based on Petipa's version for St Petersburg, with some added color in the mime that goes back to the original. Yes, there's reference to the original score and annotations for the original Paris version, but all the steps PNB uses would come from Sergeyev [Petipa's version].

We don't know much -- do we? -- about where Petipa changed things and where he left it the same -- except that PROBABLY the parts of the pdd that are identical to Sleeping Beauty pdd (the supported soussus, developpe front, fouette to attitude, penche) seem PROBABLY pure Petipa....

Certainly those lifts in the pdd are modern variants -- the sweep backwards before the pique looks a lot like the Cojocaru version and are NOT what Vasiliev and Maximova did, not what Seymour and Nureyev did... They are REALLY beautiful, but they're from now, not from then....

[Helene]

The notes from which the choreography is being constructed are from Sergeyev.  This is not only not a choreographic reconstruction of the original, but it's not meant to be a choreographic reconstruction of the Sergeyev.  Several reasons were cited:  First, Doug Fullington noted that the amount of detail in the Sergeyev notations varies from ballet to ballet, with the level of detail getting less and less as the ballets were notated, and "Giselle" was in the middle range for detail.  Second, Peter Boal is deciding what will be included where and what will be adjusted, as shown in the Peasant Pas de Deux demonstration, and he said he is taking the dancers' input into consideration.

Regarding the pas de deux, I don't remember any part of the presentation that addressed how much detailed notation there was for the pas de deux, what version was presented, and if there was notation, the specific choice of what was presented vs. the material at hand, unlike the Peasant Pas de Deux variation where Moore demonstrated part of the old vs. the new.

However, to say that there is no attempt to reconstruct the original demotes the mime, when it was about half mime/half dance in the original, with the scale tipped to dance when Peasant Pas de Deux was added.  Perhaps I misunderstood the intent, but it appeared to me that by going to the annotated score and clarifying the mime, it's no less a reconstruction of the original than using the Sergeyev notation to reconstruct parts of the choreography.