17 replies to this topic

[ksk04]

Program posted on the SCFTA website:

http://www.scfta.org...deForce2011.pdf

Quote

ACT ONE
Who’sWho
(First scene of Act II)
West Coast Premiere
Premiere: 2003
Inspired by the classic motion picture Some Like It Hot,
Boris Eifman recreates a moment from the famous beach scene.
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
Choreography: Boris Eifman
Music: “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin and “The Minor Goes
Muggin’ ” by Sy Oliver.
“The Entertainer” (orchestra version) – Scott Joplin (arrang. Marvin Hamlisch) –
The Sting. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack featuring the Music of Scott Joplin.
Music composed & adapted by Marvin Hamlisch. 1974 MCA Records, Inc. –“The
Minor Goes Muggin” composed by Sy Oliver – Highlights from The Duke Ellington
Centennial Edition (1927 – 1973). RCA Victor

Sylvia
(Pas-de-Deux)
Premiere: 1951
Anastasia Matvienko and Denis Matvienko
Choreography: Balanchine and restaged by Marina Eglevsky
specifically for Tour de Force II
Music: Léo Delibes
Cinderella
(Pas-de-Deux)
West Coast Premiere
Premiere: 2004
Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côte
Choreography: James Kudelka
Music: Sergei Prokofiev

Tarantella
Premiere: 1964
First performed at the Center by New York City Ballet (NYCB)
in 1990
Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Grand Tarantelle for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 67 by Louis
Moreau Gottschalk/Hershey Kay
The performance of Tarantella, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement
with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the
Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and
provided by the Trust.
Creature
American Premiere
Premiere: 2006
Patrick De Bana and Dimo Kirilov Milev
Choreography: Patrick De Bana
Music: Parvaz by Kayhan Kalhor and The Brooklyn Riders and
Dawn Prayer by Dhafer Youssef

InTheMiddle, Somewhat Elevated
(Pas-de-Deux)
Premiere: 1987
Katya Markowskaja and Noah Gelber
Choreography: William Forsythe
Music: Thom Willems

Lady of theCamellias
Premiere: 1978
West Coast Premiere at the Center in 2007
Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes
Choreography: John Neumeier
Music: Frédéric Chopin
Pianist: Conrad Tao
Mr. Tao appears courtesy of IMG Artists.

Rossini
(Pas-de-Deux)
American Premiere
Premiere: 2011
Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev
Choreography: Leonid Jacobson
Music: Gioacchino Rossini
Staged for Tour de Force II by Tatiana Sevostyanova and Igor Kuzmin

ACT TWO
Who’sWho
(First scene of Act I – “Night Club Scene”)
West Coast Premiere
Premiere: 2003
Inspired by the classic motion picture Some Like It Hot, Boris
Eifman recreates a moment from the famous night club scene.
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
Choreography: Boris Eifman
Music: “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” by Louis Prima,
performed by Benny Goodman.
“Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” – Louis Prima (Benny Goodman)
– Greatest Hits. RCA Victor. Planet jazz. BMG classics. 1962

Proust:The Intermittences of the Heart
(Excerpts)
Center Premiere
Premiere: 1988
Guillaume Côté (solo), Denis Matvienko and
Marcelo Gomes (pas-de-deux)
Choreography: Roland Petit
Music: Cello Concerto by Gabriel Fauré
The Picture of…
American Premiere
Premiere: 2008
Patrick De Bana
Choreography: Patrick De Bana
Music: “When I Am Laid in My Grave” from Dido and Aeneas
by Henry Purcell, sung by Jessye Norman, plus whale songs.


Tchaikovsky
(Pas-de-Deux)
Premiere: 1960
Center premiere was 1986 with NYCB
Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: from Swan Lake by Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
The performance of Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by
arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance
with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards
established and provided by the Trust.

Slingerland
(Pas-de-Deux)
Premiere: 1960
Katya Markowskaja and Noah Gelber
Choreography: William Forsythe
Music: Gavin Bryars, String Quartet no. 1

LeCorsaire
(Pas-de-Deux)
Premiere: 1856
First performed complete at the Center by Kirov Ballet in 1989
Anastasia and Denis Matvienko
Choreography: Maurius Petipa
Music: Adolphe Adam


Onegin
Premiere: 1965
Center premiere by National Ballet of Canada in 1988
Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté
Choreography: John Cranko
Music: Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Vertigo
American Premiere
Premiere: 2010
Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes
Choreography: Mauro Bigonzetti
Music: Dimitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8, “Largo”
arranged for orchestra and Piano Concerto No. 1 for Piano,
Trumpet and Strings, Opus 35 “Lento.”

FINALE:
Don Quixote
(Pas-de-Deux)
Premiere: 1869, staged by AlexanderGorsky in 1900
Center premiere by ABT in 1992
Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev
Choreography: Alexander Gorsky
Music: Ludwig Minkus

DonQuixote or Fantasies of aMadman
Premiere: 2010
Center premiere in 2011 as part of Eifman engagement
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
Choreography: Boris Eifman
Music: Ludwig Minkus

Seems decent...anything would be an upgrade over Reflections.

Am interested in Gomes/Vishneva in Lady of the Camillas (ABT--please just bring this ballet on tour!), Peck/Luz in everything, Proust excerpts, Onegin excerpts.

Ticket prices are HIGH for this, so I haven't committed. Anyone else?

[California]

ksk04, on 08 April 2011 - 12:15 PM, said:

. . . Ticket prices are HIGH for this, so I haven't committed. Anyone else?

Thanks for posting this. I bought a ticket a month ago and I'm relieved to see Osipova/Vasiliev will do two traditional things (after seeing them in Reflections...).

Yes, prices are steep, so I bumped up to second tier from first, where I usually prefer to sit. But sightlines are good, as locals know, so it will have to do. For the first "Tour de Force" two years ago, they made of point of saying it wasn't a fund-raiser, just a celebration (or some such). But as they've had some well-publicized difficulties with their fund-raising lately, I guess that has changed. What's odd is they're not publicizing "add-ons" that you usually see at big fund-raising galas -- dinners, receptions, etc. Not that I would go, but plenty in OC would find those attractive, I should think.

[ksk04]

Yes I was relieved too; I wonder if some dancers were planning more contemporary choreography and SCFTA nixed it after the response from Reflections.  This is even more "traditional" than last year's line-up it seems.  In any case, the line-up makes me more interested to go as I was really afraid for the program selections originally.


There seems to be quite a few seats empty, if you view on the website. I'd wager half the orchestra and more than half of Tier 1 seats are not sold and it's only 3 wks before the date.

[California]

Osipova and Vasiliev have just cancelled -- four days before the performance. Does anybody believe it's because of "commitments with the Bolshoi" that they somehow just learned of?

http://latimesblogs....r-the-arts.html

Quote

A spokeswoman for the Segerstrom said that Russian dancers Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev have withdrawn from the production as a result of commitments with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow.

I just looked at the seating charts for available seats -- they have a boatload of seats unsold, even at this late date. Did they wait until the last possible moment for this announcement in hopes of selling a few more? They did remove the Osipova/Vasiliev names from the site.
http://www.scfta.org...D=1066&NavID=91

A great many southern Californians saw the two in the Bolshoi Don Quixote in February 2010 and/or in Reflections in February 2011. This is not likely to go over well!

[ksk04]

Well Osipova and Vasiliev were cast in Ratmansky's new ballet that premiered this week, I'm guessing that has something to do with it (they are cast 4/24/ and 4/26 according to the Bolshoi site). Not as if this hasn't been on the calendar for several months or anything though    

It's a huge blow, especially considering how many seats they have left.  They sent around a 25% off code last week, but I didn't bite nor did it appear a lot of others.


This is a little disconcerting "Organizers are also working on finding replacements for the "Don Quixote" pas de deux that was also supposed to feature Osipova and Vasiliev." I think the late announcement came from Osipova/Vasiliev's camp not SCFTA--if the Center put off the announcement they would have had replacements to list in the press release, I would think, as a way to assuage the blow.

[California]

ksk04, on 26 April 2011 - 08:55 AM, said:

It's a huge blow, especially considering how many seats they have left.  They sent around a 25% off code last week, but I didn't bite nor did it appear a lot of others.

This looks to be a fiscal disaster for them. As of Tuesday midday, it appears that fewer than half the seats have been sold. They do have some kind of same-day last-minute sales - I always see a line of people waiting for half-price tickets before performances - but I don't know who is eligible. I suppose they might fill seats that way so it won't look so awful.

Sales for tonight's opening of Eifmann Ballet's Don Q also look terrible.

[abatt]

Is Tour De Force an Ardani Artists presentation?  I think it is.  I don't have too much sympathy for that organization if they lose money.  They charge outrageous prices for what is often garbage (Beauty in Motion anyone?).

[California]

abatt, on 26 April 2011 - 11:24 AM, said:

Is Tour De Force an Ardani Artists presentation?  I think it is.  I don't have too much sympathy for that organization if they lose money.  They charge outrageous prices for what is often garbage (Beauty in Motion anyone?).

The first Tour, as well as Eifman this week and Osipova and Vasiliev, are all Ardani projects:
http://www.ardani.co...anyprojects.php
The site seems to be a little out-of-date, but it seems a safe guess that Tour II is also from Ardani.

I have no idea what fiscal arrangement they have with Segerstrom Center -- e.g., whether they rented space from the Center (and took the full risk) or have split costs/risk in some way.  

I get fund-raising phone calls from Segerstrom (and a lot of other arts groups around the country). They had some kind of matching grant from Bank of America, but hadn't met their deadline last December, so the Bank gave them an extension. Local press in recent months suggests their overall fund-raising hasn't been very good, but that seems to be true of arts groups all over the country, alas.

[ksk04]

California, on 26 April 2011 - 10:52 AM, said:

ksk04, on 26 April 2011 - 08:55 AM, said:

It's a huge blow, especially considering how many seats they have left.  They sent around a 25% off code last week, but I didn't bite nor did it appear a lot of others.

This looks to be a fiscal disaster for them. As of Tuesday midday, it appears that fewer than half the seats have been sold. They do have some kind of same-day last-minute sales - I always see a line of people waiting for half-price tickets before performances - but I don't know who is eligible. I suppose they might fill seats that way so it won't look so awful.

Sales for tonight's opening of Eifmann Ballet's Don Q also look terrible.

That is the rush line for students and seniors...it's usually $10 in the tiers and $20 for orchestra, which is why it's so long! I wasn't expecting a rush to be available for this (it wasn't for the first Tour de Force I don't think) but what is a loss for the Center is a gain for me, as I would definitely attend at rush prices (if they offer).


I don't have sympathy for Ardani either--I hope to highest hopes that the Center reconsiders and lessens their partnership with them which, so far, has shut out big touring classical ballet companies in favor of programs like Beauty in Motion and Reflections, both of which were, to put it delicately, giant turds.


Edit: For what it's worth, the Center's Facebook page has confirmed $20 rush tickets for Tour de Force.

[California]

I just returned from the opening night Don Q of Eifman Ballet. The print program includes the Tour de Force II program for Thursday (although an update just came through as an e-mail message). One of many surprises tonight: the use of recorded music -- for a well-known classical score in a major performing arts center. In looking through the program book, I see no hint of live music for the Tour de Force Thursday either (no conductor's name, no ensemble, no musicians). It looks like we're about to have a "Gala" Thursday with recorded music. I can understand recorded music for small, struggling, regional groups or for unorthodox commissioned music that a local orchestra could not perform. But classical stuff in a major hall? Has anybody encountered anything like that elsewhere?

The credits for Thursday include: "the Center gratefully acknowledges the Segerstrom Foundation for its lead support of this performance," with a list of sources of underwriting from Orange County individuals and foundations. It is "presented in association with Ardani Artists."

Tonight there was an unusually long line for the rush tickets, but the theater still seemed to be about 1/4 empty. Even so, this very unorthodox version of Don Q was warmly received by the audience, which was chock full of Russian speakers again.

[California]

Here's the revised program for Tour de Force II that was sent out by e-mail today:

ACT ONE
Who's Who (First scene of Act II)
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
Choreography: Boris Eifman

Sylvia (Pas-de-Deux)
Anastasia Matvienko and Denis Matvienko
Choreography: George Balanchine

Cinderella (Pas-de-Deux)
Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côte
Choreography: James Kudelka

Tarantella
Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz
Choreography: George Balanchine

Creature
American Premiere
Patrick De Bana and Dimo Kirilov Milev
Choreography: Patrick De Bana

In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated (Pas-de-Deux)
Katya Markowskaja and Noah Gelber
Choreography: William Forsythe

Lady of the Camellias
Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes
Choreography: John Neumeier

Le Corsaire (Pas-de-Deux)
Anastasia and Denis Matvienko
Choreography: Maurius Petipa

ACT TWO
Who's Who (First scene of Act I – "Night Club Scene")
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg

Proust: The Intermittences of the Heart (Excerpts)
Guillaume Côté (solo), Guillaume Côté and Marcelo Gomes (pas-de-deux)
Choreography: Roland Petit

The Picture of…
American Premiere
Patrick De Bana
Choreography: Patrick De Bana

Tchaikovsky Pas-de-Deux
Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz
Choreography: George Balanchine

Slingerland (Pas-de-Deux)
Katya Markowskaja and Noah Gelber
Choreography: William Forsythe

Onegin
Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté
Choreography: John Cranko

Vertigo
American Premiere
Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes
Choreography: Mauro Bigonzetti

FINALE:
Don Quixote (Pas-de-Deux)
Center premiere by ABT in 1992
Anastasia and Denis Matvienko
Choreography: Alexander Gorsky
Music: Ludwig Minkus

Don Quixote or Fantasies of a Madman
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
Choreography: Boris Eifman

Casting update: Because of unexpected casting changes at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, we have been advised that, with regret, Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev cannot be released to dance in Tour de Force II as originally planned. The Bolshoi Ballet is presenting the premiere of Lost Illusions, a new ballet by Alexei Ratmansky this week and Osipova and Vasiliev were originally scheduled to only dance the premiere on April 24 before flying to California. However, the duo was needed to remain in Moscow through this week for additional performances after other principal dancers were unable to perform as scheduled.

[ksk04]

California, on 26 April 2011 - 09:59 PM, said:

However, the duo was needed to remain in Moscow through this week for additional performances after other principal dancers were unable to perform as scheduled.

This is the amongst the dumbest things I've read: there are 4 different principal casts for the premiere and 6 performances. Unless a major amount of Bolshoi soloists have taken a dive there are clearly plenty of casts to cover.

To be fair, my irritation is directed less at Osipova/Vasiliev and more of the culture that persists in having dancers over-schedule themselves to the point of craziness. It's one thing to be busy and to be in demand, but to plan to be in a premiere ballet in Moscow and also dance in a gala in Orange County within the span of 4 days is ridiculous, and something that seems to be happening more and more frequently amongst the most sought after dancers.


It's quite considerate that the Matvienko's have stepped in and filled in for them; they are not my favorite dancers, but they are always consistently good. Thank you for posting the changes, California. I agree it's ridiculous that a venue with an orchestra available would not use it especially when tickets are exorbitantly priced.

[LoveMyJob]

Orange County Ballet Theater just posted on its Facebook Page that they have secured Priority Rush tickets for tomorrow evenings performance at $25 each.  Call the box office and mention offer code "Ballet" to get this deal!

I got mine, can't wait!

[California]

LoveMyJob, on 27 April 2011 - 01:31 PM, said:

Orange County Ballet Theater just posted on its Facebook Page that they have secured Priority Rush tickets for tomorrow evenings performance at $25 each.  Call the box office and mention offer code "Ballet" to get this deal!

I just looked at the seating charts on the Segerstrom site -- they have a long way to go to fill that house. Those $25 tickets will help. Looks like they're trying to avoid embarrassment, even as they lose their shirts financially.

[ksk04]

Thank you so much for the tip, LoveMyJob! Glad to avoid the rush line tomorrow. They are even letting you choose your seats with that priority rush offer--I went with their first offer of middle orchestra, center. Not too shabby.