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Winter Season 2013


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Please recommend one program from the following options. I am leaning toward the first, but I am open to advice.

Jan 15, 16, 18, 19 Eve, 26 Mat

Serenade

Mozartiana

Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

Jan 17, 19 Mat, 20, 22, 23

Swan Lake

Allegro Brillante

Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3

Jan 24, 25, 26 Eve, 27

Divertimento from “Le Baiser de la Fée”

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux

Bal de Couture (New Martins/Tschaikovsky)

Diamonds

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If you go on the 19th, there are special events for Balanchine's birthday:

http://www.nycballet.com/Season-Tickets/Season-Highlights/SATURDAY-AT-THE-BALLET-WITH-GEORGE.aspx

Note especially the 5-6 free demonstration of the Balanchine Ballerina, although you do need to reserve a ticket:

5:00 – 6:00 PM // The Balanchine Ballerina

FREE Event, Ticket Required

Location: Auditorium

RESERVE TICKETS >

To mark this special occasion, NYCB presents a free onstage demonstration exploring Balanchine’s famous quote: “Ballet is woman.” Featuring NYCB dancers performing excerpts from Symphony in C, Serenade, Western Symphony, and more, this presentation will focus on Balanchine’s view of women in ballet and will highlight many of the iconic roles he created for his ballerinas.

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The only dud is Couture Ball. The first two weeks of the season are an embarrassment of riches. Go to all 3 programs, if possible.

Yes, but I want to see 11+ ABT Spring performances at the Met and KC, in addition to some Joyce theatre and Guggenheim performances, so I am relunctant to splurge on several NYCB Winter performances, unless you think it is "essential" viewing. I am not really interested in the "Sleeping Beauty" or "Swan Lake", but would consider them if highly recommended. I am embarrassed to sound so spoiled in this matter. I try to watch a lot of Youtube to be economically prudent, but I don't want to miss an important opportunity, either.

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Casting is up for the first week of the winter season:

http://www.nycballet.com/NYCB/media/NYCBMediaLibrary/PDFs/Press/January-15-20,-2013_lobby.pdf

TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 15, 7:30 PM

(Guest Conductor: Minczuk)

SERENADE:

Taylor, M. Fairchild, Krohn, *Marcovici, la Cour

MOZARTIANA:

Kowroski, T. Angle, Ulbricht

TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2:

Bouder, J. Stafford, Lowery, Suozzi, Tworzyanski, Laracey, Hankes

[solo Piano: Walters]

WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 16, 7:30 PM

SERENADE:

*Mearns, Bouder, *LeCrone, J. Angle, Danchig-Waring

MOZARTIANA:

*Hyltin, *Finlay, Huxley

TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2:

Reichlen, *T. Angle, *Scheller, *Peiffer, *Applebaum, Arthurs, *Pollack

[solo Piano: Walters]

THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 17, 7:30 PM

(Guest Conductor: Cornelius)

SWAN LAKE:

Kowroski, *T. Angle, *Laracey, Lowery, *J. Peck

ALLEGRO BRILLANTE:

T. Peck, Ramasar [solo Piano: Chelton]

TSCHAIKOVSKY SUITE NO. 3:

ELEGIE: Reichlen, la Cour; WALTZ: Taylor, Marcovici; SCHERZO: Pereira, Ulbricht;

THEME & VARIATIONS: M. Fairchild, Veyette

FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 18, 8 PM

(Conductor: Capps)

SERENADE:

Taylor, M. Fairchild, Krohn, Marcovici, la Cour

MOZARTIANA:

Kowroski, T. Angle, Ulbricht

TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2:

Bouder, J. Stafford, Lowery, Suozzi, Tworzyanski, Laracey, Hankes

[solo Piano: Walters]

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19

SATURDAY AT THE BALLET WITH GEORGE

A Day of Special Events in honor of George Balanchine’s Birthday.

12:45 PM – Children’s Workshop

Join the artists of NYCB in an exploration of George Balanchine’s

Swan Lake

1 PM – Live Music on the Promenade by members of the NYCB Orchestra

1:40 PM – First Position Discussion

(FREE)

NYCB docents will provide background details on the matinee performance

2 PM - All Balanchine Program

(Conductor: Otranto)

SWAN LAKE:

Kowroski, T. Angle, Laracey, Lowery, J. Peck

THE GARLAND DANCE from THE SLEEPING BEAUTY:

pause

ALLEGRO BRILLANTE:

T. Peck, Ramasar [solo Piano: Chelton]

TSCHAIKOVSKY SUITE NO. 3:

ELEGIE: Reichlen, la Cour; WALTZ: Taylor, Marcovici; SCHERZO: Pereira, Ulbricht;

THEME & VARIATIONS: M. Fairchild, Veyette

5 PM – The Balanchine Ballerina: Onstage Demonstration (FREE)

This onstage presentation will focus on many of the iconic roles Balanchine created for his ballerinas, featuring excerpts from

Serenade, Symphony in C, Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3, Allegro Brillante, Western Symphony, and Mozartiana.

7 PM – Live Music on the Promenade by members of the NYCB Orchestra

8 PM - All Balanchine Program

(Guest Conductor: Minczuk)

SERENADE:

Mearns, Bouder, LeCrone, J. Angle, Danchig-Waring

MOZARTIANA:

Hyltin, Finlay, Huxley

TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2:

Reichlen, T. Angle, Scheller, Peiffer, Applebaum, Arthurs, Pollack

[solo Piano: Walters]

SUNDAY MATINEE, JANUARY 20, 3 PM(Guest Conductor: Cornelius)

SWAN LAKE:

Mearns, J. Angle, *LeCrone, *King, *Dieck

ALLEGRO BRILLANTE:

T. Peck, Ramasar [solo Piano: Chelton]

TSCHAIKOVSKY SUITE NO. 3:

ELEGIE: *Krohn, *Catazaro; WALTZ: Ringer, *J. Peck; SCHERZO: Scheller, Carmena;

THEME & VARIATIONS: Bouder, *J. Stafford

* First Time in Role

PROGRAM AND CASTING SUBJECT TO CHANGE (01/03/13

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The only dud is Couture Ball. The first two weeks of the season are an embarrassment of riches. Go to all 3 programs, if possible.

Yes, but I want to see 11+ ABT Spring performances at the Met and KC, in addition to some Joyce theatre and Guggenheim performances, so I am relunctant to splurge on several NYCB Winter performances, unless you think it is "essential" viewing. I am not really interested in the "Sleeping Beauty" or "Swan Lake", but would consider them if highly recommended. I am embarrassed to sound so spoiled in this matter. I try to watch a lot of Youtube to be economically prudent, but I don't want to miss an important opportunity, either.

I'm with Abatt: see them all. I'd even spring for multiple casts if I could. It's not often that the company chooses to adorn a couple of mid-winter repertory weeks with so many of its Tchaikovsky jewels (no pun intended). What's more, there are dancers on the roster just now who I wouldn't want to miss in this repertory. And Balanchine's one-act "Swan Lake" is a must, IMO -- at the very least it's instructive to see what he thought could be omitted.

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Puppytreats: this season (like the early Fall season) is unusually high quality in terms of repertory.

However, if you can only see one of the programs and you have never seen Serenade then I strongly recommend you go see that. I think that overall the program with Serenade is one of the strongest of the Balanchine/Tchaikovsky programs in any case--certainly the one that interests me the most--but Serenade is simply is one of Balanchine's absolute greatest ballets and though of course casting matters, I think that even in lesser performances much of its greatness comes across.

I think the other programs are more uneven in quality overall...sometimes even within a single ballet such as Divertimento from Baiser de La Fee (which begins rather dully in my opinion and gets much better). The one Act distillation/revision of the Swan Lake White Acts is rather remarkable, but if you are seeing it for the first time and are generally less familiar with NYCB and attached to the traditional Ivanov Act II I recommend you treat it almost as an independent work, a distilled reflection on Swan Lake.

But I agree with what has been said above about trying to see more than one program if you can. It's not every season this much serious Balanchine is on offer. (You can get cheaper seats that are quite good at NYCB...unlike the Met.) Like most companies City Ballet grows on you and Balanchine, too, becomes "clearer" and more exciting when you see more of it. For myself, I would certainly trade in a lot of what's on offer at the Joyce to catch at least two of the programs.

In fact, I rarely come up to NY for winter season but have plans to come up specially to see the program w. Serenade (twice) and the one w. Swan Lake.

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Thanks for the advice. I just bought tickets for all of the programs on 1/19 (Serenade, Mozartiana,Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, Swan Lake, Allegro Brillante, Sleeping Beauty Garland Dance, Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3), in addition to the Balanchine demonstrations (including Symphony in C and Western Symphony) and lecture. I was not able to get $29 tickets, but I got a matinee 4th level seat for $56 and an evening orchestra seat for $56, which is not terrible. It will be a long day.

What about NYCB's Sleeping Beauty? Is it required viewing?

I also just bought ABT's Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, in addition to Sylvia, DQ, Corsair, R&J, Onegin, the Ratmanksy premiere, and the mixed bill of Symphony in C, Month in the Country, and Drink to Me. I bought tickets to multiple performances of certain shows. (I am sure it is not hard to guess which.)

In addition, I bought tickets to both ABT and Wendy Whelan at Guggenheim.

I am still thinking about Kennedy Center and the Joyce....

This is a bad habit.

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The Sleeping Beauty production at NYCB is far superior to the ABT version, in my opinion. However, I think that your level of enjoyment will depend heavily on the cast. I saw all of the 5 different casts last time. Sadly, one of the 5 ballerinas (K. Morgan) will not be present for this run. My favorite Aurora was Tiler Peck during the last run. I never choose SB based on the lead male. (The other ballerinas last time were Hyltin, Bouder, and M. Fairchild).

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What about NYCB's Sleeping Beauty? Is it required viewing?

This is a bad habit.

Puppytreats --

Martin's production of Sleeping Beauty is rather brisk but pretty to look at and (IMO) theatrically cogent -- much more so than his dreary, ugly, arid Swan Lake -- and it will give you a far better idea of what Sleeping Beauty is all about than ABT's ghastly version (which is not theatrically cogent). If you're counterfeiting benjamins in the basement to feed that ballet monkey on your back, you might want to run off a few more and catch an NYCB Beauty to do a little compare / contrast. wink1.gif That being said, although NYCB's Beauty is better than ABT's, it's simply not a must-see the way Serenade or Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 2 are. (Some folks think of the latter ballet as Balanchine's distillation of Sleeping Beauty's essence, by the way.)

I'm sure if you search the Ballet Alert archives you'll find a wealth of pros and cons regarding both productions. There's some debate, for instance, regarding Martins' decision to cram the christening, the spell, the hunt, and the vision scenes into his first act, leaving only the awakening and the wedding divertissements for his second act. ABT's current version also only has one intermission, but they've placed it right after the spell, which is, I believe, somewhat more traditional. However, their version omits or truncates some of the traditional fairy-tale Wedding divertissements and the ballet feels rather sad without them.

I think you've done well to grab a full day of Balanchine and Tchaikovsky -- enjoy, and report back!

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I agree that NYCB Sleeping Beauty is superior to ABT's, but it is NYCB flavored: danced very uptempo and with a minimization of much of the mime. The arms and accents are not in a pure Petipa vein. It's beautiful and traditional but very much NYCB honoring Petipa. However, if the only Sleeping Beauty you have ever seen in the theater is with ABT or a smaller company, then I would say that you should certainly try to see it. (I haven't seen the current generation of NYCB Auroras in it--loved Jennifer Ringer as Aurora quite a few years back. One of the best I have seen in any production.)

One supplement to Kathleen O'Connell's remarks: Croce thought that Theme and Variations (now, at NYCB, the last movement of Tchaikovsky Suite no. 3) was a kind of distillation of Sleeping beauty, something I think one can see in variations like the one with a row of women, the ballerina in the center, the women all linked arm in arm, and she traced the reference to the original ABT request to Balanchine for something in the spirit of Aurora's Wedding (not the exact wording, but roughly). She also speculated once that Piano Concerto no. II had echos of or riffs on Swan Lake, something that I never really saw until I read her essay...

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. (I haven't seen the current generation of NYCB Auroras in it--loved Jennifer Ringer as Aurora quite a few years back. One of the best I have seen in any production.)

..

Agreed. Ringer was outstanding as Aurora. In fact, if memory serves, she was promoted to principal shortly after her glorious performances as Aurora.

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One supplement to Kathleen O'Connell's remarks: Croce thought that Theme and Variations (now, at NYCB, the last movement of Tchaikovsky Suite no. 3) was a kind of distillation of Sleeping beauty, something I think one can see in variations like the one with a row of women, the ballerina in the center, the women all linked arm in arm, and she traced the reference to the original ABT request to Balanchine for something in the spirit of Aurora's Wedding (not the exact wording, but roughly). She also speculated once that Piano Concerto no. II had echos of or riffs on Swan Lake, something that I never really saw until I read her essay...

I'm going to have to dredge up that essay! The idea that TPC2 is a gloss on Sleeping Beauty made so much sense to me when I first heard it that I was embarassed that I hadn't thought of it myself. I'm having a harder time drawing specific comparisons with Swan Lake, however. I can see some general similarities: for instance, TPC2's second movement certainly seems intended to evoke a white act -- although it also seems to me to share as much with SB's Vision Scene as with SL's lakeside. But whereas SL is fundamentally "tragic" -- evil can only be undone through death -- SB is fundamentally "comic": the world is put to rights when Aurora gets married to the right guy. (Aurora and Prince Desiré have more in common with Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy than they do with Odette and Prince Siegfried.) TPC2's narrative arc traces SB's rather than SL's: Princess arrives, Princess is lost, Princess is found, Princess reclaims her rightful place with a consort at her side and all's right with the world.

There's one way in which T&V feels to me like a closer gloss on Aurora's Wedding than TPC2 is on SB as a whole: the danseur seems (for once) as important a personage as the ballerina -- as something more than a mere cavalier or consort.

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This is a bad habit.

Puppytreats --

If you're counterfeiting benjamins in the basement to feed that ballet monkey on your back, you might want to run off a few more . wink1.gif

I keep waiting for a certain tall, dark, handsome, rich danseur to appear. Then I think about Prince Siegfried.

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Undone?

Death would seem to be the final result of evil. I do not understand how redemption follows.

The traditional ending of Swan Lake relies on the romantic 19th-century belief that true happiness would be found in an afterlife - the reason the Soviets had to have their happy ending in this life, now, as they rejected the idea of a religiously-based afterlife.

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I'm going to have to dredge up that essay!

Link please.

But whereas SL is fundamentally "tragic" -- evil can only be undone through death

Undone?

Death would seem to be the final result of evil. I do not understand how redemption follows.

Well, in its simplest terms, Odette chooses death and takes Von Rothbart with her, freeing her companions from his curse and ridding the world of his evil. There are any number of traditions in which someone good has to die in order to expiate the world of sin. (Christianity for one, no?) Sometimes it's a hero (perhaps of the "tragic" variety), sometimes it's a beautiful maiden. And, there are also traditions in which death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person: think of those with powerful codes of honor.

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Undone?

Death would seem to be the final result of evil. I do not understand how redemption follows.

The traditional ending of Swan Lake relies on the romantic 19th-century belief that true happiness would be found in an afterlife - the reason the Soviets had to have their happy ending in this life, now, as they rejected the idea of a religiously-based afterlife.

Christian theology has been explained to me to emphasize a lack of focus on the present world and the availability of reward in an afterlife, but that does produce a pro-death stance (to the contrary, mant are "pro-life"), or justify or "undo" evil, even if sins are claimed to be forgiven.

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For myself, I would certainly trade in a lot of what's on offer at the Joyce to catch at least two of the programs.

What about the Graham program?

Is seeing the Trocks worth the time and money, or if one has watched the DVD/Youtube program, does that suffice?

I have never seen the Trocks. Many ballet fans swear by them or have in the past at any rate, but for me personally drag -- even witty, insightful, or artistic drag which the Trocks are said to be -- holds no appeal. You may feel differently. Even so: if you have not seen much Balanchine or NYCB and really have to make a choice, then I would say that it makes little sense to opt for ballet-satire before you have a fuller picture of the art form.

However, I will concede that In dance, if it's genuinely great, then DVD/Youtube does not suffice, so having never seen the Trocks I can't really say.

Graham is a different question in my mind: if the company is in good shape--something I don't know--and you are interested in educating yourself on modern dance, then Graham is a must. When I was younger I was a dance fan almost as much as a ballet fan. For "life" reasons, I now usually have to choose and, without at first having given the matter much thought, I long ago found myself choosing ballet every time.

I still like modern dance and attend now and then when I have the opportunity (most recently Paul Taylor in Atlanta), and Graham, like Balanchine, is a major figure in 20th-century art, so...

However, there is another factor which several people have already mentioned. This is an unusually good season repertory-wise at NYCB and the company has a cluster of remarkable dancers right now. Not every principal is great; not every ballet is Serenade--but on the whole you have an excellent chance of seeing first rate performances and first-rate ballets. I would say, take advantage.

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For myself, I would certainly trade in a lot of what's on offer at the Joyce to catch at least two of the programs.

What about the Graham program?

Is seeing the Trocks worth the time and money, or if one has watched the DVD/Youtube program, does that suffice?

Ummm, getting OT here, but, have you seen any Paul Taylor yet? If not, I'd skip Graham (and the Trocks, and the NYCB Beauty, and probably the program with Bal de Couture on it) and catch some Paul Taylor during his company's three week run at Koch theater in March. Here's why:

1) He's one of the last living, still vibrant links to a storied era in American modern dance. I'm not saying he's got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel, but he's in his 80's and isn't going to be around forever. Now's your chance to see his works performed while he's still in charge. And who knows what will happen to the bulk of his oeuvre when he's gone: it could simply evaporate like the work of other great choreographers has.

2) His current company is excellent. He can choose the best, and he's done so. You owe it to yourself to see some his senior dancers while they are at their peak.

3) Lots of ballet companies have included his works in their repertoire, but no one dances them like his own dancers.

4) YouTube just won't do.

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If anyone is reading this far, do not miss the January 19, 5 pm free onstage demonstration "Ballet is Woman", which a poster mentioned earlier. It will include company dancers in Western Symphony, Serenade, and more. Best of all, there are still free tickets available at the Koch box office. I wish I could go.

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