10 replies to this topic

[Ari]

On another thread, Kate writes:

Quote

There are plenty of other ballets that could be revived other than Symphony in C-plenty Balanchine and Robbins ballets have been shelved for far too many seasons and would make wonderful additions to the active rep. I'd love to see Coppelia, West Side Story Suites and Union Jack again, among others.

What other ballets in the company's repertory would you like to see revived?

One of my first thoughts is Jewels, which hasn't been done in a while.  I'd love to see Jenifer Ringer in the Mimi Paul role;  she was born to dance it.  (I also wanted to see Meunier do the Verdy role, but now . . ..)  There are scads of dancers for the McBride role in Rubies: not just Weese, but Somogyi, Bouder, Taylor, and others.

Of the Balanchine ballets, I'd also like to see Brahms-Schoenberg again, and Gounod Symphony.

Does anyone in the Robbins wing of the company still remember An Evening's Waltzes well enough to teach it?  That was one of Robbins's better works, if memory serves, though it could be risky for the dancers.

And I'd love to see Bournonville Divertissements again—perhaps rehearsed by Hubbe.

Whatever happened to Martins's plan to revive Summerspace?  Was Cunningham unwilling to rehearse it again?  Nanatchka?

[cargill]

One I would love to see again is the Haieff Divertimento.  They did it for the Balanchine Celebration and 1 or 2 seasons after that, and never again.  It had wonderful music, and was sort of in introduction to the 4 Temperaments, and had some wonderful dancing for men.

[Leigh Witchel]

There's a lot.  I agree with Ari about Gounod Symphony.  Bourree Fantasque was revived for the Festival, then dropped along with the Haieff Divertimento.  Both have mixed reviews, but I still would like to see Harlequinade and Don Quixote (the latter was not even revived for the Balanchine Festival)  If Balanchine's 1966 "Variations" to Stravinsky's in memory of Aldous Huxley exists on record, I would love to see it revived.  It's one of the rare pieces with a male corps de ballet, and from pictures, it looks like a precursor to Kammermusik.  Danses Concertantes is rarely done, Divertimento from Baiser de la Fee (although I think that was done in the winter) and even Ballade, which was made as late as 1980.  And I'm only thinking of the Balanchine portion of the repertory.  Reasonably, I'm assuming not all these works are masterpieces, but the thinning of the repertory is a narrowing of our portrait of the artist.  And it's work like Ivesiana or Opus 34 that worry me most.  I think the Gothic aspect of Balanchine will be the first to get lost in the press of history.

[Calliope]

For Balanchine:  I'll second Haieff and add
Bourrée Fantasque, Concertino, Glinka Pas De Trois, Orpheus, DAVIDSBÜNDLERTÄNZE and Tarantella.
For the rest
Behind the China Dogs, Slavonic Dances

[Alexandra]

As of last week -- and this may well change -- but the Suzanne Farrell Ballet will be reviving Variations for its fall showing in DC.

[Leigh Witchel]

There are two versions.  In the '66 version the music was played three times.  The first was for twelve women, the second for six men, the third was a solo for Farrell.  The '82 version was a solo for Farrell, I believe entirely rechoreographed.  It was the last piece of choreography Balanchine made.  If I could, I'd like to see both.

[Alexandra]

I know there are two "Variations."  I don't know which one they're doing.  (Details, as they say, are sketchy at press time.)

[liebs]

And I'd like to see Ringer as Columbine in Harlequinadfe with Bouder as Pierrette (sp?).

[Leigh Witchel]

Dollars to donuts it's the '82 version of Variations.

[AmandaNYC]

What about Robbins' Piano Pieces?  I don't think they have done it since the festival in '90.  I have heard good things about it.  

I also loved Gershwin Concerto when Ringer did it.  Albeit, they really need to update the costumes.  Early '80s costumes=bad.

Re: Jewels.  I look forward to the day I get to see Bouder in Rubies...  (and in Stars & Stripes, again)

-amanda

[rkoretzky]

I have been watching NYCB every summer since 1978 and I try to get in to the city as much as I can during the winter too, and I have only seen "In the Night" once! More! More! As long as we are making wishes........