Farrell Fan

This was my first year not at "opening night" since it really used to be opening night, and you made the transition seamless and painless with your report, Carbro. Many thanks.

I certainly agree, and because I've scrupulously adhered to this, my correspondence with Suzanne Farrell has gone on for nearly twenty years.

rg's account is the way I understood it. The "elsewhere" I referred to in my post was the Kirov. Unfortunately, it did not become a done deal.

Thanks for sharing this, Violin Concerto. Do you ever still write to her?

Leigh -- Sorry I wasn't clear. What I heard was that Farrell was invited to stage Don Q for NYCB and declined, saying she'd been invited to do it elsewhere.

Yes. My understanding is that Martins wanted to stage Balanchine's Don Q for the Balanchine centennial at NYCB and Farrell turned him down.

The press release is as awful as this ill-conceived project threatens to be. This does no honor to Lincoln.

I have three subscriptions too, and yesterday I received two out of the three. Judging from past experence, the third might not come for a few days. I used to get a little nervous about this, too, but since the tickets have never failed to arrive in plenty of time, I'm more relaxed about things now. After all, the subscription season doesn't start till January 3. That vestigial "Opening Night" coming up soon has no connection to the rest of the season. After many years of keeping up the Opening Night tradition, with ever-diminshing returns, I have finally realized that and decided to skip it this year. I look forward to reading about it on Ballet Talk.

According to Barbara Milberg, "he was a damn good pianist." According to Maria Tallchief, "George was NOT a good pianist." Both these quotes were posted in recent days. (Thanks, Violin Concerto.) Any other opinions?

NYCB is a team; ABT is a collection of stars. I don't know how to prove this pronouncement, but when you've seen these companies as much as I have, it becomes quite obvious.

Dale has explined it very well. I remember her name in the program as a corps member, but that's all.

Chris d'Amboise danced with his father, Jacques, in Union Jack.

The dress rehearsals at ABT that I've been to have been very much like regular performances -- including applause from the audience. The rehearsals at NYCB are working rehearsals with just piano accompaniment and attendees are not allowed to sit on the orchestra level. There are many starts and stops, but it is not possible to hear what's being said -- unless Mr. Martins is sitting in the orchestra and using a microphone. I don't think much insight is gained from either kind of rehearsal. My favorite "behind the scenes" activity is observing a class at the School of American Ballet, a perk available to donors there -- at least it used to be. I can't let the subject go by without reprising the story of the time I snuck into a closed Suzanne Farrell Ballet rehearsal at the Kennedy Center and sat in the dark in the last row of the orchestra. At the intermission of that evening's performance she thanked me for attending the rehearsal -- further proof that the woman has supernatural powers.

Some thirty or forty years ago, the New York City Opera had a production of the opera Cavalleria Rusticana directed by Vera Zorina, a one-time Mrs. B. It's not too strong a word to say that I hated it, particularly the crowd scene when the stage should have been deserted. This is when the villagers are in church for Easter Sunday Mass, and the Intermezzo is played by the orchestra. An air of foreboding should prevail -- leading to the bloody event which ends the opera. But in Zorina's production, the church emptied early and a gaggle of girls in communion dresses came dancing out strewing flower petals and dancing around. It ruined the mood and spoiled one of the most famous orchestral pieces in opera. The audience applauded as usual at the end of the Intermezzo, but I booed. My brother-in-law, who was in the audience, saw me at the intermission which separated Cavalleria from Pagliacci, and asked me if I'd heard the loud boo, obviously unaware of its meaning. I said I had and let it go at that.

Thanks for your mention of "the goddess Suzanne," Peter. I was and continue to be a fellow worshiper. Have you ever seen her company? I think they went to California once, but usually their engagements are limited to the Kennedy Center. I don't know about forgetting more than you ever knew, because at age 74, I forget everything. Except Suzanne, never Suzanne.

I've enjoyed reading these reports and want to thank all the reporters. Just one thing: there were one or two references to "Balanchine's company." Would that it were so. It hasn't been that for several years now, as Jack Reed pointed out.

Hedy Weiss in the Sun-Times refers to the "painfully thin Wendy Whelan." Being familiar with her dancing, I can state that there's nothing painful about seeing it. I also thought it rather weird that Ms. Weiss described Serenade as "Swan Lake on amphetamines." There's nothing wrong with newspaper critics, but I'm very much looking forward to the reactions of our own Ballet Talkers.

:cool2: Congratulations on your choice of buddies, Bill!

As far as Martins in "Tzigane," I always viewed his role and that of the corps as afterthoughts.

I agree with papeete patrick about Peter Martins. He may have been bland in his first months with NYCB but once Balanchine accepted him and the partnership with Farrell got going, he was frequently thrilling. d'Amboise may have been a more "interesting" partner for Suzanne, but the Farrell-Martins team was the stuff of ballet legend. The fact that Martins is now apparently immune to its greatness is just the latest indication of his lack of good judgment.

I'd like to know something about "Adin," which I know nothing about. The only thing the Oregonian review (which I enjoyed) says is that it "holds its own between two classics."

Peter Martins says that people who think Balanchine used to be danced better at NYCB are afflicted by nostalgia. Viewing a tape of himself and Suzanne Farrell in Apollo he also says that the Apollo isn't very interesting. Since he refrains from comment about Terpsichore, I'll let it go at that.

I wish I could see well enough to read some of the stuff on this page. After considerable strain I think I saw that in Chaconne Suzanne and Peter danced like "dead leaves." That can't be right, can it?

There's this fellow named Degas who seems to have a future. He's pretty good on horses too.

The program was called "Ballerinas" and on it Peter Martins told how he had "discovered" this or that aspect of Balanchine's ballerinas. The Beethoven piece was called Beethoven Romance. There was indeed a fifth work, for Suzanne Farrell. It was, said Mr. Martins, intended to bring out "the glamour-girl side of Suzanne," and she agreed to do it provided he dance it with her. Called Sophisticated Lady, to the music of Duke Ellington, it was premiered during the American Music Festival and repeated at Farrell's farewell performance. It was charming and poignant but that did not come through on television, because the most charming and poignant part, to the Duke's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," was eliminated from the broadcast. In its place was a disgustingly sappy "finale" in which a line of Corps boys (including Nilas) melted away to reveal Martins pere on bended knee, while Suzanne looked longingly in his direction. I gag at the memory.