Farrell Fan

No one ever strode onto the stage in The Concert more imposingly or amusingly than Gordon Boelzner or dusted the piano keys more fastidiously. At a NYCB Guild seminar once he told of the difficulties of performing the long score of the Goldberg Variations from the piano at the corner of the stage apron where he couldn't see the dancers but could hear audience comments. Toward the end of the opening night performance, he distinctly heard a woman complain, "Oh, no, he's gonna play another one!" His performance of Davidsbundlertanze was stunning, and fortunately has been preserved on the 1981 video which also features the original cast (except for Sara Leland in place of Kay Mazzo).

A paid notice in today's NY Times announces the death of the former pianist, conductor, and music director of NYCB, Gordon Boelzner. "His devotion to George Balanchine and to New York City Ballet was a source of inspiration to all who worked with him and his remarkable presence in our family will be greatly missed."

A twenty-minute Rosenkavalier sounds just right to me for ballet purposes. The emotions may be complicated, but the plot isn't. And though the music is glorious, the final trio, coming at the end of a long evening in the opera house, invariably puts me to sleep. I recommend that Andrea Quinn conduct.

Helene's matter-of-fact reply needs further comment. The last section of Vienna Waltzes was Suzanne Farrell's last role. Nobody who was at her farewell performance on November 28, 1989, will ever forget it. There are references to it in the Elusive Muse film and in Farrell's autobiography.

The umbrellas mentioned by Helene in The Concert are among my favorite inanimate objects in ballet -- they are both funny and poignant. Umbrellas, in fact, figure prominently in ballets from Fille to Union Jack. But the Nutcracker tree is in a class by itself. It gets more awe-inspiring the older I get.

One of my favorites is the Rondo alla Zingarese from Balanchine's Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet. That's because no matter who dances it, I can still see Suzanne Farrell's hair ribbons whipping across Peter Martins's face.

The title of this book will make for maximum confusion, sort of like "James Joyce's Ulysses," which was not that at all but a book of criticism by Stuart Gilbert (not to be confused with Gilbert Stuart.) I gather that what we have here is a book of criticism about criticism.

Thanks again from me too, Renata. Your story about Van Cliburn makes me think of Suzanne Farrell (surprise!). My late wife was less than five feet tall and whenever Suzanne talked to her, she'd unobtrusively do a plie so that her face was level with Alice's.

Thanks for the lovely memories, Renata. And what do you care to tell us about your boss, Mr. Hurok? I suppose he qualifies as a kind of genius.

Nancy Elllison is a photographer -- this is basically a souvenir book of photographs.

In the Summer 2005 issue of Ballet Review, Leigh Witchel, reviewing the National Ballet of Canada, writes: "Pairing Giselle with Stravinsky Violin Concerto is a nice bonus for the audience. Once upon a time an opening ballet before Giselle was standard." I'm old enough to remember that era, but probably because I am I can't remember the ballets I saw. My current opinion is that Giselle doesn't need a curtain-raiser. But what do you think would make a good one?

Thanks, rg. Kirstein's importance too often goes unrecognized today.

I'm glad this topic surfaced again. I only know one ballet genius, and she's very nice.

The bacchantes tear Orpheus apart, limb from limb, in Balanchine's ballet.

The Rona Jaffe novel was published in 1958. Surprisingly enough, a new paperback published by Penguin Books came out in May of this year! So somebody thinks it's still relevant. It's available from Amazon.

If "quintessential" means the purest or most typical form of something, then this question is unanswerable. As I said in response to Natalia on the other thread, the recent revival of Balanchine's Don Quixote demonstrated that lists of "definitive" or "quintessential" Balanchine ballets are bound to leave out somethng important. IMO, what this thread will result in are lists of one's FAVORITE Balanchine ballets. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

As was shown by the recent revival of his Don Quixote, it's impossible to select what is "definitive" or "quintessential" Balanchine without leaving out something important.

I have a hunch there will be more to this program than is currently listed on the Kennedy Center website.

I think it's ridiculous that we seem to be waiting for the NYCB press office to go beyond "no comment," when many people who qualify as reliable sources seem to have known about this days ago.

Two points. First, I think this matter should have its own thread. Ansanelli should not be lumped with Jessica Flynn and Jerome Johnson. Second, it's one thing not to post rumors; it's something else to discourage discussion of something after it's already happened.

Thank you, drb -- what a pleasure to read about Maria and Bart and see these photos of the company! Cheers for Nina and the State Ballet of Georgia!

bobsey! How nice to read your post! I missed Saratoga myself this year, but as you say, maybe next year.

I haven't seen a link here. It's in the current issue, July 25. Here's a quote: "The revival of 'Sylvia' will not alter our idea of who Ashton was as an artist. The lovely things he did in it he had done before, and would do again. That is not the case with Balanchine's 'Don Quixote.' 'Don Quixote' has been called a 'problem' ballet. What this means, as with Shakespeare's 'problem' plays, is that the work in question does not conform to our idea of that artist."

Although people still came to Saratoga Springs in August for the horse races, the town was pretty much dead for the rest of the year. The great hotels of the gilded age were gone. Various civic and political leaders thought that a performing arts center on the grounds of the state park would help revive the town. George Balanchine agreed and joined the development board for the center. The stage in the amphiteater was built to his and Lincoln Kirstein's specifications.

When the President and board of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center attempted to get rid of New York City Ballet at the end of last season because they claimed to be losing money on them, the community reacted in a truly inspiring way. Even Peter Martins professed to be touched at how much NYCB was loved in the region. In the end it was the SPAC President and board who had to go. I don't know if attendance has improved any. What I do know is that the subject you brought up, Bart, seemed singularly inappropriate at this time, a slap in the face of all the people who worked so hard to keep NYCB in its traditional summer home.