SimonA

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Both the Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center websites show cast changes, with Pujol and Letestu now out of Giselle.

Did anyone see the third cast led by Stashkevich and Lopatin?

Thank you, everyone, for your input! These Tallchief and Le Clerq videos sound tantalizing, indeed. Unfortunately, I could only find what appears to be the B&W excerpt of Kent/Ludlow in Symphony in C in the NYPL catalog. Could anyone suggest a favorite Symphony in C video? Otherwise, I'll just go with one of the Farrell-era versions.

In a couple weeks, I'll have about 6 hours of time to devote to Balanchine videos at the NYPL and would like to ask for the board's recommendations. Obviously, I'd like to focus on ballets not (well) represented in commercial releases (that nonetheless I'll be able to watch at the library w/o special permission). I have a few in mind, which I'll list below, but would love to get people's thoughts on which videos in the collection are "must sees." To narrow the field a bit, these are the few non-commercial videos I've already seen: the 1982 Agon (Watts/Tomlinson), the CBC Liebeslieder (Verdy, et al.), the Kirkland-Baryshnikov Theme and Variations, the 1990 Serenade, the 1973 Concerto Barocco, the Baryshnikov Apollo. And here's a tentative list of what I think I'd like to see -- but, please, I'd love to get your input! -Apollo (1982), with Martins, Farrell, Nichols, Calegari -Don Quixote (1965) -Concerto Barocco (1956), with Le Clerq, Adams -Symphony in C (there are appear to be a number of videos from '82 and '83 with Farrell in the Adagio role). Thanks!

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Natalia, "queenly" is certainly an apt word to describe Aleksandrova. Hers was still a warm, high-spirited Swanilda, but also graceful, womanly, and almost refined. A world away from Osipova's "little hooligan" (to quote Macaulay's description). I did appreciate Aleksandrova's musicality and technical virtuosity, though her generally high level of dancing made the few shortcomings that much more noticeable. Two supported pirouettes in the Act 3 pdd looked off axis, and she either didn't press or curtailed the deep arabesque penchee in Act 2 (after she's given the mirror from Coppelius). (That being said, the preceding pirouette en arabesque was perfect.) I wouldn't want hers to be the only Swanilda I saw (I prefer the Osipova interpretation), but I'm still glad I did.

Just a very quick report from tonight. Aleksandrova is a very different Swanilda. Not as soubrette, as you say, Natalia, but more technically assured than Kaptsova. Also, I thought she had a charming presence and winning personality that carried me quite effectively through the narrative. She also brought greater depth, poise and maturity to the Act 3 pas de deux. For adorability, Kaptsova is probably the more persuasive characterization, but I appreciated seeing both. Skvortsov had the most exciting dancing of the evening in his Act 3 solo and was wonderful throughout. Missed Tikhomirova's Folie tonight. The corps looked a bit sharper (no one fell tonight!).

Well, assuming that we, indeed, did see Stashkevich last night, I just exchanged my Thursday night ticket for tonight (Aleksandrova).

Just some quick thoughts from me, as well. It's a lovely production, but my impressions were colored by having recently seen the HD broadcast with Osipova and Lopatin. Kaptsova was an adorable Swanilda, with some lovely dancing. Not as thrilling as Osipova (who is?) but she underwhelmed, generally, and was missing a certain impish energy and sense of mischief. Her best moments, for me, were the Spanish dance in Act 2 and a beguiling straw (corn? wheat?) dance with Franz in Act 1. As a result, the evening wasn't quite shot through with the free-wheeling energy I think this ballet needs. Absolutely agree that Anna Tikhomirova stole Act 3, maybe even the show. I also didn't love Stashkevich as Dawn -- makes me a little apprehensive for her Swanilda later this week.

Anyone else going tonight? Excited to see Kaptsova and Ovcharenko, and the Vikharev/Petipa choreography.

Vishneva looked noticeably under the weather at the stage door after Saturday's Giselle.

From Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets: "Sometimes friends ask me why we do not print the words to all of these love songs in the program so that everyone will understand the original German. I always answer that the words really have nothing to do with the dances; to print them would suggest that the dances are illustrations and I never had that in mind." Of course, Balanchine could have said that simply because he didn't want people to be distracted from the dancing on stage by looking down at their programs (or analogously, today, up at the supertitles). Indeed, Balanchine himself quotes the words of the last song in his mini-essay: "Now, Muses, enough! You try in vain to portray how misery and happiness alternate in a loving heart."

Ouch. I will say that Osipova's Giselle was alternatively delightful and touching, in addition to being a technical marvel. But Vishneva's was undoubtedly the richer, deeper interpretation. Heartwrenching, indeed. Just one observation from among many-- Vishneva's whole upper body was so eloquent in its ethereality in Act II. David Hallberg was in great form in the matinee, embodying what I can only call something like a sensitive, almost tragic nobility. But I thought Saturday night had a stronger cast overall and was the more moving performance. Simkin and Lane were wonderful in the peasant pdd, even if Simkin was rather self-consciously showy. And what a great partnership is Vishneva/Gomes, as you said, abatt.

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Thanks, again, Angelica, for your thoughts. Is the view substantially better one box over (3 and 4), or do I need to go further back in the side parterre?

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread, but I wanted to ask: how is the view from the closest Side Parterre boxes (1 and 2)? Too close? Too much of the stage cut off? Thanks so much! Surprisingly not bad, because that box is slightly curved in towards the stage. It's not my first choice seating, but if that's the best option for a performance you want to see, then I'd sit there. Just make sure that you're in the first row of the box. Otherwise it's hopeless. Thanks for the prompt reply! I have Box 1, seat 3 for a performance for which no other front row side parterre seats are available. I was contemplating exchanging for a different section if the view was too distorted.

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread, but I wanted to ask: how is the view from the closest Side Parterre boxes (1 and 2)? Too close? Too much of the stage cut off? Thanks so much!

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I live too far away to come in just to exchange tickets so I sent in my exchange request by mail this year. It looks like my credit card was charged on Tuesday the difference between my original tickets and my requested tickets, so perhaps my exchange has already been processed? Of course, I couldn't pick my exact seats, but I did give detailed instructions.

Quick thoughts from the Mixed Bill tonight: First time seeing Thirteen Diversions, which I enjoyed. Misty Copeland was particularly sensational in the passionate and emotionally fraught second duet with Cory Stearns. For me, the standouts in Black Tuesday were a graceful Jared Matthews in "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" and a winning Nicole Graniero in "(I Went Hunting) and the Big Bad Wolf was Dead." In the Swan Lake excerpt, I thought Isabella Boylston didn't so much act the role of Odile as treat the PDD as a succession of feats -- which I suppose it is. I thought Boylston's dancing was a little underpowered and careful (deliberately restrained?) until the coda, which excited in the expected ways. Gomes (filling in for Simkin) was admirable throughout. The Romeo and Juliet excerpt was the least interesting item to me. Perhaps most thrilling, though, was seeing Natalia Makarova sitting in my row and telling her that she is my all-time favorite dancer.

I'm a fan of the Rattle/Berlin recording with the wonderful Thomas Quasthoff.

Does anyone have any thoughts on attending performances at the end of a season (when fatigue, injuries, etc., may have taken their toll)? I'd really like to come up to see Agon, which is only being performed the last two weekends in February (and which I've never seen before). I know that the nature of live performance is unpredictable, but can anything generalizable be said about the quality of the dancing here as the season progresses? Thanks.

Agreed. I had to keep myself from laughing (derisively) when during her first exit in the Mazurka, Skorik was halfway into the wings, and therefore only half visible, when she struck her epaulement pose.