pherank

That's the thing with this performance and the Paris Opera Ballet's record of "Jewels" that always drives me a bit crazy - it's Balanchine leaving all the prickly Balanchine business out.

Sadly, I think it is somewhat inevitable that the original intricacies of the Balanchine technique be lost over time. And it doesn't take very long. It's often mentioned that only the dancers (such as McBride) who received the original choreography and 'hands-on' attention from Mr. B. really got things right. And even though many of those same dancers tried to pass on the dances intact, the very act of communication seems to keep smoothing the edges, again and again.I remember Suzanne Farrell's description of her staging of "Scotch Symphony" in Russia, and it just sounded like a nightmare, but she wrote about it as just being part of the business. But the end result was nothing like any "Scotch Symphony" seen in the U.S.

I think we can be certain that what we THINK is Petipa, is in many ways different from the original choreography.

...I also have not been impressed by Vishneva (also coy and contrived, albeit slightly less pretentious than Dupont --ONLY SLIGHTLY). Osipova was okay. Not even Bouder, much less Whelan, MUCH less McBride.

LOL, I may be wrong, but you seem to dislike everyone in these roles. ;)

Send us a video link of a good interpretation of Rubies.

Yikes. Those Rubies clips are awkward. Such shallow plies! I saw bits of Osipova doing it, she seemed to get it.

Diana Vishneva does a better job too, but the overall effect of the Russian performances have so far been, as you say, 'awkward'.

My list of worthwhile DVDs...

(*** indicates my desert island, must-have collection)

Aurélie Dupont - Danse l'espace d'un instant (2010)

American Masters - Balanchine (documentary for PBS) ***

Coppelia (Australian Ballet, 1993)

Dance in America's The Balanchine Celebration (sadly, VHS only) ***

Degas and the Dance (documentary, 2004)

Bringing Balanchine Back (NYCB, documentary 2009)

Ballerina (documentary by Bertrand Normand, 2006) ***

Ballet Russes (documentary by Goldfine and Geller, 2006) ***

Choreography by Balanchine, both Volumes 1 and 2 on DVD ***

Dancing for Mr. B: Six Ballerinas (documentary, 1989)

Jacques D'Amboise - Portrait of a Great American Dancer (2006) ***

Jerome Robbins: Something To Dance About - The Definitive Biography of an American Dance Master (2009)

Essential Ballet: Kirov Ballet at Covent Garden, London and Gala Performance from Red Square, Moscow (1968)

Etoiles - Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet ***

Jewels - Paris Opera Ballet (2006) ***

Kirov Ballet: The Magic of Russian Ballet (2004)

La Bayadere - Paris Opera Ballet

La Danse - Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris (documentary by Frederick Wiseman)

Maya Plisetskaya - Diva of Dance (2006) - this contains her performance of Bolero, missing from the other DVDs ***

La Sylphide (Paris Opera Ballet, 2004)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (with Maya Plisetskaya)

The Nutcracker - San Francisco Ballet (2008), NYCB (1997), Royal Ballet (2001)

Return of the Firebird [The Firebird, Petrushka and Scheherazade] (2002) ***

Sleeping Beauty - POB, Legris and Dupont (2006)

Stravinsky and the Ballets Russes: Le Sacre Du Printemps / The Firebird (2008)

Tchaikovsky Swan Lake - Mariinsky, Uliana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntsev (2007)

The Children of Theatre Street (1997)

The Dancer (Swedish, 1994)

The Little Mermaid (San Francsico Ballet, John Neumeier choreography)

The Red Shoes (1948) ***

Sylvia (Ballet de L'Opera National de Paris) by John Neumeier (2005)

Sylvie Guillem - On the Edge (documentary 2009)

Tribute to Jerome Robbins (Ballet de L'Opera National de Paris) (2011)

Violette et Mr B (2008)

World's Young Ballet / Moscow International Competition 1969, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ludmila Semenyaka, Anna Pavlova (2007)

There are films out there somewhere in the world - but not officially in release - that are a must see, such as Baryshnikov and Kirkland dancing Balanchine's "Theme and Variations" (1978), or "Apollo" with Peter Martins and Suzanne Farrell. But finding them in good condition is very difficult and pricey.

I was wondering if anyone else had seen the video of the Bolshoi's 2012 performance of Balanchine's "Jewels"?

It may be a fancy bootleg as I didn't recall seeing credits added at the end. The Russians have a tendency to film absolutely everything (unlike in the West), and so it can be difficult to know if a release is "official".

Online, there is a documentary with clips from the Bolshoi premiere performance of "Jewels":

And another view of "Rubies" with different cast:

In general, the cinematography and editing styles are maddening. Far too many closeups (but more about that later).

Emeralds -

with Evgenia Obraztsova, Vladislav Lantratov, Anna Tikhomirova, Alexander Volchkov

I mostly enjoyed this performance, and appreciated the fact that the Bolshoi retained the 3 danseur ending (which the Mariinsky did not). The ballerina performing the 1st woman's variation needed more training in how to do the sweeping arm ports do bras movements (I liked the 2nd variation ballerina better).

Orchestra sounded lush, and seemed to actually care about the material.

Rubies -

with Ekaterina Krysanova, Vyacheslav Lopatin, Ekaterina Shipulina

The Bolshoi orchestra actually sounds pretty odd in their arrangement of Stravinsky's Capriccio. The tempo is much too slow (undoubtedly to accommodate the dancer's needs), but it almost sounds as if the conductor is still stuck in "Emeralds" land. An excellent example of how distorting the music to accommodate the dancers - when taken too far - can ruin a performance. But it takes 2 to tango, and then there's the dancing:

Yikes! What a 'performance'. I'm beginning to wish the Russians would stop trying to perform "Rubies" - it's hard to bear really. The ballerina in the part of the 'Tall Girl' seemed entirely out of her element: completely unable to perform the angular, 'oriental' movements of the role, and, unable to perform the Broadway/vaudeville hip movements and kicks which are a big part of "Rubies" (and provide so much delight when performed well!). The expected quick and sharp movements were largely abandoned by the cast in favor of rounded, 'romantic' gestures. "Rubies" was definitely not sexy.

It is rather fascinating to see how difficult "Rubies" can be for many companies outside the US. The Paris Opera Ballet being the notable exception (but then they don't suffer from a lack of Jazz influence in their culture).

Being an abstract ballet, it never occurred to me just how 'ethnic' much of "Rubies" is. But when I watch films of the Russian companies taking on this piece, it's no different than Chinese dancers insisting that they can perform

authentic Flamenco, or Americans displaying their 'exemplary' Cossack dancing skills. OK, it takes courage to give "Rubies" a try, but it's not working. Not even close.

I definitely think there are cultural oddities in the dance choreography that are too great an obstacle for most of these Russian dancers, unless, and it's a long shot, the dancers are submerged in a 6 month course on American dance of the 1920s - 1940s. Then they might be able to pull it off.

Diamonds -

with Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin

Many lovely parts throughout, though I have to say that in the video, much of the ensemble dancing is missed due to the incredibly bad cinematography. I was just furious at how little could be seen of the finale. The director chose closeups over full-stage shots time and again, and it simply RUINED the presentation of Balanchine's work for the video audience. I have to remember this "Diamonds" video as a prime example of how not to photograph ballet. The placement of dancer's bodies in the ensemble sections is so important to the look of the ballet - why not show the arrangement of dancers on the stage?

The Pas de Deux sections went pretty well, and the penultimate (scherzo) section was enjoyable. Surprisingly, the finale seemed to deflate about 2/3rds of the way through - it didn't have quite the precision and bounce the POB dancers, for example, give the movements. But the Russian audience seemed to love "Diamonds" the best of the three pieces judging from the loud cheering throughout.

I respect her privacy, as well as her decision regarding what she chose write about and what she chose to keep to herself, but I found her to be a somewhat unreliable narrator based on this statement, or a person lacking in self-awareness.

Puppytreats and Helene,

You both make valid points - the Farrell book IS frustrating at times, but I do think we get enough background information about her sheltered upbringing and daily life to figure out that she's not an intellectual, and probably distrusting of the role of the intellect in her art, and definitely "lacking in self-awareness" through much of her youth/career. I find her book to be something of a "coming of age" story: detailing what she went through to gain some measure of self. Though perhaps not "self-actualized", she had reached a point in life (at the time of the book's publishing) to be able to see some of the reasons behind what went on. But like many dancers in the big companies, she was focused on the day-to-day of dancing for the company, and obviously knew little of the consequences of her actions. She was just a kid (in my view) through much of the book narrative, and living in the service of someone else. As she herself points out, much of life at the NYCB was similar to life in the military: someone else tells you what you will be doing, how you will be doing it, and what you will be wearing. That's just not an environment for producing great thinkers, let alone great writers ;)

I really enjoyed Kirstein's book, despite its structural failures. I found crucial, glorious nuggets of information and wisdom in this book, about art, the business of theater, philosophy, metaphysics, and history, as well as Balanchine's thinking and influences, and Kirstein's admirable character. So many times I felt the urge to pull out my highlighter, which I could not use, since I borrowed the book from the library.

I just wanted to add that I had much the same experience reading Kirstein's book - I couldn't stop adding flags to the pages, as there are so many important quotes, observations about a great many things. And it contains my favorite Balanchine quote, (on the subject of Stravinsky's Apollon Musagète):

"I began to see how I could clarify, by limiting, by reducing what seemed to be myriad possibilities to the one possibility that is inevitable."

For those that don't know, Lincoln Kirstein was one of the now famous, Monument Men, during WWII. He lived a full life, indeed.

"The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History" is a wonderful book too:

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/1599951495

Suzanne Farrell's autobiography (with Toni Bentley), Holding On to the Air, is quite informative as well, though it does contain an awful lot of family and love relationship angst, which isn't my cup of tea. But I loved to hear details of the various ballets in her repertoire. I didn't realize that Farrell and Jacques d'Amboise had worked together so much and that they were good friends (at least as good as Farrell generally had). It made me realize that the Jacques d'Amboise DVD is quite incomplete without ANY dances with Farrell shown. It's hard for me to believe that they were never filmed when dancing together.

Unfortunately, it was a time when having knowledge of the country was becoming a drawback in U.S. government circles. That situation became a lot worse, as you know.

Like you, I haven't been reading much fiction in recent years. I am dipping in and out of an old favorite, the Morte d'Arthur, and fortunately it's structure invites just such dipping.

No government 'provides' for the people quite like an ideological, or 'faith-based' one. Can't wait to have more of that. ;)

I read a certain amount of folk tales: Russian, Brothers Grimm etc. and have read Arthurian legends in various forms over the years. It's been a very long time since I've looked at Morte d'Arthur though. I don't claim to really remember the details. A somewhat related recommendation if you like such things - Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. I believe it's out of print but I know it's available through sellers on Amazon. Sounds dry, but is actually fun to start reading in any section. The human imagination is a boundless thing.

Interesting list of titles, pherank. "Speak, Memory" and "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" are among the best memoirs I know. Barbara Tuchman was a wonderful popular historian. Her Stilwell book is also among my favorites.

Thank you for looking, Dirac. Yes, I'm always recommending "Stilwell" to anyone wanting to learn more about China and U.S. relations. It's also interesting to think "what if" regarding General Stilwell - he could have been involved in so much more during WWII, if he didn't happen to have experience in China, and speak some Chinese dialects...

I've only watched the Mariinsky version on DVD, which left me confused at the time about what was going on. The lovely, enigmatic ending was missing (that's how I saw it), but I also recall some other change to the order and it may have been the order of solos. I've wondered ever since if the Russian audience didn't find Emeralds a bit lacking and incoherent (and they wouldn't have realized that it could look rather different).

Not to get too far OT, but I'm curious about what they did. I think I can recall three versions of the sequence of movements.

This commentator explains things pretty well: "The Mariinsky has cut the extraordinarily beautiful finale Balanchine incorporated around 1976 to the very moving music for death of Mélisande in Fauré's Pélleas et Melisande. It changes the "take-away" character of the piece from what is shown here as just another allegro finale, to one of rapt melancholy, as dancers, almost one-by-one take leave of the stage, finally leaving only three of the boys walking diagonally across the stage to the front, and finally coming to rest in a genuflection with an arm outstretched beseeching? in awe? the courtain slowly falling. Very apt conclusion, very moving if somewhat mysterious, somewhat analogous in feeling to the soloist carried aloft at the end of Serenade. To see this ending, arguably Balanchine's final thought on Emeralds ("arguably" because Balanchine was a known tinkerer with his pieces,.e.g. Apollo) you need to see the Paris Opera Ballet performance."

Since the commentator mentions Balanchine tinkering on Apollo, I figure that puts us back on topic. ;)

Thanks for all the information about Balanchine stagers, Helene.

Well, it was not such accident per se. The story goes that the Trust send Alonso a formal notice asking her 1-To remove her 40's, unlicensed version, and 2-To aquire a license to restage the modern one, to which she responded..."No way, Jose!".

This brings up a really interesting point - is the Balanchine Trust only approving the last version of each Balanchine ballet? That would be kind of crazy actually, as there can be a number of interesting versions. I'm not sure that Balanchine even thought in terms of 'better', but rather, each version was a fresh take on the initial concept. I recall that the Mariisnky Ballet got away with restructuring "Emeralds", so I can't believe that the Trust is all that particular. The issue would be more about having an approved stager who knows a version thoroughly, and that could be very difficult with pre-1960s ballets.

BTW...why would have been the rationale for Balanchine to cover Apollo's legs with tights for the revised version...?

Balanchine seems to be treating Apollo increasingly as a 'black and white' ballet, bringing it closer to Agon than Prodigal Son. More minimal, more primal, more pure. So it became a 'leotard' ballet that's just about the steps.

The Cuban ballet images are fascinating - thanks Cubanmiamiboy! They are definitely preserving an older version of the ballet for posterity: a happy accident. A bit like all the old American cars in Havana. Also, I see the danseur is wearing the same sort of leggings that Lew Christensen wore in the 1940s.

http://www.burntscarlet.com/downloads/Apollo_Lew_Christensen.jpg

Now for a different take on costumes: I happened upon these photos online (they may not be available long)

http://www.pendullumartwork.com/clients/labaronne%20fotos/Ballet%20Apollo/P1010167.JPG

http://www.pendullumartwork.com/clients/labaronne%20fotos/Ballet%20Apollo/P1010163.JPG

http://www.pendullumartwork.com/clients/labaronne%20fotos/Ballet%20Apollo/P1010061.JPG

Hello Paul:

I *think* Leto returns at the finale with the two handmaidens and they pose at the bottom of the stairs/Mt. Parnassus. I'm not certain if Leto is the one who leans back and is supported by a handmaiden.

I don't have a clean image of this configuration, but you can see another view here:

Personally, I love this enigmatic ending, as it fits with Stravinsky's apothéose score so beautifully. I love the pose of the Muses with bent leg en pointe. A great moment in art.

Just for the heck of it, here's my list of exceptional books on various subjects - mostly non-fiction. I'm sure I've left a few favorites out, so I'll add those in as they come to me...

[Non-fiction - Adventurous]

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon - David Grann

The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World . . .via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes - Carl Hoffman

A Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin

The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe

The Age of Wonder - Richard Holmes

Between Silk and Cyanide, A Codemaker's War - Leo Marks

[biography]

Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour - Lynne Olson

The Monument Men (NYCB's Lincoln Kirstein figures into this remarkable account)

Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - Laura Hillenbrand

John Adams - David McCullough

Paul Klee - Will Grohmann

[Autobiography]

Speak, Memory - Vladimir Nabokov

A Walker in the City - Alfred Kazin

My Mother's House and Sido - Colette

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph: The Complete 1922 Text - T. E. Lawrence

The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon - Ivan Morris

Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass - Isak Dinesen

The Illustrated "West with the Night" - Beryl Markham

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books - Azar Nafisi

Lulu in Hollywood - Louise Brooks

I, Maya Plisetskaya - Maya Plisetskaya

Confessions - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

[History]

Most anything by Barbara Tuchmann, but especially:

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914

The Guns of August

The Zimmermann Telegram

Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-1945

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water - Marc Reisner

The Most Dangerous Enemy: The Definitive History of the Battle of Britain - Stephen Bungay

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference - Malcolm Gladwell

Chaos: Making a New Science - James Gleick

Isaac Newton - James Gleick

Tom Wolfe cultural essays:

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby

The Pump House Gang

[Travel]

Michael Palin books, especially "Himalaya"

Paul Theroux travel books such as -

Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown

The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific

[Fiction]

(I haven't been reading much fiction in recent years, but here's some standouts that I happened upon...)

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery (Author), Alison Anderson (Translator)

Death Sentence, The Madness of the Day - Maurice Blanchot

Franny and Zooey, Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters and Seymour - J. D. Salinger

100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Hiroshima Mon Amour - Marguerite Duras

Alan Furst historical mystery books

Hans Christian Andersen, The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories - Erik Christian Haugaard

Join Maria Kochetkova on Twitter

https://twitter.com/#!/balletrusse

Although I'm not much of a Twitter fan, I do find Maria's page to be constantly amusing. And I like that she posts a picture on most days.

Here are some stills of the 1928 production from Gallica.fr. In the first Lifar is turning away from Terpsichore, in contrast to Jacques d'Amboise in the 1960 Radio-Canada film. Danilova is perfection.

Thanks very much for the image links, Quiggin. The Muses are hanging on for dear life!

http://gallica.bnf.f...3208t.r=.langEN

And the Balanchine image is hilarious. He looks like a Parisian dandy in the top hat.

I have a tiny image of the 1928 finale end pose, and there a rock is visible on stage - with a nice sun chariot mounted on the stage backdrop. Whether that little hill served as both Leto's rock and Mount Parnassus remains a mystery to me.

It's always interesting to see so many different approaches to specific portions of the choreography (which of course was changing over the years as well). It really doesn't take much to alter the spirit/emotion of things as well as the symbolic meanings.

"Diapers", I like that!

I'm pretty sure that Balanchine also intended the ballet as an expression of the artist's journey, so deviations of "plot" from the Greek myths probably wasn't a problem for Mr. B. Thus Leto and the tree, etc. get left in the dust for other more useful metaphors.

Great quotes, Guiggin. Thanks very much for those. It would be nice to have an accurate translation from the French - perhaps one of the other Forum members can help us out. For now, Babylon.com will have to suffice for me. ;)

Bart: I agree that the d'Amboise DVD is a must-have glimpse at a great time in American ballet. I think that's the only DVD with a complete performance by LeClercq. At least that I've been able to find. It's hard to believe that is the state of things, but then there are plenty of Balanchine ballets that went over well with audiences, but are now completely lost to the world. It's the nature of the beast.

These are all subservient to Apollo, animator and driver; they are his handmaidens, creatures, harem, and household.

It's clear there that he isn't titling them "handmaidens," but I still find the term curious given that the ballet has other, actual . . . er, handmaidens.

"Goddesses" strikes me as really inappropriate, even if it may be technically correct, because it seems a higher title than "Muses" (although the muses are goddesses as well).

"these immortal beings are the daughters of the titaness Mnemosyne (daughter of Gaia and Uranus) by Zeus"

The Muses are somewhat unique in Greek mythology, as they aren't really treated in the same fashion as the Olympian gods (who behave more or less like humans, but with super powers). The muses act more like forces of nature, devoid of personality and vagaries of human behavior. They represent ideals and skills. I think that's why I tend to prefer Suzanne Farrell's interpretation of Terpsichore, rather than the more modern ones which make Terpsichore look more like Apollo's eager buddy or little sister, along for the ride. ;)

For example, when the muses form the "sunrays" pose behind Apollo, Farrell looks to the rear rather than forward, matching Apollo's gaze (as many modern dancers do). It seems a little presumptuous to me for Terpsichore to be sharing the same vision as Apollo - it is his moment of ascendency, not the muses - they are bound with the god, but not experiencing what only he can experience. And that would be true of the artist in the moment of inspiration. I also prefer it when the 2 muses behind Terpsichore cleverly hide their upper bodies - more like a force bound to and absorbed within the god, than equal partners. That's just my two cents. ;)

For what it's worth, Nancy Reynolds, in Repertory in Review: Forty Years of the New York City Ballet, (1976), calls them "Nymphs", uniquely in my experience; "Handmaidens" is the term I have always associated with them, from program cast lists and so on. It's also the term used by Balanchine and Mason in their book, Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets

Thanks Jack. Any idea who is dancing the handmaiden roles in the Amboise version of Apollo?

It does make me wonder what Stravinsky (presumably, as he wrote the libretto) was thinking about for these parts. Balanchine was in the habit of adding and subtracting dancers at will, and worried little about 'the meaning' of these occurrences. But Stravinsky didn't do much of anything without calculation. So I wonder what his thinking was on these 'extras'.

The Balanchine Catalogue server seems to be sticking, but I believe the characters are called "Handmaidens.". They and Leta appear in front of the stairs/platform at the end of the ballet.

Thank you, Helene. "Handmaiden" to the gods, I wonder what that position pays?

I've a question regarding the film of George Balanchine's Apollo

(Filmed for Canadian television (CBC) in 1960, and available on DVD, and a later bootleg filming of Peter Martins as Apollo)

I've only found an incomplete listing of the characters/dancers:

Apollo: Jacques d'Amboise

Apollo's mother, Leto: Ruth Sobotka

Calliope: Jillana

Polymnie: Francis Russell

Terpsichore: Diana Adams

In the d'Amboise version - Who are the two dancers who unwrap Apollo in the prologue and what are their character names?

Also, in the later version with Peter Martins and Suzanne Farrell (which I've only seen the last portion of), what are the 3 characters that appear in the finale at the bottom of the stairs? Are they the same 3 characters from the birth of Apollo prologue in the d'Amboise version?

Prologue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlhH7EaqbRM

Excerpt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWft-39NHAc

The DVD was released awhile back. I received my copy months ago.

Are you referring to the preliminary edit that was given to the Kickstarter project contributors? (If you donated money to the project you received a DVD). That wouldn't be the final, 'official' release though.