DanielBenton

Thank you Syrene. I found it visually stunning and it would make a great blu-ray DVD. I am still digesting the content and considering the match of dance to music which I did not find convincing on my first viewing. I thought the overall mood of this production was somewhat at odds with the mood that the music dictates...but that is just my initial opinion on first viewing. I will be watching it again!

The RDB 2015 Swan Lake is up on YouTube. I am interested if anyone has seen it and their reaction.

I am hoping fervently that this will be the true history of the revolutionary and post-revolutionary Imperial Theatre, avant-garde ballet, GB, Goloizovsky, Lopukhov, et al., as recounted by Slominsky and others including Kendall.

Wow, this could be really... I jump to the conclusion that the main interest here is to follow the book down the path of speculative hyper-interest in the relationship of GB and Lydia. If well done, then it could be enjoyable ---- fiction or non.

I can tell you that Craft's recordings of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern were incredibly important to us studying composition in the 60s.

Part of the fun of seeing Chinese opera in San Francisco was watching and listening to entire families eat their lunch during the performance.

Thank you Syrene for the thoughtful review. I think Alenius is a good composer and as you say, once you buy into it, Act II is very interesting.

I just watched the new blu-ray DVD of Napoli. There is a lot of new music, written by Louise Alenius, for Act II. The overall look is kind of west-side-story urban Italian. There are almost no program notes. I would like to hear what others who know this piece much better than I think about it.

I think we are agreeable. Although I think Bernstein and Robbins for the most part were very fine artists, it brings to mind Erick Hawkins' great comment - because he believed that the role of the artist is to be like a high priest dispensing universal truths - he said, (to paraphrase), "if you're going to get up and self-express, you might as well just get off the stage". Very funny!

Jack, thanks for the perspective. it's an individual discernment or taste to decide whether a theatrical incident shows a larger artistic truth (my view of e.g., Wozzeck, Lulu, Don Giovanni) or is a local frisson (thanks for that word) merely illuminating the mind(s) of the authors.

Kathleen, absolutely right on! So then it becomes a theatrical decision about changing what was offensive in other times to something else for today's sensibilities.

This is an eye of the beholder opinion: I find the purse episode creepy and more telling about Robbins/Bernstein vs. a dramatic element that strengthens the work. I found it distracting when I saw this work at NYCB last year (I think it was last year).

Jack, there is now up on YouTube the Kirov doing Scotch Symphony from 1989, with Elena Pankova and Alexander Kurkov. I especially like Pankova evoking La Sylphide in the pas de deux. Is this the performers you saw?

About 1/2 hour into the appointed time for the "live feed" I went to the website but saw no link or obvious path to join in. But I can watch it now!

Thanks Jack, I could not figure out what was going on last night!

I'm really enjoying this thread! We were at the Kennedy Center Opera House to see "Beautiful" last week. I noted 12 urinals in the men's room. Every one of them could be a naming opportunity

Interesting. Of course Balanchine said it was incorrect to call his ballets abstract. Maybe Eifman is referring to other choreographers?

There is more footage of Lupe Serrano in the just-released VAI DVD 4586 - "ABT: Historic Bell Telephone Hour Telecasts 1959-1962". In addition to a repeat of the Elgevsky bits and pieces from Giselle Act II; there is Le Corsaire Pas de deux with Nureyev, and Balanchine's Raymonda Grand Pas de Dix with Royes Fernandez.

Very fine documentary. Many excerpts. (Priceless = dancing to BeeGees @ 38 minutes)

Thanks for letting us know about this wonderful interview. The discussion of how music and ballet (should) go together is outstanding.

Thanks so much for posting this very interesting interview

I think having a subscription gives you the ability to exchange your tickets for other available dates. There may also be a small discount in the price for any additional single tickets you buy.

Pherank, no kidding! I asked a video expert if there was any way to clean up Episodes and Ricercata. He said, possibly but it would be prohibitively expensive to do so.

An almost unwatchable video of part of Episodes (Concerto Op.24 and Ricercata) has been on John Clifford's google+ webpage for a while. Allegra Kent is astonishing in Concerto and Renee Estopinal is lovely in Ricercata but be forewarned the video quality is hideous.

I just read it. Homans describes the production and how Balanchine's emphasis in the ballet diverges from the novel: Balanchine and Don Quixote are similar in character, but in the novel Quixote has more social relationships and in the ballet (apparently) he is much more of a loner. She points out the obvious parallels to Balanchine's own life, most especially with Dulcinea/Farrell. Homans evokes what must have been a poignant spectacle, when on the several occasions including the gala dress rehearsal, Balanchine himself played Quixote.