Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

mussel

Senior Member
  • Posts

    902
  • Joined

Everything posted by mussel

  1. This is more like a ballet faux pas. My friend received a DVD player along with several DVDs for her wedding. One of the DVDs was GISELLE. I think it's a bad form to give somebody GISELLE as her wedding or engagement gift. We had a good laugh about it.
  2. Correctly me if I am wrong, I don't believe DTH ever performed at the Met. It's not a huge company, it's rep doesn't require a huge stage. The scale is all wrong for DTH performing at the Met. However, DTH did have a 2-week season at the State Theater in March' 93 and a 3-week season in March' 94.
  3. Using the same analogy, New York Stock Exchange is just a regional exchange where people from Brooklyn or Queens come to buy and sell stocks; Chase Manhattan (now JP Morgan Chase) is just a local Manhattan bank; New York Times is just a local newspaper...
  4. Peter Marins and Albert Evans will hold a lecture at the Met 10/22/02 at 6pm. There will be performance and demonstration by NYCB dancers. Here's the lecture description: What leads a dancer to become a choreographer? New York City Ballet principal dancer Albert Evans discusses his latest work for the New York Choreographic Institute. Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief of the New York City Ballet and a co-founder of the Institute, talks with Evans about the challenge of translating ideas into movement. Composer Will Boyd adds insight about the process of creating music specifically for ballet. The program also includes a performance/demonstration by NYCB dancers who participated in the creation of the piece. Here's the link: www.metmuseum.org/events/ev_cl_program.asp?EventId={6272B27B-7C9A-11D6-941E-00902786BF44}
  5. Here's the link to a picture of exterior of the new Mariinsky Theater designed by the California architect Eric Owen Moss: http://www.ericowenmoss.com/m-exterior-950.jpg The rear of the 'old' Mariinsky Thearter is in the background. Also visible is the new structure attached to rear of the old theater which will be connected to the new one. Here's a picture of the interior: http://www.ericowenmoss.com/mn-interior950.jpg It's smaller but more intimate, perfect for smaller scale works and recitals. Here're 2 pictures of another new theater by the same architect, part of the Mariinsky Cultural Center. The design is very striking: http://www.ericowenmoss.com/nh-theater3-950.jpg http://www.ericowenmoss.com/nh-theater2-950.jpg What do you think?
  6. Le Trock is having a 2-weeks season at Joyce Theater thur 8/24. Have anyone gone yet? Review?
  7. Calliope, they do have a early curtain for Tuesday's La Bayadere. It starts at 7pm and ends at 10:35pm. Kevin, you should come to New York for the premier of La Bayadere. Last weekend, I saw several 18-wheelers lining up at the back of the Met on Amsterdam Ave., one of them at the loading dock. They must be unloading the sets and customs for Kirov. There's certain excitement in the air just to see those trucks being unloaded.
  8. Don't forget Sleeping Beauty ended around midnight. Met just announced the running time: La Bayadere 3'35" Swan Lake 3'00" Don Q 2'35" Jewels 2'15"
  9. OMG!! Nichols and Kistler!! I have to rearrange my social calender. Fortunately there's no schedule conflict across the plaza. I don't know if I miss these, am I going to see Nichols as Tatiana again?
  10. According to Lincoln Center official news release it's the 'new 1900' Bayadere.
  11. I've heard Bolshoi will be at the Met next summer right after Kirov Opera Met season. Has anyone heard about this?
  12. Eugene, you've come to the right place. I taped the original May/99 broadcast on PBS on S-VHS. And better still, I have a DVD recorder Panasonic dmr-e20. I have my own supply of blank DVDs, I can send a DVD copy to you. It's wonderful! I can watch Balanchine Celebrations over and over without worrying about wear and tear. Eugene, can you tell me what you have. We can definitely do some exchanges. There may be titles that we don't have in the States.
  13. I wasn't too clear earlier. The theater tries to accommodate plays they think wouldn't have too much commercial appeal or wouldn't have much chance in other theaters. Many plays in that theater are fantastic and of high-quality of course. The theater just want to give plays that are not too commerical a chance. If the plays turn out to be a commerical success, that'd be wonderful too.
  14. To continue on with the Wall Street Wilis with a twist of art imitating life imitating art, a ballet within a ballet: Myrtha and the wilis think Albrecht got off too easily. In an attempt to humiliate Albrecht, they make him dance in front of a Very Important Potential Client, thinking that’d baffle the client. It backfires. Unbeknown to the wilies, that Very Important Potential Client turns out to be Kevin Mackenzie, who is considering having Albrecht manage ABT’s endowment, which was recently enriched by a huge donation from Alberto Vilar. Mr. Mackenzie is so impressed with Albrecht’s dancing that not only seals the deal, he even invites Albrecht for an audition for the role of Albright in a new production of “Giselle” which is set in modern day Wall Street. Albrecht accepts the invitation. Realizing that he can’t dance without the magical power of the wilies, he makes a deal with them where he’ll pay up all their losses plus interest to their families and descendants. He’ll also make substantial periodic donations to their favorite charity, Women Against Two-Timers or WATTs (ironically which is exactly what Enron used to produce.) With the help of the wilis, he lands the part of Albright. So on the Met stage, there’d be 2 sets of wilis. One from Wall Street helping Albrecht dance, the other from ABT corps playing the Wall Street wilis. Not only the Wall Street wilis turn Albrecht into an overnight sensation, their magical power spills over to other dancers too. The new production is a tremendous success; the house is full night after night.
  15. To continue on with the Wall Street Wilis with a twist of art imitating life imitating art, a ballet within a ballet: Myrtha and the wilis think Albrecht got off too easily. In an attempt to humiliate Albrecht, they make him dance in front of a Very Important Potential Client, thinking that’d baffle the client. It backfires. Unbeknown to the wilies, that Very Important Potential Client turns out to be Kevin Mackenzie, who is considering having Albrecht manage ABT’s endowment, which was recently enriched by a huge donation from Alberto Vilar. Mr. Mackenzie is so impressed with Albrecht’s dancing that not only seals the deal, he even invites Albrecht for an audition for the role of Albright in a new production of “Giselle” which is set in modern day Wall Street. Albrecht accepts the invitation. Realizing that he can’t dance without the magical power of the wilies, he makes a deal with them where he’ll pay up all their losses plus interest to their families and descendants. He’ll also make substantial periodic donations to their favorite charity, Women Against Two-Timers or WATTs (ironically which is exactly what Enron used to produce.) With the help of the wilis, he lands the part of Albright. So on the Met stage, there’d be 2 sets of wilis. One from Wall Street helping Albrecht dance, the other from ABT corps playing the Wall Street wilis. Not only the Wall Street wilis turn Albrecht into an overnight sensation, their magical power spills over to other dancers too. The new production is a tremendous success; the house is full night after night.
  16. I was thinking along the line of traditional opera houses and symphony halls. Roundabout Theater tries to accommondate plays that don't have too much appeal. The newly opened Kimmel Performaning Arts Center comes pretty close where the main hall is named Verizon Hall and that's where Philly Symphony new home is. I guess it's easier to sell naming rights of new buildings than old ones where there're lots of history, tradition and resistance to change attached to them.
  17. I like liebling’s idea of Wall Street wilis. Here’s how the story goes: Albrecht is a star Wall Street analyst who has a mansion in the Hamptons as his summer home. Giselle has a family farm where she and her family grow heirloom tomatoes and organic baby greens for the local trendy restaurants. Hilarion, who has a crush on her, is a farmer for a local vineyard. Giselle meets Albrecht while she's selling her fresh organic produce at a green market. They immediately fall in love. Hilarion, either out of jealousy or instinct, warns her that Albrecht not to be trusted. One day Albrecht tells her of a tremendous investment opportunity, she loves and trusts him so much that she mortgages her family farm and asks him to invest for her. So he invests all her and her family savings in Enron. While Enron stock keeps nose-diving, Albrecht assures Giselle the stock will make a big comeback. The day Enron files for bankruptcy protection, she rushes to his Wall Street corner office only to find him kissing Bathilde. Balthilde proceeds to tell Giselle that they’re engaged. Being betrayed by Albrecht and her life saving’s down the drain, she rushes out of the office running around Wall Street. He goes after her and finds her on top of Federal Hall’s tall and steep stairs right across from the New York Stock Exchange and she throws herself down the stairs and dies. Few days later around midnight, Hilarion goes to steps of Federal Hall to lay down some flowers and candles only to be confronted by the Wall Street wilis. It turns out Myrtha, the head wilis was a victim of the 1929 market collapse, several wilis were victims of saving and loan scandal in the 80’s, some were victims of Michael Milken’s junk bond scandal, some of penny stock schemes, some of the dot com bubble burst. The wilis forces Hilarion to dance. Just before he runs of breath he fells into an uncovered manhole and breaks his neck. It all looks like an accident. An hour later, after a long day of work, Albrecht comes out of his office building and as he walks in front of Federal Hall, he’s confronted by the wilies…… You all know how the rest of the story goes.
  18. I like liebling’s idea of Wall Street wilis. Here’s how the story goes: Albrecht is a star Wall Street analyst who has a mansion in the Hamptons as his summer home. Giselle has a family farm where she and her family grow heirloom tomatoes and organic baby greens for the local trendy restaurants. Hilarion, who has a crush on her, is a farmer for a local vineyard. Giselle meets Albrecht while she's selling her fresh organic produce at a green market. They immediately fall in love. Hilarion, either out of jealousy or instinct, warns her that Albrecht not to be trusted. One day Albrecht tells her of a tremendous investment opportunity, she loves and trusts him so much that she mortgages her family farm and asks him to invest for her. So he invests all her and her family savings in Enron. While Enron stock keeps nose-diving, Albrecht assures Giselle the stock will make a big comeback. The day Enron files for bankruptcy protection, she rushes to his Wall Street corner office only to find him kissing Bathilde. Balthilde proceeds to tell Giselle that they’re engaged. Being betrayed by Albrecht and her life saving’s down the drain, she rushes out of the office running around Wall Street. He goes after her and finds her on top of Federal Hall’s tall and steep stairs right across from the New York Stock Exchange and she throws herself down the stairs and dies. Few days later around midnight, Hilarion goes to steps of Federal Hall to lay down some flowers and candles only to be confronted by the Wall Street wilis. It turns out Myrtha, the head wilis was a victim of the 1929 market collapse, several wilis were victims of saving and loan scandal in the 80’s, some were victims of Michael Milken’s junk bond scandal, some of penny stock schemes, some of the dot com bubble burst. The wilis forces Hilarion to dance. Just before he runs of breath he fells into an uncovered manhole and breaks his neck. It all looks like an accident. An hour later, after a long day of work, Albrecht comes out of his office building and as he walks in front of Federal Hall, he’s confronted by the wilies…… You all know how the rest of the story goes.
  19. It's an impossibility. First, why would any corporations want to take over a money losing enterprise? ABT, NYCB, MoMA, the 2 Mets or any other cultural institutions have budget surplus because of government supports, private and corporate donations. They won't make money by selling tickets alone. Why would any corporations want to divert their resourses to tend such institutions? Shareholder watch groups, institutional investors and Wall Street analysts would have a lot to say for not minding their own money-making business. Philip Morris, a major contributor to ABT, has annual revenue of $80 billion. Why would it bother to take over an institutions that only generate millions? Second, there are totally different set of government and IRS rules to govern non-profit organizations. In the NY State, all non-profit organizations are techically owned by the State. The artistic or executive directors run and set the direction of the organizations, the boards of trustees oversee the running. They don't issue shares of the institutions anyone could buy and own. Non-profit organizations can merge, subject to the State's approval like the proposed merger between WNET and WLIW, 2 NY area PBS stations. But there's no and there will be no precedent of corporations taking over a non-profit organization. The possibility of a corporation to take over Columbia or NYU for their huge endowments or any other purposes simply doesn't exist. However, a corporation can start and fund a non-profit organization with a totally independent personnel and board of trustees like the automobile musuem set up by Ford. The possibility of seeing a corporate logo attached to State Theater is very remote. State Theater is owned by the City of New York, nothing can be done to the building without the City's permission. Selling naming rights may be an entirely different matter. There's a proposal from the Bloomberg administration of selling naming rights of city parks to corporations to fund the parks operations. But so far, I haven't come across any non-profit cultural institutions or their buildings named after corporations. Stadiums, ball parks and Broadway theaters, yes, but they're for profits. Imagine the Citigroup Metropolitan Opera House!! I think what the Australian corporate director's trying to say is Australian corporations are as much as an national institution as Australian Ballet and Opera or some sport teams. Therefore, foreign ownerships to Australian companies should be restricted. I'd like to argue this point but it's beyond the scope of this broad. [ February 25, 2002: Message edited by: mussel ]
  20. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Some quick questions. Do they stage the Panorama scene? Do they travel with full orchestra like they did at the Met or they use KenCen in-house orchestra? Who are the conductors for the run? I know Valery Gergiev is busy at the Met with their co-production of "War and Peace", how about Gianandrea Noseda? Kevin, I understand how you feel. Me too.
  21. Alexandra, do you have the prior discussions achived?
  22. I scan them into my computer and when they reach 600MB, I burn them into CDs in chronological order. Each CD is then indexed into Excel file. For all the newspaper reviews and articles, I'd go to their website and save them as Word files which will eventually archived into CDs and DVDs(after I get a DVD burner). I do the same for all my credit card, bank and investment statements. I almost have a paper-free household.
  23. In yesterday's Times ballet review, Anna K. mentioned of all the top ballet companies (RB, POB, ABT, Kirov, Bolshoi, Royal Danish) NYCB has the longest season at its resident city. NYCB performs 23 weeks in NYC which translates into about 165 performances; while ABT gives 80 perfs over 10 weeks at the Met and City Center. I am wondering how many performances does each of the top companes give at its home town? If tours are included, my impression is that Kirov has the most performances.
  24. I have to agree with Mike on Symphony in C. This is the first time I've ever seen NYCB performing Sym. in C ever since I became addicted to ballet 2 and half years ago. I'd seen Bolshoi and ABT peforming it, but this is the most joyful one. The quality of dance is superb across the board from corps to principals. Even the corps displayed the kind of uniformity I don't usually associate with NYCB. It's just so wonderful to see Darci dances and I am always afraid that this would be the last time. I can't wait to see Swan Lake later in the season which will be a real test for the corps newly found uniformity.
  25. Kirov IS coming back to the Met this summer. I'd like the Lincoln Center renovation/expansion plan moving forward. Ideas have been floating around that the new opera house for NYCO be located in the WTC site. I think it's a great idea. I'd like an all Balanchine season at NYCB. I'd like the return of Blair's Swan Lake, may be with a set and costume update. I'd like POB and RB coming back to NY.
×
×
  • Create New...