mussel

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.

My friend just came back from a 6-month assignment in London. She was surprised by the ease of getting Kirov Ballet tickets and even more so when she saw rows upon rows of empty seats inside the auditorium. The 2 perfs that she saw were "Sleeping Beauty" & "Jewel." Given the financial contraints Kirov is facing, I am disappointed to hear what she told me. Was the situation typical for most of the perfs during their London season? Anyone know why Kirov did so poorly box office wise?

Does anyone know of any CDs that have all the score used in Balanchine's "Midsummer Night's Dream"?

Here's the link to picture of "the Return of Prodigal Son" at the Hermitage site: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/...hm3_3_1_4d.html "The subject comes from the Bible, The Gospel According to Luke, XV: 20-24. The artist had already turned to the theme several times in his graphic works, but in the Hermitage painting, created not long before his death, the painter endowed it with the sense of great tragedy elevated to a symbol of universal significance. Complex emotions are expressed in the figure of the bent old man and his suffering, kneeling son: repentance and charity, boundless love and regret at the belated spiritual awakening. These images represent the summit of Rembrandt’s psychological mastery." Wow, Hermitage's description of the painting fits splendidly to the ballet.

Leigh, here's the link to NY Times travel section "What's doing in St. Petersburg" including lodging info: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/06/travel/WDPETE.html

Juliet, you are not alone. I think I am the only one that loves Peter Martin's full length "Swan Lake." As a matter of fact, that swan turned me into a ballet addict. We all see things others may otherwise overlook and vice versa. I can't wait to see Tchaikovsky Spectacular next Friday.

1. A "Swan Lake" with a I-don't-care-what-the-score-says happy ending. 2. Audiences who don't control their tall Big Hair. I keep my finger crossed that beehives won't make a comeback. 3. Audience who keep searching their purses or plastic bags during performances. If it's mint or candy they are looking for then they proceed to open the can or unwrap the candy.

Here's an excerpt from today's Times article: Mr. Baryshnikov admittedly plays down his ballet background nowadays. Had he grown up in the United States, he told an interviewer, he never would have been a ballet dancer. "Here, classical dance is commercial theater," he said. "There's nothing really serious about it." Here's the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/07/arts/07OAK.html Do you agree with what he said? Also, reading from various articles, I have an impression he cut off all ties to ABT. Did he and ABT have a fall-out? I don't think ABT performs any of his stagings now. It's really a shame.

Balanchine Celebration Vol. I & II ABT's "Swan Lake" with Makarova & Nagy ABT's "Giselle" with Makarova & Baryshnikov ABT's "Don Q" with Barsyshnikov NYCB's "The Nutcracker" in DVD The tapes are wearing out due to repeated viewings, hope they'll be republished in DVD. Have anyone seen Berlin Staatsoper Ballet's "Swan Lake" with Scherzer and Daniel Barenboim conducting? It's out on DVD.

My library has a different CD with the title "Hommage a la Pavlov" published by CBC Radio-Canada, Simon Streatfield conducting Orhestre Symphonique de Quebec. Content: Bacchanale/Glazounov -- La belle au bois dormant/Tchaikovsky -- L'oiseau bleu/Tchaikovsky -- Romance/Rubenstein -- Decembre/Tchaikovsky -- Melodie/Tchaikovsky -- pas de deux/Minkus --Coppelia/Delibes -- Le reveil de flore/Drigo -- Giselle/Adam -- La mort du cygne/Saint-Saens. If this is what you are looking for, I can check it out from the library (I want to check out this CD anyway) and burn you an extra copy of CD. I have a CD burner.

Yes, it is in a 2-CD set of complete "Swan Lake" by the Philadelphia Orchestra with conductor Wolfgang Swallisch. It has the original pre-Drego arrangement with the Black Swan grand ppd in Act II and the Tchaikovsky ppd music in Act III. I don't know if this is the catalogue #, it's in the spine of the jewel case: "CDQB 5 55041 2 8"

I get it confused with "La Sylphide," which was performed last year at the Met. According the ABT's site, "Les Sylphides" still in ABT's repertory.

Ferri is pregnant and she's already cancelled her engangement with La Scala at the State Theater this coming July. She's scheduled to dance "Onegin" and "the Merry Widow" but I don't know if she's going to dance at this time.

I just came back from the Monday perf of Pied Piper. It was music to my ears! As I was leaving the Met after the performance, there're 3 or 4 gen-X boys right behind me talking very enthusiastically about the ballets they just saw. So I turned around and struck a conversation with them. That was their first ballet-going experience and they all came to see the Pied Pipper. The twist was the ballet they were so excited about was Act II of Bayadere! They all exclaimed that they wanted to see "the whole Bayadere." They weren't impressed by Pied Pipper. If the goal of Pied Pipper is to get new audience into the door, it seems to be working. I think Act II of Bayadere is a better piece to introduce ballet to beginners. Do we call this "bait and switch?" And there were more children around at Met than usual. As for Pied Pipper, I think it's over-hyped but I love the score. They tried to make the ballet looked like a Broadway production. Dancing wise, there's not enough of it and Corella had to carry to whole show. All the talks about the new technologies, props, sceneries, stage design & magic just heightened my expectation and I came home unimpressed. But still it was an unique and positive experience and I have to give credit to ABT for its new approach and direction in staging new ballet.

Very interesting observation. Does this mean Kirov either has to add act V to its Swan Lake or make do with 3 acts?

As a late comer to the ballet world, the only Coppelia I saw was NYCB/Balanchine's production last spring season. I like the act III divertisments of pure dances better than the narrative 1st act. It's a pure joy to see Balanchine's signature speed in full display. Does anyone know which productions are available on DVD?

If you buy the tickets now, the Met will give the best available seats. If you wait till the day of, probably they'll have only seats all the way to the back or to the sides or singles. Let me know if you are going on May 28, I may have extra tickets I can sell you at discount.

The only problem is whether NYCB can hold on to him. In a recent NY Times article, he mentioned he'd explore other possibilities and directions like Broadway or show biz.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/14/arts/14LINC.html Some of the interesting points from the article regard NYC Opera's new hall: New York City Opera "is contractually bound to occupy the State Theater, or guarantee occupancy, until 2014....studies by Lincoln Center had shown that a new opera house would be economically feasible and that the opera's obligations to the State Theater could be assumed by other bookings." What "other bookings" could assume the slots left by NYCO? Will ABT move in to the State Theater? The article also mention the possible sites for the new houses. With objection from the Met, Damrosch Park is essentially being ruled out as the possible site.

I always think of Nina A. more as an allegro than adagio dancer. I agree with with Colleen that she's exetremely dazzling in Don Q, La Corsaire and Swan Lake. Even within Swan Lake, I think she's more effective as Odile than Odette.

Joyce, BAM and City Center were (& still are)presenters of many dance and ballet programs which were in competition with Joffrey. New York Stock Exchange's threat of moving to NJ was just a bargaining chip to squeeze more tax breaks out of the City Hall. Plans are moving forward for a new headquarter in Lower Manhattan. The Big Board had no intention of leaving Manhattan, it was an empty threat.

Joffrey moved out of Manhattan to Chicago in 1995. It's alive & well. It's maintaining short fall, spring seasons plus a full month of Nutcracker season in Chicago and its touring schedule seems to be pretty full too. I believe its move had more to do with stiff competitions from NYCB, ABT, Joyce, BAM and from within City Center than city funding cut because city funding was never a major revenue source for NYCB & ABT. Here is the web address for Joffrey where you can check their season schedule, company info etc. It's not as sophisticated as NYCB or ABT's. http://www.joffrey.com/ Here is the web address for the Auditorium where Joffrey performs: http://www.auditoriumtheatre.org/

As a result of investigation by NY Attorney General office, direct control over a vast endowment fund will be transferred to its 17 beneficiaries. NYCB, as a Lincoln Center constituent, will entitle $65 millions; NYCO $59 millions, the Met $92 millions. The largest single sum, $424 millions, will go to the other Met. Here's the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/04/nyregion/04WALL.html [ 05-04-2001: Message edited by: mussel ]

Count it 7 times in a roll including Wed. matinee. The reason they are doing the same full-length 7 times in roll? My guess is economics. Once the set is up for ballet A, it costs more to take the set down and put up another one for ballet B, then take ballet B down again and put up ballet A again. It's simply cheaper to put up a set and stay put, and then take it down only once. Lyric Opera of Chicago is doing the same thing. Met is the exception simply because it has deep pocket. Met's stage and size is better suited for full-lengths with lavish sets than shorter contemporary pieces while City Center's more intimate setting is better for shorter pieces.

Thank you all for the info. I am wondering how many ballets were gone with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. I think Dale's already mentioned some of the reasons. With Mr B gone, we need to preserve & revive his works as much as we can.