drb

The telecast of Baryshnikov is now available on site:

http://www.charlierose.com/index.html

I went, I saw, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected....Where the Wild Things Are...

I must look like I'm impoverished. They keep offering me half-price on tickets.

Maybe they're planning to continue with Mr. Sendak's Outside Over There, and are extending a courtesy to a presumed relative... (sorry, it's late)

In order to cover for his absence - and I must say he is much missed by us all - I conducted his last few remaining performances in the NY winter season, and will conduct all seven performances of Midsummer this week. Two more to go!

Regards

Paul Mann

Welcome, Mr. Mann, it is an honor to have you visit this forum. Like the name stick1 too!

Morris is not alone in choreographing the complete opera this year. Dominic Walsh will soon premiere his version for the New National Theater Ballet of Tokyo...

What is special about Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice that makes so many choreographers (Isadora Duncan, Mr. B four times!, Mark Morris also often, ...) want to tackle it? Regarding Balanchine, the story obviously has attracted him, via Stravinsky as well. And in the pure dance Chaconne, centered on the opera's Dance of the Blessed Spirits too. But I suppose it must have a lot to do with the music (but exactly what?), with Mr. Morris (as well) being regarded as a very musical choreographer. Other operas are more popular and must have as good music, but I don't know of any other that contains such a choroegrapher magnet. Not an opera buff, but I have "bit", and plan to see the Morris version at the Met.

What with the bad luck of this being pledge week and hence the need to show Jerry Lee Lewis rather than a Misha recast, I'll try to recall a bit more.

Regarding Rudolph Nureyev: He was, as a defector, a non-person(Brezhnev era) when Misha was a student, and even saying his name was dangerous. It wasn't till he'd been with Pushkin for a couple of years (Misha near age 19) that Pushkin even spoke the name to him. He then had a chance to see video (film?) of Nureyev and was very unimpressed, as RN was "sloppy" and Misha felt his own technique was far better. It wasn't till when he was in the West, circa '75-'76, and saw Nureyev live that he "got" it. The charisma. That, "like Pavlova", there would not be another Nureyev. They got to know and respect each other, but Nureyev was displeased that Baryshnikov would not dance his choreography. Misha explained to him that it was not suited to his style. (His rethinking Nureyev when seeing him live, and his own displeasure on seeing himself on film, might give us pause when we judge a dancer on the basis of a video.)

While touring the building Mr. Rose noticed all the photography hanging on the walls. "All yours?" "Yes." Baryshnikov explained that it is a real passion for him. They looked together at a new book of Baryshnikov's photography. They paid special attention to a photograph of Richard Avedon, hanging on the wall, taken a couple of weeks before he passed on.

When explaining why he was not a choreographer, Mr. Baryshnikov pointed to "up there", then recognising that contradicted his earlier profession of atheism, tapped a place just above his heart, explaining that a kind of god lived in there but died when one died.

He did not like making movies, partly because it was harder than dancing, the 5 AM - 11 PM hours. Originally he was hired as a dancer for Turning Point, no words. But really enjoyed working in Sex in the City.

Wow! What a happy review. Too bad this wasn't the opening night performance, that seems to have underwhelmed the DC critics. Still GLORIOUS news from that first performance, as I see in today's Links that MAURICE KAPLOW conducted. Many here were very concerned that he was unable to complete a recent performance in NYC and canceled all subsequent performances. Welcome back, Maestro!

The Friday Charlie Rose show usually repeats Monday afternoon (one-ish, usually).

Looking at the future listings on The NY Times site, there will not be a recast, instead a Jerry Lee Lewis Special. The Times's search for the specific Baryshnikov program gives a couple on the 5th on Ch. 715; that may be 13's HD station?

BUT, Charlie Rose's site above is right now giving full-length telecasts of Monday's through Thursday's shows

(including the Mark Morris/James Levine Opera/Ballet one). Perhaps Friday's will follow?

For the moment the February 28 Charlie Rose interview of Mark Morris and James Levine is being transmitted in full on Mr. Rose's site:

http://www.charlierose.com/index.html

The dance part of the telecast begins about half way through the hour program. They discuss the opera which Mr. Morris has choreographed for presentation in May at the Met. He and George Balanchine have both

choregraphed this opera more than once. Orfeo ed Euridice will run at the Met without stop for 90 minutes. Get it while its on!!!

Charlie Rose's site offers (print) transcripts that may be ordered via the site or by phone. They cost about $10 delivered by e-mail, but a lot more via snail mail.

http://www.charlierose.com/

I noticed that Amazon had his Wendy Whelan interview on dvd less than half a year after it was aired. A more recent program was ready in two weeks. But not all programs seem to go to dvd.

Baryshnikov on Charlie Rose just said that, when he was directing it, he knew ABt would never be a company at the level of Paris Opera because it couldn't afford to have a great classical academy.

Yes, and that is more than just a school per se. Mr. Baryshnikov made the statement in the context of discussing his decision to bring in great modern dance choreographers while he directed ABT. I think in this context, ABT would never be at the level of POB in the classics. Ironic that ABT would make the all-too-obvious error of showing Bayadere to Paris! The same management that couldn't recognize the exposure of taking Kingdom of the Shades to POB's turf probably wouldn't know how to use products of such an academy.

It is good that ABT is recovering a little bit of its tradition in the Fall seasons. But even if it had an academy, would the young dancers from it ever get a chance???

The telecast just ended and was extraordinary. Mr. Rose even gave Mr. Baryshnikov the chance to complete his thoughts. A quick look at tomorrow's programming shows no repeat broadcast on either local NYC station on Saturday.

As he traced through his career he made it clear that his short time at NYCB was the peak, and displayed his greatest love for Balanchine, Robbins, and Kirstein (and of course, earlier, for his teacher Pushkin-- as he spoke about great teaching). He said NYCB was his home, immensely moreso than the Mariinsky. He felt sure that his Hell's Kitchen project will be his last stop, "but who the hell knows?" He told much about his decisions while running ABT, and lit up when speaking about his White Oak time with Mark Morris. He felt there would never be another Nureyev, whom he greatly admired and respected.

No gossip, all substance.

Hope you can see it. These Rose shows do seem to find their way to video quickly.

From Carol Landers: "In all probability, online seat selection for repertory will become available sometime in 2007."

We'll soon know, as they go on sale in four days:

March 5, 2007 Single Ticket Information and Online Sales Begin.

March 5, 2007 4th Ring Society Ticket Sales Begin

March 16, 2007 New Spring Season Subscriptions Deadline

April 9, 2007 New York State Theater Box Office Opens for Single Ticket Sales

April 9, 2007 CenterCharge (212-721-6500) Spring Single Tickets Available for Sale.

Subscribers are promised the best seats, yet singles go on sale 11 days prior to the end of subs sales. I wonder how that works. In any case, I did buy tix online last fall, and I was pleased with the honorable selection that they sent.

When I received my subs renewel info, there was a letter/form included regarding a farewell event for Kyra Nichols on Friday, June 22 (the night before ABT's Ferri farewell). Worth checking out when online is up. It is a date not included on any subs series.

Any list that doesn't include your local company...

I think Carbro is right, but in the extended meaning quoted. A very important aspect of ballet pleasure is watching the same ballets and (especially) same dancers frequently. My home company is NYCB, which in many senses is great anyway. But even on its (too often) worst days I can come home enriched by some dancer's growth or new magic, that I might have missed but for context created by familiarity.

Any of the Big 6 (the above five + RDB), can be transcendent or crappy on any given day. They are worth seeing because of what they can and might do, and one great value of BT is that it can help guide you as to what to see to maximise the experience. A careful reader in DC would have known to give Bolshoi's DQ with Osipova/Vasiliev a look, for instance. Of the Big 6, I suspect the Bolshoi, since a year or two ago, is most likely to give a great experience to many people. It is my choice for #1.

But, speaking locally, NYCB's recent Gergiev night delivered the goods. Not only Bouder's already hyped Firebird, reaching a new high (one might have seen the chance, with the combo of her musicality and a specialist in Firebird conducting), but also that local thing, discovering that hot young dancer Sara Mearns, debuting in a Farrell role, had (not before noted) great footwork.

As for American Top 5, how can one not include PNB? From what we can read on BT, it has a remarkably high batting average.

Sure, see the Big Guys if you can, selectively, but support your own company and you can find great pleasure too. Rankings are just numbers, and the only way numbers count is that the dancers get their counts right.

Just saw this announcement from Playbill:

Mikhail Baryshnikov will be the feature guest on The Charlie Rose Show tomorrow (March 2) night on PBS.

Rose will devote the entire hour to a wide-ranging conversation with Baryshnikov.

The Charlie Rose Show generally airs at 11 p.m. Eastern time; check local listings.

It seems that the Sylve/Gomes three performances of Makarova's La Bayadere did not occur, although she did dance one performance (sans Gomes) on February 27, according to HET's website. There is, however, a wonderful vid on the site with Makarova speaking about and rehearsing the ballet. Any chance to see Makarova, looking and sounding wonderful, is surely worth a click (on the word "hier"):

http://www.het-ballet.nl/index.php?&show_news=16199

Did anyone see a performance of this production? If so, please post.

Added later: Sometimes when I try the above link it gives another page (only sometimes)! If that happens to you, just click on that page to solisten. And then click to

"La Bayadère in het NOS Journaal" and you'll get to where the above link goes when it feels like it. I guess Makarova is worth the detour.

As for the inclusion of Gold, LaCour and Reichlen in 4Ts, the height disparity between the men made it extremely uncomfortable to watch. Poor Tom Gold, reaching as high as he could, while Ask had to support his share of Reichlen's weight in midair at what looked like a particularly stressful level. She, meanwhile, was visibly working hard to keep herself level. I liked LaCour's Phlegmatic, but for him, just back from injury, it was the first (or second?) week of the season, and he was conspicuously refreshed.

In fairness to Mr. Martins, Gold's inclusion was one of those last-hour emergencies, the dreaded "injury or illness" program insert. Of course, the casting imbalance was repeated for the rest of the run of The Four Temperaments. So it couldn't have been all that bad in the eyes of those in control. Or maybe no-one else in the company knew the part. It is, after all, a minor part in an obsolete antiquity of a ballet. :blush:

The block program, at least for the first time out, did not seem to achieve one of its desired effects -- to spread the work so that everyone's performance is optimized throughout the run.

To put it mildly! Ask Ashley Bouder. 13/14 perfs in one two-week interval, followed by 1/14 in the next two.

.... that horns -- the instruments themselves -- are at least as temperamental when it comes to temperature and humidity as strings :blush: , and string players can compensate more easily with their instruments than brass players with theirs.

The weather last Friday was ordinary, yet there were none of those familiar clunkers by the horns or anything else. Not only did Gergiev deliver deep interpretations and proper tempi (no dancers fell), as one would have expected/hoped, but all the ugly sounds disappeared. Now he isn't blowing into the horns, so why? You would think that in NYC there are plenty of fine musicians, so the orchestra members should have the skill to play properly. Was it respect for this conductor, or fear, or were they inspired by him in rehearsal, or excited to play his interpretations? Whatever the reason, what goes wrong with their technical skills when playing for the house conductors?

I feel embarassed to ask, but why is Ferri having a farewell!?!

Mrs. Ferri left RB and joined ABT in 1985, where she and Julio Bocca formed one of the great partnerships of recent decades. Widely regarded as THE dance-actress of the era, her very well-deserved farewell is specific to ABT; she maintains her affiliation with La Scala in Milan. Here is a record of her career, from ABT's site:

http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=25

I haven't seen her on stage that I recall lately, and her name is still printed on the roster, but the new Los Angeles Ballet lists Melissa Barak for its Concerto Barocco cast (2nd violin, it looks like). ...

NYCB has updated its dancers list. Melissa Barak is no longer on it. Nor are Miranda Weese (as we all knew) and Edwaard Liang (as I didn't know). Not only a loss of three dancers, but of two choregraphers. Does anyone know where Mr. Liang is going?

... "Ladies and gentlemen, in tonight's performance of The Firebird, the role of the Firebird will be danced by Teresa Reichlin."....it was quite obvious that she'd had to pull a "Bouder" for Bouder....

I don't know if I can take the stress of waiting till next season to find out if Ashley will be OK, so please, if anyone finds official news regarding her situation, post it on this thread!

drb--I saw Bussell in Cinderella at the Met as well...

From Jennifer Dunning's Times review of that memorable performance:

...Ms. Bussell's dancing is a rare blend of simplicity, elegance and unforced technical virtuosity....she embodies the company's unforced embrace of classical dancing as a royal birthright. The effect is both wondrous and refreshing.

Ms. Bussell is an atypical forlorn waif, so big and forthright is her dancing. But her Cinderella was utterly believable, a wise child with moments of endearing spunkiness whose quick, high extension reminded one audience member of children's eager arms shooting up to answer classroom questions.

Her airy descent of the ballroom stairs and her growing joy, captured in one of Ms. Bussell's signature big, blooming arabesques, suggested a young girl's discovery of her love not just of a handsome young prince but also of the act of dancing itself. Her third-act Cinderella was torn, though gently, between delicate hesitation and new boldness.

The schedulers-that-be at the Met stuck Cinders as a matinee ballet, probably thought it was for children.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...754C0A961958260

A decade ago I saw her at the Met in the Royal's Cinderella, back when it was still the real one. Happened to be sitting next to a woman who's written extensively on NYCB. At intermission we looked at each other and said "Farrell!" Not just for her beauty and dancing. Farrell is the most moving dancer I have ever seen, so for me Darcey is very moving. At NYCB her Agon, of course, and both roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream were also very compelling.

Zerbinetta: Thanks for capturing Ashley Bouder's take on Firebird above:

... Bouder's wonderfully bossy little Firebird

Yes, tonight was very moving and special.

... Unfortunately, I lost my program, so can't report on the other soloists....

In addition to Lowery (Var 1) and Dronova (yes, to the manner born in Var 6) the soloists were Tiler Peck (Smiley Dazzle danced Var 2), Gwyneth Muller (Var 5), Ana Sophia Scheller (Var 7). Peck and Scheller were the dance-off pair, just before the leads return to end the ballet. These two so different technical power houses matched trick-for-trick, very musically. It was one of those draws where both won and were roundly applauded. Overall, a loud audience tonight.

Antique Epigraphs was beautifully presented.

Isn't that true for all the Robbins? Someone's minding the store for him, and casting is usually spot on. Too bad there isn't a correspondingly powerful pro-Balanchine faction at the company. {Peter picked a wonderful Balanchine rep this season, but noone seemed around to coach it nor, especially, to cast it (well, Friday night's Walpurgisnacht featured the outstanding debut of Sara Mearns, but were there any others...?). Maybe the idea is to have people sit on their hands for his stuff so the company can get rid of all that dead wood and get on to its mission of creating new work.} Sara Mearns and Tess Reichlen (both blatantly ready for promotion to Principal rank) lead AE's group of four soloists (as defined by inverse bowing order), that included Ellen Bar and Rebecca Krohn. The four second soloists were Saskia Beskow, Savanah Lowery, Gwyneth Muller and the recently much noted Ellen Ostrom.

Afternoon of a Faun was danced by the Playbill cover duo of Sebastien Marcovicci and Janie-of-the-dancing-hair Taylor. Janie was hypnotic and Sebastien was not the only man in the theater who was entranced.

Paul Mann was Maurice Kaplow's replacement. Please let him be well. The orchestra seemed somewhat in the afterglow of Gergiev for a while, but the final Bartok was something of a challenge.

Saturday evening, February 24

Goodbye

Tonight Miranda Weese danced the last dance at NYCB. Christopher Wheeldon came out with flowers, and a kiss. Then Peter Martins came out with a bouquet, and a long hug with mutual kisses on both cheeks.

Let it be known that Miranda gave us all a parting gift that is all we could ask from a ballerina, dancing with her vaunted technique and her whole heart. It was a performance that Wheeldon's Evenfall needed. The work-long PdD finally had the synthesis of emotion and invention to make it whole. A triumph too for Miranda's partner Seth Orza.

Be aware, Seattle, you are receiving a ballerina at the peak of her powers, that stage of fullness, where body and soul unite.

I read somewhere that she first did the Firebird as a replacement with only 2 hours preparation. If this is true, that would be amazing... what a role! She nailed it last night.

Here's the story, from NYCB's site:

.... When the two ballerinas cast to dance the role of the “Firebird” suddenly became unavailable to dance due to injury and flu, Ashley was chosen to replace them. The one catch was that she had only two hours in which to learn the choreography before that evening’s performance. In her own words, "I was in a Swan Lake corps rehearsal on stage in the afternoon wondering which ballet would be replacing Firebird that evening when Craig Hall said to me, ‘Bouder, you're doing Firebird tonight!’ And I started crying." She learned the part from her mentor Sean Lavery . This time though she was nervous. She says, "I was so scared. Chuck (Askegard) talked me through the whole thing and Sean was encouraging my every step from the wings." One would never have guessed the trying circumstances of that moment.... Ashley’s transformation into an instinctive and alluring “Firebird” was complete.

The sets and costumes for Firebird were on par with those of Zauberflote at the Met... visually stunning. Wouldn't it be great if reality was a colorful as it was in Firebird?

Kudos to NYCB for keeping its Chagall, I really miss the Met's.

We sat in the orchestra and could not see the Gergiev, but he got a wonderful performance from the orchestra.

This is one ballet where one needs to sit low, since we are watching a painting: Mr. B's choreography often rewards sitting high up because of its patterns, but here it helps to look straight on so that the backdrop is seen as the dancers' background. And we can see Ms. Bouder's elevation.