oberon

Thanks for the great reports, drb & FauxPas...reading about Sylve, I will now be doubly looking forward to this Wednesday. Nobody saw Miranda????? Anyone reading here: if you went to a perfomance, please write and tell us about it. Don't be shy, I think everyone wants to read about these Swans.

Yes, I have just come home from the Sara Mearns SWAN LAKE and a beautiful performance it was. I cannot remember being so moved by a performance of this ballet. My partner & I were both deeply affected by her portrayal of Odette, not just because she danced it so well but because she was so young and so vulnerable. The remarkable thing about the first lakeside scene, which she commenced with a very big jetee into her swan pose, was the feeling of time being suspended. Andrea Quinn forsook her usual pressing tempos and gave Mearns a beautifully sustained rendition of the heart-wrenching music which Mearns "sang" for us with her sustained legato use of arms and beautiful delineation of the various attitude poses and supported plunges into arabesque. You just got lost in the sheer beauty of it. Her Odile was also very effective, visually glamourous and an almost innocent sense of cruelty as she deviously kept Siegfried entranced while looking like a sweet young thing. Her solo here was very well-phrased; she did 16 fouettes, then a series of turns around the stage. The final scene wasn't so much tragic as just terribly sad; you so wanted her to win, even when you know she wasn't going to. Nilas Martins was a very fine partner for her, his strong hands and fine timing giving her the freedom to dance full out. Nilas looks like a story-book prince and well portrayed the despair of a man who has ruined not only his own life but that of the woman he loves. The pas de trois in Act I was superbly danced by Antonio Carmena, Abi Stafford & Sterling Hyltin; Austin Laurent was a long-legged and amusing Jester; Dena Abergel a luscious Queen and Henry Seth a magnificent Rotbart. The pas de quatre was again splendidly danced by Fairchild, Peck & Scheller with Joaquin de Luz (replacing Veyette); Krohn & Ramasar were outstanding in Russian, Saskia Beskow a gorgeous Hungarian maiden (with Tyler Angle), Megan LeCrone has a high kick (in Spanish - with Arthurs, Fowler & Jon Stafford) and Rachel Piskin & Allen Pfeiffer were a lively Neopolitan couple. The contenders for Siegfried's hand were Bar, Keenan, Laracey, Muller, Ricard and Barak in one of the best segments of this production. The very large audience enthusiastically applauded the new Swan Queen and her hapless prince. You would never have guessed that Mearns was dancing this role for the first time.

Ostrich, try Opera-L. There was quite a bit of discussion about van der Walt's death there, and much ongoing talk about opera events past and present. Try this link: http://www.opera-l.org

I thought Bouder was a fully-formed Odette/Odile who sprang up out of the lake in all her glory. The surprise for me was how beautifully she danced the first lakeside scene, and how vividly she portrayed Odette. She gives a wonderfully musical performance, maintaining a neutral and somewhat sad facial expression. She used very crisp, almost abrupt, gestures to accentuate the character's fear of Siegfried, slowly melting into a more flowing feeling. Her portrayal was both youthful and oddly mature, giving the impression that the role had been in her repertoire for years. Bouder Nights aren't complete without one little slip (or a big fall in some cases) and she did have a moment of skidding briefly, but her composure never slipped for a second. Odile was of course a piece of cake for her and quite thrilling to see it all tossed off so splendidly. She was touching in her resignation and final parting from Siegfried in the last act. Benjamin Millepied has never, to my mind, been an especially good partner - until tonight. He really was a great match for Bouder, his boyish appearance a compliment to her young Swan Queen. In his solos, Benjamin showed that he has not re-gained his pre-injury form; but everything had a lightness about it. He was a convincing actor, ensnared by powers beyond his control. Adam Hendrickson is a fantastic Jester, sweeping through the tricky combinations with an air of devilish nonchalance. During his ballroom number, one of the small Jesters lost a slipper. Adam snatched it up from the floor, went into his leaping splits at the front of the stage, then rushed toward the wing and pitched the shoe over-hand offstage, never missing a beat. For all his brilliance and charm, there is a darkish aspect to everything he does - even the Jester. He is a great dancer & presence, and I would like to see what he would make out of Siegfried. Adrian Danchig-Waring is tall & handsome with a beautiful line but I don't think the bravura required in the pas de trois is his to offer at this point. Carrie Lee Riggins seemed a bit reticent, though attractive, and Alina Dronova danced prettily here, the beginning of a long night for her as she was also a Cygnet and later took over Neopolitan from Amanda Edge. The pas de quatre was superb tonight, the Fairchild-Scheller-Peck trio outdoing themselves - they seem to have a lock on this number this year as the Ringer-Abi-Hyltin team didn't materialize. Jon Stafford was mighty impressive here, including some flashing air turns. Edwaard Liang was back after a long hiatus, barely able to disguise his gorgeous classical technique in this character piece and exuding his unalloyed joy at being able to dance so beautifully; Rutherford was a radiant partner for him. Jason Fowler replaced Steve Hanna in Russian and did a fine job with the glamourous, leggy Reichlen on brilliant form. Dramatic, vital dancing from the Spaniards (Bar, Faye Arthurs, Suozzi & Froman) and a fleet-footed Neopolitan from the boyish Aaron Severini and Dronova, who still seemed fresh after her marathon. The delightful would-be brides number was adorned by Beskow, Barak, Muller, the plushy dancing of Laracey, the exquisite Sarah Ricard and newcomer Sophie Flack. Among the villagers in Act I William Lin-Yee stood out not just because of his great height but also an easy style. The children are sweet, and Peter weaves them into the dances skillfully. Bouder was very warmly received and graciously bowed to Benjamin, thanking him for his attentive partnering. If the theatre hadn't been so hasty to bring up the house lights, I think they might have gotten a fourth call.

LOL, drb...maybe some doubles, too!! Anyone else feeling a kind of anticipatory light-headedness today? Looking at Ms. Sloan's photos, I can't help but think that Keenan & Villalobos should be doing commercials for the American Dental Association. I guess happiness is being young & talented. I don't think I've ever described anyone as "adorable", but these kids are.

OK, I want to try it http://www.thewinger.com/ Whee...it works! LOL, now carbro, can you tell me how to do fouette turns? 32 to be exact.

At Kristin Sloan's site, The Winger, she's put up some really nice pictures from the current run of SWAN LAKE from the vantage point of a participating dancer: Jenifer Ringer cooling off as Odile, Henry Seth (Rotbart), Tom Gold, Ashley Laracey, and the smilers: Glenn Keenan & Giovanni Villalobos. I apologize for being too inept to put up a link, but if you Google the words sloan winger, you'll get there fast enough. Edit: carbro's given us a linking lesson and the link is in post #5.

Now you're gettin' me all ABT-nostalgic, carbro! Just watched those two Cynthias the other night in that ABT mixed-bill video. If we're namin' names, let's say: Leslie, Martine, Amanda & Mariana too!!

I see we are to have a new conductor next week, Faycal Karoui who is a protege of Michel Plasson. Looks like NYCB is beginning the quest for a new music director. I remember when Quinn first stepped on the podium as a guest, I liked her alot. She seemed to be pushing the dancers in what used to be a "fast" company but had slowed down a bit, back up to speed. Also at that time Kristjan Jarvi guested and was excellent; I hope he might get another shot.

As I mentioned in my posting about the season's opening night, in FEARFUL SYMMETRIES there was a segment where Somogyi & Ramasar danced together. I felt a really special energy from these two dancers and would love to see them together in other ballets. They expressed a sort of tension and mystery, even in such an abstract work.

We simply called Scotto "Little" to distinguish her from Tebaldi, who was the more senior diva, had the larger voice, and was much taller than Scotto. Fans from that era still refer to these two sopranos as "Big Renata" and "Little Renata". Yes, Scotto was a great bel cantiste but ended up wrecking her voice when she strayed from her natural fach. Wanting to sing "everything" does not benefit the voice. Look what it did to Callas. Many opera fans would question if Netrebko is rising or already falling. Listen to Act I of her recent TRAVIATA recording. This is not a healthy instrument.

Helene, I also was at her 1971 Isolde and it was simply earth-shattering. However, whenever I think of The Big B (or the Great White Godess, as we called her) I think first of the 1966 TURANDOTs with her and Corelli. You never heard anything like it; the recording doesn't give a clue. These two just pinned you to your seat, the opera house seemed to vibrate from the sheer magnitude of their singing. One night, after the Riddle Scene, the audience broke in with a prolonged, shouting ovation and the show came to a dead standstill for almost 3 minutes. Nilsson has a little sceptre that she carried (it looked like an all-day-lollipop actually!) and after Corelli guessed the third riddle, she would throw it across the stage in a fury. Corelli would pick it up and kneel, handing it back to her just as Act II ended. During the run (I saw 5 performances - incredible!) she was throwing it further and further each night. Then she threw it WAY the heck across the stage and Franco refused to go get it. He just stood there, with his arms folded across his chest and a gloomy pout on his face. The curtain fell, and he hadn't budged.

No, we don't have Peach Nellie nor do we have Chicken Luisa, but master chef Daniel Boulud did create a lavish dessert in honor of the current darling of the opera world, and he called it La Diva Renee. Chanel was always Coco, and Joplin was always Janis. But Edith was always Piaf. What about single-name legends: Cher? Madonna? Jillana? We are reminded not to refer to Wendy, Kyra or Jock but on the other hand it seems some dancers get routinely referred to by their colleagues by their last name only. "Bouder!" Maybe so as not to confuse her with Ashley, as in Merrill. I wonder if anyone calls HER Linda?

Funny story about Birgit Nilsson aka the Great White Goddess. I met her twice, once when I was quite young and I addressed her as "Madame Nilsson" and she giggled. Several years later I met her again and called her "Miss Nilsson" and she said "Just Birgit, please." Very sad that she has passed away, but she had a long life and was much beloved by her public. One cannot ask for more, I think. Opera fans love to refer to the great singers by their first names: everyone knows who Luciano, Placi, Leonie, Leontyne, Christa, Franco and Jessye are. Although there have been many Marias, whenever anyone says "Maria", assume Callas. On the other hand, we always differentiate between "Big Renata" (Tebaldi) and "Little Renata" (Scotto). Most fans call Horne "Jackie" and von Stade "Flicka". I would guess that singers (and dancers) love it when they are recognized by their first names. Nobody I know ever calls Fleming anything but "Renee". Once I watched her doing a signing...hundreds of people showed up. No one said: "Ms. Fleming"; she took it as a matter of course that she is: Renee. I think of most of today's crop of dancers by their first names, not so much because I've met lots of them but because I'm old enough to be their father, or grandfather in some cases.

January 10 Wendy & Damian (Whelan & Woetzel, of course) gave a sublime rendition of the story tonight. Not finishing the fouettes seemed pretty trivial in the face of all that Wendy does with the role. Her Odette is so fragile, a clear vessel thru which the music shines beautifully. Her Odile is dramatic and downright cruel after Rotbart exposes the hoax. In the final scene, actually, the Whelan/Woetzel duo reach their apex. Instead of being a mere ending, it really is the climax. Damian danced well all night, and partnered Wendy with utter perfection. Together they made the final leave-taking and Siegfried's remorse resonate deeply. Andrea Quinn set fast tempi and the orchestra played with passion. The corps of Swans were impressive. Ulbricht (the Jester) won numerous volleys of applause and cheers with his dare-devil pyrotechnics. Andrew Veyette again made an excellent Benno and his two girls in Act I (LeCrone & Sloan) both showed considerable improvement over their debut outing last week. The Pas de Quatre was a bravura festival tonight, with the genial & light-footed Benjamin Millepied attempting to hold the stage while the three girls set off firecrackers with their almost dangerously fast, intricate combinations: Bouder, Tiler Peck & Ana Sophia Scheller charmed & dazzled the audience by turns. Lowery & Fowler (Hungarian) and Dronova & Carmena (Neopolitan) were repeaters from last week, all fine. In Spanish, one couldn't really "read" Sarah Mearns as she wears character shoes - she sure is beautiful, though. She danced with Jon Stafford, and Ellen Bar (excellent) danced with Craig Hall. Hall is an amazing asset to the Company...once you start watching him you cannot stop. Yvonne Borree and Albert Evans gave a flashy, sexy Russian dance, Borree seeming very confident in Albert's care - she danced full out and looked happy. Albert was his usual grand self: polished, sexy and strong. The would-be brides piece is a lovely interlude and tonight we had the elegant beauty of Saskia Beskow, the amazing Faye Arthurs, and Barak, Keenan, Laracey & Muller each enjoying her moment in the spotlight. I thought Robert LaFosse was a cipher as Rotbart. He seemed bored during the divertissement. I regret missing Miranda Weese's Swan Queen his season, both her performances falling on days that I could not attend. I have her videotape, but it would be interesting to see what she is doing with the role these days. I hope someone will report on her performance here.

...for next week is up on the NYCB website. I was very sorry to see that Janie Taylor is still missing, her role in MORGEN to be taken by Sterling Hyltin. Mearns & Sylve each have another SWAN, and Bouder & Fairchild each to do BALLO.

One small bit of clarification, hopefully not to be confused with bootsterism. One of the "professional" reviews of the SWAN LAKE production complained about the stripped down look of the courtiers in Act I. In this production, they are not courtiers but villagers who have come to the terrace of the castle garden (not into the throne room, heaven forbid!) to wish the young prince a happy birthday. He seems to know these young people well and is comfortable drinking and dancing with them. So when his poor mother has to venture into this setting to give her son the crossbow, you can just imagine: "Oh, HERE you are! Hanging out with all these low-lifes dressed in garish colours! Really, you should be indoors where you might meet a nice girl of royal blood and get married. I want grandchildren, you know, and I'm not getting any younger!" Of course, the Queen doesn't know that Pauline Golbin is really the Crown Princess of Venezuela, incognito. In the ballroom scene, we do see the courtiers - lots of 'em - in funny matching costumes and wigs. Yes, that last little peek-in to the ballroom by the Jester and his subsequent nap are not really necessary, though it might be thought that he is sleeping while his master is by the lake in deadly peril. By morning, the Jester will be unemployed, as Siegfried will be in an asylum.

The ugliness of the decor and the jarring costume colors seemed grotesque to me when I first saw this production, which I HATED. The more you see it, the better you are able to tune them out. At least I am. What I like is that the dancing is continuous - whether it is all chroreographically spell-binding would be a matter of debate. And I think the ending is extraordinarily powerful. Most of the women I have seen dance this production have not been entirely successful with the fouettes - Jennie Somogyi triumphed, with doubles, and Miranda does pretty well. Maria K admits in interviews they are a problem for her, more - it would seem - a mental than a technical problem. When Kyra Nichols did her single performance, she did 16 and then went into a seres of piques around the stage.

Did anyone attend this? Is there a transcript available?

Benno dances a pas de trois with 2 village girls in Act I; I could not say if it is based on Petipa...but it's a very attractive piece, and quite difficult I would say. Peter originally staged the Pas de Quatre as a free-standing piece years ago, then incorporated it into his full-length SWAN LAKE. It opens the divertissement in the ballroom scene. Boy, 2 soloist girls and one sort of principal girl. They dance together, then each has a solo. In the coda, the girls do synchronized turns. It's full of bravura dancing for all four, but I must say I dislike the music and the choreography for the principal girl (Megan Fairchild today...dancing nicely). The music is that sort of jaunty oboe solo that I think has sometimes been used for Odile (correct me if I'm wrong) and the choreography seems intent on making the girl look like a klutz. Fairchild managed not to...good for her! Yes, Amar did throw Becky into the air but I don't think it was quite as pronounced as when Maria K & Charles Askegard did it. It was more of a hands-off moment, then he grabbed her waist.

January 7 matinee I don't like matinees but sometimes because of the programme or casting, you have to go. Today was a typical matinee audience: large, applauding the "obvious" moments (the children, the Jester, cygnets) while the glory of one of the most moving Odettes and most dazzling Odiles went right over their heads; booing Rotbart; cell phones; someone rummaging through what sounded like a potato chip bag, etc etc. The house was packed but the applause was so perfunctory. It was a shame because not only had Ringer & Marcovici worked out a spine-tingling interpretation, but several other featured dancers did some very fine work (most notably Andrew Veyette, Ana Sophia Scheller, Alina Dronova and the Russian duo Krohn & Ramasar) all dancing their butts off to the tepid response. I know, art is its own reward, but really... Ringer had me a bit nervous as I waited for the ballet to begin; I knew she had the artistry but wasn't sure about stamina. Then someone had mentioned that she seemed out-of-shape earlier in the week. If this is what an out-of-shape ballerina can do, I hope all the women at NYCB will follow Jeni's regimen. The dancing alone was quite sublime; of course the Odette was all wafting Ringer perfume (to be expected) but such subtle evil in her Odile, like a gorgeous flower that exudes a deadly poison. Beyond these general impressions were a wealth of tiny details: she didn't overdo the swanlike gestures of neck and hands - no fluttering - but near the end of the White Swan coda, as she posed stage front, she very delicately smoothed her feathers with the classic neck motion... a reminder that this encounter with the Prince was about to end. She was extremely distraught when he first captured her, and remained fearful til halfway thru the adagio, making her eventual surrender (and later bettrayal) even more haunting. As Odile, the duplicitous nature of the character was expressed thru the face and gestures: alluring, brazen and fawning by turns, falsely demure; her imitation of the Odette-like poses that finally convince Siegfried that this IS the girl he met by the lake, was done with malicious sweetness. Ringer's dancing reached its peak in the Odile solo, amazing clarity of the steps, sizzling turns, and one phenomenal balance near the end that caused me to gasp out loud. In the coda, she swirled through about 28 fouettes, coming forward. As the momentum seemed to wind down slightly, she stepped out of the turns and struck a titanic attitude balance, casting a flaming look at the Prince who by then was reduced to abject slavery. Her final scene was so moving, her body truly crushed as she assumed the deep bow on the floor. The powerful end of this production has Odette facing down Rotbart but still unable to break the spell, her departure a moment of intense poignancy. Sebastian Marcovici's pale, haunted presence and his long arms and expressive hands (to say nothing of the cheekbones) make him someone you really want to watch. He was especially interesting in his bewilderment at finding this exotic band of women by the lake. His partnering was secure, tender, and beautifuly alinged to what Ringer was doing and his bravura dancing was good if not spectacular. His final despair was enough to make grown men cry. There were many, many excellent perfomances by the others in the cast. Ulbricht was his usual spectacular self as the Jester, finding a new aeriel turn to add to his array. Andrew Veyette was outstanding as Benno, his turns in alternating directions were secure, his scissor-like legs slicing the air in feather-light jumps, and a handsome & sincere persona to boot (LeCrone & Sloan danced with him). Albert's Rotbart was theatrical and large-scale. Joaquin de Luz in the pas de quatre tossed off his turns and leaps with carefree ease, Fairchild & Tiler Peck were fine and Scheller simply dazzling. Savannah Lowery and Jason Fowler were earthy & bold in Hungarian; Rebecca Krohn & Amar Ramasar were glamourous Russian dancers, they took risks and exuded sexy confidence & glamour...it is not an easy piece to dance. Alina Dronova spun off some crisp turns near the end of the Neopolitan dance with Carmena her eager & charming beau; Golbin, Abergel, Suozzi & Tyler Angle were the Spanish dancers and the would-be-brides offered such pretty contenders that it would have been impossible to choose; Faye Arthurs & Ashley Laracey danced exceptionally. Sara Mearns modestly appeared among the Black Swans in the finale. Sorry, I didn't intend to be so long-winded. I did like seeing Nicholas Fokine, a sturdy little Prince among the village boys. I will resist describing individual villagers and swans, though I could...

Oddly, the one time I really questioned something Peter did (the promotion of a young dancer to principal which I thought was premature and unmerited), I was taken to task by everyone else and even received a personal message from one of the moderators telling me not to say negative things about this dancer and to give her a chance. If you read back over many of the NYCB topics here, L P-G, you will find that a great many people are very unhappy with the Martins administration at NYCB. Their displeasure comes thru not just in the big "how awful does the NYCB Balanchine rep look now" topics, but in lots of little jabs and digs every day. They don't like his choreography, they don't like his coaching staff, they don't like the way the Balanchine & Robbins repertoire look, they don't like the way he deals with dancers, they don't like certain aspects of his personal life. To an extent I agree with some of their feelings, but on the other hand I think we should be grateful that he seems to have been quite succesful in keeping the Company financially sound, and that he has some really fine & interesting dancers there now and he gives them lots of repertoire possibilities, and that he has stood by his dancers through injuries and various personal troubles. To me it seems, 20 years after Balanchine's death, that instead of despairing at the state of things we should feel some smidgen of thanks that the ballets of Mr. B are still alive and that they often looks pretty good (thanks largely to the talents of individual dancers). Balanchine spoke of knowing that his ballets would not be the same after his death; in my view, it is virtually impossible for ballets to become "fixed". By their very nature, they are always in motion. Balanchine knew this. I don't consider that Peter needs me to defend him on any level; I've hated plenty of his ballets over the years. What I do love are his dancers, and there I will unabashedly plead guilty to bolsterism. I've been lucky to have met many of them, from top ballerinas to newbie corps kids, and I love their energy and their human side. It gives you a different perspective when you watch them onstage. This entire topic about Ms. Mearns and her impending SWAN LAKE has simply stemmed from the fact that some of the women who would dance this role are not able to at this point due to injury, illness, whatever. Were they available, I don't doubt that Sara's big role in this revival would be the Spanish dance. Obviously someone at NYCB, be it Peter, Merrill, Karin, whoever, sees something is Sara Mearns that they think will work as Swan Queen. Yes, when I first saw her name on the casting I was dumbfounded. However, I would not venture to say whether she will make a success out of it or not, or how it will affect her one way or the other, until she is taking her bows. Believe me, there are people who will be waiting to trot out the "I told you so" line if she doesn't meet their expectations. At the bottom line, it is simply a chance that is being taken on a young dancer and all I am saying is: let us give her the chance. Afterwards people may say whatever they want in praise or blame of her, Peter, or anyone else involved.

It's funny, so many people HATE this production of SWAN LAKE and think it is visually hideous (well, that is true) and a desecration of a masterpiece, etc. and then they are concerned about the casting. It sort if reminds me of the Woody Allen joke: "The food here is terrible." "Yes, and such small portions..." What's boosterism? Thinking we should give her a chance before we decide how her performance is? I imagine some people, despite "wishing her well", are really hoping it doesn't come off so they can hate Peter even more. How many people who think this is a casting mistake are going to go see it anyway?

I did try a search about Mearns and found a little Q & A with her at the Discount Dance Supplies website. Several young ballerinas are interviewed there, including Bouder & Abi Stafford. When asked what role she most wanted to dance, Mearns replied: Odette. When asked what dancer she most admired, Mearns replied: Darci Kistler When asked for a quote, Mearns said: "Never compare yourself to someone else because you have something no one else has."

Whoa! Gorgeous picture...thanks, drb! Carbro, I had mentioned the possibility of trying O/O "out of town" earlier, but if most companies who could afford to mount a complete SWAN LAKE wanted a guest Swan Queen, they might want a "name"...and someone who has already done it. Also a local company would probably have a local "star" who would for sure want this plum role. In a way the situation reminds me of a problem a sensational young soprano friend of mine is having: she wants to audition for various opera companies: "We only hire singers who have management. Have your agent send us your info kit"; so she tries to get an agent to sign her: "I only take on clients who've had professional experience already." In reality, I think the Mearns situation has simply arisen because of the illness/injury/not-fully-recovered syndrome at NYCB. Probably when Peter planned this revival he thought he'd have Wendy, Miranda, Maria, Jennie, Jeni, Alexandra, Janie & Sofiane with Bouder - a quick study and technical whiz - on standby. Maybe Mearns has done it somewhere, maybe someone actually went to check her out in it or saw a video. Or maybe they see things just watching her in class like Merrill et al saw in Bouder. As Hildegard Behrens once said, "You don't know if you can sing Brunnhilde until you sing it." Now that I've seen that photo, I'm really piqued!