oberon

Yes, he did make a few substantive ballets and I wish they were doing one of them instead of the Robbins. One of the problems with TARANTELLA is, it often gets thrown on as a substitute piece when dancers in a scheduled ballet are injured.

The dud on the programme is the Robbins. It looks so dated and corny now. Maybe Albert's ballet ended up being longer that expected, or it was felt that TARANTELLA didn't go with Albert's piece. At any rate, I'd much rather see a new Evans than my 2,000,000th TARANTELLA.

I am about the furthest thing from a prude you could imagine, but I do not like nudity onstage in ballet/opera/theatre. It is simply too distracting. In fact, I don't really like it in movies either.

Yes, it is a great picture - as is its companion photo of Janie Taylor. I do wish, however, that the photos used in advertising would show more movement. The poster of Ben Millepied in ZAKOUSKI used last season was remarkable in capturing him in the act of dancing. It was so alive.

Harpergroup, did you attend the Ligeti/Wheeldon evening? Could you tell us more about it?

...the difference being that for Caruso, crossover meant Neopolitan songs and today crossover means "My Heart Will Go On". I do recall Tebaldi singing "If I Loved You" as an encore at Lewisohn Stadium...but she sang it with her full support & technique, no crooning. In fact, she sang it as if it were a Puccini aria. Then there was Birgit singing "I Could Have Danced All Night" and Scotto's "Send in the Clowns". One of the few really successful crossover singers was Dorothy Kirsten, imo.

Interesting update on Ash, a dancer I greatly admired during her years at NYCB. From a purely selfish standpoint, I hate it when dancers leave NYCB but I can understand her line of reasoning. I wish her well in her future work, and hope to get a chance to see her dance again.

Well, there are Amici and Il Divo. From my perspective it seems that serious opera lovers think they are "crap"; the people who seem interested are people who think Sarah Brightman is an opera singer. For some reason, British tastes seem more accepting of this stuff. The declining classical/opera audience in this country tend to be musical snobs. I suppose I would include myself in that category.

The whole "crossover" bit is a polite way for both parties to extricate themselves graciously from a recital to which 1,000 of a potential 2,800 tickets had been sold. No singer wants the humliation of facing a half-empty hall. Lack of publicity is a partial culprit, as are the ups and downs of Millo's recent performances. Many serious voice buffs in NYC long ago wrote Millo off; she has her faithful fans but not enough to sell out Carnegie Hall. They should have scheduled it at Tully where she could quite easily get a full house. Very few events can sell out one of the big venues these days unless they are attached to a subscription series. Interestingly, Renee Fleming - probably the only singer today who can sell out the Met on her name alone - is singing to some empty seats in her MANONs currenty running. So far nothing has sold out at the Met this season - many empty seats at the Bryn Terfel FALSTAFF - not even Saturday matinees. This is dire news for an organization struggling to hold its subscriber base. High ticket prices and rather lacklustre casting have made some long-term subscribers I know give up. Also subscribers were "expected" to add a specified donation to the cost of their tickets. Is it worth it to hear some of the over-the-hill and/or over-rated people singing there these days? Speaking of crossover, apparently Peter Gelb has some quirky ideas of what the NY opera public will buy into. I imagine he will further alienate the dwindling base of hard-core opera fans.

MAURICE isn't a great film, but it's very romantic imho. I've always wished someone would make Mary Renault's THE PERSIAN BOY...there was talk of it in the 70s for Michael York but it never materialized. Instead we got ALEXANDER, which is both mostly miscast and doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be. THE PERSIAN BOY is one of the most romantic novels I ever read. As was DANCER FROM THE DANCE - but if someone were to make a film of that, it would almost be a period piece at this point.

SENSE & SENSIBILITY PERSUASION with Amanda Root & Ciaran Hinds - I love this movie! MANHATTAN FALLING IN LOVE AGE OF INNOCENCE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (I love Mia Farrow in this!) MOONSTRUCK what an ensemble! do we consider THE HOURS a romance? I do! When Meryl Streep finally turns to Allison Janney and kisses her...THAT's romance... ANNIE HALL MAURICE the iconic gay romance film SHIRLEY VALENTINE and a charming little film HOTEL DU LAC with Anna Massey Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN romance/comedy/poignant ending

Yes, the NYST box office is pretty good about exchanges.

Having had the honor & pleasure of meeting Wendy several times, I can attest she is just as lovely as the pictures and her personality is as extraordinary as her dancing. They seem to be made for one another and it's so sweet reading how David took care of her during the big injury. That's what love is all about, in my estimation. I wish them both a long & joyous life together.

In case anyone missed it in Links, Wendy Whelan's wedding is reported in today's New York Times.

Ashley once stated in an interview that she is one of those dancers who can eat whatever she wants and not gain weight. I'm pretty sure she will appear in the remaining performances of the opera; NYCB is on a break so she's free to take on an opera gig. Besides, she is dancing on her home stage!

9/7 Went to the opening performance; the opera is very beautiful but was spoilt by the inclusion of an intermission. The production was updated, fussy & the stage overly filled with chairs. Ashley was lovely, doing a mini-semi-comic pas de trois with 2 NYCO dancers. Later, she seized an angel cake that was laid out for the guests and sat down to replenish herself. She and basso Eric Halvarson, playing the theatre director La Roche, seemed to be having a grand time. Halvarson and soprano Pamela Armstrong were the vocal hits of the evening. It's a long evening, especially with the added intermission.

I seem to recall that it took some people a while to get used to Karin von Aroldingen when she first joined NYCB. It could be said that she became one of Balanchine's greatest assets, and her magnificent presence remains one of the foremost in my memories of all the great dancers I have seen.

I watched Gordon "grow up" at NYCB. This is very sad.

Kathleen Tracey was a great favorite of mine. I loved her because she could do both the leotard and the tutu ballets with compete success. She was an especially lovely Lilac Fairy, and superb in the Waltz movement of SUITE #3. Just before her unexpected and (to my mind) wildly premature retirement, I saw her in the Angel role in SERENADE.

Ms. Sloan's photos remind me the the snapshots taken by "retired" (!) corps member Deanna McBrearty and which were included in the big Balanchine celebration exhibit at the Museum of the City of NY a few years ago.

The Faun, in both the Nijinsky & Robbins versions. In the Robbins, my Nymph will be either Pauline Golbin, Rebecca Krohn, Wendy Whelan, Amanda Edge, or all of the above. Actually, I don't want to dance the role but I want to have the BODY to dance it!!

Does it seem that the whole Company would be going? These look like small works; I've never seen THOU SWELL - does it have a corps? It will be interesting to see who takes on Peter Boal's solo in RED ANGELS and Jock's role in LITURGY.

Whelan as Giselle? After seeing her in SONNAMBULA: yes.

I love the NYCB SLEEPING BEAUTY...I especially like the fairies, their cavaliers & pages "number", and I love the Vision Scene. The sets are gorgeous. The evening moves along: all dance, not bogged down at any point. The Lilac Fairy for me is the epitome of goodness and grace; it's her ballet, really (don't tell Aurora!) Gorgeous music and a great chance to see all sorts of casting from every rank of the Company, and even the little kids are palatable as Balanchine wove them into the Garland Waltz. Looking forward to the next revival!

OK, I'll play: BALLO DELLA REGINA Taylor, Carmena AFTERNOON OF A FAUN Krohn, Millepied Tchaikovsky PAS DE DEUX Bouder, Liang 4 TEMPERAMENTS Hanna, LaCour, Somogyi/Hubbe, Tinsley APOLLO Albert Evans; Sylve, Kowroski, Reichlin (the TALL Muses!!) SWAN LAKE Act II Ringer, Marcovici Tchaikovsky SUITE #3 Nichols, Neal; Abi Stafford, Millepied; Bouder, Carmena; Taylor, Woetzel SERENADE van Kipnis, Hankes, Edge; Hanna, Marcovici BUGAKU Whelan, Albert Evans SYMPHONY IN C Abi Stafford, Millepied; Taylor, Hanna; Scheller, de Luz; Riggins, Adam Hendrickson BURLESKE Ringer, Nilas Martins; Rachel R, Millepied LA VALSE Whelan, Marcovici, Seth PRISM Maria K, Ask LaCour, Ulbricht JEWELS Emeralds: Kistler/Jared Angle; Kyra Nichols/Philip Neal; Abi S/Scheller/Adam Hendrickson Rubies: Taylor, Carmena, Tinsley Diamonds: Sylve, Hanna GISELLE (new production) Whelan, Woetzel, Maria K, Edge & Adam H (Peasant), Golbin & Tinsley (Moyna & Zulma), Seth (Hilarion)