who cares? commercially available videos

[silvy]

I wonder if some of the video experts on this board can inform me what video versions of "Who cares?" are available commercially.

thanks

Silvy

[Giannina]

"The Balanchine Celebration, Part Two" features selections from "Who Cares", including The Man I Love, I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise, Embraceable You, Fascinatin'Rhythm, Who Cares, My One and Only, Liza, and I Got Rhythm.

Giannina

[silvy]

Thank you Gianninna -

silvy

[rg]

and that, i'm afraid, is all that there is on the commercial market.

the full ballet was filmed at least twice with NYCB: once in canada, as follows:

Le New York City Ballet: Une école, un style, une compagnie, un repertoire 1971.

A production of Radio-Canada, telecast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1971. Text: Jean Basile. Narration in French: Leo Illial. For a separate copy of Who cares?, see: *MGZIA 4-1378 Who cares?.

Choreography: George Balanchine. Performed by the New York City Ballet. Pianist: Gordon Boelzner.

SUMMARY: A documentary about New York City Ballet (with still photographs and films of rehearsals), the School of American Ballet, company management and personnel. Includes three ballets by George Balanchine, who appears in rehearsals.

CONTENTS. - Tarantella. Music: Louis Moreau Gottschalk; performed by Patricia McBride and John Clifford. Movements for piano and orchestra (Image appears on film in reverse of actual performance positions). Music: Igor Stravinski; soloists: Kay Mazzo and Anthony Blum. Who cares? . Music: George Gershwin; soloists: Patricia McBride, Marnee Morris, Karin von Aroldingen, Jean Pierre Bonnefous.

and another in new york city, as follows:

A New York City Ballet tribute to George Balanchine 1983.

Telecast on WNET-TV Channel 13, New York, on October 16, 1983. Producer: John Goberman for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Director: Emile Ardolino. Choreography: George Balanchine.

Performed by members of the New York City Ballet Company at the New York State Theater. Introduction and commentary by Patrick Watson.

CONTENTS. - Vienna waltzes Music: Johann Strauss, Ferenc Lehár, and Richard Strauss. Scenic design: Rouben Ter-Arutunian. Costumes: Karinska. Performed by Kyra Nichols and Sean Lavery, Heather Watts and Helgi Tomasson, Elyse Borne and Bart Cook, Karin von Aroldingen and Peter Martins, Suzanne Farrell and Adam Luders, with other members of the company. - Mozartiana Music: Tchaikovsky on Mozart themes. Costumes: Ter-Arutunian. Performed by Suzanne Farrell with Ib Andersen, Victor Castelli, 4 students from the School of American Ballet, and other members of the company. - Who Cares? Music: George Gershwin, adapted and orchestrated by Hershey Kay. Scenic design: Jo Mielziner. Costumes: Ben Benson. Performed by Patricia McBride, Lourdes Lopez, Sean Lavery, Heather Watts, and other members of the company.

so, if you can get to somewhere like the ny pub. lib. for the perf. arts you could see these tapes, if not, this 'balanchine celebration' excerpt, is all that's 'out there' at the moment.

[Paul Parish]

but Silvy, do not despair -- at least one of the performances on that "Balanchine Celebratin" video is out of hts world: Elizabeth Loscavio (as the girl in blue) gives one of hte greatest dance performances on video ever (in my opinion), superior to any other version of that dance I've ever seen -- and I've seen the video versions with Marnee MOrris and Heather Watts. And Judith Fugate is not bad in Patricia McBride's "Fascinatin Rhythm" role -- maybe I only say that because I'd expected her to be boring and she's not, which is such a relief. But she is in fact charming in the role -- it's a wonderful solo, that features a clever quote from Bournonville's Flower Festival at Genzano, "jaazzed-up" and hilarious.

[carbro]

The Balanchine Celebration version presents only the three duets and four variations, each presented by a different couple/dancer, so it's quite different from the experience of seeing the actual ballet.

Paul may have voted for Mses. Loscavio and Fugate (whom I found a tiny bit too hammy -- I usually like her a lot) , but I'd like to point out Melinda Roy with Mel Tomlinson in the "Who Cares?" (song) pdd.

[Giannina]

Coincidentally I watched this tape only yesterday and I must say I agree with Paul: Loscavio was a revelation. I couldn't believe it was she; had to wait for the credits to roll.

Giannina

[volcanohunter]

I wonder if someone can identify another performance of Who Cares? Years ago I remember seeing a fabulous rendition of "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" on television, but I didn't recognize the performance. It wasn't the CBC recording with Karin von Aroldingen, it wasn't the PBS recording with ABT and it couldn't have been the Balanchine Celebration performance with Lourdes Lopez since the recording in question predated it. All I can tell you is that the performance was recorded on stage rather than a TV studio and the dancer had the most marvellous epaulement. Any ideas?

[Dale]

rg has itentified it above. Here it is again:

Le New York City Ballet: Une école, un style, une compagnie, un repertoire 1971.

A production of Radio-Canada, telecast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1971. Text: Jean Basile. Narration in French: Leo Illial. For a separate copy of Who cares?, see: *MGZIA 4-1378 Who cares?.

Choreography: George Balanchine. Performed by the New York City Ballet. Pianist: Gordon Boelzner.

SUMMARY: A documentary about New York City Ballet (with still photographs and films of rehearsals), the School of American Ballet, company management and personnel. Includes three ballets by George Balanchine, who appears in rehearsals.

CONTENTS. - Tarantella. Music: Louis Moreau Gottschalk; performed by Patricia McBride and John Clifford. Movements for piano and orchestra (Image appears on film in reverse of actual performance positions). Music: Igor Stravinski; soloists: Kay Mazzo and Anthony Blum. Who cares? . Music: George Gershwin; soloists: Patricia McBride, Marnee Morris, Karin von Aroldingen, Jean Pierre Bonnefous.

[volcanohunter]

I'm sure it wasn't Karin von Aroldingen as I've also seen the film of her performing that solo. This was a live performance. Is it possible that the ballet was taped during one of NYCB's tours of Europe?

[Dale]

Oops, sorry about that, read your post quickly. Lopez also performed it in the early Live from Lincoln Center broadcast.

[volcanohunter]

Perhaps I should provide a bit more context. In about 1992 I remember watching a program on Ukrainian state television about American musical theatre, specifically dancing. Among the clips from film musicals, which were familiar to me, they also included the "Stairway" solo, presumably to illustrate the influence of musical theatre on other forms of dance. (This was a long time ago, so please excuse me if I don't remember the exact details!) Of course I was surprised to see this particular clip because I didn't recognize it either from that 1971 Radio-Canada/CBC program or the later Baryshnikov Dances Balanchine (or whatever it was called) program from PBS. This was a live performance, the dancer was a brunette and, as I mentioned earlier, her epaulement was marvellous.

Conceivably, the performance could have come from their own archives. I'm pretty sure that NYCB performed in Kiev during its 1972 tour of the USSR. Perhaps Who Cares? was part of the tour rep. To be honest, the quality of the recording seemed too good to have been made by Soviet TV cameras, but you never know. It does make me wonder whether there aren't other hidden treasures in television archives of the fSU. On the other hand, the recording could have been made during some other tour. Which also makes me wonder about hidden treasures in the archives of, let's say, French, German or Japanese TV.

[carbro]

Melinda Roy danced that role with NYCB. She also had beautiful epaulement -- and an electrifying jump. Could she have been the dancer? I am not aware that she was ever recorded dancing the variation, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If it does, I'd love to see it.

Are you sure it was an NYCB dancer, volcanohunter?

[Mme. Hermine]

it sounds like maybe a confusion between two different performances by Lourdes Lopez, one c 1984-5? where the broadcast included Who Cares?, Mozartiana and Vienna Waltzes, and one later in the Balanchine Celebratin,; same solo, same dancer, different broadcasts?

[Mme. Hermine]

sorry, i see rg has already identified it. anyway the library has multiple films of her performing that solo, i think that must be it.

[volcanohunter]

Are you sure it was an NYCB dancer, volcanohunter?

Unfortunately, no. But her style was very authentic, so if I had to venture a guess I'd say it was a NYCB dancer. Has anyone ever seen a film of the ballet performed by another company (other than ABT)?

To be honest, I've never seen Lopez's performance from 1984-85. I can't say there was a great resemblance between the mystery dancer and her performance at the 1993 Balanchine Celebration. The dancer looked more like Heléne Alexopoulos if anything, but I don't even know if Alexopoulos performed that particular solo. Still, if Lopez was recorded twice, that tips the scales in her favour.

[BalletNut]

I once saw a video called "Baryshnikov dances Balanchine" or something like that, where Baryshnikov and some ABT and NYCB dancers performed Apollo and Who Cares, but I don't remember who the dancers were. Maybe someone else knows?

[rg]

indeed, this was a 'dance in america' telecast, another one not re-released commercially:

Baryshnikov dances Balanchine 1985. 58 min.

A co-production of WNET/New York and Danmarks Radio. Telecast on the Dance in America series by WNET/Channel 13, New York on Feb. 5, 1988. Executive producer: Jac Venza. Producers: Judy Kinberg and Thomas Grimm. Director: Thomas Grimm. Interview: Holly Brubach. Music performed by the Danish Radio Concert Orchestra conducted by Paul Connelly.

Summary: Performances of choreographer George Balanchine's Apollo and a concert version of his Who cares? Comments by Mikhail Baryshnikov on ballet and Balanchine are included in the program. Footage of rehearsal with Baryshnikov, Balanchine and Patricia McBride is also seen.

CONTENTS. - Apollo (25 min.) Music: Igor Stravinsky. Dancers: Mikhail Baryshnikov (Apollo); Christine Dunham (Terpsichore); Leslie Browne (Polyhymnia); Stephanie Saland (Calliope) - Footage of rehearsal of The steadfast tin soldier, with Baryshnikov, Balanchine, and Patricia McBride (1 min.). - Who cares?; concert version (11 min.) Music: George Gershwin, adapted and orchestrated by Hershy Kay. Scenery: Ves Harper, after stage design by Jo Mielziner. Costumes: Karinska. Danced by Baryshnikov, Christine Dunham, Leslie Browne, and Deirdre Carberry.

[volcanohunter]

By the way, thanks to Dale, carbro, Mme. Hermine, BalletNut and rg for racking their brains on my behalf.