Alexandra Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 This just in from the company: U.S. REVIVAL PREMIERE OF SIR FREDERICK ASHTON’S SYLVIA AND ALL-FOKINE PROGRAM TO HIGHLIGHT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S 2005 SPRING SEASON, MAY 23-JULY 16, AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE ALESSANDRA FERRI TO CELEBRATE 20 YEARS WITH ABT American Ballet Theatre’s 2005 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 23-July 16, was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Highlighting the engagement will be the United States Revival Premiere of a new two-act production of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia, as well as a Fokine celebration featuring a full evening of the works of choreographer Michel Fokine. Principal Dancers for the engagement will include Carlos Acosta, Nina Ananiashvili, Maxim Beloserkovsky, Julio Bocca, Jose Manuel Carreño, Angel Corella, Herman Cornejo, Alessandra Ferri, Marcelo Gomes, Guillaume Graffin, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Vladimir Malakhov, Amanda McKerrow, Gillian Murphy, Xiomara Reyes, Ethan Stiefel and Diana Vishneva. Countrywide Financial is the National Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre and Cole Haan is a Leading Benefactor. Graff Jewelers is the 2005 season sponsor of ABT at The Metropolitan Opera House. ABT’s 2005 Spring season is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The 2005 Spring season will kick-off with an Opening Night gala performance on Monday, May 23 at 6:30 P.M. For information about the Opening Night Spring Gala, please call the Special Events Office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3239. United States Premiere American Ballet Theatre will present the United States Revival Premiere of an all-new production of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia on Friday, June 3 at 8 P.M. Ashton’s Sylvia, performed by ABT in two acts, will be staged by Christopher Newton, former dancer and ballet master for The Royal Ballet. Set to a score by Léo Delibes, Sylvia was Ashton’s second full-length work when it was premiered by The Royal Ballet in 1952 with Margot Fonteyn, Michael Somes and Alexander Grant in the leading roles. Last performed by The Royal Ballet in 1965, Sylvia is set in mythical Greece and tells the story of the chaste nymph Sylvia who is united by the deity Eros with the lovelorn shepherd Aminta. This new production, with scenery and costumes by Christopher and Robin Ironside, with additional designs by Peter Farmer, will receive its revival premiere in three acts by The Royal Ballet on November 4, 2004 at Covent Garden, London. Following the U.S. premiere, ABT will give seven performances of Sylvia, June 4 and 6 and June 13-15. Fokine Celebration Four works by legendary choreographer Michel Fokine will include the New York Revival Premiere of Petrouchka and the New York Company Premiere of Polovtsian Dances. The program, which will be given eight consecutive performances beginning Thursday, June 16, will also include Fokine’s Les Sylphides and Le Spectre de la Rose. The New York Revival Premiere of Fokine’s Petrouchka, staged by Gary Chryst, is scheduled for Thursday evening, June 16 with Ethan Stiefel in the title role. Set to music by Igor Stravinsky with scenery and costumes by Alexandre Benois and a story by Stravinsky and Benois, the one-act ballet is set amid a Russian carnival and tells the tragic story of the puppet Petrouchka. Petrouchka was given its World Premiere by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France on June 13, 1911. American Ballet Theatre premiered Petrouchka at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City on August 27, 1942, danced by Irina Baronova (Ballerina), Yurek Lazowsky (Petrouchka), David Nillo (Blackamoor) and Simon Semenoff (Charlatan). A second production of Petrouchka, staged by Dimitri Romanoff and Yurek Lazowsky, was given its first performance by the Company at the New York State Theatre on June 19, 1970, ABT’s Revival Premiere of Petrouchka is scheduled for Friday, February 4, 2005 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. American Ballet Theatre’s Fokine Celebration will also feature the New York Company premiere of Polovtsian Dances from Act II of the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin. Staged for ABT by Frederic Franklin with scenery and costumes by Leon Bakst, Polovtsian Dances will receive its Company Premiere on Friday, February 4, 2005 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Polovtsian Dances received its World Premiere by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in May 18, 1909. Carlos Acosta and Diana Vishneva Carlos Acosta, a principal guest artist with The Royal Ballet in London, will rejoin American Ballet Theatre as a Principal Dancer for the Company’s 2005 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House, Mr. Acosta last appeared with ABT in the Fall of 2003. His repertoire with the Company includes Conrad in Le Corsaire, Oberon in The Dream, Colas in La Fille mal gardée, Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, Act III and leading roles in George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Raymonda (Grand Pas Classique), staged by Anna-Marie Holmes after Marius Petipa. Mr. Acosta’s performances this Spring will include Ali, the Slave in Le Corsaire on Saturday evening, June 25 and Thursday, June 30 and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake on Friday, July 8. Diana Vishneva, a Principal Dancer with the Kirov Ballet, will also join ABT as a Principal Dancer for the Spring season performing George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial on Monday May 30 and Wednesday evening, June 1, Kitri in Don Quixote on Thursday, May 26, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake on Tuesday July 5 and Saturday matinee, July 9, and the title role in Giselle on Tuesday, July 12. Ms. Vishneva made her debut with American Ballet Theatre in May 2003 appearing as a guest artist in a special exchange with the Kirov Ballet. Returning Classics and a Tribute to Alessandra Ferri American Ballet Theatre’s 2005 Spring Season will feature six full-length ballets. The season will lead off with four performances of Don Quixote, staged by Kevin McKenzie and Susan Jones,beginning Tuesday, May 24 with Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella in the leading roles. Last season’s premiere of Raymonda, choreographed by Anna-Marie Holmes and conceived and directed by Holmes and Kevin McKenzie, will be given seven performances beginning Tuesday, June 7. Set to a score by Alexander Glazounov, Raymonda features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown. The all-new Raymonda, as co-production with the Finnish National Ballet, was given its World Premiere in Helsinki by the Finnish National Ballet in May 2003 and received its American Ballet Theatre premiere on May 21, 2004. Nina Ananiashvili, Julio Bocca and Angel Corella will lead the cast in the season’s first performance of Le Corsaire on Thursday evening, June 23. With choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev, after Marius Petipa and staging by Anna-Marie Holmes, after Petipa and Sergeyev, Le Corsaire features music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo and Prince Oldenbourg. Based on the Lord Byron poem The Corsaire (1814), the ballet has sets and costumes by Irina Tibilova with additional costume designs by Robert Perdziola. Julie Kent and Jose Manuel Carreño will lead the season’s first performances of Swan Lake on Friday, July 1. Choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, Swan Lake is set the score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and featuresscenery and costumes by Zack Brown. This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D. C., performed by Julie Kent (Odette-Odile) and Angel Corella (Prince Siegfried). Swan Lake will continue for eleven performances through July 9. American Ballet Theatre will close its 2005 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House with eight performances of the classic, Giselle beginning Monday, July 11 with Alessandra Ferri in the title role opposite Julio Bocca as Albrecht and Gillian Murphy as Myrta. A special tribute to Ms. Ferri on her 20th Anniversary season with the Company is scheduled for the Friday, July 15 performance. Set to music Adolphe Adam, orchestrated by John Lanchbery, Giselle was staged by Kevin McKenzie with choreography after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa. The two-act ballet features scenery by Gianni Quaranta and costumes by Anna Anni. This production, featuring scenery by Quaranta and costumes by Anni with staging by Mikhail Baryshnikov, was created for the film Dancers, produced in 1987 by Cannon Films. All-Star Tchaikovsky Spectacular American Ballet Theatre will present eight programs featuring all-Tchaikovsky music, May 27 through June 2. The program will include George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Theme and Variations, as well as pas de deux from The Nutcracker and Acts II and III of Swan Lake with choreography by Kevin McKenzie. In addition, the pas de deux from Onegin, choreographed by John Cranko, will be performed by Alessandra Ferri and Julio Bocca on Friday evening, May 27 and Wednesday evening, June 1. ABTKids ABTKids, a one-hour introduction to ballet geared toward children ages 4-12, is scheduled for Saturday, June 18 at 11:30am. All tickets for ABTKids are $18. Reckson Associates is the Official Corporate Sponsor of ABTKids. Pre –Performance Workshops Pre-performance workshops, a one-hour activity based program led by ABT Teaching Artists, are available to matinee ticket holders on Saturday, June 18 (9:30-10:30am), Saturday, June 25 (11:00am-12:00 noon) and Saturday, July 9 (11:00am-12:00 noon). Workshops are held in the rehearsal studios of the Metropolitan Opera House. Tickets to the workshops are $20 per person and are only available to ticket holders for the matinee performance following the workshop. Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre’s 2005 Metropolitan Opera House season are on sale now by phone at 212-362-6000 and by mail. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org <http://www.abt.org/> . Link to comment
carbro Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Ah! I see Amanda's returning. I wonder how much dancing she'll do. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Cant wait to see Alessandra Ferri's Giselle!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder if Veronika Part will have more opportunities. Link to comment
mussel Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 What's the difference between ABT's 2 acts Sylvia and RB's 3 acts? Does the 2 acts have less dancing than the 3 acts? Or ABT's version just eliminates one intermission and combine acts 2 & 3 (or 1 & 2) with the same amount of dancing? Link to comment
nysusan Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 I just got my Met brochure and the casting is unbelievable, I am going to go broke next summer. In addition to the guest arrtists & premieres noted in the press release we get to see Nina in Les Sylphides(with Beloserkovsky 6/16 & 6/21), Corsaire, Raymonda, Don Q, SL, Giselle & Ballet Imperial, Ferri in Les Sylphides (with Hallberg 6/18 & 6/22), Giselle (with Bocca) & the Onegin pdd(w/ Bocca) AND McKerrow is scheduled to dance the White Swan pdd on 5/28, 5/30 and 6/1, Spectre with Corella on 6/22 and 6/17,and a Giselle with Stiefel on 7/14. Part gets the White Swan pdd on 6/2, the real SL with Gomes on 7/7, and Myrtha in Giselle (with Vishneva & Malakhov!) on 7/12 and on 7/16 (with Kent & Corella) Link to comment
Natalia Posted November 4, 2004 Share Posted November 4, 2004 What's the difference between ABT's 2 acts Sylvia and RB's 3 acts? Does the 2 acts have less dancing than the 3 acts? Or ABT's version just eliminates one intermission and combine acts 2 & 3 (or 1 & 2) with the same amount of dancing? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Interesting question. I've heard from good sources that the cuts in the ABT version will be minimal. Those of us going to London will be able to compare. My own question: Why on earth condense the 3-act RB verion to two acts? Is ABT that leary about running into 'overtime' with unions? Is it afraid that audiences may run-out to catch the A-train at 11 pm? Sorry but I don't get it. Link to comment
Jane Simpson Posted November 4, 2004 Share Posted November 4, 2004 The middle act is very short, I think - only about 20 minutes - so it might make good sense to join it on to one of the others. Link to comment
Natalia Posted November 4, 2004 Share Posted November 4, 2004 The middle act is very short, I think - only about 20 minutes - so it might make good sense to join it on to one of the others. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks, Jane; you have a good point. Even at the ROH, it will be a shortish 3-act ballet. The ROH website gives a total running time (intermissions included) of 2 hr - 25 min. for Sylvia. Compare this to nearly three hours (2 hr - 55 min) for Cinders. Link to comment
Dale Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 The 2005 Met season brochure can be downloaded here: http://www.abt.org/pdfs/met05brochure.pdf Link to comment
oberon Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I don't see Monique Meunier's name down for anything... Link to comment
Natalia Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 I don't see Monique Meunier's name down for anything... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> She & Veronika Part will surely share the role of Diana in Sylvia...that's three minutes of mime and a few chaine turns at the end of the ballet. When I saw this ballet in London last week, I immediately thought "Humph...I bet that ABT will stick Part & Meunier with this." Hope I'm wrong. Link to comment
Dale Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 She & Veronika Part will surely share the role of Diana in Sylvia... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm stupid enough to hope that Part or Meunier will do the lead in Sylvia, which was cast with a tall ballerina in London in the reconstruction. Hopefully ABT will follow that lead and throw the lead to one of them (Murphy and Wiles are surer candidates if ABT goes large). Link to comment
Natalia Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 She & Veronika Part will surely share the role of Diana in Sylvia... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm stupid enough to hope that Part or Meunier will do the lead in Sylvia, which was cast with a tall ballerina in London in the reconstruction. Hopefully ABT will follow that lead and throw the lead to one of them (Murphy and Wiles are surer candidates if ABT goes large). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Two tall (Bussell & Yanowsky) and one tallish (Nunez), to be exact. After London, I can see that long legs (in relation to the rest) are necessary to show-off the choreography to the fullest. It doesn't have to be a tall ballerina but one with unusually long legs, related to the torso. Fonteyn wasn't tall but she had long legs relative to the torso. Either Murphy or Wiles would be fantastic although I don't know who'll partner Wiles adequately. I could never imagine a pixyish Xiomara Reyes or Paloma Herrera or even Alessandra Ferri in the role. Sylvia is not Lise or Titania! I'd love to see -- of all people -- Stella Abrera as Sylvia! She can be Amazonian (Myrtha in Giselle) and kittenish at the same time, with wonderful long legs related to the rest. Link to comment
carbro Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Proportionally, Michele has a very long torso and short legs. If tall is what's called for, she's fine, but not if legginess is necessary. Paloma is not as tall as Michele, but she's much leggier. The casting I have has lots of holes in it (though others might have more recent news), and I am hoping that ALL of them will be filled with Monique and Veronika, alternating. Then there are the big roles that -- inexplicably -- are unbilled altogether, such as Mercedes or Queen of the Dryads. I find that practice infuriating. After all, the demis in Ballet Imperial get billed, and they don't even have a variation! Link to comment
atm711 Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 In looking over the Spring brochure, I see that three of the 'Sylvia's" are listed TBA. I would like to order my t ickets for the season this week, but I am just wondering if there is any inkling our there on who else might be dancing 'Sylvia":---so far, I am with Murphy. Link to comment
GeorgeB fan Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Boy I hope you are right Carbro. There are a great many solo roles in the big ballets that wouldn't be listed in the casting. I'm sure Part will be used more often. If nothing else she has an evening performance of Swan Lake with Gomes. I'm more worried with Monique Meunier. I'm surprise she isn't listed with Ballet Imperial. There are four performances that list TBA for the second lead. For me she fills the role like a glove. Surly she could have been listed at least for two of the performances. I hope she will perform in Les Sylphides - I think she would be very good dancing the Mazurka section. I hope we see her in Sylvia. But then again I maybe just jumping the gun concerning Meunier. Kevin McKenzie may finally begin to realize what a talented ballerina he has in her and in the spring season begin using her more often. I could always hope. Link to comment
art076 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Just noticed that casting for "Sylvia" is up on ABT's web site, including a nice photo of Gillian Murphy and Maxim Beloserkovsky on the home page. Four combinations look like they are on the rotating list: Murphy/Beloserkovsky with Cornejo and Gomes Kent/Stiefel Herrera/Cornejo Wiles/Gomes The Murphy/Beloserkovsky combination gets opening night. Link to comment
richard53dog Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Well, ABT's Sping NYC season just got a bit more concrete for me. I got my opening night ticket in the mail today. At this point May doesn't seem quite so far off, even with all the snow we have been getting here, Spring is clearly around the corner here in the New York City area. Richard Link to comment
accob Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Well, ABT's Sping NYC season just got a bit more concrete for me.I got my opening night ticket in the mail today. At this point May doesn't seem quite so far off, even with all the snow we have been getting here, Spring is clearly around the corner here in the New York City area. Richard <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hmmm... I didn't know you could order already?!?! Have you received a brochure? Link to comment
richard53dog Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Well, ABT's Sping NYC season just got a bit more concrete for me.I got my opening night ticket in the mail today. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hmmm... I didn't know you could order already?!?! Have you received a brochure? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I got a brochure in Nov-Dec, and then a second version a little later. Theyare taking orders for subscriptions and special events (like opening nights and some special programs for kids) So I have my opening night ticket and what I think is confirmation for the one series I bought. No indication of when single tickets will go on sale, although last year they went on sale the very end of March. Things may a bit later because the ABT season starts a little later this year, the Met Opera ends two weeks later because of the hiatus they took in January.. Link to comment
accob Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 ahh i see..thanks. so as of now, you can only buy tickets for the gala, and subscriptions, correct? i want to get really good seats for the ferri-bocca giselle, and i hope i still can! :-) Link to comment
carbro Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Traditionally, the box office opens for single-ticket sales six weeks before opening night. Link to comment
richard53dog Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 ahh i see..thanks.so as of now, you can only buy tickets for the gala, and subscriptions, correct? i want to get really good seats for the ferri-bocca giselle, and i hope i still can! :-) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wouldn't despair yet! Last Spring I went to about 15 different ABT performances at the Met. Almost all had rows and rows of empty seats. Some were pretty full, but I think it wouldn't have been much of a problem to get in if you bought early. My suggestion: watch for the announcement of single tickets going on sale, maybe around April 10th or so and buy a few dates then. Richard Link to comment
richard53dog Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 (edited) ahh i see..thanks.so as of now, you can only buy tickets for the gala, and subscriptions, correct? i want to get really good seats for the ferri-bocca giselle, and i hope i still can! :-) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I did recieve my subscription tickets this week. The Met/ABT is offering ticket exchange privledges for subscribers, however there is a blackout period for exchanges from April 10-16. I suppose it is possibly the week that single tickets go on sale, but the material mailed with the tickets doesn't state that, so I'm sure that single ticket sale date, whatever it is, will be announced shortly.This sort of wanders into a new thread, but I noticed that the ABT calendar now lists performances in Japan following the July NYC performances richard Edited to fix quote box for clarity. --Carley Edited March 9, 2005 by carbro Link to comment
richard53dog Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Anyone who wishes can now order subscription series for the Spring season at the Met go to www.abt.org and click on the "subscribe today" link. I didn't see casting there, I wouldn't use the brochure casting, what is posted on the caledar is significantly different. Of course we are still more than two months from the opening and casting can change much between now and then. A rule of thumb I use is that premieres are usually well cast, not so much for the principals, we all have our own likes and dislikes there. But the soloist roles are strongly cast. Last Summer the Swan Lake had Reyes and Herman Cornejo in Act 1 , the Don Quixote premiere had Part as the Queen of the Dryads and Gomes as the Matador and the Romoe and Juliet premier had Cornejo as Mercutio. All this was in addition to the usual suspects in the principal roles. Richard Link to comment
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