Opening Night

[oberon]

The house was substantially full, but it was an unenthusiastic crowd. The dancers expended so much energy only to be greeted with dutiful applause, scarcely enough to bring them before the curtain even once.

FEARFUL SYMMETRIES is non-stop dancing. When the dancers first came out, I was somewhat disoriented: people simply cannot move this fast. The ballet was strongly cast with excellent leads (Sylve, Weese, Bouder, Angle, Marcovici, de Luz with Ulbricht leading the trio of boys), a very fine group of demi-solistes, and several of the company's finest corps girls. The only moments of repose are a brief interlude where the leading couples switch partners. All of the principals danced well and Marcovici stood out for his dramatic presence.

Feeling anti-social, I avoided the promenade during intermission but I did catch a glimpse of Margaret Tracey as well as several off-duty members of the company.

Albert's new ballet, IN A LANDSCAPE, begins with a sleeping Wendy Whelan slowly floating onstage on a low platform. She awakens and in her opening solo displays the characteristic Whelan "angular lyricism"; each movement resonates thru her body. She is then joined by an austere Philip Neal and their pas de deux displays the unmatched elasticity of the Whelan body. Finally, as the music turns dreamy again, she returns to her slumbering position and slowly drifts offstage as the light fades.

Wendy seemed somehow softer in appearance, and Philip has become a muscularized, very assured partner. Albert, appearing with his dancers before the curtain, drew the evening's one big cheer.

I didn't stay for the Robbins.

[drb]

Thanks for the report, Oberon. Albert's ballet would seem to be very short, yet from your review seems one worth seeing. Do you think it is a keeper? I know that officially it is not scheduled for the regular season.

The program's theme was American music. Could you give the name of the piece and its composer?

[oberon]

Albert's ballet, to music for violin & piano by John Cage, lasts about ten minutes.

It is well worth seeing, especially if you admire Wendy Whelan, and I hope it will be given during the Spring season.

[Farrell Fan]

To be precise, the Cage music is from two sources: "Six Melodies for Violin and Piano," Nos. 1 and 2, and "In a Landscape" which gives the ballet its title. They are among Cage's more accessible pieces.

Balanchine used to put women on a pedestal, and I suppose Evans could be said to perpetuate that tradition, but it's a very low pedestal.

[ViolinConcerto]

Albert's earlier piece to Cage music, "Haiku," also used parts of several disparate compositions: Quartet, for percussion, 1935: I Moderato, II Very Slow ; III Axial Asymmetry - Slow; IV Fast (performed by Essential Music); Seven Haiku, 1951, 1952 (for solo prepared piano); and A Room, 1943 (for solo prepared piano) .

[dewdrop]

How does the platform move about the stage? Is there a very flat little boy under there?

So far my favorite entrance is by LaFosse with Meg's Magic Carpet Ride ala Land of Nod.

[Farrell Fan]

How does the platform move about the stage?  Is there a very flat little boy under there?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It might be the same magical means of locomotion that allows Sugar Plum to glide across the stage on a single pointe. Except that in this case the ballerina is reclining and seems pulled along by the sheer force of Albert Evans's personality.

[drb]

The Times (Jennifer Dunning) loved Albert's ballet, so I guess it'll make its way into the rep:

"Scheduled for this one performance only, it is a small ballet that deserves a larger audience."

There is a generously large photo of Wendy and Philip included with the review:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/24/arts/dan...llet-extra.html

The review also gave subtle support to Oberon's remarks about the Gala crowd:

"A ballerina on the floor, not moving? The sound of coughing is heard in the audience."

[Farrell Fan]

The review also gave subtle support to Oberon's remarks about the Gala crowd:

"A ballerina on the floor, not moving? The sound of coughing is heard in the audience."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The score for every John Cage ballet I've ever seen at NYCB has been for strings, piano, whatever, and audience coughing.

[oberon]

Yes, Wendy reclines on a very large version of the Sugar Plum Fairy's gliding plate.

[kfw]

The Times (Jennifer Dunning) loved Albert's ballet, so I guess it'll make its way into the rep:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't understand the thinking behind making a piece d'occasion or whatever it's called ballet -- the gala audience will go for anything as long as they haven't seen it before and we call it a premiere? Or maybe a one-off wasn't the original idea. Maybe Evans was commissioned for a work to be premiered at the gala but he and Martins looked at the finished product and pronounced it, in essence, a failure, not worth showing to a more discerning audience, but needful to show at the gala because it had been advertised.

[oberon]

Peter has done his before at galas..."one & only performance..." then he brings it back the following season. I cannot think of any ballet that has literally been performed only once. Most likely it will be seen again.

[Michael]

Maybe ... he and Martins looked at the finished product and pronounced it, in essence, a failure, not worth showing to a more discerning audience, but needful to show at the gala because it had been advertised.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think that at all. The season's programming was announced long long before this was choreographed.

Strange programming for a Gala in that Martins chose to present the company as quite unclassical. Not a Tutu or a Tiara in sight. Fearful Symmetries is Ballet, but quite on the unclassical side, while the Robbins is Modern Dance, or something else, no matter what he called it. Albert Evans has evidently been watching Chris Wheeldon closely.

The orchestra sounded extremely under-rehearsed in the Adams, particularly the beginning section where the entrances of all the various sections were muddy and uncertain and where Andrea Quinn also took her time finding and coordinating sure tempi. It got better as it went along. And if the orchestra itself apparently had little rehearsal, you can bet there wasn't much orchestra rehearsal with the dancers either. For which reason we should probably be surprised it looked as good as it did. The spirit with which they attacked it was very good. After all, it was Opening Night.

[dewdrop]

Oberon: "I cannot think of any ballet that has literally been performed only once".

I think Mighty Martins is keeping his word on Land of Nod.

Happy Turkey Day!