NYCB Spring '06 -- Performances

[Farrell Fan]

The parade of guest conductors continued apace on Tuesday night with David Briskin and Faycal Karoui. Briskin was a known quantity and did a fine job with Concerto Barocco, Duo Concertant, and Scenes de Ballet. The revelation for me was Mr. Karoui, who led John Adams's highly propulsive score for Fearful Symmetries. I'd seen this Peter Martins ballet perhaps half-a-dozen times, conducted by Andrea Quinn, and had always been swept up in its driving energy and momentum. This time was different. Although by no means slow, the music, heretofore always breathless, seemed to have room to breathe, as that saying goes. As a result, I noticed things in the music and choreography that had swept right by me in the past. For example, I noticed that the odd photo of Abi Stafford that was on the Playbill cover throughout May is a pose from Fearful Symmetries. I was able to appreciate the dancing (by Sofiane Sylve, Jennie Somogyi, Megan Fairchild, Philip Neal, Stephen Hanna, Joaqin de Luz, and the rest) more than ever before. I missed the raw excitement of a Quinn-led Symmetries, but I think I got a lot more out of the ballet.

[Michael]

Very briefly Thurs Night -- Donizetti (replaced Fearful), In Memory Of, Firebird -- This was I think the best single start to finish evening at NYCB all Winter and Spring. You never know when you go to the theater. Low or no expectations may be the best frame of mind. But anyhow, the company was dancing brilliantly tonight and the energy between the stage and the audience very very strong.

De Luz and Fairchild had a great rapport in Donezetti, his partnering of her was certainly the best I've seen, the music played well, the tempi very fast but regular, and the corps de ballet dancing beautifully too (Craig Hall, Vinny Paradiso, Aaron Severini).

This can't really have been Whelan's debut in In Memory Of, though it was marked as such in the lobby, and though it certainly was Seth Orza's. Racking one's memory, people seem to remember Whelan maybe dancing this before. Never mind -- What a performance. Orza was a very strong partner for her. She was I thought a little cautious in the first "community" section, but she has seemed a little cautious and physically restricted at times to me all year. But then in the "Dance with Death" portion, when left alone with Askegaard, My God didn't she go into this other zone, she became so emotional, nearly inhuman, it was a performance to see, so raw and forgetful of self, the kind of thing you go to the theater and find maybe once a year or so. And so on, with her hair down in the Transfiguration scene. Maybe she can't do some of the physical stunts she once could (no, certainly she can't) but you dance a career to get to this point expressively.

Firebird then got a superb performance with Sylve and Jon Stafford. They've worked out a finished interpretation, one that even feeds off of any difficulties he may have handling her physically. She's bigger and stronger than he is, and they use this now in that he reads his role as becoming fascinated and then smitten with this creature in the forest, that he tries to relate to, but she plays it that she is from the other magical world -- She shows interest in him like a Cat would show interest in you and toy with you, but always she escapes his human advances and his attempts to connect with her. Ultimately she is feral (so to speak) or Sylph and he is human. But with Stafford it was a deeply sincere and engaged dramatic job from start to finish, breathing life into this piece where Chas. Askegaard has been putting me to sleep for a year or two now. And as for Sylve -- As the proverb goes she was born to dance this, she is beautiful in the Costume, perfect in her technique, and nowhere is her native character more suited to a role than this one. The Berceuse was perfect -- that last moment when she went stage right and then turned and held on point in a deep back bend with her arms extended, the music seemed to be pouring nearly from her. Plus the girls' corps de ballet were superb there too, as were Rutherford and Stafford -- Their reverence for the Firebird during the Berceuse was a touch you don't often notice in this ballet but which played and projected very strongly tonight.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

What Michael said. A great night start to finish!

I think we may disagree a little bit about De Luz. The Fairchild / De Luz partnership doesn't seem like a natural fit to me. It's not so much that she's too big for him as that she dances too big for him. Their styles don't marry well. De Luz strikes me as being something like the male equivalent of a soubrette. Fairchild is small, quick and precise, to be sure, and (forgive me for this) as cute as a button, but she's no soubrette -- to my eyes she dances more with a glamazon's fire and amplitude than with a soubrette’s brittle sparkle. She's been one of the season’s real delights. De Luz executes things spectacularly, but he doesn’t dance them; there’s just not much affective power in what he does. There are dancers who uncork beats like champagne; De Luz is not one of them. It’s baffling: he’s clearly prodigiously gifted technically, and has charm to spare, but his variations come off like gymnastic routines to be scored rather than expressions of exuberance to be savored.

I cannot say enough good things about Sylve and J. Stafford in “Firebird.” Ditto Whelan, Askegard and Orza in “In Memory of …” And double ditto the corps in the entire bill. They looked terrific.

[carbro]

Kathleen, you summed up my take on Megan perfectly! She could illustrate the dictionary definition of "soubrette," . . . until she starts to dance. Then, you see more than hints of a dramatic ballerina.

So, Thursday was one of those nights when one would need to be in two places at once. Sorry I missed NYCB.

[Michael]

Except that it was De Luz for whom the audience as a whole saved their most vocal applause. Canvassing those in the my row, my neighbor adored him but felt that Fairchild wasn't totally of his caliber . . . and there I was arguing that in fact she was and is. But she's a little small for the role. And judging by the applause and the shouts, interrupting De Luz's variations even at times, I don't think that my neighbor's view was an uncommon reaction.

They are a strange cast for Donizetti to be sure. As they have been for Ballo too. They are both small for the principal roles in Donizetti, compared to what we have been seeing. Both Ringer and Weese have been brilliant in Donizetti recently and both are much taller, ampler, and fuller dancers then Fairchild, they are really different in type, without attempting to name what the types are. And De Luz also is smaller than Hubbe or Neal or others we've seen in this in recent years. (Wish I could remember more of the recent casting, but you can't go wrong saying that he's smaller all the same).

In principal I'm not sure I approve of the casting -- but in practice I quite did last night. Just another case of one's reaction in the theater over-riding one's conceptions. Rules are made to be broken I guess ... but only occasionally and not always. I think folks should see this cast. They had the energy and the musicality of Donizetti very right and a lot of that is due to the corps de ballet too. Don't think I've seen Carrie Riggins dance better in recent years.

[nysusan]

I absolutely loved tonight’s performance of Concerto Barocco - the best I’ve seen in the past few years. The corps was on from start to finish, Evans partnering was sure and steady and Weese and Rutherford complimented each other perfectly. I’ve seen both Whelan and Kowroski in this recently, and though each turned in a beautiful and distinctive individual performance tonight I saw a Barocco where everything came together just right.

The second female role here can be tricky, I’ve seen it danced with a very strong staccato propulsion and with the shapes of the poses stretched a little too far - like a string that’s about to pop. Rutherford’s dancing was crisp but she took a much more measured approach to the role which meshed perfectly with Weese’s. Weese is a dancer I rarely love - but tonight was one of those nights when I saw why other people love her so much. She wasn’t cold or distant - at times the look on her face was almost ecstatic but her dancing was so sure & strong and unembellished that the music and choreography seemed to flow out of her. The adagio seemed slower than usual, or maybe Weese just made time slow down as great adagio dancers seem to be able to do.

The rest of the program kept up the high standard - Episodes & Symphony in C were both very well done. The 2nd movement Bizet sounded faster than usual to me - too fast - but Kowroski dealt with it well, she is so lovely in this. No forehead to knee but a beautiful, beautiful 6 o’clock penchee , wonderful stretch and luxurious phrasing throughout. Askegard is a great partner for her. Hyltin brought effervescent lyricism and joy to the 3rd movement, but she seemed to tire in the finale. She and Carmena looked good together, and he tossed off the virtuoso solo with panache. Tiler Peck looked like she was born to dance the 4th movement - she had the timing down perfectly.

[hbl]

Except that it was De Luz for whom the audience as a whole saved their most vocal applause. Canvassing those in the my row, my neighbor adored him but felt that Fairchild wasn't totally of his caliber . . . and there I was arguing that in fact she was and is. But she's a little small for the role. And judging by the applause and the shouts, interrupting De Luz's variations even at times, I don't think that my neighbor's view was an uncommon reaction.

I felt the opposite. I thought Megan was just so full of life and exhubarence that she was exceptional in the role. We saw this last week with Borre and Hubbe who while precise were far less exciting. At first I was very angry when we got to the theater as I was looking forward to Fearful Symetries - and to have something I just saw in its place.... But I become completely engrossed in Fairchilds performance. It was just so exciting. Most of those around us felt similarly. And while being a short male dancer these days may not be a major drawback with all of the wonderful short girls in the company (Borre, Stafford, Taylor, Fairchild to name a few) I thought De Luz would not be a great partner under any circumstance - he seems too full of himself.

As for the rest of the program, it left me rather cold. I never warmed up to In the Night.... it seem too long and too depressing. That being said, Whelan was, as always outstanding as was Orza and Askegard. Firebird is another ballet I can live without. I thought Sylvie did a credible job but this is another ballet with great costumes and settings - to0 much story - not enough (interesting/esciting) dance.

So I thought the evening went downhill after the very exciting Donezetti.

[BW]

nysusan, I attended last night's performance, too. I brought a friend who'd never seen a ballet before... I picked this night because I felt it would be a great introduction to NYCB and Balanchine and was not disappointed.

I will only add that besides Miranda Weese and Albert Evans in Concerto Barroco and the stunning Maria Kowroski, who I've missed, and her happy looking partner Charles Askegard and the wonderfully energetic, alive and in the moment Tiler Peck and Sean Susozi in Symphony C - my eyes were on Teresa Reichlen from her astounding performance in "Five Pieces, Opus 10" of Episodes and again in Symphony. Ms. Reichlen is a standout. I know she's been in NYCB for a while, but when I saw her last spring, I believe it was, in Midsummer, I was in awe - and I still am.

Not having been able to attend the ballet the way I once used to, last night reminded me how much I loved it. Thank you NYCB dancers!

[nysusan]

Yes BW, everyone danced so well Saturday night that I felt a little bad not mentioning them all & skipping over Episodes entirely, but time just didn’t permit me to go into it any further.

Reichlen especially is amazing, and her development over the past couple of years has been meteoric. Having stayed away from NYCB for so long I tread lightly now when I talk about them. Part of me agrees that Martins is strangling the life out of the company, but another part of me likes what I see there a lot of the time. This season, watching dancers like Reichlen and Rebecca Krohn come into their own I can’t help but feel that Balanchine’s legacy is safe at NYCB.