Alastair Macaulay Analyzes Liebeslieder Walzer

[pherank]

This is one Balanchine ballet I've only seen on video, so it would be great to hear the response of those audience members familiar with the work.

The Breakdown
Balanchine’s Dark Waltzes: Can Love Suffice?

'We break down a waltz from the first half of “Liebeslieder Walzer,” an intimate and mysterious dance about the complications of the human heart.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/arts/dance/balanchine-liebeslieder-walzer.html

The drama of sight, seeing, is crucial in Balanchine dance theater: It recurs in many ways in many ballets, sometimes involving temporary “blinding” gestures. Often it’s the man who gazes at, and pursues, the elusive woman. And on the few occasions when the man’s view is blocked (notably “Serenade” and “Orpheus”), it’s someone else who covers his eyes.