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2020: Free Streaming during COVID-19 Crisis


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The Metropolitan Opera is presenting a worldwide "At Home Gala"  on Saturday, April 25 at 1pm EDT.  Performers from all around the work are going to be performing remotely from wherever they are self-isolating:

https://www.metopera.org/season/at-home-gala/

It will be available from the Met website live and then on demand until 6:30pm, Sunday, April 26.

The list is grand!  (And generous) I just hope they get the European-based performers up soon in the program, since they will be  many hours ahead.

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6 hours ago, Helene said:

Is Alu the shorter guy who did the first solo?  That guy was everything in that role.

Alu has a very convincing swagger and energy for that role. He nails the hammy, overly competitive American Serviceman bit (and the virtuoso solo). There are little things that call attention to Paquette and Bouillon as European/French dancers. But Alu, I believe. If the women are more French than American, it doesn't really matter - the bar/cafe could be in Paris. It's just the sailors that need to be believable as Americans, imo.

Glass Pieces continues to hold up well for me. The silhouetted Corps dance in the 2nd movement is still weirdly affecting. The choreography remains appropriate to the music, almost 30 years later.

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9 hours ago, pherank said:

Glass Pieces continues to hold up well for me. The silhouetted Corps dance in the 2nd movement is still weirdly affecting.

Most of the time, when I watch ballet, I wish I could do that, but I mostly don't want to, as much as I love watching it.  There are only a few exceptions (including): Apollo's last solo, and the silhouetted Corps dance in the 2nd movement of Glass Pieces.  Everytime I see it, I want to join in.

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The Bolshoi has announced further streams to be shown on its YouTube channel starting at 7:00 pm Moscow Time, which is noon EDT.

15 April - Le Corsaire
18 April - Spartacus
25 April - A Hero of Our Time
3 May - The Bright Stream
7 May - Don Quixote

The fact that streams have been scheduled to May 11th is another indicator that the theater probably won't reopen on May 1st.

 

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Very much enjoyed the POB Robbins program -- especially A Suite of Dances and Glass Pieces (particularly gorgeous dancing in the latter's pas de deux). A rare treat to see four staples of NYC rep on film.

A couple of problematic things I noticed... Fancy Free was largely lacking in rhythmic, free-moving "jazz" style for the most part, although I agree that the first sailor was a standout. The 2nd woman, in the purple outfit, was way too delicate and balletic for this. In Afternoon of a Faun, shouldn't the ballerina have long, gorgeous hair?? This one danced well and had lovely extensions but she did not "look" the part, as her partner did. Lastly, the lead dancers in the first movement of Glass Pieces were smiling!!!!!! 

 

 

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13 hours ago, canbelto said:

Megan Fairchild gave us a nice little look at how she breaks in her pointe shoes:

 

I guess this could be a sequel to this video from  NYCB posted 10 years ago:

 

Edited by lmspear
Fix link.
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1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

The Vienna State Ballet performs Nureyev's Vienna production of Swan Lake, with Olga Esina, Vladimir Shishov and Eno Peci.

https://www.staatsoperlive.com/2/193ff32f-2667-4b4d-ba63-d24afb24b679/player

"You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road"
And you got there several steps 'afore me' 

Choice of the day from Buddyrama

Can view now. 

Swan Lake — Vienna State Opera — Rudolph Nureyev version — March 16, 2014

Olga Esina
Vladimir Shishov

https://www.staatsoperlive.com/0/193ff32f-2667-4b4d-ba63-d24afb24b679/player
(thanks to BalletcoForum)

Added:

In a hurry? Just too much on the internet to take in today?

The Duet starts at 50:20. 

And, yes, bless his heart (with due respect), Rudolph Nureyev got into the ending.  Do I see a "What are you doing?" look on Olga Esina's face ?  😊

Edited by Buddy
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5 hours ago, JuliaJ said:

Very much enjoyed the POB Robbins program -- especially A Suite of Dances and Glass Pieces (particularly gorgeous dancing in the latter's pas de deux). A rare treat to see four staples of NYC rep on film.

A couple of problematic things I noticed... Fancy Free was largely lacking in rhythmic, free-moving "jazz" style for the most part, although I agree that the first sailor was a standout. The 2nd woman, in the purple outfit, was way too delicate and balletic for this. In Afternoon of a Faun, shouldn't the ballerina have long, gorgeous hair?? This one danced well and had lovely extensions but she did not "look" the part, as her partner did. Lastly, the lead dancers in the first movement of Glass Pieces were smiling!!!!!!

All good points, though I don't know about any specific hair requirements. I do know it was "all about Tanny" for Robbins, but did he make any specific requirements for the female role? It doesn't bother me much that different 'looks' are appearing in the Afternoon of a Faun role(s), since the ballet world features dancers from all walks of life and cultures. But they all share common experiences in the world of the studio.

"The 2nd woman, in the purple outfit, was way too delicate and balletic for this"

Wasn't that Abbagnato? It's true that she didn't fully embrace the Robbins manner and the Jazz pulse of the music. On the other hand, the Corps dancing in the finale of Glass Pieces got a bit messy at times, but I felt their enthusiasm and 'wildness' - so often in the past POB came across as stiff and mannered when executing "Jazz" steps, and I don't get that impression here in GP. They are loosening up.

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6 hours ago, JuliaJ said:

A couple of problematic things I noticed... Fancy Free was largely lacking in rhythmic, free-moving "jazz" style for the most part, although I agree that the first sailor was a standout.

There was something about the softer attack of Fancy Free, the longer more evenly distributed phrasing, that I liked at first but then it felt less compelling as it went on. But I did enjoy the French translation of Robbins, their version of American swagger, the raised eyebrow, etc. 

The contours of the music too were different from say how Leonard Bernstein would conduct it where he has all the impact clustered together right on the front lines. The French version here had some of that attack but also – as a bonus – a longer fanned-out decay of orchestral color and richness.

I remember long ago reading Virgil Thomson's comments on different national approaches to conducting, Furthwangler, Monteux, etc and was able to retrieve this –

Quote

Keeping downbeats out of a Debussy rendition, for instance, is virtually impossible to anybody but a Frenchman. Steady qualities, a little longer than ours and requiring no percussive definition at all, are its rhythmic foundation. Definition is achieved by a leisurely breathing between phrases and an almost imperceptible waiting between phrases ...

 

Edited by Quiggin
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1 hour ago, Quiggin said:

There was something about the softer attack of Fancy Free, the longer more evenly distributed phrasing, that I liked at first but then it felt less compelling as it went on. But I did enjoy the French translation of Robbins, their version of American swagger, the raised eyebrow, etc. 

The contours of the music too were different from say how Leonard Bernstein would conduct it where he has all the impact clustered together right on the front lines. The French version here had some of that attack but also – as a bonus – a longer fanned-out decay of orchestral color and richness.

Thanks for bringing up the orchestra -  the conducting for a dance performance is important, to be sure. Interestingly, the Bolshoi's Mariinsky's Valery Ovsyanikov was the conductor that night.

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

It did strike me as a little surprising that the POB should have been chosen a Russian conductor for a program that included Bernstein and Glass. And Debussy, for that matter.

I don't want to sound prejudicial or cliche by saying, bad idea! Ovsyanikov's conducting seemed to be attentive to the dancer's needs. Was it the best interpretation of the Fancy Free score? Perhaps not, but it certainly wasn't awful either. Leaves me with things to think about...

Edited by pherank
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9 minutes ago, pherank said:

Thanks for bringing up the orchestra -  the conducting for a dance performance is important, to be sure. Interestingly, the Bolshoi's Valery Ovsyanikov was the conductor that night.

Thanks, I didn't realize that. But the orchestra sounded more French than Russian to my ears. The little ways of playing instruments are passed down over the years by each generation to the other and it would be difficult to mitigate that – although Esa Pekka Salonen does get a slightly different sound from San Francisco Symphony than Michael Tilson Thomas, more in a lovely layering of sound in Ravel and Stravinsky.

Edited by Quiggin
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19 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

(He's based in St. Petersburg, actually. But he does a lot of conducting for the Royal Ballet as well.)

Oh yes, you're right - I had been looking at the Bolshoi page regarding Ovsyanikov. And made an assumption. I'll fix my post above.

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