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Program 1, Sep 23-24, Sep 29-Oct 1: Allegro Brillante, Wartime Elegy, Carmina Burana

Helene

By Helene
in Pacific Northwest Ballet

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Helene

Helene

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Casting is up for the first weekend of Program 1, the first of PNB's 50th anniversary season:

https://www.pnb.org/season/carmina-burana/

 

Both in-person and digital tickets are on sale.  According to an email I received from PNB, Currently, masks are required at all times inside the auditorium. "

 

Here's the link to a downloadable Excel file:

Carmina Burana Prog 1 2022_09_14.xlsx

 

There are three ballets on the program, Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante" (Tchaikovsky), Ratmansky's new ballet "Wartime Elegy" (Silvestrov), and K. Stowell's "Carmina Burana" (Orff).  

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seattle_dancer

seattle_dancer

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Today I received an email regarding the opening night performance this Friday.  Under Health & Safety it now says "Masks are still strongly encouraged...".  The vaccination check has also been eliminated.

I'm still excited to go and plan to attend in person (masked).  

If anyone is on the fence the program is:

  • Allegro Brillante - 16 min
  • Wartime Elergy - 21 min
  • (25 min intermission)
  • Carmina Burana - 66 min

The Ballet Talk discussion one hour before the show and Meet the Artist after the show will be offered with each live performance and in digital form.

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Helene

Helene

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From Peter Boal's email to subscribers? donors? [A list I'm on], here is the current schedule for all of the post-performance Q&A dancers:

 

Post Show: Friday September 23: Lesley Rausch

Saturday, September 24 Matinee: Jonathan Batista

Saturday, September 24 Evening: Angelica Generosa

Thursday, September 29: Kuu Sakuragi

Friday, September 30: Melisa Guilliams

Saturday, October 1: Noah Martzall

Sunday, October 2: Cecilia Iliesiu

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Swanilda8

Swanilda8

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I saw the program this afternoon. The new Ratmansky work (Wartime Elegy) was magnificent. It's four short movements: two sad, slower Silvestrov pieces to start and finish, framing two uptempo excerpts of Ukrainian folk music. There's a real sweetness to the melancholic sections and a bitter depth to the comic, uptempo sections. A lot of collapsing on the ground and dancers holding each other up or picking each other back up. It really does feel like a strong, personal reaction to the war that conveys depth, sorrow, and a sense of defiance to the audience. I had been anticipating something that sacrifices some of Ratmansky's complexity for a political purpose, but it really was one of the finest works of his I've seen and at the same time very politically meaningful. I'll be interested to watch it again on the digital version and to hear what others think.

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California

California

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6 hours ago, Swanilda8 said:

I saw the program this afternoon. The new Ratmansky work (Wartime Elegy) was magnificent. It's four short movements: two sad, slower Silvestrov pieces to start and finish, framing two uptempo excerpts of Ukrainian folk music. There's a real sweetness to the melancholic sections and a bitter depth to the comic, uptempo sections. A lot of collapsing on the ground and dancers holding each other up or picking each other back up. It really does feel like a strong, personal reaction to the war that conveys depth, sorrow, and a sense of defiance to the audience. I had been anticipating something that sacrifices some of Ratmansky's complexity for a political purpose, but it really was one of the finest works of his I've seen and at the same time very politically meaningful. I'll be interested to watch it again on the digital version and to hear what others think.

Thank you for this report! I'm really looking forward to the digital program. If you follow Ratmansky on social media, you know that he's very invested in the Ukrainian cause. 

I'm still hoping they will find a way to show broader audiences his Giselle reconstruction with the United Ukraine dancers. A North American tour would be ideal if they can find the funding. The way things are going, we aren't likely to see the Bolshoi do it and the version he staged for the United Ukrainians comes very close to that. 

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seattle_dancer

seattle_dancer

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On 9/24/2022 at 1:57 AM, California said:

I'm very interested in reports on Ratmansky's new Wartime Elegy, which I plan to see on the digital subscription. Was he there for the bows?

Yes!  I went to opening night and  when he took his bow he opened the Ukrainian flag and waved it proudly.  I see a video of it posted on PNB’s Instagram now.

I also attended the Dress rehearsal lecture the prior evening, which Doug Fullington said was recorded and will be made into a podcast.  Alexei said although he was born in St. Petersburg he was raised in Kiev and danced his first eight years professionally in Ukraine.  His wife is also from Ukraine. So he identifies as Ukrainian and Wartime Elergy is his first piece utilizing all Ukrainian music.  

(I am traveling today so posting in bits and pieces.  I was also at the PNB Saturday matinee.)

Edited by seattle_dancer
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California

California

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11 minutes ago, seattle_dancer said:

Yes!  I went to opening night and  when he took his bow he opened the Ukrainian flag and waved it proudly.

I also attended the Dress rehearsal lecture the prior evening, which Doug Fullington said was recorded and will be made into a podcast.  Alexei said although he was born in St. Petersburg he was raised in Kiev and danced his first eight years professionally in Ukraine.  His wife is also from Ukraine. So he identifies as Ukrainian and Wartime Elergy is his first piece utilizing all Ukrainian music.  

Thanks for the update. Ratmansky has been a real leader in supporting Ukraine. And it's clear in all his social media postings how passionate he is about this. Looking forward to the digital program!

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Helene

Helene

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For full season and all-digital subscribers and those who've purchased a digital ticket to this program, I just received this email from PNB:

We can't wait to share the first rep of PNB's 50th Anniversary Season, CARMINA BURANA, with you this week. CARMINA BURANA will stream from October 6-10, 2022. On October 6, you'll get an email like this one which will direct you to an exclusive, password-protected website with all your streamable content. Click the button below to check your device.

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California

California

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On 9/29/2022 at 11:27 AM, Helene said:

For full season and all-digital subscribers and those who've purchased a digital ticket to this program, I just received this email from PNB:

We can't wait to share the first rep of PNB's 50th Anniversary Season, CARMINA BURANA, with you this week. CARMINA BURANA will stream from October 6-10, 2022. On October 6, you'll get an email like this one which will direct you to an exclusive, password-protected website with all your streamable content. Click the button below to check your device.

I'm planning to buy the stream of the PNB program Thursday, mainly to see the new Ratmansky. Royal Ballet has just announced a streaming service, but it seems to be stuff they have already released on DVR plus some embellishments, not their current season, unless I'm reading this wrong. 99 GBP a year.

https://london-post.co.uk/the-royal-opera-house-launches-its-brand-new-streaming-service/

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seattle_dancer

seattle_dancer

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10 hours ago, California said:

I'm planning to buy the stream of the PNB program Thursday, mainly to see the new Ratmansky.

Before you watch, try to listen to the lecture that was recorded before the dress rehearsal.  The link was posted by PNB on Facebook 6 days ago.  https://apple.co/3UDCtWI.

I don't know if the recording will be included in the digital release or not.  You could wait until Thursday and check first.  The digital release usual is emailed about 10am Pacific Time.

The new Ratmansky was amazing!  I am excited to watch again in digital form.  I suspect the opening night cast will be included in the digital release.  Kuu Sakuragi was named by Alexei as a new standout dancer this time working with PNB, it should be recorded in that podcast.

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California

California

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1 hour ago, seattle_dancer said:

Before you watch, try to listen to the lecture that was recorded before the dress rehearsal.  The link was posted by PNB on Facebook 6 days ago.  https://apple.co/3UDCtWI.

I don't know if the recording will be included in the digital release or not.  You could wait until Thursday and check first.  The digital release usual is emailed about 10am Pacific Time.

The new Ratmansky was amazing!  I am excited to watch again in digital form.  I suspect the opening night cast will be included in the digital release.  Kuu Sakuragi was named by Alexei as a new standout dancer this time working with PNB, it should be recorded in that podcast.

Very interesting! Here's a different link that goes directly to the recording: https://pnballet.podbean.com/e/alexei-ratmansky-pnb-s-conversation-series/

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Olga

Olga

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On 9/24/2022 at 10:58 PM, Swanilda8 said:

I saw the program this afternoon. The new Ratmansky work (Wartime Elegy) was magnificent. It's four short movements: two sad, slower Silvestrov pieces to start and finish, framing two uptempo excerpts of Ukrainian folk music. There's a real sweetness to the melancholic sections and a bitter depth to the comic, uptempo sections. A lot of collapsing on the ground and dancers holding each other up or picking each other back up. It really does feel like a strong, personal reaction to the war that conveys depth, sorrow, and a sense of defiance to the audience. I had been anticipating something that sacrifices some of Ratmansky's complexity for a political purpose, but it really was one of the finest works of his I've seen and at the same time very politically meaningful. I'll be interested to watch it again on the digital version and to hear what others think.

Totally agree.

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California

California

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22 hours ago, tutu said:

Watched it on digital today and agree as well — the new Ratmansky is an exceptional work and brought me to tears. 

I've watched the Ratmansky several times. Chock full of innovative movement and wide-ranging emotion.  Much more impact because we know the "backstory" from the nightly news. It should play well, though, years in the future. 

Here's one very trivial pet peeve: as with the Spanish dialogue in the new West Side Story, they don't translate the voice-over in another language. Captions, please? Is this all supposed to remind us that we can't really understand these cultures, hard as we try?

PS: Wonderful opener with Allegro Brillante. That just never grows old.

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Helene

Helene

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What a lovely work by Ratmansky!  What always strikes about his work is how they look like they are about a specific group of people in a place.  Even when a cast changes, it looks like the work was about that new group of people.  It's not just their solos, big and small: it's the way they interract with each other and especially how, after a breakout, they reintegrate with the group.

I was really happy to see that three corps members were chosen for the opening cast: Kuu Sakuragi, Luther DeMyer, and Madison Ryan Abeo.  Sakuragi is a virtuoso, and Ratmansky gave him a meaty part in the Men's folk trio, but not so much to outshine the other two men.  Luther DeMyer has a kind of goofy part in the trio: not quite lumbering, but almost, and he was fantastically understated in his physical characterization.  (He later got to chew the scenery -- in a good way -- with James Kirby Rogers, Kyle Davis, and Elle Macy in the In Taberna movement of Carmina Burana.) If anyone wasn't paying attention to how fine Madison Abeo has been since she joined the company, Ratmansky gave her a breakout solo with a jumps-a-flying entrance that put her on the map.

I've really missed the Balanchine ballets that give meaty roles to corps members, so the revival of Allegro Brillante was such a treat.  I'd seen all of them live pre-pandemic except Connor Horton, who joined the corps in 2021 after a pandemic year as an apprentice.  Over the last two years I haven't seen multiple in-person performances to be able to get to know the newcomers' dancing, but Allegro Brillante was a great way to be introduced to a terrific young dancer.  I was especially happy to see Ryan Cardea and Christian Poppe, two of the senior male corps members, get the opportunity to shine, too.  Edited to add:  The lead was a fantastic role for Angelica Generosa.

Lesley Rausch was ravishing in Cours d'Amors with Lucien Postlewaite.

It was very moving to see the promotion speeches for Jonathan Batista, James Kirby Rogers, Cecilia Iliesiu, and Kiyon Ross :flowers:

And now off to get my last peek until the video turns into a pumpkin at midnight.

 

 

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pirouetta27

pirouetta27

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I've been a PNB subscriber since 2002 and have seen Carmina Burana many, many times over the years (and it never gets old!) but rarely have I seen such a good cast for the In Taberna section. Luther DeMeyer was exceptional. I'm sure that the group energy was palpable at the live performances! 

side note: there are so many new faces in the corps this year and I'm excited to see the dancers grow throughout the season...but oh, I can't wait for Dylan Wald to be back onstage. 

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California

California

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17 hours ago, Helene said:

For those who didn't see the opening night cast and/or the stream, Alexei Ratmansky posted the men's dance to his Intagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjmhR_CgZYy/

 

From left to right facing the stage at entrance:  Luther DeMyer (3rd solo), Lucien Postlewaite (2nd solo), and Kuu Saguraki (1st solo).  Joining them later: James Kirby Rogers (pirouette/tours solo). 

Ratmansky just posted 7 minutes of clips from Wartime Elegy on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/alexei.ratmansky

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