nanushka Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 (edited) 41 minutes ago, abatt said: For those who were there on Sat evening, did Pollack and Schumacher do 4th movement of Symphony in C or were there changes. Woodward was announced earlier in the week (or maybe even earlier) as subbing for Pollack. She danced with Schumacher. Edited October 9, 2023 by nanushka Link to comment
deanofdance Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Indiana replaced Pollack in the 4th Movement. Indiana was wonderful — recovering nicely after an early slip (my husband joked that Roman’s sweat probably made the floor slippery!) Link to comment
sanity Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 5 hours ago, BalanchineFan said: Taylor Stanley, who originated the role, would turn, drop to the floor and lie back with his hands behind his head in one smooth, sigh-inducing moment. hey deserve that respect from all of us. Link to comment
nanran3 Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Sunday matinee was a wonderful show. My husband said it might have been one of the better programs he remembers. Tiler Peck was the star of the show amongst many other stars. Her technical brilliance, her flair, her feeling, her musicality...what more can we say? She is one of the greats and I am grateful that I have gotten to see her perform some of the most majestic roles, including Tchai Pas. The corps and soloists, including McKinnon were quite good. For Olivia M those double turns one after another with arms overhead are challenging and she was nervous, but made it through. I thought she shined in the role in a new way than I've seen her before. Good for her! Gordon was good, partnered Tiler excellently, but I always find his face very serious and kind of wooden. La Sonnambula was okay, Huxley strange in the role, Maxwell did fine, but the ballet didn't move me at all. Whereas in the past, with Sterling Hyltin and Finlay, I remember being drawn in much more. Apollo: the women ruled! Gorgeous, tall, expansive, technically brilliant dancers! I think Chan needs some time to grow into the role. He is beautiful to look at, but didn't fully inhabit Apollo yet. Hopefully after more time and experience he'll master it more fully. A great day at the ballet! And we noticed that, contrary to the aged audience at the Philharmonic, the NYCB audience has quite a lot of younger folks, a good range of ages in the audience today. Even a few little girls, a mixed blessing since they squirmed a bit... 😉 Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Orpheus..!!!!😶😶😶 Talk about vintage.... Link to comment
deanofdance Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 (edited) A few thoughts on tonight’s performance - but first — how incredible this season (75th!) of all Balanchine has been — it’s not that every ballet was wonderful or that every night made me happy — but when it did, how good it was to be alive and living in this city and going to NYCB — I’m just a lucky so and so… And tonight was one of those nights — I wasn’t moved by Serenade, it just didn’t come together for me — but Theme and Variations — I was swept up in its largess — the grand music, the dancers dancing fast and and full out and exuding freedom and joy. (Bolden had the largest smile on his face). Anthony and Megan were excellent, their dance qualities and personalities beginning now to really mesh, and perhaps they bring out qualities in each other that other previous partners hadn’t. They’re veterans of the company, and stars in their own right, and tonight there was more than a bit of bravura in their steps, and they sailed through this ballet. Edited October 11, 2023 by deanofdance Link to comment
California Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 7 hours ago, deanofdance said: And tonight was one of those nights — I wasn’t moved by Serenade, it just didn’t come together for me — but Theme and Variations — I was swept up in its largess — the grand music, the dancers dancing fast and and full out and exuding freedom and joy. (Bolden had the largest smile on his face). Anthony and Megan were excellent, their dance qualities and personalities beginning now to really mesh, and perhaps they bring out qualities in each other that other previous partners hadn’t. They’re veterans of the company, and stars in their own right, and tonight there was more than a bit of bravura in their steps, and they sailed through this ballet, T&V: I was expecting a lot and was disappointed by Tuesday night's performance. The Kirkland-Baryshnikov tape from 1978 set the gold standard for me and I suppose that's forever engraved in my memory. Megan's gargouillades and pas de chat barely left the ground and were almost unrecognizable. The soloists were sloppy and out of sync. Perhaps it will get better with more performances. Still, it's a great ballet. Orpheus: I wanted to understand this, but it does feel very dated, from an era of Ballets Russe that sometimes was more interested in traditional narrative/story-telling than dancing. I tried to focus on the commissioned Stravinsky score but couldn't get into it. Perhaps it will work better tonight. Joe Gordon did his best and I wonder how he will do both Orpheus and Symphony in C at the 75th anniversary performance. I can see why this is not often programmed nowadays. Link to comment
abatt Posted October 11, 2023 Author Share Posted October 11, 2023 32 minutes ago, California said: T&V: I was expecting a lot and was disappointed by Tuesday night's performance. The Kirkland-Baryshnikov tape from 1978 set the gold standard for me and I suppose that's forever engraved in my memory. Megan's gargouillades and pas de chat barely left the ground and were almost unrecognizable. The soloists were sloppy and out of sync. Perhaps it will get better with more performances. Still, it's a great ballet. Orpheus: I wanted to understand this, but it does feel very dated, from an era of Ballets Russe that sometimes was more interested in traditional narrative/story-telling than dancing. I tried to focus on the commissioned Stravinsky score but couldn't get into it. Perhaps it will work better tonight. Joe Gordon did his best and I wonder how he will do both Orpheus and Symphony in C at the 75th anniversary performance. I can see why this is not often programmed nowadays. Have to agree with the above comments on T&V. Megan danced small. Also, Huxley did only six double tour - pirouettes, instead of the standard 8. He filled in by killing some time in the early part of the music. And the corps lines were indeed sometimes sloppy. Davide needs some refinement in his new role in Serenade. When he had to catch Indiana and balance her on his back it looked pretty awkward. Also, before he departs the stage he has to flip the Waltz girl before she lays down on the ground. The flip wasn't a full 360 degrees, so he then had to adjust Mearns' body so that she was in the correct position when he laid her down on the floor. Maybe the biggest blooper of the evening came in Orpheus. By the way Laracey was gorgeous as Eurydice, and Joe Gordon was vastly improved as Orpheus since he did this role a few years ago. After Laracey disappeared under the white curtain, the white curtain is raised a few moments later. Only problem was that apparently the folks who helped drag her body under the curtain were still on the stage when the curtain rose. I was sitting on the extreme right side, and could see three people running off the stage on the left side as the curtain rose. I could also hear someone offstage yell something as the curtain went up, but I could not hear what was yelled. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 I came home from last night thinking I must be pretty spoiled to be disappointed in Serenade or have complaints about Anthony Huxley or Megan Fairchild. Glad to hear it's not just me! Overall I found last night underwhelming, and I too noticed the bloopers mentioned by @abatt. Most surprised by Huxley's bailing out of the double tour-pirouettes, especially since it seemed intentional -- it's not like he couldn't finish and filled in the music, instead he filled in the early part of the music before beginning the sequence. Link to comment
bellawood Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 I was there too, and felt Huxley/Fairchild was surprisingly flat. I saw Huxley's debut a few years ago, and he fell in the tour/pirouette sequence in the second solo; I was wondering when I saw him cut them short/start them late if that was in his head. Megan also had a moment towards the end of her long diagonal of turns when she stumbled slightly. The four soloist ladies were a mess. I think it's because Megan LeCrone was always ahead of the music. I would love to see someone other than Mary Elizabeth Sell or Laine Habony (who was in Serenade) in these featured corps roles. Finally, I wondered if Andrew Litton was revving the tempo a bit; the corps was flat-out running around to get into their lines. The double tour/double tour finale was shaggy. Watching this made me think of other casts I'd like to see. I will see Peck/Gordon this weekend; wouldn't Emma Von Enck be killer in this? And, of course, Roman a la Joaquin de Luz would be a treat (de Luz used to do the tour/pirouette sequence every day, apparently). Serenade was very good. I don't actually love Sara in this role, but I can't question the commitment. Russian Girl is a great role for Indiana, and I thought Miriam Miller was compelling as the Dark Angel. I've only seen this as Gerrity/Le Crone recently and it's nice to have some change of casting there. I felt Davide had a decent first pass at this very challenging partnering role. I think you need a few goes of it before you stop looking like you're directing traffic or catching fly balls. Jovani had the same problem in his debut last (?) year -- I assume he was supposed to dance it this season but had to opt out because of his knee. ADW used to dance this and was great at it. Orpheus -- hahaha on the creatures running off stage! @abatt I was slightly left, and it looked like they had trouble dragging Ashley under -- maybe she collapsed just a bit to far away from the hem? Joe kind of helped shovel her under the curtain. Then the curtain went up, and they all went running off. The joys of live theater. I am seeing this three times this week, and then not again I hope for a while. As @cubanmiamiboy says, vintage! Link to comment
bellawood Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 30 minutes ago, cobweb said: I came home from last night thinking I must be pretty spoiled to be disappointed in Serenade or have complaints about Anthony Huxley or Megan Fairchild. Glad to hear it's not just me! Overall I found last night underwhelming, and I too noticed the bloopers mentioned by @abatt. Most surprised by Huxley's bailing out of the double tour-pirouettes, especially since it seemed intentional -- it's not like he couldn't finish and filled in the music, instead he filled in the early part of the music before beginning the sequence. Interestingly Megan gave herself a meh review on her own Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyPhlcAupxy/ Link to comment
nanushka Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 9 minutes ago, bellawood said: Watching this made me think of other casts I'd like to see. I will see Peck/Gordon this weekend; wouldn't Emma Von Enck be killer in this? And, of course, Roman a la Joaquin de Luz would be a treat (de Luz used to do the tour/pirouette sequence every day, apparently). After seeing Mejia and Von Enck in Symphony in C this past weekend, I think they'd absolutely be a dream cast. Some very different challenges. I'm excited to see Peck and Gordon in it, as they were great in Ballet Imperial. Link to comment
abatt Posted October 11, 2023 Author Share Posted October 11, 2023 (edited) 15 minutes ago, bellawood said: Orpheus -- hahaha on the creatures running off stage! @abatt I was slightly left, and it looked like they had trouble dragging Ashley under -- maybe she collapsed just a bit to far away from the hem? Joe kind of helped shovel her under the curtain. Then the curtain went up, and they all went running off. The joys of live theater. I am seeing this three times this week, and then not again I hope for a while. As @cubanmiamiboy says, vintage! Yes, I noticed that Gordon was helping to shove Laracey under the curtain. Maybe she collapsed too far from the hem. Sadly, there were moments in this that were Trock-worthy. Edited October 11, 2023 by abatt Link to comment
Rick Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Megan Fairchild acknowledged on Instagram that last night’s T&V was not her best. I did wonder about Huxley’s abbreviated double tour/pirouettes, but nevertheless I was enchanted by their performances. Perhaps because their “problems” brought a human dimension to such grand choreography. I also struggle with Orpheus for the reasons articulated by California. Towards the end I was wishing for Gluck’s score instead of Stravinsky. Serenade is a classic though not one of my personal favorites. I enjoyed it but can’t really bring anything new to the conversation. Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 (edited) 56 minutes ago, abatt said: Yes, I noticed that Gordon was helping to shove Laracey under the curtain. Maybe she collapsed too far from the hem. Sadly, there were moments in this that were Trock-worthy. Something similar happened in the spring 2022 season when they staged the work as part of the Stravinsky Festival anniversary. I remember they had to shove Sterling Hyltin under the curtain in the performance I saw. Boy, we did not need this work revived after only a year and half... Let's give it a long, long rest. Edited October 11, 2023 by fondoffouettes Link to comment
nanushka Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 44 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said: Something similar happened in the spring 2022 season when they staged the work as part of the Stravinsky Festival anniversary. I remember they had to shove Sterling Hyltin under the curtain in the performance I saw. Boy, we did not need this work revived after only a year and half... Let's give it a long, long rest. My hope is that they had two very context-specific reasons for wanting to do it in 2022 and again now: for the Stravinsky Festival and in order to recreate the original 1948 NYCB program. So hopefully with those two things past, they will indeed give it a rest. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 I have attempted to write this three times since last night, and three times I erased it. If I let myself go all the way, I usually come out as bitter and too harsh. But long story short. Last night was off. Everything was off. Serenade was off. Mearns was off. Orpheus as a ballet doesn't work any longer and Theme and Variations was off. T&V particularly. Fairchild had problems with the turns and placement during her first variation. Huxley cheated on his pirouettes, LeCrone looked aesthetically harsher than ever and unmusical...and even two Corps women collided toward the end...I believe right before the Polonaise. I was reading John Martin review of the first performance of NYC at City Center in 1948, and of course....he deemed Orpheus as follows. "Certainly it is worth the time, effort, money and possible expenditure of wrath, for such esthetic satisfactions do not happen along too frequently in a life time of theater going". vs "a regular choreographic fourth of July celebration. Roman candles and pin-wheels which follow each other more or less in straight sequence against a definitely light weight musical background...". That is, Symphony in C. Of course, there will always be an audience for everything. For "The Nose" vs "La Traviata"....for Scandinavian teak vs Hollywood Regency and so on and so forth. But when Pavlova said once..."I only dance with musique dansante", she established the definitive line of demarcation. But even myself, the ultimate lover and advocate of musique dansante, have been transfixed by the beauty of Bugaku -(stabbed to death by the PC and now probably buried forever by the Powers that Be). Orpheus wasn't Bugaku. The greatest thing it has is that it has been untouched. Meaning that by looking at such a Midcentury aesthetics product, we can visualize and appreciate the streamlined process that went through other works like Apollo and The Four Temperaments. Martin gives the audience member an ultimate advise regarding Orpheus. "The advise here, if you're inclined to be irascible about art-(😂)- is to buy two sets of tickets and see it twice. The first time to get acclimated, as it were, and the second to enjoy it". I did so. Second time coming up tonight. Let's see, Mr Martin. Link to comment
jeff-sh Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 3 hours ago, abatt said: I could also hear someone offstage yell something as the curtain went up, but I could not hear what was yelled. someone yelled 'go, go' Link to comment
abatt Posted October 11, 2023 Author Share Posted October 11, 2023 Thanks for clarifying, jeff-ish. Not to further pile on to the negative comments about last night, but Taylor Stanley is too short to partner Mearns in Serenade. Link to comment
bellawood Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 39 minutes ago, jeff-sh said: someone yelled 'go, go' Yikes!! Link to comment
MarzipanShepherdess Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Really interesting to see the responses to Tuesday night's Serenade/Orpheus/T&V program. I too just do not like Orpheus. I admire the sets and costumes, but I constantly find my attention drifting. The choreography feels repetitive and undifferentiated and moments that in retrospect I realize SHOULD feel big and impactful (like when Eurydice appears) just don't seem to land for me. The debacle with the curtain was just embarrassing, I hope they can get that sorted more smoothly for tonight at least. I'm not looking forward to seeing it again tonight. Serenade is my favorite Balanchine ballet, so I always am glad to have seen it, but I thought last night's was particularly stellar (partnering issues with Davide aside). Miriam Miller can leave me cold (like on Saturday in Prodigal Son) but last night she was lush, extending her phrases and letting the movements breathe. Indiana is a wonderful Russian girl: buoyant, bright, so much energy. And I have never left one of Sara's performances as Waltz Girl unmoved, but last night it was to tears. I love the emotion she imbues that role with (I think it's one of her best). I was completely captivated by her performance. T&V: I enjoyed last night's performance more than others seem to have. I don't have the deep knowledge of ballet technique some other posters here do (which is one reason I love reading BalletAlert!) so I think sometimes technical bobbles don't detract from my enjoyment of a performance as much if the performers are charismatic. Megan and Anthony to me had that level of charisma last night: they managed to pull off the trick of making it LOOK like they were having a ball and sparkling along despite struggling with some of the choreography. I bought it! And was reflecting on how the leads in the performance of T&V I saw at English National Ballet a few weeks ago just didn't have the speed and lightness with how they approached it; it felt like a much fresher work last night to me. Link to comment
California Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 2 hours ago, bellawood said: Yikes!! I thought it was "brava," which someone screamed in the 1978 recording after Gelsey did that same variation. Link to comment
California Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 (edited) I went to the Friends rehearsal this afternoon. The printed program they handed us said T&V with Peck and Gordon, but when we got into the theater, it was Fairchildand Gordon. I don't see casting changes for Thursday night on the web site, but not a good omen! Edited October 12, 2023 by California Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 1 hour ago, California said: I thought it was "brava," which someone screamed in the 1978 recording after Gelsey did that same variation. Yes...someone echoed the "Gelsey Brava" scream. Undeserved it this time, IMHO. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 7 hours ago, California said: I went to the Friends rehearsal this afternoon. The printed program they handed us said T&V with Peck and Gordon, but when we got into the theater, it was Fairfield and Gordon. I don't see casting changes for Thursday night on the web site, but not a good omen! I was there too and at the ballet tonight (Wednesday). It was electric. No wonder NYCB has lasted this long. Great Concerto Barocco, bringing tears to my eyes. Nice Orpheus. Gorgeous, crisp Bizet. The audience was so jazzed and energetic. The rehearsal cast change was just Tiler Peck. She must still be in California with her father and family. Why would she leave Sunday and return for today? It was fascinating to see Megan Fairchild rehearse T&V with Joe Gordon after performing T&V with Huxley the previous night. She’s very vocal and speaks loudly, at one point yelling out “Whoo!” when Joe threw her up in the air. more later. Link to comment
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