Author: Philip Gardner

Christopher Williams ~ NARCISSUS @ NYLA

Above: from NARCISSUS; photo by Andrew Jordan

Saturday October 30th, 2021 matinee – At New York Live Arts this afternoon with Roberto Villanueva for a performance of Christopher Williams’ NARCISSUS. It was a purely delightful hour, wherein the music, choreography, lighting, costumes, and the beautiful cast of dancers all combined to create a dreamworld at once quirky, erotic, and poignant.

NARCISSUS is set to Nikolai Tcherepnin’s score “Narcisse et Echo” which was composed in 1911 for Michel Fokine’s ballet of the same title, produced by Serge de Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes. In Mr. Williams re-imagining of the ballet, he takes a fresh look at the timeless tale of Nacissus, a young man very much taken with his own beauty. The enticing production features costume and set designs by Andrew Jordan and lighting by Joe Levasseur.

In a brief prologue, in which bouche fermée voices are heard, a group of Boeotians are silhouetted against the breaking dawn. We then meet the Oreads: a brotherhood of mountain nymphs with Spock-like ears. Dancers Casey Hess, Jack Blackmon, Alexander Olivieri, Michael Parmelee, and Logan Pedon cavort, their heavenly, nearly nude bodies adorned with fantastical red penises. For all the intimacy of their partnering, they paradoxically seem chaste. The music underscores the ecstatic feeling of these youthful males, savoring their delight in nature and in each others company. Throughout this provocative scene – and indeed, throughout the entire ballet – the choreography in superbly musical.

The music shifts with the arrival of Echo, who has both a penis and female breasts; Mac Twining plays the part handsomely. Echo is a lonely creature, and is rejected by the Oreads who hiss at him like animals. Now the Boeotians return: hetero and same sex couples of varying ages are danced by Janet Charleston, Alan Good, Ching-I Chang, Shayla-Vie Jenkins, Justin Lynch, and Jake Montanaro. They are joined by a trio of Bacchantes (Christiana Axelsen, Breckyn Drescher, and Caitlin Scranton), dressed in flame-coloured gowns, their faces painted white, their dark hair almost Medusa-like. Their dance is a highlight of the ballet. Now the music becomes tumultuous, the dancing joyous.

The Oreads re-appear, and we are only too happy to see them again; and finally we meet Narcissus himself – in the magnetic person of New York City Ballet principal dancer Taylor Stanley. Clad in a short blue tunic, his solo depicts the character’s self-love.

For Narcissus has fallen in love with his own reflection: a reflection danced by Cemiyon Barber in a yellow tunic. Their duet of mutual admiration is danced in-sync; meanwhile, their shadows follow them on the wall.

Echo returns; smitten with Narcissus, his dance is a visual lament. As the music veers from powerful to eerie, he sustains a balance as if teetering on the verge. Mr. Twining excelled here. Now Narcissus and his double return; the music gets big as they fill the space with swirling leaps and mirror-image passages. They embrace, sink to the ground, their bodies communing whilst the forlorn Echo watches them in despair. Narcisssus expires; reaching under his dead idol’s tunic, Echo brings forth a yellow narcissus as darkness falls.

The dancers were enthusiastically applauded; though I thought solo bows for Mssrs. Stanley, Barber, and Twining were in order, they were not forthcoming. The choreographer was warmly greeted by dancers and audience alike.

One of the many reasons I wanted to see this production was the presence in the cast of my friend Justin Lynch. Justin has danced for Amanda Selwyn, Lydia Johnson, and Nai-Ni Chen, and in 2014 he appeared in the Metropolitan Opera’s controversial production of DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER. In 2010, he participated in Kokyat’s photoshoot at the Secret Theater. Justn’s such a handsome fellow: it was great to see him again.

~ Oberon

October 29, 2021
Graham @ The Joyce ~ 2021 – Program B

Above: Jacob Larsen of the Martha Graham Dance Company in Sir Robert Cohan’s solo Jacob; photo by Melissa Sherwood

Wednesday October 27th, 2021 – The Martha Graham Dance Company is presenting two programs at The Joyce in these final days of October, 2021. I happened to see Program B before seeing Program A.

During the long months of the pandemic, I found myself seriously missing the Graham dancers. Whenever I was down in The Village, I would walk by the Company’s home at 55 Bethune Street on the off-chance of seeing some of them, even though I knew full well that some of them had left the City. I did run into Lorenzo Pagano once, and that truly made my day. Otherwise, my only encounter with any of these fascinating people during the shutdown was via the Company’s webcasts of Immediate Tragedy in June 2020 and the three-part GrahamFest95 in May 2021.

This evening, my ‘reunion’ with the Graham Company was simply spectacular. It’s a company of stars, and they all shone tonight to dazzling effect.

Above: Leslie Andrea Williams in Steps in the Street; photo © Hibbard Nash Photography

The excellent program opened with the powerful Steps in the Street, the second movement of Martha Graham’s epic all-female anti-Facist dancework Chronicle. Set to a vibrant, martial score by Wallingford Riegger, Chronicle premiered at the Guild Theater here in New York City in December of 1936. In her introductory remarks, the Graham Company’s artistic director Janet Eilber called the work “…a dance of determination and resilience.”

Led by the ever-luminous Leslie Andrea Williams, the women back rather hesitantly onto the stage one by one in silence. As the music commences, the choreography becomes complex (both in steps and gestures); it’s extremely demanding, calling for deep dedication and boundless energy. The Graham women were simply magnificent; their individual beauty and power radiated at every moment. These are women I have admired so much in recent years: So Young An, Laurel Dally Smith, Natasha M. Diamond Walker, Marzia Memoli, Anne O’Donnell, Anne Souder, and Xin Ying…watching them flash across the stage in intricate combinations – or simply walking with tremendous dignity and strength – was an exhilarating experience. New to the Company are Devin Loh and Kate Reyes. At the center of it all, the arresting presence of Ms. Williams glowed like a beacon of feminine strength and grace.

Above: Jacob Larsen, photo by Melissa Sherwood

Sir Robert Cohan‘s solo Jacob takes its name from dancer Jacob Larsen; Sir Robert, who passed away in January of this year at the age of 95, created the work on the dancer remotely during the period of pandemic isolation. Set to Nils Frahm’s Hammers, the dance opens with pulsating music as the dancer, clad in dark trousers and a wife-beater tee-shirt, does a run-about the finely-lit space, pausing from time to time in a pose with arms outstretched.

Mr. Larsen’s dancing filled the space with the choreographer’s finely-cratfted movement, his face handsome and expressive. Thrice he collapsed to his knees and then magically executed back-somersaults. Combining energy and artistry expertly, the danseur gave a compelling performance. During the solo’s final moments, danced in silence in the fading light, one could sense the audience’s pent up admiration building; and when the lights came up, Jacob was greeted with a great wave of applause and bravos, so richly deserved. “A star is born!”, I scrawled in my program.

Above: Natasha M. Diamond-Walker and Lloyd Mayor in Untitled (Souvenir); photo by Melissa Sherwood

I was very pleased to see Pam Tanowitz’s Untitled (Souvenir) again. I saw it twice during its premiere performance run in 2019 and had different (but all positive) feelings about it at each viewing. Caroline Shaw’s score was again a key element to my enjoyment of the piece: with elements of Americana, British Baroque, and an echo of hymn “The Lord Is Our Great Shepherd” all brilliantly woven together by the composer. The Graham dancers all looked fabulous in their costumes by Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin of TOME.

This time around, Untitled (Souvenir) summoned up for me images of an English garden party sometime in the early days of the 20th century, when Art Deco was all the rage in Europe. Anne O’Donnell and Marzia Memoli are onstage for the work’s silent opening; Marzia unfolds into a beautiful arabesque and then the dancing starts: witty, but very much tongue-in-cheek. Other dancers now arrive: Lloyd Mayor, striking in lounging pajamas; the tall beauty Natasha Diamond-Walker; Lloyd Knight hopping on; the distinctive (and glamorously gowned) Xin Ying; Jacob Larsen (looking fresh after his brilliant solo performance); and Laurel Dalley Smith, who I always love to watch.

Everyone strikes poses, frequently ignoring the other guests. I was particularly taken with Natasha Diamond-Walker’s ‘character’: her spotlit, silent solo displayed the many mood shifts of a woman at once alluring and insecure. At one point, she even hid behind a piece of scenery…which is something I would do at a party.

There are duets, fleeting suggestions of romance, a trio of men in the cross-currents of mutual interests. In all, the work is a delight. And again, I must praise Caroline Shaw’s wonderful score, with cunningly accented motifs and a lambent cello solo. Iconic Graham moves and gestures pop up, getting a fresh take in Ms. Tanowitz’s choreography.

Above: Marzia Memoli and Lloyd Kinght in Treading; photo by Melissa Sherwood

Following the interval, Elisa Monte’s duet work, Treading, was stunningly danced by Lloyd Knight and Marzia Memoli. These two gorgeous creatures gave their all in a steamy, intimate pairing which demands great strength and control…and perfect timing. In their sleek body tights, Marzia and Lloyd generated a hothouse atmosphere, holding the audience in rapt attentiveness as their bodies folded and snaked thru the slow partnering motifs.

Lloyd (above, in a Brian Pollock photo) was mesmerizing to behold right from his opening solo…

…and Marzia created incredible shapes (Melissa Sherwood’s photo above), and her lush back-bend was a stunning moment. For me, Marzia’s was another ‘star is born’ performance tonight, and the audience seemed in full agreement.

Above: Marzia and Lloyd in Treading; photo by Melissa Sherwood

Treading drew a huge response from the audience, and Ms. Monte joined the dancers onstage for a bow. Roses and champagne to Marzia and Lloyd for their breathtaking performance!

Above: Anne O’Donnell and Lloyd Mayor in Diversion of Angels; photo by Luis Luque

Diversion of Angels had its premiere at Connecticut College in August of 1948. This ballet is set to a wonderful romantic score by Norman Dello Joio; in it, three couples dance duets reflecting on different aspects of love. A Couple in Red embodies passionate love; a Couple in White, mature love; and a Couple in Yellow, the joys of young, flirtatious love.

Diversion is one of the Graham ballets that places extraordinary demands on all the dancers in the cast. So Young An, Devin Loh, Kate Reyes, and Anne Souder formed a lovely ensemble, their dancing filled with commitment, beauty, and energy. At one point, they are seated on the floor, gazing ardently into the eyes of their cavaliers: a very romantic moment in this ultra-romantic ballet. A newcomer to Graham, Richard Villaverde, made his mark with his handsome presence and deft dancing.

The three couples were splendid, each in their own way. Leslie Andrea Williams, a vision in White, danced like a goddess, and her partner, Alessio Crognale, was equally impressive. Together, they expressed the couple’s deep sense of quiet ecstasy, secure in their mutual love.

Anne O’Donnell looks fetching in Red, and she had the perfect partner in Lloyd Mayor. Their dancing, both individually and in duet passages, was vibrant and wonderfully true to the music. At one point, while Lloyd was elsewhere, Anne seems to be tempting Alessio; that’s the thing about passionate lovers: their passion can get directed in a different direction at the drop of a hat.

Laurel Dalley Smith was like a ray of sunshine in Yellow; Jacob Larsen completed his stellar evening as Laurel’s cavalier. Their choreography includes some daredevil catches and lifts: Laurel flew like a golden bird into Jacob’s arms and was swiftly swept aloft. Brilliant! I just loved watching them, and I must say that Laurel’s performance had the same ‘star-is-born’ feeling as Jacob’s and Marzia’s…the third in a single evening.

And what an evening it was…it stands as one of the great dance performances I have witnessed in the last quarter-century. Although tinged with regret for two ‘missing persons’ – who I hope are both well along on the road to recovery – the evening was made memorable by the unstinting generosity and mind-boggling talent of these unique and extraordinary dancers.

~ Oberon

October 27, 2021
Canadian Opera: FORZA DEL DESTINO ~ 1987

Above: Stefka Evstatieva as Leonora and John Cheek as Padre Guardiano

The Canadian Opera Company’s 1987 production of Verdi’s LA FORZA DEL DESTINO with Stefka Evstatieva, Judith Forst, Yuri Marusin, Allan Monk, Peter Strummer, and John Cheek, conducted by Maurizio Arena.

Watch and listen here.

October 27, 2021
TURANDOT @ San Francisco Opera ~ 1982

Scenes from a 1982 San Francisco Opera performance of TURANDOT with Linda Kelm (above), Nicola Martinucci, Barbara Daniels, and Kevin Langan, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung.

Listen here.

CAST:

A mandarin: Gregory Stapp; Liù: Barbara Daniels; Calaf: Nicola Martinucci; Timur: Kevin Langan; Ping: Thomas Woodman; Pang: David Gordon; Pong: Jonathan Green; Emperor Altoum: Eddie Albert; Turandot: Linda Kelm

October 26, 2021
Johanna Meier Sings Strauss & Mahler

I love finding any recordings by Johanna Meier. Despite the missing part of the first Strauss song, her vocalism is so pleasing in this 1982 recording from a concert by the Milwaukee Symphony conducted by Lukas Foss.

Listen here.

One of my all-time favorite sopranos, I saw Ms. Meier frequently at The Met and New York City Opera. She made a memorable impression in so many roles: as Puccini’s Musetta and Tosca, as Strauss’s Countess Madeleine, Marschallin, Ariadne, Kaiserin, Chrysothemis (both at The Met and at Tanglewood), as Rosalinda, Marguerite in FAUST, as Mozart’s Donna Anna, and Countess Almaviva, and as Wagner’s Elisabeth, WALKURE Brunnhilde, and – most especially – as Sieglinde.

October 26, 2021
Raina Kabaivanska ~ TOSCA – Act II

Raina Kabaivanska sings Tosca in the second act of Puccini’s masterpiece from a performance at the Teatro Comunale di Adria in 1987.

Watch and listen here.

CAST:

Floria Tosca – Raina Kabaivanska
Mario Cavaradossi – Gianfranco Cecchele
Baron Scarpia – Silvano Carroli
Cesare Angelotti – Giovanni Antonini
Spoletta – Giancarlo Turati
Sciarrone – Manrico Canovi

Conductor: Massimo de Bernart

October 24, 2021
ABT GISELLE: Brandt ~ Cornejo ~ Petersen

Thursday October 21st, 2021 – After watching some clips of Ana Sophia Scheller in a recent production of GISELLE at Cagliari, Italy, I suddenly felt a great desire to see this immortal ballet live again. But…where? I’ve been so out of touch during the pandemic; but then I remembered that ABT were about to begin a season at the New York State Theater; might they be giving giving GISELLE? I went to their website and…voilà! There is was: a whole week of GISELLEs to choose from. Fortune smiles on me yet again. I quickly chose this evening’s performance, drawn by the presence in the cast of Herman Cornejo (photo) as Albrecht. The ticket was ordered, and soon enough I was cozy in my 3rd Ring AA seat and experiencing this ballet which carries so much personal meaning for me.

The audience, who have been starved for live performances of ballet for a year and a half, were wonderfully attentive and wildly enthusiastic. The orchestra, under David LaMarche’s astute leadership, played the Adam score superbly; we often take the pit bands of our two ballet companies for granted, but both ensembles are loaded with excellent musicians, and tonight the ABT orchestra played this incomparable score very handsomely indeed.

In the first act, dancers whose characters do not re-appear after the intermission made such fine impressions that I was wishing there were curtain calls in order to show appreciation for their performances. This was especially true of the inimitable Susan Jones, whose Berthe is so touching; her mime is incredibly clear and telling. Isadora Loyola, a vision all in red, was a striking Bathilde. A tall couple were cast in the Peasant Pas de deux: the dancing of Betsy McBride and Jose Sebastian gave the duet a spacious feel. Ms. McBride’s deft footwork and Mr. Sebastian’s cushioned landings made a very pleasing effect.

Andrei Ishchuk was a tall, impressive Hilarion. As I have often said in the past, Hilarion is the ‘good guy’ in GISELLE; had Giselle trusted her longtime beau and seen thru Albrecht’s deception, her story would have had a different outcome. But…love in blind (and don’t I know it…) At any rate, Mr. Ishchuk did a fine job with the part, including some flashy air turns in his tormented dance in Act II.

ABT’s first-class Wilis seemed unfazed by the somewhat more limited space of the State Theater stage (as opposed to that of The Met). Their dancing made the ballet’s second act everything it should be. Fangqi Li and April Giangeruso were lovely in their solo passages as Moyna and Zulma respectively.

Stephanie Petersen (above, in a Jade Young portrait) danced Myrthe beautifully. During this week of ABT GISELLEs, this role has gone thru several casting changes: originally, Catherine Hurlin was listed for this evening, and but then Christine Shevchenko’s name appeared in her place. Stephanie was to have danced Zulma tonight, but a pre-curtain announcement made her the Queen of the Wilis instead.

It was simply delightful to see Ms. Petersen again; in the past I’ve seen her dancing not only with ABT but also for Joshua Beamish, Emery LeCrone, and Claudia Schreier…and every time she’s dazzled me. Stephanie, who returns to the stage from the COVID layoff – and from becoming a mother – is on fabulous form, and her Myrthe was regally danced (both her solos simply entrancing) and dramatically more nuanced than some I have seen: for beneath the icy, commanding presence of the Wili queen, one can still see the young woman that Myrthe once was. Brava, Stephanie!

I saw Herman Cornejo as Albrecht in 2008 – I believe it was his ABT role debut – opposite Xiomara Reyes. Read about that wonderful performance here. Tonight, this now 40-year-old prince of the dance triumphed yet again; his Albrecht is boyish of face and figure, compelling in his dancing, and incredibly expressive and impressive in his partnering. The bravura passages were tossed off with élan, and his affectionate dancing with Ms. Brandt in Act I gave way to his soul-searing partnering in Act II, where his remorse was so movingly expressed. The two overhead lifts were simply astounding, and his final parting from the girl who not only forgave him but saved him from his fate, was heart-rending. In a beautiful gesture, during the final bows, Herman sent Ms. Brandt out alone, only joining her after she had faced the avalanche of cheers that descended on her.

Skylar Brandt’s Giselle can stand proudly in my pantheon of great interpreters of this iconic role. The long-limbed ballerina danced her heart out all evening, and she had the audience with her every step of the way. Her first solo – Giselle emerging from her home on her last day on this Earth – had an immediacy and freshness that was most appealing. Her modesty and shyness with Albrecht were lovingly portrayed, and her big solo – just before her world comes crashing down – featured triumphant yet delicate hops on pointe and remarkably swift turns. The mad scene was that of a dazed girl, unable to comprehend what has befallen her.

Dazzling is the only word for Skylar’s dancing of Giselle’s whirlwind turns after being summoned from her grave by Myrthe…this passage evoked a massive round of cheers and applause from the audience. Then, from the very start of her pas de deux with Albrecht, the ballerina cast a poetic spell over me. She and Herman were so moving, the danseur gorgeously partnering her with infinite tenderness. Giselle’s steadfastness, protecting her beloved from the Wili’s curse, was poignantly expressed. I felt a knot in my throat as their inevitable parting loomed. And then the weeping started.

~ Oberon

October 21, 2021
Bach ~ Magnifcat

Nicholas Harnoncourt leads Concentus Musicus Vienna and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir in a performance of Bach’s Magnificat in D-major given at the Kloster Melk, Austria, in 2000.

The soloists are Christine Schäfer, Anna Korondi, Bernarda Fink, Ian Bostridge, and Christopher Maltman.

Watch and listen here.

October 21, 2021
Cellist Zlatomir Fung @ Weill Hall

Tuesday October 19th, 2021 – One of my favorite musicians, Zlatomir Fung, made his Carnegie debut this evening at Weill Hall, a red-letter event for me. Zlatomir, whose unique name derives from his Bulgarian and Chinese-American parentage, was the first American in four decades – and the youngest cellist ever – to win first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019.

I first heard Mr. Fung in a Young Concert Artists recital at Merkin Hall in February 2019, and was captivated by his remarkable talent. Read about the evening here.

Joined at Weill Hall this evening by pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen (above), the cellist gave us a marvelous program of classics from the Romantic period. The concert was sold out, and the audience’s rapt attention was a tribute both to the music and to the musicians.

Robert Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70, was composed in 1849. The pensive adagio, heart-tugging in its emotional expressiveness, gives way to the lively and passionate allegro, a deft flow of music that sometimes looks back to the opening movement. From note one, I was transfixed by Mr. Fung’s achingly beautiful playing, which drew me – and my fellow audience members – immediately in to the music.

Franz Schubert’s Sonata in A-Minor, D. 821, “Arpeggione“, was written in 1824, soon after the beloved song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin and shortly before the C-major symphony.

The sonata’s opening movement is a songful allegro moderato, tinged with a feel of nostalgia. A dance springs up, with a folkish flavor, and a passage of staccati from the cello aligns with sparkling notes from the piano. The movement continues, shifting between sadness and joy…a sort of reflection on the times in which we are living.

From its poignant opening, the sonata’s central adagio found Mr. Fung at his most persuasively eloquent as the music carried him across a wide dynamic range, leaving the listener in awe of his sustained, finely nuanced phrasing. Ms. Momen was a ideal companion. This was music-making of the highest calibre.

The concluding allegretto is energetic, at times having with a somewhat jaunty feel; both players displayed great nimbleness, dancing us along to a surprisingly subdued finish.

Antonín Dvořák’s “Silent Woods“, Op. 68, No. 5, was – to me – the heart of the evening; subtle dynamic shadings from both players constantly allured the ear, and the astonishing resonance in Mr. Fung’s playing reached the depths of my soul. A dance-like passage gives way to a wave of passion; this subsides only to sweep over us again moments later. Mr. Fung’s glorious descending phrase at the end was thrilling.

The musicians took only the briefest of breaks between works, but they seemed wonderfully fresh as they returned to the Weill Hall stage for the program’s concluding work: César Franck’s epic and very demanding Sonata in A-major. The cellist Jules Delsart was so moved when he first heard this sonata in its original violin setting that he obtained the composer’s permission to arrange the work for his own instrument. This arrangement was published in 1887.

The sonata’s opening Allegretto ben moderato joins two themes: one for the cello and one for piano. These themes, especially the cello’s, will return in the following movements. The players seemed to gently bend the melodies, putting a personal stamp on this familiar music.

Turbulence rises for the second movement, a dramatic scherzo, in which the restless piano is over-lain with a vivid, dramatic passage for the violin. Lyrical moments, featuring this sonata’s second well-loved theme, come and go. From a veritable feast of notes, passion rises with the great melody sounding forth. Becalmed, deep resonance from the cello lingers briefly, then another rise to a triumphant finish.

The Recitativo-Fantasia brings back sonic images from the previous movements. There is a feeling of improvisation here which leads in a slow buildup to another haunting melody for the cello. Then the final Allegretto con moto commences with the piano and cello seemingly exchanging thematic thoughts. Things grow turbulent again, and earlier themes resurface, all leading to a vibrant, joyous ending.

Enthusiastic applause, the audience standing, brought Mr. Fung and Ms. Momen back for an encore: a Nocturne by Alexander Borodin which was unfamiliar to me. This was elegantly played, with appealing dynamic shifts and a spine-tingling tremelo passage from the cellist. As throughout the evening, I loved watching Mr. Fung’s expressive face as he played; he seemed to be communing with Saint Cecilia, all to the greater glory of the music.

~ Oberon

October 19, 2021
Verdi REQUIEM ~ San Francisco 1973

Seiji Ozawa leads the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a 1973 performance of the Verdi REQUIEM with soloists Martina Arroyo (photo), Maureen Forrester, Placido Domingo, and Martti Talvela.

Listen here.

September 29, 2021