Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D-major performed by Cuore Barocco in St. Michael’s Chapel in Košice, Slovakia.
Watch and listen here.
Author: Philip Gardner
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40 Years Ago: Fracci & Nureyev ~ GISELLE
~~~~ Note: I had originally planned to post this article on the 40th anniversary of my one-and-only experience of seeing the great Carla Fracci onstage. Today, news of the ballerina’s death has come, so I am posting it now, two months shy of the actual anniversary:
On this date, forty years ago, one of the greatest ballet performances of my experience took place at the Metropolitan Opera House, where the La Scala Ballet presented their production of GISELLE with Carla Fracci and Rudolf Nureyev in the leading roles.I had spent the afternoon at The Met watching GISELLE with an alternate cast; it was a very pleasing performance. But the undeniable star-power of Fracci and Nureyev made the evening performance unforgettable.
This is my diary entry from that magnificent evening:
“GISELLE – 2nd performance – with the assumption on the leading roles by two great dancers, the whole production took on a new dimension. The corps seemed better than at the matinee, though again Renata Calderini was not a particularly impressive Myrthe. There was a very exciting Peasant Pas de Deux with Anna Maria Grossi and a very exciting Davide Bombana; they roused the audience to cheers.
But it was in the superstars that the real excitement lay – and that is why they are superstars! Rudolf Nureyev’s Albrecht was marred slightly by some rather ‘modern’ acting details in Act I where he failed to maintain the aura of manners of the period. But otherwise he caught the essence of the caddish young nobleman in Act I and the grief-stricken man of Act II. He danced with thorough command despite passing traces of stiffness. He interpolates many intricate steps and then challenges himself to bring them off…and always succeeds. His Albrecht was a full portrait – and it was very exciting.
In Carla Fracci we had the perfect Giselle. All this talk about her ‘capturing the essence of the Romantic Era’ felt absolutely true. There were times in Act II when she really did seem like the ghostly vision of another time and place. Here is a dancer so technically assured, so light yet bearing underneath great strength of character and of will. She was so charming in Act I, and her Mad Scene was brilliantly done – not overplayed but seemingly so real. Act II truly produced the feeling of seeing a phantom. Floating in her gossamer long tutu, Fracci evoked the remote mystique of the spectre. Her dancing throughout was so poised, with the steps always presented as a natural expression of the character and stemming completely from the drama. One had the feeling of really seeing Giselle herself, not of a ballerina portraying her.
At the end there was a tremendous ovation (20 minutes) with roses being thrown and Fracci & Nureyev called out repeatedly…bravi!!!”
~ Overon
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40 Years Ago: Fracci & Nureyev ~ GISELLE
~~~~ Note: I had originally planned to post this article on the 40th anniversary of my one-and-only experience of seeing the great Carla Fracci onstage. Today, news of the ballerina’s death has come, so I am posting it now, two months shy of the actual anniversary:
On this date, forty years ago, one of the greatest ballet performances of my experience took place at the Metropolitan Opera House, where the La Scala Ballet presented their production of GISELLE with Carla Fracci and Rudolf Nureyev in the leading roles.I had spent the afternoon at The Met watching GISELLE with an alternate cast; it was a very pleasing performance. But the undeniable star-power of Fracci and Nureyev made the evening performance unforgettable.
This is my diary entry from that magnificent evening:
“GISELLE – 2nd performance – with the assumption on the leading roles by two great dancers, the whole production took on a new dimension. The corps seemed better than at the matinee, though again Renata Calderini was not a particularly impressive Myrthe. There was a very exciting Peasant Pas de Deux with Anna Maria Grossi and a very exciting Davide Bombana; they roused the audience to cheers.
But it was in the superstars that the real excitement lay – and that is why they are superstars! Rudolf Nureyev’s Albrecht was marred slightly by some rather ‘modern’ acting details in Act I where he failed to maintain the aura of manners of the period. But otherwise he caught the essence of the caddish young nobleman in Act I and the grief-stricken man of Act II. He danced with thorough command despite passing traces of stiffness. He interpolates many intricate steps and then challenges himself to bring them off…and always succeeds. His Albrecht was a full portrait – and it was very exciting.
In Carla Fracci we had the perfect Giselle. All this talk about her ‘capturing the essence of the Romantic Era’ felt absolutely true. There were times in Act II when she really did seem like the ghostly vision of another time and place. Here is a dancer so technically assured, so light yet bearing underneath great strength of character and of will. She was so charming in Act I, and her Mad Scene was brilliantly done – not overplayed but seemingly so real. Act II truly produced the feeling of seeing a phantom. Floating in her gossamer long tutu, Fracci evoked the remote mystique of the spectre. Her dancing throughout was so poised, with the steps always presented as a natural expression of the character and stemming completely from the drama. One had the feeling of really seeing Giselle herself, not of a ballerina portraying her.
At the end there was a tremendous ovation (20 minutes) with roses being thrown and Fracci & Nureyev called out repeatedly…bravi!!!”
~ Overon
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Eva Marton ~ Elektra’s Monolog
Eva Marton sings Elektra’s opening monolog, “Allein! Weh, ganz allein!” from a performance of the Strauss opera given at the Teatro Real de Madrid in 1998.
Watch and listen here.
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BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST
A 2002 performance of Sir William Walton’s BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST from the BBC Proms, with soloist Sir Willard White, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and the BBC Symphony Chorus, conducted by Leonard Slatkin
Watch and listen here.
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BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST
A 2002 performance of Sir William Walton’s BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST from the BBC Proms, with soloist Sir Willard White, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and the BBC Symphony Chorus, conducted by Leonard Slatkin
Watch and listen here.
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Giorgio Tadeo as Seneca
Though Verona-born basso Giorgio Tadeo (above) was sometimes cast in buffo roles, this film clip of him as Seneca in Monteverdi’s INCORNAZIONE DI POPPEA shows another aspect of his artistry. The performance is from Aix-en-Provence, 1961, and the mezzo-soprano is Teresa Berganza.
Giorgio Tadeo made his operatic debut in 1953 singing Mephistopheles in an RAI performance of FAUST. He went on to an extensive career, singing at Palermo, at both the Teatro alla Scala and the Piccola Scala, and at theatres throughout Italy until 1996. Internationally, he sang at Vienna, Hamburg, Monte Carlo, L’Opéra de Paris, Covent Garden, the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lyric Opera in Chicago,Dallas, Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh, Tel Aviv, and Athens.
Giorgio Tadeo has worked with the such conductors as Gui, Giulini, Serafin, Celibidache, Dorati, de Fabritiis, Gavazzeni, Sanzogno, Maag, von Karaja, Abbado, and Boulez, as well as directors Giorgio Strehler and Franco Zeffirelli. He distinguished himself in the operas of Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti, as well as 20th century works. He was married to the soprano Mariella Adani.
Mr. Tadeo passed away in 2008.
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Karina Gauvin ~ Lascia chi’o pianga
Soprano Karina Gauvin sings “Lascia ch’io pianga” from Handel’s RINALDO in a recording session film.
Watch and listen here.
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Karina Gauvin ~ Lascia chi’o pianga
Soprano Karina Gauvin sings “Lascia ch’io pianga” from Handel’s RINALDO in a recording session film.
Watch and listen here.
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Lar Lubovitch ~ Three Dances
Above: Lar Lubovitch, photo courtesy of NYC Dance Project
Friday May 21st, 2021 – This evening I tuned in to watch a program of highlights from three works by the eminent choreographer Lar Lubovitch. The program featured excerpts from two familiar ballets by Lar, and part of his unique The Planets.
Watching the film’s duet from Concerto Six Twenty–Two brought back memories of a beautiful afternoon photographer Nir Arieli and I spent watching a rehearsal of this piece in 2013. Mr. Lubovitch was coaching dancers Attila Joey Csiki and Clifton Brown, and the atmosphere in the studio was palpable.
Above: Sylvain LaFortune and Rick Michalek in Concerto Six Twenty–Two; photo by Jack Mitchell
The duet is set to the adagio from Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, a beloved work that reached a wide audience when it was used in the film Out of Africa. Sylvain LaFortune and Rick Michalek are the dancers in today’s program; clad all in white, they could be lovers, or brothers, or best of friends. The Lubovitch choreography is a poignant response to the music; the men are mutually supportive and tender without becoming cloying. There are solo passages, danced whilst the other man observes. It’s a study in masculine grace.
Othello, which premiered in 1997, was a joint creation for the Lubovitch Company, American Ballet Theatre, and San Francisco Ballet. In 2018, as part of the celebration of the Lubovitch Company’s 50th anniversary, Fabrice Calmels and his colleagues from The Joffrey performed excerpts from Othello at The Joyce.
Above: Desmond Richardson and Yuan Yuan Tan in Othello
This evening we saw the ballet’s third act from a filmed performance by San Francisco Ballet. The stellar cast featured Desmond Richardson as Othello, Yuan Yuan Tan as Desdemona, Parrish Maynard as Iago, Katita Waldo as Emilia, and a very young Gonzalo Garcia as Cassio.
As Act III opens, Cassio is in chains, being interrogated by Othello with Iago a menacing observer. Despite his pleas of innocence, the young captain doesn’t stand a chance; he is taken away. Now Desdemona comes on the scene: Yuan Yuan Tan, achingly lovely, seeks to placate her jealous husband. Parrish Maynard as a scarily intense Iago watches the couple. The potent physicality of Desmond Richardson’s Othello holds sway over his blameless wife. Katita Waldo as Emilia joins for a pas de quatre set to dynamic music.
Othello and Iago are left alone, and the latter summons up the green-eyed monster: jealousy. Here composer Elliot Goldenthal makes cunning use of the saxophone. Whilst Iago weaves his web of lies, Othello sees visions of Cassio courting his wife. Then Iago produces the handkerchief and Desdemona’s fate is sealed.
The perfection of Desmond Richardson’s portrayal is now to be savoured in a solo of technical perfection and great dramatic intensity. He then confronts his wife, and, following an anguished duet, he strangles her with the handkerchief. Now Emilia rushes in, and reveals Iago’s deception; she barely has time to state the truth before her husband murders her. Othello, overcome with remorse, stabs himself.
The excellence of the cast made for a truly absorbing performance of this Lubovitch masterpiece.
Above: Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay in The PlanetsCompleting the program, we had an excerpt from The Planets, in which figure skaters and ballet dancers joined together. The music is “Venus” from Holst’s The Planets, Mr. Lubovitch choreographed the skating, and Doug Varone the ‘court of Venus’. The goddess is portrayed by Sonia Rodriguez of the National Ballet of Canada, and the principal skating couple are Paul and Isabelle Duchesnay, 1992 Olympic Silver Medalists.
Venus, after drinking from an enchanted pool, sees a vision of a company of lovers, come to pay her homage. These skaters fill the ice with swirling, flowing combinations. Now the principal couple – the brother-and-sister Duchesnays – execute a lush duet, sailing across the ice to the lyrical Holst music.
Paul Duchesnay kneels before Ms. Rodriguez’s Venus; she is captivated by this mortal male and they begin a duet in which Ms. Rodriguez’s feet never touch the ice. The goddess then returns to her temple, but the encounter has left its mark on her.
Above: Sonia Rodriguez in The Planets
While watching the program, many memories of my experiences with Lar Lubovitch’s work – and of meeting him briefly in various settings – came flooding back. It’s thanks largely to my friendship with Attila Joey Csiki – an iconic Lubovitch dancer – that I discovered the world of Lubovitch. Here are some articles and images from my blog about these encounters:
Meeting Attila in person for the first time in November 2010 when he was preparing a Lubovitch solo with pianist KathleenTagg.
In 2011, with Attila teaching a Lubovitch class, is where the Lubovitch connection took hold. Three dancers in the class – Greg Lau, Sarah Pon, and Blake Hennessy-York – were embarking on their careers at the time.
Attila arranged for Kokyat and me to watch a rehearsal of Lar’s Men’s Stories. This was the first time I met Mr. Lubovitch; he was quite formal, which I liked.
2014 brought the fascinating Black Rose to The Joyce.
In 2017, in preparation for the 50th anniversary of the Lubovitch Company, Lar set his Legend of Ten on the Martha Graham Dance Company. Photographer Nir Arieli and I had a fantastic time watching a rehearsal.
And in 2018, the 50th anniversary was celebrated in high style at The Joyce.
There’s so much more Lubovitch in my dance diary! And there’s no way I could finish this article without mentioning my two Lubovitch goddesses: Nicole Corea and Kate Skarpetowska.
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 