Category: Dance

Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance ~ Gallery

Above: dancers Gwendolyn Gussman and Malcolm Miles Young in TRIPTYCH; photo by Charles Roussel

Photographer Chares Roussel has produced a beautiful portfolio of images from Cherylyn Lavagnino’s production TALES OF HOPPER, given at the DiMenna Center on February 25th and 26th, 2020. You can read about the event here. Below is a selection of Mr. Roussel’s photographs from this wonderful evening of dance.

The program opened with TALES OF HOPPER, a series of danced vignettes inspired by eight of the artist’s paintings:

Justin Faircloth

Sharon Milanese

Sharon Milanese

Malcolm Miles Young, Dervia Carey-Jones, Philip Strom

Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez

Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez

Kristen Foote and Malcolm Miles Young

Justin Faircloth and Corinne Hart

Corinne Hart, Justin Faircloth, Claire Westby

Claire Westby

Emma Pajewski and Malcolm Miles Young

Following the interval, TRIPTYCH, a ritualistic ballet, was preformed:

Justin Faircloth and Emma Pajewski

The ensemble

The women in TRIPTYCH

The men in TRIPTYCH

Malcolm Miles Young, Gwendolyn Gussman, Dervia Carey-Jones

Oscar Rodriguez and Justin Faircloth

Dervia Carey-Jones

Gwendolyn Gussman and Malcolm Miles Young

VEILED was the closing work:

VEILED is a ballet for six women

Emma Pajewski in VEILED

The ensemble

Claire Westby in VEILED

~ All photographs by Charles Roussel

February 26, 2020
Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER

Above: dancers Justin Faircloth, Corinne Hart, and Claire Westby in Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER; photo by Charles Roussel

~ Author: Oberon

{Note: this article has been updated with production photos by Charles Roussel}

Tuesday February 25th, 2020 (dress rehearsal) – Today, choreographer Cherylyn Lavagnino kindly invited me to attend the dress rehearsal of her newest creation: TALES OF HOPPER. It’s a collaboration between Ms. Lavagnino and composer Martin Bresnick, inspired by the works of the American painter Edward Hopper. Two earlier works from Ms. Lavagnino’s treasure chest were also on the bill: Triptych and Veiled.

Hoping to get the clearest possible vision of the Hopper piece, I had asked the choreographer if I might attend the dress rehearsal rather than a performance so that my concentration would be unbroken. As a further enhancement, I had earlier watched a studio rehearsal of one of the ballet’s solos danced by Sharon Milanese; Ms. Milanese’s dancing that afternoon really moved me, and made me eager to see the entire piece. Although a dress rehearsal, the participating dancers and musicians were all at performance level.

This evening’s musicians: Elly Toyoda, Lisa Moore, and Ashley Bathgate; photo by Charles Roussel

TALES OF HOPPER is a dance-theater work in which eight of Edward Hopper’s Americana masterpieces are brought to life. Mr. Bresnick’s original score is performed live – and excellently – by Lisa Moore (piano), Elly Toyoda (violin), and Ashley Bathgate (cello). Transparent set pieces, designed by Jesse Seegers, are re-configured to suggest the locale and mood of each of the Hopper paintings. The set changes are carried out by the dancers during blackouts between the vignettes. Frank DenDanto III created the lighting designs, and Christopher Metzger designed the ‘period’ costumes (the Hopper period, that is: the 30s thru the 60s); both gentlemen get top marks for their work, which were key elements in the evening’s success.

A Prologue opens TALES OF HOPPER; violin and piano are heard in music with a nostalgic air; the cello soon joins in. All of the Company’s dancers take part, costumed as the ‘characters’ they will eventually play.

Sharon Milanese (above) appears as the woman in Hopper’s 1952 painting Morning Star. As the lights come up, the dancer is slowly awakening. The music is thoughtful, and Ms. Milanese – a compelling dancer with a strong theatrical sensibility – is perfect as this restless and vulnerable creature. The music becomes quite passionate; as the lights fades, the dancer is left to her thoughts.

Above: Emma Pajewski, Phil Strom, Gwendolyn Gussman, and Dervia Carey-Jones in People of the Sun

Five dancers bring folding chairs to the stage for People of the Sun, Hopper’s 1960 painting showing a group of people enjoying the sunshine on a patio as they gaze out over an open field. The silence is broken by brief commentary from the violin, and by quiet laughter from Gwendolyn Gussman; she, Dervia Carey-Jones, Emma Pajewski, Malcolm Miles Young (reading a book), and Philip Strom constantly re-align their chairs so as to get the full benefit of the sunshine.

Justin Faircloth (above) has a solo vignette in the 1940 painting Gas, wherein a young service station attendant fritters away his time between customers by bouncing a ball. The piano offers jagged chords, the cello rocks gently, the violin stammers. The attendant pumps gas, gives a car wash, tinkers with an under-body. Then he hits the floor for some pushups.

Above: Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez in The Office at Night

A plucking cello interlude takes us to the Office at Night (1940) where a secretary (Lila Simmons) and her boss (Oscar Rodriguez) are carrying on an after-hours affair. A mysterious dropped document is a bone of contention between them; they are alternately amorous and antagonistic. They embrace, have a steamy duet, and find tenderness at the end.

The magnetic Kristen Foote (above) is a cinema usherette in NY Movie (1940). Aside from some latecomers, the audience is already enjoying the film, and the usherette is biding her time by occasionally breaking into dance steps or miming lines from the movie.

Above: the duet from NY Movie, with Ms. Foote and Malcolm Miles Young

Pensive music heralds the appearance of a handsome man (Malcolm Miles Young) who is perhaps real or perhaps a silver-screen illusion. They dance a romantic/passionate duet; a brooding atmosphere develops musically, and the usherette resumes her solitary post. This might have been my favorite “Hopper tale” tonight, but I think if I were to see the piece repeatedly, I would probably favor a different episode every time.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Claire Westby in Sunlight in a Cafeteria

Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958) commences with shimmering piano sounds. Justin Faircloth is nursing a cup of coffee when Claire Westby saunters past, intentionally dropping a glove. Justin is captivated. Then the openly provocative woman passes her admirer a note…and wanders off.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Corinne Hart in Nighthawks

With Nighthawks (1942), Ms. Lavagnino continues the ‘story’ of Sunlight. As Justin’s wife (or girlfriend), Corinne Hart (fetching in a deep green frock, which sets off her auburn hair) has found Claire’s note; the music (cello and piano) has a searching quality. Feeling betrayed, Ms. Hart confronts Mr. Faircloth: their romance breaks down. Claire Westby returns, and, after a tense trio, Justin chooses Claire over Corinne.

Above: Claire Westby in Automat

Automat (1927) extends the story line of the two previous movements to its finish. Ms. Westby, disheveled and run down, is alone with a cup of coffee. What’s transpired in the interim, we don’t know. Claire’s gorgeous flower-flecked dress – now rumpled – reveals her legs as she rolls about on the floor in a sensual frenzy. She finally composes herself and again sits alone. The dancers now all return to the stage for a final tableau which unites the characters of all the eight tales of Hopper.

Following the interval, the stage has been cleared for Cherylyn’s ballets Triptych (excerpt – 2012) and the 2016 Veiled. Both works explore spirituality in different contexts, and they looked wonderful in this open and finely-lit space…and both were beautifully danced.

Above: from Triptych

Triptych is performed to the music of François Couperin: his Troisième Leçon à deux voix). With the men of the Company aligned upstage, Claire Westby performs a quiet solo with expressive port de bras; Claire prepares us for the entrance of the women – Dervia Carey-Jones, Gwendolyn Gussman, Emma Pajewski, and Lila Simmons – each a unique beauty and personality. The men – Mssrs. Faircloth, Strom, Young, and Rodriguez – come forward now, and Ms. Carey-Jones distinctively leads off a series of dances.

A duet for Malcolm Miles Young and Gwendolyn Gussman has a rapturous quality, whilst Emma Pajewski and Justin Faircloth’s lyrical partnering is poignantly musical. A pas de quatre for Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Westby, and Pajewski follows: they are dancing in a state of grace. A pas de trois joins Lila Simmons, a dancer whose wide-ranging emotional palette always captures my attention, with Phil Strom and Justin Faircloth. Ms. Carey-Jones joins this trio, leading on to a finale for the full cast. Of Triptych tonight, I wrote in my notes: “…a slice of Heaven.”

Above: from Veiled

The notion of Heaven was sustained as the evening concluded with Veiled, a dance for female ensemble set to Martin Bresnick’s Josephine the Singer, performed by violinist Elly Toyoda. Danceworks that speak of sisterhood always end up fascinating me, and I found Veiled to be a particularly engrossing experience: one of those ballets I could watch over and over.

The women are prostrated as Veiled ballet commences, with Ms. Todaya’s violin sounding in its highest range. As the piece unfolds, rituals of prayer, supplication, and consolation pass before our eyes; the atmosphere is paradoxically intense and calming.

I can’t find words to sufficiently praise the six women who danced Veiled tonight: Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Hart, Pajewski, Simmons, and Westby each had an inner glow that made them captivating to watch. Two duets passages – one for Claire Westby and Corinne Hart and another for Lila Simmons and Emma Pajewski – particularly moved me, but in fact everything about this ballet resonated richly.

After a series of brief, fleeting solos, the women form a circle; then they dance in a stylized chain, holding hands. The violin shivers, a prelude to hesitant lyricism that finally reaches unearthly high notes. As the light fades, the women huddle; they seem wary, but also safe in the community of sisters.

Near the end of Veiled, Emma Pajewski (above), kneeling in prayer with an expression of hope on her lovely face, became an iconic image for me. In this Year of the Women, Ms. Lavagnino’s Veiled is truly something to behold.

All photos in this article are by Charles Roussel. A gallery of additional production images from Mr. Roussel may be viewed here.

~ Oberon

February 26, 2020
Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER

Above: dancers Justin Faircloth, Corinne Hart, and Claire Westby in Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER; photo by Charles Roussel

~ Author: Oberon

{Note: this article has been updated with production photos by Charles Roussel}

Tuesday February 25th, 2020 (dress rehearsal) – Today, choreographer Cherylyn Lavagnino kindly invited me to attend the dress rehearsal of her newest creation: TALES OF HOPPER. It’s a collaboration between Ms. Lavagnino and composer Martin Bresnick, inspired by the works of the American painter Edward Hopper. Two earlier works from Ms. Lavagnino’s treasure chest were also on the bill: Triptych and Veiled.

Hoping to get the clearest possible vision of the Hopper piece, I had asked the choreographer if I might attend the dress rehearsal rather than a performance so that my concentration would be unbroken. As a further enhancement, I had earlier watched a studio rehearsal of one of the ballet’s solos danced by Sharon Milanese; Ms. Milanese’s dancing that afternoon really moved me, and made me eager to see the entire piece. Although a dress rehearsal, the participating dancers and musicians were all at performance level.

This evening’s musicians: Elly Toyoda, Lisa Moore, and Ashley Bathgate; photo by Charles Roussel

TALES OF HOPPER is a dance-theater work in which eight of Edward Hopper’s Americana masterpieces are brought to life. Mr. Bresnick’s original score is performed live – and excellently – by Lisa Moore (piano), Elly Toyoda (violin), and Ashley Bathgate (cello). Transparent set pieces, designed by Jesse Seegers, are re-configured to suggest the locale and mood of each of the Hopper paintings. The set changes are carried out by the dancers during blackouts between the vignettes. Frank DenDanto III created the lighting designs, and Christopher Metzger designed the ‘period’ costumes (the Hopper period, that is: the 30s thru the 60s); both gentlemen get top marks for their work, which were key elements in the evening’s success.

A Prologue opens TALES OF HOPPER; violin and piano are heard in music with a nostalgic air; the cello soon joins in. All of the Company’s dancers take part, costumed as the ‘characters’ they will eventually play.

Sharon Milanese (above) appears as the woman in Hopper’s 1952 painting Morning Star. As the lights come up, the dancer is slowly awakening. The music is thoughtful, and Ms. Milanese – a compelling dancer with a strong theatrical sensibility – is perfect as this restless and vulnerable creature. The music becomes quite passionate; as the lights fades, the dancer is left to her thoughts.

Above: Emma Pajewski, Phil Strom, Gwendolyn Gussman, and Dervia Carey-Jones in People of the Sun

Five dancers bring folding chairs to the stage for People of the Sun, Hopper’s 1960 painting showing a group of people enjoying the sunshine on a patio as they gaze out over an open field. The silence is broken by brief commentary from the violin, and by quiet laughter from Gwendolyn Gussman; she, Dervia Carey-Jones, Emma Pajewski, Malcolm Miles Young (reading a book), and Philip Strom constantly re-align their chairs so as to get the full benefit of the sunshine.

Justin Faircloth (above) has a solo vignette in the 1940 painting Gas, wherein a young service station attendant fritters away his time between customers by bouncing a ball. The piano offers jagged chords, the cello rocks gently, the violin stammers. The attendant pumps gas, gives a car wash, tinkers with an under-body. Then he hits the floor for some pushups.

Above: Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez in The Office at Night

A plucking cello interlude takes us to the Office at Night (1940) where a secretary (Lila Simmons) and her boss (Oscar Rodriguez) are carrying on an after-hours affair. A mysterious dropped document is a bone of contention between them; they are alternately amorous and antagonistic. They embrace, have a steamy duet, and find tenderness at the end.

The magnetic Kristen Foote (above) is a cinema usherette in NY Movie (1940). Aside from some latecomers, the audience is already enjoying the film, and the usherette is biding her time by occasionally breaking into dance steps or miming lines from the movie.

Above: the duet from NY Movie, with Ms. Foote and Malcolm Miles Young

Pensive music heralds the appearance of a handsome man (Malcolm Miles Young) who is perhaps real or perhaps a silver-screen illusion. They dance a romantic/passionate duet; a brooding atmosphere develops musically, and the usherette resumes her solitary post. This might have been my favorite “Hopper tale” tonight, but I think if I were to see the piece repeatedly, I would probably favor a different episode every time.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Claire Westby in Sunlight in a Cafeteria

Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958) commences with shimmering piano sounds. Justin Faircloth is nursing a cup of coffee when Claire Westby saunters past, intentionally dropping a glove. Justin is captivated. Then the openly provocative woman passes her admirer a note…and wanders off.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Corinne Hart in Nighthawks

With Nighthawks (1942), Ms. Lavagnino continues the ‘story’ of Sunlight. As Justin’s wife (or girlfriend), Corinne Hart (fetching in a deep green frock, which sets off her auburn hair) has found Claire’s note; the music (cello and piano) has a searching quality. Feeling betrayed, Ms. Hart confronts Mr. Faircloth: their romance breaks down. Claire Westby returns, and, after a tense trio, Justin chooses Claire over Corinne.

Above: Claire Westby in Automat

Automat (1927) extends the story line of the two previous movements to its finish. Ms. Westby, disheveled and run down, is alone with a cup of coffee. What’s transpired in the interim, we don’t know. Claire’s gorgeous flower-flecked dress – now rumpled – reveals her legs as she rolls about on the floor in a sensual frenzy. She finally composes herself and again sits alone. The dancers now all return to the stage for a final tableau which unites the characters of all the eight tales of Hopper.

Following the interval, the stage has been cleared for Cherylyn’s ballets Triptych (excerpt – 2012) and the 2016 Veiled. Both works explore spirituality in different contexts, and they looked wonderful in this open and finely-lit space…and both were beautifully danced.

Above: from Triptych

Triptych is performed to the music of François Couperin: his Troisième Leçon à deux voix). With the men of the Company aligned upstage, Claire Westby performs a quiet solo with expressive port de bras; Claire prepares us for the entrance of the women – Dervia Carey-Jones, Gwendolyn Gussman, Emma Pajewski, and Lila Simmons – each a unique beauty and personality. The men – Mssrs. Faircloth, Strom, Young, and Rodriguez – come forward now, and Ms. Carey-Jones distinctively leads off a series of dances.

A duet for Malcolm Miles Young and Gwendolyn Gussman has a rapturous quality, whilst Emma Pajewski and Justin Faircloth’s lyrical partnering is poignantly musical. A pas de quatre for Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Westby, and Pajewski follows: they are dancing in a state of grace. A pas de trois joins Lila Simmons, a dancer whose wide-ranging emotional palette always captures my attention, with Phil Strom and Justin Faircloth. Ms. Carey-Jones joins this trio, leading on to a finale for the full cast. Of Triptych tonight, I wrote in my notes: “…a slice of Heaven.”

Above: from Veiled

The notion of Heaven was sustained as the evening concluded with Veiled, a dance for female ensemble set to Martin Bresnick’s Josephine the Singer, performed by violinist Elly Toyoda. Danceworks that speak of sisterhood always end up fascinating me, and I found Veiled to be a particularly engrossing experience: one of those ballets I could watch over and over.

The women are prostrated as Veiled ballet commences, with Ms. Todaya’s violin sounding in its highest range. As the piece unfolds, rituals of prayer, supplication, and consolation pass before our eyes; the atmosphere is paradoxically intense and calming.

I can’t find words to sufficiently praise the six women who danced Veiled tonight: Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Hart, Pajewski, Simmons, and Westby each had an inner glow that made them captivating to watch. Two duets passages – one for Claire Westby and Corinne Hart and another for Lila Simmons and Emma Pajewski – particularly moved me, but in fact everything about this ballet resonated richly.

After a series of brief, fleeting solos, the women form a circle; then they dance in a stylized chain, holding hands. The violin shivers, a prelude to hesitant lyricism that finally reaches unearthly high notes. As the light fades, the women huddle; they seem wary, but also safe in the community of sisters.

Near the end of Veiled, Emma Pajewski (above), kneeling in prayer with an expression of hope on her lovely face, became an iconic image for me. In this Year of the Women, Ms. Lavagnino’s Veiled is truly something to behold.

All photos in this article are by Charles Roussel. A gallery of additional production images from Mr. Roussel may be viewed here.

~ Oberon

February 25, 2020
Danish String Quartet ~ CMS Beethoven Cycle – Part 2

Author: Ben Weaver

February 2020 – The Danish String Quartet continuing their Beethoven marathon at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Ben Weaver wrote about earlier concerts here, and he completes the story below:

“I suspect that the Danish String Quartet’s cycle of all 16 Beethoven String Quartets for Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2020 will long be remembered as one of this great organization’s finest moments. The raggedy long-time friends who make up the quartet (its two violinists and violist have been friends since childhood), with their casual wear, messy hair and reserved physical presence, may not at first glance strike one as deeply probing and philosophical musicians. But they are that, and more. The clean, beautiful lines they produce as part of the ensemble, with a full grasp of structure and context, could hardly be improved upon by another quartet. They truly are one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today.

The cycle’s final concert featured Beethoven’s final two quartets: String Quartets Nos. 15 & 16. No. 16 being notable for being the very last piece of music Beethoven ever composed. (The only other thing he is known to have written is the alternative final movement to Quartet No. 13, replacing the Große Fugue.)

With Quartet No. 15, Op. 131, composed in 1825-26, Beethoven created something unique in the canon: an extended, played-without-pause composition that is still divided into multiple (seven!) movements that are all connected to one another. The opening fugue morphs into a set of variations leading into a demented scherzo – so on and so forth. Almost as if recapping his life’s achievements and all the musical forms he has perfected, this may well be Beethoven’s version of “This is my life.” The Danish Quartet’s performance of this was ravishing, with stunningly sustained slow tempi over long periods, without ever losing focus or tension or structure. Violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violist Asbjørn Nørgaard, and cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin made time stop.

The last Quartet No. 16, Op. 135, composed in 1826, would become Beethoven’s last completed composition. How does a musical giant, who has shaken the world, say goodbye? With another outburst, a challenge to the world? Hardly. Like the final Piano Sonata No. 32 – and so unlike the last Symphony No. 9 – Beethoven’s last will and testament is actually a thing of lyricism and beauty, not defiance (ok, with an occasional outburst of crankiness, like the opening pages of the last movement where anger quickly dissipates.) In all, perhaps knowing that is health was failing and that he may not have the strength to complete another piece of music, Beethoven seems to reminisce about his younger self and the music that he composed as a student of Haydn and when Mozart had only just died.

The first movement opens with Viola leading a playful tune, like something Beethoven rescued from an early sketchbook: but with an old man’s wisdom tempering the enthusiasm. It’s like an echo of youth, playful but with a denser sound than a younger Beethoven would have employed, the viola and especially the cello better integrated into the ensemble instead of accompanying the violins.

The slow movement, Lento assai, tantalite e tranquillo, is one of those works of art shared with us by the gods. Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen on first violin in this performance (the two violinists alternated), as the more lyrical player, was the perfect musician to lead this magical piece. (I’d watched a performance of this movement on YouTube that was recorded in an airplane hangar. Someone wisely commented that even an airplane hangar could not contain everything this movement has to say.)

And then the final movement – Allegro – pulls in ideas from the previous ones and then turns them into dance. It is the perfect ending, like Verdi’s “Falstaff” (still to come) or Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” (long past): to finish laughing and free would be the greatest gift of all.

~ Ben Weaver

February 21, 2020
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI @ The Joyce ~ 2020

Above: Compagnie Hervé KOUBI, photo by Frédérique Calloch

~ Author: Oberon

Thursday February 20th, 2020 – Celebrating their 20th anniversary season, Compagnie Hervé KOUBI returned to The Joyce with Les nuits barbares ou les premiers matins du monde. I loved this Company when they appeared at The Joyce in 2018, and when I saw that they were returning to Gotham, I knew I’d want to be there.

Performed by an all-male cast of dancers from the countries along the shores of the of the Mediterranean – from Algeria, Morocco, France, Burkina Faso, Italy, Israel, and Palestine – the work explores the human desire for belonging: an idea that harks back to ancient times, before the birth of nations.

Above: photo by Frédéric de Faverney

The visually engrossing production features evocative lighting by Lionel Buzonie, and costumes by Guillaume Gabriel that include mask-like headgear adorned with Swarovski crystals which catch the light, adding to the mystique of the ballet’s darkish opening passages. The dancers appear first in long skirts, which are later shed in favor of fitted trousers. To say that these men are incredibly sexy is an understatement: they are also fearlessly committed to the work, and to the brotherhood.

To sounds of primeval winds and waves, the dancers emerge from the shadows. They huddle together, earthbound, as the opening music of Wagner’s DAS RHEINGOLD speaks to us of beginnings. The community is restless, wary. They awaken in a brief passage of unison gestures.

Knives are drawn, and an alarm sounds…but fades to mere tinkling sounds. There is a bathing ritual to the sounds of an antique flute, then the men take their places in a striking lineup across the rim of the stage, superbly lit.

A tapping sound develops into vibrant drumming as the men compete in fantastic feats of tumbling, flipping, spinning on their hands or on their heads. The helmet-masks come off, the drumming gets wild. Then deep tones emerge from the sonic glow, alive with the exotic sound of finger cymbals.

A respite, and then a whirring sound spins into a song – are the men actually singing? I was to far away to tell. Now the tribe begin tossing one another into the air; they soar with electifying bravura before being caught by their comrades. After circling in backbends, they cut loose to do more leaping and flipping: mind-boggling athleticism. The music turns metallic as the dancers again engage in uncanny break-dancing spins. Then they slowly disperse to music from the Mozart REQUIEM, only to return, engaging in ever more daring spinning and tossing.

Suddenly one man is targeted and threatened with knives. Stripped of his skirt, and inverted, he performs a spectacular solo, spinning on his head as knife blades fan out from his whirling torso. The men – some on their knees like supplicants – return with metal poles; to the sound of distant voices, the poles become canes of props. Later they are tossed from man to man with amazing accuracy, and still later held aloft in cruciform.

Now there evolves a big-beat, swirling tribal dance; the skirts have all been sheds. After more athletic feats and some spear-tossing, there is an intense run-about. To the sound of the deep chanting of Et lux perpetua, the men again line up along the edge of the stage: they seem to silently be bidding us farewell. Then they back into the shadows and begin to slowly exit – pairs or alone – heading into the unknown. As the last man vanishes from sight, one sensed the welling up of a great emotional force in the house. The audience, who have beheld this great human spectacle in awed silence, are ready to unleash a tremendous wave of applause.

But…no: the men now return and, in a rather prolonged coda, continue to perform many of the same moves and feats we’ve already seen. As this coda brings nothing fresh to the piece, either choreographically or musically, it seemed expendable.

At last, the packed house got their chance to hail Mssr. Koubi and his courageous dancers with waves of fervent applause and cheers.

Above: photo by Pierangela Flisi

~ Oberon

February 20, 2020
YCA: Nathan Lee @ The Morgan Library

Above: pianist Nathan Lee, photo by Chris Lee

~ Author: Oberon

Wednesday February 19th 2020 matinee – Young Concert Artists continued their popular series of noontime concerts at The Morgan Library today as pianist Nathan Lee played works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Chris Rogerson, and Robert Schumann in succession with nary a break in between.

The youthful pianist, clad all in black with subtly bejeweled shoes, opened his program with Beethoven’s Sonata No. 27 in E-minor, Op. 90 – a lovely gift to us for the composer’s 250th birthday celebration. Unlike most traditional sonatas, this one has only two movements; the composer’s tempo markings are in German rather than the usual Italian.

The opening phrases are alternately robust and subtle, and as the music develops there is a continual shift between thoughtful and intense passages. Mr. Lee’s playing of swift downward scales was exhilarating, and he moved effortlessly from drama to delicacy as the piece evolved. The second movement offers a sweet flow of melody with contrasting moments of animation. Mr. Lee is as engaging to watch as to hear, his facial expressions reflecting the moods of the music, his eyes often closed.

The music of Chris Rogerson, who was Young Concert Artists‘ composer-in-residence from 2010-2012, made a very positive impression on me when I first encountered his String Quartet #1 performed by the Omer Quartet at a YCA concert at Merkin Hall in December of 2018. Ever on the lookout for music that might capture the imagination of one of my choreographer/friends, I sent this quartet on to Claudia Schreier. Long story short: Ms. Schreier is choreographing a ballet to Mr. Rogerson’s String Quartet #1 for Chamber Dance Project in Washington DC, which will premiere in June 2020.

This afternoon, Mr. Lee played Chris Rogerson’s ‘Til it was dark; the work was Mr. Rogerson’s first YCA Commission in 2010. The composer’s program notes reveal the nostalgic background for ‘Til it was dark, and made me think of my own boyhood in the little town when we’d play tag and hide-and-seek outdoors as the sun set slowly on summer evenings.

The work’s first movement, Break, seems to speak of the noisy euphoria we felt as kids when school let out. Mr. Lee was called on to bang emphatically on the keyboard or to reel off swirling festoons of notes. As the music turns dreamy, then mysterious, and finally pensive, Mr. Lee caught all these moods thru his canny use of piano/pianissimo gradations. Later, when virtuosity is called for, the pianist delivers in spades.

“Three more minutes!” was the warning call of Chris’s dad that it was almost time to come indoors. The music seems to depict the frantic desire to get as much fun out of the dwindling daylight as one could. By turns sprightly and loudly animated, things eventually calm before a final propulsive rush to a witty end.

Important Things takes on a more serious tone; Mr. Lee’s playing becomes thoughtful, almost tender. In his program note, Mr. Rogerson writes of those “…quieter moments with friends, when you wanted to say something that was on your mind…but of course, you never did.” By turns expansive, wistful, and passionate, the music finally alternates short dreamy phrases with harsher ones. Dreaminess prevails, and quietude settles over us. In this very personal (yet also universal) reflection – which put me in mind of Samuel Barber’s evocative Knoxville: Summer of 1915 – Mr. Rogerson could not have asked for a finer interpretation that Mr. Lee’s.

The young pianist then immediately commenced on Robert Schumann’s Carnaval for piano, Op. 9, written in 1834-1835. In these twenty-one miniatures, Schumann depicted himself (with Florestan and Eusebius representing his split personalty), his beloved Clara (Chiarina), his friends, and also characters from the commedia dell’arte. In 1915, Michel Fokine choreographed the music for his ballet of the same title, created for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Amazingly, I’d never heard the entire Schumann score until today.

Above: the legendary ballerina Tamara Karsavina as Columbine in Fokine’s ballet Carnaval

Nathan Lee took us on a delightful journey with his brilliant playing, and thru his coloristic gifts introduced us to – among others – the lively Pierrot, the smug wit of Harlekin, the scampering Coquette, and the youthful gaiety of Chiarina. From the grand introduction, the music’s rhythmic subtleties and irresistible waltzes drew us onward thru this 30-minute panorama wherein the essential element – charm – was in abundance in Mr. Lee’s playing.

The pianist returned for an encore: the Sarabande from Bach’s 4th Partita, subtly played.

~ Oberon

February 18, 2020
Omer Quartet | Hanzhi Wang @ YCA

Above: Hanzhi Wang

~ Author: Oberon

Wednesday January 29th, 2020 – For this concert in their noon-time series at The Morgan Library, Young Concert Artists brought together the Omer Quartet and accordionist Hanzhi Wang in a wide-ranging program.

Ms. Wang opened the performance with three Scarlatti keyboard sonatas, K. 9, 146, and 159. These amply displayed Ms. Wang’s agile technique and rhythmic control. Her swift filigree passages were deftly dispatched, and the rich sound of the instrument’s lowest range added an earthy dimension; in fact, the music took on an appealing – almost folkish – quality at times. Woven into the accordionist’s exhilarating playing were some wonderful subtle touches. Very quickly, Ms. Wang had audience in the palm of her hand.

Alfred Schnittke’s Revis Fairy Tale, dating from 1978, is a suite of dances which – truly – made me feel like dancing. In the first of four movements, Chichikov’s Childhood, the music is quite melodious and feels traditional; here Ms. Wang’s broad dynamic range came into play. The second movement, Officials, brought SWAN LAKE to mind…specifically, the ‘four cygnets’ motif. The music takes on a more ‘modern’ feel, with discordant passages of jazzy angularity cropping up. Waltz has a somber start, and the melody is low-lying. Later, one feels the waltzers might be drunk…or dotty. After a rise of passion, the music turns dour and ends with a downward slide. The concluding Polka was a lot of fun, with Ms. Wang breezing thru the composer’s demands and winning a burst of enthusiastic applause.

Moritz Moszkowski’s Etincelles figured in Ms. Wang’s 2018 concert at Zankel Hall, and I enjoyed encountering it again today. Full of almost giddy scales, and covering the accordion’s very wide range, the piece is a charming showpiece for Ms. Wang, with a witty ending.

Above, the Omer Quartet: Mason Yu (violin), Jinsun Hong (viola), Alex Cox (cello), and Erica Tursi (violin).

The Omer Quartet then took the stage for a very impressive performance of Haydn’s String Quartet in G-minor, opus 20, #3. The opening movement, Allegro con spirito, is full of mood swings. Immediately, the congenial blend of voices these players have achieved together assures us we are in for a treat. First violinist Mason Yu is a master of dynamic subtlety, and he and his colleagues illuminated the music in a perfectly-paced performance, with hints of hesitations here and there an added delight.

In the Minuetto, Mr. Yu brings sweetness of tone to the poignant violin melody whilst the other players weave harmonies tinged with sadness. In the more optimistic interlude, things cheer up a bit although minor-key twinges continue to intrude. A return to the opening mood carries the music forward, but then it seems to stop in mid-phrase.

Already at such a high level, the Omer Quartet went beyond in the Adagio, creating a palpably poetic atmosphere with playing of searing beauty. Emerging from the movement’s chorale-like opening, cellist Alex Cox commences a moving line that flows among lovely harmonies. Mr. Yu’s high pianissimo passages waft on the air, and violist Jinsun Hong and violinist Erica Tursi have opportunities to shine. Throughout, the cellist’s glowing tone and expressive phrasing are captivating.

The final Allegro molto is animated – even agitated – veering between major and minor, with infinitesimal hesitancies along the way. The cumulative effect of the Omer’s Haydn this afternoon was both musically engrossing and emotionally gratifying.

Young Concert Artists composer Katherine Balch then introduced her work for string quartet, With each breathing, which she said was inspired by the notion of expressing aspects of the act of breathing in musical terms. The work’s title seemed somewhat ironic, but in fact the composer succeeded in her intent with music ranging from sighs and whispers to more labored and dramatic effects. The work’s exploration of textures was ideally set forth by the musicians of the Omer Quartet: a composer could not ask for better advocates.

For the afternoon’s finale, excerpts from Five Tango Sensations by Astor Piazzolla brought together Ms. Wang and the Omer Quartet; this music had figured prominently in the accordionist’s 2018 Zankel Hall concert. With an intrinsic feel for both the allure and the danger that threads thru these tangos, the five musicians brought rich, haunting colours and irresistible rhythmic sway to the music.

This highly enjoyable concert ended with the artists receiving a very warm ovation. The hall’s size and acoustic make it ideal for chamber music. And was that Anne-Marie McDermott seated a couple of rows in front of us?

The performance was live-streamed, and may be seen here.

~ Oberon

January 29, 2020
Lydia Johnson Dance ~ Studio Event

Above: Stephen Hanna and Katie Martin-Lohiya

On Sunday, January 26th, 2020, Lydia Johnson Dance presented excerpts from their repertoire – including a new work-in-progress set to music of Ludwig van Beethoven (celebrating the composer’s 250th birthday!) – at a studio showing held at the Alvin Ailey Dance Center. The afternoon offered a preview of the Company’s 2020 season, wherein Craig Hall and Stephen Hanna, both former members of New York City Ballet, will appear as guest artists.

Due to a conflict, I was unable to attend the studio event, but Dmitry Beryozkin provides these images:

Brynt Beitman and Kate Martin-Lohiya

Brynt Beitman and Min Kim

Laura DiOrio and Craig Hall; this is Craig’s second season guesting with Lydia Johnson Dance

Stephen Hanna and Katie Martin-Lohiya; Stephen previously appeared as a guest with Lydia Johnson Dance in 2018

Katie Martin-Lohiya, Craig Hall, Min Kim, and Catherine Gurr in a passage from the new Beethoven piece, which draws inspiration from the writings of Edith Wharton

Brynt Beitman and Craig Hall, with Katie and Min

The ensemble

Lydia Johnson Dance‘s annual New York season will be at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre on June 17, 18, and 19, 2020.

~ Oberon

January 27, 2020
All-French Program @ Chamber Music Society

Above: violinist Paul Huang

~ Author: Oberon

Sunday January 26th, 2020 – As darkness continues to settle over the world at an alarming rate, the reassurance of great music, poetry, and art becomes increasingly essential in keeping our spirits from being battered down beyond repair. Tonight’s program of music by three French masters, played with elegance and passion by a quartet of extraordinary artists, was an uplifting experience such as Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center are wont to offer us.

In her enlivening and reassuring speech of welcome, the Society’s co-Artistic Director (and tonight’s pianist) Wu Han spoke of the connection between the program’s three composers: Camille Saint-Saëns was the teacher of Gabriel Fauré, who in turn taught Maurice Ravel. Though the perfume of each work is distinctive, the feeling of a continuum was a key element as the evening progressed.

Saint-Saëns’ Trio No. 1 in F-major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 18 (1864) opened the program, played to perfection by Wu Han (piano), Paul Huang (violin), and Clive Greensmith (cello). It is a work full of mood swings. The work’s opening Allegro vivace has a playful, exhilarating, dance-like feeling. Briefly rhapsodic, the music mostly maintains a lightness which the three players seemed to revel in. At the Steinway, the virtuosic keyboard passages were given a quicksilver feeling by Wu Han. The silent communication between the musicians was charming to behold as the work unfurled with a lively sense of optimism.

A sustained tone from Mr. Huang’s 1742 “ex-Wieniawski” Guarneri del Gesù is heard over Wu Han’s mysterious pacing motif as the Andante commences. The violin’s wistful song leads the music to a darker, more dramatic place. Clive Greensmith’s rich cello tone is heard in an exchange of phrases with the Huang violin, building to arching, gorgeous harmonies. Twinkling sounds from the piano underscore an à la Russe passage from the cellist which is taken up by the violin, Mr. Huang’s tone at its most alluring and silken. Fascinating subtle sounds shine from the keyboard; the violin has a sweetly rambling paragraph which morphs into a cello cadenza. In a da capo, the movement’s feeling of mystery returns, but is even more pronounced. The music, played with captivating nuance, moves to a fading end. As silence fell, my companion and I sighed from the sheer beauty of it all.

The plucking, prancing Scherzo – alive with syncopated staccati – transforms into a swaying dance. The music romps along, witty and exuberant, with a da capo that leads to a false ending – the applause charmingly vetoed as the players hastily resumed in a dash to the actual finish line.

The trio’s final Allegro opens with the violin and cello trading very brief phrases over a sparkling piano accompaniment. A unique series of slides up-and-down the scale becomes emblematic here: first played by violin and cello, and later by the piano, they create a slightly woozy effect. With a sense of hustle and flow, this Saint-Saëns masterpiece concluded, igniting the first of the evening’s enthusiastic ovations.

Mssrs. Huang and Greensmith returned for Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello. In 1920, Ravel was asked by his publisher Durand to contribute to an issue of “La Revue Musicale“, dedicated to Claude Debussy. Included were the first movement of Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello, as well as works contributed by Debussy’s friends Stravinsky, Satie, Dukas, Bartok and de Falla. This first movement of Ravel’s Sonata, of which the autograph is lost, was later expanded upon by the composer into a four-movement work which includes some tantalizing modernities in the writing.

This Ravel work is rarely heard, and it seemed so fresh and contemporary in the hands of our two outstanding players this evening. Clocking in at twenty minutes, the sonata is in four brief movements. A touch of jazz can be felt in the opening Allegro, wherein the two impeccable musicians treated us to music with a feel of perpetual motion. Très vif describes the second movement, a pluck-fest that evolves into swift bowing. A bit of slashing is heard, followed by an almost boogie-woogie cello line and some delicious trills from the violin. After a slight lull, things pulse up again for a jazzy finish.

Marked Lent, the third movement opening with a deep, searching cello passage. Following this is a pensive duet that has an oddly liturgical feel, and gets quite eerie. A rise in passion is temporary, for the movement ends with a air of quiet sadness; Mssrs. Huang and Greensmith displayed consummate control in sustaining the atmosphere here. The final movement, established by the rhythmic cello, is dancelike and fun; at its end, the two players were heartily cheered as they bowed to the house, and to one another. Excellent!

Following the interval, violist Matthew Lipman joined his colleagues in a gorgeous performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Quartet No. 1 in C-minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 15 (1876-79).

The rich opening of this piano quartet has a dramatic feeling, with the strings in unison. Mr. Lipman’s viola takes up a dipping motif, which is passed about as melodic strands develop. From the pianist, a solo is heard over sustained strings. Mr. Huang pursues the melody, so persuasively, as the movement flows along lyrically. Plucking sprightliness and brief disputes of rhythm mark the Scherzo, with its trio section offering a change of pace.

Wu Han’s magical mastery of the softest dynamics becomes a key element in the Adagio. Cello, viola, and violin in turn are each heard in a rising passage before meshing in somber harmonies. An interlude, tinged with regret, is finely rendered. Again Wu Han’s exquisitely delicate lyricism can be savoured, drawing us into the poignant sadness that permeates this movement: the composer’s reaction to having been rejected in his romantic pursuit of Pauline Viardot’s daughter.

The energetic Allegro molto is not the music that concluded this work when it was premiered in 1880. Fauré replaced the movement in 1883, prior to the piano quartet’s publication in 1884. The replacement offers a rising motif which the string players constantly return to, and makes for an enjoyable finale. Still, we are left wondering what the original final movement was like.

A packed Alice Tully Hall reverberated with applause and cheers as the musicians took their bows to a full-house standing ovation. The players responded to our acclaim by offering a lovely Schumann encore before sending us forth to face the realities of life with a renewed sense of hope.

~ Oberon

January 26, 2020
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre ~ Studio Event

Above: the dancers of Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, photo by Christopher Duggan

Wednesday January 15th, 2020 – In preparation for their 20th season, Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre tonight opened their studio doors to friends of the Company for a preview of Hindsight, which will have its premiere performances March 5th – 7th, 2020, at the Baruch Performing Arts Center. Hindsight looks back fondly on two decades of Selwyn repertory, whilst also looking ahead – in new choreography – to the promise of the future.

This evening’s open rehearsal took place at the Ailey Studios. As audience members settled in, we watched the dancers taking class. Amanda then welcomed us, and introduced her talented dancers in a series of excerpts from past productions which will be integrated into Hindsight as well as new passages created specially for the upcoming performances.

The Selwyn dancers are exhilarating to watch, each one very much a part of the collective whilst also displaying distinctive personalities; they shine forth in these images from the evening’s presentation captured by the renowned dance photographer Christopher Duggan:

Manon Hallay

Minseon Kim, Sho Miya, Manon Hallay

Sho Miya

Ashley McQueen

Michael Bishop, Misaki Hayama

Nolan Elsbecker, Ashley McQueen, Sho Miya, Misaki Hayama

The Company Dancers: Torrey McAnena (rehearsal director), Michael Bishop, Nolan Elsbecker, Alisa Gregory, Manon Hallay, Misaki Hayama, Isaac Kerr, Minseon Kim, Ashley McQueen, Sho Miya, Lauren Russo, and Evita Zacharioglou.

~ Oberon

January 22, 2020