Category: Dance

Amanda Selwyn’s IT’S A GAME

Photo by Brian Krontz; click on the image to enlarge.

Friday June 28th, 2013 – Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presenting IT’S A GAME at New York Live Arts down in Chelsea on Pride Weekend 2013. The atmosphere in the neighborhood was palpable as the gay and lesbian community celebrate the good news handed down from the Supreme Court earlier this week. Amanda’s 50-minute work, inspired by the designs of Alexander McQueen and the magic of Harry Potter, was a decorative diversion on this start-of-summer evening.

In April, photographer Matt Murphy and I had stopped in at Amanda’s studio while IT’S A GAME was being created. Now the dancework has been dressed (Ana-Alisa Belous designed the fanciful costumes) and superbly lit (Dan Ozminkowski). Music from no fewer than 14 artists comprises the score for the dancing which takes place in three brief ‘acts’, each with several sub-sections.

IT’S A GAME begins with a ritualistic entree of the six dancers, each holding a glowing orb. Emily Pacilio has a beautifully expressive solo danced in a stream of light, set to a soulful Russian-sounding theme. The ensemble weave about the solo dancer, enticing her into the community.

Then the games begin: large chess pieces are moved across squares of light; later dice and playing cards will be introduced. These props are used as fantasy elements, drawing the dancers into fleeting duets (with some very clever partnering motifs) and playful ensembles. The choreographer’s feel for visual polyphony keeps the focus of the work shifting from dancer to dancer: solo opportunities weave into the mix, and the sense of physicality between the dancers is maintained as the lighting steers our attention from one movement pattern to the next. A rectangular pathway of light surrounds the playing field, the dancers trace their steps around it in one of the evening’s most striking moments.

The dice are thrown, the cards are dealt…checkmate. The dancers have returned – now in striped beachwear – with their hand-lights, now glowing red. One expects an elaborate, playful finale but instead the work ends on a question-mark, and a sudden plunge into darkness.

The only slight flaw in the evening was the raising of the house lights
between the work’s thee sections. This tended to break the spell
somewhat, with the audience becoming restless and whispery. Better to
keep things in the dark.

The dancers showed high commitment to the movement and music: four well-contrasted personalities among the women, and two long-limbed boys with flourishing extensions. Here are some of Brian Krontz’s images from the dress rehearsal:

Emily Pacilio

Victor Larue, Torrey McAnena

Randall Anthony Smith

Jenny Gillan

Sarah Buscaino

Victor Larue

Emily Pacilio

Randall Anthony Smith

Victor Larue

All photography by Brian Krontz.

June 28, 2013
BalletCollective Studio Showing

Above: BalletCollective dancer Taylor Stanley photographed by Christopher Starbody

Thursday June 27th, 2013 – Today Troy Schumacher invited me to a special showing of his new work for BalletCollective, in preparation for the Company’s upcoming New York City performances.

At the Ailey Citigroup Theater, friends and supporters of the Collective watched Troy working out some phrases with his exciting ensemble of dancers, all of whom are current or recent members of New York City Ballet. The work is accompanied by live music composed and conducted by Ellis Ludwig-Leone and played by ACME. During this preliminary tinkering session, lighting designer Brandon Baker tried out various effects. We were then shown a run-thru of the work-in-progress.

The ballet, The Impulse Wants Company, takes wing on a poem by Cynthia Zarin, who was present for the showing. The music is both perfectly contemporary and beautifully melodic, with some interesting rhythmic figures; the musicians are expert.

Ms. Zarin’s poem reflects on childhood visits to a beach, on nature, weather, on people and conversations recalled from the past. I didn’t read thru the poem until I’d seen the ballet, but the line “I was a water nymph” might have inspired the opening solo for Kaitlyn Gilliland, the tall ballerina who – with her poetic arabesque and arching back-bend – seems to conjure visions of Odette. David Prottas, a prince of a dancer, joins her. There is a trio of young women – Lauren King, Ashley Laracey and Meagan Mann – who remind me of Rhinemaidens or the nymphs on the lonely shore of Ariadne’s Naxos.

Harrison Coll, a dynamic young dancer, joins Taylor Stanley in an off-kilter waltz, Taylor’s solo begins with him swaying like a tree in the breeze; later he travels up a diagonal in some skitteringly fast footwork before circling the space in a questing motif.

Troy Schumacher told us the that this ballet was created in ten days of studio time; in terms of both movement and imagination, it shows his distinctive choreographic style which uses the classic vocabulary of steps and port de bras with fresh, contemporary nuances. And he has the grest good fortune to be working with some of the best dancers in the world.

It was nice to see so many familiar faces from among New York City’s serious dance aficianados here supporting Troy today, and to greet the lovely former New York City Ballet ballerina Maya Collins, who now dances with Miami City Ballet..

BalletCollective will be performing The Impulse Wants Company along with a re-working of their 2012 ballet Epistasis at The Joyce on August 14th and 15th. Information and tickets here.

You can follow BalletCollective on Ashley Laracey’s blog: The Insider.

June 27, 2013
Heidi Latsky Dance @ Baruch

Above: Jillian Hollis of Heidi Latsky Dance, rehearsal photo

Tuesday June 25, 2013 – Heidi Latsky Dance in performance at Baruch Performing Arts Center. I met Heidi and her dancers just a few days ago at a rehearsal and I pushed things around on my schedule so I could attend her performance tonight. She presented the two works I’d seen in rehearsal: SOLO COUNTERSOLO and SOMEWHERE.

SOLO COUNTERSOLO opens with six dancers clad in simple black outfits standing in a row in “dark light”. The music by Chris Brierley seems jittery and anxious but the dancers hardly move until the pace slows to a deep adagio; this evolves into a soulful turbulence and later into music that is best described as ‘starlit’. To this sound tapestry, the dancers move in and out around Heidi, who seems to dance in her own world. Tempos vary but the movement isn’t always rigidly aligned to the beat: at one point everyone moves faster and faster, and later there is a simple, stylized procession. A mystical trio for women, a dynamic male duet, a meditative quartet, Heidi dancing with the two boys: all of this flows naturally. Heidi continues to express her own private passions in fluid combinations as the dancers swirl around her is restless pirouettes. A gorgeous wing-like motif for the arms seems to be a signature element (it’s also used in SOMEWHERE) and gives an expansive, ecstatic quality. As the piece draws to a close, step-dancing takes on a new look, to a bouncy beat; but the work in fact ends with a silent coda.

Aided and abetted by her generous, tireless dancers (Meredith Fages, Saki Masuda, Jillian Hollis, Brynt Beitman and Gregory Youdan), Heidi has crafted a “dance about dancing” that is physically demanding and very rewarding to watch.

Heidi Latsky: winged victory

After only the briefest of breaks, the dancers were right back onstage for SOMEWHERE. Much as the song “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” is both melodically and lyrically resonant, the idea of hearing ten versions of it in a row might seem too much of a good thing. But the settings – everything from boys’ choir to disco to barbershop quartet – showed such a variety of pace and feeling that it made for an engrossing soundtrack. I took a special liking for Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s charming version with ukelele in which the vocalist plays with the words to delicious effect. And of course there was Judy Garland’s classic version of the song.

In this work Heidi’s company of dancers were joined by performers with physical disablities; steering clear of anything maudlin or overly sentimental, Heidi gave them beautiful and expressive movement which added to the emotional power of the piece. Thus Robert Simpson opened SOMEWHERE seated with his back to the audience, the “wing” motif used with simple clarity. In the far corner, Greg Youdan’s solo echoes Robert’s phrasing. Meredith Fages and Brynt Beitman have distinctive solo passages, as does Jerron Herman who dances with electric animation. Greg and Jerron have a smooth, linear duet and Saki Masuda and Jillian Hollis dance vividly in-sync. Sign language expressed at high velocity marks the duet for Alexandria Wailes and John McGinty, followed by Ms. Wailes’ remarkably lovely signing solo as she kneels before the seated Mr. Mc Ginty. Heidi’s adagio solo flows seamlessly into a strikingly intimate duet for Jillian and Jerron in which they stand stock still, only their faces meeting as they express a dreamlike connection. They embrace tenderly as the light fades.

Jillian Hollis and Jerron Herman

A reprise of ‘…Over The Rainbow‘ accompanied the curtain calls and then Brynt Beitman suddenly burst into an impromptu solo. Perfect way to end the evening.

Heidi had a full house for this first of three shows (repeats are this Thursday and Friday) and it was great running into Cherylyn Lavagnino, Jill Echo and Take Ueyama.

June 25, 2013
Monte/Muller Move! @ NYLA

Above: Seiko Fujita and Chellamar Bernard rehearsing for Jennifer Muller/The Works. Photo by Brian Krontz.

Friday June 20, 2013 – Two companies shared the stage at New York Live Arts tonight: Elisa Monte Dance and Jennifer Muller/The Works. With two intermissions the evening stretched long, but the diversity of music and the appeal of both Companies’ dancers proved rewarding.

Grass, Jennifer Muller’s newest creation, opened the evening. I had recently seen a studio run-thru of this work, loosely inspired by Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass,
and I feel it’s one of Ms. Muller’s finest. Actually danced on a rectangle of living grass, and enhanced by subtle lighting (Jeff Crotier), Grass profits beautifully by being performed to live music: composer/cellist Julia Kent, seated stage left, wove some melancholy ‘Russian’ nuances into her poignant score which has a slightly folkish feel blended with Glassian lyricism.

Gen Hashimoto, one of Gotham’s most fluent movers, opens the ballet as he wanders pensively onto the patch of lawn. The other dancers come on one by one; the dance flows on Ms. Kent’s rhythmic shifts. In this collective which is not yet a community, many emotional textures are revealed as the dancers seek to form relationships. Olivia Jordan, her silky long hair giving her a vulnerability that was most appealing, seems to be the outsider; only near the end does the group view her with compassion. Having banded together at last, the dancers move off into the late afternoon, leaving Gen to stretch out on the ground in a solitary daydream.

Grass is at once simple and complex; it is a work which will reward repeated viewings since both in terms of choreography and psychological undercurrents it is too rich to absorb in a single performance. The dancers of Ms. Muller’s company – in addition to Gen and Olivia – are Rosie Lani Fiedelman, Seiko Fujita, Caroline Kehoe, Katherine Hozier, Duane Gosa, Chellamar Bernard, and Michael Tomlinson. Both as individuals and as an ensemble, they are beyond beautiful to behold.

Excellence of dancers is one thing the Muller and Monte troupes have in common. The power and authority of the Monte men – Prentice Whitlow, Riccardo Battaglia and Justin Lynch – became immediately evident in their first work of the evening: Unstable Ground. This brooding and unsettlling work is set to a Lois Vierk score that vibrates with dark foreboding. The men are handsomely costumed by Keiko Voltaire. It is a floor-oriented piece in which the dancers seem to strive against the impending collapse of their known world.

Things brighten somewhat in terms of both setting and music with Monte’s Shattered in which Michael Gordon’s score impels the dancers to broader and swifter movement. Maria Ambrose and Riccardo Battaglia have a striking duet, and the red-haired Lisa Peluso dances a spacious, dramatic solo which evolves into another duet with Riccardo. Mindy Lai and Lisa Borres move with fleet-footed assurance among the shifting patterns of the ensemble.

Volkmann Suite, a Monte classic, uses a gorgeoulsy ‘classical’ Michael Nyman score in this tribute to photographer Roy Volkmann. Three dancers – Clymene Baugher (topless), Prentice Whitlow and Riccardo Battaglia (both men in black briefs) – deliver sensual, sculptural partnering in a pas de trois laced with erotic imagery. The atmosphere suggests a photoshoot that turns into an intimate exploration of the models’ bodies and souls. The dancers were magnificent in their physicality and allure.

Speeds, danced by the Muller company, brought the evening to a bright conclusion. In this clever – but not cute – ensemble piece the dancers call out for changes of tempo as they move to Burt Alcantara’s panoramic synthesizer soundscape. All in white and brilliantly lit, the dancers seize on the eclecticism of the musical settings in a series of vignettes ranging from vari-paced walking to utter stillness (Katherine Hozier posing in a white picture-hat to silence). Ms. Hozier and Duane Gosa are a fabulous duo in a long pas de deux that is not long enough, while Rosie Lani Fiedelman and Michael Tomlinson have a sporting time in their jazzy duet. Seiko Fujita periodically interrupts the flow of dance to strike poses while enticing the audience with her quizzical expressions. This vastly entertaining white ballet capped the evening to fine effect.

June 20, 2013
At Jennifer Muller’s Studio

Above: Chellamar Bernard and Seiko Fujita of Jennifer Muller/The Works. Photo by Brian Krontz.

Wednesday May 28th, 2013 – An invited audience of friends of Jennifer Muller/The Works enjoyed a sneak preview of Jennifer’s newest creation GRASS, as well as highlights from the Company’s repertoire at a private studio showing this evening.

Jennifer Muller/The Works will be performing at New York Live Arts June 20th thru 22nd, 2013, sharing the programme with Elisa Monte Dance. Ticket information here.

This evening’s studio showing opened with a quartet from EDGE danced by Seiko Fujita, Caroline Kehoe, Gen Hashimoto and Michael Tomlinson. This was followed by a richly emotional duet from HYMN FOR HER danced by Rosie Lani Fiedelman and Duane Gosa. A quintet from FLOWERS showed off a seductive sway, performed by Seiko, Rosie, Caroline, Duane and Gen.

In prefacing the excerpts from the new work GRASS, Ms. Muller spoke of drawing inspiration from Walt Whitman’s poetry, and told us about the impending arrival of the actual turf on which the work will be danced. For the NYLA performances, the score will be played live by composer/cellist Julia Kent. Jennifer then introduced the individual dancers, leading off with Olivia Jordan, in solo phrases. The ensuing excerpts were danced first in silence as Jennifer described the motifs of movement, and then danced again to parts of a recording of the score. Contrasting the solitude of the individual with the underlying seach for common bonds, GRASS should look incredibly beautiful onstage.

The evening concluded with a celebratory performance of the final movement of MOMENTUM, led with vivid energy by Duane Gosa. At the finish, the audience saluted all of the dancers and Ms. Muller with sustained applause.

May 29, 2013
Nomad: A Contemporary Ballet Film

Above: Kristen McGrew, choreographer and artistic director of Nomad Contemporary Ballet; photo by Melissa Bartucci

Last summer, last I attended Nomad’s premiere performance and I have kept in touch with the Company’s photographer, Melissa Bartucci. I ran into Kristen and Melissa last week and they told me about an exciting new project they are involved in: Joshua MacLeod, executive editor of Vesper magazine, is creating a film in collaboration with Nomad Contemporary Ballet. They invited me to a workshop which is part of the creative process for the film.

The workshop ran for three days at MMAC; I went on the final day. Joshua and the magazine’s art director Lalique Martinez were there filming and shooting, along with Melissa who provided me with the images for this article. The work being filmed is Kristen McGrew’s newest choreographic creation, Wind Spirits.

Here are Melissa Bartucci’s images of some the dancers who took part in the workshop or who are members of the Nomad company:

Erin Ginn

Elise Ritzel

Joel Levy

Alessandra Giambelli

Eric Vlach

Ursula Verduzco

Kevin Tate

Shannon Maynor

Courtney Conigatti

Choreographer Kristen McGrew

More information about this film with be forthcoming as the process evolves.

Photography by Melissa Bartucci.

May 25, 2013
Bountiful Balanchine @ New York City Ballet

Above: New York City Ballet principal ballerina Ashley Bouder in a Matt Murphy portrait

Friday May 24th, 2013 – A panoramic vision of George Balanchine’s choreographic artistry was on display this evening at New York City Ballet: an iconic classic, a quirky and mysterious series of danced vignettes, a spirited showpiece pas de deux, and a masterwork set in a luminous Chagall decor.

It must be a memorable landmark in a NYCB ballerina’s career to be cast in one of the principal roles in SERENADE. Sterling Hyltin, who recently took on the Russian Girl, was tonight making her debut as the Waltz Girl. Sterling has her own brand of youthful elegance and sophistication as well as the mature depth of artistry to bring something very personal to this role. As the inherent drama of the ballet evolved, Sterling’s sure sense of the music and her nuanced conveyance of its romantic beauty made a poetic impression, enhanced by the angelic fall of her hair.

Jared Angle was a perfect cavalier for Sterling in their Waltz, and his airy solo passage was beautifully crafted. Megan LeCrone’s unique persona and wonderfully fluid movement continually found inspiration in the Tchaikovsky score, and Adrian Danchig-Waring was again a marvel of physique and presence.

I’ve seen Megan Fairchild as the Russian Girl many times and I felt that tonight she surpassed her own high standards in the role; every phrase had a serene quality and in matters of expressiveness she found the exact hues in her dancing to enhance the lyrical glow of the music. It was a very pleasing interpretation in terms of both technique and artistry.

Above: newly-promoted to soloist, Ashley Laracey – one of the Company’s most distinctive dancers – in IVESIANA; photo by Paul Kolnik. The opening section of this ballet, entitled In Central Park, commences with a convergence of almost zombie-like women wandering the park at night. Ms. Laracey, in virginal white, moves among them – a blind girl feeling her way in the darkness. She encounters the broodingly handsome Zachary Catazaro and falls prey to his sexual desire, but it’s all very subtly manifested.

Above: Anthony Huxley and Janie Taylor in The Unanswered Question from IVESIANA; photo by Paul Kolnik. In this duet, the barefoot ballerina is borne aloft by unseen carriers while the desperate young man pursues her in vain. I’m reminded of a similar Balanchine duet, PORTE ET SOUPIR, in which the female character appears ever beyond reach. The two ballets end differently, but the mystery and allure evoked are provocative in both works. Anthony Huxley, beautifully vulnerable, gives a charismatic youthfulness to the questing boy and his thwarted desires, while the divine Janie Taylor, wrapped in an enigma, entrances with her pale skin and iconic hair.

In a sudden snap-out-of-it burst of reality, Teresa Reichlen and Amar Ramasar appear in a vaudeville-like duet. Playful and unromantic, they trade solo passages before shaking hands and going their separate ways. Confident and super-attractive, Tess and Amar give IVESIANA its only bright spot, for the ballet ends in deep twilight with the corps now walking about on their knees, downcast and anonymous.

The programme then did a volte face and gave us Balanchine at his most witty and entertaining with TARANTELLA, a virtuoso courting duet with a Neopolitan flair. Daniel Ulbricht gave a dynamic and high-flying performance, the crowd with him every step of the way as he leapt and swirled about the stage in uncanny combinations. Not to be outdone, the charming Erica Pereira brought a delicate but spicy air to her performance: her fancy footwork matched Daniel’s, and she showed off some very pretty attitude turns. As the pas de deux sails forward, the zils started to fly off from Daniel’s tambourine causing much mirth in the audience. The two dancers swept offstage after Daniel’s victorious kiss, then returned to an avalanche of applause. They were called out four times by the delighted crowd.

It’s not often we see a fourth curtain call after a ballet at NYCB, but it happened a second time tonight as Ashley Bouder delivered a brilliant Firebird to end the evening. Ashley’s boundless technique is matched by her insightful dramatic interpretation, filled with subtle detail and highly personal musicality. She created a vibrant and magical atmosphere, topped off by a striking manege of full-stretched jetes. But then she also summoned up the gentle rapture needed in the whispering bourees of the Berceuse. Fortunate ballet-goers to have experienced two superb Firebirds – Ashley’s and Maria Kowroski’s – in a single week. They are as different as two birds of a feather could be, yet each seems perfect.

Justin Peck was the wide-eyed and courtly Prince and Gwyneth Muller the willowy, enchanting Princess. Blessings on my lovely girls in the Dance of the Captive Maidens. Conductor Leif Bjaland and the NYCB players gave a jewel-like rendering of this fascinating Stravinsky score.

SERENADE: Hyltin, M. Fairchild, LeCrone, J. Angle, Danchig-Waring [Guest Conductor: Bjaland]

IVESIANA: Laracey, Catazaro, Taylor, Huxley, Reichlen, Ramasar [Conductor: Sill]

TARANTELLA: Pereira, Ulbricht [Conductor: Sill, Solo Piano: Chelton]

FIREBIRD: Bouder, J. Peck, Muller, Scordato [Guest Conductor: Bjaland]

May 24, 2013
Ian Spencer Bell’s PASTE-UP

Wednesday May 22, 2013 – Ian Spencer Bell’s PASTE-UP was performed at City Center Studios this evening. On entering the studio, the dancing area has been created: a square has been taped off on the floor, studded along its perimeter with large light bulbs. The viewers are seated along all four sides of the square; as the house lights dim, the self-illuminated space comes to life.

There is no music for PASTE-UP though one of its sources of inspiration is Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. The only sounds we hear are the voices of the dancers calling out individual words.

The ballet commences with the ten dancers leaping across the space one by one; they repeatedly execute flying jetés from one side of the square to the other, or on the diagonals. As each dancer’s jump reaches its apex, he/she calls out the word “Lift!”. Yes, I know: it sounds terribly simplistic – even naive – but in fact it weaves a particular spell.

A trio evolves, danced by Ian Spencer Bell, Lindsey Jones and Joshua Tuason (above), and the word being said now is “Left!”. The movement vocabulary expands cautiously, with straight-armed salutes and more variety of steps and self-expression.

Switching to “Loft!”, the full company enter the space; they begin to touch one another, there are partnering elements and lifts along with seemingly improvisational self-contained solos. The work’s opening leaping patterns are repeated, now executed in trios.

Introspection comes in Ian’s solo; we seem to be eaves-dropping on the dancer as he works alone in the space. He’s talking to himself: musing on Britten and on the music only he can hear, quietly infatuated with the sound of his own voice. Other dancers intrude, calling out things like “a beautiful melody!” where there is none.

Above: Stevie Oaks, Lindsey Jones and Courtney Lopes

In an animated quartet – Lindsey, Joshua, Courtney Lopes and Stevie Oakes – the individual instruments of the orchestra are named along with descriptive words. The finale builds with the full ensemble, their voices becoming more urgent and their dancing more extroverted and complex. One by one the dancers exit, leaving Ian alone in the twilight, his voice fading to nothing.

I have described the facts of PASTE-UP but it’s rather more complicated to describe the atmosphere of the piece which has an odd intensity and a dreamlike quality. It evokes memories of innocence and of the simplicity of dancing alone, unobserved, discovering oneself with music that comes from within.

Ian’s works are distinctive and seem to evolve from simple and highly personal musings, finding a connection to the viewer thru the movement and the expressive gifts of his individual dancers. He certainly has a unique place in the current NYC dance scene and I look forward to seeing more of his work.

Appearing in PASTE-UP are: Ian Spencer Bell, Lindsey Jones, Courtney Lopes, Stevie Oaks, Mara Driscoll, Debra Bona, Oceane Hooks-Camilleri, Sally Kreimendahl, Vani Ramaraj, Joshua Tuason, and Justin Rivera. The lighting design is by Nicholas Houfek.

Photos by Taylor Crichton.

May 22, 2013
RIOULT Studio Showing

Above: Charis Haines and Brian Flynn in Pascal Rioult’s ON DISTANT SHORES; photo by Sofia Negron

Monday April 29, 2013 – For me, there are few choreographers currently creating who can rival Pascal Rioult for musicality, structure and dramatic nuance. This evening at the Paul Taylor Studios an invited audience watched an excerpt from one of Pascal’s most perfect works, ON DISTANT SHORES; and we were then treated to a preview of his current work-in-progress, set to a score by Michael Torke. Both ballets draw their inspiration from the stories of legendary women: Helen of Troy for DISTANT SHORES and Iphigenia for the new creation.

The except from ON DISTANT SHORES was danced this evening by Charis Haines, a charismatic and mysterious beauty; seeing her as the iconic Helen seems like a providential case of type-casting, for her presence is as mesmerizing as her face. She is surrounded by the spirits of four warriors, Greek or Trojan, with the torsos of demi-gods and each with his own indivdual allure: Jere Hunt, Brian Flynn, Holt Wilbourn and Josiah Guitian. The ballet is set to an ethereal and evocative score by Aaron Jay Kernis.

The dancers have been up at Katsbaan preparing IPHIGENIA; the Michael Torke score for this ballet will be performed live when it premieres at The Joyce in June. This new work is something of a fresh departure for Pascal Rioult in that it takes on the aspects of a dance-drama; there will be a spoken narrative, and the dancers’ acting skills will be to the fore. In this evening’s preview-showing the four principal roles were danced by Jane Sato, Marianna Tsartolia, Brian Flynn and Jere Hunt – all looking splendid, and vibrantly committed – while the other dancers of the Company take on the classic duties of the Greek chorus.

RIOULT will be at The Joyce June 9th thru 14th, 2013. Information here. Ah, and they are doing BOLERO…yet another of Pascal’s masterpieces.

April 29, 2013
At the Miller Theatre: Baroque Vanguard

Saturday April 27th, 2013 – The brilliant South African harpsichordist Kristian Bezuidenhout (above, in a Marco Borggreve photo) teamed up with Ensemble Signal to present an intriguing programme at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre. The event had been on my calendar for months and it lived up to expectations in every way.

Two hundred and sixty years separate the composition dates of the evening’s opening and closing works. In this fusion of olde and new, Mr. Bezuidenhout and the Ensemble’s conductor Brad Lubman shook hands across the centuries, commencing the performance with the wildly discordant and precursive opening statement of Jean-Fery Rebel‘s “Chaos” from LES ELEMENTS. The work, which dates from 1737, has a startling freshness, even when it subsides into a more expected Baroque feeling. Despite its forward-looking beginning, this piece also seems to look back to the late Renaissance and the composer explores all the musical facets with a keen imagination.

Two of the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach were represented next by a pair of sinfonias, the first by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (in D major, composed in the 1770s) and the second by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (in D minor, dating from the 1740s). In the first, a complement of wind players join the strings and keyboard: horns, flutes, oboe and bassoon; the flutes remain to play the second sinfonia as well. The music is all delightful and superbly rendered, yet the work of the father which followed the intermission showed that the sons never quite attained the miraculous level of Johann Sebastian’s perfection.

The harpsichord concerto in D-minor (1738) found Mr. Bezuidenhout at his most elegant in the gently rippling cadenzas, while the musicians of the Ensemble gave full-toned and scrupulously musical support. The harpsichordist’s speed and accuracy were dazzling, and he played with a passion and intensity that drove out any notion of this music as being a dry technical exercise.

The harpsichord then vanished and six players (violins, viola, cello and double bass) ranged themselves in a semi-circle to tackle Michael Gordon’s devilsihly delightful WEATHER ONE. Dating from 1997, this work was inspired by chaotic shifts in weather patterns; the aural wind machine starts cranking up in the bass range and soon all six musicians are bowing furiously thru the swirling motifs in a staggering, shifting skyscape of rhythmic and textural elements. As the twenty-minute work finally subsided into calm, the audience erupted in cheers for Mr. Lubman and his valiant players: this score seems a great test of both concentration and physical stamina for the musicians. The composer appeared onstage, embracing each of the players in turn. I was left to imagine what sort of dancework could be made to this fantastical piece; the counts alone would be a major challenge for the dancers.

As the Bach concerto was being played, I was recalling my childhood wish to play the harpsichord. My mother had bought me a recording entitled ‘Said The Piano to The Harpsichord‘ and I played it til it wore out. I had been playing the piano by ear starting at a very young age, but once I heard this recording I started asking for a harpsichord; my parents had no idea of where or how to get one in our god-forsaken little town, but the sound of the instrument always brings back this memory. Amazingly, I found the ancient recording on YouTube.

The repertory of tonight’s Baroque Vanguard concert:

Rebel: Chaos from Les Elements
C.P.E. Bach: Sinfonia in D Major, Wq 183
W.F. Bach: Sinfonia in D minor, F. 65
J.S. Bach: Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052
Michael Gordon: Weather One

April 27, 2013