Oberon's Glade

Tag: Ballet

  • Trifonov Triumphs @ The NY Phil

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    Above: pianist Daniil Trifonov

    Tuesday December 30th, 2014 – My final musical event of the year. Avery Fisher Hall was packed with avid music-lovers as the Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena (NY Philharmonic debut) took the podium for the opening work, Capriccio espagnol by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. 

    Painted in vibrant colours and dancing in dazzling rhythms, this Capriccio is a vivid evocation of Spain. Finding inspiration in Spanish folk songs, Rimsky-Korsakov cast the piece in five continuous  movements: Alborada (“morning song”); Variazoni; again Alborada; “Scene and Gypsy Song”; and the fabulous Fandango Asturiano (a dance popular in northern Spain) which features the lilting sonic illusion of guitars being strummed to the jaunty clicking of castanets. The work features prominent passages for the solo violin, Sheryl Staples winning a round of ‘bravas‘ as the conductor led her forward a solo bow at the end. Likewise Carter Brey (cello), Robert Langevin (flute) and Anthony McGill (clarinet) were all embraced by the enthusiastic crowd. And the horns were having a fine night of it. Señor Mena’s debut was off to an auspicious start.

    Kudos to the Hall’s stagehands who re-configured the seating and parked the Steinway front-and-center in the twinkling eye.

    The appearance of the boyish Daniil Trifonov was warmly greeted; with a charismatic air of mystery, this pale young man seemed to summon up imaginings of such great pianistic wonders as Chopin and Liszt who, if we believe what is written, could cast a spell over the multitudes with their virtuosic musical wizardry and their spiritual connection to the piano itself. Mr. Trifonov was so clearly enamoured of the keyboard, caressing it with his elegantly styled hands, nearly putting his ear to the keys as if they were whispering secrets to him. Intense when in motion, he seemed to be under in the piano’s thrall, unable to resist it, like an obsessive lover. If all of this sounds high-flown, it’s thoroughly true – though of course it would all be for nought if he lacked the technical mastery to match his physical passion. But…he has massive technique: he seems to burn with it, in fact. 

    So it became both an aural and a visual fascination to experience his playing tonight, playing that was beautifully embraced by the orchestral sound under Maestro Mena’s articulate leadership. For all the spectacular fluency of Trifonov’s agility as his hands whisked magically up and down the keyboard, it was in the central Andante that his mystic conversation with Rachmaninoff reached us most affectingly: especially in the gentle hush of the long, slow ascent at the end.

    Hailed by the crowd, the pianist gave us a solo encore played with delicate rapture. You can get a sense of the spell Daniil Trifonov casts with his playing here. And this quote from a Playbill article about the pianist says so much about him as an artist:  “…he approaches his work almost as a mission, and has compared the classical performer to a pastor and the performance space to a temple of art. He is ever mindful of the audiences who, he believes, need to experience something profound and meaningful in every concert.”

    Mena

    Above: conductor Juanjo Mena

    Maestro Mena has an Old World aura about him: passionate yet gentlemanly. His rendering of the Tchaikovsky 6th (Pathétique) symphony had great melodic breadth as well as a sense of nobility. From Judith LeClair’s pensive opening bassoon passage, the symphony bloomed sonically with some truly splendid playing by the Philharmonic’s richly gifted artists. In the midst of so much fabulous music-making, one moment stood out as exceptional: Anthony McGill’s truly remarkable – whispered – playing of the clarinet theme near the end of the first movement. This was some of the purest and truest music-making I’ve ever experienced: how daring of Mr. McGill to play it ppppp…and how gorgeously he succeeded!

    The symphony’s final movement, the Adagio Lamentoso, was choreographed (more as a ritual than an actual ballet) by George Balanchine; seeming to be the choreographer’s farewell to the world, it was performed only once during his lifetime, at the New York City Ballet’s 1981 Tchaikovsky Festival. Longtime NYCBalletomanes have different memories of repeat performances, but it’s most likely true that it was seen again – just once – after Balanchine’s death, danced as a memorial. I never saw it, but I wish that I had.

  • New York String Orchestra @ Carnegie Hall

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    Above: violinist Augustin Hadelich

    Sunday December 28th, 2014 matinee – An matinee concert by the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall brought us the scores of two favorite ballets: Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings (the setting of Balanchine’s beloved classic) and the Barber violin concerto (one of Peter Martins’ finest creations). In addition, Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony (#6) rounded out the afternoon.

    A huge crowd filled the venerable hall, perhaps drawn as much by attractive ticket pricing as by the inviting programming. Although betraying a lack of sophistication by applauding between movements – and even during one movement of the Serenade – they were on the whole very attentive and appreciative, and there were lots of young people present, a hopeful sign that live classical music still has the power to inspire in an age of I-phones and ‘clouds’. We could have done without the baby, though.

    Jaime Laredo took the podium, mustering a lush and soul-lifting sound from his young musicians in the Tchaikovsky. I sometimes wonder if people who’ve never seen Balanchine’s ballet get the same spine-tingling raptures on hearing this score played in a concert hall. For ballet-goers, this is music indelibly linked to movement: to toe shoes and ice-blue tulle; so much so that, even though we know full well the order of the last two movements will be reversed, it’s still a bit of a jolt when it happens. The musicians (so many Asian players – always a treat!) simply reveled in the rich textures and broad melodies with which the composer both seduces and inspires us. It was a – indeed, an inspiring – performance, loaded with sonic ravishments.

    Augustin Hadelich then appeared, slender and dapper, and together with Maestro Laredo and the orchestra (enhanced by winds, piano, and timpani) gave a marvelous reading of the Barber concerto. Mr. Hadelich has an extraordinary gift for lyricism, his tone remaining blessedly sweet in the highest register whilst meanwhile showing an almost viola-like resonance in the lower range. Sweeping thru the poignant themes that the composer has lavished on the work, the violinist seemed to be reaching the hearts of the listeners; and in the insanely swift and dancing coloratura of the final presto, he was indeed impressive. 

    Barber gives shining moments to some of the orchestral voices as well, most notably the oboe solo heard early in the second movement, played lovingly today by Emily Beare. Horn, flutes, clarinet and bassoon each have their say, and I love the way the piano is woven into the tapestry, Amalia Rinehart making a fine impression at the keyboard. I also greatly enjoyed the female timpanist, Yibing Wang.

    Mr. Hadelich was rightly given a warm ovation and he very much deserved the Paganini encore which was granted, though I think I would have preferred to carry my deep enjoyment of the Barber right into the interval.

    Beethoven’s Pastoral is a very nice symphony: the music is overwhelmingly lovely and cordial, and even the momentary storm (which passes as swiftly as Rossini’s witty thunderbolts in Barbiere di Siviglia) can’t detract from the sheer serenity of the music. Well-played by the young musicians, I found the symphony too lulling and too long to sustain interest over its 40-minute duration. But the first half of the concert was entirely satsfying.

  • New Music Director at NYC Ballet

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    New York City Ballet have announced the appointment of Andrew Litton (above) as music director. Litton, a native New Yorker, is the sixth conductor to hold the coveted post.

    Visit Maestro Litton’s website and learn all about him here.

    And while we’re on the subject of New York City Ballet, ballerina Faye Arthurs has posted a charming story about the Company’s annual NUTCRACKER season here.

  • Joy To The World: BRANDENBURGS @ CMS

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    Tuesday December 16th, 2014 – New York City Ballet have Balanchine’s NUTCRACKER; The Philharmonic offers the MESSIAH; and The Met’s giving holiday performances of HANSEL & GRETEL. But it’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center who give us an extra-special gift every year in the run up to Christmas Eve: the complete Brandenburg concertos of Johann Sebastian Bach.

    Last year the Society scheduled two performances of this programme, both of which were sold out. This year they have added a third performance, which is the one Dmitry and I attended tonight. And on Thursday they’ll take the Brandenburgs on the road, to the Harris Theater in Chicago.

    A large crowd this evenng, with additional rows of seating near the stage. A pair of fidgety neighbors were a bit of a distraction, but at least they were silent. The concertos, played in a different order each year, unfolded magically; each has its own complement of players and the Society assembled a roster of excellent musicians who traded off ‘seatings’ from one concerto to the next. So nice to see principal artists from The New York Philharmonic (Robert Langevin, flute, and Timothy Cobb, double-bass) and The Metropolitan Opera (Julia Pilant, horn) joining CMS from their neighboring home theatres. Mr. Cobb and John Gibbons (immaculate playing at the harpsichord) performed in all six concertos. The programme looks long on paper, but actually the evening flew by with a savourable mixture of virtuosity and expressive poetry.

    The performance opened with the #1 concerto in F-major, which sounds so Handelian to me. This is the concerto with two horns and a trio of oboes. Ms. Pilant and Julie Landsman sounded the brightly-harmonized horn calls with assurance, whilst Stephen Taylor, Randall Ellis, and James Austin Smith piped up delightfully with their oboes, joined by Marc Goldberg on bassoon. Oboe, violin, bassoon and bass sound the poignant adagio, then the high horns ring out briskly in the allegro. You think it’s over, but there’s a surprise fourth movement – it veers from minuet to polonaise – in which separate choirs of winds and strings summon up the rhythms of the dance.

    In concerto #6 (B-flat major) which follows, a trio of cellos (Pauk Watkins, Eileen Moon, Timothy Eddy) bring a particular resonance to the score. The adagio – one of Bach’s most movingly melodious inventions – opens with the solo viola (Lily Francis) who passes the theme to violinist Lawrence Dutton. This is a passage that one wants to go on and on. But the closing allegro sweeps us inexorably forward.

    Violinist Benjamin Beilman took the lead in the 4th concerto (in G-major); the satiny sheen of his sustained tones and his very deft management of the coloratura passages were indeed impressive, and he is an animated, deeply involved musician. The duo flautists Sooyun Kim and Robert Langevin warbled with silvery sweetness in the fleet phrases of the outer movements and blendied serenely in the central andante.  Ben Beilman’s striking virtuosity and his elegant lyricism marked a high point in an evening loaded with superb playing.

    After the interval, in the 5th concerto (D-major), John Gibbons’ harpsichord artistry was to the fore, giving great pleasure in a long, complex and brilliantly etched ‘mega-cadenza’ at close of the first movement. The central affetuoso movement brings the sterling flute of Mr. Langevin and the poised violin phrasing of Sean Lee, mingling their ‘voices’  with the keyboard textures Mr. Gibbons so impressively evoked. Yet again, we feel Bach’s genius being transmitted to us in all its poignant clarity. The mood and pace then bounce back emphatically with a brisk final allegro.

    The 3rd concerto, in G-major, is unique in that the expected central slow movement is replaced by a mere couple of chords before going immediately into allegro overdrive. Thus the entire piece simply rushes forward in a whirlwind of animated playing. The all-strings setting (plus harpsichord, of course) features a large ensemble and much rhythmic and melodic variety whilst always sailing onward.

    The evening’s final work, the 2nd concerto (in F-major), arrived far to soon. In flourishing flights to the upper range, David Washburn’s Baroque trumpet gave the arcangel Gabriel a run for his money. Equally scintllating to the ear was Sooyun Kim’s limpid flute playing: both in agility and in sustained, luminous tone, she made a wonderful impression. In the andante, a particularly fine blend of timbres from Ms. Kim, Stephen Taylor (oboe), Lawrence Dutton (violin) and Paul Watkins (cello) made me again want to linger; but the trumpeter’s silvery calls in the final allegro assai swept us on to the evening’s celebratory conclusion.

    The young violinist Sean Lee, playing the concertos with CMS for the first time, wrote movingly of the experience in a Playbill note: “I cannot think of a more joyous, warm, celebratory set of pieces to revel to, as if gathering around a fire during these winter months.” Amen to that!   

    The participating artists:

  • Shostakovich Reflected @ Chamber Music Society

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    Above: Dmitry Shostakovich

    Sunday November 23rd, 2014 – We seem currently to be in the midst of an impromptu Shostakovich Festival at the halls of Lincoln Center. Last night, the New York Philharmonic gave an epic performance of the composer’s 8th symphony under the baton of Jaap van Zweden. This afternoon, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center offered a very satisfying programme entitled Shostakovich Reflected, with works by Sibelius and Debussy mixed with a Shostakovch song cycle and his Trio #2. At the Metropolitan Opera, the composer’s LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK is holding forth, conducted by James Conlon (I’ll see it on November 29th). In February, New York City Ballet will jump in with a revival of Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet, MERCURIAL MANOUVRES, set to the Shostakovich piano concerto #1. The Philharmonic meanwhile will offer two more Shostakovich symphones later in their season: the 5th (conducted by Long Yu, from January 22nd-24th, 2015) and the 10th (Alan Gilbert conducting; from April 8th-11th, 2015).

    At Alice Tully Hall today, Chamber Music Society‘s Shostakovich Reflected programme again left me searching for adjectives (superlatives, really) to describe the level of music-making by the participating artists: musicians who are rapidly becoming icons for me much as the great opera singers were back in my early days of opera-going in the 1960s and 1970s.

    The Sibelius Trio in G minor opened the programme today; this brief, single-movement work has a rather dark-hued, wintry feel. The music evokes a sense of longing but also of resignation. It’s unknown why Sibelius never enlarged upon this work beyond the opening movement, though he apparently made sketches, they were never developed. Yura Lee (violin), Mark Holloway (viola), and Jakob Koranyi gave a deeply-felt performance, establishing the mood so convincingly that one wanted it to go on. 

    Soprano Dina Kuznetsova then appeared for Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok, with Gilbert Kalish at the Steinway, Yura Lee, and Mr. Koranyi. The soprano’s voice at first seemed overwhelming in the hall, but soon the proper balance was found and she and the musicians worked in a fine state of rapport, the vocal line now well-controlled with some very expressive dynamics. Mr. Kalish played with his customary mixture of finesse and passion, and both Ms. Lee and Mr. Koranyi displayed their intrinsic mastery of their instruments in songs where the accompanying voices take a prominent place. The audience reacted with great enthusiasm to this set, calling the artists back three times. 

    It’s always nice to find links to the ballet on programmes of symphonic or chamber music; this afternoon my friend Monica Wellington and I were especially pleased to hear Claude Debussy’s Six épigraphes antiques for Piano, Four Hands, which we both love in its danced incarnation at New York City Ballet: ANTIQUE EPIGRAPHS, a Jerome Robbins masterpiece with an all-female cast. Gilbert Kalish and Soyean Kate Lee shared keyboard, with much hand-crossing. Their refined playing evoked Nature and the rites and rituals of a long-lost tribe. 

    The concert concluded with a thrilling performance of Shostakovich’s Trio No. 2 in E minor, composed fifty years after the opening Sibelius trio. This work opens with solo cello playing in the highest register; here Mr. Koranyi displayed incredible control. Violin and piano (the two Ms. Lees) join in a fugue; the underlying feeling is one of pensive melancholy, the playing from all three artists nothing less than ravishing. New themes rise up, and the music flows with much interchange of the three voices.

    The brisk and rather jagged scherzo that follows seems alternately joyous and frantic: a lively dancelike theme cascades along, played with marvelous virtuosity by our trio tonight. The piano ripples thru scale passages or emphatic rhythmic motifs; the violin and cello alternately pluck and sing.

    Yura Lee’s poignant introduction of the third movement’s lamenting theme set the tone for this Largo, with its heart of darkness. The voices melded in music which seemed to summon up the despairing tread of a funeral procession, the misty veil shot thru with glimpses of burnished light. 

    The finale sweeps aside this heavy sense of grief, yet proceeds under a threat of returning gloom. The pianist sets the music marching, and there’s more dance-rhythms as well; wit and humor are not forbidden, but are delivered with irony. The song-like theme of the first movement is recalled, setting up a continuum of memory even as the work plunges forward.

    I can’t say enough in praise of the three musicians who wrought this superb performance. And the  audience clearly shared my sense of deep appreciation: at the end, everyone stood up and cheered as the players were summoned back for repeated bows.

    The Program:

    The Artists:

     

  • Joshua Bell & The NY Philharmonic

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    Thursday November 13, 2014 – Violinist Joshua Bell (above) plays the Glazunov violin concerto in a series of five concerts with The New York Philharmonic. Case Scaglione takes the podium for these performances, which also features Debussy’s Afternnoon of a Faun and Prokofiev’s symphony #5.

    My friend Monica and I attended the second evening of the programme; since we are both passionate ballet enthusiasts, we very much enjoyed experiencing the Debussy in a concert setting; we have often seen the Jerome Robbins setting of the work at New York City Ballet, and recently Boston Ballet brought their ‘original’ version to Lincoln Center.

    One of the composer’s most famous works, Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune – referred to in this evening’s Playbill by its English title – premiered in 1894. The work is considered a turning point in the history of music: Pierre Boulez once said he considers the score to be ‘the beginning of modern music’. Tonight the Philharmonic gave a beautifully shaped rendering of this sensuous piece, which commences with the languid flute theme. Individual voices emerged dreamily from the overall soundscape and Debussy’s alluring colour scheme was indeed seductive. Neither Monica nor I could recall having previously heard the gentle chime of a triangle near the end of the piece; it seemed very prominent tonight. Case Scaglione rightly summoned the Philharmonic’s principal flautist, Robert Langevin, for a solo bow during the warm applause that greeted this opening work.

    Composer Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) managed to endure ten years in Russia following the Bolshevik Revolution; he fled to Paris in 1928. His compositions from that point on are considered less impressive than his earlier works which include the richly melodic score for the ballet RAYMONDA, a suite from which was recently featured in ABT’s Autumn season at Lincoln Center.

    The violin concerto, Glazunov’s most frequently-performed work, was composed it in 1904. It is dedicated to, and was premiered by, the great Hungarian violinist Leopold Auer, the teacher of Heifetz, Milstein, and Elman, among others. Glazunov casts this concerto in an unbroken arc, with the three vari-paced movements subtly linked. A virtuosic cadenza carries us to the exuberant finale in which the soloist dazzles against a tapestry of orchestrated fireworks.

    Joshua Bell, taller than I had imagined and retaining a youthful energy of demeanor in his mid-40s, displayed the warmth of tone and the clear shimmer of upper-range diminuendo that are hallmarks of his playing. I was a bit surprised to note that he was using a score, but he handled it with casual assurance. Creating a fine rapport with conductor and musicians, Joshua drew the succession of themes in the opening movement into long, impeccably turned phrases; in the almost frantic pacing of the final allegro, he seized upon the sparkling coloratura passagework with thrilling dexterity. The crowd called him out for a well-deserved solo bow.

    After the interval, the Prokofiev: he wrote his fifth symphony during the summer of 1944, while staying at a dacha in the countryside outside Moscow. Having stored up his musical ideas over time, he wrote with speed and surety. The symphony was first performed in Moscow in January 1945 with the composer conducting.

    The first movement is dense of texture and thick with themes: there are five distinct tunes to be discerned, and the composer integrates them with skill. The movement closes on a grandiose note; I must say I wasn’t totally enamoured of this opening andante; it seemed a bit turgid and over-extended. But thereafter, the Prokofiev I have come to love was very much in evidence. The second movement in particular is a great delight with its relentless forward motion decorated by interjections of wit and melodic irony. The tempo gradually accelerates, almost to the point of veering out of control.

    The adagio conjures up the blend of unhappy romance and wistful tenderness we associate with the composer’s ROMEO AND JULIET, with a turbulent central passage. Then on to the final Allegro giocoso, where we again find Prokofiev at his most inventive, opening with an echo of the first theme of the first movement, and then a passage for the clarinet – Prokofiev at his most magical – superbly voiced by principal Anthony McGill. The symphony plunges forward to its conclusion, re-affirming the composer’s fixed positon in my constellation of favorite composers.

  • BalletCollective @ The Skirball

    Troy Schumacher, by Matthew Murphy

    Above: Troy Schumacher, photo by Matthew Murphy

    Wednesday October 29th, 2014 – The dancing tonight as Troy Schumacher’s BalletCollective opened at The Skirball was fantastic. Drawing from the roster of his resident Company, New York City Ballet, Troy presented an ensemble of dancers with spectacular technical and communicative gifts.

    The program opened with the impulse wants company (premiered in 2013), set to a score by Ellis Ludwig-Leone, and drawing inspiration from a poem by Cynthia Zarin. The music was played live (as in fact was the entire programme) the contemporary ensemble Hotel Elefant. 

    BALLET_COLLECTIVE, Claire Kretzschmar, by Matthew Murphy

    Above: Claire Kretzschmar, photo by Matt Murphy

    Long-limbed and with an innate sense of the dramatic, Claire Kretzschmar launched the evening in a solo passage. This distinctive NYCB ballerina really made her mark tonight, Troy’s choreography showing her off to fine effect in both the opening and closing works. (Meet Claire in this video, in which the Collective’s Taylor Stanley also appears.) She is soon joined by Ashley Laracey, Lauren King, Meagan Mann, David Prottas, Taylor Stanley, and Troy Schumacher. This dynamic group  highlighted Troy’s inventive choreography with propulsive energy mixed in with moments of pensive repose. A spectacular solo by Taylor Stanley left me feeling awestruck. 

    BC, Blackbirds, Ashley Laracey, Troy Schumacher, by Matthew Murphy

    Above: Ashley Laracey and Troy Schumacher, photo by Matt Murphy

    Following the interval, the premiere of a new duet, dear and blackbirds, was danced by Ashley Laracey and Troy Schumacher to music by Ellis Ludwig-Leone; again, a poem by Cynthia Zarin was the frame of reference. Troy had not originally planned to dance in the performance this evening, but he stepped in on short notce after a colleague sustained an injury. This pas de deux had a Jerome Robbins flavour, the couple exploring the possibilities of mutual interest, alternately hesitant and impetuous. Romantic partnering with touches of playfulness give way to the two dancers trading short phrases. Ashley Laracey displayed the lovely qualities of lyricism that have kept her shining in my dance firmament since I first saw her onstage.

    BC, ATWS, Taylor Stanley, by Matthew Murphy

    Above: Taylor Stanley, photo by Matt Murphy

    In all that we see, the addition of wind players to the strings and piano gave the sonic landscape a fresh vista. Meagan Mann, Lauren King, Claire Kretzschmar, David Prottas and Taylor Stanley all danced exceptionally well. Claire again made superb use of the space and she has a restless angularity that draws the eye. There’s a very nice duet for Lauren and Taylor, and Meagan at one point enters in a tip-toeing motif, adding a sense of mystery. David and Taylor came face to face in a dramatic moment: I thought they might punch each other…or kiss. 

    In an evening so well-danced and featuring choreography which reaches for new combinations in a familiar vocabulary, a lack of contrast in the musical settings was a minor drawback. The composer of all three works has definite skill and his music is appealing, yet a whole evening of it doesn’t quite hold up. The musicians of Hotel Elefant were excellent and warmly acknowledged by the audience.

    The Skirball stage was stripped back to the bare back wall and wings, giving the ballets an industrial look. The lighting design produced some striking moments, but at times the dancers were too heavily shadowed. The costuming had an every-day feeling in the first two works; a credit to artist David Salle for painting the clothes for all that we see piqued my curiosity but from where I was sitting I couldn’t get a feel for his work. The big projections that were a key element in the Collective’s inaugural presentations weren’t part of the current presentation, but the dancers and the dance successfully held the stage in this rather stripped-down setting. The evening drew a real New York dance crowd, laced with celebrities and keen in their attentive focus.

    All photography by the marvelous Matthew Murphy.

  • Fauré & Ysaÿe at Chamber Music Society

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    Above: pianist Anne-Marie McDermott

    Sunday October 26th, 2014 – Works by the Belgian violinist/composer Eugène Ysaÿe and his better-known French contemporary Gabriel Fauré were on the bill at Alice Tully Hall as Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presented this dusk-hour concert on a cool Autumn day. My friend Monica Wellington and I are both very much admirers of the Fauré works used by George Balanchine in his poetic ballet EMERALDS, but neither of us were much familiar with the music of Ysaÿe.

    The opening work: why is it called the Dolly Suite? Excellent question, and one I’d never thought to delve into until now, when I’m hearing it played live for the first time. ‘Dolly’ was the affectionate nickname of Helene Bardac, the young daughter of Fauré’s long-time mistress, Emma Bardac. Fauré composed the brief works that comprise the suite between 1893 and 1896, to mark birthdays and other events in Helene’s life.

    The suite’s movements are:

    Berceuse (a lullabye), honoring Helene’s first birthday (Allegretto moderato).
    Mi-a-ou, which gently mocks Helene’s attempts to pronounce the name of her elder brother Raoul, who later became a pupil of Fauré’s.
    Le Jardin de Dolly (Andantino); this was composed as a present for New Year’s Day, 1895. It contains a quotation from Fauré’s first violin sonata, composed 20 years earlier.
    Kitty-valse: this is not about a cat, but rather about the Bardacs’ pet dog, named Ketty.
    Tendresse, an andante, was written in 1896 and presages the composer’s beloved Nocturnes.
    Le pas espagnol (Allegro) denotes a lively Spanish dance tune which brings the suite to its close.

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    The suite is set for piano four-hands, and as I watched Wu Han (above) and Anne-Marie McDermott together at the keyboard, I couldn’t help but think of them as the Dolly Sisters. In her opening remarks, Wu Han spoke of the intimate nature of chamber music and the fact that there’s nothing quite so intimate as playing piano four-hands. She and Ms. McDermott seemed to be having a grand time with this music. Their immaculate playing illuminated the six contrasted movements, which veer from boisterous to delicate, sometimes in the twinkling of an eye. The audience were as charmed by the work as by the players.

    Index

    Yura Lee (above) is a favorite with CMS audiences; she seems most often to be heard here as a violist, but tonight she had a lovely opportunity to bring forth her violin for a subtle and ravishing performance of Ysaÿe’s Rêve d’enfant (a CMS premiere) in which she played with clear lyricism and great control. Ms. McDermott at the Steinway underscored her colleague’s transportive musicianship with playing of calming refinement.

    Dautricourt

    In a rare performance of Ysaÿe’s Sonata in A minor for Two Violins (tonight marked the work’s CMS premiere), a duet sometimes deemed unplayable, Yura Lee and Nicholas Dautricourt (above) remained undaunted by the composer’s overwhelming technical demands, and they formed a spirited team, spurring one another on in a friendly atmosphere of “Anything you can play, I can play sweeter…softer…faster…” Mr. Dautricourt appeared for this piece in his shirtsleeves, tieless and untucked: clearly he meant business. The two virtuosos sailed on and on through the intricacies of this long duet, the audience with them every step of the way and saluting them sincerely at the end for having triumphed against improbable odds.

    Carr cellist

    After the interval, cellist Colin Carr (above) indeed charmed Monica and me with his gorgeous playing of Fauré’s Sicilienne; originally set for cello and piano, as we heard it performed tonight, this melodious gem was later re-worked by the composer into his score of incidental music for a production of Maeterlinck’s Pelléas et Mélisande; and from that incarnation, Balanchine plucked it to be part of his elegant ballet EMERALDS. Mr. Carr, with Wu Han’s polished support, brought his warm tone and a particularly nice, merlot-flavoured lower register to this evocative performance. As a contrast, cellist and pianist gave us another Fauré miniature: Papillon (‘Butterfly’) in which the cellist’s fingers flutter up and down the strings, twice pausing in more sustained passages.

    In Fauré’s Quartet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 15 – the concluding work tonight – Ms. McDermott summoned up the rhapsodic qualites of the opening movement, then turned vividly playful in the scherzo which follows. Ms. Lee  – her viola really singing – along with Mssrs. Dautricourt and Carr treated us to some genuinely poetic playing, especially in the adagio where the three voices passed the melodies between themselves with playing of a satiny eloquence. Indeed, the level of playing throughout the evening left me yet again in awe of the Society’s unique roster of artists.

    The Program:

    Fauré Dolly Suite for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 56 (1894-96)

    Ysaÿe Rêve d’enfant for Violin and Piano, Op. 14 (1895-1900)

    Ysaÿe Sonata in A minor for Two Violins (1915)

    Fauré Sicilienne for Cello and Piano, Op. 78 (1898) 

    Fauré Papillon for Cello and Piano, Op. 77 (before 1885)

    Fauré Quartet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 15 (1876-79)

    The Participating Artists: 

     

  • Promotion at New York City Ballet

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    Please join me in congratulating Russell Janzen on his promotion to the rank of soloist at New York City Ballet.

  • Tchaikovsky/Balanchine @ New York City Ballet

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    Above: at a New York City Ballet rehearsal; photo by Craig Hall

    Wednesday September 24th, 2014 – An impressive line-up of favorite dancers in familiar roles, the music of Tchaikovsky, the choreography of Balanchine: what better way for me to start a new season at New York City Ballet?

    Under Clothilde Otranto’s baton, the four Tchaikovsky scores were nicely served up by the NYC Ballet‘s intrepid musicians. Tonight was probably considered an ‘easy’ night for these players: scores they have played dozens of times. They always deserve their spot-lighted ‘curtain call’ at the end of the evening, and it was good to hear a warm swelling of applause for them tonight.

    Ms. Otranto seemed to be favoring fast tempi in SERENADE tonight; the musicians assured that the emotional colours of the music came thru, and the dancers took it all in glorious stride. From curtain-rise, the corps provided an endless panorama of beautiful faces, forms, and personalities. It’s funny that I still find myself looking for people like Amanda Edge and Pauline Golbin among these ice-blue-gowned angels: and where’s Amanda Hankes tonight? Ah, well, they have danced into other phases of their lives – gone from this stage but never forgotten. 

    For present loveliness, we have a delectable quartet of demi-solistes: Faye Arthurs, Alina Dronova, Meagan Mann, and Mary Elizabeth Sell. And Gwyneth Muller always moves me as the consoling maternal figure at the end of the ballet.

    This was a blonde SERENADE: Sara Mearns, Sterling Hyltin, and Teresa Reichlen all looked sumptuous, especially when their hair came down for the final movement. Sara’s luxuriant dancing was given noble grounding by Jared Angle, ever the ideal cavalier. Sterling – her lingering balances spot-on – found just the right mixture of elegance and vivacity, catching the many musical moods in which her ‘character’ finds herself. Tess was divine lyricism personified, and Adrian Danchig-Waring seemed to have come down from Mount Olympus. The sight of Adrian and Tess crossing the stage together, raising Sara from her dream, and Tess’s marvelous slow-turning supported arabesque summed up everything that is SERENADE. The audience responded with a deeply resonant ovation; I am sure there were people in the audience seeing SERENADE for the first time, and I’m sure they will want to see it again.

    The quiet radiance of Maria Kowroski’s Preghiera in MOZARTIANA showed the great ballerina at her most communicative: the lovely passage with her hands in prayerful attitude was especially evocative tonight, as was the gentle silence of her pin-point bourrées. Later, as the ballet’s mood becomes more expansive, Maria’s swirling turns and trademark extension were woven into the music with queenly assurance. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Tyler Angle was on fine form, his dancing marking the first of three displays of male virtuosity which had the audience cheering this evening. Maria and Tyler have formed an impressive partnership and I look forward to their future endeavors. The ever-excellent Daniel Ulbricht maintained the elegance of the ballet with his stylish dancing – his Gigue has become a signature role – and the Menuet was graciously performed by Marika Anderson, Megan Johnson, Emily Kikta, and Gwyneth Muller.

    A rousing rendition of the TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX caused the audience to shed any trace of decorum and yell lustily as Ashley Bouder and Gonzalo Garcia traded technical fireworks in a vivid and smile-inducing performance. After a graciously musical adagio, Gonzalo gave an astonishing performance of his solo – some of the best dancing he’s ever done – nailing the myriad turns at the end before a final brilliant combination to the knee, expertly timed. The crowd went wild. Ashley then swept thru her own dazzling display of danced coloratura, tossing in spicy little pauses and teasing us with her technical savoir faire. Another roar went up as her solo’s final fantastical turns stopped on the proverbial dime. Now with the audience squarely in the palms of their hands, these two magicians of dance swept thru a blazing coda – Ashley’s deluxe fouettés yet another savorable moment – and brought down the house. 

    In the haunted ballroom setting for the Élégie of TCHAIKOVSKY SUITE #3, Rebecca Krohn and Ask LaCour brought tears to my eyes with their poetic evocation of an ideal found…and lost. Rebecca’s restless, almost feral allure was captivating to behold. And Ask is so perfect here: covering the space with questing leaps in pursuit of his elusive muse. Their performance moved me deeply, their parting and Ask’s sinking back into a reverie of heartache drawing up so many emotions.

    Abi Stafford and Justin Peck sustained a mood of mystery in the Valse Mélancolique, Justin’s innate sense of drama nearly drawing the coolly captivating Abi into his world. Yet it is she who prevails: at the end he backs away from her, completely under her spell. Abi and Justin are among my favorite dancers to watch; having them cast together here was a very nice gift.

    In the Valse, a particularly appealing trio of diverse beauties – Olivia Boisson, Lara Tong, and Claire Kretzschmar – looked fetching in one of the ballet’s many featured corps passages.

    In a bewitching performance, Erica Pereira spun marvelously thru the plentitude of pirouettes Balanchine demands of her in the Scherzo; her lustrous black hair and shimmering silver-white tulle flowing as she traced a comet-like trajectory around the stage. Antonio Carmena matched Erica’s spinning flourishes with his airy leaps; they fly off in opposite directions at the end. 

    And now we come to the grand finale: Theme and Variations. The recently refurbished costumes for this ballet seem to glow as Tiler Peck and Joaquin de Luz set forth the elegant opening Theme. Moments later, in her first solo variation, Tiler displayed her epic perfection as a classical ballerina with some truly glorious dancing. The audience showered her with a torrent of applause. The ballet progressed – with excellent suppport from the corps – as Tiler and Joaquin moved continually from one peak of perfection to another. Joaquin’s marziale variation was thrillingly executed, the devilishly handsome dancer basking in another avalanche of cheers, the iconic de Luz smile justifiably lighting up. The ballet swept forward, buoyed not only by the two spectacular principals but by a very impressive quartet of demi-solistes: Lauren King, Brittany Pollack, Mary Elizabeth Sell, and Lydia Wellington. Their cavaliers in the finale were Daniel Applebaum, Allen Peiffer, David Prottas and Andrew Scordato.

    As Ms. Otranto guided the evening to its triumphant close, the audience burst yet again into a passionate ovation: Tiler and Joaquin – and indeed the entire Company – were saluted at the end of a great evening…a great evening for dance, for Tchaikovsky, and for the enduring magnificence of Mr. B.