The David H. Koch building/ “Square Dance”/ “Afternoon of a faun”/ “Haieff Divertimento” and “Donizetti Variations” Thursday April 27th, 2023.
Welcome back friends!
Yay!
Welcome this week, once again, to the gorgeous world of ballet!
Yay!
And welcome this week, to an incredibly joyful, exciting, witty, varied evening of 20th century NYCB ballet, as we move along, further into their Spring season.
Yay!
1) “Square Dance” as its title suggests, combines a few “western” folk dance steps to classical ballet, yet this delightful, lighthearted, and definitely geometric Balanchine (1904-1983) piece, originally from 1957, felt particularly neoclassical. Choreographed with both wit and order, and as often found with the great Balanchine, it is infused with fun and unexpected repeated patterns.
Yay!
Set to gorgeous baroque music by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): his Concerto Grosso in B Minor, op. 3, no. 10, as well as his Concerto Grosso in E Major, op. 3, no. 12 and by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): his “Badinerie”, and his “Giga” , the audience was immediately mesmerized.
Yay!
And interestingly, Corelli was Vivaldi’s teacher believe it or not, which is not that surprising as we listen to these pretty similar sounding and truly magical baroque scores. And both of their music exudes a certain levity, a true celebration of the joy of life.
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What a fun, elegant, and sparkling gem!
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And principal dancer Anthony Huxley, partnered with the vivacious Erica Pereira, with great energy and wonderful controlled grace, showing off both, their wonderful personality, in full display.
Yay!
Let’s admire a short excerpt from a few years ago, of this highly speedy and joyful “Square Dance” piece.
Enjoy!
What incredible and fast dancing!
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Just enchanting.
2) “Afternoon of a faun” from Master choreographer for ballet, theater and movies, the great Jerome Robbins (1918-1998), always entices dance audiences, with his iconic 1953 “Afternoon of a faun”, a unique “pas de deux” ballet: short, unbelievably poetic, intimate, and “mythical” looking.
Wow!
Set to the illustrious short and incredibly poetic musical piece, the “Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune” (written from 1892 to 1894), by French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918), and based on a famous poem, from French Symbolist poet, Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898), whose own work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of the early 20th century, such as Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism.
Wow!
And Andres Sill, the NYCB conductor last Thursday, thrilled us all, by giving us a “master class” in composition, and explained what had been various influences for Debussy.
Wow!
The answer: French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) and his “Samson et Dalila” opera, German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883) and his “Tristan und Isolde” opera, as well as Polish born composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) and some of his “Nocturnes”.
Wow!
And what is this “Afternoon of a fawn” piece about?
It stages the meeting of a ballerina rehearsing in her dance studio with a mythical “faun” .
How unusual!
And guess what?
They quickly fall for each other.
Aww.
And what great charm and wonderful sex appeal of course, exudes from these two characters.
Wow and yay!
And principal dancers, Unity Phelan along with Joseph Gordon, were both in top form, and undulated beautifully and with great sensuality, to this gorgeous music.
Yay!
Let’s admire and listen to what Craig Hall has to say about learning this ballet: how intrigued and infatuated with each other, and each other’s reflection, the two characters on stage are (and what a great performance here, by Sterling Hyltin as well), how also, this “pas de deux” overall magic, can really be achieved if the dancers stay natural, and can dance this “chance meeting”, with great simplicity, and reflect their own wonderful personalities.
Wow!
Enjoy!
Just gorgeous and so moving.
Wow!
3) “Haieff Divertimento” is a rarely performed, but modern looking, “Black and White”, short, 1947 Balanchine ballet, combining popular American dance to modern concert dance, and to classic ballet.
Wow and yay!
“Haieff Divertimento” also includes a stunning “pas de deux”, and is set to 5 gorgeous short pieces by Alexei Haieff (1914-1994), a Russian born American composer, known for following Stravinsky’s neoclassicism, achieving modernistic effects by a display of rhythmic choices, often with jazzy and nostalgic undertones, as heard in the five pieces featured last Thursday (“Prelude,” “Aria,” “Scherzo,” “Lullaby,” and a “Finale”).
Wow and yay!
And Christina Clark alongside Alec Knight, were wonderful to watch, as they displayed their awesome technique, with terrific pizzazz.
Yay!
Let’s now, listen to what Unity Phelan has to say about this “pas de deux”, filled with simple, yet very technical and highly poetic leg movements, beautiful long lifts, and great clean and stunning turns.
Wow!
Enjoy!
Just filled with great legwork, and unusual hands.
Yay!
4) “Donizetti Variations” is an optimistic, endearing, even if a bit more folk than classical, 1960 ballet (and perhaps with too much frills for me, but still gorgeous).
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This never-the-less delightful Balanchine ballet, was originally created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Italy’s unification.
Wow!
And interestingly, it is set to music, based on the last tragic, 1843, “Dom Sébastien, Roi de Portugal” opera, by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), a great “bel canto”/ “beautiful singing” 19th century Italian composer.
Wow!
And “Dom Sébastien”‘s plot, in a nutshell, depicts the fate of the young King of Portugal, Sébastien, who first, almost dies in battle in Morocco. Then Sébastien eventually falls for Zaida, a princess. Trouble ensues, and Sébastien winds up falling victim to conspiracies between various leaders, with Spain’s King Philip II, eventually taking over.
Oh boy.
So “Donizetti Variations”, is not the Donizetti of early, often flowery, operatic showpieces, yet it manages as a ballet, to be still mostly sunny.
Wow!
And Balanchine, believe it or not, was able to extract despite the tragic overtone of “Dom Sébastien”, enough vibrant and beautiful material to create a joyful and lighthearted ballet, although he also did keep, a few hauntingly beautiful and nostalgic passages, which totally reminded me of some of the beautiful Nino Rota’s 1972 score, for Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic, “The Godfather”.
Wow and yay!
And principals Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette, were just awesome to watch.
Yay!
Dancing often wonderfully, to truly patriotic sounding music, and displaying with great vibrancy, charisma, and delightful dynamism, their graceful moves.
Yay!
Let’s now, admire a short excerpt danced a few years back, by another terrific principal, the particularly athletic and delightful Ashley Bouder, who partners here as well, with Andrew Veyette.
Yay!
Enjoy!
Wow!
What leaps and unending turns!
Yay!
So, to sum up my feelings, about the featured “Masters at work: Balanchine and Robbins II” varied program, admired last Thursday, in great company: what joyful, stunning, mood enhancing, wonderful, NYCB 20th century choreographies, set to an array of superb and varied classical music by Italian, French and American (Russian born), iconic composers.
Wow!
Just awe-inspiring.
Not to be missed!
Until next time friends!
Soft…
Fluttering…
Sunny…
Joyful…
Happy…
Loving…
Eternal butterflies 😊