The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra was in the pit under the direction of Ormsby Wilkins for the first two acts and Charles Barker for the third act. The orchestra played splendidly and never distracted me with errrors or tonal problems. Both the harpist and the violin concertmaster had particularly lovely solo moments.
The concert opened with Act II of La Bayadère, or "The Kingdom of the Shades." The curtain rose to a long, single-file procession of two dozen corps de ballet dancers in white, formal tutus coming down the mountain and then crossing back and forth across the stage until it was filled. This was very much a ballet choreographed in the traditional, classical Russian style. Principal dancers Paloma Herrera and Jose Manuel Carreño appeared as Nikiya and Solor, Carreño to great audience acclaim.
As is common with ballet companies, they really milk the curtain calls. In this case, there was a full company bow, then the curtain went down only to come up again as the applause was dying out to reveal the corps on stage, followed by entrances for the soloists and then the two principals. The curtain went down again and the applause stopped, when they parted the curtain to permit the two principals come out for a solo bow, requiring everyone to have to start clapping again. Now, it's not that we aren't appreciative of the artistry or efforts of the dancers, but these long, "scripted," curtain calls do get rather tiresome; ABT, of course, is not alone in this practice, but all dance companies could stand to have greater sensitivity to audience reactions.
The second act of the concert, called "Dark Elegies," was rather unusual. The music came from the song cycle by Gustav Mahler called Kindertotenlieder, or "Songs on the Death of Children." The cycle is a well-known part of the baritone lieder repertoire, but I've never thought of it as a topic for ballet. Baritone Troy Cook sang the five songs, in costume and seated on a rustic bench placed far downstage left. The program said nothing about Cook other than his name; I've not worked with or heard him before. He's a very slender man, looking to be about average height (he was just a tiny bit taller than the dancers during the curtain call), with a pleasant and expressive, light, lyric baritone voice. The top on these songs is not terribly demanding for a baritone, with quite a few high Fs in the lyrical line (but none major), and in one song there are a couple of not-terribly-important G-flats (F-sharps). The challenge, though, is that in every Mahler song I've ever done, Mahler always demands a full two-octave range from his performers, and, as in Kindertotenlieder, often just a little more. That's the case here, as well, only the real challenge for the baritone soloist is that in one of the songs, several phrases start and stop on a low F. Low Fs are not usual baritone notes; in fact, I try to avoid anything below a B-flat or an A so that I can be heard. Not surprisingly, those Fs and Gs were difficult for Cook, but I was, at least, able to hear them. Overall, his performance was sensitive and quite fine, and I often found myself watching him instead of the dancers.
Speaking of dancers, well, it was different. This was one of those so-called "modern" things, though the ballet originated in 1937. Naturally, one would not expect a bunch of happy, ecstatic jumping around to songs about bereaved parents, so this was a work of quiet posturing and slow movements. The women were clad in matronly looking dresses and bonnets with the men in simple dance trousers, white shirts with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and sleeveless sweater vests. Principals Michele Wiles and Julie Kent danced, but I wasn't particularly wowwed (it was the choreography, not them). Company soloist Carlos Lopez, however, had a lovely solo moment, and he's clearly on the fast track to principal.
Americans who watch a lot of television will undoubtedly recognize the score for the third act. For many years, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association has run a commercial with the tag line, "Beef. It's what's for dinner." and that commercial makes use of Aaron Copeland's brilliant score for his 1942 ballet, Rodeo (traditionally pronounced the Spanish, not American way, although Copeland himself used the American pronunciation).
Rodeo is a fun ballet, and the audience loved it. It starts with the cowhands in the corral in the afternoon and ends with a love story and a dance in the evening. The poignant comic relief comes in the form of the young tom girl, danced humorously by peppy principal Xiomara Reyes, who tries to get the men's attention by being a cowgirl and being "one of the guys," instead of giggling, putting on airs, and wearing a dress like all the other girls. The head wrangler, Isaac Stappas (why isn't this wonderful dancer at least a soloist?) has eyes for her, but she gets distracted by the egotistic bravado of the Champion Roper, soloist Sascha Radetsky. If you ever wondered why dance students are taught both classic and tap dance, this is the ballet that will explain that question. Also, I must say that in all the rodeos I've attended (not to mention all the cowboys I've known), I've never seen cowboys in pastel jeans, especially pastel orange or most especially pastel pink!
As always, American Ballet Theater demonstrated why they are considered one of the very top dance companies in the country with a very enjoyable and entertaining evening. I only wish my schedule permitted me to see their Othello this weekend; perhaps on another tour.
The intermissions seemed a little longer than usual, but we didn't cocktail. Surprisingly, I didn't see a soul I knew in the audience. Kevin, however, saw and talked to a beautiful young woman named Claire who's been in some of his classes up in College Park. I suspect she was a ballerina in her youth.
No comments:
Post a Comment