Ballet Quibbles and Bits . . .

'Nutcracker' Featured in Elle:

Here's a nice series of backstage pictures from New York City Ballet's production of George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker' that appeared in Elle magazine:

http://www.elle.com/pop-culture/best/behind-the-scenes-new-york-city-ballet-nycb-nutcracker#slide-1

Mouse heads ready for the court of the Mouse King in 'The Nutcracker'.  Photo from Elle

The series of 37 photos provides a lot of interesting and unusual angles on this holiday classic.

'Live from Lincoln Center' SAB Broadcast Still Available On-line:

If you missed last Sunday's broadcast of the SAB Workshop Performance on WNET, Channel 13, or on your local PBS station during the past week, you can still watch it online here:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365385279/


It's a wonderful account of a lovely performance by the future stars of American ballet.

NYC Ballet Names New Music Director -- at last:

New York City Ballet has named a new Music Director, Andrew Litton.  Maestro Litton is currently the music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the Bergen (Norway) Philharmonic.  He was formerly the music director of the Dallas Symphony and chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony.  He will begin his duties at New York City Ballet with the start of the 2015-2016 season in September, 2015.

Maestro Andrew Litton, newly named Music Director-designate of New York City Ballet.
Photo by Steven J. Sherman

The company has been limping along without a music director since Faycal Karoui left at the end of May, 2012.  During that time, Andrews Sill has been 'Interim Music Director'.  Sill will continue with the company as Associate Music Director.  Maestro Litton will only be available for 13 weeks during the 2015-16 season and 16 weeks during the following season, so Sill will continue to play a significant role in the company's music program.

I think that the company performs 21 weeks in New York City each year, plus 2 weeks in Saratoga Springs and 1 week in Washington and the company usually has three or four weeks of either national or international touring.  Then there are four weeks of full company rehearsals prior to the fall, winter and spring seasons and the Nutcracker season.  That's a lot for a music director to cover in just 13 or even 16 weeks with the company.

Litton does appear to know the company and its repertory from his years studying at Julliard -- when he was dating a member of the company.  The New York Times article says that Litton will be only the company's sixth music director.  There have been three of distinction in the 50+ years we've been watching the company -- Robert Irving, Andrea Quinn and Faycal Karoui.  Let us hope that Andrew Litton will join that illustrious list by inspiring and challenging the musicians, the dancers and the choreographers so that we, the audience, really do 'see the music' and so that the music is consistently worthy of the Company of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Lincoln Kirstein.