Tiffany Exhibit at MoBiA Remembered

In writing about the exhibition of alabasters from the Victoria & Albert Museum currently showing at the Museum of Biblical Art (MoBiA), I was reminded of the exhibition of religious works by the Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios that I saw there in January, 2013.  Tiffany Studios made work in stone, fresco, metal, wood and glass for a wide variety of religious organizations.  By 1889, demand for Tiffany's religious work was so great that a separate Ecclesiastical Division was created solely to produce works on religious subjects.

The MoBiA exhibition consisted of decorative objects in all of the Studio's mediums, but the windows were clearly the stars -- carefully backlit and placed at levels where they could be appreciated.

'Sir Galahad', Memorial Window for Odgen Cryder (aged 18)
from St. Andrew's Dune Church, Southhampton, NY, circa 1910, photo by McClure

This memorial window was donated to St. Andrew's Dune Church in Southhampton, NY by the parents of Ogden Cryder.  Although Sir Galahad was not a 'Christian' figure in the strictest sense, but as a Knight of the Roundtable he was imbued with purity and nobility by the pre-Raphaelite movement of the late 19th century.  Therefore, Galahad was a worthy subject for commemorating a young man who died at only 18.

'Salve Regina', window from chapel of Stony Wold Sanitorium for Women,
Lake Kushaqua, NY, circa 1910, photo by McClure

This window depicts the madonna enthroned in heaven with the regalia of royalty (crown, orb and sceptre).  It is extracted from the larger and more elaborate full-length design by Frederick Wilson of Tiffany shown below that was also displayed in the exhibition and shows how Tiffany Studios was able to adapt its designs to meet the needs of its clients.
  

Copyrighted design for the full-length 'Virgin Enthroned' by Frederick Wilson
for Tiffany Studios, photo by McClure

The round window was placed high on the wall (hence the distortion to an oval in the photo) as it would have been seen in the gable of the small chapel of the sanitorium for women and children suffering from tuberculosis.

'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory', Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This very large memorial window depicts five angels escorting a 'righteous soul' into heaven to receive the crown of glory. The symmetrical composition and shading from dark (at the bottom and sides) to light (at the top center) emphasize the religious concept it illustrates -- souls moving from the darkness of earth to the glory of heaven.

Detail of the top of 'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory',
Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This photo shows the radiance emanating from the central cross shading out into the wings and robes of the surrounding angels.

Detail of the cross in 'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory',
Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This photo taken from an oblique angle shows the three dimensional glass 'gems' on the cross which act as prisms to concentrate the light and achieve its brilliance in relation to the surrounding opaque glass.

Detail of the angel on the lower left in 'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory',
Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This photo shows the wonderful details of the angels feathered wings, draped robes, and jeweled ornaments.  The colors are varied and rich.  The Tiffany Studio developed and perfected the use of opalescent glass including 'streaky' glass that was carefully selected for use as feathers and drapery as well as many other elements of the windows. Colors were achieved by adding chemicals to the glass as it was being made. Glass painting was used sparingly -- primarily for faces, hands and feet.

'Lydia Entertaining Christ and the Apostles', design attributed to Edward P. Sperry,
Griffin Memorial Window for Centennial Baptist Church, Chicago, IL, before 1910,
photo by McClure

While not one of my favorite designs in the exhibition, this window clearly shows the use of opalescent 'drapery' glass for the figures' robes, and 'streaky' glass for the stones they walk on and even the foliage in the background.  By the way, it turns out that Tiffany Studios mislabeled this window.  The bible never mentions a meeting between Lydia and Christ -- she did encounter the apostle, Paul, and his followers, however, which is what this scene represents. 

'The Soldier of the Lord' from the collection of Richard H. Driehaus, Chicago, IL, circa 1900,
photo by McClure

This window show how carefully selected opalescent glass was used to create the effect of reflections on shiny armor and stormy clouds in the sky.  The processes of creating and selecting the sheets of glass for each position in the composition was meticulous and painstaking.

'Vine Covered Cross', the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass,
Long Island City, NY, after 1900, photo by McClure

This window shows a more naturalistic tendency in Tiffany Studio designs with the cross all but hidden by the vines. The depiction of nature is what we normally associate with Tiffany glass.

'Altar Cross' of silver-plated brass, enamel & glass
from Christ Church Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY, 1916,
photo by McClure

These pieces from the altar furniture created by Tiffany Studios to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Christ Church Cobble Hill in 1916.  They are based on medieval and Renaissance precedents.

'Vase' of silver-plated brass, enamel & glass
from Christ Church Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY, 1916,
photo by McClure

The vase is one of a pair that resemble chalices used in Renaissance religious services.  These pieces were part of the complete redesign of the church interior by Tiffany and are still in use in liturgical services there in the present day.

The centerpiece of the exhibition was a baptismal font.

'Baptismal Font', Memorial to George Bradley and Emma Pendelton Bradley,
marble and glass mosaic, from Christ Church, Pomfret, CT, 1908, photo by McClure

The font was a memorial gift from a wife and mother whose husband and child had died within 18 months of each other. The base is composed of inlaid favrile glass in a medieval style found in churches in England and Italy.

Detail of base of 'Baptismal Font', Memorial to George Bradley and Emma Pendelton Bradley,
marble and glass mosaic, Christ Church, Pomfret, CT, 1908, photo by McClure

This MoBiA exhibit was a great pleasure because the objects were carefully selected and beautifully displayed.  MoBiA is always nice for a visit, because it is off the usual museum track, never very crowded and small enough so that exhibitions can be appreciated at leisure.

Class Visit at SAB

A good friend, Jean McC, was visiting from Wisconsin last week.  She and her good friend and former NYC neighbor, Anne McC, are Jock Soto groupies.  So the three McC's took in one of Jock's classes at SAB last Wednesday.  It was a two-hour Adagio (partnering) Class for the Intermediate Men and C1 Girls.

School of American Ballet, Adagio Class with C1 Girls and Intermediate Men,
photo by Rosalie O'Connor for School of American Ballet

Many of the C1 Girls have already gone through a growth spurt and emerged as tall (especially en pointe), lithe young women, usually between 13 and 16 years old.  Some of the Intermediate Men, sometimes as young as 12, are already quite tall and strong, but many are still growing and gaining strength.  In general, these girls are taller than these boys. 

In previous weeks, Jock had apparently taught this class the full wedding pas de deux from the final act of 'Sleeping Beauty'.  Needless to say, this is a very difficult piece of choreography and a challenge for the most accomplished professional dancers in the world.  Jock had modified the choreography only slightly to account for the technical level of these students -- a slight modification of the fish dives being the most obvious change.

Tyler Angle and Katherine Morgan in the Wedding Pas de Deux  from the final Act of 'The Sleeping Beauty',
as staged by Peter Martins (after Petipa), photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet
(in August, 2012, Katherine took a leave from NYC Ballet to deal with serious health issues)

There were more than twice as many healthy C1 girls as healthy Intermediate Men.  (There were several boys and one girl on the sidelines with injuries or illness -- students are required to attend classes unless they are bed-ridden or have something contagious).  So all of the men danced the pdd at least twice during the class while each girl danced just once.

Two couples danced at a time, except for the final run through when there were three couples remaining.  As with other Adagio classes I have watched, the first couples to dance receive more of Jock's attention than those who dance later.  In essence, though, all of the students waiting to dance are observing and learning from all of Jock's corrections and suggestions.  They are often practicing the corrections at the back of the studio as they await their turn to dance.  Jock delivers his suggestions and corrections with a light, often funny touch.  He has no problem assuming either the male or female role in order to demonstrate the point he is making. (Yvonne Borree is scheduled to join Jock for this class, but was unavailable on the day of the visit.)

In the early rounds, it is obvious that the couples have sought each other out and are comfortable dancing together -- a kind of balletic version of Darwin's theory of natural selection. Sometimes that's because they are a couple, or at least good friends, outside of the studio.  Hopefully, it's also because they complement each other dancing together.  In latter rounds, Jock intervenes a bit to make the best pairings among the remaining students.

Dancing the complete pdd, including the male and female variations and the coda, is a real effort for these still-growing young students.  Centers of gravity change from one partner to another and the young men struggle to adapt to different height and centering.  Some of the girls are less willing to trust their partners which can look more like wrestling than ballet at some points.  But at the end of each run-through these students are glowing with satisfaction and basking in Jock's praise.

Jock Soto is an extraordinary teacher.  He had a long and illustrious performing career, forming notable partnerships with several ballerinas including Heather Watts and Wendy Whelan, and becoming a muse for numerous choreographers including Christopher Wheeldon. 

Jock Soto & Wendy Whelan in Balanchine's 'Symphony in Three Movements',
photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Long before he retired from the stage in 2005, Jock began teaching at SAB.  When Stanley Williams (the revered SAB teacher who was recruited by Balanchine from the Royal Danish Ballet in 1964) became sick in the mid-90's and then died in 1997, several principals from New York City Ballet (including Soto, Peter Boal and Nikolai Hubbe) who had studied with Stanley agreed to teach Stanley's classes at SAB to fill the enormous gaps in the schedule.

Not only was Jock an outstanding partner during his performing career, but he knows how to convey the concepts of partnering to his SAB students, both male and female. Under his guidance a whole roster of exemplary male partners have emerged from the School into New York City Ballet and many other companies. The Angle brothers, Robert Fairchild, Adrian Danchig-Waring, Chase Finlay, Amar Ramasar, Craig Hall and Zachary Catazaro are among the exemplary partners at City Ballet who have emerged under Jock's tutelage. Seth Orza, a principal at Pacific Northwest Ballet, also comes readily to mind.  I hesitate to guess how many of today's ballerinas have learned to be partnered in Jock's adagio classes.

'Non-Stop', the Movie

Movie Poster for 'Non-Stop'

The action-thriller 'Non-Stop' is basically a vehicle for Liam Neeson to display his regular guy macho as an air marshall on a non-stop flight from the U.S. to London.

In addition to Neeson, the wonderful cast includes Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Linus Roache, Lupita Nyong'o, and numerous others as passenger and crew aboard the ill-fated flight.

The plot is full of more holes and loose ends than a hookers fishnets.  In order to sustain the suspense, nearly every character becomes a suspect at some point.  Much of the story is moved along by cell-phone messages, making everyone on the plane with a cell phone suspect.  Only the 8-year-old child travelling alone is spared -- she's a different plot device.

If you're looking for moment-to-moment thrills with little regard for coherence or if you're a die hard Liam Neeson fan or if you're looking for new hypotheses for the disappearance of Malaysian Air Flight 370 you might be interested.  All others are duly warned.

Compare and Contrast Three Recent Gay-Themed Movies

During the past three months, we've seen three gay-themed movies:  'Stranger by the Lake', 'Interior: Leather Bar', and 'Eastern Boys'.  Let me say at the start that all three have erotic gay scenes and that two of them have quite graphic, pornographic scenes. 

One thing is clear, the French (two of three films are from France) treat these themes with much greater understanding and subtlety.  In fact, the main point of 'Interior: Leather Bar' is that the American film industry has never fully embraced the nation's movement toward greater gay tolerance in the 34 years between the censorship of the movie 'Cruising' and the feeble attempts in 'Interior: Leather Bar' to recreate the 40 minutes that were cut from that film to gain an 'R' rating.

'Interior: Leather Bar'

Poster for 'Interior. Leather Bar.' by James Franco & Travis Mathews

This movie was directed by James Franco and Travis Mathews.  It is a pseudo-documentary about the filming of scenes cut from William Friedkin's 1980 film 'Cruising' which starred Al Pacino as a NYC detective who goes undercover in the late-70's gay S&M scene to catch a serial killer of gay men.  In addition to showing the (porno)graphic scenes that were censored, the movie show conversations among actors and between actors and directors about their concerns playing gay characters and engaging in 'gay' acts (like kissing another man!!!).

The best part of the experience were the two short films that preceded it -- one by each director.  Franco's about a budding gay voyeur and masochist was actually pretty good.

Avoid this movie.  If you're looking for graphic sex between men, I can recommend some internet sites that have much better looking men and none of the dreadfully stilted, overly earnest dialogue.

Stranger by the Lake (French: L'Inconnu du lac) 

French Poster for 'Stranger by the Lake'

This 2013 movie was directed by Alain Guiraudie, who was awarded best director in the Un Certain Regarde section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

It is a suspense thriller set in a gay cruising area on a lake in France.  During the summer a group of gay men gather there to sunbathe, swim in the lake and cruise in the forest and meadow behind the beach.  The entire movie is set between the parking area where the characters park (the cars are part of the story) and the stony beach where they gather.  Most of the soundtrack consists of leaves blowing in the breeze and stones crunched underfoot.

Franck, played by Pierre Deladonchamps, comes alone each day to the beach where he sunbathes and casually observes the comings and goings of the other regulars.  Franck befriends Henri, played by Patrick d'Assumcao, a rather dumpy middle-aged guy whose girlfriend or wife has just left him.  They are both intrigued by a good-looking couple, Michel and Pascal.  One evening at dusk, Franck sees Michel drown Pascal.

Franck, Henri and Michel continue to appear each day at the lake, though nothing is said about Pascal's disappearance. Eventually, Franck and Michel act upon their erotic attraction and fall into an increasingly passionate affair complete with (porno)graphic love scenes in the woods.

Pascal's body washes up on the shore.  The police arrive and one particular inspector continues to pursue the case, questioning all of the regulars about Pascal's death.

The last minutes of this movie are riveting and very terrifying.  I recommend it highly.

For many younger gay men, the idea of cruising at the beach, or in the park, or on the street seems alien now that there are hook-ups via the internet.  For those of us who are older, we readily accept a story set in this milieu.  Younger gays can treat this movie as a bit of gay history and enjoy the quaint mating habits of their elders.  

Eastern Boys

Kirill Emelyanov as Marek/ Rouslan, Daniil Vorobyov as Boss,
 and Olivier Rabourdin as Daniel in Robin Campillo's 'Eastern Boys'

This 2013 French movie by Robin Campillo was recently shown at Rendez-vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center.  It's sort of in French with English sub-titles, but some scenes are in pidgin English and others are in various eastern European languages (often not translated, but always understandable).

Olivier Rabourdin plays Daniel, a middle-aged gay business man who has recently lost his lover.  In the opening section he follows a young 'eastern boy', Marek, around the Gare du Nord in Paris.  Eventually Daniel makes contact and they arrange to meet the following day at Daniel's apartment. 

What Daniel hasn't seen is the opening sequence where Marek is part of a gang of 'eastern boys' aimlessly looking for trouble around the station while avoiding the gendarmes.

The next day the whole gang shows up at Daniel's apartment and takes him hostage.  They back up a truck and help themselves to all of his electronics, his art, his exercise equipment, and his wine and liquor.

After this shocking violence, the next day Marek (played with considerable skill and sensitivity by Kirill Emelyanov) surprisingly appears, apologizes to Daniel, helps him clean up the mess, and stays for (paid) sex.  Marek and Daniel continue to have sex, first mercenary, but eventually intimate and erotic.  Marek first tells Daniel he is from the Ukraine, but eventually admits that his name is Rouslan and that he is from Chechnya and is an orphan.  He explains to Daniel that Boss, the leader of the gang (played by Daniil Vorobyov with understated menace), keeps all of the eastern boys citizenship papers locked in a locker at the low-class hotel where the French welfare system houses them -- thereby ensuring their loyalty to the gang.

There is another section of violence at the hotel, which is followed by a surprisingly touching ending which recalibrates the relationship between Rouslan and Daniel.  

I think that this movie deserves wider release in the U.S.  It is very well acted and very nicely paced.  The director has wisely defined the structure of the movie with four sub-title dividers that help organize the story for the audience.

Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

The new Wes Anderson movie 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is silly.  I laughed a lot during the movie, but came away feeling disappointed and somewhat cheated.  I think that Wes Anderson is kind of a cult figure -- that you either 'get' his movies and think he's great; or you don't 'get' them and can't understand what all the fuss is about.

Official Poster for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

There were lots of very funny bits -- I especially enjoyed a chase scene that involved several Winter Olympic sports -- but they didn't really add up to a satisfying experience.  Most of the cast is made up of the usual 'Wes Anderson' repertory players -- Ralph Fiennes is Gustave H., the legendary concierge; Edward Norton is Henckels, the German officer; F. Murray Abraham is the elderly Zero Mustafa relating his story to the young writer Jude Law in the framing device; Willem Dafoe is the evil Jopling, Adrien Brody is Dmitri, the dispossessed heir; Bill Murray and Bob Baliban are fellow concierges at other European hotels; Owen Wilson is M. Chuck, the concierge that succeeds Gustave when the Nazis take over the hotel; Tilda Swinton is Madame D., patroness of Gustave; Saorise Ronan is Agatha, the girl from the bakery.  The real star is a newcomer, Tony Revelori, who plays the young Zero, lobby boy, protege, and sidekick of Gustave H.  Zero provides the narration that loosely holds the movie together and bridges its absurdities.

By all means, if you're a die-hard Wes Anderson fan, go see this movie.  If you're not, or if you aren't sure, you might want to avoid it.

'Object of Devotion' Exhibition at MoBiA

'Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum' (March 07–June 08, 2014) at MoBiA (Museum of Biblical Art) is the most recent exhibition that I've seen at this small jewel box museum on Broadway & 61st Street.  I had seen a beautiful exhibition of windows and religious objects created by Tiffany there about a year ago.  

The exhibition is free.  Coat and bag check is available at the reception desk just outside the glass doors to the gallery. Photography is not permitted in this exhibition (so I've used photos from MoBiA's internet site).

This exhibition of small alabaster sculptures on loan from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is installed with great care in a single large gallery.  None of the sculptures is more than about 12"-to-15" wide by 18"-to-25" tall.  They were all created between about 1390 and 1534 A.D.  In 1534, Henry VIII's rubber stamp parliament passed the final decree making the king of England the supreme head of the Church of England.  That lead to the confiscation of the monasteries and the sacking of many major religious objects of art.  The devotional panels on display at MoBiA are probably from private homes, most of modest means, where they had been commissioned for devotional purposes.  Most would have been secreted during the English Reformation to prevent their destruction and to keep the owners safe from persecution.

'The Holy Trinity', alabaster with pigment, circa 1400 A.D.,
courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum

This is one of three examples of 'The Holy Trinity' in the exhibition.  In this one, the hands of God and the top of the cross (where the dove representing the Holy Ghost would have been perched) have been destroyed.  Nonetheless, it is a lovely example of Medieval carving in alabaster with exceptionally fine depiction of the drapery on both figures. The composition is formal and symmetrical as in much Medieval art.

'Resurrection of Christ', alabaster with pigment, circa 1400 to 1420 A.D.,
courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum

This piece shows Christ climbing out of the tomb, stepping on one of the sleeping Roman soldiers as he departs.  There is a striking contrast between the dynamic figure of Christ in forceful motion and the rest of the figures in repose.  It is almost like a panel in an action hero comic book.

  

'The Harrowing of Hell', alabaster with pigment, circa 1440-1470 A.D.,
courtesy of The Victoria & Albert Museum

'The Harrowing of Hell' depicts Christ's descent into hell to bring salvation to the souls held captive there until his resurrection.  The jaws of hell open wide on the left as a large figure of Christ on the right guides Adam, Eve, John the Baptist (in the first row), and others out of purgatory.  As with many Medieval compositions the size of the figures denotes their importance in Christian mythology with Christ shown nearly twice the height of Adam.

'Coronation of the Virgin', alabaster with pigment, circa 1450 to 1500 A.D.
Courtesy of Victoria & Albert Museum

In this panel the coronation of the central Virgin is administered by the Holy Trinity as two seated angel musicians provide accompaniment.  Note the carver's skill in modelling the figures hands and the drapery of their robes and the symmetrical composition. 

'The Head of Saint John the Baptist', alabaster with gilt and pigment, circa 1470 to 1500 A.D.,
courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum

According to the Christian story, after Salome danced for Herod, she persuaded him to reward her with the head of John the Baptist on a silver charger.  Here, the head of the Baptist is presented on an inscribed dish supported by two kneeling angels and surrounded by (clockwise from bottom left) the Virgin and Child, Saint Peter (with his key and bible), two angels with a cloth and baby symbolizing John's soul departing for heaven, Saint Thomas Becket (with his bishop's staff) and Saint Catherine (with her wheel and sword).  A lamb (representing Christ) kneels at the bottom center.

Most of these alabaster panels are crowded, often with figures of Christian saints and martyrs, but also with symbols like the dove and the lamb.  These were all important in the iconography of Medieval religion.  As shown in this exhibition, their depiction required great artistry from the anonymous carvers who created them.  

Liam Scarlett's 'Acheron'

This post has taken a long time to finish because I wasn't that inspired by 'Acheron', which I saw twice -- once at the final dress rehearsal and once on March 1st at the Janie Taylor/Sebastien Marcovici farewell performance.

SATURDAY EVENING, March 1, 8 PM

ACHERON: Adams, Bouder, T. Peck, Veyette, Ramasar, R. Fairchild, Carmena
[Conductor: Otranto; Guest Organist: Michael Hey]

and final dress rehearsal on January 31, 12:45 PM:

NEW SCARLETT (World Premiere): *Krohn, *Bouder, *Mearns, *T. Angle, *Ramasar, *Danchig-Waring, *Huxley
[Guest Organist: Michael Hey]

Liam Scarlett's 'Acheron', is set to Poulenc's 'Concerto for Organ, Strings and Tympani'.  'Acheron' is one of the five rivers in the underworld according to Greek mythology (along with the more familiar river Styx). It was a stream for the cleansing of sins and healing of souls upon their entry into the underworld -- kind of like the 'River Jordan' in Christian mythology.  Scarlett used another reference to the Greek mythical underground, 'Asphodel Meadows', as the title to his first major work for the Royal Ballet (2011) where we was named 'Artist in Residence' in 2012.  That work also used music by Poulenc, his 'Double Piano Concerto'.  

'Acheron' is plotless, but certainly used the Greek mythological reference as a point of departure, especially for the murky 'underground' lighting design.  There are three principal couples plus a male soloist and five corps couples. They are dressed in costumes designed by Scarlett -- the women bare-legged in light, knee-length dresses shading to dark reddish brown on the top of the bodices; the men bare-chested in light, knee-length tights shading to dark reddish brown toward the knees.  Bare-legged ballerinas always look unflattering to my eye -- with thigh and calf muscles more harshly exposed by light and shadow.  The men's costumes have the unfortunate effect of making them look longer-waisted and shorter-legged than they really are.  Amar Ramasar was an exception, looking sleek (and dancing with great strength and impact) because the dark bottom of the tights blended with his darker skin tone while the lighter-skinned men have an awkward break just below the knees that divides their legs into zones.

Ashley Bouder & Amar Ramasar in Liam Scarlett's 'Acheron', photo by Andrea Mohin for the NY Times

In the cast on Saturday evening (first cast shown in parentheses), Sara Adams & Andrew Veyette (or Rebecca Krohn & Tyler Angle) seemed the most tender couple, Tiler Peck & Robert Fairchild (or Sara Mearns & Adrian Danchig-Waring) seemed the most enthralled, and Ashley Bouder & Amar Ramasar seemed the most passionate.  (The three couples in Jerome Robbins' 'In the Night' come to mind). Ashley & Amar danced in the premier and had replaced Megan Fairchild and Gonzalo Garcia by March 1st.  Antonio Carmena as the solo man on March 1st was fine, but seemed a bit too solid as the lone soul observing the other pairs and seeming to be searching for his own mate. The elegant and enigmatic Anthony Huxley in the first cast gave the role a completely different aura of longing and desperation.

The opening moments are stunning as Sara Adams (or Rebecca Krohn) emerges from a flowing river of bodies to find Andrew Veyette (or Tyler Angle) .  What follows is an intense series of choreographic miniatures often with couples in canonical mirroring and expanding phrases -- among principal couples and between principal and corps couples. 

Sara Mearns & Adrian Danchig-Waring, Amar Ramasar & Ashley Bouder in 'Acheron',
photo by Andrea Mohin for NY Times

There are lots of tricky and strenuous lifts for the three principal couples as well as occasional pyrotechnics -- like a whiplash fast series of chaine turns from Ashley.

The dancing from both casts was gorgeous and you could see how their confidence in handling the tricky partnering had increased in the intervening month.  There's a snippet of a pas de deux for Sara Mearns and Adrian Danchig-Waring on the NYC Ballet website here:  http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/a/new-scarlett.aspx 

Sara Mearns & Adrian Danchig-Waring in Liam Scarlett's 'Acheron', photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The trouble is that what they were dancing was only sporadically interesting.  This work follows a trend in contemporary choreography -- what I've labeled 'ADHD ballets' -- where choreographic snippets are grafted together without overall coherence. Dancers seem to enter and leave the stage without providing much sense of any larger structure to the work.  It all relates to the music that's being played at the time, but doesn't necessarily add to our enjoyment of it or lead us to a better understanding of its structure.  The same lack of choreographic architecture plagues many recent plotless ballets.  

The Poulenc music was nicely interpreted by the orchestra under Maestra Clotilde Otranto with the guest organist, Michael Hey.  They emphasized the impressionistic murmurings of the opening and the jarring tensions later on. It's an interesting score and obviously lends itself to choreographic interpretation (Glen Tetley used it for 'Voluntaries' at the Stuttgart Ballet which was later staged at ABT and PNB among other companies).


  

Balanchine's 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet'

SATURDAY EVENING, March 1, 8 PM

WALPURGISNACHT BALLET: Mearns, Danchig-Waring, Lovette, Villwock, Isaacs [Guest Conductor: Christensen]

This program 'a la Francaise' was put together as an evening of all French music.  With the announcement that Janie Taylor and Sebastien Marcovici were retiring, it was subsumed into their farewell performance.  However, the most exciting dancing of the evening came in Balanchine's 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet' to the ballet music from Gounod's opera, 'Faust'.

Balanchine had originally choreographed to this music for productions of the opera at the Opera de Monte-Carlo in 1925; at the Metropolitan Opera in 1935; and at the Opera Nacional in Mexico City in 1945.  Balanchine created this particular choreography in 1975 for a production of 'Faust' by the Paris Opera where it was danced by the Paris Opera Ballet.

It was first performed as a stand alone ballet by the NYC Ballet in May, 1980, with Suzanne Farrell, Adam Luders and Heather Watts leading the first cast.  One of my ballet friends recalls that Balanchine created a scandal by using the bombastic music obviously intended for a showy male variation for one of Farrell's variations.  Farrell recalls that Balanchine came in at the last minute to 'rearrange and rechoreograph' the work after it had been staged for NYC Ballet by Brigette Thom of the Paris Opera Ballet.  

The entire ballet is a celebration of femininity.  Luders was an excellent partner, but not the epitome of virility on stage (we referred to him as the 'white rabbit' because on stage he was so pale and always appeared to be scared of his own shadow).  As the only man in the cast, Adam's primary functions were to partner Farrell, perform one innocuous variation, and catch her when she made a spectacular leap onto his shoulder at the finale.

Balanchine used a typical ballet hierarchy for this work -- a corps of 16 women, four demi-soloists, two soloists, a secondary ballerina, and the principle couple.

The cast on Saturday evening was splendid.  Adrian Danchig-Waring (who had debuted in the role the previous Wednesday) looked virile, partnered Mearns with gracious ease and danced his scant variation with panache.  Lauren Lovette (who had also debuted on Wednesday) danced with great musicality in the secondary ballerina role.  She's a gorgeous young woman whose dancing projects warmth and confidence.

Sara Mearns and Ask La Cour in 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet', photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Sara Mearns has made 'Walpurgisnacht' one of her signature roles, completely displacing memories of Farrell and Kyra Nichols, the two other great exponents of the role.  The lovely Gounod music seems to emanate from Sara's pliant lower back, radiate through her arms and legs, and linger in her fingertips and toes.  She doesn't dance to the music so much as she becomes it.

Sara Mearns in 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet' by Balanchine, photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

 
This is no mean feat when the orchestra, under guest conductor Henrik Vagn Christensen, threatened to disintegrate at Sara's feet.  Her diagonal of alternating chaine turns and pirouettes literally replaced the disjointed jumble of notes coming from the pit.

Corps women in finale of 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet' by Balanchine, photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

The finale of the ballet is always a bit of a mess with all of the women loosening their hair and dancing in barely controlled abandon (it is after all 'the witches sabbath') -- leading to Sara's final triumphant leap onto Adrian's sturdy shoulder.

'Walpurgisnacht' is far from top drawer Balanchine, but when it is performed by such outstanding dancers it becomes irresistible.

   

Janie Taylor & Sebastien Marcovici Farewell Performance

SATURDAY EVENING, March 1, 8 PM
JANIE TAYLOR AND SÉBASTIEN MARCOVICI FAREWELL PERFORMANCE
AFTERNOON OF A FAUN: Taylor, Marcovici [Guest Conductor: Christensen]
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LA VALSE: Taylor, Marcovici, J. Angle, Kayali, Segin, Schumacher, Pollack, Applebaum, Arthurs, Scordato, Smith, Muller, Anderson [Guest Conductor: Christensen]

The Taylor/Marcovici farewell performance featured them in two works -- Robbins' 'Afternoon of a Faun' and Balanchine's 'La Valse' -- created by the two great choreographers for their shared muse, Tanaquil LeClercq. 

Tanaquil LeClercq with Francisco Moncion, the original cast of 'Afternoon of a Faun', photo by Melton

Janie has been a dancer of fragile, almost tenuous grace, most comfortable in the repertory's romantic roles -- the Sleepwalker in 'La Sonambula', the 'waltz girl' in 'Serenade', the ballerina in 'Scotch Symphony' come to mind.  Illness and injuries have sapped her technique, but never her uniquely ethereal stage beauty.

Sebastien has been known primarily for his roles in Balanchine's 'leotard' ballets like 'Four Temperaments', 'Stravinsky Violin Concerto', and 'Agon'.  His stage persona is astringent, angular and muscular -- and though he has been a dependable partner he has never had great on-stage rapport with his ballerinas.

Paired in performance, they are yin and yang -- vulnerability and strength; delicacy and power.  Their most successful pairing was probably in Balanchine's 'Liebeslieder Walzer'.  A performance of 'Liebeslieder' became the occasion for Sebastien's marriage proposal.
 

Sebastien Marcovici and Janie Taylor at their August, 2012 wedding, photo by Wendy Whelan

Unfortunately, their 'Faun' on Saturday evening didn't emit much of the heat and sensuality that can make this work so appealing.  You'd think as a married couple Janie and Sebastien would exude the romantic chemistry that should develop here between Robbins' two ballet students alone in a ballet studio.  Instead they seemed more comfortable emphasizing the work's balletic narcissism and downplaying it's sexual tension.  The work sagged as a result.

Janie Taylor & Sebastien Marcovici in 'La Valse', photo by Yana Paskova for NYTimes

In the weirdly sinister world of 'La Valse' Janie and Sebastien dance together in a fairly brief section in the middle of the ballet, but just as they are beginning to build an intense relationship it is cut short by 'fate'. 
  

Janie Taylor & Sebastien Marcovici in Balanchine's 'La Valse',
photo from NYC Ballet website probably by Paul Kolnik

Jared Angle, as the death figure, lures Janie with foreboding gifts (black necklace, black gloves, black frock) and then sweeps her into a dance of death. It's rather odd that the couple who first came to our attention as the leads in the 1998 SAB workshop performances of Balanchine's 'Gounod Symphony' -- Janie and Jared -- should be the couple that danced the last waltz of Janie's ballet career.  Jared made his debut in the role this week.  He is chilling and implacable. Janie is covetous and vulnerable.  Janie dies, Jared disappears, Sebastien despairs.

Sebastien Marcovici (left), Janie Taylor and the company in final moments of 'La Valse',
photo from NYC Ballet website, probably by Paul Kolnik

The white-gloved arms and hands of the soloists and corps are so important in setting the creepy mood for this work. The entire company provided a wonderful framework for the two principals' farewell.  I single out Kristin Segin & Troy Schumacher, Faye Arthurs & Andrew Scordato, and Gwyneth Muller for special praise for their work in establishing the ominous atmosphere in the early sections of this ballet.   


Between the two farewell ballets we had the new work, 'Acheron', by the British choreographer Liam Scarlett to Poulenc's 'Organ Concerto'  and Balanchine's 'Walpurgisnacht Ballet' to Gounod's ballet score from the opera 'Faust' (which I'll discuss in separate posts).


The guest conductor for these two works was Henrik Vagn Christensen.  Here he kept the players together, but offered no special insights on these iconic, well-known scores.  I would characterize his approach as generic rather than inspired.

Janie and Sebastien are off to Los Angeles where Sebastien will become the ballet master of L.A. Dance Project, Benjamin Millipied's West Coast company.  I wish them well in their new endeavors.  Their special gifts will be missed at NYC Ballet.