JENNIE SOMOGYI FAREWELL PERFORMANCE
TSCHAIKOVSKY SUITE NO. 3: ELEGIE: Krohn, Janzen; WALTZ: LeCrone, J. Peck; SCHERZO: Scheller, Carmena; THEME & VARIATIONS: T. Peck, Veyette [Guest Conductor: Paroni]
intermission
LIEBESLIEDER WALZER: Mearns, Hyltin, Somogyi, Laracey, la Cour, J. Angle, T. Angle, J. Peck [Solo Pianos: Walters, Sill]
This program was initially listed in the Company's subscription brochure as 'All Balanchine' with 'Liebeslieder Walzer' performed first, followed by 'Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3'. When the Company announced that this would be Jennie Somogyi's farewell performance the order of the two works was reversed so that the program would end with Jennie's performance in 'Liebeslieder'.
In 1970 Balanchine decided to choreograph the first three movements of Tschaikovsky's 'Suite No. 3' to add to the fourth movement, 'Tema con Variazioni', that he had created in 1947 -- as 'Theme and Variations' -- for Ballet Theatre with Alicia Alonzo and Igor Youskevitch as the leads. 'Theme and Variations' had entered the New York City Ballet repertory in 1960, with Violette Verdy and Edward Villella leading that cast.
He mounted the entire suite as 'Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3' in late fall of 1970 with costumes and scenery by Nicolas Benois. The first three movements -- 'Elegie', 'Valse Melancolique', and 'Scherzo' -- are danced in a shadowy ballroom behind a scrim painted with a smokey swirl. The women are in flowing ankle-length dresses in shades of lavender with touches of glitter and scarves drifting from their shoulders. Their hair is loose. The three men are in satin shirts with ruffles at the neck and matching pants. These movements were created by Balanchine while he was still recovering from the departure of his muse, Suzanne Farrell, earlier in 1970. They are not considered first rate Balanchine.
Here's a five-minute clip from the Company with Zachary Catazaro discussing 'Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uylTAmEu_rI
'Elegie' is probably the best of these first three murky movements. Russell Janzen danced with passion and Rebecca Krohn, as his elusive muse, slipped in and out of his grasp -- eventually retreating back into anonymity among the corps of six women.
In the following 'Valse Melancolique' Megan LeCrone and Justin Peck danced the unprepossessing waltz with six women swirling around them.
Ana Sophia Scheller and Antonio Carmena breezed through the energetic 'Scherzo' accompanied by eight more women. Gradually the corps from 'Elegie' and 'Valse Melancolique' return and the stage is filled with twenty corps women. The full corps wafts off stage and Ana Sophia and Antonio exit into opposite wings in gigantic grand jetes -- followed by a black-out.
The distracting scrim is raised and the lights blaze on to the full glory of a ballroom with marble columns lit by three large crystal chandeliers for the fourth movement, 'Tema con Variazioni'. The principal couple, Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette, backed by a symmetrical array of four demi-soloist women and eight corps women, perform the theme. The costumes for the women are classical tutus with bodices of aqua (corps), teal (demi-soloists), and white (Ms. Peck) trimmed with gold and lace. Mr. Veyette wears white tights and a white tunic trimmed in gold.
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| Tiler Peck in 'Tema con Variazioni' from George Balanchine's 'Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3'. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
Tiler Peck danced this exacting role with precise radiance. Unfortunately, Andrew Veyette, while technically capable, danced like a robot -- bereft of personality or enthusiasm. A friend who was watching from the fourth ring with opera glasses said Andrew looked like 'he was really pissed off'. Unfortunately, Andrew's disengaged, surly demeanor put a real damper on the entire movement.
Among the corps in this work I must note Alec Knight, an apprentice, and Silas Farley -- tall men who both danced with contagiously expansive joy. Claire Kretzschmar stood out among the demi-soloist women. Apprentices in the corps of the first three movements included Miriam Miller, Rachel Hutsell, Sasonah Huttenbach, Alston Macgill and Clara Ruf-Maldonado -- quite a showing for the newest generation arriving from the School of American Ballet.
On the podium Paulo Paroni, a guest conductor, led a generally bland, workmanlike performance of the Tschaikovsky work.
After the intermission we were treated to Balanchine's 'Liebeslieder Walzer' choreographed to the Opus 52 and Opus 65 sets of 'love-song waltzes' composed by Johannes Brahms for vocal quartet and piano four-hands. All of the poems that Brahms used are by Friedrich Daumer, except for the last waltz of Opus 65 where he used a poem by Goethe. Balanchine created the work in 1960. The original cast was Diana Adams with Bill Carter, Melissa Hayden with Jonathan Watts, Jillana with Conrad Ludlow, and Violette Verdy with Nicholas Magallanes.
Here's a link to Jillana and Ludlow dancing in the first half of 'Liebeslieder' which was filmed in 1961 I believe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2UhRfhoHTI
And here is another link to a YouTube video of Violette Verdy discussing the creation of 'Liebeslieder' with Damian Woetzel. It includes rather stolid demonstrations by Jenifer Ringer and Jared Angle (the 'Liebeslieder' section starts at about 29:52 and continues to about 50:29):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fFK6-LsQEU
Balanchine said of this piece, "In the first act, it is the real people who are dancing. In the second act it is their souls".
At this performance the four couples were Sterling Hyltin with Jared Angle, Ashley Laracey with Justin Peck, Sara Mearns with Ask la Cour, and Jennie Somogyi with Tyler Angle. The musicians were Andrews Sill and Susan Walters, pianists, with Boya Wei, soprano, Melissa Fajardo, mezzo-soprano, Blake Friedman, tenor, and Zachary James, bass. The music is performed at the side of the stage by the pianists and singers in period costumes.
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| Justin Peck and Jennie Somogyi in the first act of Balanchine's 'Liebeslieder Walzer'. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
In the first half the four couples waltz in various combinations in a Viennese salon of the mid-19th century designed by David Hays for the 1984 revival. The dancers wear beautiful period costumes by Karinska -- for the women long satin ball gowns decorated with ribbons and lace, fingerless lace gloves and low-heeled satin slippers; for the men black tail coats with white gloves. In the first act small dramas are enacted within the confines of the ballroom dance idiom. As the first half winds down, the couples open the French doors of the set and go out into the starry night.
The curtain is lowered between the two halves. Damien Woetzel tells the story that at its premiere at City Center someone rushed backstage to report that lots of people had left after the first act. Balanchine replied, "Yes, but look how many have stayed." (My George would have been among those who left.)
In the second half the women have changed into toe shoes and dresses with calf-length tulle skirts and satin bodices with black lace trim, while the men have shed their white gloves. After the ensemble opening for all four couples, the second act is basically a series of exquisite pas de deux. Due to the substitution of classical technique in the second act for ballroom dance in the first, these waltzes are more inherently theatrical and the dramas depicted seem more expansive.
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| Sara Mearns and Ask la Cour in the second act of Balanchine's 'Liebeslieder Walzer'. Photo by Andrea Mohin for NY Times |
The set ends with Jennie Somogyi (in the role created by Violette Verdy) and Tyler Angle in an impossibly tender and yearning pas de deux. You can watch part of it here in a video clip from the New York Times:
http://vp.nyt.com/video/2015/10/12/36005_1_nycb-walzer_wg_360p.mp4
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| Jennie Somogyi and Justin Peck performing in the second act of Balanchine's 'Liebeslieder Walzer'. Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet |
At this performance of 'Liebeslieder' we certainly had luxury casting. And maybe because it was Jennie's farewell performance the entire cast performed with extra attention to detail and nuance. Sara who inherently infuses her dancing with drama digs deeply here playing off Ask's natural reserve. Sterling uses her coltish, flirtatious persona to enliven her dancing with Jared, always ardent and attentive. Ashley and Justin are wonderfully young and impetuous together. Tyler provides dashing support for Jennie -- who made her final performance on this stage seem like an evanescent flame extinguished too soon.
* * * * * * * *
Following the normal curtain calls for the 'Liebeslieder' dancers and musicians, there was a long ovation for Jennie Somogyi with the presentation of bouquets from each of the Company's principal men, starting with Tyler, single roses from each principal woman, a bouquet from Peter Martins, more single roses from other members of the Company, a bouquet from Jennie's husband and a nosegay from her shy, young daughter. Finally bursts of confetti and streamers rained down. Here's a video posted by a member of the audience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFLFCVjSFnU
And here's another video clip of Jennie dancing Balanchine's 'Episodes' with Craig Hall -- they had danced together in 'Episodes' the day before her farewell performance:
http://balletoman.com/2031-flash-footage-episodes.html
Jennie was a true Balanchine ballerina, whether in his more romantic and dramatic pieces like 'Liebeslieder Walzer' or the more austerely demanding leotard works like 'Episodes'. And though her stage career was interrupted by serious injuries, Jennie Somogyi returned again and again to demonstrate why she was an essential link in our understanding of Balanchine's varied repertory.
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| Jennie Somogyi gives a farewell salute to the audience at the end of her farewell performance. Photo by Julieta Cervantes for the NY Times |
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