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Pacific
Northwest Ballet - The Balanchine Centenary Program: 'Divertimento No.
15,' 'Agon' and 'Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet'
by Azlan Ezaddin
February 7, 2004
-- Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle,
Washington
 With
George Balanchine, you always have to start with the music. The composer
Igor Stravinsky enjoyed working with him because he thought this choreographer
was a musician first. And it is the music that inspires and challenges
the choreographer to create. It's not surprising that Balanchine named
many of his works after the music and commissioned scores from the best
composers of his time. That may explain why, in 1999, a few dancers with
New York City Ballet, the home of Balanchine's neoclassical ballets, barely
disguised their glee when the company's musicians went on strike -- finally
they had a chance to dance to the music as it was meant to be heard, never
mind if it was on tape.
At Pacific Northwest Ballet, the
sentiment is remarkably different. With musicians that play for each other,
a musical director and a conductor that are attentive to the stage, and
a concert hall with one of the best acoustic designs in the world, the
music reaches into the soul and wraps the heart with its passion. Mozart,
Brahms and most of all, Stravinsky were understood Saturday night.
In musical terms then, as well as in program order, "Agon" was
the centerpiece of the evening. Masterfully crafted by Balanchine to Igor
Stravinsky's tensile score and meticulously reproduced in detail by his
protégé, Francia Russell, this tour de force may have seen its definitive
performance. The movement vocabulary in "Agon" is fraught with
tension and isn't necessarily pretty. When the music isn't up to par,
the choreography can seem dull. But when accompanied by a talented orchestra
led by Stewart Kershaw, the clarity of fanfare and conflict breathe meaning
into the work.
Patricia Barker and Jeffrey Stanton produced an industrious pas de deux
that took most breaths away with its unflinching precision through some
very challenging steps, but it is the corps work that stood out, with
startling synchronicity in language in each body. Lindsi Dec, Kylee Kitchens,
Stacy Lowenberg and Kara Zimmerman did well to listen to Russell, one
would guess, for each matched the other in step as well as tone, something
rarely seen in performances of "Agon" by other major ballet
companies.
The lighting by Randall G. Chiarelli was careful to preserve the simplicity
of the original design but also adapted to the capabilites of McCaw Hall,
giving the on-stage formations not only a three-dimensional feel but also
a sense of proximity.
The program began with "Divertimento No. 15," which arguably
does not rank the highest among Balanchine's either most engaging or most
exciting works, even if it is a lyrical ballet danced in Karinska-designed
tutus to Mozart's masterpiece of the same name and borders on classicism.
It is the classicism that may in fact inhibit this work, with almost no
daring choreography coupled with a demanding attention to literal musicality
and grace -- it has a feeling of a homework assignment in classical ballet.
Nevertheless, as with "Agon,"
the corps was stunningly precise note for note with the music, with help
from Allan Dameron in the pit and his attention to the tempo on stage.
To dance "Divertimento No. 15" well from beginning to the end
requires strength and mental stamina, both of which were on display in
abundance Saturday night, especially with the men, Christophe Maraval
and Olivier Wevers, in the Theme and Variations section. The other dancers
in principal roles, Maria Chapman, Mara Vinson, Noelani Pantastico, Alexandra
Dickson and Barker, were equally committed.
The "Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet" is divided into four distinct
sections, each with its own explicit musical flavor. Again, this ballet
demands the musicians understand what it is they are playing, especially
when the mood shifts -- quite radically in one instance -- from movement
to movement. Led by Kershaw, the orchestra certainly acquitted itself
well.
Led beautifully by Bakthurel Bold, Carrie Imler and especially Vinson,
the elaboration and flourish of the first movement, Allegro, suggested
the elegance of an imperial court. Among the corps dancers, Chalnessa
Eames, Rebecca Johnston and Zimmerman seemed to add their own flourish
to this ballet within a ballet. The second movement, Allegro ma non troppo,
danced by Louise Nadeau and Maraval, eluded to Romanticism and the third
movement, Andante, danced by Jodie Thomas and Le Yin, projected Classicism.
It was the fourth movement, however, that brought the house down with
its wild Hungarian folk dances. The Rondo alla Zingarese sparkled with
quick, intricate partnering and flamboyant gestures. Ariana Lallone and
Stanko Milov not only thrilled with their technical footwork but also
seduced with flirtatious glamour. Not surprising then that the audience
roared with approval at the conclusion of the evening's program.
Given the recent criticism of NYCB's quality and given the detail to attention
evidenced in this program of Balanchine works by PNB, not only is there
little reason for US West Coast Balanchine balletomanes to travel eastward,
but perhaps it is the US East Coast fans who should travel westward.
Edited by Lori Ibay
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