NYC Opera

[ellenkushner]

We saw Barishnikov at the opera again tonight. I guess we've got the same schedule; he was walking around at intermission about 5 feet away from us; so close I could have reached out my hand to introduce myself. As Delia put it, "That's two for two": we saw him last time we went to Lincoln Center for ballet - I think it was last June for her birthday, and there he was picking up his tickets in the line ahead of us. (Well, they ushered him through the line, actually, but there he was.) This time we walked out into the big lobby at intermission, and practically walked right into him. We locked eyes, for a moment, before politely looking past each other as good New Yorkers do. We were right behind him heading out afterwards, as well. He's tiny! Little & lithe and somewhat serious. Wearing a leather jacket, with 2 friends who didn't look at that exciting or excited. I hope he liked the show: it was Mark Morris' adaptation of King Arthur by Henry Purcell (& John Dryden, except Morris cut all the dialogue, so it was just all the great songs & instrumentals, well-played and -sung (Early Music style with no vibrato, larbalestier, don't worry!). I do love Mark Morris! He is my Other Brother (after Neil, of course - not that I've met Morris, but all his interviews and all his aesthetic choices so speak to me. He loves Lou Harrison's music, and Michelle Shocked, and baroque, and gender confusion.....
(The NYTimes review online also includes video performance, interviews and slide show, if you're curious.)

Comments

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

William Christie and Les Arts Florissants provided the most embarrassing early music performance of my life, to date, with King Arthur. It's better without the dialogue; Purcell was a genius and Dryden a hack. But Purcell's not at his best in King Arthur.

We saw this in Berkeley last year or maybe two years ago; it's a weak piece, because the music and story structure are not first-rate. I don't believe that Morris peaked with Dido and Aeneas, but he should seek out better works to choreograph. For example, his workover of Sylvia was constrained by the dullness of Sylvia itself, never a first-rate work, and Morris stayed too close to classical forms in it. And it was so straight...ugh. The best passage in his King Arthur is the cold sequence, but even that becomes a touch self-parodic. Gestures show up again and again across his dances; the arm-swinging gestures of the maypole dancers are the arm-swinging gestures of the shades in Hades in Orfeo.

I'd like to see Morris tackle another really important piece of music, something big with lots of room for dance and exploration, like Haydn's Creation. There are surely more lovely things like L'allegro... and Dido to work with.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I agree it's not his strongest (and I second "Creation" - that would be something!) - but it's delightful; more of a collaboration with the singers, which is fun - fun the way he gets them to move - and the way he has the dancers echoing the chorus - music made into movement - reminds me of the way I used to skip around the livingroom to ballet records, trying to create something that fit the music. Other, more sophisticated or hardheaded choreographers are harder for me to appreciate - Morris' work always speaks to me, and since I only see it every year or three, I don't get bored, which is all I ask.

[badgerthorazine.livejournal.com]

Barishnikov? I'm jealous! ;-D

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

As journalists for the Today Show, we had the singular honor of interviewing Baryshnikov when he was dancing in Southern Oregon. One of the really fun, wonderful, outstanding evenings of my job life. He was incredibly gracious about it.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Lucky!!

[oleander9999.livejournal.com]

Just hearing about your glimpses of Baryshnikov makes me happy. I was so pleased to see his episode of Iconoclasts, with Alice Waters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBFz8b1kWS8) and have it confirmed that he is a serious and artistic and playful soul, everything that comes through in his dancing. I was especially thrilled to see how committed he is to teaching and mentoring younger artists. He is a person who has made full and splendid use of every possibility and adventure in his life and self.

I saw him dance when he was in his prime and his technique and dedication were breathtaking, impossibly perfect. Many years later, I saw him dance with White Oak, the piece where he wears a monitor and dances to the beat of his own heart. I sat there and cried silent, helpless tears at the beauty of it. He had refined his art and his intention so completely that the slight moving and positioning of a hand in the air had the same artistic effect as his highest leap in younger days.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link - and the memories! And your icon - omg, I love it!

[oleander9999.livejournal.com]

All credit to the amazing marauderthesn over at nymphic_icons for the icon. I feel like some of her concepts might have come out of my own brain, if only I'd been able to think of them. If you know what I mean.

I've always loved your default icon, too -- I feel like I should know who it is, but I don't!

I got to see him dance once when I was a teenager!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

I've seen Nureyev, too. The great dancers do come through St. Louis on tour, or used to, and I was fortunate enough to have a mother who thought it was important for me to see them. I even had a large-format program with great big pictures of Barishnikov to drool over.

I'm so glad you saw him so close!

[lynn-maudlin.livejournal.com]

I ran into Jeff Goldblum repeatedly one summer some years back (Greek Theatre, Music Center, someplace else) - after the second time he started coming up and talking to me, which was entertaining. When my ex-husband was playing oboe for ABT I'd see Baryshnikov backstage (once he was changing and the dressing room door was open - that is one nice butt!).

First ballet experience was Margot Fonteyn and Nureyev when I was 16, nearly 17 years old, a nice place to start. We sat up in the nosebleed seats at the Hollywood Bowl and my beau noticed there was an empty box seat down front - we moved during intermission and I learned you can be too close to ballet - too close is when you hear them thudding and the occasional oofing sound; it breaks the illusion that this is effortless... and I think that illusion is part of the beauty. Fonteyn received many bouquets and had pulled out a red (rose, we thought) for Rudolf and in the exchanges of many, many bouquets this one flower fell to the stage. My beau was a gymnast so when the bows were over and the house lights came up he jumped across onto the stage (took some doing, there's the pit) and retrieved the flower for me (I did NOT ask!!) - it proved to be a red carnation and the slew of women around us were swooning and begging, "oh, can I have it please please please?"

I had that very old flower for a very long time... and, curiously enough, my old beau showed up at my house last week - hadn't seen him for donkey's years... (ears?!)