Put old Haglund squarely back in the Olga Smirnova Camp after today's breathtaking display of Balanchine's Diamonds. They say that diamonds never go out of style. Nor does elegance, graciousness, and attentiveness to classicism go out of style in the ballet world. If you missed today's live transmission of the Bolshoi's Jewels, courtesy of Ballet in Cinema and Emerging Pictures, be sure to try to see a re-broadcast in your area. Jewels has never been a favorite ballet of Haglund's, but he was mesmerized throughout. The company looked magnificent, especially Smirnova and Ekaterina Shipulina in the tall girl role in Rubies.
FYI, the Bolshoi had to make a programing change for its March 30 live transmission. Instead of performing The Golden Age as originally scheduled, the company will perform its brand new Marco Spada with David Hallberg dancing the title role.
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After an excruciatingly long wait of two weeks, NYCB's Winter Season opens this Tuesday. Lots to look forward to including Maria Kowroski as the first violin in all of the performances of Concerto Barocco this week and in Diamonds for all of this week's performances of Jewels. Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild are slated for all of the week's performances of Who Cares?
Busy weeks ahead.
12 responses to “observations 1/19”
Hi Haglund, I also saw the livestream transmission of Jewels, and was utterly mesmerized by Olga Smirnova’s performance. The torch of Suzanne Farrell has been handed down to a most deserving successor.
I tried to buy tickets for the February 2nd livestream of Lost Illusions and the March 30th livestream of Marco Spada, but couldn’t find a web site to do that. Do you, who are always first at bat, have a link by any chance?
Hi Haglund, I also saw the livestream transmission of Jewels, and was utterly mesmerized by Olga Smirnova’s performance. The torch of Suzanne Farrell has been handed down to a most deserving successor.
I tried to buy tickets for the February 2nd livestream of Lost Illusions and the March 30th livestream of Marco Spada, but couldn’t find a web site to do that. Do you, who are always first at bat, have a link by any chance?
Glad to see you back in the Olga Smirnova Camp. She really is magnificent. And happy to see you writing again.
Cheers!
-Juan Michael Porter II
Glad to see you back in the Olga Smirnova Camp. She really is magnificent. And happy to see you writing again.
Cheers!
-Juan Michael Porter II
Hi Juan Michael. I hope you had or have the opportunity to see the cinema broadcast. She dances Diamonds like it was made for her.
Hi Juan Michael. I hope you had or have the opportunity to see the cinema broadcast. She dances Diamonds like it was made for her.
I thought the camera work for “Jewels” was very well done, and am especially grateful that from time to time the main camera ceded to other cameras in other positions, in particular a camera higher up in the auditorium, so that the movie audience could see the patterns created by the dancers, notably the corps de ballet. I would have appreciated a bit more of this patterning, but was glad to get it at least a few times. During the credits, I noticed there was someone called a “Switcher,” and wondered whether that is the person who is responsible for switching the cameras. I also appreciated the close-ups, which enabled you to see the dancers from even closer than you would from the first row of the orchestra. I, too, prefer ballet live, but one benefit of these live-streams is that you get to see the performance in real time while you also get to see the dancers’ faces and expressions.
I thought the camera work for “Jewels” was very well done, and am especially grateful that from time to time the main camera ceded to other cameras in other positions, in particular a camera higher up in the auditorium, so that the movie audience could see the patterns created by the dancers, notably the corps de ballet. I would have appreciated a bit more of this patterning, but was glad to get it at least a few times. During the credits, I noticed there was someone called a “Switcher,” and wondered whether that is the person who is responsible for switching the cameras. I also appreciated the close-ups, which enabled you to see the dancers from even closer than you would from the first row of the orchestra. I, too, prefer ballet live, but one benefit of these live-streams is that you get to see the performance in real time while you also get to see the dancers’ faces and expressions.
I agree, Angelica, that it was well done although I would have wished for more camera shots from a level comparable to the Met’s Parterre level.
Olga Smirnova was exquisite. Her performance was more along the lines of her stunning debut in the role rather than subsequent performances where she may have gotten off track a little bit by adding too much inflection.
Smirnova and Diamonds may be one of those all-too-rare cases where an artist comes along and inhabits a ballet so perfectly with her own artistry that it appears as though the ballet was made for her. Kirkland had that relationship with Theme and Variations.
I agree, Angelica, that it was well done although I would have wished for more camera shots from a level comparable to the Met’s Parterre level.
Olga Smirnova was exquisite. Her performance was more along the lines of her stunning debut in the role rather than subsequent performances where she may have gotten off track a little bit by adding too much inflection.
Smirnova and Diamonds may be one of those all-too-rare cases where an artist comes along and inhabits a ballet so perfectly with her own artistry that it appears as though the ballet was made for her. Kirkland had that relationship with Theme and Variations.
The 59th Street Cinema doesn’t usually sell them until a week or two beforehand, as I recall. I would just keep checking periodically.
The 59th Street Cinema doesn’t usually sell them until a week or two beforehand, as I recall. I would just keep checking periodically.