Ballet is not something I attend very often. But when in Chautauqua, do as the Chautauquans do.
My wife and I attended a musical event at 8:15 p.m. each weeknight except for the Wednesday opera at 7:30 p.m. (The music I linked to is NOT the performances we heard.)
Monday, July 22
“The Music School Festival Orchestra and the School of Dance come together for an amazing night of song and dance under the baton of guest conductor Rebecca Tong.” The orchestra is more or less below the dancers, though people in the front row can see them.
Rhapsodic Dances – Choreography by Sasha Janes
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 – Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) -Sean Yang, pianist
This looks like what I expect ballet to look like.
Summer Camp – Choreography by Sasha Janes
Symphony No. 38 in C major, Hoboken I/38, 1768 – -Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) I. Allegro di molto II. Andante molto
This does NOT look like what I expect ballet to look like. The dancers are wearing contemporary clothes. Someone’s even riding a skateboard. This was a lot of fun.
For the Trees – Choreography by Kara Wilkes
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 – -Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) II. Allegretto
This expresses the natural motif of the title, with lots of greens and browns and dancers portraying seed, soil, sand, mycelium, and other elements. Effective. And the music is among my favorites of all time.
Intermission
Rubies – Choreography by George Balanchine; Staged by Patricia McBride
Capriccio, 1929 – Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) I. Presto II. Andante rapsodico III. Allegro capriccio so ma tempo giusto. Spencer Myer, pianist
“This performance of Rubies, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.”
The lead male’s face was very expressive.
Dvorak 8
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Chia-Hsuan Lin, conductor
Program
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912): [Not to be confused with Samuel Taylor Coleridge] Petite Suite de Concert, Op. 77 (1911) La Caprice de Nanette; Demande et réponse; Un sonnet d’amour; La tarantelle frétillante
Tyzen Hsiao (1938–2015): The Angel from Formosa (1999)
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904): Symphony No. 8 in G major, B. 163, op. 88 (1889). Allegro con brio; Adagio; Allegretto grazioso; Allegro ma non troppo
“Hailed by the Virginia Gazette as a ‘rock solid’ and ‘animated’ conductor, Chia-Hsuan Lin (pronounced ‘jah-shwen’) delights audiences throughout the world with her trademark energy and command. The Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony, Lin also debuted in 2023 with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and returns to conduct concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Williamsburg Symphony, and Fort Wayne Philharmonic this year.”
Opera!
Hansel and Gretel, an opera by Engelbert Humperdink (English), [not to be confused with Engelbert Humperdink]
Living composer
Thursday, July 25
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Program
Samuel Barber (1910–1981): Essay No. 1, op. 12 (1937)
Angel Kotev (b. 1951): Rhapsody No. 3 ‘Fateful’ – American premiere
It was lovely to see Kotev beaming after the performance. He and his wife have been coming to CHQ for 5 or 6 years
Béla Bartók (1881–1945): The Miraculous Mandarin Suite, BB 82, op. 19 (1927)
1 act in 8 sections:
Beginning—Curtain rises
First seduction game
Second seduction game
Third seduction game—the Mandarin enters
Dance of the girl
The chase—the tramps leap out
Suddenly, the Mandarin’s head appears
The Mandarin falls to the floor
This time, we decided to sit behind the orchestra. It was great to see the conductor’s face and to note that 47 of the 50 musical scores I could see were paper, not electronic. The downside is that we could not see the horns or percussion.
Well, that’s some good listening! Dvorak’s 8th is my favorite of his symphonies, and of course, Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Variations are an eternal masterpiece. Everything else sounds amazing! I’ll need to look up some of these works.