I spent June 6-13 in New York City
with my daughter, Carletta Wong. We
attended two ballets performed by the American Ballet Theater (ABT): Massenet’s Manon and Prokofiev’s Cinderella. On June 7, we attended the matinee of Manon.
The entire cast did an outstanding job.
Especially notable were the two leads:
Diana Vishneva from St. Petersburg, Russia who danced the role of Manon,
and Marcello Gomes, from Manaus, Brazil, who danced the role of Des Grieux,
Manon’s lover. This is a sad story that
required a great range of skill, especially from Manon. At this performance
Diana Vishneva celebrated her tenth anniversary of her first time performing
with the ABT. Because of this
anniversary, the curtain calls lasted almost 20 minutes accompanied by many
flowers.
Synopsis from the ABT website: From the ornate salons of Paris to the mysterious bayous of Louisiana, Kenneth MacMillan's dramatic masterwork is a heartbreaking tale of romance, intrigue and betrayal. Set to Massenet's lush score and inspired by the classic novel Manon Lescaut, this engrossing ballet soars to searing theatrical heights as the beautiful courtesan Manon chooses between the temptations of wealth and true love.
Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes in Manon.
Here is a link to a youtube of
one scene from this ballet with the same performers from 2011.
With Carletta at the Ballet
Our good friend, Helen Levine,
arranged for us to attend a rehearsal of the Cinderella ballet on Monday
afternoon, June 9. ABT runs each ballet
with multiple casts. This rehearsal
featured the same cast that we saw in performance on Tuesday evening, June
10. It was fascinating to attend both
the rehearsal and the performance and to watch the changes that they made. This Cinderella ballet was a large
contrast to Manon in the music, the choreography, the plot, the sets and
the costumes. This Cinderella was
choreographed by Frederick Ashton in 1948, and this is the first time that ABT
has performed this particular choreography.
Here is a link to a brief video of
the Cinderella rehearsal provided by ABT
http://www.abt.org/contactus/enews/cinderella14.asp
http://www.abt.org/contactus/enews/cinderella14.asp
Helen Levine, her daughter, Julia
Levine, me, and Carletta Wong inside the Metropolitan Opera House at the
intermission of the Cinderella ballet rehearsal
Monday evening, June 9, we met
Carletta’s brother-in-law, Chris Wong, at the Village Vanguard jazz club and
heard the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra perform.
This group has been performing together since 1966 and played both
classic jazz (mostly by Thad Jones) and new compositions.
Selfie
of Chris Wong, Carletta, and me
Wednesday was our day with the New
York Philharmonic orchestra. We started
out the morning with an open rehearsal.
We attended the pre-concert lecture, and then the performance that
evening. We saw Yefim Bronfman play
Beethoven’s first and fourth piano concertos and the premier of a new composition,
“Lyra,” by Anthony Cheung. The morning
rehearsal featured the new Cheung piece and Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto. The evening performance featured the Cheung
piece and Beethoven’s first and fourth piano concertos. Mr. Bronfman played masterfully. We met Anthony Cheung during the pre-concert
lecture and he described that he used Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto as the
inspiration for his composition. Some
people have speculated that Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto was based on the
Orpheus legend, and Mr. Cheung used that for inspiration.
Setting up for Rehearsal of the New
York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall
Thursday, June 12, we attended a
performance, “Legends of the Jazz Age” at the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln
Center. This featured Michael Feinstein,
Ann Hampton Callaway, Kevin Mahogany, Charenee Wade, and Vince Giordano and the
Nighthawks Jazz orchestra. This was the
first time in this trip that we listened to vocal music. The performances were very well done. All the songs were from the 1920s. The space was beautiful overlooking Columbus
Circle.
Stage of the Appel Room
overlooking Columbus Circle, right before the performance
While I was in New York, I
practiced for a couple of hours most mornings on the Hellmuth Wolff, Opus 14
(1974), organ at St. John the Evangelist Church at 55th Street and
First Avenue. The Pastor, Monsignor
Mathers, generously allowed me to practice on this special pipe organ. Here’s a link to the New York AGO website
that describes this mechanical action pipe organ.
Helmuth Wolff, Opus 14 (1974), St. John the Evangelist Church, New York City
Overall we had a wonderful week
filled with magnificent and diverse music, dance, and good friends!
