Sat, Jun 6 – Balanchine's version of Swan Lake, created in 1951, is the Balanchine's one-act distillation of the themes and dances from the traditional, evening-length Swan Lake. The full ballet's iconic choreography - mostly, Lev Ivanov's lakeside dances from Acts 2 and 4 - is filtered through Balanchine's own style with slight alterations. There are more and faster steps here, and the corps has more intricate patterns to move through. The key difference is motion: where the traditional Swan Lake emphasizes beautiful images formed by poses, formations and arms delicately arranged just so, Balanchine's achieves its effects through the dancers' constant movement, driven by the engine of Tchaikovsky's music. If you know the original Swan Lake, Balanchine's version is fascinating in that it shows the contrast between the traditions that Balanchine grew up with and the new directions that he was taking classical dancing.
This version of the ballet follows the basic structure of Ivanov's Act 2 lakeside scene, though the dances of the big and little swans are excised and two corps dances from the Act 4 score - the Valse Neuff from the 1877 score of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and the Valse Bluette, a Tchaikovsky piano work orchestrated and subbed in for the Valse Neuff in Petipa/Ivanov's seminal 1895 staging - are interpolated instead. These two dances, choreographed for a leading demi-soloist and a small corps de ballet, add a more melancholic overtone to the ballet. (New York City Ballet's production further puts all of the swan maidens in pitch-black costumes, adding even more to the ominous undertone; the original production used the traditional white, as do other current productions of Balanchine's choreography, like Miami City Ballet's recent staging.)
Balanchine simplified the Swan Lake story and contains it within this single act: Siegfried and his friends are hunting by a lake when he observes Odette transform into a swan. He dances with her in wonder – a vision of beauty in the moonlight – then releases her as she returns to swan form, still under the spell of her captor. Siegfried bows in honor as the swan form Odette glides away. This narrative compression removes any complex psychological reasoning for Siegfried's jaunt in the woods (he just seems to be out hunting with friends here, rather than sadly moping about loss of youth as he does in the original story). His encounter with Odette becomes an overwhelmingly memorable brush with beauty and moves Odette to the narrative center of the ballet – this makes Balanchine's Swan Lake very similar to many of his other non-narrative works, where the ballerina is adored and revered as the work's central representation of beauty.
At the Saturday matinee that I attended, Odette was danced by Jennifer Ringer (originally, Wendy Whelan was scheduled, but an announcement just before curtain indicated a cast change) and Siegfried was Sebastien Marcovici. Ringer was great as Odette, particularly as Balanchine's Odette: I loved the liquid, delicate quality to her movement, which very much paid tribute to the role's traditional look and interpretation, but also loved seeing the quick, sleek overlay to her dancing. She didn't languish in the swan poses like the Russians might, focusing more on the phrasing and musicality. Ringer is a veteran New York City Ballet dancer, and I've loved her work in the past – her Odette was no less wonderful (and quelled any possible disappointment at the last minute cast change).
Marcovici was a noble, solid partner: his variation was secure without being overly flashy, and the dramatic weight that he gave to the respectful bow he gave to Odette's swan form as it floated away was a perfect way to bring the curtain down. The Valse Neuff and Valse Bluette were danced by Deena Abergel and Savannah Lowery, respectively, both lovely and musical.
Saturday afternoon's performances concluded with a correct but studied performance of Balanchine's Concerto Barocco and Jerome Robbins' rendering of Stravinsky's Les Noces. Concerto Barocco featured Teresa Reichlin's debut in the principal role. We saw her spectacularly long legs wrap themselves around the adagio movement of Balanchine's choreography: there were some great moments, but overall the performance from the corps and supporting dancers seemed subdued and careful.
Les Noces was given a very good musical performance, with a full chorus on stage, four vocal soloists, percussion and four thundering pianos. It's a fascinating Stravinsky score, and it was great to hear it performed full force. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Robbins' ballet: the original was choreographed by Bronislava Najinska for Diaghelev's Ballet Ruses, and its somber, angular form plus the non-narrative, pageant-like episodes that represent a rather terrifying ritual of a Russian peasant wedding are in their own way quite iconic as well. Robbins' work follows the same structure, but without the severe, stark impact of Najinska's images – they seem overwrought and, well, Broadway in contrast. I'll have one more chance to look at this piece, when it is paired with Liebeslieder Walzer next weekend.
All photos by Paul Kolnik: (1) New York City Ballet's production of Swan Lake, as choreographed by George Balanchine. Photo from nycballet.com. (2) Tiler Peck in Les Noces, choreographed by Jerome Robbins.
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