New York City Ballet: Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, Liebeslieder Walzer

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, choreographed by George Balanchine. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

New York City Ballet danced Liebeslieder Walzer and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 last week, and I loved seeing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 so much that I returned twice more to see the program. It was kind of a relief to see these two Balanchine one-acters back after several weeks in story-ballet land.

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, presented at the end of the program, showed Balanchine's choreographic genius at its finest. I marvel at the way steps and patterns unfurl in a seemingly effortless progression over the course of the ballet's 36 minutes. Everything fits so perfectly in the music, as though they all simply belonged there - the music comes to life in an almost thrilling way that is clear, unforced and illuminating. This Tchaikovsky piano concerto is quite possibly more interesting with Balanchine's choreography than it is on its own.

The ballet is classically formal in manner and structure, recalling grand classical ballet at its Russian Imperial height (TPC2 was originally called Ballet Imperial and staged with grand tutus and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling - several companies still dance it this way, but NYCB dances it in a later version using simpler chiffon dresses and an empty stage). The dancing occurs in neat lines and circles of corps dancers that surround a principal couple and soloist ballerina. The dancers behave with a noble, courtly demeanor, bowing to one another as men graciously escort women around the stage, and the dancing looks rigorously academic and classical. What makes it a 20th century ballet instead of an old-fashioned 19th century one is the speed with which the steps are accomplished, and the rather more intricate way that the dancers weave around one another in their stage patterns. No particular story emerges in the ballet, but we see suggestions of a relationship in the pas de deux. The 'narrative' of the piece comes more from the music, and the choreographic ideas that Balanchine neatly fits into it. The bottom line for a viewer is that it that you get to watch plenty of classical ballet at once, choreographed to perfection, and without waiting through mime to get there.

There are also opportunities to see spectacular performances in the principal roles. The main ballerina role starts out with a devilishly tricky solo filled with quick turns and dramatic pauses. It continues with a pas de deux that must look gentle, though the steps are strung together with fast lifts and sudden changes of direction. In the second movement, there is a melting adage, followed by a third movement loaded jumps. The second ballerina in the ballet dances mostly alone; there is one brief section with two supporting cavaliers. This is a mostly flashy role, with lots of jumps and turns. She leads the corps de ballet in several passages leading up to the principal couple.

Ashley Bouder was stunning in the main ballerina role at the midweek performances (pictured to the left and above with Jonathan Stafford as her partner). She has had one heck of a season, with great showings in Firebird, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, and she really outdid herself here. Bouder is short in stature but huge in presence, using the easy flow of her dancing and the clarity with which she illustrates the music to dominate the stage. It's an assured, highly engaging performance that dazzles as much with her technical accomplishment as it does with her personality and musicality. Jonathan Stafford partnered her with confidence and sensitivity - the second movement, when he gazes longingly at the ballerina as she disappears off stage, was particularly affecting.

Teresa Reichlen danced the main role on Friday and Saturday, and though she brought her own qualities to the role - beautifully controlled long limbs, lush phrasing and musicality - she didn't quite match the exuberant vigor of Bouder's interpretation. It was still a good performance though, and her partner Stephen Hanna was wonderful as well (making more of an impression in the role than Stafford).

Kathryn Morgan danced her first performances in the second ballerina role over the weekend (I saw it on Saturday) and was really great in it. Delightfully peppy yet refined and gracious, she held the stage on her own merit while preparing the audience to see the principal couple coming up. Savannah Lowery danced this role at the weeknight shows. She's an interesting-looking dancer: very tall with muscled, broad shoulders and a stocky neck. In classical dress she looks severe and almost uncomfortable, but when she gets moving, you notice that her dancing has a real pop to it. She really explodes with the music and can spin into it in a way that ultimately works. Lowery is not quite as pleasant to watch as Morgan, but you can't fully dismiss her performance either.

The liability in this performance was the corps de ballet. For as long as I have watched New York City Ballet, the corps has always been problematic in these more classical pieces - they seem fine in the more contemporary-looking ones like Agon or Stravinsky Violin Concerto. Balanchine's patterns carry, but the corps looks effortful when performing them. You see them straining to keep up, looking slightly panicked as they rush into formation (it was particularly noticeable in TPC2 at the beginning of the 2nd movement, when two lines of corps dancers swing back and forth behind the male cavalier and two demi-soloists). Other companies that I've seen perform this work have a much cleaner and stylistically secure corps; they seem to have as much a sense of place as the principals. True, they don't dance the ballet quite as quickly as NYCB, but it doesn't look ragged or teetering on the edge of control. Here, its the principals and soloists carrying the ballet through.

Liebeslieder Walzer, choreographed by George Balanchine. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

I've waxed rhapsodic about Liebeslieder Walzer before. Watching it again this season, its beautiful subtleties emerged even more and I had the opportunity to focus on some of the fine performances. I'll give that it's not the easiest ballet for audiences to digest. At each of the three performances that I attended, I frequently heard audience members around me talking about having fallen or sleep, or having "made it" through the slog. The ballet is one hour long, and the first half-hour is just a bunch of waltzing in ball gowns - the music is four hands on a piano with classical voices singing German. Things can (and do) look the same when you're unfamiliar with it. I started there, too, when I first saw it early in my ballet-watching, but came around to it as my musical and dance sophistication has grown.

Jennie Somogyi and Wendy Whelan were the standouts for me this time around, giving beautifully sensitive performances. Their dancing had an impulse that extended beyond the mere execution of the steps: emotion complemented the expansive sweep and flow of their waltzing, and it became particularly poignant in the second act, where they dance on pointe. They connected with their partners - Justin Peck and Jared Angle, respectively - in a way that made it seem like they were alone together on stage, the audience privy to private conversations. The male roles in this ballet appear secondary to the female ones, but they are just as important in providing a solid foundation for their partners. Peck and Angle did this wonderfully for Somogyi and Whelan (Peck's performance was a debut in the ballet).

Janie Taylor, Sebestien Marcovici, Darci Kistler and Philip Neal comprised the other two couples; I found their performances a bit shaky at the start of the run, though by Saturday, the entire group was giving beautiful performances. Kistler and Neal gave their final performances of Liebeslieder in their careers; both will retire at the end of the season. The vocal quartet were wonderful to hear. Ashley Emerson, Katherine Rohner, Michael Slattery and Thomas Meglioranza sang, and I thought Emerson was particularly pleasing in her solo moments. Susan Walters and Richard Moredock were the pianists.

All photos by Paul Kolnik. Top center, and inset (1) and (2) - Ashley Bouder and Jonathan Stafford in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, choreography by George Balanchine; inset (3) Teresa Reichlen, pictured here in the second ballerina role, and the New York City Ballet corps de ballet in Piano Concerto No. 2. Second center photo - The 2010 cast of Liebeslieder Walzer, choreography by George Balanchine. Inset (4) - Jennie Somogyi and Justin Peck in Liebeslieder.