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Boston Ballet: Next Generation, 2016

! June 4, 2016

Boston Opera House Boston, MA

May 18, 2016

Carla DeFord

In its annual “Next Generation” program, Boston Ballet (BB) features students, trainees, and pre-professional dancers with music accompaniment performed by the New England Conservatory (NEC) Youth Orchestra. Having attended this event since 2014, I have to say that the star of this year’s show was Geneviève Leclair, assistant conductor of the Boston Ballet Orchestra, who guest conducted the NEC ensemble. There were also several memorable dancers, but the award for sustained achievement in music performance, including Act III of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty and excerpts from Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet, goes to Leclair, who conducted the orchestra with such verve and precision that its members sounded not like the students they are, but like seasoned professionals.

In addition to being essential to the audience’s enjoyment of the program, the music was an absolute gift to the dancers because it gave them the structure and direction they needed. Leclair’s confident dynamics and tempos, crisp rhythms, and crystalline phrasing created powerful forward momentum. Moreover, each style in the Tchaikovsky score was vividly realized – from the meowing of Puss in Boots and the White Cat, to the chirping of the Bluebird, to the stirring rhythms of the polonaise and mazurka. How wonderful for the dancers to be supported by music of such high caliber.

Act III of The Sleeping Beauty (with choreography by Marius Petipa, Peter Martins after Petipa, and Alla Nikitina, a Boston Ballet School faculty member) also introduced us to the second star of the evening: Lex Ishimoto as the Bluebird.

Before I saw him in the role, I couldn’t imagine a pre-professional attempting this supremely challenging pas de deux, but not only did he take it on, he triumphed. From the beginning of his solo variation, when Bluebird does nothing but show his avian port de bras, it seemed as if this sequence would be something special, and it was. The perfection of his lines, jumps, and brisés volés; his elegance combined with unwavering stamina all added up to a performance of immense accomplishment. Abigail Merlis as Princess Florine was also impressive, but this pas (http://criticaldance.org/wpnew/wp- de deux usually belongs to the male dancer (with several notable exceptions), and Ishimoto content/uploads/2016/06/BB.Geneviève-Leclair.Robert-J.- made it his own. Saferstein.img_7651-e1465774113295.jpg)

Geneviève Leclair, Boston Ballet assistant conductor and guest conductor of the New England Conservatory Youth Orchestra Photo Robert J. Saferstein

(http://criticaldance.org/wpnew/wp- content/uploads/2016/06/BB.SB_.2.Lex-Ishimoto-and-Abigail- Merlis.OConnor.i-XZxX6xg-XL-e1465774575112.jpg)

Lex Ishimoto and Abigail Merlis in “The Sleeping Beauty” Photo Rosalie O’Connor

(http://criticaldance.org/wpnew/wp- content/uploads/2016/06/BB.SB_.3.Peter-Mazurowski-Noah- Parets-and-Santiago-Paniagua.Rosalie-OConnor.-hScJG8X-X2- e1465774740982.jpg)

Peter Mazurowski, Noah-Parets, and Santiago Paniagua in “The Sleeping Beauty” Photo Rosalie O’Connor

Act III continued with the Jewels pas de quatre, in which Christian Pforr also showed refinement and mastery, and in the Court Jesters divertissement perhaps a new star was born. Noah Parets is the kind of performer one always hopes to see and rarely does. The smallest of the three jesters, Parets lit up like a Christmas tree when he was onstage. His joy was so infectious I could hardly take my eyes off him. He smiled as if he was having the time of his life while executing all kinds of acrobatic moves, and his eyes flashed at the audience as if to say without a trace of conceit, “Look what I can do! Isn’t it great?” He exudes a special kind of stage presence that invites the audience to share his exhilaration, and it’s irresistible.

The grand pas de deux had some stability issues, particularly in the balances and fish dives. After the performance I was informed that this couple, who stepped in for injured dancers, had a week to learn their roles. It’s really no criticism of the dancer who played Prince Désiré to say that it would have been preferable to have had a more experienced partner for Princess Aurora. Expecting anyone to perfect such complex partnering skills in a week is unrealistic. As Aurora, Brenna Flaherty was lovely to watch and accomplished; she also showed admirable sang froid.

An earlier piece on the program was choreographer Jorma Elo’s Over Glow, danced to recorded music by Mendelssohn. The classical positions were the best part of this work; the mechanistic gestures, which can be found elsewhere in Elo’s oeuvre, begin to wear thin after repeated viewings. Be that as it may, the dancers showed the kind of well-honed contemporary technique for which BB is known. Artistic director Mikko Nissinen, who greeted the audience before the performance, (http://criticaldance.org/wpnew/wp- mentioned that about 30 percent of the dancers currently in BB and its apprentice company content/uploads/2016/06/BB.SB_.1.Graham-Johns-and-Brenna- have studied at the Boston Ballet School (BBS). In Les Passages, the first piece on the program, Flaherty.Rosalie-OConnor.i-ddWkP9b-XL-e1465774282189.jpg)

BBS students showed what high-quality classical training they receive. Their poise and Graham Johns and Brenna Flaherty technical prowess bode well for the future of the company. Heartfelt thanks to the faculty and in “The Sleeping Beauty” staff who prepared them. Photo Rosalie O’Connor

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Carla DeFord (http://criticaldance.org/author/carlad/)

Carla DeFord has written about Boston Ballet since 1996. A free-lance writer based in a suburb of Boston, she is a native New Yorker and graduate of City College and Columbia University. Her writing, mostly on education and the arts, has appeared in the Boston Globe, Ballet Review, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, School Band and Orchestra, JazzEd, and ballet.co, among other publications. As a reviewer she combines a literary-critical perspective with the unabashed enthusiasm of a fan.

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 BALLET (USA & CANADA), INTERVIEWS FOLLOW US ON On Entering the World of Ballet Conducting: An FACEBOOK Interview with Geneviève Leclair criticaldance forum and Boston Ballet Studios, Boston, MA ballet-dance magazine J’aime 1 275 Carla DeFord

In 2010, Canadian Geneviève Leclair was named assistant conductor of the Boston Ballet Orchestra REVIEWS AND FEATURES: BY (BBO). A recent graduate of the Boston University CATEGORY Doctor of Musical Arts program in orchestral conducting, Leclair also holds bachelor’s and Select Cate master’s degrees in flute performance from the gory Université de Montréal. Last season I was in the audience for her impressive debut performances of REVIEWS AND “The Sleeping Beauty” and “Coppélia,” and after the FEATURES: BY MONTH season ended, we met at the Boston Ballet Geneviève Leclair Clarendon Street studios, where we spoke about the Photo © Photographe Montréal Select Mon www.jeansebstudio.com profession of ballet conducting and her role in it. th

POPULAR CD: How did you become assistant conductor of the BBO? COMPANIES

GL: I was studying conducting at Boston University (BU), and I was interested in ballet Alberta Ballet conducting because I started taking ballet lessons when I was two years old, and American Ballet although I didn’t have what it took to be a professional dancer, I loved it and kept doing Theatre American Repertory Ballet ARC it. It’s always been part of who I am. When I decided to become a conductor, the ballet- Dance Company Ballet conducting avenue was something that interested me. Hispanico Ballet San Jose BalletBoyz Bill T. During my first year at B.U., I went to a Boston Ballet performance. I think it was Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Birmingham “Jewels” at the Wang Center, and I thought, “Wow. This is a fantastic company; it would Royal Ballet Boston be so great to be able to observe rehearsals or somehow get in touch with the Ballet Cedar Lake medium.” I contacted Jonathan [McPhee, BBO music director and principal conductor] Contemporary Ballet Cirque Éloize Cloud Gate

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and asked if it was possible to come and watch rehearsals. When you’re doing a 2 Comapny Chameleon David Dorfman Dance conducting program, you’re exposed to symphony and opera conducting, but ballet is DIablo Ballet Dorrance not something that is taught anywhere because no university has a professional dance Dance Dutch National Ballet EDge English company with a live orchestra that you can be trained on. When I was thinking about National Ballet ballet conducting, one of the things that came to mind was – how do you get into it? Estonian National Ballet Fall for Dance Genée I figured the best way would be to see what’s happening behind the scenes at Boston International Ballet Competition General Ballet and find out how it’s done. Jonathan invited me to observe rehearsals for Mischief Dance Theatre “Giselle,” which they were doing that year. That’s where it all started. After “Giselle,” I Hofesh Shechter Company Houston came back and watched rehearsals for “Paquita,” which was the next production, then it Ballet Hubbard Street was on to “The Nutcracker.” Dance Chicago Incline Dance Project Jasmin Around this time, Jonathan said it was a pity that Boston Ballet didn’t have a Vardimon Company Jonah Bokaer LA Dance relationship with BU because maybe I could get credit for what I was doing. So I went to Project Les Grands BU and asked whether I could organize some kind of independent study in ballet Ballets Canadien de Montreal Les Saisons conducting. And it got done. For the spring semester of 2010, I did an internship in Russes LevyDance ballet conducting, and for the 2010-2011 season, Jonathan hired me as assistant Liepa Margaret Jenkins Dance Company Mark conductor. Bruce Company Mark Morris Dance Group Martha Graham Dance Company Matthew CD: In addition to conducting your scheduled performances, is one of your Bourne's New Adventures Mikhail responsibilities as assistant conductor to cover for Maestro McPhee when he is Baryshnikov National indisposed? Dance Awards National Dance Company of GL: Yes, ballet is one of the media in which it’s very hard to find a substitute conductor. Wales Neander Nederlands Dans If you’re doing a symphony concert playing Beethoven Five, and you get sick, just about Theater New Movement any conductor in town will be able to come and do it. In the case of ballet, you have to Collective New York know the choreography, the dancers, and what the ballet masters are expecting. When City Ballet a ballet conductor gets sick, it’s hard to get a conductor to fill in if they haven’t done that Northwest Ballet Theater Nutcracker particular production because there’s a lot of information that’s not written in the score. Oregon Ballet Theatre It’s harder to find someone to cover for ballet than it is for pretty much any other Pacific Northwest musical context. Ballet Paris Opera Ballet Peter Schaufuss Ballet Phoenix Dance Theatre Rambert Dance Company RAWdance CD: The late James DePreist, former director of conducting and orchestra studies Richard Alston Dance at Juilliard, stated that ballet conducting does not allow conductors to “deepen Company Rosas Royal Ballet Royal Swedish [their] interpretation of the repertory” (Roslyn Sulcas, “Dance Conducting: Good Ballet San Francisco for the Nerves, if Not the Career,” “New York Times,” June 25, 2006.) What do you Ballet Scarecrow Contemporary Dance make of that? Company Scottish Ballet Shanghai Ballet GL: I think there’s a historical component to that perception of ballet conducting. Part Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui of it has to do with the history of the medium. For the longest time ballet music could Smuin Ballet Stanislavsky Ballet be played from beginning to end or vice versa; you could chop it up, change the tempo, Stuttgart Ballet Susan

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play it upside down or inside out, and it would still work. Up until Tchaikovsky, ballet Marshall & Company Synetic Theater The music was merely a background for the dance; you could change it however you Pennsylviania Ballet The wanted in order to make it work for the choreography. Washington Ballet Thresh Trisha Brown Tchaikovsky changed all that. He loved ballet, and he thought it could be a greater art Dance Company Wayne McGregor│Random form if it had not only great choreography and dancing, but also great music. Starting Dance WERK Collective with Tchaikovsky, suddenly you have ballet music that’s fully symphonic, nearly like a Yuyu Rau Zhukov Dance Theater through-composed opera. That’s why “Swan Lake” was such an abysmal failure when it first came out. It had never been done, and they didn’t know what to do with it. Tchaikovsky revolutionized the way ballet music was written. SUBSCRIBE TO CRITICALDANCE Many ballets followed that were more symphonic, for example, “Cinderella” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Then you have Stravinsky, who composed wonderful ballets, and Your email: choreographers like Balanchine, who choreographed for all kinds of classical music. It Enter email address... was Balanchine who broke down the barriers between the symphonic and ballet Unsubscribe repertoires. Now we’re getting to the point where there’s not that much difference between the two. I think that’s going to help change the way ballet conducting is perceived.

CD: How does conducting for dance enhance your appreciation of or response to the music?

GL: It adds a visual element. It forces you to conceive of the music in a different way by considering how the choreographer perceived the music and built his choreography on it. It also helps you consider different ways the music can move and breathe. I had that experience with “Serenade” this year. The way that Balanchine understood that music and choreographed on it is magical. It will forever affect the way I hear the music. That was one of the highlights of the season for me. I heard breaths in the music that I had never heard before, and it all made sense.

That kind of experience enhances creativity; it doesn’t impede it. It allows you to bring new elements to your performance, and you carry that with you even when you perform in the symphonic context. To those who say that ballet conducting impedes your creativity, I say the opposite is true.

CD: What about the problem of repetition and limited repertoire?

GL: There’s repetition in the symphonic world also. I’m thinking about symphonic conductors: how many times will they conduct Beethoven Five in their career? Probably, quite a few. It’s just that you may not be doing 30 of them in a row, as we do with “The Nutcracker.” That’s the difference. In terms of the variety of repertoire, we now have many fantastic ballets. Balanchine was responsible for a lot of this. He choreographed not only to ballet music, but to all kinds of classical music, as witness his

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choreographing to music by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Mendelssohn, Gounod, Bizet, Donizetti, Brahms, Fauré, Ravel, Schumann and many others, most of which was not first intended as ballet music.

Ballet was also responsible for the creation of quite a bit of great American music in the 20th century: for example, Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” “Rodeo,” and “Billy the Kid.” These pieces actually made it as concert music because they’re so good. Suites made from this music are regularly presented in concert halls.

The American school of composing pretty much started with Copland, and he composed for ballet a lot. This came about because there were creators like Martha Graham who were commissioning ballets. Other 20th-century composers, such as William Schuman and Leonard Bernstein, also wrote ballets.

CD: That’s still relatively few ballet composers.

GL: It may be in terms of number, but not in terms of quality. Composers will often write for ballet if there’s an opportunity for it to be performed. So it doesn’t mean the interest is not there. “Chroma,” which we did this spring, was choreographed to a new score by Joby Talbot, as was “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” So there are new ballets being written and commissioned today. If we want to keep the medium alive, we have to keep doing new things.

CD: Is there much interest in ballet conducting among the younger generation of conductors?

GL: When I went to the annual conference of the League of American Orchestras in 2010, there was a panel discussion about career development. Some of the younger audience members were asking about how to gain experience in opera and ballet conducting. The consensus among the panel was that you have to learn from someone who knows the medium since there’s no academic training available. I think the interest among young conductors bodes well for the profession.

CD: Tell me more about how dance can change one’s perception of music. When I saw Adiarys Almeida in “Sleeping Beauty” last season, for example, her performance taught me that the Act II Variation d’Aurore was the sound of Aurora weeping. It came as a revelation to me.

GL: This kind of enhancement happens when the performance clicks: when the dance and the music fit together. What you’re seeing, if there’s a real discourse happening,

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adds another layer of creativity and another layer of information. Suddenly the dancers can start playing with their phrasing, and that makes the performance come alive. When you’re dancing to live music, you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen in each performance. This is different from dancing to a recording, which is always the same. Live music brings a level of excitement, and a bit of the unknown, to the performance.

CD: How do you support individual dancers during the performance?

GL: That’s when you have potential for great communication. When the performers are completely engaged, I can help bring out the quality the dancer is trying to express. With Aurora, for example, the ballerina may be trying to portray someone who is more fragile, or someone who is growing into an adult. All of these things are in the music. Depending on the dancer, it may mean that tonight I’ll be a little crisper on the articulation to bring out more energy; maybe another night I’ll bring out the dynamic changes a little more.

Every dancer has a unique physicality, way of moving, and artistic process. If you are open to it, working with different dancers allows you to see aspects of the performance under a constantly changing light. Some of the dancers play with the phrasing more, some react to the beat, some anticipate the beat. From a musical standpoint, I try to respond to whatever information they’re giving me. I guess one could say I find the diversity itself interesting.

CD: How do you communicate with the musicians?

GL: Through your gestures, your eyes, and your whole body. The members of the Boston Ballet Orchestra (BBO) play at an incredibly high level. In fact, they have to be even more flexible than musicians who play in other settings because ballet performances change more from night to night. The BBO is able to turn on a dime. Whenever a change is necessary, they’re right there with me.

CD: When you became assistant conductor of the BBO, was your age a factor in how the musicians related to you since you are younger than most of them?

GL: I’ve encountered situations in the past where my age was a factor, but not here. The orchestra has been supportive from day one. It’s an extraordinarily nice group of people. They’ve been extremely trusting, and it’s important to make it possible for the musicians to trust the conductor so that they can focus on what they have to do.

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CD: Speaking of trust, don’t you also have to gain the trust of the dancers?

GL: Trust is an essential part of a great performance, and it is something that is earned over time and through consistency. I spend about 30 hours a week in the studio during the season [from August to the end of June], conducting the piano and getting to know the dancers, the choreography, and the wishes of the ballet masters. Because of the time I’ve spent in the studio, I have quicker reaction time now than I did three years ago and can make more subtle adjustments in the music. By balancing the requirements of the choreography and the music, I can help foster a dialogue between the dancers and me. This dialogue creates unity in the performance. The dancers’ trust is not something I take for granted; I constantly strive to be worthy of it.

CD: Isn’t it true that when the curtain goes up, the ballet masters, choreographer, and artistic director fall away, and it’s just you and the dancers creating the performance?

GL: Physically, yes, but at the same time, the wishes of the artistic staff are still there. During the performance, the conductor (as the representative of the musicians) and the dancers convey those wishes to the audience. The challenge of communicating with both the dancers and musicians is a really good thing about ballet conducting. It forces you to develop an extremely clear technique.

With a symphony orchestra, most of the time you’re rehearsing what you’ll be performing; there’s not much change between the dress rehearsal and the concert. With ballet, you never know. Something is going on in addition to the music, and that affects what you do. As a ballet conductor, you need to hone a technique that allows you make changes, sometimes drastic ones, without confusing the orchestra. That requires a special set of skills because the orchestra has to be able to react immediately. Once you’ve conducted a ballet orchestra, you can pretty much do anything in terms of technique. That’s why I think every conductor should experience ballet conducting.

CD: Boston Ballet spent a lot of money to renovate the Opera House pit. What do you think of the result?

GL: They did a fantastic job; it sounds wonderful. Of course there are challenges to playing in any pit. When you’re playing on a stage, you have more space, and the sound spreads out. When you’re playing in a pit, you’re playing between walls. Part of the sound goes out into the house, but part of it comes back at you. It’s a louder

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environment, and one in which you don’t hear as well.

So whereas musicians normally rely mostly on their ears to communicate with each other, they can’t do that in a pit. That’s because they may not be able to hear the person who’s playing on the other side of the pit. Also, because of the reverberations between the walls, there’s going to be a delay. If they rely only on their ears, they may be late. So they need to rely more on the conductor. Conducting in a pit is a good experience because it’s so different from conducting on a stage.

CD: To whom is your first loyalty: the dancers, the musicians, the artistic staff?

GL: To the performance as a whole. One has a loyalty not only to the musicians who are in front of you, the dancers who are counting on you, and the artistic staff, which prepares the performance, but also to the composer and the music. My first loyalty is to giving the best performance possible.

CD: Do you think that there should be more flexibility in going from ballet to symphony conducting and vice versa?

GL: If we could move easily from one to the other, that would be the best of all possible worlds. There are challenges on the business end of things, but I’m hoping they’re not impossible to overcome. Maybe it’s naïve, but I’m optimistic.

CD: What’s in your future?

GL: I want to do everything. At this point I’m not closing any doors. I want to do symphonic conducting; I love opera, and I love ballet. I don’t know what the future holds, but whatever opportunities are coming my way, I’m excited about them.

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Carla DeFord REVIEWS AND It’s Nutcracker FEATURES: BY CATEGORY time again.

Boston Reviews and Features: Common is By Category decked out Select Cate with lights, gory and there’s an air of REVIEWS AND anticipation in Ashley Ellis and Lasha Khosashvili FEATURES: BY in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker MONTH the city. The Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of Boston Ballet new Boston Reviews and Features: Ballet By Month production, which debuted in 2013, is one of the grandest of the festive events Select Mon happening around town. Entrancing for children, whether in the audience or onstage, th The Nutcracker has depth enough to engage adults willing to submit to the enchantment of fairy tales. To paraphrase Dickens’s words in A Christmas Carol, one RECENT COMPANIES must concede the mythical premises of the ballet or “nothing wonderful can come of [it].” There’s plenty of opportunity for wonder in this production, which at its best Akram Khan combines great dance and music with marvelous visual effects. Alonzo King LINES Ballet American Ballet The high point of the evening was Ashley Ellis as Snow Queen with Lasha Khozashvili as Theatre AXIS Dance Company Ballet Theatre her partner. In this performance, she reminded me of Stevie Wonder’s ribbon in the sky, UK BalletCollective as each of her exquisite positions melted seamlessly into another. Her elegant port de Bayerisches Staatsballett Birmingham bras, miraculously flexible back, and perfect placement in the lifts all contributed to a Royal Ballet Black Grace technique of stunning virtuosity. Boston Ballet Carlos Acosta China Then there was her relationship to the music. In her phrasing, she played with the National Peking notion of tempo, contrasting the speed of her spins and turns with her otherwise Opera Company unhurried, legato line. Like a gradually unfolding rose she opened herself up to CHOWK Company C Contemporary Ballet Tchaikovsky’s rhapsodic score, and the radiance of her face when she lifted it to heaven Daniel K detour dance created moments of pure transcendence. DIablo Ballet Dresden Semperoper Ballett Improved management of the theatrical snow further enhanced the impact of the EmSpace Dance English National Ballet School scene. In previous years it fell so fast that the dancers were engulfed in a blizzard Estonian National almost immediately. This time the snow descended more slowly and built to a climax Ballet Fact/SF Fairul with the music. By the end of the pas de deux, it was coming down in earnest, and when Zahid/ASWARA Flamenco Sin Fronteras Fog Beast Ellis’s tiara threw off sparks of light through the snowflakes, the effect was mesmerizing. Frontier Danceland Garrett + Moulton Anais Chalendard was Sugar Plum, and she is a compelling stage presence. I don’t think Productions Heidi Latsky I’ll ever forget her ferocity as Gamzatti in the Act I, scene II, fight scene of La Bayadère. Dance Hong Kong Academy for Performing That said, her technique in this role appeared a little stiff. For example, in the grand pas Arts Hong Kong Ballet deux when Sugar Plum’s leg quivers during a supported turn (the same movement seen Inclined Dance Project in the Act II grand pas de deux of Swan Lake), hers looked as if it were shaking rather Katharine Hawthorne Kuli-Kula Leila McMillan than quivering, so the intensity of the moment was muted. LevyDance M1 CONTACT Festival MACOBA Dance Beyond Company Mats Ek questions of MAYA Dance technique, Theatre Modern Table Company National Arts there was a and Humanities Youth certain Program Awards Neville Dance Theatre New York spiritual City Ballet Nutcracker element Oakland Ballet Pacific missing. One Northwest Ballet Pilobolus RAW Moves did not feel in Ronald K. this Sugar Brown/EVIDENCE Plum either Royal New the rapture of Zealand Ballet Royal Swedish Ballet love or the Russell transitory Maliphant San nature of joy Ricardo Santos in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker Francisco Ballet San that are Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of Boston Ballet Francisco Dance Film essential to Festival Sasha Waltz & Guests Scottish the role. The Dance Theatre lack of chemistry between the fairy princess and her cavalier, played by Federico Fresi, SFDanceworks Silicon didn’t help. Fresi, who recently came to Boston Ballet from La Scala, is a phenomenal Valley Ballet Singapore Dance Theatre Smuin jumper, and the positions he attains in the air are so perfect as to take one’s breath Ballet Soul Signature away. His thrilling technique almost becomes a kind of character creation in itself, but Sri Warisan Sylvie as of now, acting is not his strong suit. My hope for both dancers is that they will find Guillem T.H.E. ways to enrich their interpretation of these roles over time. Dance Company T.T.C. Dance The Anata Project The Royal Ballet A few other dancers gave memorable performances, including Patrick Yocum as Herr Twyla Tharp Dance Silberhaus, who looked like a perfectly dignified pater familias, but also managed some UNA Projects WDA Asia- nice comic business with Sabi Varga as Drosselmeier and displayed precise entrechat Pacific six during the adults’ party dance. Notable too were Richardo Santos as an impressive Harlequin and Samivel Evans in the Spanish variation. The latter’s utterly convincing matador-like moves reminded me of Angel Corella in the Don Quixote grand pas de deux.

Maria Baranova’s Arabian variation was as sinuous as anyone could wish for, her circling port de bras in the final lifts being especially effective. This was another couple that lacked chemistry, however; her partner looked dutiful rather than enthralled as he carried her from one place to another and helped her get into and out of some strenuous gymnastic poses. Richardo Santos returned with an energetic Chinese variation, featuring jumps that delighted the audience. Also notable for launching himself skyward was Isaac Akiba, who’s been doing lead Russian for several years and has really grown into the role. At this point he’s brimming with confidence and performs multiple split leaps with the greatest of ease. It’s a pleasure to see him thoroughly enjoying himself while accomplishing such athletic feats.

One of the chief joys of the Boston Ballet production of The Nutcracker is the live music played by its orchestra of over 50 members. For this performance, assistant conductor Geneviève Leclair was at the podium, and the orchestra was in top form. Everything onstage, from Fresi’s spectacular jumps to Ellis’s ecstatic stretches in the air high above her partner’s head, was accomplished in collaboration with Leclair and the superb musicians of the Boston Ballet Orchestra.

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Established in 1984 by Keith Campbell MacMillan (1920 – 91) and Ross Alexander MacMillan (1923 – 2006) TRUSTEES: Gwen Beamish Robert Cram William Driver David Elder Robin Elliott David S. R. Leighton Betsy MacMillan Ian MacMillan, President Robin MacMillan Timothy McNicholas Carl Morey c/o Scotiatrust, 130 King St. W., 20th Floor, P.O. Box 430, Toronto , Ontario M5X 1K1 Clayton Scott Registered Charitable Organization BN 11925 4175 RR 0001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2010

GENEVIÈVE LECLAIR NAMED RECIPIENT OF THE 2010 SIR ERNEST MACMILLAN FOUNDATION AWARD

The Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce that Geneviève Leclair has been awarded $12,000 as the recipient of the Foundation’s 2010 advanced music study award. The 2010 award was offered in the area of orchestral conducting and was open to candidates under thirty years of age from across Canada. The award this year celebrates the Foundation’s 25th anniversary, and commemorates Sir Ernest MacMillan’s distinguished career as a conductor, in particular his 25 years with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1931-56).

The final selection round for the award took place on March 29th in MacMillan Theatre (named after Sir Ernest) at the University of Toronto. Three finalists rehearsed the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra in selections from Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz. An independent jury consisting of Victor Feldbrill, Tania Miller, Alain Trudel, and chaired by David Briskin, oversaw the selection process.

Ms. Leclair, who holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in flute performance from Université de Montréal, is currently enrolled in the doctoral degree program in orchestral conducting at Boston University. In the summer of 2009 she held the position of apprentice conductor with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada at the Brott Music Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. Further information regarding Ms. Leclair is available from her website at http://www.genevieveleclair.com

The principal goal of the MacMillan Foundation has been to provide significant career development opportunities to young musicians at or near the completion of their studies. The award is offered in different areas of music, to reflect the broad range of Sir Ernest’s accomplishments and his untiring support of young musicians. Since its inception in 1985 the Foundation has issued 25 awards. Recipients to date have included composers, conductors, instrumental and vocal performers, experts in pedagogy, early music, musicology, ethnomusicology, and music education – all selected by an independent panel of experts.

The award commemorates Sir Ernest MacMillan, one of Canada’s preeminent musicians from the 1920s through the 1950s, Companion of the Order of Canada, and recipient of the only knighthood conferred on a Canadian musician. Sir Ernest’s contributions to the development of music in Canada as orchestral and choral conductor, organist, chamber musician, composer, arranger, administrator, lecturer, adjudicator, writer, and statesman, are unparalleled.

(30) Information: Dr. Robin Elliott, 946-8622, [email protected] Ian MacMillan, 613-238-6847, [email protected] www.macmillanfoundation.com

INAUGURAL PATRONS: Murray Adaskin, Louis Applebaum, Claudio Arrau, Paul Baby, Robertson Davies, Victor Feldbrill, Maureen Forrester, Nicholas Goldschmidt, Hyman Goodman, Frances Halpenny, Elmer Iseler, Greta Kraus, Lois Marshall, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Zara Nelsova, Rudolph Serkin, Albert Truman, Jon Vickers

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! BALLET (USA & CANADA), REVIEWS FOLLOW US ON Boston Ballet – Cinderella FACEBOOK

Boston Opera House, Boston, MA; March 14 and 21, 2014 CriticalDance Carla DeFord J’aime cette Page

From March 13 through 23 Boston Ballet presented, for the first time, the Frederick Ashton version of REVIEWS AND “Cinderella.” It has previously offered FEATURES: BY CATEGORY four other productions of the classic

fairy tale, the most recent being Reviews and Features: James Kudelka’s (in 2008), which was By Category Boston Ballet in “Cinderella” set in the 1920s, complete with Photo © Gene Schiavone Select Cate flapper dresses and an incredible gory flying pumpkin-cum-carriage. REVIEWS AND One of my reservations about the Kudelka version was that the two stepsisters were FEATURES: BY ballerinas in pointe shoes, so it was hard to believe they didn’t know how to dance (as MONTH the dancing-master sequence demands) since they were dancing – very well – right before one’s eyes. The stepsisters in Ashton’s version, being men in drag, manage Reviews and Features: By Month through dint of meticulous work to appear truly awkward. They fight like stray cats, flirt Select Mon like elephants in heat, crash into each other, fall down in heaps and, in general, enjoy th themselves immensely.

Ashton created the role of the shy stepsister for himself, and he was unforgettable in RECENT COMPANIES the role (the performance is available on DVD), but there’s no point in trying to replicate the poignancy of Ashton’s performance. It can’t be done. Better to put one’s own Akram Khan Alonzo King LINES Ballet personality into it, as Robert Kretz did in the March 14 cast. Both he and Sabi Varga, as American Ballet the aggressive stepsister (the role originated by Robert Helpmann), managed to be Theatre AXIS Dance charming as well as hilariously pugnacious, and their slapstick humor was both well Company Ballet Theatre UK BalletCollective done and well received. Bayerisches Staatsballett Birmingham Yury Yanowsky and Boyko Dossev played the stepsisters on March 21, and they created Royal Ballet Black Grace even more distinctive personalities. There’s no one who projects aggressiveness Boston Ballet Carlos Acosta China onstage better than Yanowsky, and when he gave his sister a push (which was fairly National Peking often), he did it with such force that one fully expected her to go flying off into the Opera Company wings. Yanowsky was a memorable Tybalt in “Romeo and Juliet,” and one could catch CHOWK Company C Contemporary Ballet just a glimpse of Tybalt’s rage in his comic bullying. Dossev really brought out the timid Daniel K detour dance yet vain, innocent yet knowing qualities of the Ashton stepsister, who gave as good as DIablo Ballet Dresden she got and provided the perfect foil for Yanowsky’s belligerence. Semperoper Ballett EmSpace Dance English National Ballet School The first cast I saw featured Estonian National absolutely top-notch performances Ballet Fact/SF Fairul from Kathleen Breen Combes as the Zahid/ASWARA Flamenco Sin Fronteras Fog Beast Fairy Godmother and Whitney Jensen Frontier Danceland as the Fairy Summer. Breen Combes Garrett + Moulton was nothing short of miraculous. Productions Heidi Latsky Dance Hong Kong She made the Ashton choreography Academy for Performing into a language with its own Arts Hong Kong Ballet Inclined Dance Project grammar and vocabulary. Each Katharine Hawthorne Kuli-Kula Leila McMillan Boyko Dossev, Avetik Karapetyan, and Yury Yanowsky moment was shaped so that there LevyDance M1 CONTACT in “Cinderella” was no perceptible difference Festival MACOBA Dance Photo © Gene Schiavone between pose and transition. The Company Mats Ek sense of steps per se disappeared, MAYA Dance and one saw only a single line Theatre Modern Table throughout the entire variation. Company National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards Neville Much the same could be said for Jensen, whose embodiment of a long, hot summer, Dance Theatre New York with languid positions that included wiping the perspiration from her brow, was also City Ballet Nutcracker Oakland Ballet Pacific informed by absolute mastery of Ashton’s choreographic language. The port de bras of Northwest Ballet both dancers was all unbroken flow. Pilobolus RAW Moves Ronald K. As Cinderella, Ashley Ellis was especially touching in act I when communing with the Brown/EVIDENCE portrait of her dead mother. Moreover, throughout the performance she showed all Royal New her signature virtues: the amazing extension and precision of her positions and the Zealand Ballet Royal Swedish Ballet slowly unfurling hands of her delicate port de bras. Russell The celebrated act II entrance to the ball showcased Ellis’ uncanny ability to connect Maliphant San Francisco Ballet San with the audience through a kind of inner radiance. As she came down the staircase Francisco Dance Film and bourréed toward us, her face was lit up with wonder. It was the kind of spiritually Festival Sasha Waltz revealing moment she excels at creating. & Guests Scottish Dance Theatre When she awoke from her trance-like state with the prince at her side, however, one SFDanceworks Silicon Valley Ballet Singapore didn’t feel much electricity between them. This was unfortunate since one couldn’t ask Dance Theatre Smuin for a more attentive prince than Eris Nezha. As a partner he was completely confident Ballet Soul Signature and clearly loved showing off his ballerina. As a soloist, he had big leaps and turns, not Sri Warisan Sylvie to mention such intensely blue eyes that they seemed able to penetrate into the future. Guillem T.H.E. Dance Company Since first seeing the act II grand pas de deux (in Youtube clips), I had wondered about T.T.C. Dance The Anata Project The Royal Ballet its clock-like look. Eventually I realized that Ashton took his cue from Prokofiev, who Twyla Tharp Dance wrote a tick-tock figure on wooden block for the prince, which is then taken up by the UNA Projects WDA Asia- Pacific pizzicato of the strings for Cinderella.

It seems to me that the choreography also reflects Cinderella’s knowledge that she is under a spell. In this respect Cinderella is very much like Odile in that she has a secret. She can’t communicate it directly to the prince, but in her squared-off movements she pantomimes the effect the spell will have on her and the impossibility of escaping from it. In “Swan Lake” the prince refuses to get the message; in “Cinderella” he is simply oblivious.

Breen Combes as Cinderella in the March 21 cast breathed astonishing life into Ashton’s references to time pieces and hidden messages. In the grand pas de deux she managed to create clock-like positions, but still maintain a softness of line that was true to the essence of Cinderella’s character. She found opportunities to give her prince little loving looks, and she sometimes reminded me of Odette cradled in Seigfried’s arms as she melted into the prince’s embrace. It all seemed to indicate a profound understanding of Ashton’s style.

Her prince was Alejandro Virelles, who appeared to be much more self-assured and relaxed than when I saw him in “La Bayadère” last fall. He created a wonderfully convincing relationship with Cinderella and tossed off all his leaps and turns with ease. What a pleasure to see him come into his own.

In this performance I found Dusty Button to be outstanding as Fairy Winter. Her precisely frozen positions (all puns intended) made me think of Myrtha in “Giselle.” There was a beautiful severity in her evocation of ice and snow. Anaïs Chalendard as Fairy Summer was not as languid as Jensen, but something about her fierce commitment to every role she undertakes commands one’s attention.

The sets by David Walker were all in sepia tones, so when act II opened, and the ladies and gentlemen at the ball were revealed in costumes of reds, purples and gold, the effect was almost startling. That’s also true of Cinderella’s glittering carriage (with a small child in the driver’s seat), which made a rapid sweep across the stage before transporting her to the prince. The translucent cape she wore during her entrance to the ball, set off by a huge stand-up collar, was a tour de force of the costume maker’s art as were the brilliant white outfits for Cinderella and the prince in acts II and III.

A moving penultimate moment in the plot occurred in act III when Cinderella, in a gesture of forgiveness, kissed her stepsisters on both cheeks. The final tableau of the heroine and her prince standing with their backs to the audience as sparkling confetti rained down upon them, brought the production to a striking, and in terms of the lovers’ tribulations, well-earned conclusion.

Prokofiev’s score is an immense and complicated one, and the Boston Ballet Orchestra, under the baton of principal conductor, Jonathan McPhee, on March 14, and assistant conductor, Geneviève Leclair, on March 21, gave it great vitality. The fulfillment of the spell at midnight, with its clanging percussion and enormous blasts from the low brass, was especially dramatic. The orchestra has only two rehearsals per production, but consistently produces performances of the highest possible caliber. Dancers of the company, one and all, are privileged to work with such a distinguished group of musicians.

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Monday, August 9, 2010 Share it A Ravishing Performance from Brott's NAO Share this on Facebook Tweet this

By Hugh Fraser Get this for your site

HAMILTON - It happens from time to time although, come to think of it, not all that often.

About Us It's that muffled roary whoosh at the end of a piece of music. It tells you that the audience has been holding its breath in awed amazement and can finally expel the pent Brott Music Festival up air. Soon, of course, it turns into shouts of Bravo, Brava or Bravi depending on Hamilton, Ontario, Canada circumstances. “Encore” is another favourite. Then a small clump rise while shouting NOW UNTIL AUG. 20!!!! The 23 year old Brott and applauding, which draws another clump to its feet across the aisle and soon the Music Festival is Canada's largest orchestral whole lot of them are banging away and yelling to beat the band. music festival and is based in Hamilton, ON. Most notably, it is home to the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, the country's That's exactly what happened as the young (everything's young to me except water and only professional training orchestra. Both were dirt) Russian (Moldovian) pianist Alexei Gulenco brought a grand piano back to earth on founded by visionary conductor Boris Brott and the stage of Mohawk College's concert hall after a sparkling flight through features performances, orchestral musicians Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. and soloists of the highest calibre. Its main activity is from May to August with additional In the true Russian pianistic tradition Gulenco took absolutely no guff at all from what performances in the fall and winter. Brott Music seemed, at first, a rather dull instrument and soon had it singing. Bits I had felt were Festival presents over 40 performances tacked on for effect seemed apt and unified and it really was a very satisfying including symphonic, chamber, pops, jazz, education and opera-in-concerts. performance indeed. View my complete profile And that orchestra! I kept having to count the strings to make sure it wasn't double the size, because what I was hearing was double the size. Brott proved, as he effortlessly does, that he is the complete accompanist. Blog Archive

Then Rachmaninoff's date, Tchaikovsky – the Festival billed the concert as Rocky 3 ▼ 2010 (55) Meets Tchaikovsky -- showed up with his Fifth Symphony. ▼ August (7) A Ravishing Performance from Brott split the work in half with his apprentice conductor Genevieve Leclair. Leclair took Brott's NAO the first two movements, while Brott took the Valse and Finale. I must say it is a tribute to Brott's command of the podium that he voluntarily followed such a brilliant student. Ontario Arts Review: The King returns to riff with... Leclair drew an absolutely ravishing performance from the National Academy Orchestra Elvis: Stephen Kabakos & The and the Andante cantabile sang and danced like a choir of angels and cherubim. The NAO in rehearsal electricity crackled when Brott took over and what a brass section! They could have More Elvis Pics! called the cattle home from across the Pacific ocean let alone the Sands of Dee and yet it was all balanced. Elvis: The King Lives! Elvis WAS in the building and That huge string sound - most startlingly from the lower strings - had my ears calling my ROCKED eyes foolish. The woodwinds too were magnificent - clarinets, oboes, flutes and bassoons all played their parts to great avail, which is I suppose a little silly to mention, Boris as The King! as it is as an orchestra - a very, very fine one - that the NAO excels and I am not going to omit the drums from my praise. ► July (12) ► June (12) Apprentice conductor Samuel Tak-Ho Tam opened the concert with Jordan Pal's On The Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra. Pal, a composer for the concert hall and ► March (7) film, had a thesaurus of contemporary musical language for us to interpret and its ► February (12) fragments bustled about pushing each other out of the way before each had the space to really establish itself. There so much that was attractive and I would love to see him ► January (5) expand this work to let the contrapuntal, as well as the other "bits" develop into what they clearly could become.

Tam organized everything with brisk efficiency and sensitivity. My Blog List

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Thursday, 24 June 2010 Sobrino & the NAO

Main Menu Home Archive A good ‘PASTORALE’… not a great Letters to the Editor Links Pastorale Recommend Site News Letter Contact Us Search Upcoming Events

Review by Danny Gaisin

June 24th ‘10

Previous editors, under who this humble scribe has laboured, oftimes outlined the hierarchy of the pressroom. Bottom up: - the cubs, then reporters; next- feature writers; after that- columnists and then- the rarefied editorial air. Readers care not about the baggage carried by those lowly three categories but are entitled to know the slants and biases of those whose by-lines are recognized. So: - my predisposition re Beethoven’s Sixth symphony.

In 1958 the indomitable Peter Munk created the ‘Clairtone’ line of furniture-style record players. My Dad’s printing company was chosen to publish their high-quality introductory brochures. Munk was so pleased he gifted us a top-of-the-line piece of equipment. I was given the honour of purchasing five records to show off the unit. A half-century later, I still recall my choices…Fantasie Impromptu; Finian’s Rainbow; Tales of Hoffmann; Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ & Beethoven’s Pastorale. My all-time favourites.

Regardless of the level of technical expertise, time spent with any of Beethoven’s nine major compositions is always worthwhile. But some productions are better than others. Brott; Leclair; Sobrino & Tam - a talented quartet!

Boris Brott’s NAO ‘Pastorale’ 6th symphony effort unfortunately missed the mark. A hurried opening movement reduced the dramatic pauses between the seven distinct motifs that are a major contribution to the mood of the allegro. Brott ran a 100-yd dash rather than the 880! However, his interpretation of the following andante was definitive. The conductor’s affection for both the composer and this specific piece showed in a tender treatment of every note as well as in his exploration of phrase and coda. Apprentice Sam Tam mounted the podium for the following three melodious revelations- the storm; observing shepherds and the rainbow of thanks. Alas, the technical quality of the 2010 NAO faltered. Glaring errors spoiled the usually convivial atmosphere that movements 3, 4 & 5 elicit. Not a ‘great’ Pastorale by any measure.

The guest soloist- renowned clarinettist Giampiero Sobrino teased the audience with Debussy's diminutive first clarinet rhapsody. His physical style may from the ‘Sammy Kaye’ school; which can a little distracting, but his mastery of the instrument is non-pareil. When he performed Von Weber’s Concerto no. 2, the audience was aurally mesmerized. The andante-tempoed Romanza 2nd movement… popular with the new-format classical-lite stations; was performed so precisely and with such feeling that this attentive listener’s throat began to lump up. It speaks volumes about the Brott Festival and the NAO that they can attract such luminaries!

Unter-Konductor Geneviève Leclair took the podium for the sprightly & bright Rossini overture to his “Italian girl in Algiers”. This opera, a dramma magiocoso, tells the story of Isabella- a sort of ‘Wonder Woman’. Cross the Med; rescue your lover; free the slaves and head back home for dinner. Just like my wife! Leclair brought out every nuance of the piece and bestowed such a impacting aspect to her reading that I could smell the salt air. Were it not for Senore Sobrino, this would have been the evening’s apex! Her program notes were no slouch either. Granted they were written from a musicological viewpoint but certainly informative and erudite. Future audiences… READ; Memorize! “A unique cultural alternative to the printed page!”

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Friday, 07 August 2009 Pictures at an Exhibition

Main Menu Home Archive “Pictures at an Exhibition”- a tale Letters to the Editor Links of two Borises Recommend Site News Letter Review by Danny Gaisin Contact Us Search July 12th ‘09 Upcoming Events ______

To anyone whose ancestry dates back to the Russia of the nineteenth century, composer Modest Mussorgsky is inexorably part of a heritage…especially those of Jewish origin. The opera Boris Godunov historically retells the life of this Tatar tsar and his effect on the stetls of the time. A contemporary of such icons as Borodin; Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov and Balakirev, his ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ was ahead of its time. Through one of the period’s foremost critics, he became close friends with a young artist/architect- Viktor Hartmann. When Hartmann died, Mussorgsky was so disconsolate that he arranged for an exhibition of Hartmann’s works, and in six weeks composed an imaginary perambulation through the Academy of Fine Art in St. Petersburg...with his late friend. That work is the incomparable ‘Pictures at an Exhibition”.

Last night, a modern Boris presented the opus; but like Wilbrandt, Ashkenazy, and Slatkin, gave it his own imprimatur. Using projected images created by contemporary artists as a backdrop, the evening was an impressively visual as well as aural success. Deborah Pearce's painting of SAMUEL GOLDENBURG & SCHMUYLE

The differing keys such as A-flat; D-minor; & B-major represent the mood of the duo as they progress between the displayed artwork. Tempi modifications such as 5/4 & 6/4 time symbolize their varying gait. The final movement, a heroic adaptation of the promenade symbolizes Hartmann’s drawing for a new Bogatyr edifice; oftimes referred to as the ‘Great Gate of Kiev’. The Hartmann original drawing for it!

The N.A.O. and its artistic director were superb. Faultless and obviously determined to give full measure- the slight echoing acoustics of the cathedrial [sic] Christ’s Church bestowed an almost overwhelming timbre and resonance to the piece. The concept assailed the audience with its impact. Undoubtedly when I next hear the familiar eleven notes that initiate the piece- the Brott images will automatically appear.

There was more to the evening. An opening work entitled ‘Images’ by Winnipeg native Harry Freedman was presented in front of projected works by Lauren (Group of Seven) Harris ; a Sudoku-ish painting by Nakamura, and a landscape by Riopelle which evoked memories of the ice surface at the old Forum before a Zamboni refinishing. Brott’s apprentice conductor Genevieve Leclair took the podium to present Respighi’s Trittico which interprets Spring; the Magi at the manger and the famous ‘birth of Venus’; she of the flowing locks and clamshell arrival. Leclair has already established her own style and control, but the restraint she maintains over the NAO musicians is pure Brott. She’ll be a magnificent director of whatever professional orchestra’s podium she’ll inherit.

This was a triumphant evening. We are fans of the hypothesis of the N.A.O. and its mentoring program, but it is also a first-class musical ensemble and the eclectic program it offers appeals to all knowledge levels of the genre… kudos to the musicians and administration both. My gut feeling- this is a strong contender for the O.A.R. Top Ten of 2009

Comments, email me at [email protected]@ontarioartsreview.ca

“A unique cultural alternative to the printed page!”

“It is by the interest & support of culture – that a community is truly defined”

E. T. Metter, 1990

Monday, 29 June 2009 NAO & Telner

Main Menu Home Editor's note: Delay in uploading the following was due to a Archive weather-related break-down of our internet connection...Sorry! Letters to the Editor Links Recommend Site Felix, Ludwig, Shoshana & Boris- News Letter Contact Us Search exhilarating Upcoming Events

Review by Danny Gaisin

June 27th ‘09

______

It took a decade for an ‘A’-team of engineers & physicists to perfect and hone the tolerances needed to correctly match the tritium, uranium & hydrogen that comprise the Big one. Diamond- cutting apprenticeship: – an even longer period. Brott’s National Academy Orchestra annually starts from scratch and to realize & appreciate the amalgamation that must take place by the season’s start is mind-boggling. The gift of being able to accomplish this task is but one of the musical talents endemic in the Boris Brott psyche. The man is one of my heroes!

Saturday evening’s concert at St. Christopher’s in Burlington was titled “Mendelssohn meets Beethoven”. The matchmaker or introducer was Sergei Prokofiev’s deceptively uncomplicated classical symphony. This short four-movement work was directed by apprentice conductor Geneviève Leclair. The lady shows no musical temerity; rather she demonstrates a light touch that cloaks a firm hand over the orchestra. The reprised theme of the opening movement led to a most precise and detailed string handling of the larghetto that was exquisite. Leclair’s gavotte and exhilarating finale were a captivating contrast of tempi and musical message

Soloist Telner, Brott & asst. conductor Leclair .

Mendelssohn’s piano concerto in G-minor is another example of dichotomy…a forceful allegro; the familiar andante and a passionate presto finale. Guest soloist Shoshana Telner’s reading presented deliberate emphasis on the left hand. The brass introduces an intricate solo coda that was immaculately interpreted by Telner, and her technical expertise was mirrored by a brief but magnificent cello & viola melody. The soloist’s confidence was obvious and definitely apparent in her jest-like teasing with the dramatic pauses during the presto movement. There is certainly a ‘rosy’ air about her performance!

Viewing the Gainsborough hanging in the Louvre; sailing; riding my Vespa™; or listening to a Beethoven Symphony…just a few of my favorite things. The 7th personally ranks far higher than its assigned number. The work’s opening vivace has a metronomic tempo that is infectious and maestro Brott’s version emphasized the melodious fun intrinsic in the movement. The five-note motif introduced by the celli that demarcates the allegretto reprises itself throughout the movement. Brott gave special emphasis to the recurring contrapuntal theme. His musicians appeared to be so totally in synch with both the music and each other that the conductor actually seemed to tighten his reins during the dynamic presto 3rd.

Beethoven’s seventh is energetic, dynamic and a musical workout that either strikes a chord with the audience or totally fails. The N.A.O.’s performance enticed me to mentally assist both the percussion and the baton. Super concert- super evening! “A unique cultural alternative to the printed page!”

“It is by the interest & support of culture – that a community is truly defined”

E. T. Metter, 1990

Friday, 07 August 2009 NAO's Russian Romantics

Main Menu Home Archive “Russian Romantics” Brott & Letters to the Editor Links Recommend Site NAO romances the crowd News Letter Contact Us Search Upcoming Events

Review by Kamara Hennessey

June 22, 2009

The National Academy Orchestra under the energetic baton of Geneviève Leclair, apprentice conductor; unleashed the romance in Pushkin’s folkloric tale “Ruslan and Ludmilla”. Set as an opera by Glinka, the underlying literary theme of “good conquering evil’” that eventually leads to wedded bliss by the titled characters, is musically summed up in its Overture. This was portrayed through an orchestral performance that was stirring and arousing from beginning to end. Energetic rhythmic precision married with expressed relaxed and flexible lyrical moments on both the conductor and orchestra’s parts drew the curtain to a close with a happy ending. Two Special lnvitations from Parkrrvay Concert Orchestra ny BBrla CacGrANo age the local comrnunity to attend Overture by Beethoven, and a 'The The Norwood community has Great Haydn' perfonnances selection ol' Dvor 6k's Stravonic received a special invitation from on Sunday, March B, at the Holy Dances. Concefi: Sunday March local Par{cway Concert Orchestra I.{ame Parish, in West Roxbury 8, 3 p.ffi., Holy Name Parish (PCO) mernbers to attend two and on Sunday, March 15, at IJpper Church, 1689 Centre St., March events. Saint Susanna Farish, in Dedham" Wbst Roxbury. This concert is Norwood residents and PCO The lively program, directed and presented by the F{oly l{ame En- mernbers Steven Connors, James conducted by Genevieve Leclair, richrnent Frogram and is spon- Greer, Bobby Kel1ey, Joanna will f,eature F{aydn's Symphony sored by Vogt Realty Group in Miller, Christine Nadj arian, I-estrie I.{o. 101, Brahtrns' Variations on rneffrory o[' Gene and Ann dcgt Powers and Bill Scherban encour- a Theme by Haydn, Egmont witkr additional funding provided by Roche tsrothers. During inter- mission, the audience will have a chance to meet and learn about the orchestra instruments at an instru- ment petting zoa. Concert admis- sion is free. For more information, From Ieft: cellist l-leather Kinby rpith Holy Narne $choo! student Hana call 617-325-9338 Shinzawa at last year's lnstrument Petting Zoa.lmage eourtesy Open Rehearsal: Monday, Pa rkway Concert Orchestra. hrlarch 9, 1.15 p.ffi", First Con- gregational Church, 100 Winter tor Genevidve Leclair will be and for more inforrnation, visit the St., Norwood. See what goes on rehearsing the orchestra in 'The orchestra's web site at www.Park-

behind the soenes as Parkway Great Haydn.'Tickets are $5; free wayConcertorchestra. org .

Concert Orchestra prepares for for season subscribers. For ticket Pre-Concert Lecture/Concefl : a performance. Music Direc- reservations call 78I-7 62-0288, Sunday March 15, 3:14 p.rn., Saint Susanna Parish,262 Nced- harn Street, Dedham. Brian Bell, featuring students of the Dedhanr Clockwise from top: Violinists Marge Morian-Boyle and Steven Con School of Music with selections with James Gonzalez (age 3) at last year's lnstrument Petting Zoo. by Handel, Brzet and Vivaldi. lmage courtesy Parkway Concert Orchestra, The concert will begin at 4 p.m. This eoncert is presented by Dedham School of Music and is sponsored by Dedham Sav- ings. The program is available in part by a grant from the Dedham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mas- sachusetts Cutrtural Council, a state agency. Donation is $20 for fanrilies; $15 for adults and free for students and children under From lefm Hc$y l\lame School student Wright Shinzawa with violist Carol l"lempfling Pratt at last year's Imstrument Petting Zao.lmage courtesy 72 years old. For ticket reserva- Fa rkway Concert OrcErestra. tions, call 781-44\-9372. For more information on both con-