New York City Ballet - A review of the music from Concerto Barocco, Valse-Fantaisie, Variations Pour Une Porte et Un Soupir, Symphony in C

(www.nycballet.org)

Founders, George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein
Ballet Master in Chief, Peter Martins
Ballet Mistress, Rosemary Dunleavy
Children's Ballet Mistress, Garielle Whittle
Orchestra, Music Director, Andrea Quinn

Conductor, Hugo Fiorato

New York State Theater, Lincoln Center

(See Gala Opening of the Season Review)
(See Other NYC Ballet Reviews)

Review by Dr. Henri Delbeau (See Interview and See Review, Faust Harrison Studios)
February 4, 2003

The Bach Double Violin Concerto in D Minor is an oft heard staple of the musical repertory. In this performance, it was played with all the pomp and elegance of the high baroque style, with stellar solo playing by Ms. Ingraham and Mr. Nick Danielson. They played as an integrated unit, weaving the contrapuntal lines with great ease. They played the first movement with inexorable drive and exactness. The second movement solos were particularly beautifully played, with both soloists effortlessly basking in the rich orchestral texture, making for a meditative and spiritual performance.

The hauntingly elegant Glinka was wonderfully played, with particularly wry renditions of the frequently occuring "stutter" gestures. The orchestra provided just the right gracefully brooding Russian sheen, needed to effectively pull off the performance.

The highlight of the evening was the Bizet Symphony in C, composed when the composer was only 17. The performance was meticulous in its precision and style. The oboe solo of the bel canto style second movement was soaring in its lyrical beauty, and the Scottish jig-like third movement was lustily played, with precise attacks adding to the great energy, as well as lovely contrast and sheen in the often recurring Rossiniesque passages. In all, a performance with incredible energy and verve, a joy to hear.