Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – New York City Ballet commences its spring season: Mearns returns and Nadon shines in an all-Balanchine bill

• By drediman
• April 21, 2023
• No Comments

Last night at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, I attended my first performance of New York City Ballet’s five-week spring season, continuing this week’s immersion in the citywide re-emergence of dance programming. Yesterdays bill was comprised of a trio of works by the company’s founder George Balanchine, wonderfully showcasing the stylistic breadth of his choreographic output.

The program opened fittingly with Concerto Barocco, one of the prime examples of  Balanchine’s “pure dance” neoclassical ballets. Throughout, the Bach-set ballet was cleanly performed by the corps, which plays a central role in the work. Leading the way was principal Sara Mearns, who made a welcome return to performance last night after having missed the winter season. Paired ideally with Russell Janzen, she exhibited confidence and unassuming mastery of the steps. Suffice to say, it’s a pleasure to have Ms. Mearns back in action. More than holding her own was recently-promoted principal Isabella LaFreniere in the other leading role.

The evening continued with Balanchine’s quirky and wickedly quick Kammermusik No. 2, which is set to a score by Paul Hindemith. At the performance I attended, the two female leads were played by newly-appointed principals Mira Nadon and Emilie Gerrity. Both were sensational, handling the difficult, rapid-fire choreography with technical prowess and exciting abandon. Ms. Nadon in particular displayed that rare kind of flare, indicating the makings of an important prima ballerina. They were supported handsomely by Aarón Sanz and Peter Walker (the latter filled in admirably for an indisposed Harrison Coll).

The well-balanced program concluded with Raymonda Variations, a fine example of Balanchine’s plotless vision of classical ballet (this one set to the music of Glazunov). At the helm were Tiler Peck — a fan favorite, as always — and Joseph Gordon, both established principals in the company. Ms. Peck was her usual self, executing the steps with precision and her particular brand of perky sparkle. Even if sho no longer possesses the same level of flexibility she once had, her uncanny sense of musicality still dazzles. Mr. Gordon was also in excellent shape, exuding superb technique, power, and stylish phrasing.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

NEW YORK CITY BALLET
Dance
David H. Koch Theater
Approximately 2 hours (with two intermissions)
Spring season continues through May 28