It was like going through the dessert line twice. Oh my goodness. You know that $35,000 chocolate pudding that Chef Marc Guibert throws together with caviar, high end chocolate and gold, and then molds it into the shape of a Faberge egg? We were eatin' it at ABT’s first two performances of Frederick Ashton’s glorious Sylvia. Oh my goodness. Such beauty and wondrous dancing. And if ever there was a ballet to celebrate ABT’s corps de ballet, Sylvia is it. Be there Friday night or be very sorry.
First, let’s talk about the music by Léo Delibes, possibly the most beautiful music in all of ballet. in the history of the world. within or outside the universe. One cannot listen to this music and not believe one is French to the soul. On opening night Conductor David LaMarche empowered the ABT orchestra to bring its best and received well-deserved bravos at bows. The horn soloist should have taken a bow at the end of the evening, too. We’ve heard that Tchaikovsky admired Sylvia and claimed that if he’d known about it earlier, he would not have written Swan Lake. It’s funny how strains of Delibes show up in Swan Lake, particularly during the turmoil of Act IV. As rich, as delicate, as intricate and as full of grace as this music is, the choreography that Frederick Ashton wove within its architecture is no less.
Ashton uses most of the steps in the book and then adds shovels, rakes, bows & arrows, and wheel barrows just to make them more interesting -- like brisé volé isn’t damned hard enough by itself. Only women who can leap to the rafters, hop on pointe, flip to arabesque on a dime, add a pirouette to everything, and pick their pointes like there’s no tomorrow need apply for the role of Sylvia. This role is a bear, a test, a testament to the beauty of classical ballet vocabulary. Catherine Hurlin and Christine Shevchenko were tangible proof.
Quite different in their demeanor, Hurlin was a robust, authoritative Sylvia whose mood easily switched from heat to cool whereas Shevchenko maintained a more moderate temperature throughout the performance. Neither ballerina aced her entrance with the wind-up string of pique turns that culminate in grand jete, flip to tour jete, flip back to grand jete. They did not match our memories of Herrera and Wiles who were pretty darned fearless back in the day. The pique turns are not “the trick”; they are the preparation for the grand jete, tour jete, grand jete which are "the trick.” Also, both ballerinas rarely found that beautiful position of the arms where one is extended in an upward straight line while the hand & wrist of the other rest on the shoulder in a triangle. Shevchenko particularly swam through that position without showing us the clear form of both sides at the same time. Other than those little complaints, the dancing was superb. Even that awkward, uncomfortable lift where Aminta holds Sylvia’s right thigh to his torso while she tries to make an elegant fourth position with her pointes was spot-on for both performances. Sylvia’s swivels into developpe devant that actually move backwards (how did he think this up?) were flawless. The pointe picking was like delicious sprinkles on the pudding. Such beautiful work from both. Form and lines from the ballerinas were gorgeous although we wish Hurlin would either turn out her knees to match her feet or reduce the angle of the standing foot so as to avoid looking like a potential HSS case study.
If we weren’t already giddy enough about our Sylvias, our Amintas sent us over the top. This is Calvin Royal III’s best role of his career, thus far. He was magnificent. Everything was working for him — the tempi, the temperament, the connection with his partner, his huge jetes and solid pirouettes. It may be that Hurlin inspired him to move beyond his comfort zone. Whatever it was, he sold us another ticket for the weekend. Guest artist Reece Clarke brought all that Royal Ballet uncompromising detail to his Aminta which we pray will motivate every ABT dancer to imitate. The sight of those long arms holding a perfect — repeat, perfect first position while doing rhythmic rotations in his pirouettes with easy, relaxed head-spots was among the most beautiful technical moments of either performance. It’s doubtful one could fully appreciate it from an orchestra level seat, but from above, oh my goodness, it was breathtakingly beautiful. We’re afraid that size matters — oh yes, it does. Clarke is unquestionably blessed with unusual height, length, and good looks, but his technical exploitation of it is the result of a lifetime of work. One doesn’t so much as notice the huge man as one notices the huge performance that he is giving. He did not struggle in the least to command the cavernous Met stage.
A week after his Polixenes practically sent Leontes to the funny farm in The Winter’s Tale, here was Cory Stearns again masterfully manipulating the plot to his liking as the over-heated albeit cold-blooded Orion. James Whiteside also gave a strong, unsubtle, likable performance in the role.
Carlos Gonzales and Takumi Miyake stood the role of Eros, god of love, impressively before pas de chevaling around as the shrouded sorcerer who brings Aminta back to life. Their solos replete with soaring tour jetes and grounded petit allegro were a joy to watch. Virginia Lensi and Sierra Armstrong were featured as Diana, the huntress and goddess of chastity, in well-deserved opportunities. Both are such interesting and beautifully disciplined dancers. Hats off to the two exotic man servants who had to battu their brains out while holding their hands up in the air. Nathan Vendt and Cameron McCune with substitute Luis Ribagorda yesterday were phenomenal. All of the Attendants were gorgeous as were the Muses. It’s always nice to see Nicole Graniero stop by for the Met season. We enjoyed seeing Patrick Frenette dancing with Virginia Lensi as Jaseion and Ceres and look forward to seeing his Orion on Friday.
Friday’s performance is slated to honor ABT’s corps de ballet. This production of Sylvia shows off their collective and individual dancing like no other ballet — although Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage comes close. It all leaves one breathless thanks to the geniuses of Ashton and Delibes. We’re going to do something a little unusual here and toss our highly prized HH Pump Bump Award, a gold-embossed Givenchy sandal with horn heel, to Conductor David LaMarche and the ABT orchestra for their glorious music.