ABT – Washington, DC triage casting

Nobody's happy about not knowing who they're going to be seeing on stage before buying tickets, and everybody is especially unhappy when tickets are purchased to see certain dancers and those dancers don't show up on stage for the performance (or worse, Somova shows up in their place). 

As recently as yesterday, changes to the Washington, DC casting were made, and the casting on ABT's website is still out of sync with the Kennedy Center's own site.  Sync-ability is important.  Ask Apple - they can give you 321 billion rea$ons why sync-ability is important.  You have to be able to sync with your partners and concentrate on being in sync with your customers, or else they will desert you.  Pay attention to Apple's earnings report on Tuesday, and you'll understand why it's stock is about to crack $400.  Their sync don't stink.

Some performing arts organizations make the genuine effort to be in sync with their customers.  NYCB not only emails reminders to customers about the upcoming performances for which they bought tickets, but they also send out emails when the new casting goes up, which is much appreciated.  They took this effort a step further in December when they emailed customers about the upcoming debuts of several young dancers in important roles.  Excellent idea!

The New York Philharmonic emails audience members after performances asking for their opinions of the program just attended.  Haglund was delighted at the opportunity to express how much he enjoyed Thomas Hampson's interpretation of Mahler's song cycle Kindertotenlieder while simultaneously complaining that the new Thomas Ades piece affected him like shards of glass being pulled across his exposed nerves.

As of today, the ABT and Kennedy Center websites are out of sync.  We don't really know who's going to show up to dance what.  The only thing we can say with some confidence is that we'll be spared Somova, but it will be another tension-filled February when the Mariinsky arrives at the Kennedy Center.

 

Comments

[Marie]

I was at the NYPhil performance too. I don't understand the ruckus over the Ades piece--there are other modern pieces which are more interesting and more cohesive. I didn't feel it really worked as a "conclusion" to the story Gilbert was trying to tell with the Kindertotenlieder and the Mozart. It was a good, but not great evening (especially if I compare it to, say, the Mahler 2 at Carnegie Hall at the end of last year).

[Haglund]

Hi Marie. I didn't think much of the video aspect of the performance either. It looked like a Microsoft screensaver product.

The NY Phil audience is so good at politely conveying its lack of enthusiasm. Judging from the expressions on the musicians' faces, they knew that we weren't wild about it.

It's always a bad sign when a creative artist needs to address the audience to explain his work before the performance and then quickly ends by saying "The piece speaks for itself and stands on its own." LOL. Not this time.

Same reaction last night to the 12 minute ear blast by Jorg Widmann. But it was worth having to sit through to experience Schumann's 4th and then hear Yefim Bronfman play Brahms' concerto. Truly masterful!

[dc]

The Somova bait and switch has already happened at KenCen. After stalking the ticket site waiting for the good seats to show closer to performance, which they usually do, I got good seats for the Terioshkina/Shklyarov Friday. Of course, last week they switched the Somova perfs with Terioshkina's. KenCen allowed refund after making a scene.

I get that things happen that cause changes,and frequently changes are rewarding, but the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi seem always to be playing a cruel joke year after year. I am done with the Mariinsky and, probably with the KenCen after ABT next week.

[Haglund]

Oh, no. Well, it's good that you got the refund, and it's also probably good that you made "a scene" to get it. I got a ticket to the final Vishneva performance, and I'm crossing every finger and toe in the hope that it doesn't get switched.