Pennsylvania Ballet – Swan Lake premiere 3/8

It is a rare bird of a ballet company that has in its repertory three distinct and original productions of Swan Lake. Beginning with Balanchine’s one-act sketch, then adding Christopher Wheeldon’s thoughtful re-imagining, and finally mounting a full-fledged Petipa-based production with all the magic, technical wow, and beauty of Swan Lake’s tradition, Pennsylvania Ballet has come of age in this ballet via a path matched by few other companies.

 

The newest production conceived by Artistic Director Angel Corella and which premiered last evening in front of a roaring crowd that interrupted with applause all through the performance is a beautiful, warm, technically-loaded Swan Lake that has been customized for the Philadelphia audience that likes to get home early. It’s two hours long including a 15.000 minute intermission – the strictness of which caught many by surprise last night.

 

The tasteful and Spanish-influenced costumes and scenery designed by Benjamin Tyrrell, a graduate of the Royal Ballet School before he ventured into textile, costume and set designs, are from Corella’s Barcelona production. (You may recall that the premiere starred Corella and the beloved Odette/Odile Sarah Lane in her debut. As yet, it doesn’t appear that we will be seeing Sarah’s Swan Lake again this year during ABT’s Met season despite her magnificent performance last year because ABT’s director favors overloading the week’s casting with a whiner who has never been able to do the steps.) Tyrrell’s Act I designs included warm yellows among a rich palette of fall-like colors. Some of the ladies wore Spanish-style mantilla head pieces. The swans’ delicate tutus included gold embellishments on the bodice. Von Rothbart wore fierce horns on his head, another nod to the Spanish culture. 

 

What an exceptional pair of leads we had last night! Dayesi Torriente and Arian Molina Soca were fully engaged (and are, literally) and luxuriously romantic in their interpretations of Odette/Siegfried and Odile/Siegfried. One could not have asked for more heart and soul and theatrical power in their performance. They rocked it and the audience rocked back with its love. Their passion was so great that it made one very uncomfortable NYT critic squirm in his seat. As we know well, he has an aversion to seeing hetero-passion on stage. But that’s his problem, not anyone else’s.

 

Molina Soca offered one of the most complex portrayals of Siegfried’s predicament that we’ve ever seen. The viewer could sense the wheels turning in his mind, his questioning, his confusion, his disbelief, his blind love for Odette, and his inability to resist Odile’s temptation. There’s no question as to his outstanding dancing, even if he was not his usual superhuman turning wizard. 

 

Dayesi Torriente just added herself to Haglund’s bevy of favorite ballerinas – so gloriously tall and strong – the very definition of a majestic Odette/Odile like Cynthia Gregory and Martine Van Hamel who we worshipped more than a half century ago. And wow, Torriente delivered the delicacy and internal beauty of Odette with the same skill as she delivered the sensual allure and deceit of Odile. Getting both right and doing it convincingly is a rare combination these days. Lopatkina and Ananiashvili were masters of it. Torriente will be considered one, too, as soon as enough people see her. (Get your tickets here for her March 16 evening performance.) The moment when Odile imitated the frail Odette was deliciously evil. What a b____ she was. Then she wrapped up the fraud with blazing fouettes that finished with a pirouette that continued to rotate past the end of the music.

 

But we wouldn’t be telling the whole truth about Torriente and Molina Soca if we didn’t admit that we owe the opportunity to experience their beautiful artistry to Alicia Alonso and the Cuban tradition that she has inspired for more than 75 years. Her national influence is evident in every single step, every movement of a finger, and every ounce of dedication and commitment that we have seen in dancers like Torriente, Molina Soca, Sarabia, Carreno, Acosta and other incredible talents who of late seem to be making a bee-line to Philly and Washington DC to dance. It overwhelms the soul to think that such extraordinary beauty has risen from such extraordinary poverty. So before Haglund considered buying a ticket to see the Torriente/Molina Soca performance again next week, he loaded up with tickets to see Alicia Alonso’s Ballet Nacional de Cuba at the Kennedy Center in May and June. Tickets here. 

 

Michael Korsch designed some spectacular lighting for this production. To see the Black Swan PdD under a spotlight on a darkened stage is to see the treachery of Odile and the downfall of Siegfried with new drama and clarity. 

 

Other outstanding performances included Sterling Baca’s Von Rothbart and Peter Weil as Benno. Wow, has Weil matured over the past two years. His dancing was astonishing throughout the night with such clean lines and powerful jumping. (He hit a little bump in the road early-on with a miscalculated double tour at the downstage edge which nearly knocked him off his bike, so to speak, but he kept on pedaling furiously and wound up with a spectacular overall finish for the night.) This young man is going to be a very important contributor and true star in the coming years if he doesn’t sustain serious injury from his hyper-exaggerated habit of not releasing his heels to the floor when jumping from two feet. It is so pronounced that it almost looks like an SAB caricature. 

 

The Swans on opening night were as exquisite as they could be – perfectly rehearsed and breathing as one.  When moving from side to side across the stage, they honestly looked like a flock of birds. Such lovely arms, legs, feet, and head movement from these ladies did not go unnoticed by the audience. The vocal appreciation for the corps de ballet was extensive and loud.

 

Angel Corella has done it again. Another spectacular Petipa feather in his Philly bonnet to go with Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, and Le Corsaire. Next year, he will add Giselle and MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet. This company is taking huge steps to extend its range while preserving its Balanchine heritage and creating new art. What a treasure. What a privilege it is to be able to jump on an Amtrak and an hour and a quarter later be in beautiful Philly to see such gorgeous ballet.

 

The H.H. Pump Bump Award, black velvet curves and lines with white diamonds from Giuseppe Zanotti, is bestowed upon Dayesi Torriente and Arian Molina Soca for their riveting, emotional, and spectacular dancing at the premiere of Angel Corella’s new production of Swan Lake. 

 

Comments

[BryanP]

Wow, Haglund, really happy to read how much you enjoyed the performance. I'm thrilled to see it tomorrow (Saturday March 10). Just disappointed I missed out on the fireworks of Arian and Dayesi. Man, the NYT was not kind - super picky. And tellingly, no mention in the NYT review about how much the audience enjoyed it.

[David Hoffman]

Great description of what I experienced last night! A number of men I know were brought to tears. I very much enjoyed your zinger towards the NYT. He writes like a jilted lover regarding PABallet.

[Haglund]

Thanks David and Bryan P.

I apologize for forgetting to mention the superb work of Zecheng Liang and Ashton Roxander as the Neopolitans in the main review up top. They were incredible, and the choreography was so difficult that it's likely that even Angel would have found it quite challenging in his heyday.

Sadly, David, when Alastair has to deal with either a dropdead gorgeous woman in a lead role (prototype: Vishneva) or a virile heterosexual leading man, it almost guarantees a negative review. Most everyone knows that by now.

[Ballet Fan]

Haglund, I was so relieved to read your review! I was also there last night. When I read The NY Times review, I thought maybe I had had one too many glasses of rose before the show!

[Haglund]

Ballet Fan,

I got there too late to try the rosé, unfortunately. But I did manage to snap this picture of the stunning floral art piece in the lobby. This elegant lady enjoyed plenty of photo ops:

[Fred Stone]

Haglund,

May I suggest that if you are interested to see the "Echt Petipa" "Swan Lake" , see the Zurich Ballet reconstruction by Ratmansky ( Performances: June 3,8,9,12,15, 17 and 23) . It was a revelation ! I also saw the La Scala Ballet performance - although it is older and larger , the Zurich ballet performance with Viktoria Kapitonova and Alexander Jones was superior .
I always read your blog , in addition to many others . I agree generally with your criticism of ABT and its current deplorable state , and am only looking forward to "Harlequinade" and "Whipped Cream" , and will avoid Copeland , Whiteside and Boylston . At least there is NYCB

[Mary Ellen Bennett]

I saw the performance and found myself feeling that I was in the presence of greatness as I watched Torriente's interpretation of Odette/Odile. The emphasis was on the feeling, behind the movement in spite of the technical prowess.

[Haglund]

Mary Ellen,

Thanks for the comment. I totally agree with you.