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Homage a Jerome Robbins


Aurélie Dupont - Nicolas Le Riche in Jerome Robbins: En Sol. Photo: Sebastien Mathe, Opera de Paris

Aurélie Dupont - Nicolas Le Riche in Jerome Robbins: En Sol. Photo: Sebastien Mathe, Opera de Paris

A good revival with 4 different ballets 3 of them by Jerome Robbins, the 4th by Benjamin Millepied, who self made his dance debut with Robbins in New York, dedicates his second creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, a creation in four parts called TRIADE, which he mentions: “Dance is composed of human rekations”, as Robbins used to say. for four good dancers Marie-Agnes Gillot, Dorothee Gilbert, Vincent Chaillet and Nicolas Paul from the Paris Opera Ballet in September 2008, made to an interesting new composition by Nico Muhly, made for piano, Frederic Lagnau and two Trombone players Bruno Flahou and Jean Raffard. Where the two outher parts of the four are with the whole ensemble, and the middle two parts are for piano solo. Interesting combination in the music, new interesting sounds. The ballet was ok, but I was not completely amazed. It was made in a kind of relaxing atmosphaere, where the two boys meet the two girls, dancing a bit togeteher, leaving together, and coming back in different combinations. Like how we see young people communicating to day, but I missed something extraordinary, who could lift it up at the niveau of the music. A worthy heir to his master, Benjamin Millepied matches this credo through a fruitful dialogue with composer Nico Muhly.

All the programme starting with EN SOL set to the music of Maurice Ravel, his concerto in G for piano and orchestra, where Elena Bonnay played the difficult piano part together with The Orchestre of the Paris Opera conducted by Koen Kessels.

Jerome Robbins: Le Sol to Maurice Ravels piano concert in G. Photo: Sebastian Mathe.

Jerome Robbins: Le Sol to Maurice Ravels piano concert in G. Photo: Sebastian Mathe.

It follows no particular narrative line or dramatic effect echoing the musics jazzy invitations and light-heartedly copying Broadway stle,this is the light and joyous piece for two soloists and an ensemble. A joy abot young people having fun by the beach, funny, elegant, delicious costumes
. It is in three parts, where the first and the third part are with the corpsde ballet, and the long middle, adagio part is a long beauiful pas de deux, splendid performed by Aurelie Dupont and Nicolas le Riche, this part is quite long, and gave the two dancers a fantastic possibility to get deep in to the dancing qualities, showing the most delicius details n good musically combination with the music, as Jerome Robbins is a master to make dance to. In the third part, the twosoloists are joining the 12 brilliant dancers form the corps des ballet. It provided Jerome Robbins with anopportunity to reveal the erlaxed, fluid feel so emblematic of his style.

Agnes Letestu and Stephane Bullion. In the Night by Jerome Robbins.

Agnes Letestu and Stephane Bullion. In the Night by Jerome Robbins.

After the break it was time to celebate the anniversary of Frederic Chopin with two balletts, each in a different register. Seeking to free the composer from the commonplaces that have often belittled his music, Robbins trannsforms the four Nocturnes in to the nigt played by Ryoko Hisauama in the orchestergrave. In this the first three of the nocturnes was accompaniment to a long and poetic pas de deux, like a love in all its states, brilliant performed by the three good couple Ludmila Pagliero and Jerome Bellingard for opus 27 no. 1. Agnes Letestu and Stephane Buillon in opus 55 no 2, and Delphine Moussin and again Nicholas le Riche in Opus 55 no 2. And then all six dancers tgether in the most well known of the Nocturnes Opus 9 no. 2. Jerome Robbins made this choreography in 1970, and are showing some of his most classical sides. Good costumes by Anthony Dowell.

As the amusing finale we had a revival of the funny The Concert, which is one of the few really comic ballets in the history of dance. It starts with the pianist, wonderful and sarcastic, and brilliant musician Vessela Pelovska, entering the podium to a party polonaise played by the orchestra. We feel very son, that this will not be a normal concert. Then she starts on her concerto, and the audience (the dancers) are arriving, showing many of the different types of people that all of us can observe among the audience, the cause of human vulnerability, through a lot of comical situations we are coming in to a final, and it all ends successfully after the pianist has been irritated and given up to finish her concert.

The Concert.

The Concert.

To this part we enjoy piano pieces by Frederic Chopin, played solo arranged for orchestra by Clare Grundman. The choreography is from 1956, and entered in to the Paris ballet repertoire in 1992. I have had the pleasure of enjoying this piece by some occasions before, and it is always a pleasure to have a good laugh during a ballet performance. In the leading roles: Julien Meyzindi as the man with the scarf. Laurene Levy and Clara Delfinoas the two mademoiselles. Dorothee Gilbert is the Ballerina, Laure Muret a choleric women. Further one Beatrice Martel, Alessio Carbone, Simon Valastro, Eric Monin and Sebastian Bertaud and a lot of members of the corps des ballet.
Well functioning costumes and creation of comic types on stage: Irene Sharaff. Good lightened by Jennifer Tipton.

The Concert. Photo: Sebastian Mathe

The Concert. Photo: Sebastian Mathe

Frederic Chopin was Jerome Robbins favorite composer, and the Paris Opera Ballet is paying Homage to the american choreographer who considered the Paris Opera as his second home after New York City Ballet. Between 1974 and 1996, Jerome Robbins came to Paris to versee rehersalsof the twelve ballets he had entrusted to the dancers of the Paris OPera, thus nurtturing a very special relationship with the house and re-embracing his European roots, Since the companys 1999 tribute to Robbins, two more works have entered the repertoire. The three pieces performed in tis production illustrate not only the diversity of the choregraphers repertoire and sources of inspiration but also hislove for music and his all-embracing attitude to the performing arts.

TRIADE, ballet by Benjamin Milepied. Music by Nico Muhly. Photo: Sebastian Mathe

TRIADE, ballet by Benjamin Milepied. Music by Nico Muhly. Photo: Sebastian Mathe

Jerome Robbins

brought new energy to classical dance, introducing 20th century urban rhytms, confirming its status as a modern entertainment form and instilling it with the interrogations of contemporary theatre
.

Thank you to Laure Guilbert for great comments in the program. Which, as allways, gives the audience a good background for better to enjoy, and remember, the evenings program, that they have enjoyed.

All photos:  Sébastien Mathé, Opera de Paris.

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