Ballet San Jose, Where Art Thou?

05. August 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet

The ballet’s website tells me the “2011-2012 Season Will Be Announced Soon” … but then I read this:

For the first time in decades, Ballet San Jose, a company known as much for its perseverance as for its innovative performances, is unlikely to stage a ballet this fall, and will probably begin its season with December’s traditional performances of “The Nutcracker.”
Typically by this time of year, the ballet company has announced its slate of performances for the coming season, which in years past has stretched from fall to spring.
But an announcement of the 2011-12 season has been delayed because of uncertainty about the company’s budget, Ballet San Jose Executive Director Stephanie Ziesel said this week. Like many arts organizations, Ballet San Jose has faced its share of budget problems over the years; it reported a deficit of nearly $1 million on its tax return for the fiscal year ending June 2010.
And in addition to questions about how much revenue the ballet will generate in the coming season, the company’s management still has not reached a contract agreement with the ballet dancers union. Against that backdrop, it’s unlikely that the curtain will rise on a Ballet San Jose performance this autumn.
“We would be putting ourselves in the position of rushing to the market,” Ziesel said, noting that the company did just that last year, announcing the season in August 2010 and staging “Giselle” in October. “We didn’t have ample runway to sell subscriptions and meet our subscription goal or our single-ticket sales goal for that first program.”
Following “The Nutcracker” in December, the company’s repertory season will likely run from February to April, she said, adding that she is hopeful the company will stage three ballets, as it did last season.

RTWT

A Different Carmen

04. April 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet

While I was unable to watch any of Ballet San Jose’s Carmen, I can easily see this one! Bizet is still there, but this arrangement is by Rodion Shchedrin. The choreography is by Mat Ek. (I do wish the camera just focused on the entire stage and let us decide where to look; this is an issue I have with staged opera that’s filmed, too. Oh well! I’m obviously not in charge!)

Wow … put the video up before I’d watched the whole thing. I found it pretty amazing. Not everyone’s cuppa, I’m sure, but I thought it was incredibly powerful.

(If you click on the video it will open in a larger format in another window.)

Ballet From My Point Of View

04. April 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet, Mr. Nut · Tags:

I’m done with ballet for this year. I really enjoyed this run, and it was quite unstressful — I had tiny solos, but they were the sort no one even notices, I’m sure, and certainly nothing that makes me nervous. We had a guest conductor who I found enjoyable to work with. He had us seated differently and I think it was an improvement from our normal seating, even while it meant I no longer get to see a thing; I was sitting underneath the lip of the stage. Ah well … the “best seat in the pit” was fun while it lasted! This new seat does allow me to hear the strings a lot better, and I like that.

Below are a few photos of my view from the pit.

Our conductor, Andrew Mogrelia (sorry for the dim photo):

Mr. Nut visited us at the final performance:

The brass section:

Some of the strings:

I always enjoy the differences between opera, symphony and ballet audiences. It would be very rare to see people dressed this way for a symphony concert!

Next up is La bohème, but this week I have no work at all … well … aside from seventeen students!

Ballet’s Begun

30. March 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet

… but don’t worry, I’m not dancing! Now that would be even worse than my singing!

We had our first rehearsal for the ballet set tonight, in the less than wonderful rehearsal hall. The lighting in there is horrible, not terribly bright fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent light can trigger migraines, so I now know to think ahead and bring a stand light. I’ll also take some meds tonight that might help me if I am in borderline migraine country.

Below are a few photos I took. The ballet company was rehearsing with taped music while we were downstairs rehearsing our parts. I did a couple blurry, flashless photos and I hope I wasn’t breaking any rules, but I love to post a “view from the pit”. You also see the crummy rehearsal hall and a poster outside the hall.

Weight, Weight (don’t tell me)

15. December 2010 · 4 comments · Categories: Ballet, Read Online

I am SO incredibly thankful that reviewers don’t comment on orchestra members’ bodies when we are up there on the stage — or down in the pit (but can they really see us there anyway?) — doing our thing.

Dancers? That’s another story … or at least it was with one reviewer:
Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many; and Jared Angle, as the Cavalier, seems to have been sampling half the Sweet realm.

(Read here.)

He was criticized, so he has also defended his position. The woman dancer, Jennifer Ringer, who was accused of having “one sugar plum too many” has responded as well.

And does the “rest of the story” — the fact that Ringer has been open about her eating disorders — make one pause when commenting about things like this, or should the reviewer not concern himself with that?

Me? I have never eaten a sugar plum. Not even one. But you can bet I look as if I’ve eaten far too many. Sigh.

So what think ye? Does a dance reviewer have the “right” to comment on bodies? Hmmm. I wonder if they’ve ever commented on the ones who look like they could drop dead any minute, they are so skinny. (We had one, years ago, who was simply frightening. Turned out the audience agreed: the next day the office received a multitude of calls saying, “Why are you allowing someone like that on stage?” It was fairly clear the woman had an eating disorder and it really was tough to watch her dance. She has since left the company. I hope she is healthier now.)

Dancers are in such a different world than we musicians. I can’t even imagine! I am guessing they are obsessed with body image. They see themselves in the mirror constantly! (I rarely look at myself in a mirror. Really.) They wear clothes that reveal all. (I wear nice, loose fitting black.) And yet when I get to the hall for a ballet performance there so many are (especially the guys), smoking away. Body image and health are two very different things.

I’m thankful to be in black. On stage. Judged by my performance and not my body. Whew!

Side note: when an instrumentalist solos reviewers do on occasion, feel the need to comment on what is worn. Especially if a woman is the soloist. But I’m not a soloist — whew! — and you can pretty much bet I’ll be in black when I am on stage or pit.

Nutcracker

10. December 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet, Videos

Yep … it’s that time again. We have our only rehearsal tonight. We will not have this instrument in our production:

At The Ballet

03. December 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet

I really need to get over my “issues” with ballet. Clearly I’m in the minority, and what with Nutcracker right around the corner, I just need to get over it. Really. It’s time. So I’m taking my cue from the very respectable Canadian Brass Quintet and grow up. If they can embrace it, so can I. Right?

… sorry about the end … it just cuts off. :-(

Fluorescent Lights Are Not My Friends

19. October 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Ballet, Ramble

We begin ballet tomorrow, doing Giselle by Alophe Adam. As people who read my blog know, I don’t particularly get ballet, and I especially don’t connect to story ballets. But that doesn’t mean I don’t try to play my best. Honestly … whenever I get into the pit or on the stage I believe in the music. If I didn’t I think I’d go bonkers!

It’s not the dancing that bugs me about ballet. It’s all the gestures when they aren’t dancing. It’s all that miming. And yeah, I’m sure I’m just a grump about ballet! So sorry. And yes, I am extremely thankful for the work, and I love our dancers. So please know I’m not grumping about the dancers or anything. Just the story stuff. (And occasionally the rather lame music!)

So tomorrow we go into our awful rehearsal hall with horrendous fluorescent lights. This is the biggest problem for me with ballet; our rehearsal hall is bad when it comes to both sound and light. And both of those issues can cause me to get migraines, get vertigo and aggravate my tinnitus. I’ll be bringing a stand light with me, as it sounds as if management may not be able to provide any for me (I actually requested two; I guess I should have had my otologist write a letter about this, eh?). I’m hoping that having a stand light might help me get through the day. We’ll see. If not, and if I get ill, I’ll probably end up sick the following day, and we aren’t allowed to miss a rehearsal, so that would mean the end of the ballet run for me. I hope it doesn’t come to that!

So here’s the start of Giselle for you, to give you an idea of what I mean by “story ballet”:

So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Don’t care …? Does it make you want to watch the next bit?:

and more …?:

to the end of Act 1?:

… or did you stop after the first video? (And did you even notice the English horn? I think it’s the second act that has a bit of a solo, but otherwise you won’t hear a lot of me. This is probably good, because the way the set up the microphones — yes, they mic this — there isn’t one anywhere near me, while they mic all the other main winds. I’m not sure why they’ve never understood that English horn usually has solos. Odd!)

If you want more I can post Act 2 later. Maybe you’ll even notice the English horn then. Or maybe not.

Okay … over and out … I have a Giants game to watch in the very near future! GO GIANTS!!!

It’ll Give You The Willis

03. September 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet, News

(Yes, I meant to spell it that way.)

A missing statue? Scary stuff, that. Or something …

For the second time, the bronze statue of an evil spirit from the famous ballet “Giselle” — which the city of San Jose for years prominently displayed at a downtown theater — has disappeared.

The timing seems mysterious too, since the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs had just found a new home for the work and its mate inside the San Jose Center for Performing Arts.

I read it here.

Ballet San Jose

10. August 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Ballet

It appears that Ballet San Jose has announced their season, in case anyone is interested. Stay tuned to find out if they will be using live music or not. I know times are tough, and it might be that they can’t hire an orchestra; I don’t see any mention of live music at their site. Time will tell. Or I will tell. Or something.

I wish them all the best … these are rotten times for the arts.

And these are rotten times for all. Which is why, I suppose, I read something else that says Ballet San Jose will allow subscribers to delay payments.

Ballet San Jose

29. July 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Ballet

I just ran across this video (it’s about an hour long … this isn’t YouTube!). I hadn’t heard of it before. What fun to see familiar names and now see faces that go with them.

I’m not sure when this was made, but I believe it was put up just a few days ago.

(You’ll see my boss, Andrew Bales, from Symphony Silicon Valley, a little over 49 minutes in.)

All of this is news to me; I had no idea how the ballet wound up here. I just had heard that at some point Cleveland Ballet came to San Jose, and I understood they called themselves “San Jose Cleveland Ballet” when they were here, and “Cleveland Ballet” when they were there. That was about all I knew. And I knew I had work in December for as long as they were (are!) here.

I’m still waiting to hear what this coming season will bring for .

McCartney Ballet

18. June 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet

Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that he’s been commissioned to write the music for a ballet.

Details still need to be fleshed out but he’s already started work on the score and says he’s “enthusiastic” about it.

“I’m interested in doing things I haven’t done before,” he said.

“That offer came up and I love writing music, the two went together and I said, ‘Yeah,’ so I just accept things before I even know what I’m doing.”

There’s no set deadline yet and when asked what the ballet would be about, McCartney admitted it was early days.

“I don’t really know that much about it yet,” he admitted. “I’m just writing music for it, but it’s a switch!”

RTWT

MQOD & More

08. March 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet, Links, Quotes, Ramble, Symphony

Listen as if it were the last time your ears could hear. Savor it.

-Greg Anderson & Elizabeth Joy Roe

This is from a “music listening manifesto” I found here.

As I was playing Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet yesterday it hit me, “I don’t know if I’ll do this ballet again in my lifetime.” This season has been one of thoughts like those. Now we did just do R&J in 2004, so it is possible that I will do it again in another 6 years, but who knows for sure? At the final Marriage of Figaro performance a dear friend sitting next to me sadly said, “I don’t know if I’ll do this again. It makes me sad.”

So I’d like to suggest to performers that we play as if we may never play something again. I want to remember to relish each wonderful work. I want to attempt to always play my best. I don’t want to take anything for granted. I get sad — and yes, I get frustrated too — when it appears that musicians are playing as if it doesn’t matter. I get angry at myself when I catch myself doing that.

Romeo and Juliet was rather enjoyable for me this run. I had reeds that really cooperated. (I used one — orange thread — for the first two acts and another — dark blue thread — for the final act. The low C that has, in past runs, given me such grief and fear worked every single time!! And yes, it really is just that italicized sort of exciting! The balcony scene with a little English horn solo I love makes me happy to be an English horn player. The end of the entire ballet has what feels like a pretty darn important English horn solo (I’ll have to pull out my recording to see if I agree when I’m listening rather than playing) and I really enjoyed doing that as well, waiting just that extra snippet of time to land on the final C (G on EH of course). Man, Prokofiev knew how to write some fine, fine stuff. :-)

And speaking of Prokofiev, after this week of no playing work I move on to Prokofiev’s fifth symphony. I know I’ve played it before, as I see my writing on the English horn part, but I do need to start working on it again; I can’t even remember doing it!

Advantages/Disadvantages

24. February 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet, Ramble
  • I love my job

  • My job sometimes interferes with family life
  • I love Prokofiev!
  • Rehearsal conflicted with a birthday party
  • Romeo & Juliet!
  • A bagel for dinner while the birthday party people were having Thai food
  • I got home sort of late
  • It was a lot earlier than after Figaro … AND leftover Thai food was waiting!

That’s my life. And of course there are more advantages and disadvantages. Just like any job, yes? But the thing is, I adore my job, I get to play incredible music with my friends (who are wonderful musicians). I feel as if I’ve really accomplished something after rehearsals, and I feel as if I have enriched listeners’ lives after concerts (and of course I continue to feel as if I accomplished something!).

Meanwhile … the first rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet is over and out. When I got to the (not very well lit) rehearsal hall at the Center for the Performing Arts I realized I had forgotten my music reading glasses. Sigh. So the stand had to be as low as possible. I was also reminded (the minute we all started to play) that the rehearsal hall is just a crummy place to play, and there’s no way I can have any idea how my reeds will work once we get into the pit, so that will have to wait until Friday’s dress.

Whine whine whine.

BUT … this is Prokofiev, folks! This is great music!

R&J … More

24. February 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Ballet, Videos

“In 1986, I choreographed ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for company ballerina Karen Gabay in the title role of Juliet,” said Dennis Nahat, the artistic director and choreographer for Ballet San Jose, who also plays the role of Friar Laurence.

Gabay will appear once again in the title role with principal dancer Maykel Solas, who made his company debut as Romeo in the Ballet San Jose 2006 production.

“When it was originally choreographed on me, I was in my 20s.” Gabay said. “Now I’m in my ’40s.’ You take on a different perspective and approach, emotionally.”

Karen Gabay might be in her 40s, but she still looks like she’s in her 20s, and when she dances she can appear even younger. I’m looking forward to seeing her dance this again! If I’m seated where I usually am, I’ll have a great view!

RTWT

Here you can see Karen Gabay dance, including a snippet from R&J:

I love the “nobody bothered me” line … I’m a rather extreme introvert (contrary to what some folks think; just because I bare it all here online, and can play oboe & English horn and oboe in front of a crowd of people doesn’t mean I’m an extrovert. Trust me!). Playing an instrument works so well for me. I just do my job. And I LOVE my job. I sit with a crowd of people, but we are mostly playing music together. And if I choose to isolate myself during breaks (I frequently do that), no one seems to be annoyed by it.

Anyway, check out the video. And do check out Ballet San Jose’s Romeo and Juliet. (Karen is dancing the first and final performances.)

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