DIGITAL PROGRAM
AN EVENING WITH PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET
AUGUST 23, 2020
The Calling
Music: Anonymous, French, late 12th-early 13th century
"O Maria, stella maris"
Choreography: Jessica Lang
Staging: Jessica Lang and Kanji Segawa
Costume Design: Elena Comendador
Costume Concept: Jessica Lang
Lighting Design: Al Crawford
Mezzo-soprano Sarra Sharif Doyle
James Moore
Premiere: October 15, 2006 (as part of Splendid Isolation II); Ailey II (Baltimore, Maryland)
Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: June 7, 2015
The 2015 Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere of Jessica Lang’s The Calling was generously underwritten by Aya Stark Hamilton.
Singers: Sarra Sharif Doyle with Orrin Doyle, Margaret Obenza, Markdavin Obenza, and Christina Siemens.
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The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody)
Mistake Waltz
Music: Frédéric Chopin, orchestrated by Clare Grundman
Prelude, Op. 28, No. 16, 1831?–1839; Waltz in E Minor [Posth], c. 1830)
Choreography: Jerome Robbins
Staging: Judith Fugate
Costume Design: Irene Sharaff
Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton, recreated by Randall G. Chiarelli
Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra
Conductor Emil de Cou
Pianist Cameron Grant
Lindsi Dec Angelica Generosa Cecilia Iliesiu
Elle Macy Sarah Pasch Emma Love Suddarth
Guillaume Basso Henry Cotton Dammiel Cruz
Christopher D’Ariano Christian Poppe Dylan Wald
Premiere: March 6, 1956; New York City Ballet
Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere: September 15, 2007
Archival film recording of dress rehearsal: September 20, 2018
The 2007 Seattle premiere of The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody) was generously underwritten by Ernest & Diane Burgess and Glenn Kawasaki.
Choreographed in 1956, The Concert is a comic spoof of a classical music concert. The setting is an all-Chopin recital where the attendees allow their decidedly imaginative minds to wander. When the resulting images are danced, human foibles and insecurities are revealed as Robbins brings each fantasy comically and vividly to life. A genuine crowd-pleaser, The Concert illustrates Robbins’ remarkable insight into the delightful imperfections of human relationships and, in the midst of the laughter, enlightens us all.
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Appassionata
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”, c. 1804–1806, II. Andante con moto
Choreography: Benjamin Millepied
Staging: Sebastien Marcovici and Janie Taylor
Scenic and Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
Costume Design: Alessandro Sartori
Lighting Supervision: Emma Jones
Pianist Allan Dameron
Elizabeth Murphy Karel Cruz
Premiere: February 5, 2016; Paris Opera Ballet (originally titled La nuit s’achève)
Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: September 23, 2016 (renamed Appassionata)
Archival film recording of dress rehearsal: May 31, 2018
The 2016 Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere of Benjamin Millepied’s Appassionata was generously underwritten by Jeffrey & Susan Brotman.
Benjamin Millepied’s Appassionata was choreographed for Paris Opera Ballet and premiered in February 2016 with the title La nuit s’achève (“The night ends”). For Pacific Northwest Ballet’s staging, Millepied renamed the ballet in reference to Beethoven’s iconic, late-classical piano sonata to which the dance for three couples is set.
Sonata No. 23 in F minor is one of three celebrated sonatas from Beethoven’s middle period. The music is some of his most technically challenging and the mood is tempestuous; the sonata was composed just after he came to terms with his inevitable hearing loss in 1803. The title “Appassionata” (meaning “passionate” in Italian) was not given to the work during Beethoven’s lifetime, but rather was a label added by the publisher of a four-hand arrangement in 1838.
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F O I L
II –– Be Still
Music: Nadia Boulanger
Trois Pièces for cello and piano, 1914, No. 1. Modéré
Choreography: Eva Stone
Staging: Peter Boal
Costume Design: Melanie Burgess
Lighting Design: Amiya Brown
Cello Page Smith
Piano Christina Siemens
Amanda Morgan Cecilia Iliesiu Juliet Prine
Premiere: November 8, 2019; Pacific Northwest Ballet
The 2019 world premiere of Eva Stone’s F O I L was commissioned by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and was principally supported by Deidra Wager with additional support from an anonymous donor.
“And so she built the house with a steady hand, room by room, until the walls held tight every secret of the Universe, and the neighbours, their hands pressed to the glass, watchful of the radiance within.” ‒ Anonymous
* * * * *
Bacchus
Music: Oliver Davis
Bacchus, 2019
Choreography: Matthew Neenan
Costume Design: Mark Zappone
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Conductor Doug Fullington
Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra
Leta Biasucci Christopher D’Ariano Kyle Davis Angelica Generosa
James Moore Leah Merchant Margaret Mullin Elizabeth Murphy
Seth Orza Lucien Postlewaite Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan
Price Suddarth Dylan Wald
I
Leta Biasucci Lucien Postlewaite
and cast
II
James Moore
Dylan Wald
with
Christopher D’Ariano Kyle Davis Price Suddarth
III
Margaret Mullin Elizabeth Murphy
IV
Kyle Davis Price Suddarth
Angelica Generosa Sarah Gabrielle Ryan
V
Leah Merchant Christopher D’Ariano Dylan Wald
Leta Biasucci Lucien Postlewaite
James Moore Margaret Mullin
VI
Entire cast
VII
Elizabeth Murphy Seth Orza
Premiere: March 15, 2019; Pacific Northwest Ballet
Archival film recording of dress rehearsal: March 14, 2019
The 2019 world premiere of Matthew Neenan's Bacchus is supported by Richard & Lisa Altig, Lyndall Boal, and David & Cheryl Hadley.
Inspired by the lush and flamboyant music of Oliver Davis, Matthew Neenan’s Bacchus embodies the nature of the Roman god of wine, merriment, and abundance.
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Emeralds
Bracelet solo
Music: Gabriel Fauré
Pelléas et Melisande, 1898, II. La fileuse
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Staging: Elyse Borne
Scenic and Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
Scenic and Costume Design: Jérôme Kaplan
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Violin Michael Jinsoo Lim
Piano Christina Siemens
Leta Biasucci
Premiere: April 13, 1967; New York City Ballet
PNB Premiere: June 1, 2006; new production September 22, 2017
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s Jewels was made possible by Patty Edwards.
Presenting support for the 2017 Pacific Northwest Ballet production of George Balanchine’s Emeralds was provided by Dan & Pam Baty, with additional support from Lynne E. Graybeal & Scott Harron.
The works of George Balanchine performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet are made possible in part by The Louise Nadeau Endowed Fund.
Emeralds, the opening ballet of George Balanchine’s three-part Jewels, is a romantic evocation of France. It is also Balanchine’s comment on the French school of dancing and its rich heritage. France is the birthplace of classical ballet and French is its language. With a score by Gabriel Fauré and dancers dressed in Romantic-length tutus, Emeralds can also be a window on the nostalgia inherent in much late-19th-century art, with its idealized view of the Middle Ages, chivalry, and courtly love. Balanchine considered Emeralds “an evocation of France – the France of elegance, comfort, dress, and perfume.”
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Don Quixote
Pas de deux, variations, and coda
Music: Ludwig Minkus
from Don Quixote, 1869
Choreography: Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky
with additional choreography and staging by Alexei Ratmansky
Staging: Sandrine Leroy, Judy Maelor-Thomas, Sonja Marchiolli
Scenic and Costume Design: Jérôme Kaplan
Lighting Design: James Ingalls
Conductor Emil de Cou
Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra
Kaori Nakamura Lucien Postlewaite
with
Batkhurel Bold Lindsi Dec Sarah Ricard Orza Laura Tisserand
Entire Cast
Tom Skerritt Allen Galli
Guest Artist Guest Artist
Original Production Premiere: December 14, 1869; Imperial Ballet, Moscow, choreography by Marius Petipa; revived November 9, 1871, Imperial Ballet, St. Petersburg
Gorsky Production Premiere: December 6, 1900, Imperial Ballet, Moscow choreography by Alexander Gorsky (after Marius Petipa); restaged January 20, 1902, Imperial Ballet, St. Petersburg
Ratmansky Production Premiere: February 13, 2010; Dutch National Ballet (Amsterdam)
Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: February 3, 2012
Archival film recording of dress rehearsal: January 29, 2015
Principal support for the 2012 U.S. premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote was provided by Glenn Kawasaki and Dan & Pam Baty.
The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de La Mancha), the magnum opus of the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, was the source of inspiration for Marius Petipa, whose version of Don Quixote, to music specially composed by Ludwig Minkus, was created for the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow in 1869. This version is the one that serves as the basis for all of today’s productions of the ballet. Alexei Ratmansky’s production for the Dutch National Ballet preserves the best of Don Quixote as it has come down to us over the decades. The grand pas de deux of the final act, embellished here with additional solos, is a perennial favorite—a show-stopping bravura display for its dancers.
* * * * *
Sylvia Pas de Deux
Music: Léo Delibes
from Sylvia, 1875‒1876
Choreography: Kyle Davis
Lighting Design: Reed Nakayama
Conductor Emil de Cou
Flute Evan Pengra Sult
Violin Michael Jinsoo Lim
Piano Christina Siemens
Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan Kyle Davis
Premiere: June 16, 2012; Pacific Northwest Ballet (Next Step)
The 2012 premiere of Kyle Davis’ Sylvia Pas de Deux was generously underwritten by Aya Stark Hamilton and Glenn Kawasaki.
* * * * *
Diamonds
Finale
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, 1875, V. Finale
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Staging: Elyse Borne
Costume Design: Jérôme Kaplan
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Conductor Emil de Cou
Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra
Lesley Rausch Karel Cruz
Leta Biasucci Angelica Generosa Leah Merchant Emma Love Suddarth
Kyle Davis Joshua Grant Steven Loch Ezra Thomson
Nancy Casciano Cecilia Iliesiu Elle Macy Angeli Mamon
Amanda Morgan Sarah Pasch Nicole Rizzitano Calista Ruat
Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan Carli Samuelson Madison Taylor Leah Terada
Guillaume Basso Ryan Cardea Henry Cotton Dammiel Cruz
Christopher D’Ariano Luther DeMyer† Alonso Olvera-Gonzalez† Miles Pertl
Christian Poppe William Sheriff† Price Suddarth Dylan Wald
Premiere: April 13, 1967; New York City Ballet
Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: June 1, 2006; new production, September 22, 2017
Archival film recording of dress rehearsal: September 21, 2017
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2017 production of George Balanchine’s Diamonds was made possible by Patty Edwards.
The works of George Balanchine performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet are made possible in part by The Louise Nadeau Endowed Fund.
Diamonds, the third and final ballet of George Balanchine’s Jewels, is the choreographer’s homage to his native St. Petersburg, Russia. The ballet pays tribute to Balanchine’s youth: the grandeur of St. Petersburg, the Maryinsky Theater, and the Imperial Ballet, where Balanchine trained. Following an opening waltz, intimate pas de deux, and thrilling scherzo, the ballet concludes with a glittering polonaise, featuring the entire cast.
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Acknowledgements
The Dancers and Stage Managers of Pacific Northwest Ballet are members of AGMA—the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.
†Pacific Northwest Ballet School Professional Division students perform courtesy of AGMA.
Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is represented by the PNB Orchestra Players Union.
Stage Crew is represented by I.A.T.S.E., Local #15.
Wardrobe Attendants are represented by Theatrical Wardrobe Union #887, I.A.T.S.E.
“Mistake Waltz” from The Concert performed by permission of the Robbins Rights Trust.
The Concert costumes courtesy of San Francisco Ballet.
These performances of excerpts from Emeralds and Diamonds, Balanchine Ballets®, are presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and have been provided in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® service standards established and provided by The Trust.
Benjamin Millepied is represented by Verlag der Autoren, Frankfurt, Germany.
Bacchus, by Oliver Davis, by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. publisher and copyright owner.
Don Quixote costumes, scenery, and properties courtesy of Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
*Please note: Programming is subject to change.
ABOUT PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET
Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The Company of nearly fifty dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. The Company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances at Jacob’s Pillow and in New York City and Washington DC. Click here to learn more.