Review: Opener offers glimpses of treats to come
Among the skills mastered by Helgi Tomasson during his 33 years as artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet is the subtle art of producing good opening night galas. All the ingredients were present in the joyful, inventive sequence Tomasson cooked up for the spiffily bedecked, premiumpaying crowd Thursday, Jan. 18, at the War Memorial Opera House. It was all a bit long, but staying until the end this time brought substantial rewards.
These galas should provide a preview of delights to come in the next four months, highlight the reigning company principals, feature rising talent and — not least — herald the gifted students in the Ballet School, from which all dance miracles eventually flow.
And that is where it started, with “Little Waltz.” Made by Tomasson for representatives from several classes in the school, the piece was infused
with considerable charm, to which the Eric Coates score and long orange ribbons only contributed.
Where the gala went at its climax was to the sneak preview of the local premiere of Justin Peck’s “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes,” an utterly joyful, meticulously crafted response to the Aaron Copland score. The choreography for an almost all-male cast suggests a fashionable gym somewhere on Mount Olympus, but Peck distills the music while sparing us the kitsch. The one woman, Sofiane Sylve, ends up in Carlo Di Lanno’s arms, and the exchange is anything but tender. This intoxicating work returns on Program 2 in February.
The gala also introduced the two major new additions to the roster. Ulrik Birkkjaer, a principal at the Royal Danish Ballet, offered a fine sample of his training in the August Bournonville style, joining Maria Kochetkova for the duet from “La Sylphide.” Birkkjaer’s buoyant James revealed his pedigree in every ascent, while Kochetkova surprised with her airy wit. “La Sylphide” needs a revival here badly, preferably with this pair. Birkkjaer may be a major asset for the company.
Newly arrived from New York City Ballet, Ana Sophia Scheller proved crisp in attack and witty in manner in the pas de deux from George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes.” Partner Vitor Luiz is one of the few men who look good in the Barbara Karinska costume, and he delivered his variation with turns that astonished the crowd.
If one hankers after bravura thrills, what better vehicle than the “Le Corsaire” pas de deux? Angelo Greco’s leaps and smooth descents dazzled, while Sasha de Sola’s even fouettés suggested why she has risen to principal. A few more rehearsals might smooth out the rough spots in the already superior performances of Wei Wang and Dores André in the Bluebird pas de deux from “The Sleeping Beauty.” Di Lanno and Yuan Yuan Tan made something of Edwaard Liang’s squiggly “Letting Go.” Max Richter’s obsessive score helped a lot.
Sometimes at galas, duets torn from context make little impression. That happened here with the local premiere of a duet from Robert Binet’s “Children of Chaos,” although Joseph Walsh and Frances Chung gave their considerable talents to it.
The revival of Jerome Robbins’ “In the Night” disappointed. In the first duet, with Mathilde Froustey and Benjamin Freemantle, the stiffness in his torso seemed to fight the flow of the Chopin nocturne. In the second pairing, the partnership of Jennifer Stahl and Tiit Helimets seemed a mismatch. Only the third couple, Sarah Van Patten and Luke Ingham, penetrated to the heart of the choreography.
The eloquent pianist was Roy Bogas. Elsewhere, Martin West conducted the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra with a sure hand, promising us four months of sonic splendor.