reviewer no longer to be confused by his notes
La Cieca’s cher public — and music lovers around the world — won’t have Bernard Holland to kick around any more. The veteran classical music reviewer is leaving the New York TImes after 27 years, though to us who read him regularly it has easily seemed twice that. Holland is one of about 85 NYT newsroom employees who have accepted a buyout offer intended to streamline the paper’s staff.
Remaining full-time classical music reviewers are Anthony Tommasini and Allan Kozinn; the paper also publishes reviews by James R. Oestreich (editor of classical music and dance) and freelancers Steve Smith and Vivien Schweitzer. [via musicalamerica.com]
DirkVa: Sean Lavery has only been successful in developing male dancers. Lavery is a very serious dance master, and he works very closely and very successfully with Peter Martins, but neither Lavery nor Martins seems to have any luck in developing female dancers. That is probably the single most critical concern right now.
Jack: Not everyone thinks highly of Martins’ choreographic skills. What do you think is his finest ballet? I have no candidate to name, other than “none of the above”. And I am not a Martins hater, I assure you. He has excellent administrative skills and has kept the company in excellent financial health for a quarter century. Not everyone could have accomplished that.
Jack:
Company moral at NYCB under Peter M. has reached epically low levels…, he is , indeed a good fund raiser…but a horrible successor to the Balanchine Style..
I would love to see…but know it will never happen–Susanne Farrell take her rightful place, as custodian of Mr. B’s works…
I WOULD be very interested in hearing what you feel is a good Martins dance-work—and no flame intended to you…or for that matter, Mr. Martens (who danced like a dream , in his day….
I like Maury D’annato’s writing so much I might change my name to Jfmaury3. Seriously, I would love to see MauryD and JJ take over some opera writing at the Times.
On a side note – superb performance this evening by Kelly O’Connor in Lieberson’s Neruda Songs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. The last 3 sonnets in particular were exceptional. (Haitink and the CSO brass brought down the house in Mahler 1.)
Drew and brooklynpunk: Suzanne was – along with Callas and Gould – among the performing artists who, consumed my life and therein reigned supreme . As an administrator she is challenged on every level. She has no achievement of distinction in that realm.
As to Martins’s many masterworks, I offer another trinity -
‘Morgen’ ( Richard Strauss songs), ‘Les Petites Riens’ (Mozart -classicism of the highest order) and ‘Fearful Symmetries’ (John Adams – in worldwide repertory.) There are many, many more.
Save for a brief time in Baryshnikov’s tenure and extending into Balanchine’s dotage, company morale was never particularly ‘high.’ Many got the big thing – most did not.
(Many ballet goers and dancers STILL don’t.)
Lincoln Kirstein was fond of quoting Samuel Goldwyn -
‘Happy companies make bad movies.’
I don’t agree. I can imagine an enchanted order.