Word: prokofiev
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...something dark lingers throughout the performance. Perhaps Prokofiev's score, which haunts even the most romantic moments at the flick of a violin bow, is partially to blame. Perhaps it's the costumes, dark navy uniform gowns for the ladies and drab tuxedoes for the men in the eerily-lit ballroom scene, also add to the mood. Perhaps the unexplained variations in the story-line, which Corder himself hopes create "a feeling of mystery and magic," cause a slightly unsettling feeling instead. Whatever the reason, Cinderella remains a delightful, if somewhat dark, performance piece...
Another slightly offbeat characteristic of the ballet was the music. Prokofiev's three-act score of "Cinderella" fits some of the moods on-stage quite well, from lilting with the dancers' feet to thundering with the characters' emotions. But again, the music during the ballroom scene leaned more towards cruel sophistication than lighthearted dancing. Also, as Cinderella and the Prince embrace after finally reuniting, the horns and violins wail a mournful melody rather than a romantic one. This is not to say that Prokofiev's music is poor-far from that. But for a fairy tale with a happy ending...
Tilson Thomas' wizardry is on display in the orchestra's recent U.S. tour, which ended last week, and in a smashing new recording of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet recently released on the BMG label. Back at home in San Francisco, the maestro is regarded with the kind of fervor usually reserved for rock stars. The city is festooned with banners bearing his likeness, subscriptions are up 10%, and seats for Tilson Thomas' concerts are impossible to get. An openly gay man, he has also been hailed as an articulate and high-profile spokesman for San Francisco's large...
Nagano's skills were in ample evidence during the first-ever visit of the adventurous Lyons company to America, part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of the U.N. in San Francisco. Leading Prokofiev's slight, charming fable The Love for Three Oranges, he managed to find wit and poetry in an opera that is often little more than the famous March. Even more impressive was his way with a stripped-down, hopped-up Romeo and Juliet, Prokofiev's great ballet. Designed by the Belgrade-born underground-comic-book illustrator Enki Bilal and choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj, this Romeo takes place...
...Prokofiev was the highlight for the youngsters in the audience...