Musings on ballet, classical music, the violin, and life
The Classical Girl In 2004, San Francisco Ballet’s then-Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson took a creative leap with a new production of the perennially popular Nutcracker. Stakes were high; the San Francisco Ballet was, after all, the first U.S. company to stage and produce a full-length version (based on the Ivanov/Petipa 1892 original), which premiered on Christmas Eve, 1944, there … Read more
So I can hear your questions all the way from here. What is a NaNoWriMo, do you eat it or sprinkle it on your carpet after pet accidents? Does it hurt and/or does it involve outer space? National Novel Writing Month, its formal name, is a nonprofit organization that internationally promotes creative writing. It’s best … Read more
It’s October, and the urge for theatrical, spooky music always arises for me right about this time. Cue a visit to the blog I wrote years back, “Ten Spooky Classical Faves for Halloween.” Each year, it seems, I have a different relationship with the music and its composers. This year, I’m taking a … Read more
World Ballet Day 2024 is … … Sadly, not going to happen. Following is news from the official World Ballet Day site today, September 23, 2024: After 10 fantastic years of bringing together audiences around the globe on World Ballet Day, The Australian Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet have decided to … Read more
Ask someone who’s seen the 1940 animated film, Fantasia, which piece they best remember, and the majority will respond with, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” or “the one with Mickey Mouse.” (Runners up might include Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue,” Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers,” or Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” but that’s a blog for another time.) … Read more