Musings on ballet, classical music, the violin, and life
San Francisco Ballet’s Program 4, opening on Tuesday March 15, brings something elusive and wonderful to the stage in the form of two ballets, La Sylphide and Alexei Ratmansky’s The Seasons. Both hold an element of “Oh, finally!” and both help celebrate and commemorate this, artistic director Helgi Tomasson’s 37th and final season at the helm … Read more
It’s going to be a memorable, one-of-a-kind repertory season, as the San Francisco Ballet celebrates artistic director Helgi Tomasson’s 37th and final year with the company. The entire season interconnects and celebrates Tomasson’s enormous legacy, one that shaped San Francisco Ballet into the acclaimed, world-renowned ballet company it is today. And the magic is about … Read more
It’s big news, something I’ve been waiting for since artistic director Helgi Tomasson announced his retirement: the San Francisco Ballet today appointed Tamara Rojo as the company’s next artistic director. The following is taken from the San Francisco Ballet’s press release: (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) January 11, 2022 San Francisco Ballet today announced the appointment of … Read more
Google “Top 10 classical ballets” or something similar, and you’ll find a whole slew of lists that, in truth, really don’t vary a whole lot. Some feature more contemporary ballets and include the works of Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine. Others opt for the whimsical and light, like Coppélia and La Fille Mal Gardée. … Read more
You’ve quite possibly seen a copy of “Isle of the Dead,” a painting by Swiss symbolist artist, Arnold Böcklin. The dreamy, haunting portrait depicts a small rowboat traversing a lake. In the boat a figure shrouded in white stands, transporting a draped coffin, as the rower behind steers the boat to shore, a rocky island … Read more