American Ballet Theatre Performs "Sylvia" at the Metropolitan Opera House

Meryl Cates | Jul 03, 2009 | 0

Gillian Murphy as Sylvia

At the beginning of "Sylvia," one of Sir Frederick Ashton's most beloved full-lengths, Sylvia stands as the commander that she is. The audience's first glimpse, as she enters on a bridge in the distance, is of strength, authority and confidence. She is a huntress and a leader, this is certainly clear. A nymph of Diana the huntress, we would expect nothing else, but as the ballet progresses we see her caught between Diana and Eros, and therefore power and love.

In American Ballet Theatre's performance of "Sylvia" on Thursday night, this clash is apparent, but Gillian Murphy's Sylvia meets love without ever losing her glimmer of strength. She carries it with her throughout the entire ballet. Our huntress is there, she's just in love.

The elaborate and layered scenery and opulent costumes, a trademark of ABT's full-lengths, set such a rich setting for the story, but it was Leo Delibes' brilliant score that gave the ballet such depth. The music had a balance between tender and powerful (much like our heroine Sylvia) with the sweet trills of the violin to the intensity of the horns and brass instruments.

Aminta, the shepherd, danced by Maxim Beloserkovsky was performed with technical precision. His long, graceful legs and well controlled upper carriage were an asset to the choreography. Although, with those good looks Mr. Beloserkovsky certainly looked more like a god than a mere shepherd, but I can suspend belief. As the ballet's "man in love" he became increasingly more believable in Act III, the connection between him and Ms. Murphy reaching its high in their Act III pas de deux.

A ballet saturated in fine detailing, "Sylvia" was full of the (expected) quick footwork. Ashton created a ballet with dream choreography, with intricate lifts and complex pirouettes. Gillian Murphy was razor sharp, with fast turns into a balanced arabesque and quick staccato bourree sections, but she was just as compelling when she walked, simply weaving through the other dancers. Technical proficiency aside, her most bewitching moments were when she triumphantly held up her bow and arrow, a paragon of security and force.

At the end of the ballet I overheard an audience member exclaim "That was a good old fashioned ballet," but although it follows the format of the classics it's not too old. Premiered in 1952 by the Royal Ballet, it was originally created for Margot Fonteyn.  According to notes on the ballet, when it was to be restaged for the Royal Ballet and ABT in 2004 and 2005, there were some challenges in recreating the original choreography and costuming, as it was never properly notated. With the help of Christopher Newton, a ballet master under Ashton, the ballet was resurrected in all of its original glory.

Act III was a wedding scene of predictable magnificence, with special dancing guests like the woodland goats and an appearance by Terpsichore and Apollo. Although with only a small amount of dancing, Veronika Part as Terpsichore seemed a queen among the guests. Her presence was pronounced, feminine and regal, but at times the partnering between Ms. Part and Alexandre Hammoudi as Apollo was not as sturdy as would be desired.

Each character in the ballet has a clear drive. Aminta wants Sylvia; Orion (the evil hunter) wants Sylvia too; and Sylvia first wants no one, then wants Aminta, but never wants Orion. Gennadi Saveliev's Orion was the most captivating male character. His soaring jumps and whipping turns were complimented by the personality he brought to the role, which never faltered far from wicked. And after all, what would any love story be without the resident "bad guy."

American Ballet Theatre will be performing "Sylvia" through Saturday at the Metropolitan Opera House. Next week begins "Romeo and Juliet." For tickets call 212.362.6000 or visit www.abt.org.

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