MasterWorks

Liam Hogan, Ever Larson and Mario Labrador in S. Rachmaninoff Photo: Amanda Tipton

This year's program opens with S. Rachmaninoff, a world premiere by Yoshihisa Arai, commissioned by Colorado Ballet. The piece is set to Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring pianist David Koreavaar.

The music is deeply personal, reflecting Rachmaninoff's emotional arc following negative critical reviews of his First Symphony. In the 1st Movement, we see Mario Labrador (Rachmaninoff) crawling in response to bodies being dragged across the stage, while a pair of dancers reflect Labrador's up-and-down attempts, including drinking, to come out of his depression, depicting the time in which Rachmaninoff gave up his music.

In the 2nd Movement, the pair attempt to heal Labrador, first through an elegant pas de deux and then individually. We are left with the feeling that they represent the masculine and feminine parts of Rachmaninoff's soul, in the Jungian sense. The choreography is masterfully expressive and poignant, following Rachmaninoff's soulful piano score. He is touched deeply by them, before they fly away.

The entire ensemble is in formal wear in the 3rd Movement, dancing in a dramatic, tangoesque fashion. Labrador is still being rejected, but is now resilient and back at his piano (a beautiful grand on stage), fully embracing it, exuberant, as we hear in his music.

Jessica Payne and Ariel McCarty in Concerto Barocco Photo: Amanda Tipton

After intermission, George Ballachine's Concerto Barocco, choreographed to Concerto for Two Violins by Johann Sebastian Bach, opens with eight females in white leotards with skirts, their movement reflecting the instrumental strings from the orchestra (Violinists: Takanori Sugishita and Margaret Soper Guitierrez). In one section, the texture of the music and choreography mimics clockwork, then turns to light, delicate steps—such a delightful bauble!

Part 2 of the piece features intricate weaving, spirals, and a series of phenomenal lifts and spins by Christophor Moulton, Jessica Payne, and Leah McFadden, ending with dancing to some vibrant bowing by the strings. All this carries over into the third section, with the ensemble again reflecting the ethereal string instrumentation.

Artists of the Colorado Ballet in The Rite of Spring Photo: Amanda Tipton

Glen Tetley's stunning interpretation of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring concludes the evening. Given the central role of The Chosen One (Jeremy Studinski), and the striking final scene, we are compelled to see this as Jesus' story, from his awakening, through his teaching mission—giving spiritual life to the souls of his followers—to his ascension. The metaphor of plants bursting forth and budding, depicted in the background, fits perfectly with the stirring, visceral nature of the believers' experiences. The final image is jaw-dropping!

The Colorado Ballet's presentation of MasterWorks, runs through April 19th. Tickets start at $40 and can be purchased at www.coloradoballet.org or call Patron Services at (303) 339-1637.

Bob Bows