Monterey Symphony Brings us Ballet
by
Lyn Bronson
Maria Riccetto & Julio Bragado Young
[This review will appear in the Salinas Californian on Monday, July 22, 2007]
Patrons arriving last night at
Sherwood Hall to hear the Monterey Symphony’s January concert observed a stage
magically transformed with muted lighting and dance floor in place as
preparation for a concert, half of which featured ballet performances excerpted
from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” plus one of the major symphonies by Sergei
Prokofiev. Combining a program of symphonic music with movements from a
classical ballet represents a first for the Monterey Symphony and may herald a
new direction in programming. Especially significant on this occasion was the
appearance of Maestro Max Bragado’s son, dancer Julio Bragado Young, appearing
with three other members of the American Ballet Theater, Maria Riccetto,
Jennifer Alexander and Isaac Stappas, to create moments of magic for us. We also
learned last week that Max Bragado’s son Julio will be married to dancer
Jennifer Alexander in July on the Monterey Peninsula, thus this concert was even
more of a family event than it at first appeared.
Another interesting aspect of
this concert was the appearance in the audience of many young people,
undoubtedly some of them taking ballet lessons, but probably just as many there
to enjoy the experience of hearing significant ballet music performed by
professional dancers — not on film or video, but live. After an opening
performance by the orchestra of the “Waltz of the Flowers” from Swan Lake, we
had an opportunity to observe the dancers perform three Pas de deux from
Act II and III. Although in a Pas de deux, it is the ballerina who is the
principal star while the male dancer mostly serves to help her with lifts and
twirls, Julio Bragado Young moved so gracefully on stage and demonstrated his
own ability to leap about effortlessly that he made a strong impression. There
was a lot of charm in these performances and the audience enjoyed them
immensely.
Ending the concert was
Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100. On this occasion we heard a
solid performance of this emotionally wrought work. This performance built in
tension during its course and by its finale made a powerful effect.
Lyn Bronson, a resident of
Carmel, is a pianist and a faculty member of the Music & Performing Arts
Department at California State University Monterey Bay.
