“It won’t surprise me if neuroscientists eventually succeed in unlocking the mystery of music. I don’t fear that prospect, but I do have a sneaking suspicion that part of the charm of music lies in the fact that we don’t know what it means, any more than we can explain the equally mysterious charm of a plotless ballet by George Balanchine or an abstract painting by Piet Mondrian…”
Archives for October 24, 2009
DVD
Les Ballets Trockadero, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Harmonia Mundi). Even if you don’t go in for drag acts, it’s hard to resist the fabulously ingenious dance comedy of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, an all-male troupe that performs classical ballet–complete with tutus. The smartest works in their repertory are Peter Anastos’ “Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet” and “Go for Barocco,” in which the quirks and foibles of Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine are satirized with ruthlessly knowing precision. Both dances are available on a pair of newly reissued DVDs that also contain an assortment of “straight” classical works danced with paralyzingly funny near-sincerity. “Yes, Virginia” is on the first disc, “Go for Barocco” on the second (TT).