New York City Ballet in Paris

Well, I'm spending these evenings watching telly with my mother, and generally don't have time during the week - what with working from home - to catch up with Meetup. But gee, there was a scarcity of decent programmes this evening (!).. so where else should I turn for an alternative?

Now, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) is usually good for something - and this evening, they'd planned to watch a performance of the NYC Ballet in Paris. They ended up postponing the Meetup to Monday - but hey, nothing to stop me watching it on my own! Again, I can't make Monday's. It's available on Marquee TV - which is a subscription service, the first month free. I'm seeing a lot of events the group is advertising around shows available on that site..

So, I entered my card details, and proceeded to watch. Would've been a bit better if my mother's tablet - which I decided would be the handiest, at the time - hadn't been set to night mode: which apparently involves removing blue tones from the screen, because they tend to waken us. So everything had a kind of sepia tinge. Ah well.

This performance is, apparently, a tribute to George Balanchine, who founded the NYC Ballet, and is performed to the music of three French composers that inspired him: Charles Gounod, Ravel, and Bizet. The first and last pieces - music by Gounod and Bizet, respectively - are more formal. For me, the Bizet score of the last piece was the best score of the night. But the less strict dance formations of the middle pieces, performed to pieces by Ravel, were my favourites - hit of the night for me was the second piece, Sonatine, created by two dancers of the NYC Ballet and which - complete with pianist on stage - seems to evoke the freedom and simplicity of a tale of two of New York lovers. And the third piece, La Valse, has the look and feel of a fairytale, tragic ending and all!

Throughout, the dance is beautifully choreographed and expertly performed. Balanchine, it's said, was known for marrying music and dance, and sure enough, during this entire performance, they're perfectly interwoven. Gorgeous to watch, lovely to listen to.. highly recommended. Other midweek events aren't currently scheduled - but watch this space!

On Saturday, UITCS is hosting another virtual meetup - this time, of a half-hour rock concert at the Albert Hall! Actually snippets of different concerts, all broadcast for free by the venue. Again, the communal experience is a bit late for me - but the Meetup is full anyway, and there's nothing to stop me watching it earlier.

On Sunday morning, Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group is heading on a virtual tour of Mount Everest, on Google Maps! So I'll tag along.

And that afternoon, why, London Social Detours has another event I'm interested in. (And for once, she's not charging..!) She's reading a chapter of a book entitled London: The Wicked City, and there's to be a chat afterwards. First sociable thing I'm planning!