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Aug. 19th, 2010
Paul Hindemith - The Four Temperaments
I think this category deserves a runner-up. Not that I don't stand by my first choice - if the B-52s don't provoke dance from at least one of your members, you might need to check to see if you're still alive.
But I don't think I quite paid Terpsichore her due. Even if our limbs and muscles can't come close to what our minds imagine, I think it is still important to acknowledge the Dance of the mind. The childhood glee from running and leaping into the air is something our minds don't forget.
I'm not a particular fan of ballet, but if I notice that a Balanchine documentary is going to be broadcast, I stay glued to the TV. There was something about his choreography that was more than all the others: more cerebral, more athletic, more demanding, more real.
In 1940, Balanchine commissioned Paul Hindemith to write a score for his troupe and paid him out of his own pocket. Somehow I think Hindemith knew that in order to please Balanchine he couldn't bring anything to the table that would be dour or heavy in any way - after-all this was Stravinsky's turf. His creation, The Four Temperaments is perhaps his finest composition. And in kind, Balanchine created dancing that was soaring, spiritual, and breathtaking.
YouTube is only partially helpful with this. There are two small clips by the Dutch National Ballet. The first one is a brief excerpt, the second one a bit longer - but after 40 seconds of Hindemith's music, it switches to more recent scores written to accompany the Balanchine choreography. Someone else has bothered to post parts of an excellent recording by the L.A. Philharmonic which I can recommend.
I think this category deserves a runner-up. Not that I don't stand by my first choice - if the B-52s don't provoke dance from at least one of your members, you might need to check to see if you're still alive.
But I don't think I quite paid Terpsichore her due. Even if our limbs and muscles can't come close to what our minds imagine, I think it is still important to acknowledge the Dance of the mind. The childhood glee from running and leaping into the air is something our minds don't forget.
I'm not a particular fan of ballet, but if I notice that a Balanchine documentary is going to be broadcast, I stay glued to the TV. There was something about his choreography that was more than all the others: more cerebral, more athletic, more demanding, more real.
In 1940, Balanchine commissioned Paul Hindemith to write a score for his troupe and paid him out of his own pocket. Somehow I think Hindemith knew that in order to please Balanchine he couldn't bring anything to the table that would be dour or heavy in any way - after-all this was Stravinsky's turf. His creation, The Four Temperaments is perhaps his finest composition. And in kind, Balanchine created dancing that was soaring, spiritual, and breathtaking.
YouTube is only partially helpful with this. There are two small clips by the Dutch National Ballet. The first one is a brief excerpt, the second one a bit longer - but after 40 seconds of Hindemith's music, it switches to more recent scores written to accompany the Balanchine choreography. Someone else has bothered to post parts of an excellent recording by the L.A. Philharmonic which I can recommend.
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