By MARK KANNY
Published April 23, 2010
The only question after Thursday evening's sold out Pittsburgh Symphony Pops presentation of "Cirque de la Symphonie" is: How soon will the musically adept circus act return to Heinz Hall?
Three performances remain this weekend but that won't be enough. They'll be sold-out, too, and many people won't be able to get tickets.
The audience was extremely enthusiastic. People often applauded during the routines, while the quick intake of breath of those sitting nearby provided quieter evidence that the show is a hit.
Although chief aerialist Alexander Streltsov views the circus element as a supplement to the orchestra, people were sitting on the edge of their chairs watching the exciting action.
Conductor Jack Everly and the orchestra were in top form. The musicians played with unfailing artistry and energy. That's great for the ears. But unlike most concerts at Heinz Hall which have nothing very exciting to see, this one was visually riveting.
The orchestra was pushed back toward the rear of the stage to create a 15-foot wide strip of stage for the acrobats, contortionists, strong men and other performers. That's a very narrow space with no safety netting.
The most exquisite and artistic moments were in Streltsov's solo to "Across the Stars" from "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." He commanded the stage and the space over it, sometimes reaching 30 feet above the stage floor as he maneuvered on a pair of long white cloths held up by rigging. At all times, while walking on the stage and swinging out over seven rows of the audience, Streltsov conveyed concerned introspection.
Vladimir Tsarkov was dressed as a harlequin and was the master of tossing hoops. In one segment, he let hoops fall to the stage and played off their controlled rebound. He's a wonderful mime, too, and would probably be a great Petroushka.
Hula hoops were Irina Burdetsky's props. She kept them twirling with most every part of her body while doing contortions on the floor. At the end of the routine, she even picked up what looked to be at least 18 hula hoops and ran them at the same time.
The finale featured strong men Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariuz Wronski, who were painted in gold and looked like two Oscars who had left their pedestals. They performed slow-motion contortions and power lifts with great control, to imposing music.
Everly led the orchestra in several outstanding performances while the circus performers took a breather. Modest Mussorgsky's "A Night on Bald Mountain" was the best, a performance worthy of a subscription concert. But the "Colas Breugnon" Overture by Dmitri Kabalevky, which began the Pops concert, wasn't nearly fast enough.
Another purely musical highlight was the arrangement of "Comedy Tonight" from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" by Stephen Sondheim. Don Sebesky's score was a laugh riot, which included, among its improbable extras, the big bass trombone slide and a few measure more from Bela Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra."
That's entertainment, too.
By OLIVIA BEVAN
Published April 17, 2010
The Orpheum brimmed at capacity and the excitable chatter among old and young only added to the intrigue of what was billed as an evening of original talent, unique adaptations and professional choreography. This alone was exciting enough, but what I hadn't expected was to have to physically shut my jaw after several notable performances. Closer inspection revealed I wasn't the only one left so astounded.
The incredible reputation of the Cirque du Soleil (or "Cirque" as I've heard it said casually by those in the know) was evident by the large crowd drawn here tonight. But this wasn't your usual performance. Instead, Cirque de la Symphonie (a smaller group associated with the original Cirque) has developed truly amazing choreography and acrobat feats performed in perfect timing to such popular classical tunes such as Ravel's Bolero, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and Khachaturian's Masquerade: Valse.
On stage we were watching the very best—be they musicians or members of Cirque. As aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers, balancers, and strongmen captivated the audience, it was obvious that the natural combination of these two arts forms provided new dimensions that only enhanced one another. At times the Symphony Orchestra held centre stage. At other times, they took a back seat. But neither would have felt quite tonight right without the other.
The selection of music was fittingly uplifting, spirited, boisterous and playful. It was about having fun and being adventurous. The tone of which was set from the very start with the much recognized Dvorak's Carnival Overture, Op. 92, followed by pieces including Bizet's Carmen Suite 2 and 1, Smetanta's Bartered Bride and Saint-Saens' Samson et Delilah: Danse Bacchanale.
During this first half we were left in awe by something as straight-forward as a man spinning a large metal cube frame (which is absolutely not as simple as it seems) and were mesmerized by a woman clad in white who performed as if physical bone structure was no object while she casually contorted her body in to mind-boggling positions. No circus is complete without a clown though and his ever-present antics kept us smiling whenever he appeared on stage (he even turned an impressive juggling trick or two of his own).
Following the intermission, more popular classics were heard including Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake (to which the conductor was literally roped in to an on-stage performance) and Chabrier's Espana: Rhapsody for Orchestra.
Performers so far had danced, swept and swooped their way across the stage using materials such as hoops, ribbon or crimson cloth hung from the ceiling, but by far the best performance had been saved until last. To the tune of Ravel's Bolero, two acrobatic, bronzed (and scantily clad) strongmen climbed on to the box on centre stage to perform moves that left the audience audibly gasping. From one-handed handstands on top of the one another's head to balancing at almost impossible angles, their fluid control and perfect precision caused audience members to swoon with admiration. As they clambered down from their box the audience rushed to their feet with rapturous applause celebrating not just them (although they were incredible) but the entire selection of performers on stage who, in turn, humbly admired one another.
As we shuffled out of the theatre it seemed everyone tonight (even those on stage) left with a feeling of having been part of something really quite special. Sometimes magic does happen.
By THOMAS B. HARRISON
Published March 21, 2010
MOBILE, Ala. -- Now for something completely different ...
Scott Speck was equal parts conductor and ringmaster Saturday night as Mobile Symphony Orchestra pulled off a first: a performance of classical music for the aerialists, acrobats and contortionists of Cirque de la Symphonie, who demonstrated the artistry of the human body taken to extreme limits.
The sellout audience, minus a few no-shows, was treated to quite a spectacle, from the opening with Christine Van Loo on crimson aerial silks to the stunning second-half closer with strongmen Jarek and Darek upping the ante for anyone who thinks hand-stands and balancing acts are the stuff of sideshows.
Like the breathtaking Van Loo, the two men drew some of the loudest and most appreciative applause of the evening, and they more than earned it. That proved high praise from the symphony audience, which is accustomed to traditional music played in a traditional setting. But they were all smiles under the Saenger Big Top, and MSO supporters could not have been more pleased.
Cirque de la Symphonie was a break with tradition for most of the right reasons, and audience responses throughout the evening were spontaneous and sometimes breathless at the dazzling virtuosity of the Cirque artists.
Perhaps the loudest ovation of the night was reserved for Alexander Streltsov, who performed on white aerial silks to the sounds of John Williams' melancholy "Across the Stars" from one of the "Star Wars" films. Streltsov is a master, elevating himself by wrapping the fabric around his arms and soaring at alarming speed.
No one would have been the least surprised had he flown, sans silks, across the balcony and out through the roof.
In the first half of the program, Streltsov delivered an impressive routine with an enormous metal cube that he wielded as nimbly as he would a drum major's baton. You had to be there.
The first half closed with an aerial hoop number by Aloysia Gavre, who performed to Saint-Saens' "Bacchanale" from "Samson et Delila." By the end of her performance, during which Gavre swooped over the orchestra and startlingly close to Speck, everyone wondered whether the Maestro might be joining her on that hoop.
The orchestra will perform a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. today. That show is a sellout, according to chief operating officer Greg Gordon, who said the nose-bleed seats were sold and the box office has been turning folks away. That is gratifying news indeed for the performing arts in our town.
Speck and the musicians earn high marks for remaining focused on the music, which was lovely. When the Cirque artists were not on stage (or in the air), the orchestra performed an eclectic program including Chabrier's "Espana," Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, and another Williams piece, "Harry's Wondrous World" from .*.*. well, guess which mega-hit movie franchise.
If the conductor or his musicians were distracted by the goings-on — which included recurring appearances by Vladimir Tsarkov, a mime/juggler — it was not evident in their musicianship. Concertmaster Jenny Gregoire merits special praise for her marvelous violin work in the second half of the program.
The closing half showcased Van Loo on the aerial rope ("Danse Macabre," Op. 40 by Saint-Saens) and the Respighi/Rossini piece "Cancan" from "La boutique fantastique" featuring Tsarkov and his wife, contortionist Elena Tsarkova in a bit of magic mischief with Speck.
For the curtain call, the orchestra reprised "Les Toreadors" from Bizet's "Carmen," and the audience clapped along enthusiastically. Why, one would have thought that the European circus was in town.
By TIM SMITH
Published March 12, 2010
Admit it. The first time you heard about the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's "Under the Big Top" series of circus-theme concerts, your cynical muscles started clenching.
And when you spotted publicity photos of music director Marin Alsop in a ringmaster's get-up (what were they thinking over there?), you just knew the whole thing had to be too darn silly.
Well, relax and get over it. This project could turn out to be the sleeper hit — and hoot — of the season.
Thursday's concert, featuring the brilliant flying, juggling, contorting troupe called Cirque de la Symphonie, might have settled for mere gimmickry, from the smell of popcorn and sight of cotton candy in the lobby to the stage decked out with streaming fabrics behind the orchestra and bathed in show-biz lighting. But Alsop constructed too substantive of a program to be mistaken for a pops night out, and she made sure that the music registered with terrific impact, even when the cirque folk had the limelight.
It was cool to hear collective "oohs" and "ahs" rise from the crowd at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall — people really did get into the circus mood — and also to hear shouts of approval for such a gritty score as the Suite from Bartok's ballet "The Miraculous Mandarin." That piece was wisely delivered without any visual extras, but the rhythmic thrusts and melodic leaps in the music created their own kind of dazzle. Alsop was in her element here as she drew a taut, biting response from the orchestra.
The conductor led impressive accounts of three other vivid ballet scores — Copland's "Billy the Kid," Poulenc's "Les Biches" and Satie's "Parade" — that were expertly, inventively choreographed by Cirque de la Symphony. Aerialists took complex and elegant flights into the rafters, occasionally out over the audience. During the Satie work, there was a startling demonstration of slow-motion, seemingly impossible hand- (and foot-) balancing by the duo of Jarek and Darek. Vladimir Tsarkov's colorful juggling was remarkably well-timed to the music.
All of these scores could have stood solidly on their own, of course. Poulenc's distinctive voice is delectably urbane and witty in "Les Biches," and Satie indulges in wonderfully audacious touches, including wacky additions to the percussion section. Copland's ballet seems as fresh as ever. Alsop was attentive to details large and small in each of the works, and the BSO's responded with vigor and clarity.
There's always a lot of talk about the need to break down barriers in classical music, to rethink concert the format and put a fresh spin on the experience. This imaginative concert actually did that, and with a panache that whets the appetite for what's next under the BSO's inviting tent.
The Cirque program repeats Friday and Sunday at Meyerhoff, Saturday at Strathmore.
By SCOTT PATTON
Published March 7, 2010
Comedian Patton Oswalt once said "Cirque ... is like catnip for old people!" Well, really, "cirque" is like catnip for a lot of people.
One glance over the sold out house of Shreveport Symphony's joint performance with traveling performance artists, Cirque de la Symphonie, revealed many, young and old alike.
One should be careful not to jump to the conclusion that adding acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and dancers to a bill of classical music (primarily from the opera and dance repertoires) is just a gimmick to fill seats. Though the seats were full, one could not help but recognize the power that good music lends to the moving human body and vice-versa.
In those carnival arts commonly found beneath big-top tents or Vegas glam shows — even on street corners of more bohemian towns than our own — we find a unique human achievement, a synthesis of art and athleticism that rarely ceases to amaze those of us who drone about the daily grind.
A juggler or clown (such as Vladimir Tsarkov), hurling five rings into the air, and flirting with his own enormous shadow on the wall, reminds us of something colorful long buried that may bubble up in a chuckle or tear. A graceful contortionist (such as Elena Tsarkova), twisting and bending her body while spinning on a bar stool, illuminates the human form in a way that seems alien to our mechanized pedestrian movements.
But what of the music? There was no calliope hemorrhaging scary circus themes. For the most part, the music selections were choice and many of them are rarely performed by the likes of Dvorak, Chabrier and Borodin. In fact, Borodin's "Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances" was a high mark for the orchestra — and during that piece, they performed without the visual aid of performers from the Cirque troop.
Throughout the program, conductor Michael Butterman and the orchestra played with a vigor and enthusiasm that was visceral and appreciated. Less it be missed amid all the eye candy, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra deserves a heavy dose of the evening's gratitude. They worked hard for their audience.
The choice to include a theme from the ubiquitous Spielberg film, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" by John Williams, was the only pandering moment. Really, it didn't feel at home in the program at all and only served as an obstacle between 1,700 drooling kittens and their mysterious, intoxicating, audio-visual catnip.
By GAYLE G. HATHORNE
Published February 4, 2010
The Cirque came to the Symphony this weekend, drawing sell-out crowds. The program that lasted just over an hour was presented by the Kansas City Symphony as the latest installment in its Family Series concerts.
Audience members of all ages were in for a memorable treat Saturday as six of the world's finest cirque artists joined Symphony members on the stage of the Lyric Theatre to juggle, contort and fly above the stage in a ballet of motion to the music of favorite orchestral hits.
The show opened with the orchestra alone in an ebullient reading of Dvorak's Carnival Overture, under the skillful baton of Steven Jarvi, associate conductor. Bravo! to Kenneth Lawrence, who shaped the four-note English horn ostinato in the Andante section with engaging musical variety. With the final festive tones of the overture sounded, the stage was set for the feats of athleticism and beauty that followed.
The program was presented Saturday, January 30 at 2 p.m. at the Lyric Theatre and Sunday, January 31 at 2 p.m. at Yardley Hall on the Johnson County Community College campus.
First up, to the sound of the "Danse Boheme" from Carmen, was ring juggler Vladimir Tsarkov, who held the audience rapt with his skillful manipulation of rings — five and six at a time — in perfect synch to the music. Tsarkov was seen onstage throughout the program in other roles as well. As mime artist and magician, he and his wife, Elena Tsarkova, managed to coax Maestro Jarvi to leave the orchestra to play on its own while Jarvi disappeared with the rope-bound Elena behind a velvet curtain, to emerge again with Elena wearing Jarvi's jacket under her ropes.
Alexander Streltsov delivered an impressive act of strength and balance by spinning a large metal cube about, above and below to the music of "Les Toreadors" from Bizet's Carmen.
Elena Tsarkova stole this reviewer's admiration with her stunning contortionist act as the Lady in White, performed upon two bar stools. Cutting an impossibly perfect human figure with her wasp waist and scintillating grace of movement to the music of Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers," she slithered into postures that one could only imagine being drawn, not enacted. Program notes did not mention that she is the mother of three children — one would not have believed it possible.
The orchestra performed solo again mid-program, delivering Glinka's "Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla" with exhilaratingly tight string ensemble. It was followed by the sultry strains of Saint-Saens' "Bacchanale" from Samson and Delilah. Principal oboist Mingjia Liu pulled out the snake charmer stops for his sinuous solo, enacted in Fantasia-like choreography by aerial hoopist, Aloysia Gavre-Wareham, who writhed 20 feet above the stage, swinging upside down held at times by only one foot or one hand.
Alexander Streltsov cut a striking figure in white pants and bare torso to contrast dramatically against the long red silk tapers that bore him high above the orchestra onstage in a suspenseful aerialist act. Performed to the thrilling score of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" (minus Brunnhilde's glorious soprano tones) he brought down the house.
But of all the feats of remarkable strength and graceful form these gold medal-winning artists delivered, the finale performed to Tchaikovsky's "Marche Slave" by the duo of strongmen, Vitaliy Pridhodko as bottom strongman, and Alexei Anikine, top strongman, brought the wildest applause of the show. They were astonishing to behold.
The orchestra reprised Bizet's "Les Toreadors" as the Cirque artists took their bows, bringing the house to a standing ovation.
By RICK WALTERS
Published January 4, 2010
Combining aerialists, jugglers and acrobats with classical music played by an orchestra is the most exciting idea to hit the symphonic pops circuit in some time. Cirque de la Symphonie played three concerts with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra last weekend to large and diverse audiences. The best thing about the Saturday evening performance was that it all happened to an uncompromised classical hit parade of well-played, real music.
Cirque de la Symphonie began playing dates in 2006, and has built to a substantial career with major and minor orchestras in North America. It's easy to see why. The act apparently changes with each date. For the MSO appearance a troupe of four men and three women performed on and above the apron of the stage, in front of the orchestra.
A blond woman dressed in black climbed a white rope 20 feet above the stage and did dazzling choreographed tricks to Saint-Saens' Danse macabre. A male aerialist dressed in white tights swung high above the audience to Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries." The other acts included a charming Harlequin mime juggler, a woman aerialist on a high ring, an acrobat on two stylized stools doing a dizzying parade of poses, and a man manipulating a giant metal-framed box. It was all artfully and gracefully done, with stylish European flair.
In the showstopper finale two gold-painted men presented slow-moving, seemingly impossible combinations of strength and acrobatics to a movement from Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. I just have three more words to add about Cirque de la Symphonie: Bring 'em back.
By MIKE DREW
Published January 2, 2010
Any unsuspecting visitors dropping into Uihlein Hall this weekend might be stunned to see airborne athletes swooping over the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra cellos, conductor and patrons. Attractive overachievers were spinning while entwined in ropes or long silk pendants, exhibiting the beauty, muscularity and contortions rarely found in staid concert halls.
For years, symphony orchestras have sought ways to fill auditorium seats with younger eardrums. Opening a three-concert weekend and new year before an enthralled 1,800 people Friday night, the MSO seemed to have found a temporary answer: Cirque de la Symphonie.
Minus the performing animals and sawdust, the big top has come to town, big time.
While billed as a pops concert, the program isn't typical popular pap - movie themes and other, over-orchestrated trifles. The selections are meatier offerings from such classical titans as Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Saint-Saens, Wagner and Shostakovich.
Under Stuart Chafetz's baton, the symphony brought vigor, precision and soaring sonority to some very challenging music.
Even so, the bigger stars were the seven visiting aerialists, acrobats, strongmen and a mime-juggler. On opening night, they earned the extended cheering you would expect from sports crowds or opera buffs.
The MSO players got few solo opportunities. But reliable concertmaster Frank Almond navigated his magical Stradivarius through impressive work on Dvorak's "Carnival Overture," and a dance of death on Saint-Saens' ominous tone poem, "Danse Macabre." All evening, Almond drove the strong MSO violins through some extremely presto fiddling.
Among the visitors, some of the biggest cheers went to Aloysia Gavre as a seductive Delilah twirling on a high hoop to Saint-Saens' "Bacchanale" from "Samson and Delilah." And to gilded strongmen Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski , who did some truly heavy lifting to the fourth movement from Shostakovich's 5th Symphony.
On the way out Friday, some serious music fans might have pondered this question: Is adding circus acts to a symphony concert a pandering distraction? Perhaps somewhat.
But isn't filling most of 2,183 seats at three performances on a frigid January weekend with an aesthetically spectacular program some achievement? And something that, in these perilous times, any arts group would kill for?
By TOM KEOGH
Published December 11, 2009
"In case holiday music doesn't bring out your inner child," said Seattle Symphony's "Holiday Pops" guest conductor Gregory Vajda, "we have the circus."
Indeed they did. While Vajda — resident conductor of Oregon Symphony — led the orchestra through engaging and frequently moving performances of Christmas standards and a few exotic surprises, the Benaroya Hall stage became a launching pad for spectacular aerial feats, juggling madness and a strongman act that resembles a hallucination.
Vajda's "Holiday Pops" guests Thursday night were members of Cirque de la Symphonie, which last performed with Seattle Symphony in July 2008. The half-dozen Cirque artists will be a part of the "Pops" show through Sunday.
Following an opening medley encompassing the many moods of Christmas — contemplative ("Silent Night"), sprightly ("Jingle Bells") and joyful ("God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen") — Vajda took a detour to Howard Blake's bittersweet "Walking In the Air."
Tony Osborne's arrangement of "Walking," from "The Snowman," an animated TV classic, was so moving as to almost make one forget to watch Christine Van Loo as she climbed a sash high in the air, sculpting her body in unique ways while winding the fabric around her limbs.
Juggler-mime Vladimir Tsarkov kept five rings aloft to "Sleigh Ride," comically pretending to get cross at a patron who returned a misfired prop to him.
Olga Pavlova danced ethereally to Tchaikovsky's "Russian Dance" from "Swan Lake," and quite a bit more sensually to Bizet's "Arogonaise" from "Carmen." Aloysia Gavre's act proved not for the fainthearted as she dangled from a hoop by her feet alone.
The most striking of the Cirque acts were aerialist Alexander Streitsov — who reflected the uplifting spirit of Schubert's "Ave Maria" in an almost angelic performance — and Jarek and Darek, hulks who move with a languid grace from one seemingly impossible gymnastic stunt to another.
Vajda, recently named music director of the Music In the Mountains festival in Grass Valley, Calif., didn't need Cirque to put on a compelling performance. When the athletes weren't onstage, the orchestra explored the wintry somberness of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on 'Greensleeves,' " and the romance of Leroy Anderson's "Song of the Bells," a lovely waltz.
On the other hand, all that circus hoopla certainly stokes holiday excitement. The look on kids' faces in the crowd doesn't lie.
By CINDY WARNER
Published December 7, 2009
San Francisco Symphony presented the dazzling and elegant if not death-defying Cirque de la Symphonie on Saturday night to a full house of delighted and mesmerized adults and children. So you thought coping with the holidays proved death-defying enough in itself? Come, take a seat, sit back and relax.
The orchestra, conducted by Donato Cabrera, played a perfectly chosen set of Christmas classics elegantly and even included a song from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on this magical evening. Incidentally Cirque de la Symphonie has no official connection to Cirque du Soleil but some of the artists have worked with Soleil among many prestigious European and American groups. The artists adapted the performance to the tiny confines of the orchestra stage and the airspace above it, choreographing the cirque to the set of mostly carols.
Twisting the Nutcracker?
Interestingly conductor Cabrera never turned to face the audience or the performer who often dangled and posed high above and behind his head. Once when the jester juggled a rainbow of lit bowling pins, the music ended with finality but the last pin had yet to finish it's decent to the hand of the juggler. It could have been intentional as it provided a fine comic moment with the conductor turning around just in time to see the catch. That would be mime and juggling artist Vladimir Tsarkov, juggling rings and batons to Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and to the Russian Dance of the Nutracker Suite.
So you thought hula hoops went the way of the lava lamp?
World class aerial acrobats, gymnasts, contortionists and strong men gilded bald head to toe for Christmas held the hall spellbound. Starting with the only American, acrobatic gymnast Christine Van Loo performed on red aerial silks, costumed in white with her blond hair in a pony tail. Each soloist demonstrated feats of strength and control from head to toe. However Irina Burdetsky, the hula hoopster in her red dress with mistletoe pattern, provided some comic twists. An irresistible show off, the brunette twirled her hoop around the tight, doll-like little bun on top of her doll-like head. She almost winked at the audience. She with her comic sensibility was a campy, crowd pleasing joy to behold.
Those who love the Nutcracker ballet across the street would appreciate a couple of numbers performed to Nutcracker Suite songs. Maria Malachikhina, contortion and dance. Her novel and daring presentation breathes fresh air into the classic song. A woman with a gymnast's ball balanced on a pedestal, essentially performing her waltz of the flowers with beauty and delicacy and precision. The waltz continued with a lovely harp solo. She continued the performance in her gold and black leotard with her gymnast's streamer tied to a baton, also reminiscent of the Nutcracker ballet.
Sleigh bells ring, are ya'll listening?
The percussion section jingled it's merry way along with the triangle tinkling. The harpist plucked strings along with the spirited violin sections. I imagine the musicians themselves had a great time during this novel event, looking at the animated smiles on their faces and how they would glance happily at each other while playing. The percussion section included jingle bells plus a pair of clacking boards almost like that you see on a film set but used to create the crack of the whip on a sleigh ride. What do you call that? I like it, where can I buy one for my boyfriend?
The brass section managed a great horse's whinney.
The music became seductive and exotic, an Eastern sound as an aerial acrobat spun in a hoop hanging high above the stage. The audience roared as the music became a frenzy and the acrobat hung by just her feet hooked over the bottom of the hoop. No net. Aloysia Gavre in her aerial hoop and Bacchanale from Samson et Dahlia.
A male/female team in some serious black performed next, he spinning her rope from the stage while she whirled in mid-air. It's Christine Van Loo and her partner performing to Danse macabre, Opus 40.
In contrast, the hula hoop girl added some comic cheer after the drama. The mischievous jester brought out about twenty more hoops for her to spin at once after she showed off by spinning a hoop around the bun on her head.
The Dynamic Duo
The most dramatic applause and cheering came from the gilded pair of muscle men who arose like statues on a platform from below the stage. Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski performed "Duo Design". They are former Polish hand-balancing champions. Every move came in measured slow motion using impeccable balance, strength and counterbalance. Incredible precision and timing created the most beautiful poses an artist would love to paint or sculpt.
Ave Maria, elevating la cirque's finale
The grand finale came in the form of aerial artist Alexander Streltsov, pictured above, an angelic young man floating out and over the front rows of the audience to Ave Maria. He would wrap his feet or wrists in the white streamers suspended from above the stage and take flight. He performed pristinely in his winter fresh, snow white pants and naked torso. He was beautiful and only cracked a smile on his smooth, serene face when he came back to the stage for a bow before the elated audience.
Here's the wonderful set list.
Holiday, Leroy Anderson: A Christmas Festival
Howard Blake; arr. Tony Osborne : "Walking in the Air" from The Snowman
Leon Jessel; lyrics Ballard MacDonald: "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"
Ralph Vaughan Williams; arr. Ralph Greaves: Fantasia on Greensleeves
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers from Nutcracker Suite, Opus 71a
Sergei Prokofiev: Troika from Lieutenant Kije Suite, Opus 60
Camille Saint-Saens: Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila
Georges Bizet: Farandole from L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2
Camille Saint-Saens: Danse macabre, Opus 40
John Williams: Harry's Wondrous World from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Russian Dance from Nutcracker Suite, Opus 71a
Wolfgang Amade Mozart: German Dance, K.605, no.3, The Sleigh Ride
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Dance of the Tumblers from The Snow Maiden
Holiday, Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati, Katherine K. Davis; arr. Robert Wendel : "Little Bolero Boy"
Franz Schubert; arr. Carmen Dragon: "Ave Maria"
English, Holiday, Traditional; arr. John Finnegan: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
By JEFFREY KACZMARCZYK
Published November 14, 2009
"Wow!"
Followed by assorted "oohs" and "ahhs" and more than a few choruses of "oh my gosh," and you've summed up the audience reaction to the Grand Rapids Symphony's Pops Series show on Friday night.
"Cirque de la Symphonie" joined conductor David Lockington and the orchestra for a spectacle with symphonic sound in DeVos Performance Hall.
Count eight acts by six cirque performers, plus nearly two hours of well-known melodies — "The Toreadors" from Bizet's "Carmen" to John Williams' music from "Harry Potter" — and you have a show for children of all ages.
Surprised reactions spread through the audience again and again through the evening as Lockington led the orchestra in music by composers of Armenian, Czech, French, Russian and American extraction.
Alexander Streltsov, suspended by white silks, soared in circles around the stage in a performance as ravishingly beautiful as it was powerful, finely choreographed to lesser known melodies from John Williams' score to the "Star Wars" films.
The eye-popping feats of strength of Jarek & Derek, the golden boys of hand balance and head balance, had more than a few of the orchestra's string players sitting slackjawed while strumming Ravel's "Bolero."
The evening was a pleasurable marriage of music and movement. Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre" became a duet for violin and acrobat with orchestra, Christina Fong fiddling on stage, Christine Van Loo spinning above stage, the former on strings, the latter on rope.
Vladimir Tsarkov, juggler and comedian extraordinaire, sent three, four, five and finally six hoops spinning aloft to the "Bohemian Dance" from "Carmen."
The "Valse" from Khachaturian's "Masquerade" provided the backdrop for Elena Tsarkova's blend of contortion and balance. Her movements often were serpentine, but her legs also were as graceful as wings.
Aloysia Gavre spun on a hoop with sensual abandonment to the "Bacchanale" from Saint-Saens' "Samson and Delilah."
The well-organized show had plenty of nice touches, from sidelights illuminating Streltsov's spinning cube, to a bit of hocus pocus involving Lockington that temporarily deprived him of his possessions while the orchestra played, mostly on its own, the "Dance of the Little Swans" from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."
The Grand Rapids Symphony worked up a bit of a sweat as well with some tough tunes to play.
Dvorak's Carnival Overture, which opened the program, was festive and smartly done.
While playing Glinka's Overture to "Russlan and Ludmilla," Lockington cajoled the audience to clap and cheer with each passing phrase.
It wasn't quite a football game — no one started doing the wave. But as concerts go, the experience sure came close.
By CHRISTOPHER HYDE
Published October 26, 2009
There were quite a few children in the large audience in Merrill Auditorium for the first pops concert of the Portland Symphony Orchestra's 2009-2010 season Saturday night. I can't think of a better way to introduce them to classical music than the fascinating Cirque de la Symphonie.
It's actually better than a three-ring circus, because one can concentrate on a single performer, while enjoying the musical accompaniment as it was meant to be played. Many familiar classical lollipops have been adopted by the circus with less than stellar results, but the Portland Symphony, under conductor Robert Moody, restored them to their former glory.
Two of the music-only interludes were outstanding – "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship" from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" (Op. 35), a masterpiece of orchestration, and the finale of the Sibelius Symphony No. 2, which the PSO will play in its entirety on Tuesday. If the sample was any indication, that is one concert that should not be missed.
Either I haven't been to the circus for a long time, or the acts – with just four performers in a variety of roles – were death-defying, colossal and stupendous. I wish the gymnasts, jugglers, contortionists and escape artists could have been listed by name, so they could get the credit they deserve.
The program opened with Dvok's "Carnival Overture" (Op. 92), followed by Harlequin in a juggling act to Bizet's "Danse Bohme" from "Carmen." The juggling was excellent, but the next act, with a whirling 4-foot cube of metal rods, to the Toreador song, was almost hallucinogenic.
The gymnast who followed (I won't call her a contortionist, since all of her moves were as graceful as those of a ballerina) accomplished the most astonishing poses seemingly without effort. She danced to the Khachaturian Waltz from "Masquerade."
The trapeze artist on a ring suspended over the stage performed with equal grace to the "Bacchanale" from Saint-Sans' "Samson and Delilah." There were "oohs" and "ahs" as she navigated the precarious perch without a net, and as many of them came from adults as from the children in the audience.
After intermission, the gymnast took on the role of escape artist and deprived maestro Moody of his coat in spite of being bound with several coils of rope.
In the great tradition of the circus, the performers saved the best for last – an astounding aerial pas de deux on red silk ribbons, with some poses and turns I had never seen before.
In one, the ballerina knots herself in the silk so that it unties and re-ties as she descends in horizontal rolls, like one of those old fashioned toys of tumbling blocks on ribbons.
A double horizontal pose, forming a perfect square high above the stage, brought the house down, and the strains of the "Swan Lake" waltz ended in a well deserved standing ovation.
Published July 12, 2009
GUADALAJARA, JALISCO.- Sonoros y prolongados aplausos durante más de cinco minutos del público alzado en pie y un desfile de fuerza, sorpresas y emociones a cargo del Cirque de la Symphonie y la Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco (OFJ), dirigida por Héctor Guzmán, pusieron el viernes el colofón a la temporada de conciertos "Fusión" de la formación musical más representativa del Estado.
El espectáculo "La OFJ y el circo" preparado para la ocasión en el Teatro Diana cautivó la atención de los espectadores de principio a fin.
El Danzón número 2 de Arturo Márquez sirvió para abrir la velada y aderezar el derroche de sensualidad, contorsiones y levantamientos que una pareja de artistas del Cirque de la Symphonie ofreció con movimientos de tango, maravillando y robando los primeros aplausos de los espectadores reunidos en el Teatro Diana.
Después, durante la interpretación de la Danza bohemia de Georges Bizet, un profesional del malabarismo con aros dio muestra del dominio de la disciplina circense y en varias ocasiones provocó sonidos que sincronizó intencionalmente con la OFJ.
Llegado el turno para que los músicos tocaran la composición también de Bizet Toreador, el acróbata de cubo Sasha Streltsov corroboró el alto grado de dificultad del espectáculo, ya que la mayoría de los actos se realizó con la orquesta como fondo y el espacio de acciones en el piso se redujo a no más de cuatro metros por el largo del escenario.
Completaron la oferta musical de la primera parte del espectáculo Danza de los bufones, de Nicolai Rimsky y Korsakov; España, de Emmanuel Chabrier; Vals Suite Masquerade, de Aram Khachaturian; y Bacchanale, de Camille Saint-Saëns, piezas que permitieron apreciar el trabajo de la OFJ a las órdenes de la batuta de Guzmán, así como una muestra de equilibrio sobre plataformas girantes.
Tras el intermedio, la Danza de los cisnes compuesta por Tchaikovsky amenizó un apartado de ilusionismo con cuerdas que tuvo como invitado al director de la Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco. Casi al final del espectáculo, la selección musical vistió y acentuó actos de malabarismo, listones, hula-hula y números aéreos sobre cuerda y telas que causaron sorpresa y provocaron las ovaciones de los presentes que casi llenaron el Teatro Diana.
Una rutina de levantamiento y contorsiones con las notas del Bolero de Ravel puso punto final al concierto de clausura de la temporada "Fusión" de la OFJ.
Al inicio del espectáculo, los números circenses provocaron aplausos y ovaciones espontáneos que algunos callaron por protocolo y respeto a la formación musical. Sin embargo, durante el desarrollo de la velada, las muestras de reconocimiento por parte del público fueron una constante.
En el balance de los resultados obtenidos con el ciclo "Fusión", Juan Pablo Alvear, gerente general de la Filarmónica de Jalisco, destaca que "es la primera temporada de la OFJ que el Teatro Degollado, en muchos años, no había estado tan lleno. En cuestión de públicos, ha sido completa y totalmente un éxito. La gente esta reencontrándose con la orquesta y un edificio patrimonio".
By SAMUEL BLACK
Published May 31, 2009
No words will do justice to the special Cirque de la Symphonie program Saturday by the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra.
If you weren't there, you simply won't understand. Those of you who have attended other Cirque events will at least know the feeling.
I watched Irina Burdetsky gyrate five separate hula hoops around different parts of her body simultaneously. Elena Tsarkova straddled two pedestals and allowed her body to flow and bend and ask us still to believe that she really had a spine.
Alexander Streltsov took to the air on two ends of a long sheet of silk and awed the crowd with his grace and muscle control. Finally, Vitaliy Prihodko and Alexei Anikine balanced on each others' heads and shoulders, as well as arm to arm.
Meanwhile, Markand Thakar led the DSSO through 15 short pieces, fairly familiar to most listeners of public radio. Five featured the symphony alone. And once again, the wonder of the new acoustical shell in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Auditorium deserves praise.
From the opening blaze of energy in Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance" to the blossoming of the low brass in John Williams' "Harry's Wondrous World" from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the rush of warm, full sound surrounded the sold-out auditorium.
Leonard Bernstein's "Overture" from "West Side Story" offered the greatest variety of sound, while Georges Bizet's "Dance of the Gypsies" from "Carmen" was the most delicate. The fullness of the entire ensemble hurtled into Edward Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King" that made the earth-tone hues of the shell glow.
But when members of the Cirque came on stage, the efforts of the DSSO were hardly noticed. For example, during two more Khachaturian excerpts from his ballet "Gayane"--"Dance of the Rose Maidens" and the "Gopak"--juggler-mime Vladimir Tsarkov began dawdling with three, then four, bouncing hoops. But he didn't stop until he had six in motion. Who heard the orchestra?
An acrobatic "Delilah," Aloysia Gavre, took Camille Saint-Saens' "Bacchanale" to new heights with an aerial swinging, twisting, and turning in and around a spinning hoop. None of Bizet's toreadors could hope to keep pace with the dancing Streltsov spinning a cube at least as large as him. This same artist took the "Star Wars" piece into another galaxy with his aerial silk gracefulness.
Lastly, the familiar Bach/Stokowski "Toccata and Fugue in D-minor" was background static once the balancing duo defied gravity in the light of center stage.
This was not an evening to go to the concert hall to hear what current composers tell us. But this was stellar entertainment, with a lush-sounding orchestra and Cirque de la Symphonie taking us beyond what seems possible. Only those present can fully understand what I witnessed. I hope this included you.
By PHYLLIS SEGAL
Published April 24, 2009
If we could all live our lives with the beauty, the elegance, the strength, the flexibility and the humor of the members of the Cirque de la Symphonie troupe that performed Saturday, April 18, with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, we'd all be in great shape!
Jed Gaylin, guest conductor for the evening, compared their performances to our lives in his introduction:
"Maybe many in the audience felt they had to go into contortions to get to the concert on time. We all juggle so many activities in our life. So when we see a performer like Vladimir (Tsarkov) juggle so adroitly and with such skill, it lifts the spirit. But when he juggles with such humor and humanity, it goes beyond acrobatics and reaches art. When Elena (Tsarkova) can twist and flex in so many ways, it is indeed impressive. But she does it with such elegance and beauty!"
The evening was amazing.
From the beautiful sounds of the Wheeling Symphony to the astounding moves of the members of Cirque de la Symphonie, it was a feast for eyes and ears ... and also a bit unnerving as well when watching the balancing, the flying and the contortions.
"... The Cirque de la Symphonie troupe are truly artists, impressing us with their skill, but moving us with their humanity as they mine and mime the human experience with their gestures. For this reason, their art is so aptly paired with the unparalleled beauty of expression to be found in live symphonic performance — each expression enhances the other," Gaylin said.
Cirque de la Symphonie strives to elevate the cirque art form to the level of symphony music. The artists all know each other from performances through the years, and it is evident that they are a tight-knit group.
The selection of music was, of course, perfect with the cirque acts. Bizet's "Toreadors" from "Carmen Suite No. 1" played as Alexander Streltsov tossed a giant cube with his arms and legs like it was made of air. Aloysia Gavre moved with grace above the stage with the aerial hoop to Saint-Saens' "Bacchanal" from "Samson and Delilah." Irian Burdetsky spun hoola hoops like no one has ever spun hoola hoops before, to the "Ritual Fire Dance" from "El Amor Brujo." In fact, at one point she looked like a human slinky as she moved inside at least a dozen, maybe more, hoops. She even spun the hoola hoop on her hair that was twisted into a knot on top of her head!
Streltsov, who is one of the troupe's founders, pulled the emotional heart-strings as he flew on aerial silk banners to John Williams' "Across the Stars" from "Attack of the Clones." It was gorgeous.
And the piece de resistance was Ravel's "Bolero" with Darek and Jarek, two beautiful, strongmen, balancing, lifting, melting into one another as if they were made of liquid gold. Their act was breathtaking.
"I was also delighted to work for the first time with the Wheeling Symphony. What a pleasure! The orchestra is wonderfully seasoned, skilled and cohesive. The alacrity with which the symphony approached this concert — the enthusiasm and dedication — was absolutely inspiring. The people of the Ohio Valley have a lot to be thankful for in the Wheeling Symphony and all who make what they do possible," Gaylin noted.
I'll second that.
And if you didn't witness the beautiful artistry of the cirque performers, check out the Cirque de la Symphonie Web site to watch video clips.
By BARBARA ZUCK
Published April 24, 2009
Think aerialists at a symphony orchestra and you might conjure up players in the brass or woodwind sections, where virtuosity and air power are most often produced while seated.
At the local debut last night of a new touring production dubbed Cirque de la Symphonie, the definition of aerialists turned literal, with the floor becoming a backdrop for all manner of daring and dramatic solos going on above it.
Fit, young circus performers dangled from the Ohio Theatre ceiling or flew through the air over the audience, giving the large, appreciative crowd the kind of thrills typically accompanied by peanuts, popcorn and a calliope, not violins and oboes.
This circus is a small ensemble of talented and versatile soloists. Each artist works in more than one medium.
The beautiful Lady in White (Elena Tsarkova) balanced on stools in one act and worked with rings in another. Her male counterpart (Alexander Streltsov) dazzled with a huge spinning cube as well as his own aerial act. A droll harlequin (Vladimir Tsarkov) entertained between these daring feats with juggling and other antics.
This circus also had strong men. Jarek and Darek's "Duo Design" combined bulging muscles with balance. No surprise that this hefty pair, Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski, are Polish balancing champions that continue to compete internationally.
This being a symphony performance, there was, of course, music. Orchestra members, ably directed by Associate Conductor Peter Stafford Wilson, performed beautifully, having long ago perfected the art of watching both their scores and what else of interest might be going on onstage.
The institutions of circus and symphony have both met with challenges in recent years. Combining forces might be a fun and rewarding diversion for both entities. At the very least, Cirque de la Symphonie proved a fun way to expand the kind of virtuosity usually found in a concert hall.
By LAURA KRUTY
Published March 31, 2009
The circus came to town.
No, it wasn't at the Indiana State Fairgrounds or Conseco Fieldhouse. It was at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, a venue typically reserved for orchestral music.
There were no animals and no tightrope walkers but plenty of great music and awe-inspiring performances in Cirque de la Symphonie, a collaboration between the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and cirque acts.
Among the acts set to classical tunes were Elena Tsarkova, who contorted her body in a way that would give any gymnast a run for her money — all atop what looked like two connected bar stools. Vladimir Tsarkov, a mime/stagehand, who juggled rings and lighted clubs in two separate acts, and Aloysia Gavre, who did the majority of her act suspended roughly 30 feet above the stage on a hula hoop connected to a rope, garnered their fair share of audience applause. Aerialist Alexander Streltsov soared out over the audience on two curtain-like strips of fabric, giving the impression of a large white — and graceful — bird.
The final act, however, elicited the most "oohs" and "aahs" from the audience and deservedly so. Polish duo Jarek and Darek — who probably have a combined body fat of 1 percent — balanced on top of one another and contorted themselves in ways that left my muscles sore just watching them. When one balanced his entire body — one-handed — on top of the other's head, it was truly an amazing scene.
The ISO was flawless as usual, playing songs like "Flight of the Bumblebees" and the theme from Star Wars under the direction of Jack Everly.
Cirque de la Symphonie was a unique and entertaining show, definitely fun for the entire family. It was just the right length, too. I only hope the powers that be at the ISO decide to bring back the show next season, hopefully for more than just three performances.
By MARY KUNZ GOLDMAN, Classical Music Critic
Published January 31, 2009
Wild things are happening this weekend in Kleinhans Music Hall.
In town is Cirque de la Symphonie, a half-dozen circus athletes with exotic names and capabilities. These artists are teaming with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Resident Conductor Robert Franz for an unusual program of music and antics.
The high points came near the beginning and the end. The first Cirque artist to take the stage was Elena Tsarkova, also known as “the Lady in White.” Clad in snowy sparkles, she went through unbelievable dance-like movements to the Valse from Khachaturian’s “Masquerade” — bending this way and that, doing splits in the air, undulating, balancing on one hand, etc. She accomplished it all in slow motion perched on a stool.
At one point her legs turned into her arms. She was upsidedown and her legs were stretched in a split and she began conducting the orchestra with them, in time with the music. People gasped.
The last act was Jarek and Darek, former Polish national hand-balancing champions. To the uncompromising tones of Bach’s D Minor Toccata, they entered stage left in single file, as if one were the other’s shadow. They wore expressionless faces and bodysuits that made them look naked.
The feats these muscle men pulled off! Once, one was standing while the other balanced on one hand on his head. Another time, one balanced on his hands on the other man’s feet, which were in the air at a 90 degree angle. It went on and on. The audience was agog. No one else quite touched these two acts. But they came close. Aerial artist Alexander Streltsov created weirdly beautiful moments as he soared silently through the air wrapped in sheets, looking like a white-winged bat. Christine van Loo, who has performed at the Olympics, made some spectators nervous as she flew over people’s heads hanging on to a ring by her toes.
There was also a harlequin/juggler, Vladimir Tsarkov, who commanded attention with his juggling and comic flair.
Music included excerpts from “Carmen” — there was a fascinating act involving the “Toreador Song” and the metal outline of a cube. And the lurid, thrilling “Bacchanale” from Saint-Saens’ “Samson and Delilah.” And Mars and Jupiter from “The Planets.” And the first part of “Scheherezade,” with Amy Glidden providing the evocative violin solos.
by ERIC E. HARRISON
Published October 4, 2008
You’ve never seen anything like this on any local concert stage - six cirque artists doing amazing and even magical things with their bodies and a few props Friday night at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Music Hall.
Well, maybe if you paid the big bucks to see Cirque du Soleil at Alltel Arena, but even it didn’t have a full symphony orchestra backing it up - the Arkansas Symphony under the baton of new Associate Conductor Geoffrey Robson in the opening concert of the orchestra’s Acxiom Pops Live! series.
It’s hard to say which act in “Cirque de la Symphonie” was the most astonishing:
White-clad contortionist Elena Tsarkova twisting herself into unimaginable shapes and performing gymnastics that would stun Olympic winner Nastia Liukin atop a pair of stools while the orchestra played the Waltz from Aram Khatchaturian’s Masquerade
Mime-juggler Vladimir Tsarkov (who also served as comic stagehand and quasi-emcee) tossing rings to Antonin Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance No. 8 and lighted clubs to the “Sabre Dance” from Khatchaturian’s ballet Gayane
Aerialist Aloysia Gavre soaring on a sky-hung hoop to the orgiastic strains of the “Bacchanale” from Camille Saint-Saens’ opera Samson and Delilah
Aerial artist Alexander Streltsov soaring out on silk wings over the first few rows of the audience while the orchestra played the Waltz from Peter Tchaikovsky’s ballet Sleeping Beauty
And, for the grand finale, “Duo Design,” strongmen Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski, aka Jarek and Darek, doing the most incredible hand-balancing act - including the one poised straight up with just a single hand on his partner’s head, while the applause practically drowned out J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in d minor.
Robson, in his first main-stage conducting assignment with the orchestra, maintained tight tempos both in accompaniment and in the orchestral interludes. Alas, there was no printed program, and nobody announced the titles from the stage.
Cirque artists and orchestra will again offer “Cirque de la Symphonie” at 8 p.m. today at Robinson, West Markham Street and Broadway, Little Rock. Ticket information is available by calling (501) 666-1761 or at the Web site, www.arkansassymphony.org
By STEVEN UHLES, Staff Writer
Published September 27, 2008
Tuxedos and tights came together Friday night when Cirque de la Symphonie performed with the Augusta Symphony at a special Westobou Festival performance.
The performance, which combined a program of orchestral music with cirque-style circus acts, played out in front of a packed house at Bell Auditorium.
Acts included acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and the odd bit of illusion with Augusta Symphony conductor Donald Portnoy at the center.
The show opened with Dvorak's Carnival Overture , a buoyant piece that hinted at the upcoming orchestral experience. Only a frail-looking rig hanging quietly over Mr. Portnoy's head offered any clue that more than music was in the offing.
After the overture, a female acrobat performed feats of flexibility on a pair of swiveling stools.
Sandra Self, the executive director of the Augusta Symphony, acknowledged that Cirque de la Symphonie was not an expected orchestral performance. She said that was part of the appeal.
"The Porter Fleming Westobou support we received was really to do something we normally don't do," she said. "That's exactly what this is."
Ms. Self said all but a few tickets had been sold by Friday morning and that box office business had been brisk in the hours leading up to the performance.
"I've never seen this hall this packed," she said.
The orchestral repertoire consisted primarily of excerpts from Russian pieces, with the occasional clip from a film soundtrack or European composer thrown in.
Ms. Self said dramatic music was the appropriate score for the dramatic cirque performances.
"Just look at it," she said, motioning toward the stage. "It's perfect."
by R.M. CAMPBELL, P-I Music Critic
If the Seattle Symphony sought new audiences in its inaugural SummerFest, it succeeded Friday at Benaroya Hall.
However, the program is not readily duplicated: a parade of hits with circus acts. The capacity house expressed open admiration for everyone, including jugglers, contortionists, aerial artists and strongmen. There was humor and magic as well.
Pushed back from the apron of the stage to allow the performers room to maneuver, the symphony played overtures of Dvorak, von Suppe and Glinka and dances of Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Khachaturian, Borodin and Saint-Saens. An excerpt from John Williams' film score for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and the final movement from Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony ended the evening. Sometimes the musicians played alone or as an accompanist and sometimes they just watched the proceedings. Carolyn Kuan, SSO associate conductor, held forth on the podium with her usual aplomb. Many of the musicians were substitutes for regular SSO members, away on holiday.
The performers, several of whom are Russian, are part of a company that has appeared with orchestras for more than a decade, thus the name Cirque de la Symphonie. Among the most notable is Vladimir Tsarkov, a mime artist who juggles and does magic acts. He was funny and endearing and very deft. Among the most unusual was Alexander Streltsov, who spins a large metal cube. The finale was the pair of strongmen billed as Jarek and Darek (born Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski), former Polish national hand-balancing champions. They were astonishing.
By TOM KEOGH
Special to The Seattle Times
There was an awful lot of clowning around Friday night at Benaroya Hall. And the capacity crowd that turned out for "Cirque de la Symphonie," the Seattle Symphony Orchestra's unexpectedly illuminating collaboration with circus artists, could not have been more pleased.
A mime, aerialists, strongmen and more: Benaroya went truly big-top as world-class performers achieved the seemingly impossible and a black-tie orchestra kept up a three-ring atmosphere. The Seattle Symphony played no less than a dozen selections of music reflecting the many moods of a typically eclectic circus bill, from the delirious (Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance") to the pastoral (moments in Dvorák's "Carnival Overture").
Guest conductor Carolyn Kuan, as fun to watch as she was dynamic, was fully engaged in the show's spirit despite having her back to every breathtaking feat of strength and agility.
But she also led the orchestra through five pieces (including Franz von Suppé's familiarly galloping "Overture" to "Light Cavalry"), scattered through the program, where no performers appeared.
It was at those times when the real point of "Cirque de la Symphonie" kicked in: a symphony orchestra has a lot in common with circus acts. Both involve developing and maintaining suspense. Both involve spectacle and modulating emotional pitch, capturing the rapt attention of an audience willing to surrender to every nuance or peak.
Whenever the orchestra and artists were working together, those principles were obvious. But when the circus folk took a break, one realized those effects were still in play, in the music. The clearest sign that "Cirque" was working was in the way kids in the audience were just as absorbed by the stand-alone musical portions of the program as they were by the ones featuring the performers.
Still, the artists provided some great thrills. Vladimir Tsarkov, accompanied by Bizet's "Danse Boheme" from "Carmen," looked like he was barely moving while juggling multiple hoops, pins and day-glo balls in the air.
Elena Tsarkova, a contortionist, caught the magic of Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" (from "The Nutcracker") in her nimble act.
But it was strongmen Jarek & Darek — in bronze body makeup, their movements reminiscent of languid reptiles under a hot sun — whose weirdly compelling, proto-human vibe captivated the audience. (To the tune of Shostakovich's finale from Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47.)
The vision of a slight Kuan taking her bow between the near-nude, copper-colored Jarek & Darek was the perfect, surreal note to end this successfully dreamy evening.
By PAUL CLARK
Cincinnati Pops maestro Erich Kunzel played ringmaster over the weekend on behalf of “Cirque de la Symphonie,” a two-in-one program that might as easily be called “Symphonie de le Cirque.”
The concept, and a crowd-pleasing stunt it was, aimed at synergy of orchestral accompaniment to the spectacle of cirque, itself a hybrid of circus tricks and fine art: Ringling Brothers gone to finishing school.
The Pops and eight veteran cirque artists held up their respective ends. A program thick with movie themes provided sound for flawless exhibitions of aerial performance, juggling, hoops and other intricate tricks that often owed as much to Balanchine as to Barnum.
The music and acrobatics could have delighted the crowd separately, but the synchronization proved admirably adept. A highlight of that convergence came as Cirque du Soleil aerial hoopist Aloysia Gavre vamped to the sultry suite from “A Streetcar Named Desire” even while dangling 20 feet above the stage.
Two of the guest acts, aerial artist Alexander Streltsov and the hand-balancing team Jarek & Darek are familiar to Pops audiences from previous appearances. Joining Gavre as newcomers to the Music Hall stage were hoop artist Irina Burdetsky, handstand acrobat Vladimir Malachikhin, juggler Vladimir Tsarkov and his contortionist wife, Elena Tsarkova, who provided dazzling twists and turns on a pair of bar stools.
The orchestral program selected from a big tent of genres including the jazz-flavored “Streetcar” and big-band sounds of “From Here to Eternity,” along with an obligatory John Williams power-pick (this time from “Harry Potter”).
The Pops displayed particular mastery with Bernard Herrmann’s challenging score to “North By Northwest,” while the only underwhelming moments came via “On the Waterfront,” pocked with Leonard Bernstein passages more suited to fumigation than to humming.
All that felt missing from the evening was a calliope, but the suite from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” did include a theremin, an electronic instrument whose eerie sounds are familiar to fans of ’50s science fiction movies. The introductory demonstration of its capabilities produced a deliberately blunt note which elicited from Kunzel a flatulence joke, that perennially popular device nevertheless withered from neglect on the American concert stage.
By MARTY CLEAR, Times Correspondent
Published January 12, 2008
TAMPA - The creator of Cirque de la Symphonie said orchestras around the country like booking the show because it sells tickets, adds substance and sparkle to pops performances and draws younger people.
Friday night, the performance of Cirque de la Symphonie with the Florida Orchestra succeeded powerfully on two of those levels.
The idea is to add a visual boost to orchestral concerts by adding world-class "cirque" acts, which basically means acts that combine circus skills with a fine art sensibility.
Carol Morsani Hall was packed, and if anyone was disappointed it didn't show. They audience regularly erupted into applause.
Five cirque acts appeared, at different points through the show, and most were stunning. Aerialist Alexander Streltsov provided a melancholy work of poetic fluidity, floating above the stage with grace and real drama. Juggler Vladimir Tsarkov offered comic counterpoint without diminishing the artistry. Contortionist Elena Tsarkova did things that humans shouldn't be able to do, and she did them with style and beauty.
Behind them, the Florida Orchestra played beautifully, conducted by Michael Krajewski of Cirque de la Symphonie. The orchestra also played several selections without the cirque acts.
Musically, the first was more successful by far. The orchestra played 45 minutes or so of classical music, including pieces by Dvorak, Khatchaturian, Rimsky-Korsakov and Saint-Saens. It was mostly excerpts, but a full set of classical music is a rare treat in a pops concert.
After intermission, the music selection regressed into standard pops territory, including music from Star Wars and Harry Pottermovies. Considering how well the classical selections worked, and how heartily they were received, it didn't seem necessary for the orchestra to play popular music. But it still sounded great.
One goal of the show, which will come to Mahaffey Theater tonight and tomorrow, did not accomplish was to attract younger people. At Friday's show, the demographic appeared about the same as that of standard pops concerts.
