Starting the year with a full repertory program, Texas Ballet Theater will present three classic gems from the last century in Bass Performance Hall this weekend. Harald Lander’s Études and Jerome Robbins’ The Concert (Or the Perils of Everybody) are company premieres. Closing out Classic Combination will be George Balanchine’s dazzling Allegro Brillante, a demanding tour de force that has been seen here before and that shows off the whole company.
Études, as the name implies, begins with barre exercises in a studio and evolves gradually into a full-fledge performance. The accompanying music by Carl Czerny, famous for his piano exercises written to develop strong, flexible fingers, was arranged for orchestra by Knudåge Riisager.
In a change of pace, The Concert is a comedic take on would-be concertgoers, alive with humorous visual gaffs set to the music of Frédéric Chopin.
The rousing Allegro Brillante is set to Tchaikovsky’s Third Piano Concerto, the composer’s last completed piece.
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Moricz, will accompany the dancers. The piano solos will be performed by Shields-Collins Bray. –– Leonard Eureka
[box_info]Texas Ballet Theater’s Classic Combination is Fri thru Sun at Bass Performance Hall, 555 Commerce St, FW. Tickets are $15-130. Call 817-731-0726.[/box_info]
