My Boston March Weekends with the Arts

This March I am celebrating spring and renewal by attending an artistic performance in Boston every week!

Week 1: Swan Lake at Boston Ballet

I am starting with the Swan Lake  by Boston Ballet (at Boston Opera House, February 28- March 16).

Swan Lake is one of the world’s most beloved classical ballets – for a reason!  Many reasons, actually: Tchaikovsky’s iconic music, intricate corps de ballet formations (with white swans rising out of the thick fog over the “lake” in acts 2 and 4) and of course the central role of a ballerina playing both the vulnerable White Swan Odette and manipulative Black Swan Odile – and representing the eternal struggle of good and evil.

During the dress rehearsal last week I was mesmerized by Viktorina Kapitonova’s ethereal movements as a White Swan; paired with romantic Sangmin Lee (Prince Siegfried). Next weekend I am looking forward to see  Ji Young Chae/Jeffrey Cirio’s interpretation of the roles. You can check the full casting information here.

The dual role is one of the most challenging a dancer could play- technically and emotionally. While I believe the White Swan is more suitable for Viktorina, the Black Swan showcases her technical brilliance (32 fouetté turns!) and allows her to “express herself differently”, she says in a backstage video.

Fun Fact.  There are many versions of  Swan Lake- some even have happy endings (not ours unfortunately).  Boston Ballet’s Mikko Nissinen’s version is based on the Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov 1895 Mariinsky Ballet production but with an added prologue depicting the genesis of Von Rothbart’s evil curse, transforming a young woman into a swan named Odette.  We do get to admire gorgeous (late Gothic and early Renaissance) sets and costumes created by designer Robert Perdziola.  (Full story here).

Fun Fact. Swan Lake was Tchaikovsky’s first major ballet composition that elevated ballet music as powerful narrative tool in its own right and started the trend of the leitmotifs – a recurrent theme of music associated with a particular character, place or idea. Boston Ballet’s Music Director Mischa Santora or Associate Conductor Alyssa Wang will
conduct the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the second largest musical organization in New
England, in Tchaikovsky’s masterful score.

Don’t forget that promo code Victoria45 will get you $45 tickets for select performances.

Week 2 at the Boston Symphony

Update: We had an amazing family night at the Boston Symphony!  It was a diverse musical evening embracing genres and centuries- and three guests stars!  I have not heard of Violinist Ray Chen but I am now following this genius with a global audience- who led the evening with Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.  Baritone Dashon Burton singing Whitman Songs (by composer/conductor Michael Tilson Thomas) was next.  This genre was a newer experience for us to appreciate (the poems were projected on stage screen).  Guest conductor Teddy Abrams (Louisville Orchestra) dazzled as he led Boston Symphony to perform Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.  The last (20 minute) piece was the lightest and jazziest of the three and a perfect ending to the night.  And while this series is over, there is so much more to come to Boston Symphony this spring.

In mid-March I am headed to Boston Symphony for even more Tchaikovsky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and I am taking my teen with me!

Conductor Teddy Abrams (Louisville Orchestra) and Violinist Ray Chen debut with the BSO in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in a Program with Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Baritone Dashon Burton Singing Whitman Songs by Michael Tilson Thomas (March 13–16)

From the Program Notes: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, the first work the composer completed after his separation from his disastrous marriage and a piece he almost dedicated to his student – and likely lover and inspiration, Iosif Kotek. 120 years later, Michael Tilson Thomas lovingly set three of Walt Whitman poems about longing and belonging for baritone and orchestra. Leonard Bernstein’s star-crossed lovers close the program in an iconic love letter to New York and love itself.

BSO is presenting a myriad of exciting performances in March (See Full listing here).  Among the many notable spring programs – Dima Slobodeniouk returns to conduct two Weeks of Programs: Mozart’s Requiem with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Soprano Erin Morley among the Soloists (Mar. 27–29), and Elgar’s Violin Concerto with Frank Peter Zimmermann on a program with music of Stravinsky and Hailstork (Apr. 3–5)

Week 3: Winter Experience at the Boston Ballet

will be back at Boston Ballet for the Winter Experience (March 20–30)*

*Victoria45 will get you $45 tickets on select seats for ALL performances

This is a four neoclassical ballet evening of George Balanchine’s masterpieces Symphony in Three Movements and Mozartiana, Leonid Yakobson’s rarely-performed Vestris, and Claudia Schreier’s innovative Slipstream– accompanied by the Boston Ballet Orchestra.

“Audiences will be taken on a journey filled with surprises,” said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. “The program begins and ends with the finest examples of Balanchine’s signature style in his Symphony in Three Movements and Mozartiana. Yakobson’s Vestris is a display of immense athleticism and artistry, and I am thrilled to have powerhouse female choreographer Claudia Schreier’s Slipstream return to where it originally premiered.”

Atlanta Ballet resident choreographer, Schreier created Slipstream in 2022 for Boston Ballet’s ChoreograpHER program; the piece has a distinct choreographic voice fusing neoclassical technique with contemporary vocabulary:

Symphony in Three Movements (1972) is a large ensemble work for 32 dancers highlighting collective energy with complex formations and energetic movements matching the dynamism of Stravinsky’s score. Simple costumes highlight  the challenging choreography in the fullest:

Mozartiana is a neoclassical work set to Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 4, Mozartiana, and Op.61. Opening at the 1981 Tchaikovsky Festival, it was  one of the last ballets Balanchine created before his death in 1983. He first choreographed to this music in 1933, at the start of his career, before returning to it decades later to create a new ballet.

Fun Fact Suzanne Farrell (Balanchine’s most celebrated muse who originated the leading role in Mozartiana) is Boston Ballet’s guest coach for this program.

I am the most excited for Leonid Yakobson’s  Vestris which is a solo originally created for Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1969 and performed by the best male dancers in history.  Yakobson’s work was often censored by Soviet authority for challenging the traditions of classical ballet.

Week 4: Figure Skating Worlds 2025

At the end of March, I am expanding the medium to something that combines artistry and athleticism as Boston welcomes World Figure Skating Championships.  It will be my third figure skating world championships attended in person and I look forward to 4 days of competition (March 26-30) culminating with the Gala showcase on Sunday March 30.

Here is the link to Figure Skating Worlds Official Site

Area Fine Arts Exhibits of Note:

• Closing soon: Worcester Art Museum: Twentieth Century Nudes from Tate (through March 9).
• Peabody Essex Museum: Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks (through May 4, 2025)
• Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits: March 30-September 7, 2025 (Member preview March 26-29)