Afternoon Ball

Music: Vladimir Martynov (Autumn Ball of the Elves, 1994)
Choreography: Twyla Tharp
Assistant to the Choreographer: Charlie Neshyba-Hodges
Scenic and Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Costume Design: Mark Zappone
Duration: 19 minutes
Premiere: September 25, 2008; Pacific Northwest Ballet

The 2008 world premiere of Twyla Tharp's Afternoon Ball was generously underwritten by Peter & Peggy Horvitz.

Kaori Nakamura and Charlie Neshyba-Hodges in
Afternoon Ball. Photo © Angela Sterling

Vladimir Martynov's Autumn Ball of the Elves, for string orchestra, represents a Russian mix of minimalism and post-romanticism that can also be heard in the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. (Both composers abandoned academic compositional styles following religious conversions and developed individual voices influenced by personal interests and convictions.) In Autumn Ball of the Elves, Martynov applies a theme and variations structure to a minimalist palette.

Recommended Listening:
Come In!, Ensemble Opus Posth./Tatiana Grindenko, CCn'C Records

Notes by Doug Fullington.