Social Diary 11/26/03 - Last night, the NYC Ballet held its opening night in honor of the 100th anniversary of George Balanchine's birth

Last night, the NYC Ballet held its opening night in honor of the 100th anniversary of George Balanchine's birth

Serenade. Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky; Choreography by George Balanchine.

It was time-for-the-overcoat cold last night in New York (as opposed to the Spring-like temperatures and rain the night before). Over at the New York State Theatre in Lincoln Center, the New York City Ballet held its opening night 2003 in honor of the 100th anniversary of George Balanchine’s Birth.

Isabella Rossellini and Lilly Samuels Tartikoff were Chairmen of the evening. Corporate chairs were Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. DiPiazza Jr. Mr. DiPiazza is CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers which provided a generous sponsorship of the Opening Night.

The New York City Ballet was founded by Mr. Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, a name barely familiar now although he had a unique and profound impact in promoting the creative arts in New York and ultimately on world culture. The Founding Choreographers were Mr. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. The Ballet Master In Chief is Peter Martins.

Mr. Martins came out before the curtain just before the performance and related that this Lincoln Center theater had been built for “Mr. B” and although he’s been gone for twenty years (his centennial is actually 2004), his presence is still very much, and Mr. Martins is certain that he’s “still here.”

Martins then introduced Mayor Bloomberg and Libby Pataki, wife of the governor. Mr. Bloomberg who for years was present at these black tie openings (and now almost always appears at these same black tie functions in a grey business suit), made with the jokes — some charming remarks about himself and Mrs. Pataki as a great dance team except for the fact that he’s “too tall” for her (she towers over him by about six inches or so, in real life). Haha and all that.

Then the quietly charming Mrs. Pataki, who looked very slender and chic in a black silk pants suit and a large diamond pin, read her husband’s proclamation about Mr. Balanchine’s centenary. You still with me?

Bugaku. Music by Toshiro Mayuzumi; Choreography by George Balanchine.

Then came the performance; really wonderful for this barely-budding-but-still-non-balletomane. All Balanchine: “Serenade” with Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. This was the first ballet Balanchine created in America. It was first presented in June 1934 on the White Plains estate of Felix Warburg (another name now barely familiar in New York but one which also had a hugely profound impact on culture and philanthropy not only in New York but in the world). Mr. Warburg’s son Eddie, an associate of Mr. Kirstein, was also a great supporter of the creation of the ballet companies in New York (as well as the Museum of Modern Art).

Next came Darci Kistler and Jock Soto in “Bugaku” with music by Toshiro Mayuzumi. I was reminded, incidentally of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Pacific Overtures” which was produced in New York in the mid-1970s and afterwards just about forgotten, although it remains one of my favorite Sondheim scores and I still listen to it obsessively at times.

The “Bugaku” ballet was inspired by the Gagaku, a company of musicians and dancers maintained by the Imperial Japanese Household. The Gagaku came to New York in 1959 to perform with the New York City Ballet, with great success.

It was the Gagaku which prompted Mr. B to request Mr. Mayuzumi, one of Japan’s most gifted young composers, to write a piece in the style of the court music (known as Bugaku) for Western orchestration. Then Mr. B transposed the classic western academic ballet into something resembling the style of Mayuzumi’s Japanese music. The result: impressively delicate and sensual, yet heavily dramatic. And colorful. I loved it.

Last came Symphony in C with music by Georges Bizet, in four movements and performed by almost the entire company. This ballet was also created by Mr. B in 1947 when he was guest master at the Paris Ballet. It was then performed as part of the New York City Ballet’s inaugural performance fifty-five years ago last October 11th, at City Center.

The evening’s performance launched the company’s year-long celebration of the Balanchine centennial.

After the performance there was a glamorous dinner on the Promenade. JH and the Digital was on hand catching just about every aspect of the evening from the cocktail hour and intermission, fashion parade and the transformation of the Promenade (during the second act) into a grand dining tier.

Katherine Bryan and friend

Barbara de Portago and DPC

Padma Lakshmi and Salman Rushdie

Janice and Stuart Becker with Fe Fendi

Jill Kargman (center) and her mother Coco Kopelman and friend

Dr. Susan Krysiewicz

L. to r.: David and Karen Freedberg with Bonnie and Tom Strauss; Sharon Hoge and Daley Pattee; Ellen and Ian Graham.

In the crowd: Gillian Atfield, Maria Bartiromo and Jonathan Steinberg, Kate Betts and Chip Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Beineckie, Jeff and Patsy Tarr, Kelly and Peter Boal, Randy Bourscheidt, Estrellita and Daniel Brodsky, Hugh Bush, Douglas Cramer, Anne H. Bass and Julian Lethridge, Mary Sharp Cronson, Ambassador Anne Cox Chambers, Cora Cahan and Bernie Gersten, Carolyn and Jacques D'Amboise, Sharon King Hoge, Gordon and Daley Pattee, Elizabeth de Cuevas, Elaine Sargent, Even Ensler, Georgette Farkas, Jonathan and Somers Farkas, Susan Fales-Hill, Arie and Coco Kopelman, Barry Friedberg and Charlotte Moss, Ellen and Ian Graham, Fe and Alessandro Fendi, Cathy and Stephen Graham, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Gretchen and Gene Grisanti, Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, Larry and Michele Herbert, Marlene Hess and Jim Zirin, John and Susan Hess, Jill and Harry Kargman, Donna Karan, Soledad and Bob Hurst, Dr. Susan Krysiewicz and Tom Bell, Bruce Kovner, Padma Lakshmi and Salman Rushdie, Nicole and Derek Limbocker, Floria Lasky, Jack Carley and Pia Lindstrom (who is Ms. Rossellini's half-sister), Sir Deryck and Lady Maughan, Nancy and Joe Missett, David Netto, Jamie Niven, Miles Redd, Carolyn Roehm, Charles Ryskamp, Mickey and Paola Schulhof, Beverly Sills, Leslie Stahl and Aaron Latham, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Tang, Barbara and Donald Tober, Barbara de Portago, Adrienne and Gianluigi Vittadini, Kimba Wood and Frank Richardson, Wendy Wasserstein, Rob Wiesenthal, Ceta and Anthony Ames, Merill Ashley, Paul Allaire, Martha Bograd, Mr. and Mrs. Morton Bernstein, Lisa and Richard Cashin, Francesco Clemente, Alba Clemente and scores, even hundreds more along those lines.