American Ballet Theatre will give the world premiere of C. to C. (Close to Chuck), created by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo, at New York City Center on October 27. The piece was inspired by Philip Glass's A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close, which the composer wrote for pianist Bruce Levingston in 2005. Glass is "the most inventive and innovative composer of my adult life," Close tells the New York Sun. The addition of Elo's choreography reminds him of those earlier collaborative days in the 1960s: "To get a good choreographer and composer and visual artist together," he tells the Sun, "it's like old home week!"
On Saturday, October 27, at New York City Center, American Ballet Theatre will give the world premiere of C. to C. (Close to Chuck), created by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo. The new piece was inspired by Philip Glass's A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close, which the composer wrote for pianist Bruce Levingston in 2005. As the New York Sun reports, Glass, so often a subject of portraits by Close, met the painter in the 1960s when they were both a part of a fledgling artistic movement "hell-bent," in Close's words, "to purge our work of every other artist—to try to find something personal and idiosyncratic, not tradition-bound." Close goes on to lavish high praise on Glass, calling him "the most inventive and innovative composer of my adult life." For the painter, the addition of Elo's choreography reminds him of those earlier collaborative days: "To get a good choreographer and composer and visual artist together," he tells the Sun, "it's like old home week!"
For information on tickets to C. to C. (Close to Chuck), running through November 4, visit abt.org.
To read the complete New York Sun article on the creation of the piece, go to nysun.com.
