Holiday cheer begins at MCA with BSO and the Nutcracker

By Zach Dionne

Posted on Dec. 04, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

Few traditions – songs, films, foods, any items customarily associated with December – have the power to evoke holiday spirit as strongly as “The Nutcracker” did this weekend at the Maine Center for the Arts. Featuring the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Robinson Ballet, the production was one of accessible grandeur, beautiful in all respects.

From the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s first notes, prior to the curtain opening, it was evident that the respected group would be a major part of the show, despite being hidden in the pit under the stage. The orchestra’s rendition of Tchaikovsky’s timeless composition, under the direction of maestro Xiao-Lu Li, was both magical and masterful.

The Christmas tree, which grew from the Silberhaus family’s living room centerpiece to nearly twice its size for the second half of Act I, stole the show in terms of scenery. It was as if the top 20 feet of New York’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree had been sawed off and displayed on stage at the MCA – it looked fantastic, realistic and festively decorated. The rest of the set, though mostly sparse to accommodate the dancers, was intricate on a level equal with the magnificent Christmas tree.

The dancers, ranging from the young children to Keith Robinson, artistic director and co-founder of the Robinson Ballet, were graceful and never failed to impress. At the forefront of remarkable talents were Victoria Sommer North and Ian Robinson, son of the family for whom the dance company is named. The two played the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier, and both were spectacular. Robinson flew in from France on Thursday evening to make the show.

The play reached extraordinary heights during the final scene of Act I, “A Winter Scene in a Pine Forest.” The scene began with Nathaniel Bond and Audrey MacLean, as the Snow King and Snow Queen, sharing a dance set to a snowy forest background with the aforementioned Christmas tree at center stage. The scene then integrated other dancers while snowflakes sprinkled from above. The addition of a children’s choir complementing the orchestra topped off the scene, which was one of the most beautiful in the ballet.

“Trepak from Russia,” a scene in Act II, set to one of the show’s most well-known songs, was perhaps the best received portion of the show, thanks to both the famous tune and the impressive dancing.

“The Nutcracker” was a wonderful collaboration of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Robinson Ballet joining together and combined their incredible talents in the the Hutchins Concert Hall to create, for the 23rd year in a row, an untouchable ballet that was just the key to starting the holiday season. Make no mistake about the excessive use of positive adjectives and adverbs in the preceding description – “The Nutcracker” is worth every one of them and more. Any members of the University of Maine community who missed the show this year, remember what you read about the little ballet at the MCA when next December rolls around.

Campus Currents: Bangor Symphony Orchestra