As a non-musician, I perceive two thematic strands in the first of the four pieces from Dan Deacon’s America to be utilized in The Times Are Racing. Let’s call them A and B. The pattern in this section is ABA. However, the same music is used in the fourth and final section of the album (and ballet); but the pattern there is BA. This A strand is, in my opinion, powerful and even majestic. As I listened further to the music, I came to appreciate the B strand also, especially since the cumulative effect of both the buildup and the transition from B to A in both sections is thrilling. Similarly, …show more content…
This quality is perfectly captured in the photograph from the ballet displayed in the brochure for the upcoming season. The greater portion of the dancing in this work, however, is likewise atypical of what patrons are used to at NYCB. Justin Peck’s “sneaker ballet” is a work of contemporary dance instead of a ballet. Divergent opinions about its quality and value are, therefore, naturally unsurprising. Even though I am as unfamiliar with this kind of dancing as anyone could possibly be, I happen to find The Times Are Racing rousing and …show more content…
How pleasantly surprised I was after listening to the complete album—titled Enjoy Your Rabbit—to discover that (alongside a few strange sounds) it contained gorgeous music! Initially thinking that too many performances of it had been scheduled for the upcoming season, I look forward to watching Year of the Rabbit again and determine whether the orchestration devitalized to any extent Stevens’