Boston Ballet gives Mozart a satisfying new twist

March 03, 2007|Karen Campbell, Globe Correspondent

Boston Ballet artistic director Mikko Nissinen scored big when he hired Jorma Elo as resident choreographer. The Finnish-born Elo is one of the hottest choreographers going, with recent premieres dancing off the stages at New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. His works for Boston Ballet include last year's "Carmen" and the explosive "Plan to B" from 2004 .

This year's world premiere is yet another major work, inexplicably called "Brake the Eyes," performed Thursday night at the Citi Wang Theatre. Elo set out to deconstruct the music of Mozart. But it's more like he sent Mozart through a Mixmaster along with chunks of an intriguing electronic vocal soundscape by Nancy Euverink that evokes the rhythmic rumble of a giant engine. Mark Stanley's arresting light design creates a mov able cross of stark, low - hung lamps that add to the surreal tone.

Larissa Ponomarenko opens with a slow solo of disjunct poses that flare to life in little twitches and undulations which ripple through the body and out the limbs like an electric current. In her crisp tutu, she conjures a delicate wind up doll whose mechanics are slightly out of whack. The ensemble takes the aesthetic more fluid, with phrases enlivened by quirky connections and stunningly inventive partnering featuring Elo's trademark use of limbs that windmill, twist, and coil, with off-kilter lifts and carries. The company handles the choreography with terrific commitment and panache, especially Sabi Varga and Joel Prouty , who sail through some fantastic corkscrew leaps.

Sometimes Elo tries too hard to be edgy and provocative, and the theatricality is jarring. However, when he lets Mozart reign, the movement has a satisfying flow. But even then, phrases are interrupted by flurries of entrances and exits. It's a bit like stepping into someone else's strange dream.

The company premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's "Polyphonia" is another notable coup. The former Boston Ballet principal guest choreographer, now in residence at New York City Ballet, created the work for that company in 2001, and this abstract neoclassical beauty is a clear homage to George Balanchine. Cast for four couples in simple leotards, it is set to 10 piano pieces by György Ligeti (given a bravura performance by the dependable Freda Locker. )