MY INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET

       I shall never forget that phone call from Eddie Bigelow.....personnel manager at the NEW YORK CITY BALLET and he had a question for me.  Would I be interested in coming to the New York State Theater to speak with him, and meet George BALANCHINE (director of the NYCB) and perhaps play for their Chief Conductor, Robert Irving?  I was dumbfounded, to say the least, as I struggled to find the words to reply to him.  My debut recital in New York was scheduled for the following week at Town Hall, and while I would be very interested in such a meeting, I could not do this until after that concert.  Would that be possible, I asked?  Indeed...he was most affable, and asked me to call him after my concert was finished.  WELL!!! I sat down in my apartment, mulling over this latest development. 
     Since I was to play a rather strenuous recital program, I got back to the business of practicing. By this time my stamina was excellent and so was my concentration level (this is something that has to be learned and rehearsed as well).  I telephoned my teacher, Mme. Sari Biro in San Francisco to tell her of this latest episode.   She was very happy to hear the news, and urged me to phone the NYCB after my concert was finished. 
       The concert went very well, with almost no wrong notes or mistakes.  Except at the beginning of the recital....my finger slipped off a black key to a white key, and made a sound.  It was in the Introduction to the Beethoven Sonata, op. 78 in F-Sharp Major, and was the opening number.....so I really had to concentrate on going forward and not reviewing that little mishap in my head!  There were no more problems, thank goodness, and the rest of the program went off without a hitch.  Incidentally, I received an excellent review for this concert, which (unknown to me at the time) was something of an anomaly, since I had just arrived on the concert scene.   Many times first concerts with new artists are slammed hard by reviewers.  I was very happy with this result.....and people who were familiar with the concert landscape informed me that I had successfully negotiated my first hurdle in that difficult environment. 
      So onward to the next experience, shall we say.  I did as Mr. Bigelow had requested and phoned him....telling him I had played my recital.  He replied, "yes, we know, Dianne.  We all read your very fine review."  I was somewhat surprised to hear this....guess I thought that people in the ballet world were not so interested in classical music.  He then told me that Mr. Balanchine had found the critique...(I didn't know then exactly how interested he was in music.)  A date and time was set for my audition and meeting....and I hung up the phone, wondering exactly what was in store for me.   I decided (as per usual) not to worry about it, but to prepare myself mentally for whatever would happen.  I picked out a cute outfit to wear (if one looks good, then things will fall into place, thought I). And off I went to the State Theater.  At this time I was living on 71st Street and Columbus, so the Theater was not far away.....certainly an easy walking distance!
      When I reached the stage door of the State Theater, I asked for directions to Mr. Bigelow's office.  He was contacted, came down to meet me, and took me up to his office on the 4th floor.   (Mr. Balanchine's office was also in that vicinity, as was his personal assistant's, Barbara Horgan, whom I met that day as well.)   She was a very intelligent woman, I thought, and also very friendly to me.   After a bit of conversation with Eddie, he took me to a ballet studio on the 5th floor where there was a piano.  This is where I would be playing for the conductor, so began playing a few scales and arpeggios to warm up a bit.  Mr. Irving entered the studio carrying a couple of piano scores with him which he wanted me to sightread.  Fortunately, I have always been an excellent sightreader so I wasn't nervous.  He set the piano reduction for FIREBIRD (Igor Stravinsky) in front of me, and turned to the 'Princess's Dance,' asking me to play it.  Now this piece wasn't difficult rhythmically, but it has a multitude of notes with many accidentals (flats and sharps).  I played it as best I could (not too bad), and then he asked me to play it again.  Which I did.  Then he said, "that was very good, dear.  I see you improved on the second reading."  Then he turned to the 'Firebird Dance'----which is the solo for 'The Firebird.'  This was much more difficult to read and play.....but again, I did the best I could.  And again he asked me to repeat THAT one, which I did with the same result.  (I have to say that he couldn't have picked more difficult music to sightread than that Firebird score).  After that he brought out Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Theme and Variations.....these were 'duck soup' (so to speak) compared to FIREBIRD.  Next he asked me to play something of my choice, so I opted for part of the BRAHMS HANDEL VARIATIONS, which I had just performed in concert at TOWN HALL.  At the end of this curious audition he told me that I would "do very well, dear."  Then he proposed that I come the next day and meet Mr. Balanchine, and perhaps play class for him!  I hadn't counted on that being part of the process, but of course, I agreed. 
     As class had long since finished, an arrangement was made for me to return the next day, and OBSERVE class....and the pianist who who would play it....Gordon Boelzner.  He was the doyen of the music staff, and I was looking forward to meeting him.  I arrived the next day, went to the Main Hall, where class was held and sat in a chair near the piano to observe both Mr. B. as well as Gordon. 
During class Mr. Balanchine would make little jokes and Gordon played 'funny' or 'humorous' music.  (I saw that classical music was not something Mr. B liked for class).  So, not able to help myself, I laughed at a couple of the tunes!  Mr. B saw this and immediately came over to me and said...."you think this is funny, dear?"  (pronouncing that 'deeeeer'..)  I was a bit embarrassed, and explained that I found the music quite amusing and entertaining.  He didn't seem to mind my making that remark, and just said, 
"yes, it is isn't it?"  Gordon then said..."cheeky, isn't she?"  And we all laughed.  By then I was feeling a bit more comfortable. 
     The following day I arrived with class music of my own, (which included some classical pieces, of course.)   Knowing that this might be the most difficult 'audition,'....  I was a bit nervous.  Gordon didn't help matters when he said to me, "Others have not done so well with Mr. Balanchine in class.....we'll see how YOU do."  I realized that remark was not meant to assuage my nerves, and I wondered why.  (It would only help him if I could play classes for Mr. B.   I did find out why, but that is for a later entry here.)   SO CLASS commenced....and I began with a lovely Schubert Waltz (adore Schubert Waltzes).  Things went quite smoothly until I chose to play a rather serious piece by Prokovieff.  Mr. B rushed over to the piano, and stopped me---saying "Deeer, I don't like Prokovieff......sounds like mouse crawling up wall!"  What an image, thought I.  He always spoke in such imagery, I was to find.  I could see that I needed to dispense with ALL my lovely Prokovieff 
pieces.  (He did choreograph one Prokovieff work...which was 'PRODIGAL SON'...but that was the extent of it.    And he met Prokovieff as well....I have the autographed copy of PRODIGAL SON...somehow that came into my possession.)  But back to class...  He really liked it when I played Gershwin (especially).  Fortunately I knew many songs by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, etc.  (Thank goodness for my mother's many popular songbooks which she had bought me in previous years.)
     The upshot of these three meetings and auditions, was that I was offered a position at the NEW YORK CITY BALLET as rehearsal pianist and Piano Soloist.
They wanted me to perform LIEBESLIEDER WALZER, one of Mr. Balanchine's most beautiful ballets.....written for piano duo and four singers by Brahms, plus the cast of four solo couples.   It was coming up in the next repertoire, and I would be playing the piano duet with Robert Irving (later on, it would be Gordon).  I was to wear a gorgeous beige, long silk gown (which was in accord with the dancers' costumes), with matching shoes, and my hair would be done in a style of that period.  (At that time, I had very long hair, so that would not present a problem.)  I was very excited to be appearing on stage with these dancers and Mr. Irving.....and looking forward to this next episode, I literally skipped home.  The next day I would be playing class, and then some rehearsals....namely LIEBESLIEDER and SYMPHONY IN C by Georges Bizet.  My life with this company (NYCB) had begun, and I was eager to get on with it!!