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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Sleeping Beauty Dreams

Nov 1–2, 2019
311 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001, United States

“A Tawdry Tech Fantasy,” scolded the Gray Lady when the two-act plot-lite nightmare fantasia Sleeping Beauty Dreams first played New York in 2018. Even so, can’t we give the score a listen? Utter the words “Sleeping Beauty,”and the balletic mind jetés to Tchaikovsky, whose treatment of the beloved fairy tale stands as The One. And indeed, part of the assignment for Thijs de Vlieger, a prominent Dutch composer-performer of the electronic persuasion, was to reference Tchaikovsky at least once. “We tried,” he tells us, “but in the narrative of our story, it wasn’t necessary, so we let it go.” —M.G.