Dance & Quartet: Three Ballets by Heinz Spoerli

After a distinguished career as a dancer, Heinz Spoerli built an equally admired second act as a choreographer, culminating in his 16-year tenure as artistic director of the Zurich Ballet. Spoerli retired from his post in June 2012 at the age of 72, but as a swan song he completed three one-act pieces for the company, which were performed at the Salzburg Festival a month later, providing a rare oasis of dance amid the festival's myriad operatic, orchestral, and instrumental offerings. Each is set to a string quartet—the first to Leoš Janácek's Quartet No. 2 (“Intimate Letters”), the second to Antonín Dvorák's Quartet No. 12 (“American”), and the third to Franz Schubert's Quartet No. 14 (“Death and the Maiden”). In all three, Spoerli's work is skillful if not terribly innovative, and the 16 troupe members perform with animation and elegance. The first two selections have a generically folksy quality reflective of the accompanying music, while the third boasts a stronger narrative element, inspired by the composition's subtitle—as a girl is romanced by two suitors, one man her age and the other, dressed in somber tones, representing death. All three combine exuberant ensemble interludes with examples of the pas de deux for which Spoerli was known, while the Hagen Quartet gives refined readings of the scores. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)