Brigitte Bardot, ‘The Legend of Frenchie King”, 1971
© Terry O’Neill

London’s boutique photographic gallery, The Little Black Gallery, is currently hosting an exhibition of work by Terry O’Neill – acknowledged as one of the greatest British photographers of the 20th century.  Also one of the world’s most collected photographers, his images are exhibited in national art galleries and private collections around the globe.

Audrey Hepburn, ‘Two for the Road’, 1967
© Terry O’Neill

O’Neill rose to international recognition during the 1960s, capturing remarkably candid, and often unconventional, images of the celebrities and styles of the time.  His subjects ranged from political figures such as Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela to personalities from the world of entertainment and fashion – a list which includes Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Frank Sinatra, Brigitte Bardot, Jean Shrimpton – and every James Bond, from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan.

Rex Harrison, ‘A Flea in Her Ear’, 1968
© Terry O’Neill

Terry O’Neill was photographing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in 1963, before they became international stars.  He was a pioneer of backstage reportage photography, snapping performers such as Elton John, David Bowie, The Who, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry, and his images have featured on countless covers of rock albums, movie posters and international magazine covers.

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, 1971
© Terry O’Neill

Referring to Terry O’Neill as “one of the greatest photographers we have ever produced on these shores”, Gallery co-founder, Tamara Beckwith, says: “It is only fitting that we should celebrate his achievement with an exhibition of his most iconic images.”

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, LA, 1979
© Terry O’Neill

According to The Independent, The Best of Terry O’Neill is the exhibition “everybody is talking about”, it’s Black + White Magazine’s ‘Exhibition of the Month’, and it’s amongst Time Out’s ‘Top 10 Photography Exhibitions in London’.

Frank Sinatra, 1968
© Terry O’Neill

The Little Black Gallery – established by Tamara Beckwith, Lindsey Carlos Clarke and Ghislain Pascal in 2008 – specialises in contemporary images from around the world.  Voted the No 1 emerging art gallery in London by Downtown Traveler Magazine USA, it was also selected as one of ‘Britain’s best places to see’ by Cool Places. Co-owned today by Tamara Beckwith and Ghislain Pascal, it is also home to the Bob Carlos Clarke Foundation, and has a permanent room dedicated to his work.

Jean Shrimpton and Terence Stamp, 1964
© Terry O’Neill

The Best of Terry O’Neill – supported by Olympus – is at The Little Black Gallery until 1st March 2014 – www.thelittleblackgallery.com

Terry O’Neill 
Bob Carlos Clarke
Tamara Beckwith

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Sara Mearns and Jonathan Stafford in George Balanchine’s ‘Diamonds’ from the ballet ‘Jewels’. Photo credit: Paul Kolnik

New York City Ballet’s 2014 Winter Season opens in style – with three programs dedicated to the works of its founding choreographers, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

The season opener, All Balanchine, features two neo-classical ballets – Concerto Barocco and Kammermusiek No 2 – which are followed by his lighthearted caper, Who Cares?  The second program is devoted to one ballet – Balanchine’s exquisitely crafted Jewels – the world’s first full-length plotless ballet.  The third program, Balanchine and Robbins:  Masters at Work features two celebrated masterpieces which are firm favorites in the NYCB repertoire – Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering, and Balanchine’s tribute to Great Britain, Union Jack.

Balanchine created Concerto Barocco, one of his earliest masterworks, to the music of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto.  In the first movement, the roles of the two solo instruments are interpreted by two ballerinas, accompanied by a corps of eight dancers.  The largo is a pas de deux, followed by the concluding allegro section, in which the entire ensemble brings to life the rhythm and vivacity of Bach’s music.

http://www.nycballet.com/Ballets/C/Concerto-Barocco.aspx

In complete contrast, Kammermusiek No 2 is set to a score by Paul Hindemith.  Featuring two principal couples, supported – unusually – by an all-male corps, it’s a work characterized by jagged lines and stylized gestures, reflecting the complexities of its modernist score, and demanding energy, speed and precision.

http://www.nycballet.com/Ballets/K/Kammermusik-No-2.aspx

Sterling Hyltin and Robert Fairchild in George Balanchine’s ‘Who Cares?’
Photo Credit: Paul Kolnik

Who Cares? was choreographed to 16 songs by George Gershwin, composed between 1924 and 1931, and orchestrated by Hershey Kay.  Portraying the distinctive exuberance of Manhattan, the dancers – costumed by Tony Award-winning designer, Santo Loquasto – perform a selection of romantic duets and syncopated group dances to some of Gershwin’s most popular numbers, including, of course, Who Cares?, as well as I Got Rhythm, Strike up the Band, Stairway to Paradise, Embraceable You, Fascinatin’ Rhythm and The Man I Love.

http://www.nycballet.com/Ballets/W/Who-Cares.aspx

New York City Ballet in ‘Emeralds’ from George Balanhine’s ‘Jewels’
Photo credit: Paul Kolnik

Inspired by the artistry of jewellery designer, Claude Arpels, Balanchine crafted his unique ballet, Jewels, around his interpretation of the qualities possessed by three of the most gorgeous gems – emeralds, rubies and diamonds – setting each variation to the music of a different composer.  Emeralds features music by Fauré, calling to mind the elegance of the 19th century dances of the French romantics.  Rubies – crisp and witty – represents Balanchine’s highly productive collaboration with Igor Stravinsky, and Diamonds is reminiscent of the grandeur of Imperial Russia and the Mariinsky Theatre where Balanchine trained – for which no music is more relevant than that of Tchaikovsky.

Sterling Hyltin and Andrew Veyette in George Balanchine’s ‘Rubies’ from the ballet ‘Jewels’. Photo credit: Paul Kolnik

http://www.nycballet.com/Season-Tickets/Winter-2014-Programs/JEWELS.aspx

Balanchine and Robbins:  Masters at Work features a ballet by each of these brilliant choreographers.   Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering – which marked his return to New York City Ballet after an absence of 13 years – is set against a backdrop of mazurkas, waltzes and études by Chopin.  Although characteristic of the composer’s Polish homeland, these pieces nevertheless convey the elegance of Paris, the city in which they were created.  The ballet portrays a group of young people, gathered in an open place, who perform a series of dances – alluding to changing partnerships – which correspond to the character of each piece of music.

http://www.nycballet.com/Ballets/D/Dances-at-a-Gathering.aspx

Created to honor the British heritage of the United States at the time of the Bientennial, Union Jack is, unsurprisingly, a very British affair.  Balanchine – fascinated by the colorful tartans of Scotland and skirl of the bagpipes – created a set of dances inspired by Scottish military tattoos, which take place in the open square of a castle.  A music-hall pas de deux for a Pearly King and Queen represents the City of London, and the finale comprises a series of variations performed in a dockside setting, with hornpipe tunes, sea songs, work chants, jigs and drill orders synonymous with traditions of the Royal Navy, and a Union Jack unfurling behind a set of handflag signals spelling out ‘God Save the Queen’ in semaphore code.

http://www.nycballet.com/Ballets/U/Union-Jack.aspx

For detailed information on dates, times, tickets and the whole Winter 2014 season, please visit the New York City Ballet website www.nycballet.com

New York City Ballet in ‘Rubies’ from George Balanchine’s ‘Jewels’
Photo credit: Paul Kolnik

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