“Igal Perry’s recent “Intimate Voices” opened the evening by introducing the Ailey II dancers in a flowing series of solos and ensemble dances set to and inspired by Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, vibrantly performed onstage by Egil Rostad…”
Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times
“Of the two companies at the Joyce, it was Ailey II that offered the happier surprises, beginning with some live music: excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, performed with silky aplomb by Egil Rostad (whose preternatural calm in performance may be connected with the fact that not only is he on the cello faculty of the Third Street Music School Settlement, but he is also a certified instructor of Kundalini Yoga and a student of several forms of meditation). These Bach selections served veteran choreographer Igal Perry…as the score for his abstract dance suite…”
Mindy Aloff, The Independent Review
“On a dark stage, with the talented Egil Rostad on solo cello for Bach’s mournful and mesmerizing Six Suites, the Ailey II Company appeared in solo, duo, and ensemble choreography, with a name for each dance to the mood and rhythm of the particular Suite…”
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower, ExploreDance Magazine
“The refinement of corruption in the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ section (inspired in part by another Bosch painting) corresponds with a burst of ecclesiastical sound from the musicians – Wayne Hankin on wind instruments, Egil Rostad on cello, Arthur Solari on percussion – who are attired in monks’ robes and occasionally interact with the other performers…”
Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
“I’d like to add to Simon Saltzman’s astute review a special hurrah for musicians Wayne Hankin, Egil Rostad and Arthur Solari who are integral to making this such a visceral experience. The thunder sheets and early instruments intensify the hallucinatory effect of the piece. The monk-like musicians’ turned torturers during the choreographed middle section of the Bosch triptych (the cello used to impale a dancer, the drum to mercilessly beat another) are ghastly but unforgettable.”
Elyse Sommer, CurtainUp Magazine
“Performing the original and richly imaginative music of Richard Peaslee are four musicians who, dressed as monks, move in and out of the action. They play a variety of winds, woodwinds, percussion and a cello with aplomb.”
Bob Rendell, Talkin’ Broadway