Born in Denmark, Peter Martins began his association with New York City Ballet in 1967, when he was invited to dance the title role in George Balanchine’s Apollo during the Company’s appearance at the Edinburgh Festival. He then performed as a guest artist with NYCB for three years before joining the Company as a Principal Dancer in 1970. Prior to retiring from dance in 1983, Martins danced a variety of roles with the Company and as a guest artist with companies throughout the world, and he was lauded for his outstanding partnering skills and noble stage presence. He is now the Company’s Ballet Master-in-Chief.
1. A few works of classical music that you adore:
There are too many to name, and it would be hard to pick just one. But my desert island work is probably Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings (buy on Amazon). When I heard Gergiev conduct it in St. Petersburg, I got goose bumps. I also adore Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements (buy on Amazon). It is monumental.
2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:
Anything with von Karajan.
3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:
I am a big jazz fan. I love really sexy jazz, especially by some of the great pianists, including Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner. For me, this is real relaxation music. Classical music isn’t relaxing for me, because I’m always listening for a possible ballet! My all-time favorite is Ray Charles.
4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:
There are moments driving into New York City on the West Side Highway that I know that I’m a sucker for Tchaikovsky. There are passages in his Romeo and Juliet overture that make my tears flow. I say to myself, how can anyone pick the notes like he could? He was a sublime melodist.
5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):
Delibes. It may be that everyone will get their due ultimately if they are good enough – though it may take some time. I can’t remember which composer said it, but I think it was Saint-Säens who said, and I paraphrase, “I am not in the big leagues with the big ones – Bach, Beethoven and Mozart – but on the second tier I’m as good as they come.”
6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer(s):
I will leave that question for others to decide.
7. Live music performance(s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:
Ray Charles at the Koch Theater in the late ’80s – though it was the State Theater then.
8. A few relatively recent films you love:
I never see movies: I fall asleep!
9. A few films you consider classics:
West Side Story was the reason I came to America. Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins made me come to NYC! All I wanted to do was to go snapping my fingers on the Upper West Side and dance around in sneakers!
10. A book (or two) that is important to you (and why):
I am very much into political science. I enjoyed Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat – a great book.
11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:
I never throw in the towel.
12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:
I wish I spoke better English. After 40 years I speak pretty well, but my vocabulary hasn’t really expanded enough. [Editor’s note: After a lengthy conversation with Mr. Martins, I can assure you that his English is quite impressive.]
13. Three things you can’t live without:
My family, cheese and wine, and music.
14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”
Listen to music and have cheese and wine with my wife and daughter at home!
15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”
I can’t answer that question, as I have no idea what people think of me!
16. “My favorite cities are…”
New York City.
17. “I have a secret crush on…”
[Look of surprise including sly grin.] When I was very young, it was Jane Fonda.
18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”
Cigarettes. I don’t smoke much, but enough – like President Obama.
19. “I’d really love to meet – or to have met…”
It would have been interesting to meet JFK and to see what he was like one-on-one. I’m sure he would have been impressive.
20. “I never understood why…”
In NYC, you can have all these cultures side by side getting along. NYC is an example that it can work, but it obviously doesn’t work everywhere else. Why not? If it can work here, why not there?
BONUS QUESTION:
21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):
Q: What would you do if you had the chance to do it all over again?
A: I’d become a conductor! Many things interest me. I wanted to be a lawyer, an architect, a soccer player, but my real love is music. I imagine having been trained since age three, playing instruments and becoming a conductor – much more so than becoming a composer! A composer sits in isolation and writes and creates sounds out of nowhere – pretty astonishing. A conductor gets to recreate that sound and bring it to life. I watch Fayçal Karoui [music director of New York City Ballet] with such envy. Why can’t I do that?
Compiled and edited by Albert Imperato. For permission to post or print this interview write to aimperato@21cmediagroup.com.
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