Coming on the heels of Deuce Coupe, this commission became the first ballet
Tharp created solely on dancers outside her company. The title for Haydn's
accompanying Symphony No. 45 (of which Tharp uses the last two movements) is
"Farewell." Its premise is for its orchestra to dwindle during the course of
the symphony, going from full compliment of musicians down to two
violinists. Tharp has pointed to the fact that when creating this ballet,
she was working with quite young dancers, maybe fresh out of their
ballet-school years, thus for all its sophisticated structuring, her
choreography might be seen as making for a beginners' ballet. The
choreography proceeds from a strong, clear and direct woman's solo, in
silence, through to a sextet when the female soloist is joined by five
fellow dancers (2 women and 3 men). Her "Ten Make Six" sextette, also in
silence, is a tightly wrought composition, which includes timings that have
been compared to the inner workings of a clock. This segment's decelerated
moves demand keen dancer sensitivity for heeding "inner clock" of the
individual. "The Four Finales" heats things up further, as seventeen dancers
variously and furiously create a "cast of thousands" effect, even as solos
drop into focus, sometimes with tart wit and humorous effect. Finally,
"Then," an extended adagio, follows Haydn on his course of diminishing
density. Eventually, the stage is held by a creamy male solo, smoothly wound
and unwound, telling of singular intensity and private introspection.