I came across this video by accident, because YouTube in its infinite wisdom had recommended it for me. I was struck first by the beauty of the piece, then by the intensity of the performers, then by the gorgeous youthfulness of Ms. Fischer, and finally by her low-cut gown. I hadn’t seen that in a classical musician before; I always thought they were supposed to dress less provocatively so as not to distract the audience from the music. But I guess the times they have a-changed:

Ms. Fischer also looked strangely familiar. It struck me that, impressive cleavage notwithstanding, she moves like a dancer and stands like a dancer. Sure enough, look at the following moment in a piece about her:

If she’s not a dancer, she’s a gymnast or contortionist, on top of her fabulously virtuosic violin playing.

I finally realized that she also she reminds me of someone in the dance world: the inimitable Suzanne Farrell. Farrell’s in her 60’s now, as this video attests, but look at the footage of the youthful Farrell and I think you’ll see the strong resemblance (and Farrell was known for her musicality as well). Did Farrell have a love child in Germany thirty-odd years ago?:

Farrell was a completely unique dancer with a lush quality of movement, expansive and ethereal at the same time. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of video on YouTube of her glorious Balanchine years. Grainy and truncated though this is, the following shows something of what made her so special. Those developpes a la seconde of Farrell’s that end the segment are high, but that’s not what they’re about, it’s their quality. They seem like pointers that go on forever, into infinity: