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Kirov Spectacular (La Valse, D.Swan, etc.) in DC


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It opens tomorrow night (Tues., Jan. 18), so I'll begin the thread. Here's the casting...as it now stands. Wonder if it will remain thus?

THE KIROV SPECTACULAR (from Kennedy Center website on Dec. 29, 2004):

LA VALSE : Soloists: Uliana Lopatkina (1/18), Daria Pavlenko (1/19), and Ekaterina Kondaurova (1/22); Shishov Vladimir (1/18 & 22) and Andrey Merkuriev (1/19); Death: Soslan Kulaev; Three dancers: Alexandra Iosifidi, Ekaterina Kondaurova, Daria Suhokurova; First Pas de Deux: Natalya Sologub and Andrey Merkuriev (1/18), Maksim Khrebtov (1/19 & 22); Second Pas de Deux: Yulia Kasenkova, Vasily Scherbakov; Third Pas de Deux: Sofya Gumerova, Maksim Zuzin.

LE CORSAIRE PAS DE DEUX: Alina Somova, Leonid Sarafanov.

RUBIES: Soloists: Diana Vishneva (1/18 & 19), Leonid Sarafanov (1/18 & 19), Sofya Gumerova, Irina Golub (1/22), Anton Korsakov (1/22); Four Dancers: Maksim Khrebtov, Vasily Scherbakov, Anton Lukovkin, Alexey Negviga.

THE DYING SWAN: Uliana Lopatkina.

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Casting update —

Daria Pavlenko is not performing. Her role in La Valse Wednesday night will be taken by Lopatkina, and her role in Rubies by Gumerova. Anton Korsakov will dance the lead in Rubies on Saturday.

No partner is currently listed for Lopatkina in Wednesday's La Valse. She performed it tonight with Vladimir Shishov. Merkuriev was supposed to dance with Pavlenko, but he is doing the first pas de deux with Sologub, so the odds are that it will be Shishov again. Elena Androsova will dance one of the three graces on Saturday when Kondaurova takes the lead.

Somova and Sarafanov did indeed perform.

The Black Swan pas de deux, with Gumerova and Igor Zelensky, was added to the lineup. :wink:

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This was one of the most embarrassingly bad 'galas' I've ever attended, with Uliana Lopatkina's two glorious performances -- esp. as the Dying Swan -- a saving grace.

Very quick take, as I'm traveling later today:

Black Swan pdd - Gumerova/Zelensky - this must have been slapped together very quickly with minimal (if any?) rehearsal with Gergiev & the full orchestra. Awful disconnect between musicians & dancers. Zelensky -- who is just coming off a long period of injury -- danced raggedly (minimal foot pointing, no closed 5ths, etc.) & rushed. Gumerova offered minimal charm & plasticity...very stiff back. Her 32 fouettes were OK, begun with interspersed doubles.

La Valse - Lopatkina/Shishov et. al. - very pretty, poetic rendering, as I saw in St. Petersburg in '04. Lovely tall trio of Fate-like figures....Daria Sukhorukova-- dancing audience-left -- a dancer bearing a slight resemblance to Daria Pavlenko, was especially good. Young Vladimir Shishov (grad. of 2000) was very handsome as Lopatkina's beau....and the even-younger, ever-smiling Maxim Zuizin displayed some well-centered and smooth pirouettes as the "3rd solo couple" beau. His partner was another new ballerina: recent-grad, Diana Smirnova, she of the angelic face. The usually-regal Lopatkina imbued the leading "white girl" role with naivete and poetry...although she seemed to convey tragedy a bit earlier than is traditionally portrayed by NYCB or Pacific NW Ballet dancers. For example, in my readings about 'la Valse' & its creation, the 'white girl' is supposed to maintain a bubbly 'ingenue' manner even while putting on the long black gloves; Lopatkina's approach is that of a young woman who knows that she's one minute away from the coffin. Odd but interesting.

Le Corsaire pdd - Alina Somova/Leonid Sarafanov - the least said, the better. Absolutely the worst Corsaire I've seen in 40-plus years of ballet going. The slight Sarafanov -- Is he old enough to shave? -- almost lived up to his reputation as Mr. Drop-a-Ballerina, when he failed twice to lift the reed-slender Somova in the presage-lift of the adagio. Only during his solo did Sarafanov show a bit of the technical magic for which he is famous. Somova is one of the rising stars of the Kirov-Mariinsky (class of 2002; bronze medal in '02 Vaganova Prix, in which Polina Semyonova won a top prize) but you'd never know it for the sorry display last night. Brittle, with one of the most forced smiles to grace the Kennedy Center stage, Somova could barely manage a clean double-pirouette during her solo & cranked-out one of the roughest series of 32 fouettes on record. To top it, the front curtain came down on her head during a solo bow. What a blast!

Rubies - Vishneva/Sarafanov/Gumerova - Vishneva was her usual wonderful, gumby-doll self in this, her (to me) signature role. Alas, she was partnered by Sarafanov -- who danced well enough but looked like a boy among men. Gumerova was appropriately slinky as the tall girl but, again, as in Black Swan, devoid of required extension & plasticity.

Dying Swan - Lopatkina - I'm glad that I stuck around, as she was heavenly in this role (as always). The audience showed its appreciation with the only real sustained 'bravos' of the night, for ballet.

Natalia Nabatova

Washington, DC

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From Alexandra, our Founder and Director Emerita:

This Saturday, a new documentary entitled "Sacred Stage: The Maryinsky Theater," about the Kirov Opera, Ballet, and Orchestra, will be screened at the Kennedy Center at 6:00 PM. It's a part of the Millenium Stage series, which is free :) and held in the lobby spanning the Eisenhower Theater, Opera House, and Concert Hall.

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Last night's gala was mainly a ballet affair, with some operatic intervals, two shortish and one very long . The party pieces were, as Natalia has written, distressingly bad, but at least the two complete ballets, both by Balanchine, provided some substance.

This was the first time in quite a few years I've seen La Valse, and I was happy to have the chance. It suits the Kirov stylistically, and offers plenty of opportunities for the dancers. We saw more of the company, top to bottom, in those 30 minutes than we had in all three acts of Cinderella.

I was delighted to see Uliana Lopatkina for the first time but she was, I thought, miscast in the lead. She looked too mature, knowing, and grave, where the ballerina should be young, innocent, and avid for experience. As Natalia has mentioned, the moment when she donned the black garments was performed almost as though she knew what was coming, instead of being a reckless dive into disaster. I'm sorry we're not seeing Pavlenko in this, or Vishneva. The other dancers coped very well with the choreography but were a bit too careful. The performance as a whole didn't have the overwhelming impact it can at NYCB.

Sofia Gumerova seemed more comfortable in Rubies, oddly enough, than in the Black Swan pas de deux, where she was technically shaky and dramatically inconsistent (she smiled sunnily through most of it, occasionally remembering that she was supposed to be Odile). She didn't take any risks in the penchée/plié sequence of Rubies, however. She and the other soloists, Vishneva and Leonid Sarafanov, all seemed to plunge enthusiastically into the unfamiliar style, but Sarafanov needs more than enthusiasm, he badly needs coaching by someone who has danced the role. He really didn't know what he was doing. The corps girls are still too demure in this.

Sarafanov has a problem: he is gifted with an elegant line and gobs of bravura ability, but he is so slight and underdeveloped that his technical fireworks make him look like a child prodigy rather than a man, and his partnering is seriously deficient. He wasn't helped by having to dance two pretty macho roles, Corsaire and Rubies. No way does this boy look like a pirate or a street fighter. If he is not to be confined to the more restrained roles in the repertory (which I'm sure he doesn't want) or to be shunned by ballerinas, he is going to have to build himself up physically and significantly improve his partnering.

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I was delighted to see Uliana Lopatkina for the first time but she was, I thought, miscast in the lead.  She looked too mature, knowing, and grave, where the ballerina should be young, innocent, and avid for experience.  As Natalia has mentioned, the moment when she donned the black garments was performed almost as though she knew what was coming, instead of being a reckless dive into disaster.  I'm sorry we're not seeing Pavlenko in this, or Vishneva. 

I'm not familiar with Balanchine's La Valse at all having seen it danced for the first time last month by the Kirov, so I was very interested to read how the central role is normally interpreted. Both Lopatkina and Pavlenko took exactly the same approach to the role appearing to accept that their time was up and dancing with a sense of foreboding. I had a preference for Lopatkina in the role though Pavlenko was also good. I was also very taken with Islom Baimuradov as death, he had a wonderful sinister presence and looked fantastic. A pity he's not down to dance the role in the US.

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Natalia you are right: Corsaire was on the level of a school recital piece or perhaps it would be fairer to characterize it a competition routine that flopped.

In La Valse, I was disturbed by the casting of Zuzin. Yes his pirouettes and attitude turns are smooth, and his jete entrelace impressive if forced, but he has none of the needed stage presence and romantic intensity; he remains a gauche young boy happy to be in front of an audience, and as you said, smiling non stop.

Unbelievable - UNBELIEVABLE - that he was recently given Melancholic in Four Temperaments, in preference to other dancers who actually are expressive, eloquent, and theatrically sophisticated.

Ari, Sarafanov's Rubies was certainly immature, and I've got to say it's downright disgusting that he now dances the role more than anyone else there, but in my opinion the role certainly can be interpreted in many ways and does not have to be performed with an emphasis on macho.

The Kirov must have thought they were putting on its heaviest hitters -- something has gone wrong in the company.

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The Kirov must have thought they were putting on its heaviest hitters -- something has gone wrong in the company.

Sorry to hear about this poor non-spectacular show. Sadly, and not that it makes it less worse, but this kind of misconceived, slapdash gala programs have been most commonplace with the Kirov in the last ten years of my ballet-going here in Europe. Apparently the name is supposed to justify everything.

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I am still in a state of shock over those galas.

Btw, Natalia, do you really think Le Clercq was bubbly all the way through? Long ago I saw a snippet of footage of her with the black gloves, and my recollection is that she was apocalyptic.

Iosifidi was magnificent as one of the three Fates. Enormously tall as she is, I'm not sure if she is taller than Lopatkina. She understood the ballet almost more than any other woman on the stage. I would love to see her do the Le Clercq role.

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Wow. I just read everyone's comments. Very insightful.

I attended the performance on Jan. 19. Had a seat in the Orchestra

far back. Really hadn't intended to splurge on this, but chalk it up to

an insufferably bad day in the office.

IMHO, audience was more of an opera audience. I chose this over

Cinderella, because I had always wanted to see bits of Russian opera

that are rarely played over here. I suspect that is also why other

patrons were in attendance. I also wanted to see the Russians dance

Balanchine. What a funny turn of the coin, to shun him then welcome

him. Of course, many of you sound as if you have kept pace with these

events in the ballet world, and already enjoyed such performances. I

am a confessed, late blooming snail.

Sometimes sitting all the way back has its merits. Since I have left my

binoculars at home, I settled in to enjoy the shapes in the choreography

and the carriage and lines of the dancers. Someone earlier in this group

expressed displeasure with Maxim Ziuzin. Having not ever read the story

for La Valse, I read out of the performance what was laid before me.

I really enjoyed Ziuzin; well, it is true that I am extremely partial to

the dark-haired male leads :wacko: , but I found his bearing correct with this

character of pure evil. Perhaps he felt that smiling (which I could not

see) added an edge to the evilness? I also liked the transition for the

White Girl, so everyone here calls her. She gave a look of horror into

the mirror on first donning the necklace, but then willing sought the mirror

again and then the gloves and covering. Those steps seemed a little

awkward, but it seemed to me that the dancers bodies matched the

perceived theme. Without having read the story, I had assumed that this

was a statement about material desires and the evil that offers it. Sort of

a metaphysical twist on the traditionally more human emotions of love and

revenge that fill the traditional classic ballets. As a member of the audience,

I leapt from attending only the classics to a 15 year absence from passionate

following of dance, and was suddenly met with Balanchine and all that. In

the last four years, my education has been fast, but in a sense I can identify

with someone who's sensibilities were bounded. Sometimes, I think that

being true to someone else's story is impossible, because we all have different

interpretations of the same scene. Maybe it is better that way. It keeps the

dance fresh, a living thing. I can't imagine being 16 years old and dancing

Odette/Odile. I haven't lived that long. How could I have already endured

such sorrow, become acquainted with such evil?

Well, getting back on track, La Valse was really lovely. I enjoyed the

precision of the Kirov in dancing Balanchine. Having seen NYCB last year,

they seem a bit rushed. Black Swan Pas de Deux struck me as a bit stiff.

Jewels drew a round swell of "oh" at the sight of the lovely costumes. It

was after all an opera audience, and glamour is part of opera, IMHO. It was

really quite cool to see the Kirov men dancing Balanchine. I don't know why.

It was just really quite marvelous. Le Corsaire, hmmm. Yes, I think Sarafanov

danced excellently...by himself. It will be interesting to watch him as he

develops his partnering skills and potential. Come to think of it, it would be

rather interesting to see him partner Anastasia Volochkova. She is not one

of my favorites, but the lady does command the stage when she's on it, a

pity at the expense of the choreography. Dying Swan with Uliana Lopatkina

was truly fabulous. Quite the highlight. But really my favorite performance

was La Valse, because it gave a chance for all the dancers to dance and show

off their dancing. That's the nice thing about Balanchine.

Well, I realize that most of you are ballet fans and not opera fans, but the

lyrics to Merchant of Sadko were fabulous. Wonderful poetry. And I felt

complete, having had the opportunity to hear fine singing. After

all, the Russians are famous for the "basso".

I wonder if these Spectaculars are taken seriously by the Kirov in that mixed bills,

I usually consider to be teasers to get people who ordinarily do not see ballet

or opera, to try it out. Either ways, thank you to the Kirov for helping me end

my day in infinitely better spirits. Thank heavens for dancers.

Lazer Canary

Silver Spring, MD

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Thanks much, LazerCanary! So, sometimes a rough day at the office has unexpected benefits?

Your interpretation of LaValse interested me very much. I never thought of it in quite those terms -- the dangerous lure of material goods. I always saw it in more general terms. You've made me think. :wacko:

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Lazer Canary,I believe the dancer you thought was Zuzin in La Valse was actually Kulaev, because there is nothing meant to be evil about Zuzin's character, rather in his interaction with the waltzing couples and the three fates he is a catalyst to the onstage revelry. Kulaev played the Death character.

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this is really a video post i suppose but it applies here as it's connected w/ a film of LeClercq's LA VALSE, which, as was helpfully pointed out to me a few years ago by film and ballet writer don daniels, is included in the 4-disc DVD set called TREASURES OF THE AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVE.

true, the item on disc 3: 'FROM "LA VALSE"' is only 6 min. and the boxed set is pricey (and right now out of stock at amazon) but it is rare footage from the NYPub.Lib./Perf.Arts with sound added of TLC dancing excerpts from the ballet in '51 at jacob's pillow with her original partner, nicholas magalles. (alas the famed 'glove' scene is not on this excerpt, which shows only moments from the "eighth waltz" in the ballet's VALSES NOBLES ET SENTIMENTALES segment.

to be sure there are other 'treasures' on the set, but this is the only ballet specfic one, unless one includes a 1909 Vitagraph charmer called: PRINCESS NICOTINE, OR THE SMOKE FAIRY, on disc 1.

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Thanks rg, I didn't even known the 8th Waltz footage was available commercially. There is perhaps one minute of La Valse including the glove incident (unless my memory is playing me false -- I'll check this week) filmed by Ann Barzel in Chicago and now at Lincoln Center library (along with a minute of Le Clercq's Dewdrop). I remember how excited I was to see it.

For me the problem with Lopatkina and the gloves was that you saw her tense before it -- I'm not sure she had rehearsed it enough to feel comforable.

She knew what it was supposed to be but wasn't sure it was going to work.

At least that's how I read her.

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NB: in case anyone is looking for this 'treasures' set w/ LA VALSE it's important to bear in mind that there is a more recently issued set called MORE TREASURES FROM AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES but this is NOT the one w/ VALSE, it's the initial offering: TREASURES OF AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES - w/o 'more' in the title- that you'd want to find.

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