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Tchaikovsky Festival, Feb. 12/20, 2005


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I'm opening this thread for possible discussion of the ballets in this opera-ballet festival dedicated to Tchaikovsky. I'll summarize the ballet-specific reviews from the Russian web pages soon. For now, here is the schedule:

Tchaikovsky Festival

12.02 Enchantress

13.02 Iolanta (in concert) mat

13.02 The Sleeping Beauty eve (Novikova - Schklyarov)

14.02 Mazeppa

15.02 The Nutcracker - traditional (Vag. Acad. students)

16.02 The Nutcracker - traditional (Vag. Acad. students)

17.02 Eugene Onegine

18.02 Swan Lake (Alina Somova)

19.02 The Nutcracker - Chemyakin 2pm (Golub - Korsakov)

19.02 The Nutcracker - Chemyakin 8pm (Sologub - Merkuriev)

20.02 The Maid of Orlean mat

20.02 Opera & Ballet Gala eve

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Well, there's surprisingly little to report, so far, from the Russian websites (Mariinka, Tradizia, etc....the theater's own official site was closed a couple of months ago). After a flurry of 'preview' talk about the too-young casting for the ballets in this festival, it appears that the theater-goers haven't found time to write their impressions.

I did find a number of newspaper articles previewing the week. Both Kommersant newspaper and TV-5's online gazette mention that one of the goals of this festival is to attract new, non-traditional audiences to opera & ballet. As such, a huge percentage of the tickets are being set-aside (given away) to underprivileged adults and children who would normally not be able to go to as expensive a venue as the Mariinsky. In fact, the subtitle of the festival is "In the Mirror of Three Centuries"...to show that the audience of the 21st century is being cultivated by this event.

Perhaps that is the reason for the emphasis on youth in the casting? It appears that, unlike the Mariinsky Int'l Ballet and the White Nights Festivals with their 'power audiences,' this festival is purposely a toned-down event for new, mostly-younger audiences.

[Edited to add: In an article in yet another St. P. newspaper, Russian Messenger, the Mariinsky's press office is quoted as stating that the purpose of the present festival is "..the demonstration of plays & not the artists..." whereas at the Mariinsky Int'l Ballet Festival "...it will be vice versa." The article went on to name the Swan of Alina Somova & Aurora of Olesya Novikova as examples of this policy (non-emphasis of artists). So there we have it.]

I'll keep my eyes & ears open to reviews of last Saturday's 'Beauty,' as well as the upcoming 'Swan' and slew of 'Nutcrackers.'

- Natalia

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[Edited to add:  In an article in yet another St. P. newspaper, Russian Messenger, the Mariinsky's press office is quoted as stating that the purpose of the present festival is "..the demonstration of plays & not the artists..." whereas at the Mariinsky Int'l Ballet Festival "...it will be vice versa."  The article went on to name the Swan of Alina Somova & Aurora of Olesya Novikova as examples of this policy (non-emphasis of artists). So there we have it.]

Thanks, Natalia. Very interesting. I suppose the next step will be the plays without artists?

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