42 replies to this topic

[Natalia]

Thanks to Marc and others for the updates on casting for the Kirov's California performances. Does anyone have updated casting information on the five Detroit performances of 'Sleeping Beauty' (Oct. 20/23)? Thanks, in advance.

[Starr]

No casting is listed on the Detroit Opera House website. I have tickets for the Sunday matinee performance. I have been checking the Detroit papers, but no stories yet on the Kirov.

[Natalia]

Thanks, Starr. I've e-mailed the theater for updated casting but have received no response. We can be pretty sure that the casting in smaller solo roles in L.A. and Berkeley will hold true in Detroit (see Helene's post with detailed casting on the Berkeley thread):

http://ballettalk.in...pic=20594&st=15

However, the casting for Aurora - Desire - Lilac Fairy is anyone's guess.

I'm catching the last three performances in Detroit, so the chances are pretty good to overwhelming that I'll be reviewing Ms. Somova's Aurora.

Natalia

[Mashinka]

?????

Your professionalism does you credit Natalia, faced with the prospect of watching Somova as Aurora, I'd be more

[chiapuris]

I'm attending the three evening performances, and I hope the original Ardani postings of Osmolkina (21st), Sologub (22nd),
and the Lilac Fairy of Lopatkina (20th) stand.

[Natalia]

Alas, Chiapuris, the Sologub Aurora won't happen, as that ballerina is on maternity leave.

[Starr]

I'll keep my eyes open for anything in the Detroit papers. Thanks to reading this MB, I know Kirov castings are not carved in stone, so I just picked the performance that worked well for me. Though Ardani "says" Diana V and Lopatkina are cast, I am not going to get go nuts if they are not.

[jabot]

I am planning to come to Detroit for three of the four days when Kirov performs at the Opera House. I've contacted the Press Office at the theatre AND the Ardani representative for casting information. The latter source has the most "current" information and states as follows: 10/20 - Vishneva/Fadeyev; 10/21 - Novikova/Sarafanov; 10/22M - Osmolkina/Schklyarov; 10/22E - Somova/Fadeyev(?); 10/23M - Novikova/Korsakov.
I didn't question the Ardani rep about Vishneva's commitments elsewhere, though
the rest of the information is as sound as it gets at the time of this post.

[carbro]

This is great info for Detroiters, jabot. Many thanks for your legwork! Let's just hope now that it comes off as Ardani told you.

And glad to have you here at BT! Please visit our Welcome Page and tell us a bit about yourself and how you found yourself here.

[Helene]

I am planning to come to Detroit for three of the four days when Kirov performs at the Opera House. I've contacted the Press Office at the theatre AND the Ardani representative for casting information. The latter source has the most "current" information and states as follows:                                                                  10/20  -  Vishneva/Fadeyev;                                                                          10/21  -  Novikova/Sarafanov;                                                                          10/22M -  Osmolkina/Schklyarov;                                                                        10/22E -  Somova/Fadeyev(?);                                                                            10/23M -  Novikova/Korsakov.
I didn't question the Ardani rep about Vishneva's commitments elsewhere, though
the rest of the information is as sound as it gets at the time of this post.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The casting insert on the Berkeley program last night listed the following changes from the Berkeley website:

Irma Nioradze is being replaced by Novikova (Aurora) and Esina (Lilac Fairy)
Shkliarov is partnering Sonova in place of Fadeev, who is replacing Igor Kolb in another performance
Vostrotina is replacing Pavlenko as Lilac Fairy
Ostreykovskaya replaces Pavlenko as Florina.

It looks like similar casting will make its way to Detroit.

[Starr]

I am planning to come to Detroit for three of the four days when Kirov performs at the Opera House. I've contacted the Press Office at the theatre AND the Ardani representative for casting information. The latter source has the most "current" information and states as follows:                                                                  10/20   -  Vishneva/Fadeyev;                                                                          10/21   -  Novikova/Sarafanov;                                                                           10/22M -  Osmolkina/Schklyarov;                                                                        10/22E -  Somova/Fadeyev(?);                                                                            10/23M -  Novikova/Korsakov.
I didn't question the Ardani rep about Vishneva's commitments elsewhere, though
the rest of the information is as sound as it gets at the time of this post.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The casting insert on the Berkeley program last night listed the following changes from the Berkeley website:

Irma Nioradze is being replaced by Novikova (Aurora) and Esina (Lilac Fairy)
Shkliarov is partnering Sonova in place of Fadeev, who is replacing Igor Kolb in another performance
Vostrotina is replacing Pavlenko as Lilac Fairy
Ostreykovskaya replaces Pavlenko as Florina.

It looks like similar casting will make its way to Detroit.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I may try to get a Detroit paper today, as the online additions of the Free Press and News just have the usual stories of the history of the ballet and company, plus stories about the local extras. Nothing on casting.

[chiapuris]

I attended the Detroit opening night Mariinsky Sleeping Beauty;
Aurora was A. Somova with A. Fadeev, and (YES!) the Lilac Fairy of
U. Lopatkina.

Tonight (at least as listed in the program insert)
O. Novikova with L. Sarafanov and the LF of E. Vostrotina.

Saturday night Somova again.

More later.

[canbelto]

Did they mention who would dance on Saturday afternoon? I was psyched to see Novikova but it seems as if Kirov management has once again overhauled all their casting

[chiapuris]

Did they mention who would dance on Saturday afternoon? I was psyched to see Novikova but it seems as if Kirov management has once again overhauled all their casting 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sat M: E. Osmolkina with V. Schkliarov and T. Amosova as LF

[chiapuris]

Sleeping Beauty Detroit 10/20/05 and 10/21/05

This was my first view of the 1952 Soviet-era version of the Mariinsky's SB.
I have seen the 1890 reconstruction some years ago in NY and liked it because because there was a lot in it to like.

In some ways this version is like a 100-year survey of Russian ballet - but what doesn't change is that it has one of the greatest musical scores ever written for ballet.

Reduction of mime keeps up with artistic trends but does not necessarily improve aesthetic clarity. 'Improving' the choreography over time is a subject of complexity and disputation..

The principal roles on the 20th were filled by Alina Somova as Aurora,
Andrian Fadeev as Desire and Uliana Lopatkina as the Lilac Fairy.

The fairies are listed in the program (for the 20th and 21st) as
Tenderness D Sukhorukova, Vivacity T Tkachenko, Generosity Y. Kasenkova,
Courage Y Serebriakova, Lightheartedness Y Selina
Diamond I Golub (20) & V Tereshkina (21)
Sapphire T Tkachenko
Gold Y Kasenkova
Silver D Sukhorukova

Florina X Ostreykovskaya (20) & S Gumerova (21)
Bluebird M Chaschegorov (20) & D Semionov (21)

I have little faith in the accuracy of the cast because E Obraztsova is listed as
Red Riding Hood and she definitely did not appear either night.

Management does not bother with such niceties as actually reporting substitutions.

The Prologue both nights was a treat visually and aurally. Serebriakova (in spite of a bad fall on the 21st), Tkachenko, Selina were outstanding. The Diamonds of Golub and Tereshkina in the third act truly sparkled. The orchestra under Polianichko surged energetically.

Somova as Aurora is a puzzling subject. Having gone to the theater after having read appraisals of her dancing on BalletTalk I was especially wary. But considering that it is a barely started enterprise -her role as Aurora-- I believe she should be given a chance to prove herself. Personally, I enjoyed her performance, which was for the most part unmannered, and broadly speaking provided sketches of the role. Aurora, as a role, calls for three fully drawn dance portraits. The first is the sixteenth birthday party.
The second is the vision conjured by the Lilac Fairy to convince Desire of his life choice.
The third is the wedding ceremony which calls for her to become the standard bearer for classicism. All three sections, it seems to me, suggest the presence of different resources.
The birthday party is, I'm guessing, the most challenging. Somova's Rose Adagio was the least successful of the three 'parts' of her role.
She generally substituted a very high leg at the end of a step that calls for three- dimensionality of movement. This is awkwardly phrased but it was my impression throughout the first act. Another way of stating it is to say that the upper torso lacked full plasticity when too much effort was chanelled to the final leg extension as a be-all of dancing.
I found her vision scene more successful, but again as a sketch and not a palpable portrait of longing and mystery.

The partnership of Fadeev with Somova seemed to me very successful, in that they are well matched physically.

Fadeev's solo at the end of the vision scene was ardent and compelling.

The wedding pas de deux was clean and correct, lacking only a sense of serenity that comes with the nonchalance of authoritative readings.

Ms Lopatkina as the Lilac Fairy provided the center for the production with the virtues of
classically pure dancing, unadulterated and plain. She is the dancer of three dimensions, carving and claiming space as her own, all around herself.

Olesia Novikova as Aurora on the 21st, provided much more fully realized 'portraits' in the three sections of the ballet.
Her most successful was the vision scene. Her partnership with Leonid Sarafanov seemed a good match, because of their 'young' faces and physiques. They looked splendid together.

Her birthday party scene had wonderful nuances that I found attractive. One was that in the opening moments she stood still, arms down in front of her, feet together, in front of her mother, giving with her body language the message “I'm here and I don't know what to do”. Her mother's reply with mime gesture was : “Dance”.

Technically her Rose Adagio surpassed the previous evening's. In her supported attitude
Novikova would raise her arms 'en couronne' before giving her hand to the next of the four cavaliers. A very nice start.

For the record, Sarafanov's partnering in the pas de deux was solicitous and attentive, and even the overhead lift was beautifully executed.

The Lilac Fairy of Elena Vostrotina was a fully developed reading of the role; it was a very impressive performance, with luscious lines and a charismatic presence. esp. in the light of following Ms. Lopatkina's Lilac Fairy of the previous evening.