18 replies to this topic

[Helene]

Leigh Witchel, on Dec 18 2005, 06:13 PM, said:

I don't know any Estonian, but I was assuming with the double i that the name was pronounced "Teet".

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According to this site, both "i" and "ii" have the same sound, but the "ii" is held longer.

Quote

I ----- like i in Eng "idiot" or ee in Eng "see"

If Marga sees this post, I hope she'll weigh in

[BalletNut]

Additional casting:

Nutcracker Matinee
Friday, December 23, 2005 2 pm
Conductor: David LaMarche

Drosselmeyer: Peter Brandenhoff
Queen and King of the Snow: Frances Chung, Hansuke Yamamoto
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Tina LeBlanc
Grand Pas de Deux: Vanessa Zahorian, Davit Karapetyan

Nutcracker Evening
Friday, December 23, 2005 7 pm
Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater
Queen and King of the Snow: Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun, Stephen Legate
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Muriel Maffre
Grand Pas de Deux: Lorena Feijoo, Tiit Helimets

Nutcracker Matinee
Saturday, December 24, 2005 11 am
Conductor: David LaMarche

Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater
Queen and King of the Snow: Rachel Viselli, Peter Brandenhoff
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Elizabeth Miner
Grand Pas de Deux: Kristin Long, Joan Boada
    
Nutcracker Evening
Saturday, December 24, 2005 4 pm
Conductor: Martin West

Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater
Queen and King of the Snow: Yuan Yuan Tan, Ruben Martin
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Lorena Feijoo
Grand Pas de Deux: Tina LeBlanc, Gonzalo Garcia

[Marga]

sfshaza, on Dec 18 2005, 07:17 PM, said:

Tiit Helimuts.  Now HOW do you pronounce that first name without blushing? 

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Go ahead and blush -- it IS pronounced "teat"! (In Estonian, the "Ts" are of the softer variety, though.) Tiit is quite a popular name, too, except that few Estonians in North America give the name to their little boys.  
Helimets (not Helimuts) translated is very pretty, since "Heli" means "sound" and "mets" is forest or woods: Sonorous forest, or Chiming woods. ("Helimüts" would be a Ringing hat!)

Tiit Helimets arrived at San Francisco after several years with the Birmingham Royal Ballet where he and his wife Molly Smolen (originally from Pennsylvania) were principals. They occasionally guest-starred with his home company, the Estonian National Ballet, during their years in England.

And, thanks, Helene! I finally returned home from Nutcrackering in Toronto, where I no longer live, and saw these interesting posts.

[BalletNut]

Post-Xmas casts:

Nutcracker Matinee
Monday, December 26, 2005 2 pm
Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli
Queen and King of the Snow: Kristin Long, Nicolas Blanc
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung
Grand Pas de Deux: Katita Waldo, Davit Karapetyan

Nutcracker Evening
Monday, December 26, 2005 7 pm
Conductor: Martin West

Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater
Queen and King of the Snow: Lorena Feijoo, Moises Martin
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Muriel Maffre
Grand Pas de Deux: Yuan Yuan Tan, Tiit Helimets
    
Nutcracker Matinee
Tuesday, December 27, 2005 2 pm
Conductor: Martin West

Drosselmeyer: Peter Brandenhoff
Queen and King of the Snow: Clara Blanco*, Jaime Garcia Castilla*
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Elana Altman
Grand Pas de Deux: Rachel Viselli, Moises Martin

Nutcracker Matinee
Wednesday, December 28, 2005 2pm
Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Drosselmeyer: Jorge Esquivel
Queen and King of the Snow: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun
Grand Pas de Deux: Elizabeth Miner, Nicolas Blanc

Nutcracker Matinee
Thursday, December 29, 2005 2 pm
Conductor: Martin West

Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli
Queen and King of the Snow: Katita Waldo, Davit Karapetyan
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung
Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado