12 replies to this topic

[Estelle]

A long series of performances of Nureyev's production of "Swan Lake" started yesterday.

Unfortunately, there's little to expect about it from the French press (as it seldom publishes reviews of ballet performances, except when it's something "new")...

The casts are listed there:
http://www.operadepa...tion.asp?Id=838

but one has to be cautious, as there have already been numerous changes...

The main couples will be:
Letestu/ Martinez, Gillot/ Moreau, Cozette/ Bart, Dupont/ Legris, Letestu/ Le Riche,
Abbagnato/ Pech, Dupont/ Ganio, Zakharova/ Bart and Vishneva/ Pech. The Rothbarts will be: Romoli, Paquette, Phavorin, Belarbi or Bullion.

As far as I know it will be the first "Odette" for Eleonora Abbagnato and Emilie Cozette (actually, probably Cozette's first big role) and the first Siegfried for Mathieu Ganio. Laetitia Pujol previously was announced as Odette, and Bridard as Rothbart, but their names aren't in the cast lists any longer (however, Pujol still is listed in the main role of "La petite danseuse de Degas" in the same period, alternating with Clairemarie Osta, Mélanie Hurel and Laure Muret.)

[sophia]

The first cast, with Letestu as Odette / Odile and Martinez as Prince Siegfried, has been filmed (and will be, as their last show takes place tonight) for a DVD to be released.
I add the rest of the previous cast for the dvd:
Rothbart: Wilfried Romoli (or maybe Karl Paquette, as Romoli did not dance yesterday)
Pas de Trois: Nolwenn Daniel, Dorothée Gilbert (instead of Mélanie Hurel hurt), Emmanuel Thibault
Four Little Swans: Fanny Fiat, Dorothée Gilbert, Myriam Ould-Braham, Mathilde Froustey
Four Big Swans: Aurélia Bellet, Laurence Laffon, Vanessa Legassy, Sabrina Mallem (or Stéphanie Romberg?)
Czardas: Nolwenn Daniel, Alessio Carbone
Neapolitan Dance: Myriam Ould-Braham, Jérémie Bélingard

I think the cast could not be better, as Agnès Letestu is really a great Odette / Odile, and José Martinez is certainly our best male dancer among the étoiles.

[Azulynn]

sophia, on Dec 21 2005, 09:54 AM, said:

The first cast, with Letestu as Odette / Odile and Martinez as Prince Siegfried, has been filmed (and will be, as their last show takes place tonight) for a DVD to be released.
I add the rest of the previous cast for the dvd:
Rothbart: Wilfried Romoli (or maybe Karl Paquette, as Romoli did not dance yesterday)
Pas de Trois: Nolwenn Daniel, Dorothée Gilbert (instead of Mélanie Hurel hurt), Emmanuel Thibault
Four Little Swans: Fanny Fiat, Dorothée Gilbert, Myriam Ould-Braham, Mathilde Froustey
Four Big Swans: Aurélia Bellet, Laurence Laffon, Vanessa Legassy, Sabrina Mallem (or Stéphanie Romberg?)
Czardas: Nolwenn Daniel, Alessio Carbone
Neapolitan Dance: Myriam Ould-Braham, Jérémie Bélingard

I think the cast could not be better, as Agnès Letestu is really a great Odette / Odile, and José Martinez is certainly our best male dancer among the étoiles.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If the cast remains the same, the four big swans should be : Emilie Cozette, Stéphanie Romberg, Aurélia Bellet, Laurence Laffon.
The Czardas was Fanny Fiat/Alessio Carbone on the first filmed performance.

[sophia]

Thanks Azulynn for the precisions.
You are right: Sabrina Mallem was on the previous cast for the Four Big Swans, but at the last minute, she was replaced by Stéphanie Romberg for the video (maybe just a matter of hierarchy, because Sabrina Mallem danced in the corps as a swan).
I saw Nolwenn Daniel and Alessio Carbone in the Czardas on the first night, where, I think,  they just take pictures (they do not exactly film the performance). So did they cast Fanny Fiat for the other filmed performances?

[canbelto]

Does the SL Nureyev made for the POB resemble the Swan Lake he filmed with Margot Fonteyn? If so, I hate it ...

[sophia]

Nureyev first created "Swan Lake " for the Vienna State Opera Ballet in the sixties and there's a recording of this version on DVD featuring Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. I think that's the version you're refering to.
Nureyev recreated his "Swan Lake" for the Paris Opera Ballet in the eighties. So, I would not say it is exactly the same choreography, but certainly it is the same inspiration. It is a four acts ballet and the character of Prince Siegfried is the centre of it: he has to dance several variations, which is not the case in other russian versions. The character of the Fool disappears, and Rothbart, the Magician, is also Siegfried' tutor. Some critics talked about a "freudian ballet".
In Paris version, sets and costumes signed Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino are different from the sixties version. It looks less "old-fashioned" fortunately, but one can reproach a certain "coldness" in the whole of it.
In fact, I am not really a fan of this version which is a bit pretentious in its background and I prefer the idea of a fairy tale. But the ensembles with the swans are really great and beautiful, and Paris Opera Corps de Ballet is worth seeing in these parts!!! For instance, in the famous variation of the Four Little Swans, I have never seen such a perfection; anyway, I have to admit: all the ensembles, especially in the "white acts", are wonderful. And I repeat myself,  I think the cast chosen for the dvd is the best we could imagine in Paris.

[rg]

NYPL dance cat. credits for nureyve's SWAN LAKEs - (the 'new production' mentioned at the entry's end should probably say 'new and different' production, as noted above):

Swan lake : Original title: Schwanensee. Chor: Rudolf Nureyev (Act II after the choreography by Lev Ivanov); mus: Petr Chaikovskii; lib: after V. Begichev and V. Gel'tzer; scen & cos: Nicholas Georgiadis. First perf: Vienna, State Opera House, Oct 15, 1964, Vienna State Opera Ballet (Company).//Perf. in U.S.: Pennsylvania: Ambler, Temple University Festival, July 1972, Vienna State Opera Ballet (Company).//New production: Paris, Opéra, Dec 22, 1984; Paris Opéra Ballet; scen & cos: Ezio Frigerio.

[cygneblanc]

The Swan Lake, january three, 2006:

Marie Agnes Gillot was an amazing swan with some wonderful arms. Her white swan was better than the black one, which was very good though. Don't miss her if you have the opportunity to see her, she's brilliant!

Nicolas Leriche showed his excellent technical skills. Unfortunately, his spirit seemed to be everywhere but on stage and he lacked his usual brilliance and generosity.

Rothbart was Stephane Phavorin. He's a very convincing actor, but his dance suffers from a big lack of amplitude.

The corps de ballet, especially in the swan parts, was great and very steady . I would like to congratulate the girls from the school who are dancing in this production of the Swan Lake.  You couln't tell they weren't from the compagny if you didn't know it. They demonstrated they deserve to enter the compagny in june.

Otherwise, the pas de trois of the first round was quite strange since the technical level  of the ladies (Aurelia Bellet and Dorothée Gilbert) was so different. I noticed in this round a much improved Mathilde Froustey, who's dancing more and more like a woman and not as a little girl and a smiling Aubane Philbert...

The dances of the third round were great and the "fiancées" were delightful. Ludmilla Pagliero was just too much, it wasn't appropriate. The enormous potential of the very young Amandine Albisson was clearly visible, it's a shame she didn't get a spot in the corps de ballet the last year. I really hope she'lle be luckier this year. Laurene Levy was excellent too and I'm sure we'll hear her name more and more very soon!

As an ending, I just had a blast !

[Estelle]

Thanks for your review, cygneblanc.

Is it usual for students of the POB school to perform in the corps de ballet for "Swan Lake", or is it because too many dancers are injured and they needed substitutes ?

[cygneblanc]

Actually, some girls are both "surnumeraires" and pupils of the school.

Things were different until three years ago when  I think the first case was Laurene Levy. Since, some girls who are in their second year in the first division have sometimes been dancing  in the corps, especially in the largest works.

I think the problem isn't that there aren't enough healthy dancers for one production but rather a general problem of management...

[Helene]

It's not a period where the Company is performing in both venues.  The Forsythe program doesn't begin until March, although it is conceivable that some of the company is tied up rehearsing that program.

[sophia]

The Forsythe programm starts on February 6th (until February 16th). Some girls from the school who are also "surnuméraires" will be casted on that programm for replacement.
By the way, the Forsythe program has changed. We will finally have: "Approximate Sonata", "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude" (instead of "Hermann Schermann"), "Artifact Suite".

[Estelle]

Helene, on Jan 4 2006, 10:40 PM, said:

It's not a period where the Company is performing in both venues.  The Forsythe program doesn't begin until March, although it is conceivable that some of the company is tied up rehearsing that program.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Also they performed "La petite danseuse de Degas" until Dec 30, so the end of december probably was a busy period...

Sophia, thanks for the information about the Forsythe program. Here's the page on the POB web site about that program:

http://www.operadepa...acle.asp?Id=841

They forgot to update the following page:

http://www.operadepa...lire.asp?Id=841

which still lists "Herman Schmerman".