24 replies to this topic

[Buddy]

I am almost postive that it was Ekaterina Kondaurova who danced the last Myrtha. There was no printed information and no announcement. I am sure that I recognized her (red hair), from the last and only Forsythe program that I was able to attend,  doing "In The Middle...". Also a usually well-informed internet poster had written that she would be doing Myrtha.

Ekaterina Kondaurova danced very well and was a real surprise and pleasant change with her long, linear, graceful appearance and her more relaxed characterization.

nysusan, on Jun 17 2006, 11:07 PM, said:

The production - There are some things I like very much about this production, other things I prefer the ABT way (that’s the only other production I’m particularly familiar with).  Most notably, Myrtha’s role is MUCH better in this production, it’s a much bigger role and Tereshkina danced it divinely at all 3 performances so far. I don’t know where to start describing her – the beautiful romantic epaulment, the soaring leaps, the long, articulate feet. And what a contrast in style from ABT’s approach, where  Myrtha tends to be danced in a hard, brittle fashion. Tereshkina had the most gorgeous romantic flow to her movement, and especially her opening solo was tinged with sadness & regret. Yet she commanded both the stage and the Wilis unquestionably. I will never forget it.

nysusan, thanks for this lovely description.

I also thought that Viktoria Tereshkina did beautifully. I felt that she danced very securely with an  imposing presence throughout. One thing that I liked very much was when she ws doing a backward series of jumps, first landing in attitude(?) (back leg bent) and then landing again with the same leg straighter , doing a beautifully defined up and down motion. With each performance she became more relaxed and lyrical.


"I hope someone else can describe it in more detail – that’s all I can manage." [nysusan quote]

In reference to your fine review, I don't think that anyone could ask for much more than the detailed posting that you have given us.


The end of Act I was done well by everyone. Daria Pavlenko's second performance seemed slightly more nuanced (which I liked) than the first. If taking children (even adults) to see Giselle, I like the idea of clueing them in ahead of time about this scene and telling them that Giselle's love does triumph in the end.

The Peasant Pas de Deux was performed all four times by Ekaterina Osmolkina and Vladimir Shklyarov. Like many of the dancers that I observed, they became better each time. They were a pleasant and 'airy' change as well.

Ekaterina Osmolkina's dancing was light, delicate, clean and lovely. In her fine jetes she did a very nice, clearly defined double flick of the lead foot. Vladimir Shklyarov's dancing was fine and graceful with very good 5th position landings. This seemed like a technically fine performance with an abundance of charm.

I hope to see these excellent and 'heart-warming' performers again in November in nearby Chicago. It's been a wonderful 'voyage' and I've loved it.

I wish Alina Cojocaru a great continued success in DC and look forward to reading more about it here. I also look forward to reading chiapuris' Bolshoi reports from London as well as all the other fine reviews and comments that make this forum such a pleasure.

[nysusan]

Hi Buddy,

Thanks for your kind remarks. That definitely was Kondaurova as Myrtha at the last matinee. I've been meaning to post some thoughts about that last performance, and especially about Pavlenko's Giselle but I've been in DC at the RB Sleeping Beautys. I'll post some more when I'm back in NY

Susan

[Buddy]

I have a further thought about what I felt was Daria Pavlenko's wonderful Grand Pas de Deux.

I was so overwhelmed with 'how well' she was performing, that I really didn't try to analyze 'what' or 'who' she was performing.

My impression for the moment is that she was performing the Dance, 'the intense drama of the Dance itself' and not primarily a character.

I will restate that I thought her performance was 'Magnificent'.

Whatever she was doing, it worked wonderfully for me.

Waelsung, do you have any particular thoughts about this? Anyone else?

chiapuris, I know that you didn't see this performance, but you do have some very interesting ideas about what ballet is actually about. Would you care to comment or even start a new topic?

[Waelsung]

Buddy, on Jun 27 2006, 04:36 PM, said:

My impression for the moment is that she was performing the Dance, 'the intense drama of the Dance itself' and not primarily a character.

I like that.

For me, Pavlenko was the most rational, the most thought-through, the most detached Giselle out of the three that I saw in D.C. She was personified perfection - true otherwordly, unattainable beauty, statuesque and utterly tragic.

[canbelto]

It would seem like NOW would be the time for the MT to film a Giselle either with Pavlenko or Vishneva. It would be a nice replacement for the Mezentseva/Zaklinsky film, which IMO is marred by an extremely miscast Mezentseva. I watch that film chiefly for the curtain calls which are hilarious.

[Cygnet]

canbelto, on Jun 27 2006, 10:16 PM, said:

It would seem like NOW would be the time for the MT to film a Giselle either with Pavlenko or Vishneva. It would be a nice replacement for the Mezentseva/Zaklinsky film, which IMO is marred by an extremely miscast Mezentseva. I watch that film chiefly for the curtain calls which are hilarious.

A live Maryinsky Theatre "Giselle," with Pavlenko & Kolb would be an excellent idea .  Pavlenko
is on site and available in St. Petersburg.  Based on Vishneva's website schedule, as well as certain recent statements she has made to the Russian press, IMO, it would be incredible if she were to hang a U-turn and go back to her original HQ just to film "Giselle."   If she ever does a canned "Giselle," my guess is that either ABT or Berlin would do the honors.

[canbelto]

Vishneva's tours in the next few months are overwhelmingly with the MT, so it seems as if she has returned to the fold. So it might be possible to film her Giselle, before the theatre closes. Geez, maybe we could have two Giselles from the MT, to make up for the awful Mezentseva performance. In fact, maybe there could be like a box set. Swan Lake with Lopatkina, Bayadere with Vishneva, Juliet with Obratsova, and then Giselle with Pavlenko. But I guess that would be wisful thinking  

ETA: there actually is a commercially released Giselle with Vishneva and Malakhov, but that is only available in Japan. But it would be a really good idea for the Kirov to come out with another Bayadere.

[FauxPas]

It actually is really necessary to document the reconstructed 1900 Vikharev "La Bayadere" so that would be first on my wish list.  Once you have seen that version, the Makarova/Lanchbery last act just doesn't cut it any more.  There would have to be "Sleeping Beauty" as well in the Vikharev reconstruction and that should be Vishneva as well with Fadeev and Lopatkina as the Lilac Fairy.

I wish they had used Elena Evteeva as the Giselle in that 1980's filming, she was older than Mezentseva but had more pathos and delicacy.  

This just may happen but we may need to have a Western backer who would demand certain things from what seems to be an unwilling Mariinsky administration.

How was Alla Sizova's Giselle?  Was it one of her great roles like Aurora?

[bart]

I've loved reading this thread.  That's why Joan Acocella's comments in this weeks NEW YORKER hit me like a bucket of cold water:

Quote

... what the Kirov managers were apparently saying by setting this Forsythe program next to their antiquarian Giselle was that their dancers could do it all.  They could be Kirov (elegant and old-fashioned) and also Western (tough and cold, as these people clearly see it).  What they don't know is that Forsythe's ballets now look as dated as a nineteenth-century lithograph.  The Kirov needs somethiing truly new, and its own, not the work of of an American hipsters who gave ballet a slap in the face twenty years ago.  Maybe the company s hould call [Alexei] Ratmansky."

      Any thoughts?

P.S. Here's a LINK to the full review:  http://www.newyorker...ritics/dancing/

[chiapuris]

bart, on Jun 29 2006, 12:07 PM, said:

Joan Acocella's comments in this weeks NEW YORKER hit me like a bucket of cold water:

Quote

   The Kirov needs somethiing truly new, and its own."

  

Bart, hopefully, the Mariinsky may get something new, and their own, with Gelber's Golden Age.