25 replies to this topic

[Natalia]

Geier, on Mar 9 2007, 11:41 AM, said:

Natalia, on Mar 7 2007, 05:57 PM, said:

I would skip the 'R&J' on the 14th

...Cojocaru and Kobborg announced to dance it...

Cojo/Kobo have already danced R&J in St Petersburg (White Nights 2003 with the RB). Of course, this would be their debut in the Lavrovsky version, which is quite different. Decisions - decisions. Hmmm...sorry, I'd still take a Raymonda over an R&J, regardless of who is dancing.

[chiapuris]

Natalia, on Mar 9 2007, 05:00 PM, said:

[
Decisions - decisions. Hmmm...sorry, I'd still take a Raymonda over an R&J, regardless of who is dancing.

Haven't quite made up my mind yet, but I agree with you.
Raymonda, for me, is such a rare, rarely seen, treat.

[Buddy]

All tickets now are available at the Mariinsky site, but still no casting information. The 20th is now to be Don Quixote instead of Swan Lake. Swan Lake is out. The 14th which was Don Quixote is now Romeo and Juliet. The 19th has just been added as a Forsythe evening.

PS I would personally climb a mountain to see Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg dance most anything.

[chiapuris]

Natalia, on Mar 9 2007, 05:00 PM, said:

[
Decisions - decisions. Hmmm...sorry, I'd still take a Raymonda over an R&J, regardless of who is dancing.

I decided that too. So I initiated ticket purchase.
Today I received an e-mail from Alexander Mussorgsky:

Tickets for Raymonda on the 14th are sold out.

[chiapuris]

Other than gleaning from other sites that Obraztsova may dance Flora,
Tsiskaridze may dance Solor with Lopatkina and Alexandrova, and Letestu and Martinez may appear in the Gala on the 22nd in Delibes Suite, is there STILL no casting information available?

At least I can't find any on the Mariinsky site.

Can contracts and arrangements still be pending with 20 days to go before performances?

[chiapuris]

The Mariinsky site has finally posted casting for Festival VII.

http://www.mariinsky...ill?pbmy=200704

[canbelto]

I suppose just in time for the Festival, several artists have been promoted.
Leonid Sarafanov has been promoted to principal, and Obraztsova, Novikova, Somova, and Vladimir Shklyarov have been promited to second soloist.

http://www.mariinsky.../ballet/soloist

http://www.mariinsky...soloist/dancers

[scherzo]

Wow, Obraztsova and Somova are only just second soloists?? The Mariinsky has interesting casting policies, giving coryphees principal roles etc.

[Cygnet]

scherzo, on Mar 31 2007, 09:16 PM, said:

Wow, Obraztsova and Somova are only just second soloists?? The Mariinsky has interesting casting policies, giving coryphees principal roles etc.

In recent years the casting policy has been to bench principals and ranking members in favor of coryphees, at home and on tours, particularly tours to major world cities.  Is it wise to give an unproven coryphee unique star status?  Is it wise to hang a coryphee's portrait in the opera house canteen?  Is it wise to give a coryphee or corps member opening night on tour in "Swan Lake," while consigning excellent, experienced Principals like Lopatkina or Pavlenko to second, third or fourth cast?  If the coryphee or corps member is most exceptional, yes, if not, no it isn't.  IMO, one such coryphee who qualified as most
exceptional as O/O and Nikiya was Altynai Asylmuratova in Paris during the 1982 tour.

Right now the soloist ranks are top heavy with many talents who should have gone forward but didn't, such as Maya Dumchenko, Elvira Tarasova and Svetlana Ivanova.  As for Yevgenya Obratzova, at least she is a 2005 Moscow IBC Gold Medalist, and critically acclaimed internationally.  Alina Somova is neither; and her promotion is inexplicable and alarming.  IMO this reflects what is the perverse parallel universe that is the Maryinsky today.

[chiapuris]

Cygnet, on Apr 3 2007, 11:33 PM, said:

Alina Somova ...... her promotion is inexplicable and alarming.

Having seen her as Aurora in SB and Queen of the Dryads in DQ has been enough to leave me
totally puzzled as to what qualities the artistic direction sees and seeks to nourish in her development,
that I for one can't seem to appreciate. Maybe someone who appreciates her artistry can help me better understand.

At the upcoming Festival I noticed her name does not appear in any night's cast.
BUT.... the casting for the first and second nights' Apollo is yet to be announced!

[skj07]

Obviously the prominence of Alina Somova has left many scratching their heads, but I was wondering what the Russian audience thought of her. Is there a difference in reaction to her different between American and the British with that of the Russians?