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New 'Le Corsaire' at Bolshoi


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....For example, please listen to this music well known as Esmeralda’s variation which was usually attributed to Drigo. Yuri Burlaka found that this is a variation of Sieba ....

Mikhail, you might want to let folks know that this piano music & your information about its provenance come from the 1999 commercial CD by Vienna-based accompanist Igor Zapravdin - "Music of the Russian Imperial Ballet."

I'm curious if another piece from that same CD -- Pas d'Action from Drigo's "The Enchanted Forest" -- is among the musical numbers borrowed by Burlaka in his Bolshoi staging? If so, it is a gorgeous piece of music, indeed!

p.s. In his three CDs ('97, '99 and the latest one from '07), Zapravdin acknowledges and thanks Burlaka for the archival material.

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Oh, yes, Natalia, you are right, Igor Zapravdin plays piano in my link but the music is so famous that one could readily find orchestrated records. I do not think it is really important for our readers. I do not think we have to give exact references to each statement as how we publish scientific papers. Do we fight for the copyright or just support the free conversation? Sorry if I violated some of your rules. Esmeralda’s variation was interesting for me in the context of Le Corsaire for two reasons: it gave an example of Burlaka’s job and it was used once as Medora’s variation instead of the present Finesse d’amour.

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Mel, "à l'abordage" is actually shouted when the pirate ship hooks or hitches its opponent so that the attackers can jump aboard. Now you tell us what the English/US naval term for that action is.

"Make fast grapnels!" That's a command to tie the grappling hooks' lines to a capstan and haul the ships close alongside. It's been a long time since the sail navies, and I can't think of any action of the navies of the XXth century where a ship actually grappled and boarded another. A couple of U-boats maybe, but they weren't hooked by the destroyers.

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There are lots of old commands from the sail navies, and those quasi-naval forces like pirates and privateers, that just aren't used any more. I found "au bord" in Karl-Gustav Tornquist's journal, "Operations of the the Fleet of Admiral de Grasse in the American War". He was a Swedish captain in the French Navy, in which he served until being captured at the "Battle of the Saints" in the West Indies. He seemed to use "au bord" in the sense of "Boarding party away"; "à l'abordage" would logically come before that, as, "All hands make ready to ram". That one they've still got. You can still always try to run somebody over!

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You are right, Mme. Hermine, just forgot that ABT has Sergeev's version which starts at the bazaar.

Natalia, I think we should not worry about tour to London. Bolshoi had the successful experience in 1956 how to dance in a very cold weather. :D

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Dear colleagues,

in a few days Bolshoi’s ballerinas go to London. They still do not know what to cry at the end of Le Petit Corsaire. Help them, please. I am quite serious, this is a problem and all good proposals will be transferred immediately to Ratmansky and Burlaka. Time goes too fast.

It is not necessary to look for an adequate translation to “Au bord” ot “À l’abordage” or to dig special dictionaries.

1) The cry should be familiar to any English speaking audience (which consists of not only sailors :tiphat: ) to produce humoristic effect.

2) Still some associations are necessary – either with pirates or, more general, with sea battles, or even more general, with an appeal to some brave and dangerous actions. What do football fans cry, by the way?

3) It should be short enough and easy to pronounce.

Thank you.

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Well, "hit the deck" means, "lie down". "Bottoms up" is, as noted, mostly associated with drinking - maybe "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle a' rum!" would be more piratical. "All aboard" is good, but really linked to railroads. Maybe "boarders away" would be a better fit. And of course, there's always the artillerist's "INCOMING!" Warning the sailors of a cannonball or bomb inbound, so that they can "hit the deck!"

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Well, well... "Bottoms up" indeed can produce a humoristic effect. While Medora dances Le Petit Corsaire all others are drinking wine. So "bottoms up" fits the mise-en-scène.

"Ahoy" should be used also. I attended four performances (actually five but Stepanenko did not cry at all at the rehearsal) and noticed that the audience had no time to react, to understabd the words. They just were not ready for the cry. Thus, to cry Ahoy to attract their attention, then to make a small pause and when the audience is ready to cry Bottoms up.

Is it OK?

All aboard is OK for me and very close to the Russian cry, but is it really related to trains, not to ships?

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"All aboard" would definitely create confusion in America, where it is inextricably bound up with railroad passenger trains. "All hands on deck" might work. And "anchors away" is actually "anchors aweigh" (it sounds just the same) which means "pull up the anchor, you're/we're about to leave." For dropping the anchor, the command is "let go (forward/aft) anchor". But "Anchors Aweigh" is also the official U.S. Navy fight song, so unless Medora is American....

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From my English experience as a child, one used to hear "All aboard who's going aboard."
From my American experience, "All ashore who's going ashore." Last chance for well wishers to hug their cruising dear ones with a bon voyage wish.

But back to topic, it sounds to me that words aren't even necessary here -- just a lot of agressive vocalizations. "Hey, Hey! Rar-rar Whooop!"

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Did I miss "avast, me hearties!" in the posts so far?

If not, the pop culture reference to Pirates of the Caribbean might get a laugh. Maybe the ballerinas are looking for Johnny Depp?

However, "avast" means stop/desist. So it might not be the best thing for a rather vigorous dance scene.

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I think we've been dancing all around it: For Americans, "BATTLE STATIONS!"

For Britons, "ACTION STATIONS!"

But "Ahoy!" is good too. Means, "Listen here! Pay attention!" Often used for calling to other ships, "Ahoy!!! What ship is that?"

And if you want them to "bottoms up" - the nautical for that is "Down the hatch!"

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