61 replies to this topic

[Helene]

The Costa Mesa casting is listed as:

October 7, 2008            7:30PM            Don Quixote            Novikova-Sarafanov
October 8, 2008            7:30PM            Don Quixote            Vishneva-Fadeev
October 9, 2008            7:30PM            Don Quixote            Tereshkina-Lobukhin
October 10, 2008            7:30PM            Giselle                   Vishneva-Fadeev
October 11, 2008            2:00PM            Giselle                   Osmolkina-Shklyarov
October 11, 2008            7:30PM            Giselle                   Nioradze-Korsakov
October 12, 2008            2:00PM            Giselle                   Lopatkina-Ivanchenko

(Just a note that casting has a tendency to change around the closer it gets.)

I'm not a big Vishneva fan, but there are many on Ballet Talk who are and who've seen much more of her at ABT, and I suspect you'd get a lot of advice to see her if you have a chance.

Novikova reminded me a bit of Kay Mazzo when she danced "Rubies' at City Center this spring, and I could see her as Kitri.  I really liked Tereshkina's dancing, but none of the roles I saw her in was similar.

For the Kirov watchers, is Lopatkina a Giselle?  For that matter, is Vishneva?  

I wish I could see what Shklyarov does as Albrecht.  (Hopefully someone in Chicago or So Cal does and writes.  Or that I get sent there on business during the run )  From what I've seen of Korsakov, I like his dancing but he's kind of mellow.  He's not cold or distant, but I've never seen him be excitable.  And Albrecht needs to register something.

If I had to choose one of each, I'd pick the Tereshkina/Lobukhin "Don Q" and the Osmolkina/Shklyarov "Giselle" but I'm not sure anyone else would.

[Mashinka]

I'll second that, definately Tereshkina's Kitri and Osmolkina's Giselle.  Novikova does an excellent Don Q too, but Tereshkina is something else in the role.

Although I've not seen Vishneva's Giselle live a Russian couple showed me a DVD of her in the role and from that I would say she was the worst Giselle I've ever seen.  Can't imagine Lopatkina as Giselle at all, shouldn't she be cast as Queen of the Wilis?

[nysusan]

bertram, on Jul 27 2008, 05:14 PM, said:

I will be seeing the Kirov in Costa Mesa, CA in October> Can anyone tell me which Kirov Giselles and Don Q's would be best to see? Would love any opinions/thoughts/advice.

Thanks!

The minute I saw this on Ardani's website I started making plans to go see the OC perfomances. Unfortunately I won't be able to go this time but if I could I would have gone to see the Tereshkina DQ and the Osmolkina & Lopatkina Giselles (because I expected to see Vishneva's Giselle in NY this season).

Bertram, you've asked a tough question because the Kirov has so many wonderful dancers it's hard to choose 1 or 2 but I will try to help. I've never seen the Kirov's DQ but I've seen all the ballerinas scheduled to dance it. All 3 have superb technique but Novikova is small and has a real sweetness to her personality. I prefer fire from Kitri and would go for either Vishneva or Tereshkina EXCEPT that Novikova is scheduled to dance with Sarafanov. They have great chemistry together and he is a spectacular dancer. Still, if I had to choose one I agree with helene that it would be the Tereshkina/Lobukhin cast – he is an exciting dancer and she is probably the Kirov's strongest technician at this point. There is a lot of flashy dancing in DQ, I saw Tereshkina dance the pdd with Sarafanov and they were both amazing. She also has a very sparkling personality which I like for Kitri (as does Vishneva).

The Giselle casts present a really tough choice. I've never seen Nioradze dance, but of the other 3 ballerinas I think Osmolkina would be the most traditional Giselle. Her dancing looks effortless, classical, bright and clear with a very "floaty" quality and while she has a pretty, girlish look she is never cute or cloying. I also agree with Helene about Shklyarov, he is my favorite of the up and coming Kirov men and I'd love to see his Albrecht. On the other hand – I saw Vishneva's Giselle once and it was the best, most moving Giselle I'd seen in 30 years. I don't really think of her interpretation as traditional,  she has a very theatrical, dramatic bent but I recommend her highly and Fadeev is a beautiful dancer. By her looks alone Lopatkina is not a typical Giselle, I heard that she danced it in her first year with the company but didn't feel that it suited her and only added it back to her repertoire this year. She is very tall, with long arms & legs and a beautiful but strong face so she doesn’t look like a typical Giselle, but she is an incredible dancer and an interpretive artist of the first rank. I think my biggest disappointment in not being able to go to California in October is missing out on a chance to see how she will approach this role now that she is a seasoned dancer at the peak of her artistic abilities – she is a favorite of mine and an incredible adagio dancer so I'm sure her second act will be extraordinary.

Well, there you have it. As you can see it's hard to pick just one cast…

[bertram]

Well, so far it seems unanimous: Giselle with Osmolkina-Shklyarov and  Don Quixote with Tereshkina-Lobukhin. I really appreciate the advice. I've been watching clips of all the dancers on You Tube, which may not have been the best way to arrive at a decision, especially since I am a comparatively recent fan and have not seen an immense number of ballets. From what I saw, I was really impressed with Lopatkina and Vishneva, although I can understand why Lopatkina might not be a typical Giselle, although I'd think that both Lopatkina and Nioradze in the second act would be lovely.

Interestingly, I would have thought that Vishneva would have been the odds on favorite.

Thank you again and I look forward to more comments!  I am always happy to hear what people think!

[canbelto]

I'd say Vishneva or Osmolkina. Vishneva's Giselle would not be, as susan mentions, for "everyone" but I personally thought it was the best performance I'd ever seen of this role, anywhere, anytime.

[Marc Haegeman]

bertram, on Jul 27 2008, 09:14 PM, said:

I will be seeing the Kirov in Costa Mesa, CA in October> Can anyone tell me which Kirov Giselles and Don Q's would be best to see? Would love any opinions/thoughts/advice.

Thanks!

Never buy tickets especially for a dancer when it's the Mariinsky, you will get disappointed because of last-minute cast changes   But if one had the choice, I'd recommend (in this order):
October 7, 2008 7:30PM Don Quixote Novikova-Sarafanov
October 8, 2008 7:30PM Don Quixote Vishneva-Fadeev

Novikova and Sarafanov are at this moment the best Don Q couple you may get at the Mariinsky. Tereshkina is about as close to Kitri as Lopatkina is to the Blue Angel. As for Giselle, I'd rather buy that second ticket of Don Quixote instead.

[bertram]

Thank you for the additional replies. It's all very educational to hear everyone's thoughts!

[YID]

Looking for your recommendation on the seating at Chicago Auditorium Theater.
Do they have any great secret seating that is a great bargain or which row in the orchestra doesn't cut of the view of the points (like Kennedy does in the first 6 rows).
I got my plain-tickets and am flying there ;_)) (will be going Sat & sunday, if i buy bargain tickets ;-))

[nysusan]

YID, on Aug 18 2008, 02:54 PM, said:

Looking for your recommendation on the seating at Chicago Auditorium Theater.
Do they have any great secret seating that is a great bargain or which row in the orchestra doesn't cut of the view of the points (like Kennedy does in the first 6 rows).
I got my plain-tickets and am flying there ;_)) (will be going Sat & sunday, if i buy bargain tickets ;-))

I am so jealous, you know I was hoping to go see them in Southern Cal but unfortunately I'm not going to be able to make the trip. I'll just have to console myself with Morphoses & SFB at City Center.

I've only been to the Aud once, for the Swan Lake series they did there a couple of years ago. I don't know about any bargain seats, but I went to several performances and sat in different locations so here's what I remember:

The view from the less expensive side boxes is pretty poor – they are very close to the stage and you see way into the wings – which I found really distracting. I thought they were much worse than State Theater side arm seats or side parterre box seating at the Met. The 1st Balcony center is way far back, I sat there for one performance and it felt like you were in another zip code! The orchestra is very well raked so I think that once you get past about mid orchestra your view is from above stage level. There is also 1 particular row (I think it's row P) that is raised more than the others. I usually avoid orchestra seats but these would definitely be my first choice in this theater.

Have fun!
Susan

[Cygnet]

I ordered my tix this past Sunday, and got my seat confirmations for Tereshkina's "Don Q," and
Lopatkina's "Giselle."  I hope the principal cast lists announced for the OCPAC engagement
stay valid.  

Natalia wrote,

Quote

. . . they'd better not substitute The Unmusical Gymnast/spokesmodel . . . at the
last minute."

They're reknowned for cast changes that are neither inserted in programs, or announced on the p.a. system.  
That said, there's a 99.5% chance that Alinashka will grace us with her Dryad and Myrtha.  This prediction also includes her full-length Kitri, (at least one performance in Berkeley, and/or substitution at OCPAC).  Also, Madame Vazieva may have prepared her for another American debut.  She made her Aurora debut here in L.A. in October 2005.  I'm dreading an unannounced Giselle debut, or her full-length Kitri the night I booked for Vicky.

[Helene]

If Somova substitutes, I think she'd be immediately recognizable, insert/announcement or no insert/announcement.

[Cygnet]

Helene, on Aug 20 2008, 01:06 AM, said:

If Somova substitutes, I think she'd be immediately recognizable, insert/announcement or no insert/announcement.

True Helene:  Somova's in a class by herself !

[YID]

nysusan, on Aug 19 2008, 02:11 PM, said:

The view from the less expensive side boxes is pretty poor – they are very close to the stage and you see way into the wings – which I found really distracting. I thought they were much worse than State Theater side arm seats or side parterre box seating at the Met. The 1st Balcony center is way far back, I sat there for one performance and it felt like you were in another zip code! The orchestra is very well raked so I think that once you get past about mid orchestra your view is from above stage level. There is also 1 particular row (I think it's row P) that is raised more than the others. I usually avoid orchestra seats but these would definitely be my first choice in this theater.
Susan

Thank you Susan. I am flying Delta, in case if you wanna pretend to be my checked in luggage (just kidding). I will miss your company and opinions ;-))

[Sacto1654]

I REALLY hate to say this, but you folks might want to check up on the ticket refund policy due to this issue:

http://www.telegraph...in-Ossetia.html

Because of increasing tensions between the USA and Russia over the war between Georgia and Russia (not to mention the fact Mariinsky Theatre artistic director Valery Gergiev has a personal interest in this conflict!), there's a chance that the fall 2008 USA tour could be cancelled. That's a bummer, because I have tickets for the October 15, 2008 performance at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA.   Good thing I bought those tickets with a Visa card, so Visa can assist me in getting a proper refund if we do have a cancellation.

[Cygnet]

Sacto1654, on Aug 22 2008, 12:33 PM, said:

I REALLY hate to say this, but you folks might want to check up on the ticket refund policy due to this issue:

http://www.telegraph...in-Ossetia.html

Because of increasing tensions between the USA and Russia over the war between Georgia and Russia (not to mention the fact Mariinsky Theatre artistic director Valery Gergiev has a personal interest in this conflict!), there's a chance that the fall 2008 USA tour could be cancelled. That's a bummer, because I have tickets for the October 15, 2008 performance at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA.   Good thing I bought those tickets with a Visa card, so Visa can assist me in getting a proper refund if we do have a cancellation.

Ditto that Sacto1654!  I received mine yesterday.  When I booked I brought this scenario up with the sales rep.
Not to worry.  If relations continue south and they cancel the tour, he stated " . . . OCPAC will forward
a letter and a Center refund check."