31 replies to this topic

[bart]

Innopac's ink and Cristian's comment on it raise a very interesting point.  And thank you Eric for reviving this thread.   It might be a good idea to reserve this thread as much as possible for issues relating to the Bolshoi Esmeralda, and to talk about reconstructions in general on our on-going thread on that topic.

[MOD beanie on]  
I'm going to leave Cristian's last post here but also copy it to the on-going thread on reconstructions..

The post will be Post #37, at the link below, for those who want to respond to reconstructions in general.:

http://balletalert.i...113#entry293113
[MOD beanie off]

[EricHG31]

Lidewij, on 14 October 2011 - 02:22 AM, said:

This was discussed (a little) in the interview with Yuri Burlaka and Vasily Medvedev during the intermission of the broadcast.  Mr Medvedev said that in the grand pas with Fleur de Lys, he used the floor patterns of Petipa, but changed the steps.  And he added a male corps to show the world what they could do (I don't recall what he exactly said, but this is the essention of what he said).
This was the example he used, I wonder what he has changed in other scenes..

I think Burlaka also said that all of Perrot's mime was shown in the production.

Bart, I really appreciate you taking the time to direct us (in particular, me) to keep these posts in the right threads.  This forum has become an indispensible resource for so much ballet information, and the organization certainly helps.  

Lidewij, thanks!  I admit, I missed nearly all the intermission stuff (and even, unfortunately, the very start of the next act, as I had to run out to the lobby to check in with a sick family member).  I do appreciate that these Bolshoi broadcasts seem to be making an effort to give some historical perspective and details about the actual production--something a lot of TV and DVD releases of ballets fail to do (although I sympathize with the woman who has to translate everything--as a French speaker, I spend more attention listening to her French bits, where she seems more comfortable).

WIth regards to this production of Esmeralda, I'd be curious to know how authentic to late 19th century Petipa the sets and costumes are.  The costume and scenery designers (who I believe worked on Corsaire as well) also worked on the Vikharev Mariinsky reconstructions, but I get the impression that there was more leeway with this (and Corsaire) to not be quite as strictly faithful.  I know the costumes are based on Vsevolozhsky's sketches, but some elements (like Phoebus' modern tights all the way to the waist in Act III which would have shocked 19th Century audiences), seem more modern.  These details are probably too complex to fully get into--and I found it a beautiful production, but I guess the ballet geek in me would like to know all the details.