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Giselle At the Kennedy Center - Feb 2011


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Injuries are one and only one reason. At the Mariinsky, last-minute, unannounced switches rarely have to do with injuries.

That may be true, but I was responding to someone asking about getting tickets to see ABT. (Yes, I know this is the wrong forum for that.) My perception has been that ABT is less likely than, perhaps, Mariinsky to make last-minute switches that are not due to injury.

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Saw Hallberg in the audience last night (was told he rehearses SL for Mariinsky's festival).

Vishneva and (my favorite) Fadeev & Kondaurova were OUTSTANDING last night. Such great acting, so true. Great performance. Saw open rehearsal and (as hoped) swithced Fr. Night to Sat. Matinee to see Tereshkina & Shklyarov (who will add an additional vatiation in Act 1 (once composed by Sergeev and once danced years ago - he danced it so flawlessly & impressively during the Dress Rehearsal.

PS: no mention was made of Valeria Martinyuk dancing instead of Shirinkina in Peasant pas de deux. Oksana Skorik (1 of 2 lead wilises) was elevating her legs higher than the rest though was asked to not do so at dress rehearsal

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Thanks for the report, YID! I love the bit about Skorik being told to not lift the leg too high; finally, the coaches are seeing the absurdity in dancing in a neoclassical manner in 19th-C. ballets? We'll see if the same rule holds true for young ballerinas dancing the leading role. :) Now I cannot wait to see Schklyarov dancing the special Sergeev variation. I'll be there for weekend performances. Too much late-night work in office this week.

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Thanks for the report, YID!

I would LOVE to see Shirinkina's Peasant PPD so hopefully the switch was just for one night. Who was Martinyuk's partner?

Very excited about seeing Shklyarov in Sergeev's variation and still crossing my fingers that Lopatkina shows up for Sat night.

I'll be there for both performances on Sat & the Sun matinee. See you and Natalia there!

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...So, he will perform in St. Petersburg? When will the festival be held?

Here is the list of dates for various upcoming festivals at the MT:

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/festivale/fest_2010_2011/

So far, we know only that the ballet festival in mid-April will include a Swan Lake with Hallberg -- presumably partnering one of the four ballerinas who is here in DC this week -- and the company premiere of Preljocaj's modern 1-act (long act) work for POB, Le Parc. A while back, it was thought that this year's festival novelty would be the company premiere of Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream but nothing more has been heard about this since last fall, so perhaps that dream died or is on hold. Le Parc will be the big full-evening premiere, with Vishneva leading one of the casts and Terioshkina the other one (so far - may change, as things do so often at the MT).

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...So, he will perform in St. Petersburg? When will the festival be held?

Here is the list of dates for various upcoming festivals at the MT:

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/festivale/fest_2010_2011/

So far, we know only that the ballet festival in mid-April will include a Swan Lake with Hallberg -- presumably partnering one of the four ballerinas who is here in DC this week -- and the company premiere of Preljocaj's modern 1-act (long act) work for POB, Le Parc. A while back, it was thought that this year's festival novelty would be the company premiere of Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream but nothing more has been heard about this since last fall, so perhaps that dream died or is on hold. Le Parc will be the big full-evening premiere, with Vishneva leading one of the casts and Terioshkina the other one (so far - may change, as things do so often at the MT).

I don't know if this is the right place to continue this discussion (so feel free to move!) but Ashley Bouder wrote on her twitter she'd be doing Don Quixote with Denis Matvienko (wasn't she supposed to do a DonQ a year or so ago and couldn't make it because of injury?) and that Cojocaru/Kobborg would be doing a Giselle. A look on Alina's website confirms her date for the 23rd and the gala on the 24th.

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Does anyone know more about the extra variation that Mr. Shklyarov danced tonight in the first act? Whose music is this? Who choreographed this variation and when? Who danced it first? Why is Mr. Shklyarov including it in his performances whereas other Mariinsky Albrechts do not?

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Does anyone know more about the extra variation that Mr. Shklyarov danced tonight in the first act? Whose music is this? Who choreographed this variation and when? Who danced it first? Why is Mr. Shklyarov including it in his performances whereas other Mariinsky Albrechts do not?

If you read YID's post above -- Feb. 9 of Tuesday's dress rehearsal -- she wrote:

"Shklyarov (who will add an additional vatiation in Act 1, once composed by Sergeev and once danced years ago - he danced it so flawlessly & impressively during the Dress Rehearsal)..."

Konstantin Sergeyev, 1940s. Why? Because he wishes to do so, just as Terioshkina, among the 2009 Kitris at the Kennedy Center, elected to dance Dudinskaya's own ultra-difficult Dulcinea Variation in the Dream Scene of DON Q. I believe that the music to which Schklyarov danced is the same as is included in the middle of Act I of the 1960s Richard Bonynge recording of the score, which is supposed to be the 'pure all-Adam' version...but I need to find my CD of that recording and check.

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Saturday night and Sunday's (matinee) performances -- Lopatkina and Vishneva, respectively -- are now completely sold out, according to the KennCen web:

http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=BLBSF

Well, Friday night & Sat 1:30 doen't have the "sold out" tags yet. but if you click on the tickets & availablitily - all categories are SOLD OUT.....

Responding on the variation - the performer himself told that it's the original music of Adam and used to be danced, then got dropped. He prefers to dance it since Albreht doesn't have a lot of dancing in Act 1, and because it's a good variation.

Well, some dancers go an extra mile (dance an extra variation ;-)) for sake of art. Looking forward to seeing it again.

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Does anyone know more about the extra variation that Mr. Shklyarov danced tonight in the first act? Whose music is this? Who choreographed this variation and when? Who danced it first? Why is Mr. Shklyarov including it in his performances whereas other Mariinsky Albrechts do not?

This solo also can be seen in Sergeyev's Class Concert (From Landet to Vaganova), for example here at 3:50 danced by three Vaganova students.

Shklyarov must like additional solos - he also danced solo at the end of first scene of Swan Lake, which wasn't dance neither by Zaklinsky, nor Zelensky, nor Korsuntsev in commercial recordings.

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....Responding on the variation - the performer himself told that it's the original music of Adam and used to be danced, then got dropped. He prefers to dance it since Albreht doesn't have a lot of dancing in Act 1, and because it's a good variation.

Well, some dancers go an extra mile (dance an extra variation ;-)) for sake of art. Looking forward to seeing it again.

Then the music is most likely from the 'Maria Gorshenkova PDD' that Minkus wrote for the 1884 Imperial Mariinsky version of GISELLE (and used by Arpino for his "L'Air d'Esprit" in the 1970s). The PDD was choreographed by Petipa but parts were re-choreographed in Soviet times by Konstantin Sergeyev. It was performed by the Kirov-Mariinsky until 1978, when the current version by Yuri Slonimsky-after-Petipa (which tries to restore the full 1841 Adam+Burgmuller score...as Burgmuller's 'Peasant Pas' was indeed in the 1841 original Paris production) premiered.

Minkus' 1884 "Gorshenkova PDD" is NOT in the Richard Bonynge GISELLE CD, which restores the complete 1841 Adam/Burgmuller score, although the Bonynge includes the often-cut 'Pas des Vendages' from Act 1 that Nureyev used for the Bavarian Ballet version. To hear Minkus' "Gorshenkova PDD" one must go to the 1967 LP recording of GISELLE by the Bolshoi Orchestra, which has never been issued on CD.

Tomorrow afternoon I hope to see Shklyarov dance this variation, so I should be able to definitively identify the music....be it 'Gorshenkova PDD' or 'Vendages' or something else.

ADDED:

Bianca, I just saw the YouTube LANDET TO VAGANOVA film. If that's what Shklyarov dances in the current GISELLE, then it's by Drigo...hence, "none of the above"! (Sergeyev must have added this one variation to the Gorshenkova PDD, I'm guessing...or maybe Sergeyev created the steps to this variation specifically for LANDE TO VAGANOVA and Shklyarov requested that he be allowed to add it to GISELLE?) Can't wait for tomorrow afternoon's performance.

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I just wanted to share a few thoughts about the Feb 10 Thursday evening (Tereshkina/Shklyarov/Kondaurova) performance, because it was so incredibly exciting to see! I left the theater feeling absolutely blown away, especially by the second act. I'll caveat by saying the last time I saw Mariinsky (then Kirov) was when I was in St. Petersburg in 2002, and this is a company I haven't kept up much, so this was the first time I saw any of these dancers live. And I am by no means a professional or experienced reviewer--just a former ballet dancer and an avid ballet fan!

Act I

From the second balcony, Tereshkina's looks reminded me of Snow White--so pale with striking dark hair. When she began to dance, as lovely as her feet and legs were, I was mesmerized by her upper body, which is the most impressive I've ever seen in a live performance, hands down! Shklyarov was really impressive, both as a dancer and actor (although it's kind of hard to see the acting details from where I was sitting!). I very much enjoyed his 2nd variation, discussed earlier in this topic--but for me this ballet belonged to the women, that is what my eyes and memories have fixated on. The Peasant pas was danced by Valeria Martinyuk and Alexei Timofeev. I really enjoyed Martinyuk's precise, razor sharp style, and her beautifully supple and well-used feet. Her shoes were much much quieter than most of the others', leading me to suspect that she wears Gaynor Mindens--they looked suspiciously as such, even from 2nd balcony, but her beautiful feet made up for this! She seems to be a very solid, petite dancer, and there was never a wobbly moment in her performance. Timofeev did a fine job as her partner, but I can't recall any particular details about his dancing.

I thought Tereshkina's looks served her particularly well in the mad scene, as she did look, well, a bit scary! Here's a question--I haven't seen Giselle performed live in a long while--does she usually tear her hair out while running around? In this version, when she first faints, Bathilda is tending to her, and seemed to remove some clips from her hair, so that when Giselle gets up again, her hair is suddenly down. I wouldn't have noticed this except for an unfortunately distracting moment when Bathilda slid the hair clips to the side of the stage. Why couldn’t she have snuck them into the pocket of her costume instead? At any rate, the acting in this scene was quite good. I got really caught up in the drama, intensity, and well-timed nature of how it was performed.

Act II

As excellent as the first act was, this was the act that really blew me (and the rest of the audience, based on their comments and the uptick in applause) away! Kondaurova’s bourrees, were of course, minuscule, silent, and breathtaking—they alone were worth the price of a ticket. To contrast, her jumps were grand, huge, and solid. But for me, Tereshkina stole this act: Wili-Tereshkina was a revelation, an inhuman, ethereal creature, just incredible! Her arms and upper body really got to do their work in this act—again, they are the most expressive and achingly lovely I’ve ever seen, and like Kondaurova’s bourrees, they alone were also worth the price of the most expensive ticket! This is to say nothing of her supple feet, her rock solid control, and the strength of her jumps. Simply put, I could not believe what an incredible dancer I had the privilege of seeing.

Daria Vasnetsova and Oksana Skorik danced the two lead Wilis, and I was wishing I could tell one from the other, since I saw the documentary featuring Skorik and would have loved to know which one she was. Anyone know if she was mainly on stage right or left? Perhaps if I had read this post before attending, I could have noted that the one with the higher leg was Skorik :wink: They did a fine job, along with the corps, which was exquisitely disciplined and precise throughout.

Clearly I only have good things to say about this performance, but would be interested to read a more critiques by experienced writers. Especially interested to hear about the other castings, and if anyone got stuck with Somova, how did that turn out?

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As an ex-dancer and teacher and someone who spoke often with George Balanchine, I am making this comment with many years of ballet experience and viewing. I have seen every Mariinsky Giselle this week, starting with the dress rehearsal on Tuesday, continuing with Vishneva, Somova, Tereshkina and Somova again last night. I applaud Ilya for his accurate appraisal of Somova's Giselle, but his comments are slightly understated. While Olga Spessivtseva is recognized by many as the quintessential Giselle, the interpretation presented by Alina Somova is destined to go down in future ballet history as one the all time great Giselle performances. Having seen her only Mariinsky Theatre Juliet and her last Mariinsky Theatre Nikiya, she has proven to me that her acting ability is her greatest strength, even stronger that her highly criticized extension.

From her entrance from her cottage to the closing curtain, her acting dominated a remarkable performance. She showed such a wide range of emotions and her mad scene was unlike any other mad scene. Her acting is very unique and totally unlike any previous ballerina. You do not need clones of previous ballerinas and Alina does not copy anyone and Terekhova, who never danced Giselle, has done a remarkable job coaching Alina. Having seen Alina's remarkable acting as Juliet and Nikiya in SPB, I expected a superb mad scene and that is what she produced. What i did not expect was the revelation of act 2. It has been many years since I have seen a breath taking Giselle pas de deux and what I saw was mind boggling. Alina was fully entranced as Giselle. she showed such a wide range of emotions and her severe criticism as being unmusical is way off base in her Giselle. Her musicality in the pas de deux brought Giselle to immortality. Her phenomenal adagio work seemed so minor in comparison to her overall interpretation. Her magnificent arms and amazing use of her upper body, thanks to years of Vaganova training, were unlike any other Giselle I have witnessed. I have seen all the great Russian ballerinas of the past 50 years and Maximova, Bessmertnova, Makarova were nothing like this girl, although I loved Natasha and Katya(yes there are 2 Natasha).Her flawless dancing was secondary and unimportant when compared to her historic interpretation.

Having seen Vishneva and Tereshkina this week and having seen Lopatkina recently at her home theatre, i feel sorry for all the ballet fans that did not want to get stuck with Somova. Unfortunately, they will get stuck this week with the scrubs, a sports term for second stringers. Alina Somova is currently vastly superior to ever star ballerina in the world and I recently spent several weeks at the Bolshoi Theatre, viewing company class, rehearsals and performances, so the Bolshoi has nobody at Alina's level and none of the current Mariinsky stars can approach her.

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In response to Elizaveta, same first name as Cheprasova, who danced Friday night peasant pas de deux, it is easy to distinguish between Dasha Vasnetsova and Oksana Skorik. Dasha is the beautiful girl, who enters first on the audience's right side and stands on the left side and does the second solo. Oksana is not the beautiful one who enters on the left side and stands on the right side and does the first solo.

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