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2012/2013 Mariinsky Ballet Season: General News, etc.


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The season began on Wednesday night with K. Sergeev's Raymonda, starring Novikova and Schklyarov (a debut for him). Russians are 'quick on the draw' with YouTube vids, including curtain calls:

http://www.youtube.c...d&v=1Ow06CJPge0

The MT website has published the annual season's-start announcement, with details on the upcoming ballet & opera season:
http://www.mariinsky...liz_2012_09_19/ (so far only in Russian, sorry)

Highlights/Interesting Notes on the Ballet season:

- the season's first premiere will be soon -- Sept. 27 -- with Jiri Bubenicek's ballet 'Tender Memories' for Ekaterina Kondaurova, also featuring I. Baimuradov, A. Sergeev and A. Pimonov.

- the 13th International Ballet Festival 'Mariinsky' will occur earlier than normal this season: 28 Feb - 10 March 2013. The festival will open with Lavrovsky's Romeo & Juliet, starring Vishneva, and directed by Gergiev. Company premieres will include Lifar's Suite en Blanc and Alexei Ratmansky will stage the company premiere of a ballet to Shostakovich music [interjection: this may be Concerto DSCH, created for NYCB? just a guess]. The festival will also see the revivals of the mixed bill of William Forsythe ballets that have been out of repertoire for some time.

- Gergiev announced that the 'Mariinsky II' opera house is on schedule for a grand opening at the start of the annual White Nights Festival, beginning early May 2013. Among the ballet offerings at the summer festival will be the premiere of a new Rite of Spring by modern choreographer Sasha Waltz, to be shown on a triple bill to also include the Nijinsky-Hodson Rite of Spring and Balanchine's Prodigal Son. This 3ple bill will honor the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Nijinsky's work in Paris. Thus, there will be 'dual premieres': on May 14 in St petersburg, then the troupe will travel to Paris to dance the same 3ple bill at the end of May!

- "...many DVDs will be issued of ballets and operas..." according to the article....but all of the titles cited are only of operas, including a Wagner Ring Cycle, Iolanta, Khovantschina, etc.

- Other Tours during the season will include the USA - California and DC -- in early/mid October; Asia fm late Oct to early December; Abu Dhabi in March 2013, Moscow, for the Golden Mask Festival, to show Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream (so I guess that it has been nominated?); and the troupe's first-ever visit to the Salzburg "Whit-Sun" festival in summer 2013 [according to Wikipedia the 'Whitsun Festival' is an extension of the usual Salzburg Summer Festival]. The Salzburg run will present works by Igor Stravinsky, exclusively. [interjection: Although not mentioned in the press release, I believe that the troupe is also scheduled for their annual December season at Baden-Baden.]

- Foreign companies visiting the Mariinsky during the 12/13 season will include Israel's Batsheva Dance Company and Nederlands Dans Theatre.

- Finally, the news that the ranks of the Mariinsky Ballet's corps now boasts no less than FIFTEEN (15) graduates from the Class of 2012. [Names of the lucky grads not cited but we will see them soon enough on the website roster.]

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There will be a triple bill with TWO versions of Rite of Spring?

That's what it says, ksk04! Somehow this brings back memories of 'Shostakovich Festival' bomb at the London Coli ca 2006. I hope I'm wrong. No disrespect to the individual works but...is the Mariinsky trying to blow itself out of existence?

The miracle, I suppose, is that Gergiev isn't going for a "Rite Three-peat" with the Nijinsky-Hodson, the 1990s Ratmansky, and the Sasha Waltz! Instead, there will be some 'light entertainment' in the form of Prodigal Son, in between the two Rites.

Their one big summer tour, according to this, will be the Salzburg Festival, featuring ballets to the music of Stravinsky...so more Rites of Spring?

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Whitsun Festival in Salzburg is May 18 and 19, program is:

IGOR STRAVINSKY • Les Noces (The Wedding)

featuring the choreography of the world premiere (1923) by Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) with stage sets by Natalia Gontcharova (1881-1962)

IGOR STRAVINSKY • Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring)

featuring the choreography of the world premiere (1913) by Vaslav Nijinsky (1889/90-1950) with stage sets by Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947)

IGOR STRAVINSKY • L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird)

featuring the choreography of the world premiere (1910) by Michel Fokin (1880-1942) with sets and costumes based on designs by M. Fokin, A. Golovin and L. Bakst

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Thanks for this clarification, kbarber. Meh...but not as bad as the 'two Rites + Prodigal Son' to be presented at the Mariinsky and at the Elysees Theater in Paris at the end of May.

So if Whitsun Festival in Salzburg is in May (not summer, as Wikipedia states), then perhaps the troupe would be free for a London tour in July/August? However, I seem to recall that the Bolshoi will be in London during that timeframe (end July/mid-August 2013) and, as history shows us from the 2006 experiment, it's not wise to program the Bolshoi and Mariinsky at the same time in London, in neighboring theaters.

I suppose that my $64,000 Questions are:

Where is Petipa?

and

Where is classicism?

Other than the fact that the season began last night with a Raymonda -- thank goodness for that! -- the company isn't exactly showcasing its heritage this season, back home. At least not in the spring events and festivals. Californians are lucky - they get two weeks of Swan Lake.

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If all goes well, then I will be able to visit St. Petersburg around the 31st of May/1st week of June--I hope that while the company is on tour with Rite they leave behind a decent contingent (preferably dancing some classics)...too much to hope?

Such is life, but I would be rather broken-hearted if my one opportunity to visit St. Petersburg corresponded to a time when I couldn't see the company at its home theater...Timing of potential trip can't be changed as it corresponds to my partner's work exigencies in Europe.

I can live without the Rite program -- especially as I can imagine my partner's face when I try to explain it to him. He likes "the one where the swan dies." (Okay: it's not really the only one he likes, but you get the idea...)

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The ballet company should be back to 'full strength' in StP by the time you are in town, Drew. With three theaters in full play simultaneously, you are virtually guaranteed several opportunities to catch 'ballet evenings' during your stay...not just Gergiev's pet projects for opera and symphonic concerts. Of course, if you can see the ballet in the grand old Mariinsky theater ("Marinsky I"), that would be optimal.

I am hoping that, once all 3 theaters are in operation, the old Petipa classics will be performed in the grand old theater, with modern works in the 2 modern venues. They cannot dump Petipa totally; if anything, that's what tourists love to see (traditional tutus-and-tiaras works)...and a heck of a lot of 'local balletomanes' love to see that too. I'm wondering, for example, what the 'local babushkas' think about the return of the Forsythes or a triple bill to feature not one but two Rites. They don't even fill the theater for Balanchine, let alone Forsythe. I'll never forget being in a half-full auditorium during a Mariinsky Ballet Festival, no less, when Rite of Spring was programmed. Gergiev's conceits do not all sell, sorry to say.

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Multiple videos of last night's opening Raymonda are now available on YouTube. This one of Novikova dancing the Act II variation is noteworthy, as she reinstates a bit of the 1898 Vikharev-after-Petipa reconstruction to the Mariinsky: the sequence of multiple entrechats-six, here only 24 (instead of the 30+ at La Scala) but still mighty impressive. Also, you will notice that she performs the sequence in a diagonal, rather than the La Scala positioning straight down the stage (backstage to front).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgeubylR69s&feature=plcp

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Olesya looks fabulous! Brava flowers.gif ! I've never seen her more confident: This is her's. Re the Act 2 variation, she made an artistic choice, (perhaps even a tactical and political choice), given what the Management thinks about Petipa reconstructions. We all know what she's capable of. Minor point of clarification: The Mariinsky site's write up made a slight mistake. This opening night performance wasn't her debut as Raymonda in the Mariinsky Theatre; that occured about 5 years ago. This was her first follow-up performance at home, and it's been long overdue. Moreover, this is her first season opening performance. This is a great accomplishment for her as well as a milestone. However, this was Volodya Shklyarov's debut in the role of Jean de Brienne. The company performs "Raymonda" again on March 28.

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Thank you, Cygnet. I did not realize that the MT web called this her company debut in the role. There's 'revisionist' Soviet-style history for you!

The English version of the season's-start press release is now out. http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/pressa1/reliz_2012_09_19/

Ksk04, my translation was correct; it will indeed be a 3ple bill consisting of two versions of The Rite of Spring + Prodigal Son!

Sasha Waltz will be staging her original version of Le Sacre du printemps to music by Igor Stravinsky for the Mariinsky Ballet Company as part of a joint project between the Mariinsky Theatre and Paris’ Théâtre des Champs Élysées. The project marks one hundred years since the premiere of Le Sacre du printemps with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky which took place at the Paris theatre. The premiere of Sasha Waltz’ ballet in St Petersburg will take place on 14 May, followed by the Paris premiere in late May in a programme also including Vaslav Nijinsky’s Le Sacre and another famous ballet of Diaghilev’s Saisons russes – George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son.

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Not sure if anyone cares (these details interest and intrigue me but maybe not others). I double checked, and Novikova does indeed dance the variation the way Lopatkina, Tereshkina, and Kolegova dance it at the Mariinsky. This is the variation how it is done at the Mariinsky.

The only difference is that the others alternate legs during each entrechat. Novikova switches a couple of times but seems to keep the one leg in front most of the time. Not sure if that matters. You guys can tell me if this is bad or good to do or maybe doesn't matter.

A side note: Lopatkina does not go past 90 degrees on her extensions either which is an artistic choice, b/c she has that ability. All the others lift higher in this variation.

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Someone contacted me and said that the steps are indeed different, but they look the same to me. I have asked for an explanation. If someone else can explain, please do. This is all about learning.

They are both jumps on pointe so they do look similar, but having watched Tereshkina just now, she does changements while Novikova does entrechats. Changements simply jump, change, and land, but entrechats (quatre, trois, six, whatever) beat multiple times midair before landing. Novikova does two changements in the middle, which is when you see her fifth position alternate.

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Someone contacted me and said that the steps are indeed different, but they look the same to me. I have asked for an explanation. If someone else can explain, please do. This is all about learning.

They are both jumps on pointe so they do look similar, but having watched Tereshkina just now, she does changements while Novikova does entrechats. Changements simply jump, change, and land, but entrechats (quatre, trois, six, whatever) beat multiple times midair before landing. Novikova does two changements in the middle, which is when you see her fifth position alternate.

Thanks for the description, ksk04! This is very helpful for me. I usually think of entrechats as like when men do them jumping high, so Novikova's looked different. I guess she does them delicately to fit the character.

So when a dancer changes the choreography a little here, is it purely the dancer's decision, or is it made after discussing with others (like the artistic director and/or conductor if the tempo might need slight changing)? I know that in opera a singer doesn't embellish an aria without discussing it with the conductor first and the conductor (at least nowadays) usually has final say in the matter whether embellishments will be used or not.

This particular change by Novikova seems like a change that could be done independently b/c the tempo does not sound different to me compared to the other times I have seen Raymonda, so maybe ballet dancers have more leeway than singers. Please give insight into this if you have any!

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Multiple videos of last night's opening Raymonda are now available on YouTube. This one of Novikova dancing the Act II variation is noteworthy, as she reinstates a bit of the 1898 Vikharev-after-Petipa reconstruction to the Mariinsky: the sequence of multiple entrechats-six, here only 24 (instead of the 30+ at La Scala) but still mighty impressive. Also, you will notice that she performs the sequence in a diagonal, rather than the La Scala positioning straight down the stage (backstage to front).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgeubylR69s&feature=plcp

Thanks, Natalia! Novikova looks so lovely and confident.

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Glorious Novikova! I think doing the quatres straight down the stage shows them off better than on the diagonal (although the camera angle is different too, which probably doesn't help).

Thanks for the description, ksk04! This is very helpful for me. I usually think of entrechats as like when men do them jumping high, so Novikova's looked different. I guess she does them delicately to fit the character.

So when a dancer changes the choreography a little here, is it purely the dancer's decision, or is it made after discussing with others (like the artistic director and/or conductor if the tempo might need slight changing)? I know that in opera a singer doesn't embellish an aria without discussing it with the conductor first and the conductor (at least nowadays) usually has final say in the matter whether embellishments will be used or not.

This particular change by Novikova seems like a change that could be done independently b/c the tempo does not sound different to me compared to the other times I have seen Raymonda, so maybe ballet dancers have more leeway than singers. Please give insight into this if you have any!

When you're jumping in soft shoes, you use a deep plie, roll through the foot and push off from the ground using your toes. On pointe you can't do that. So you don't get a lot of height, but you do still have to get airborne for long enough to beat the legs. That's what makes it's so difficult.

For changes, I think it depends on the type of change, the reason for the change, the individual dancer and their company. This is a relatively small change. Beats make the step harder (a lot harder on pointe), but choreographically it's not a huge difference. The conductor didn't have to take endless repeats while she jumped, for example. Usually changes are worked out in rehearsal, so the dancer's coach, repetiteur, conductor and the other dancers will know what is going on.

Of course, there are instances where someone has a fit of pique or spite and makes huge changes on the spur of the moment. Or maybe the atmosphere/politics in a company is such that the dancer does not want to rehearse changes in public and just does them on stage. In some companies, like the Mariinsky (I think), it is normal/ok for dancers to make small changes/accommodations to suit style, technique, personal preference etc. In others, such as POB, it is not acceptable to make changes - everyone dancing the same role is supposed to be doing the same choreography. And why they are making the change is important too. Do they have an injury that necessitates the change? Is it a different version of a classic variation? (Think of all the iterations of Kitri's variation, for example.) Do they just not like the way the step looks? And also, is the choreography copyrighted?

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Glorious Novikova! I think doing the quatres straight down the stage shows them off better than on the diagonal (although the camera angle is different too, which probably doesn't help).

Thanks for the description, ksk04! This is very helpful for me. I usually think of entrechats as like when men do them jumping high, so Novikova's looked different. I guess she does them delicately to fit the character.

So when a dancer changes the choreography a little here, is it purely the dancer's decision, or is it made after discussing with others (like the artistic director and/or conductor if the tempo might need slight changing)? I know that in opera a singer doesn't embellish an aria without discussing it with the conductor first and the conductor (at least nowadays) usually has final say in the matter whether embellishments will be used or not.

This particular change by Novikova seems like a change that could be done independently b/c the tempo does not sound different to me compared to the other times I have seen Raymonda, so maybe ballet dancers have more leeway than singers. Please give insight into this if you have any!

When you're jumping in soft shoes, you use a deep plie, roll through the foot and push off from the ground using your toes. On pointe you can't do that. So you don't get a lot of height, but you do still have to get airborne for long enough to beat the legs. That's what makes it's so difficult.

For changes, I think it depends on the type of change, the reason for the change, the individual dancer and their company. This is a relatively small change. Beats make the step harder (a lot harder on pointe), but choreographically it's not a huge difference. The conductor didn't have to take endless repeats while she jumped, for example. Usually changes are worked out in rehearsal, so the dancer's coach, repetiteur, conductor and the other dancers will know what is going on.

Of course, there are instances where someone has a fit of pique or spite and makes huge changes on the spur of the moment. Or maybe the atmosphere/politics in a company is such that the dancer does not want to rehearse changes in public and just does them on stage. In some companies, like the Mariinsky (I think), it is normal/ok for dancers to make small changes/accommodations to suit style, technique, personal preference etc. In others, such as POB, it is not acceptable to make changes - everyone dancing the same role is supposed to be doing the same choreography. And why they are making the change is important too. Do they have an injury that necessitates the change? Is it a different version of a classic variation? (Think of all the iterations of Kitri's variation, for example.) Do they just not like the way the step looks? And also, is the choreography copyrighted?

Cinnamonswirl, thanks for taking the time to explain very fully to me. That is very helpful to read your description. I think the "straight down the stage" entrechats in the La Scala video makes it more apparent that they are entrechats for me. Doing them in a diagonal kept me from seeing the difference, but now after your description and ksk04's comments I see it. I also like your explanation how it is harder to do the entrechats on pointe. It makes sense now that you explain it, but since I am not a dancer I didn't even think about that aspect.

Your comments on the planning or not planning changes in choreography was also very helpful!

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Indeed one of the things I feel in owe while watching Miss Novikova is the strenght she shows on her legs-(particularly over her ankles and pointes). She looks such in control up there and not in a bit of hurry to fast up the steps or the balances. in order to get down. Yes, many times one can perceive a bit of "artistic choice" in the way some dancers-(both male and female)-seem to opt to do a couple of changements in certain passages and pass them as entrechats-(perhaps they think no one will realize due to how fast they get done..?). Anyway...that's why I always show the videos of divine Soloviev to see how a super-trouper textbook perfect entrechat well done ought supposed to look like, and then that also remind me that anecdote of Nureyev watching a dancer stage rehearse a sequence of entrechats, and by mid sequence he stormed out of his chair and screamed..."Is that and entrechat-six..?! That's an entrechat-PISS!!" happy.png (From Kavanagh's biography)

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Indeed one of the things I feel in owe while watching Miss Novikova is the strenght she shows on her legs-(particularly over her ankles and pointes). She looks such in control up there and not in a bit of hurry to fast up the steps or the balances. in order to get down. Yes, many times one can perceive a bit of "artistic choice" in the way some dancers-(both male and female)-seem to opt to do a couple of changements in certain passages and pass them as entrechats-(perhaps they think no one will realize due to how fast they get done..?). Anyway...that's why I always show the videos of divine Soloviev to see how a super-trouper textbook perfect entrechat well done ought supposed to look like, and then that also remind me that anecdote of Nureyev watching a dancer stage rehearse a sequence of entrechats, and by mid sequence he stormed out of his chair and screamed..."Is that and entrechat-six..?! That's an entrechat-PISS!!" happy.png (From Kavanagh's biography)

OMG!!! You made me laugh at that!

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