16 replies to this topic

[Cygnet]

The Russian Federation Theatre Union has announced the nominees for the 2013 Golden Mask Awards.  The Mariinsky's Diana Vishneva and Ekaterina Kondaurova are both nominated for Best Ballet Actress.  Diana gets
the nod for her "Dialogues," and Kondaurova for her interpretation of Balanchine's Titania, in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  The Mariinsky Theatre's productions of Balanchine's ballet and the Stanislavsky Theatre's version of
Britten's opera are also nominated.  Boris Eifman's "Rodin" features prominently in the nominations as well.

For the complete list of nominees in all categories:

http://eng.goldenmask.ru/gm.php?id=106

BALLET/BEST PRODUCTION

• AMORE BUFFO, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg
  
• DU CÔTÉ DE CHEZ DIAGHILEV: KAMMERMUSIK №2, MONUMENTUM PRO GESUALDO, THE JESTER, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
• DIANA VISHNYOVA: DIALOGUES Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
  
• CINDERELLA, Musical Theatre of Karelia, Petrozavodsk
  
• MULTIPLICITY. FORMS OF SILENCE AND EMPTINESS, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
  
• RODIN, Boris Eifman Ballet, St. Petersburg
  
• SVADEBKA (LES NOCES), Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
• LA SYLPHIDE, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, Moscow
  
• A MIDSUMMER NIGHT`S DREAM, Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg

BALLET/BEST CONDUCTOR

• Anton GRISHANIN, LA SYLPHIDE, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, Moscow
  
• Pavel KLINICHEV, AMORE BUFFO, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg
  
• Teodor CURRENTZIS, WEDDING, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
• Teodor CURRENTZIS, THE JESTER, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
  
  BALLET/CONTEMPORARY DANCE – BEST BALLETMASTER/BEST CHOREOGRAPHER  
  
• Tatiana BAGANOVA, SEPIA, “Provincial Dances” Theatre, Yekaterinburg
  
• Guy WEIZMAN and Roni HAVER, L'HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT, “Platforma” Project, International Center for Contemporary Dance and Performance TsEKh, Moscow, and “Club Guy and Roni” Dance Company, Netherlands
  
• Alexei MIROSHNICHENKO, THE JESTER, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
• Vyacheslav SAMODUROV, AMORE BUFFO, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg
  
• Kirill SIMONOV, CINDERELLA, Musical Theatre of Karelia, Petrozavodsk
  
• Anzhelika KHOLINA, ANNA KARENINA, Vakhtangov Theatre, Moscow
  
• Boris EIFMAN, RODIN, Boris Eifman Ballet, St. Petersburg
  
  
  BALLET/CONTEMPORARY DANCE/BEST ACTRESS
  
• Lyubov ANDREEVA, Camilla – RODIN, Boris Eifman Ballet, St. Petersburg
  
• Diana VISHNEVA, DIANA VISHNEVA: DIALOGUES, Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
  
• Elena VOROBYOVA, Adina - AMORE BUFFO, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg
  
• Laisan GIZATULLINA, Jester`s wife- THE JESTER, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
• Yekaterina KONDAUROVA, Titania – A MIDSUMMER NIGHT`S DREAM, Mariinsky Theatre,    St. Petersburg
  
• Olga LERMAN, Anna Karenina – ANNA KARENINA, Vakhtangov Theatre, Moscow
  
• Erika MIKIRTICHEVA, Sylphide - LA SYLPHIDE, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, Moscow
  
• Alevtina MUKHORTIKOVA, Cinderella - CINDERELLA, Musical Theatre of Karelia, Petrozavodsk
  
• Anna POISTOGOVA, Bride - SVADEBKA (LES NOCES), Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
  
  BALLET/CONTEMPORARY DANCE/BEST ACTOR
  
• Oleg GABYSHEV, Rodin - RODIN, Boris Eifman Ballet, St. Petersburg
  
• Nacho DUATO, MULTIPLICITY. FORMS OF SILENCE AND EMPTINESS, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
  
• Andrei MERKURIEV, DIANA VISHNEVA: DIALOGUES, Mariinsky Theatre,      St. Petersburg
  
• Igor PASHKO, Cinderella`s stepmother - CINDERELLA, Musical Theatre of Karelia, Petrozavodsk
  
• Ivan POROSHIN, Bridegroom - SVADEBKA (LES NOCES), Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm
  
• Andrei SOROKIN, Nemorino - AMORE BUFFO, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg
  
• Alexander TARANOV, Jester - THE JESTER, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm

[dirac]

Thank you for posting this, Cygnet. I don't know much about these awards.

[Natalia]

Thanks, Cygnet. Interesting that the Bolshoi Ballet's big productions of the 2011/12 season were snubbed, i.e., JEWELS and SLEEPING BEAUTY...or the highly-touted Roland Petit COPPELIA at the Stanislavski...or (no surprise here) Duato's SLEEPING BEAUTY at the Mikhailovsky.  (Revivals/restagings of older ballets count, as in the LA SYLPHIDE at the Stanislavski, which did garner a nomination.)

I predict a 4th Golden Mask for Vishneva (for her DIALOGS) and 2nd-consecutive for Nacho Duato as best 'ballet' choreographer for MULTIPLICITY. These awards have become more about contemporary 'shock value' than classical purity. Still, I'll hope-against-hope for Kondaurova to win.

It is nice to see more nominees from cities outside Moscow & StP. Not long ago, 80% of the ballet (& opera) nominations were for productions in the two major cities, with one or two nods to Perm or Novosibirsk. Not so now.

Dirac, these are the Russian 'Oscars' for live theatrical performances of all genres, including puppetry!

[Cygnet]

You're welcome Dirac .

: The Bolshoi Opera's new production of "Ruslan and Lyudmila," was extremely controversial (and summarily panned) when it premiered.  Apparently, the nominating committee felt that that production had the required 'shock' value (on the opera side) to get several nods.  So, this 'expectation' is trending in that and the drama category as well as ballet.

Back to topic:
IMO I think that the ballet/contemporary dance categories should be separated for "purity's" sake.  How can judgement be made for dancer A over dancer D, when the works and the styles are completely different?  The only Bolshoi dancer who is nominated is Merkuriev (as a member of Diana's "Dialogues" cast), and should he win, that win goes in the Mariinsky's column.  I (also) thought that if the Bolshoi Ballet had been nominated, it would have been "Jewels," not the re-shod and re-designed Grigorovich (1973) version of "The Sleeping Beauty."  Remember, the costumes and designs were created by the same team that designed Nureyev's productions for POB and La Scala.

Natalia wrote,

Quote

It is nice to see more nominees from cities outside Moscow & StP. Not long ago, 80% of the ballet (& opera) nominations were for productions in the two major cities, with one or two nods to Perm or Novosibirsk. Not so now.

I too am very happy that the Theatre Union is starting to recognize theatres and talented performers who don't work in the major cities. I'm especially glad to see Kiril Simonov's nominated for his Petrovadosk production of "Cinderella," and Boris Eifman for "Rodin." If Katya Kondaurova wins, this will be her second Golden Mask; her first was for the title role in Ratmansky's "Anna Karenina."

[abatt]

I thought Rodin was inane. How it could be nominated for anything is beyond comprehension.

[Natalia]

Abatt, don't forget that Eifman's Musagete -- his Balanchine non-biography, originally created for NYCB -- won the Golden Mask for best ballet a few years ago. That sort-of says it all. (And I'm one who has enjoyed past Eifmans, like Red Giselle.)

[abatt]

I liked Red Giselle and Russian Hamlet.   However, a lot of Eifman's other efforts, including Rodin, were awful.

[dirac]

Thanks for the information, all.

Quote

How can judgement be made for dancer A over dancer D, when the works and the styles are completely different?

True, Cygnet. You find a similar conundrum when it comes to many acting awards. I suppose as a practical matter you can only subdivide the prizes so much.

[Kerry1968]

I couldn't help but notice that awards are given for puppetry. Are puppet plays in Russia major productions? I really am curious about this. Sadly, my exposure to puppetry is limited to Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.

[California]

Kerry1968, on 25 February 2013 - 02:24 AM, said:

I couldn't help but notice that awards are given for puppetry. Are puppet plays in Russia major productions? I really am curious about this. Sadly, my exposure to puppetry is limited to Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.

Do you remember the elaborate marionettes in The Sound of Music, which was set in Salzburg, Austria? Those marionettes are very popular throughout eastern Europe. You see them at special stores and at the big Christmas markets in Vienna, Prague, and throughout the region. I don't know the history of this (perhaps someone else here does?), but they are very popular to this day.

[rg]

from the web
<<:
Salzburg Marionette Theatre was established in 1913 and is one of the oldest continuing marionette theatres in the world. It is based in the city of Salzburg, Austria. Original productions featured live actors and musicians.
>>
the troupe has played NYC, at least 2? times at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.
Mozart operas are among the works it regularly presents. (a series of these has been released in a dvd set, which may no longer be on the market?)
a Salzburg Marionette NUTCRACKER has been released on video, and includes a "dying swan" solo with its famous Pavlova puppet.
somewhere i have publicity photo of the Pavlova puppet, which if it were to surface i could scan and post here.

[dirac]

Would love to see it if you come across it, rg.

[rg]

i've now located this press photo.
somewhere if mem. serves i have another, smaller photo that includes the puppeteer and thus gives a sense of actual scale to the Pavlova marionette.
if/when that surfaces i'll post it as well.
(as noted above, if you can get hold of the video the Salzburg Marionette Theater's NUTCRACKER, you can see the "Swan" number with this marionette performed.)

Attached Files

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[dirac]

Wow, that was fast. Beautiful picture, thank you! It really does look like her. Will look for the video.

[bart]

I was enchanted by the Salzburg Marionette Theater's MagicFlute.  The quality of movement was both real and eerily, beautifully, unreal.  It took only a a few minutes for me to enter completely into the unique movement world of mariionettes..  But I suspect that watching them perform an extended all-dance  classical ballet would probably over-stretch my ability to suspend disbelief..  Here's their Waltz of the Flowers from Nutcracker.  Choreography is fairly rudimentary, but the imagery is lovely.