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Is there a commercially available recording of Bayadere....


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that includes the music for variation danced by Gamzatti in the 'Russian' first act of Bayadere? I've purchased the Lanchbery orchestration CD, and can't find it on there.

I am hoping that the music is commercially available somewhere for purchase, because it really is stunningly beautiful.

Thanks!

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do you mean the solo now traditionally danced by Gamzatti in the Betrothal scene's pas d'action, as reconstituted in the '30s and '40s by Chabukiani and Ponomaraev once Soviet began performing the ballet without the final, temple destruction scene? it's certainly in Makarova's production for which Lanchbery's orchestration was created and seems odd to have been left off the recording (i haven't played mine in some time). are you sure it's not on the CD?

i don't know of any Russian recordings of BAYADERKA, but that doesn't mean there might not be one, or some. (if Doug reads this he would surely know with some confidence, yes or no.)

o'course there are videos on DVD that include that solo and which may be 'taken' from the disc as an audio recording tho' it's not something i'd know how to accomplish.

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The variation to which I am referring was performed by several Bolshoi ballerinas (Alexandrova particularly sticks in my mind...but I've also seen videos of Kretova and Allash dancing it as well) but I've never seen anyone outside of the Bolshoi perform it. The video that I was shown had the variation preceeded by Alexandrova boureeing for her grand entrance on stage from stage right with two dancers as 'maids' who kept holding and at times adjusting, her trailing scarf.

Gamzatti in this scene has no idea yet about the existence of Solor. Hopefully this information will help to pin it down.

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i'm afraid this makes the dance and its music seem an even bigger unknown to me.

i don't know the Bolshoi Ballet staging all that well but none of what's described above 'connects' to moments familiar from other productions.

Gamzatti is aware of Solor's existence from the very start of her scene with Nikiya in the Rajah's palace, which is to say, her father's palace , usually given as act 1, sc. 2; Solor's portrait is prominently displayed in Gamzatti's chambers as she makes preparation for her marriage to the warrior.

likewise Nikiya is aware of Solor from the start of act 1, sc. 1.

so i'm stumped here.

the only dance i know, which most troupes outside Russia tend to omit, is the Danse Manu, which is part of the 'Betrothal Scene' usually sometimes act 1, sc. 3, or just as act 2, in which an unnamed dancer performs a number attended by two adolescent girls, who enact a desire to be given a drink from the jug artfully balanced throughout the dance on the main dancer's head.

perhaps others on the site will recognize the dance (and music) in question here.

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The Bolshoi's choreography is different in that respect to any other version, and you probably have to go to bootlegs to find it. The current new Bolshoi production kept all the extra dancing for Gamzatti including the cat fight (a portion done en pointe) which is different than every other version I have seen. I do not know who created all this extra dancing for Gamzatti (and even Nikiya since the cat fight has dancing on pointe). Someone who knows the Bolshoi's choreography of Bayadere and history of it will have to chime in and tell us, but Gamzatti dancing in the first act is only done by the Bolshoi. It is not the norm!

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It's a while since I've seen it (I've just checked - it was 1999) but a previous Grigorovitch production of La Bayadere has a variation for Gamzatti in Act I Scene II which was choreographed by Grigorovitch - as were many of the other 'embellishments' in that version.

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The Bolshoi's website says its Bayadere is by Petipa with "new scenic version" by Yuri Grigorovich and "scenes from productions by Vakhtang Chabukiani, Nikolai Zubkovsky, and Konstantin Sergeyev used"......so this particular variation could have been choreographed by any of them, and the music is probably an interpolation.

I bet someone on this site knows the answer where to find the music.

I do not think there is a commercial version of this version of the choreography available. It is only done by the Bolshoi and, as Alymer says, it was in the previous production (1990s) and the Bolshoi has retained it in its "new scenic version" which was unveiled last season, I believe. However, the clip you posted is from the movie transmission from last season which might be released on dvd eventually. So there is hope for you.

One thing I like about the Bolshoi's version is that the Kingdom of the Shades has like 3 or 4 ramps. It makes it harder, I imagine, for the shades as they descend 3 or 4 (can't remember) ramps......and it creates a breath-taking view because there are so many levels of shades in that scene as a result.

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If I remember correctly the decor for Kingdom of the Shades in that 1990's version was based on the original Moscow designs. My recollection is that not only were there three or four ramps but the first was very, very, high. Brave girls descending from that height! But the effect was, as Birdsall says, quite stunning.

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Alymer,

I believe that you pinned down the variation! yahoo.gif

Thank you so much! Now I'm just curious about the music.....doesn't sound completely like Minkus....but one never knows....

Here is the YouTube video that started my interest in this entire topic:

That variation does not exist in the current Mariinsky version of Bayadere, however, i am not familiar with the Vikharev reconstruction music which does add a 4th act. If that music exists in the reconstruction, my guess would be act 4. If you search on Youtube, for Bayadere reconstruction, it is in 4 parts and my guess is that part 4 is most likely to have it, if at all.

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that includes the music for variation danced by Gamzatti in the 'Russian' first act of Bayadere? I've purchased the Lanchbery orchestration CD, and can't find it on there.

I am hoping that the music is commercially available somewhere for purchase, because it really is stunningly beautiful.

Thanks!

You may have noticed, but the Bolshoi's Bayadere (the latest HD movie transmission) is now available for pre-order on Amazon. I check the "Coming Soon" area often and saw it is coming out, and I remembered you asked about this. So you can pre-order it (it is only $20 right now when you pre-order.....the price usually goes up a little .....maybe $26 if you order it after it comes out) and you will finally own a commercial copy of the variation you mention.

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