Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Summer 2014 NYC & Saratoga Tour


mussel

Recommended Posts

Ekaterina Shipulina has withdrawn from the New York tour. In her place Ekaterina Krysanova will dance Odette-Odile on the evening of July 19, and Kristina Kretova will dance Kitri on the evening of July 23. This also means that Kretova will not be dancing the Queen of the Dryads on the matinee of July 23, so Olga Smirnova dances the part on July 22 and 23m, while Anna Nikulina dances it on 23e.

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/about/press/articles/2014/2990/

Link to comment

Ekaterina Shipulina has withdrawn from the New York tour. In her place Ekaterina Krysanova will dance Odette-Odile on the evening of July 19, and Kristina Kretova will dance Kitri on the evening of July 23. This also means that Kretova will not be dancing the Queen of the Dryads on the matinee of July 23, so Olga Smirnova dances the part on July 22 and 23m, while Anna Nikulina dances it on 23e.

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/about/press/articles/2014/2990/

Thanks for information. I have tickets for those performances, and will be there barring natural or other disaster...I was not uninterested in seeing Shipulina but am certainly quite pleased to be seeing Krysanova in Swan Lake as well as Don Q. (Don't mind seeing an additional Smirnova performance either.)

Link to comment

Ekaterina Shipulina has withdrawn from the New York tour. In her place Ekaterina Krysanova will dance Odette-Odile on the evening of July 19, and Kristina Kretova will dance Kitri on the evening of July 23. This also means that Kretova will not be dancing the Queen of the Dryads on the matinee of July 23, so Olga Smirnova dances the part on July 22 and 23m, while Anna Nikulina dances it on 23e.

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/about/press/articles/2014/2990/

Don't they tell the casting for Espada, a toreador in Don Quixote?

innocent.gif

I am very happy to see that Krysanova would perform in all three ballets, especially in Swan Lake and Don Quixote. Krysanova has the most beautiful and expressive arms and hands among Bolshoi ballerinas. I was lucky to buy a returned ticket to see Krysanova and Skvortsov dancing in Swan Lake last year. I love their performances very much. Although Skvortsov would not come to New York this year, to see David Hallberg dancing with Krysanova in S.W. may not be bad at all.

yahoo.gif

Krysanova is simply the best Kitri in Bolshoi now. She seems to do all the difficult jumping and turning effortlessly. It would be very interesting to see how Chudin's Basil going. From what I saw in YouTube, Chudin is proudly holding a long neck straight all time, looking like there is a stick on his back and neck. That didn;t bother me when I saw him dancing in Diamonds last year. I was very impressed by his graceful jumping. I hope to see in D.Q. his neck & back would be more flexible.

flowers.gif

Link to comment

My one and only Swan Lake will be the Saturday matinee with Nikulina and Ovcharenko. I remember him from the telecast Sleepy Beauty where he danced the Bluebird and I liked him very much. Any opinions of Nikulina and/or what they will be like together?

Thanks!

Link to comment

I have lots of opinions on the subject, but I'd rather you go in without preconceptions. smile.png

That said, if you haven't seen it before, it might be a good idea to watch the Grigorovich production in advance, just to get the shocks behind you, bearing in mind that the ending of the current production differs from what it was prior to 2001. The ballet was telecast in 2002 (Volochkova/Ivanchenko/Belogolovtsev) and filmed again in 2010 (Alexandrova/Skvortsov/Tsiskaridze); the current production reduces Siegfried's participation in the first-act waltz from what it had been at the initial revival and in the earlier film.

Link to comment

Castings, synopsis, bios, and program notes are available to download as PDF file:

Tsar's Bride

Swan lake

Don Q and Spartacus not yet available.

Some orchestra prime seats just become available for 7/23 matinee at $300 each. Also, they may sell standing rooms on day of performance. ADA seats will be released to general public hours before the performance.

Link to comment

Casting for Espada is on the Lincoln Center Festival site, assuming it's being kept up to date.

http://www.lincolncenterfestival.org/current-season/don-quixote

Good! Looking forward to seeing Rodkin as Espada in D.Q. Although he is one of the fastest rising stars whom Bolshoi is trying very hard to push & promote, and to sell, I feel disappointed for Bolshoi not to send their best Espada, Murcuriev, in the tour.

Last summer I missed Alexandrova and Zakharova because of injuries. Hope it would not happed again this year.

tiphat.gif

Link to comment

Rodkin is being pushed much too fast, and video footage of his recent Onegin showed him to be completely out of his depth. He is also astoundingly self-centered, always doing his best to outdazzle his fellow demi-soloists in ensembles and, worse yet, his partners. He is on my "avoid for the foreseeable future" list!

Link to comment

Thanks, volcanohunter! I've watched a few youtube clips of the 2010 production with Alexandrova/Skvortsov/Tsiskaridze (he certainly does relish his role as the "baddie"!) I know it's much different from the ABT version I'm used to so I'll try not to be too shocked. I'm going with an open mind and if anything feel like I'll enjoy the corps and the orchestra.

Link to comment

That said, if you haven't seen it before, it might be a good idea to watch the Grigorovich production in advance, just to get the shocks behind you.

I wish I had done that. Shock is putting it mildly. This Grigorovich production (which I found HORRID) bears virtually no resemblance to the Petipa/Ivanov choreography that most companies base their Swan Lakes on. Siegfried enters right at the start and begins dancing. I might add that I found almost all this dancing to be a pointless clutter of empty steps that did nothing to further the story or drama. Siegfried dances the PDT (also different from Petipa's), since there is no Benno. Character dances in the court scene are also not Petipa and danced on pointe. There is almost no mime in the production and virtually no acting -a real detriment when you are trying to convey a story.

Link to comment

Svetlana Zakharova was Incredible tonight !!!!

I chose this program before casting came out and immediately sorry. I am not a fan of Zakharova and find her dancing technically adept but dull as dishwater. She displays no warmth, acting or dramatic abilities. She simply executes steps and, for me, especially in Swan Lake there must be more. At the end the audience applauded warmly but neither she nor David received a standing ovation (and I just came from 8 weeks of ABT where there were so many standing ovations).

Link to comment

I have to say I was distinctly unimpressed by tonight's Swan Lake with Zakharova and Hallberg. First, as I noted up thread, this is Grigorovich's Swan Lake and in only a few ways (white and black swan PDD, cygnets, 32 fouettes) does the choreography resemble that of Petipa/Ivanov. Grigorovich's choreography is, IMO, characterized by many cluttered steps, none of which further the story along.

Character dances (also different from Petipa's) are done in pointe shoes, not character shoes. The production is also looks very cramped on the Koch stage. Finally, most of the music was conducted at tempi much too fast and didn't allow for any expression.

As for the dancing, I purchased this performance as 1 in a block of 3, before casting came out. I am not a fan of Zakharova and find her dancing to be dull, lacking in drama/acting and artistry. Yes, she can do steps and whack her leg up to her ear. But what can she do with these steps, to imbue them with some meaning. Not much, it seems. And I was disappointed that she did only single fouettes as Odile and that they traveled.

David Hallberg can also be a cool dancer but the Grigorovich choreography doesn't make any big demands on him acting wise. He is also coming off of a foot injury. I found his dancing fine technically (though not spectacular)but not moving in any way.

The 2 standout dancers IMO were Vladislav Lantratov (Rothbart) and Anna Tikhomirova (Spanish Bride). Lantratov has both a big jump and big stage presence. Tikhomirova has a wonderful, buoyant jump remiscent of Osipova and beautiful epaulement. Igor Tsvirko was also good as the Jester.

The corps was good but not without problems. There were two falls (one in Act 1, the other in the scene at court). They do not have the precision or elegance of the Mariinsky and the choreography does not make enough use of their unity. So while I would say these were good dancers, I was not astounded in the way I thought I would be.

Overall , my basic impression was of being underwhelmed by what I deem to be a terrible production of this beloved ballet.

Link to comment

Standing rooms costing $25 are available starting at 10am on the day of at the box office only, no internet or phone sales.

That is, IMHO, outrageous. It makes one grateful for the Hochhauser's largess at the ROH (and I never thought I would type that). If I remember correctly (and I may be wrong) the SR at what used to be NY State Theater is at the back of the 4th Ring. The Amphi standing for this same (disappointing I felt) production of SL by the Bolshoi at the ROH last year was £10 - and that is a £4 in advance on the RB's production - and that even when featuring the former Bolshoi principal Natalia Osipova. At the pound's equivalent today the current cost for NYC ballet goers at the Koch Theater would be £20 for one SL standing place. That represents inflation of 100 per cent. Moreover, in London you could buy those places on line and certainly didn't have to queue. (I know I didn't - and wouldn't for that production.) Surely the NYC 100% levy can't be fair .... (I almost typed 'right' but then I thought better of that placement knowing it is after all - as in London - a commercial enterprise.) When, I wonder, will the traffic stop bearing?

Link to comment

I enjoyed Zakharova's performance very much. Her technique is excellent. As for the issue of coldness on stage, I didn't feel it was a problem last night. I thought she had good chemistry with Hallberg. (The coldness was a big problem in their Giselle together a few weeks ago at the Kennedy Center, though.) She is a regal ballerina, and O/O suits her very well. Also loved the Evil Genius and the Jester. My that stage looked overcrowded with all that scenery. There was barely any space left to dance. This is a bizarre production. I was particularly disturbed when the music from Act 4 suddenly appeared in Act III and all of these black swan clad corps members suddenly appeared. It disrupts the flow of the ballroom scene. I actually prefer the national dances on pointe as opposed to character shoes.

What's up with that flooring they are using. Their feet made dstracting sounds on that flooring every time the swan corps danced. It was reminiscent of when my grandma had her couch covered in plastic and every time someone moved there was an awful noise from friction with the plastic covering.

Link to comment

That said, if you haven't seen it before, it might be a good idea to watch the Grigorovich production in advance, just to get the shocks behind you.

I wish I had done that. Shock is putting it mildly. This Grigorovich production (which I found HORRID) bears virtually no resemblance to the Petipa/Ivanov choreography that most companies base their Swan Lakes on. Siegfried enters right at the start and begins dancing. I might add that I found almost all this dancing to be a pointless clutter of empty steps that did nothing to further the story or drama. Siegfried dances the PDT (also different from Petipa's), since there is no Benno. Character dances in the court scene are also not Petipa and danced on pointe. There is almost no mime in the production and virtually no acting -a real detriment when you are trying to convey a story.

Is this your first contact with Grigorovich's productions of the classics? I saw many of them. And I must admit it, I liked them when I saw them: his «Giselle» — with Bessmertnova and Maksimova, his «Swan Lake» — with Alla Mikhalchenko, Semenyaka, young Ananiashvili, and especially so his «Nutcracker» — with unforgettable duets Maksimova-Vasilyev. All the mentioned ballets underwent surgical interventions by Grigorovich but I liked the result. Only his «Raymonda» never appealed to me, but that was mostly on account of dreadful Soviet-style decorations, I never liked on the other hand his «Spartacus». And I still don't. Too crude for my tastes. I don't enjoy «dram-ballet»

Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...