Mariinsky at BAM 2015

[Mirseng1]

Thank you, Amour. No, I was not able to exchange tickets, but mainly for the personal reasons. My expectations are not too high about either lead, but I am in complete agreement about the corps - probably the best or one of the very best in the world.

I am seeing Cinderella on its opening night, and then Chopin program on 1/24th. I am certain that I will find these performances very enjoyable.

[Amour]

Mariinsky's Cinderella with Vishneva has been just released on DVD in Japan, and Vishneva has confirmed on her Twitter that it would be also released in the West later on. Of course, it's not a substitute for a live performance, but something to be considered as you ponder which casting to see or even whether to see this ballet at BAM at all

HMV in Japan is selling the Vishneva/Shklylarov Cinderella so if you have a DVD/Blu-Ray player that plays international discs, you can buy it now.

I received my Cinderella DVD today. What an odd ballet! So different from Ashton's version. That being said, Kondaurova as the stepmother is spectacular! And the soloists are very, very good. Though Diana is fine, she is really outdanced by the others. This DVD helped me make my choice about BAM performances as I'm now curious to see how Matvienko does in the role.

[Mazurka]

Am I the only one not aware of BAM subscription exchange policy? They only allow exchange for the same program even if there is only one performance offered or if the other performance is completely sold out, while seats are available for other programs! They will not let you change!

Reading small print now applies to buying tickets to cultural events at venerable institutions....

[abatt]

Yes. BAM has some pretty strict rules about subscriptions, exchanges and so on.

I had to exchange my subscripton Chopin Mixed bill tickets from the Sat evening Chopin show to the Sunday matinee Chopin show.

I had to pay an enormous additional amount because they refused to give me the subscription price as it originally was when the tickets first went on sale. I got the subscriber percentage discount, but the discount was applied to the new, very high dynamic price that the tickets are currently selling for.

Fine print, indeed.

[Mazurka]

Well today they offered me a partial view extreme side balcony in exchange for row A mezzanine...otherwise a tax break if I donate the ticket...

[abatt]

http://www.bam.org/media/2560090/Swan_Lake_BAMbill_Final-Prog-Only.pdf?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Social-BAM&utm_content=2015_01_13_MariinskyBAM_SwanLakeInContext&utm_campaign=WinterSpring

Here is a pdf re all the casting for all roles in Swan Lake.

[Amour]

http://www.bam.org/media/2560090/Swan_Lake_BAMbill_Final-Prog-Only.pdf?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Social-BAM&utm_content=2015_01_13_MariinskyBAM_SwanLakeInContext&utm_campaign=WinterSpring

Here is a pdf re all the casting for all roles in Swan Lake.

I think they are a little mixed up. They have Parish listed in the pas de trois on the same night he dances Siegfried. Yermakov is a great Rothbart and Tkachenko a great Jester.

[abatt]

Here's a full casting list for the Cinderella performances:

http://www.bam.org/media/2560098/Cinderella_BAMbill_Final-Prog-Only.pdf?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Social-BAM&utm_content=2015_01_14_Mariinsky_CinderellaInContext&utm_campaign=WinterSpring

For some reason Pavlenko as stepmother is still listed for the Sunday matinee.

[Amour]

I just got home from the Mariinsky's opening night of Swan Lake and thought I'd try to string together a few thoughts.

First, from the moment the corps came onstage in Act 1 I was in ballet heaven. Everyone is about the same height, they are all long legged (stretched long legs) with perfectly pointed feet and beautiful epaulement. They move in unison as one. While I have criticized Fateyev as an AD, his failure to promote means there are top level dancers in this corps who would be soloists or principals anywhere else. We also have, as Cygnet says, the rigorous coaching the corps get from Nina Ukhova. In any case the corps is, IMO the best in the world. And this production is based on Sergeyev's interpretation (in1950) of Petipa/Ivanov's work shows them off. So we get girls wearing dresses with short filmy skirts and guys in tights with more elaborate tops. (No long heavy dresses or maypole here, thank you) they dance together in a way that makes sense and boy they do dance beautifully. In Act 1, Yana Selina, Nadezhda Batoeva & Filipp Stepin were near perfect as the Prince's friends (the pas de trois). Their energies and steps were in unison and they all have wonderful technique (I'm especially a fan of Stepin). Vladislav Shumakov was entertaining, virtuosic and dramatically clear as the Jester, interacting with more of the characters than I've noticed previously. And then, of course, there was Shklyarov - the boyish Prince Siegfried. He doesn't play the character as a tortured soul, just as a boyish guy who hasn't gotten around to settling down. His technique in the first Act was impeccable and impressive.

Act 1Scene 2 we meet the Swan Queen Odette. I have never seen Tereshkina perform this role and I have to say I was slightly disappointed in her at this point. Though when looking through opera glasses you could see the pain and anguish in her face, it didn't communicate itself through her body well enough (and I sat dead center, 5th row of the mezzanine) Technically she and Shklyarov did their PDD well but it felt a little soulless compared to what you see from Lopatkina or even Somova. I found her swan arms not liquid enough. But there was the fantastic corps and they were truly the star. The cygnets (Asaben, Mikheikina,Sogrina and the wonderful Marchuk) were again near perfect. Of course, when you have someone like Marchuk dancing (she should have been promoted long ago) you might expect that. The big swans were marvelous, too. And of course, the great, powerful Andrei Yermakov, with his high jumps and big lifts as Rothbart.

As we moved to Act 2, Tereshkina was a more successful Odile than Odette. She was glittering and seductive and the hardness that bothered me in Act 1 was a virtue in Act 2. The folk dances were well performed by everyone but I especially liked the Spanish dance with Kozharskaya, Petushkova, Belyakov and Beloborodov. As for the fouettes, Tereshkina did a lot of triples. But unfortunately, Gergiev really speeded up the tempo here (I've never heard it so fast at the ballet) so she traveled half-way downstage and fell (but not too obviously) out of her last one. The tempo was also tough on Shklyarov, who had a series of tours alternating with pirouettes. He did them all perfectly until the end when he kind of fell out of his pirouette. But these are really minor criticisms. The overall level of dancing was so high (and the tempo so fast) that the Act was a great success.

The final Act opens with a beautiful tableau of swans arranged in groups of beautiful patterns. They then dance and are joined by about 10 black swans. The act is much longer than in either ABT's or the Bolshoi's version. The choreography is very beautiful and the level of dancing unbelievably high. Again, we had the great Batoeva and Selina as the 2 swans who do solos. Tereshkina seemed more relaxed in this Act and you could now feel the anguish with her every gesture. Both Shklyarov and Yermakov were terrific as they fight over her. Both the technique and the acting skills were completely there. As the audience we were totally swept up in their story. Finally, Siegfried vanquishes Rothbart by tearing off one of his wings (he has a pretty terrific costume complete with scary face makeup), leaving Rothbart to die, writhing around with one wing. And Siegfried and Odette have their happy ending as they walk into the sun (don't you love the Soviets).

It was truly a great performances and the audience was on its feet, shouting bravos and generally whooping. This was much more enthusiasm than the restrained Londoners showed in August. They raised the curtain twice and allowed each of the 3 main characters to take their bows. There were also in front of the curtain bows (in London, only Lopatkina had that honor). Tereshkina glowed with happiness and Shklyarov looked pleased. Yermakov, too. It was truly a wonderful evening.

[Birdsall]

Thank you for your review, Amour! I felt like I was there! Tereshkina is a much better Odile than Odette, but I feel her Odette is not bad. But she is deliciously evil as Odile. She almost always gives a solid performance in anything she dances, and she has red hot energy, in my opinion, and that probably does not work too well for Odette. She comes off as more at home in roles like Kitri where she can be extroverted.

Yermakov is amazing as Rothbart adding jumps I never saw in that role before him. But I long to see him as Prince Siegfried personally, but I don't think he has ever had that chance. He has danced Jean de Brienne in Raymonda. I think he could be a great Prince Siegfried. For some reason he only gets Rothbart.

Shklyarov is always solid too.

So from my experiences with these dancers I think you are totally spot on in your assessment, although I was not there last night.

I personally love how Odette and Siegfried come downstage and gaze into the light as the curtain falls at the end. For me it is an "Ahhhh...." (such beauty) moment. The happy ending does not bother me the way it does most people. To me even when a company does the "tragic" ending of them throwing themselves in the lake, they are shown in Heaven happy together, so it is still a happy ending, so I actually see no difference personally. Even the tragic ending is very happy. So the Soviet Happy Ending is fine by me.

[annamk]

Thank you also from me Armour The Mariinsky Swan Lake is incomparable. I went to English National Ballet here in London the other day and although they have an attractive production I couldn't avoid comparing the company unfavourably to the wonderful Mariinsky. Good that I still have my great memories of the London season last summer.

[Waelsung]

Brief report: Lopatkina was absolutely divine tonight. I rather liked Ivanchenko, not so much his interpretation, but his lines.

The pas-de-trois was marred by an injury and ended up being a pas-de-deux.

The dances at the ball were very solid.

The corps is good (to be honest, I expected more), but what's up with this elephant-like thumping.

Probably the stage at BAM is not really well suited for ballet, or maybe the dancers haven't gotten used to it yet.

Anyway, the night clearly belonged to Uliana, and deservedly so.

[aurora]

Brief report: Lopatkina was absolutely divine tonight. I rather liked Ivanchenko, not so much his interpretation, but his lines.

Lopatkina really was wonderful. I had no idea how much I would love her in this.

As for Ivanchenko, his lines were fine--when he landed in arabesque he kept his leg high etc. but he cheated every double tour so horribly it was almost laughable--especially when he was doing them coming forward towards the audience--about half a tour was cheated in the preparation.

As for his "interpretation," I've seen pieces of bread with more personality... I know the prince in SL is kind of a sappy character but he was the milquetoastiest of them all. At least it wasn't hard to believe he'd be stupid enough to confuse Odile for Odette.

[Waelsung]

Brief report: Lopatkina was absolutely divine tonight. I rather liked Ivanchenko, not so much his interpretation, but his lines.

Lopatkina really was wonderful. I had no idea how much I would love her in this.

As for Ivanchenko, his lines were fine--when he landed in arabesque he kept his leg high etc. but he cheated every double tour so horribly it was almost laughable--especially when he was doing them coming forward towards the audience--about half a tour was cheated in the preparation.

As for his "interpretation," I've seen pieces of bread with more personality... I know the prince in SL is kind of a sappy character but he was the milquetoastiest of them all. At least it wasn't hard to believe he'd be stupid enough to confuse Odile for Odette.

Aurora, I agree, the preparations were pathetic, but I think Gergiev was also responsible for this - his tempi are murderous. Not only Ivanchenko, but almost everybody suffered from them. I wonder if the pas-de-trois disaster was also (at least partly) the result of Gergiev constantly rushing the dancers

[aurora]

Brief report: Lopatkina was absolutely divine tonight. I rather liked Ivanchenko, not so much his interpretation, but his lines.

Lopatkina really was wonderful. I had no idea how much I would love her in this.

As for Ivanchenko, his lines were fine--when he landed in arabesque he kept his leg high etc. but he cheated every double tour so horribly it was almost laughable--especially when he was doing them coming forward towards the audience--about half a tour was cheated in the preparation.

As for his "interpretation," I've seen pieces of bread with more personality... I know the prince in SL is kind of a sappy character but he was the milquetoastiest of them all. At least it wasn't hard to believe he'd be stupid enough to confuse Odile for Odette.

Aurora, I agree, the preparations were pathetic, but I think Gergiev was also responsible for this - his tempi are murderous. Not only Ivanchenko, but almost everybody suffered from them. I wonder if the pas-de-trois disaster was also (at least partly) the result of Gergiev constantly rushing the dancers

On the preparations I think you are being kind... ;)

I didn't actually think the tempi were fast. In some places they were, in others they were glacial. What they were was erratic.

I meant to ask--is it normal in cygnets for the first half of it to be fast (as normal--it IS a fast dance) and then suddenly at the midway point for the tempo to slow to about half-time? It was jarring and took away a lot from the piece. The audience seemed to like it but for one thing it seemed to me to turn the dance into one big slog. (It was nicely danced, I'm not meaning any criticism of the dancers here, it was just a really noticeable tempo shift and one that I am not familiar with in any version I've seen.

[nysusan]

Lopatkina was exquisite, absolutely spellbindingly exquisite, every movement was perfection. Ivanchenko seems to have improved a bit, he wasn't quite as wooden as the last time I saw him. He supported Lopatkina admirably and thats what mattered. I hope Nikitina wasn't badly injured in her fall during the pas de trois.

Tereshkina & Shklyarov were very, very good last night but Lopatkina is on a whole different level.

The Mariinsky corps is one of the wonders of the world and they've been spot on these last 2 performances.

[Amour]

I

Brief report: Lopatkina was absolutely divine tonight. I rather liked Ivanchenko, not so much his interpretation, but his lines.

The pas-de-trois was marred by an injury and ended up being a pas-de-deux.

The dances at the ball were very solid.

The corps is good (to be honest, I expected more), but what's up with this elephant-like thumping.

Probably the stage at BAM is not really well suited for ballet, or maybe the dancers haven't gotten used to it yet.

Anyway, the night clearly belonged to Uliana, and deservedly so.

Really you have said it all Waelsung. Tonight it was all about LOPATKINA whereas last night it was more about the ensemble & corps. I think Lopatkina is one of today's great artists and the role of Odette just belongs to her. She is sorrowful, anguished, scared, soulful; every emotion you could want from an Odette. I thought Ivanchenko was serviceable, He is like her consort; he can't be (and doesn't need to be) that good because it's her show. But he seems to be a solid partner. He can lift her high overhead, support her pirouettes, etc. He is understated because he knows it's her show, she's the one people want to see. Nevertheless they seem to have a good rapport and chemistry onstage. BTW, I'd like to add that because of Gergiev's capricious conducting, tempos were totally different from last night. Some tempos by the lakeside were unbelievably slow; Lopatkina was trying to do her jumps as slowly as possible and almost made it. OTOH, he decided to conduct the passage where BS fouettes are at a reasonable tempo (not super fast like last night). So Lopatkina was able to get through 32 singles and barely traveled. In fact I found her Odile quite fine, maybe not very malicious & evil, but some lesser degree of that. Overall I liked her performance better than the one she and Ivanchenko did in London in August. It seemed somehow more real and believable.

Waelsung has mentioned the injury and yes, in this cast there were some problems. Anastasia Nikitina fell in the middle of the pas de trois (looked like a slick spot on the stage) and immediately walked off the stage. Somehow Yekaterina Ivannikova and Xander Parish managed to improvise a PDD. And Yaroslav Baybordin (the jester), Soslan Kulaev (the tutor) and Ivanchenko did as well. I believe Batoeva replaced Nikitina as one of the two swans in Act 3. As for Xander, he has really improved since August, especially his carriage , epaulement and stage presence. He also has lovely long legs and does big sissonnnes that travel and have height. Yet, somehow he still doesn't feel like a Mariinsky dancer. I certainly preferred Stepin last night. I also preferred Yermakov to Smekalov (tonight) as Rothbart. But in the end it didn't matter because it was Lopatkina's show.

As for the stage, it is small and a bit noisy. But nowhere near as noisy as the ROH stage, where the corps sounded like a herd of elephants.

In short, the night belonged to Lopatkina. At the end of the performance the house got on its feet and roared its approval. She looked genuinely pleased. I hope she was.

[sasark]

Thanks so much, everyone, for the reviews!

[Birdsall]

As for Xander, he has really improved since August, especially his carriage , epaulement and stage presence. He also has lovely long legs and does big sissonnnes that travel and have height. Yet, somehow he still doesn't feel like a Mariinsky dancer.

This is an intangible element of seeing the Mariinsky over and over. You start to see a refined style that ideally goes from the corps to the principals, but the trend at the Mariinsky now is to hire dancers who were trained elsewhere besides the Vaganova Academy, and, often, even when these dancers are often solid or even good they do not quite fit in style-wise.

This is apparent in Parish, as you say above, in Skorik (she has gotten technically better but doesn't have the same flowing upper body and arms of a Vaganova Grad), Bondareva, Gonchar, and the fairly new Chebykina. All of these sort of stick out as not having the right style. Even a guest artist like Olga Esina, who IS a Vaganova graduate, has spent so much time elsewhere that she seems to have lost some of the style and become more "cosmopolitan" or "international" in her style.

Hardcore Mariinsky lovers are actually heart-broken about this trend. But audiences seem to be fine and even love the non-Vaganova graduates so one day the unique style of the Mariinsky may disappear especially since the acting ballet director doesn't seem to like Vaganova graduates.

Maria Shirinkina is one of the few who graduated elsewhere whose style fits in with the Mariinsky, in my opinion, although her petite size and frame limits her a lot (for roles).

[angelica]

I agree with everyone above about the spellbinding performance delivered by Lopatkina last night. I was actually glad that Ivanchenko wasn't charismatic because I wouldn't have watched him anyway except in his solos (and yes, his preparations for tours en l'air as well as their landings were very messy.) I couldn't take my eyes off Lopatkina. Her technique was flawless, her legs and arms are slim and beautifully tapered, but it was her musicality that astonished me the most, as she extended those gorgeous limbs to fill out every musical phrase to the very last moment. This was a ballet bucket list experience--if you haven't seen Lopatkina in Swan Lake, get thee to a performance asap because who knows how much longer she'll be performing, and to miss her would be to miss one of ballet's greatest miracles.

But I do think it was in the white act that Lopatkina was most miraculous. Although she was technically magnificent as Odile, when it comes to seduction I think Veronika Part runs rings around Lopatkina. It may be that deception isn't in Ulyana's repertory of emotions and that it's difficult for her to act as if to deceive. In any event, my adoration for Lopatkina did not erase my love of Part.

Unlike Alastair Macaulay, I thought the corps de ballet was superb. I couldn't believe the perfection the dancers achieved. Each one was a mirror image of the other, exactly what a corps de ballet is supposed to be.

On the negative side, I thought the role of the doddering tutor was ridiculous and suffered greatly in comparison to my memories of the wise and wonderful Frederick Franklin. Also, in all productions around the world, wherever there is a juster, I say take him out. I don't think he adds anything to the first act except distraction, despite the fact that the jester last night performed the role well.

[FauxPas]

Some notes about last night's "Swan Lake":

First act was a bit of a mess. Everyone seemed a bit off - and Anastasia Nikitina's spill (possible injury) didn't help. Though I felt that Xander Parish and Yana Selina (that was not Ivannikova last night though there was no notice in the program) covered well for her sudden absence. The corps formations looked smushed together and blurred. The Jester Yaroslav Baybordin was cute but had a number of bad landings and slips - Vladislav Shumakov was better on opening night.

Act II was a revelation - the star entered and the whole evening was transformed. Lopatkina was very different from the video filmed in 2006 with Danila Korsuntsev. On the video from 2006, Lopatkina's Odette is an ice queen - an impregnable ivory tower who barely looks at Korsuntsev. More of a symbol than a suffering loving woman. Last night's Odette kissed her prince twice with ardor, looked searchingly into his face and fell rapturously in his arms. Ivanchenko was also not as wooden as his detractors here have suggested. Ivanchenko is solid, not exciting in solos but evidently Lopatkina is very comfortable with him, he is a strong reliable partner and they have great rapport. Lopatkina seemed physically in top shape - footwork was strong and crisp. But the real revelation was her emotional rapport and even seductiveness with Ivanchenko.

Lopatkina at 41 is in top physical shape - her frame is lean, tapered but also quite defined and muscular. Perhaps one or two arabesques were not as high and sustained as Tereshkina's. The Odile despite one wobbly ending to a pirouette in her solo was strongly danced. The pas de deux was full of beguiling phrasing and bewitching nuances. The fouettes were strong, high and tight singles that did not travel - maybe they actually traveled a few inches towards the back of the stage. Again, everyone was struggling with certain obstacles - the foreshortened stage space (they need at least 1/3 more stage depth) and Gergiev's conducting - erratic is the word though it was better than the opening night.

Anyway, if you were alienated by Lopatkina's Swan Lake video and thought she probably was getting mannered and technically weaker - this was a big surprise. Lopatkina looked stronger than ever with several years of top quality dancing ahead of her. The interpretation was warm, interactive with surprising and welcome touches of sensuality even in the Odette. The magic of her arms and port de bras were all that they ever were.

This "Swan Lake" indeed was all about the Swan Queen and it is wonderful to see a famous interpretation not only live up to its reputation but surpass and develop on it in positive ways. Brava!

[angelica]

If only we could have had a video of last night's performance. Or another one of Lopatkina, this time with Ivanchenko, made soon. He was the perfect partner to show off her gifts.

[nysusan]

Some notes about last night's "Swan Lake":

First act was a bit of a mess. Everyone seemed a bit off - and Anastasia Nikitina's spill (possible injury) didn't help. Though I felt that Xander Parish and Yana Selina (that was not Ivannikova last night though there was no notice in the program) covered well for her sudden absence. T

That was definitely not Selina last night with the Lopatkina cast. I've only seen Ivannikova a couple of times in small soloist roles, but I do think it was her:

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/ballet_mt_women/ivannikova/

But definately not Selina, who danced the PDT on opening night with Batoeva & Stepin.

[Drew]

As for Xander, he has really improved since August, especially his carriage , epaulement and stage presence. He also has lovely long legs and does big sissonnnes that travel and have height. Yet, somehow he still doesn't feel like a Mariinsky dancer.

This is an intangible element of seeing the Mariinsky over and over. You start to see a refined style that ideally goes from the corps to the principals, but the trend at the Mariinsky now is to hire dancers who were trained elsewhere besides the Vaganova Academy, and, often, even when these dancers are often solid or even good they do not quite fit in style-wise.

....

Hardcore Mariinsky lovers are actually heart-broken about this trend. But audiences seem to be fine and even love the non-Vaganova graduates so one day the unique style of the Mariinsky may disappear especially since the acting ballet director doesn't seem to like Vaganova graduates.

This is a huge concern to me as well--especially as the long-term fate of the school itself is unclear. (I realize some people are feeling reassured about Tsiskaridze's leadership since the reportedly successful graduation performances last year, but I fear it is early days to know anything.)

Very enjoyable to read the responses to Lopatkina's performance; wish I might have seen it!

[abatt]

Lopatkina was pure poetry last night. A gorgeous performance. I barely paid any attention to her partner. He was certainly no technical marvel, but he was a good partner who allowed Lopatkina to be at her very best.

I agree that the opening night was very, ,very good, but Tereshkina was not on the same level of artistry as Lopatkina. Tereshkina a marvel of technique. There was a moment in the last act where she did such a deep back bend I wondered if she even had a spine. Shkylarov was excellent- a much stronger solo dancer than Ivanchenko.

Tonight I saw Cinderella. The sets and costumes are disappointing, but Vishneva's plasticity and fluidity were breathtaking. She was ravishing. The gorgeous Kondaurova is wasted in this ballet.