Kaysta Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I feel happy. I saw my first live Raymonda today, and my first Mariinsky performance! I've watched snippets of this ballet on YouTube (and have bought 2 videos, but have yet to watch them), so this was my first live viewing, and I LOVED it! The good thing about being a ballet newb, is that I don't have older versions in my head, so I'm not let down when they omit things (like the white lady). I loved everything about this ballet..the dancing (so beautiful), the costumes, the sets, the lighting (especially in the dream sequence). I thought Kolegova was lovely. I was worried I was going to find her cold, after reading others comments, but I thought she was quite warm on stage. She has a lovely port de bras and beautiful arching back (a quality I admired in all of the Mariinsky ladies!) As Natalia stated above, she owned her act 3 solo. It was beautiful and regal and I was mesmerized. I thought Ivanchenko was a good partner. His solo was ok, but he doesn't seem to finish his movements very well. As it was my first time seeing the Mariinsky, it was my first time seeing Shapran, whom I know garners mixed reviews. I thought she was lovely. I wish I could have stayed to see the night performance, but I was too tired and didn't want to drive 3 hours back to Philly so late. Sorry I didn't get a chance to come out and meet folks by the Kennedy head, my fiance was grouchy and was in kind of an antisocial mood today. Link to comment
Kaysta Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 There must be "the curse of the sautees in pointe" against the Russian ballerinas. Kolegova fell off pointe during her series of sautees tonight. She nailed them today. Perfection. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Flash, flash!! Katya/Danila pas de deux during the dream svene was EXQUISITE Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Flash! So many errors tonight but Big Red most regal! My favorite cast, in all, was this afternoon (Kolegova) but Kondaurova was lovely. Kondaurova seemed so tired at the end that she even forgot to do her Mazurka steps and Korsuntsev whispered to her something, and she realized "where she was" in the ballet. Doesn't matter. Her solos were mostly exquisite. Korsuntsev offered fine partnering and "looked the Prince" but seems to not be quite back from his surgery, as evinced in a watered down A3 solo. Smekalov brought so much passion to Abderakhman, especially in his slow death. But....What was up with his loose metal belt, clang-clanging throughout the A2 Pas d'Action/Pas de Six? Wardrobe malfunction, methinks. Most distracting. Chebykina, as Clemence, showed why she is being entrusted with juicy roles like Odette/Odile back home. Gorgeous legato dancing. Gonchar, as Henriette, survived a horrendously loud splat during the A2 adagio to dance a good solo minute later, even if in pain. She must be one tough cookie. Thank you, Mariinsky Ballet! On to NYC tomorrow morn for the last of the BAM gala concerts. - Natalia Nabatova Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Too tired after 2 shows in one day to write much but thrilled that Kolegova is getting good reviews from fellow BA members. In my opinion, she is treated as a B cast ballerina who they use to fill in whenever someone cancels, and I find her artistry and her facial beauty amazing. In both of her DC Raymondas she comes running downstage for her final coda (a Hungarian pique March thing) and literally jumps onto pointe, holds the first pique pose longer than most and then begins. I see little details like this in every performance of hers. Anyway, more later....going to bed... Link to comment
canbelto Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Wow this was exhausting, an early morning day trip to Washington DC. But I'm so happy I went -- great to meet Birdsall and Drew in person, and also saw a wonderful performance of Raymonda! Kolegova is a dancer I've never seen before but she was exquisite and has great terre a terre technique. Loved her fast diagonal of entrechats. More thoughts here: http://poisonivywalloftext.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-very-mariinsky-weekend-part-one.html Link to comment
mussel Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Russian TV on Mariinsky's Kennedy Center tour of Raymonda: http://tvkultura.ru/article/show/article_id/148790/ Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Between museums, Raymonda performances, and SLEEP it has been hard to find time to review. On Friday Skorik was better than I have ever seen her, but I have to say I hate the idea of people new to the Mariinsky who do not really follow ballet viewing her as the best the Mariinsky has to offer. Many casual ballet lovers think a principal ranking means the ballerina is one of the best. I heard a comment about Kolegova ("She's just a First Soloist"), but she can dance circles around Skorik in her sleep due to musicality, artistry, and acting. With that said Skorik had one of her best nights on Friday night but some "deer in the headlights" looks as nysusan says. This is one of my problems with her. I don't want to travel and spend money on a ballerina with a "deer in the headlights" look. It would be fine at a regional company in a debut to have this look. For me it is not good for a venerable company like the Mariinsky to have a principal who often looks scared or like she's concentrating on remembering the steps. I do think she's come a long way and is better than when she came onto everyone's radar. I would applaud loudly if she were appearing as a principal in a regional company, but I still think she is not yet principal material for the Mariinsky (so many other dancers are better). In contrast Kolegova was smooth as silk during the Saturday matinee. She has the delicate, sweet, and happy persona on stage that fits Act One. But for me her arms are the real Vaganova trained deal. Her arms are shorter than Lopatkina's so not as obvious to notice at first glance but if you pay attention her arms move with incredible grace and always to the music. Her arms flow, flow, flow. The best Vaganova graduates have this quality, and some people don't care for it. The flowing arms put me in ecstasy and make Vaganova graduates seem like unique sea creatures or alien dancing beings who have come to earth to teach us what beauty is. This is the special Mariinsky style that you see in no other company in the world and why I tell people that if they are looking too much at dancers' feet they are totally missing the unique quality of the Mariinsky. For me the Mariinsky has been a blessing and a curse. Blessing for the joy the company brings to me, but a curse at the same time because when I don't see flowing arms I lose interest and just feel the dancers are stiff at other companies even when I tell myself it is a different style and try to enjoy this other style. Even the Bolshoi doesn't do it for me because of this. Kondaurova has always struck me as a strong diva looking ballerina who would fit the Bolshoi much better. For me she would actually look delicate at the Bolshoi but she looks like an Amazon at the Mariinsky. I have always thought she was more of an Act 3 Raymonda. Imperious looking and strong and commanding. I didn't think she was delicate and sweet enough for Act 1. Basically she does not fit a "damsel in distress"....she looks like she would karate chop Abderakhman herself or burn his body up with a glacial stare. So I was quite surprised how much she softened her natural persona on Wednesday night, and I very much enjoyed her. But last night I felt she was back in her "strong" persona. She was still good but I liked her better on Wednesday. She also has more flow to her arms than Skorik. My main quibble last night were Kondaurova's very shallow renverses. I like the leg to go up higher as it rotates back. More later... Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Skorik was the only one of the three Rays to perform changements on pointe during the A2 solo. The other two just performed hops on pointe without switching the feet. This of course contrasts with the 1898 version at La Scala in which Ray performs a long series of entrechats six...but that's the great Novikova! Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Cubanmiamiboy, was that your booming voice in front-Orchestra yelling "Bravo!" right after the A1-sc2 Pdd last night, right before the rest of the audience applauded? I could swear I detected your voice from way up in my 2nd Tier seat. Link to comment
Kaysta Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I woke up this morning wanting to see this again, but unforunately there are only a few seats left and they aren't very good. So instead I'm going to stay home and watch the Kolpakova video, finally. Would have liked to have seen Skorik, since she also garners such mixed reviews. Link to comment
Drew Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 People who attended both Tues and Fri also agreed Friday Skoryk was much better. She may divide opinions, but there was pretty clear consensus about that at least. Also, we have Raymonda experts on this site, few and far between are any fans who have seen the 'white lady' as a major factor in modern productions. The La Scala reconstruction of course is different. Link to comment
Kaysta Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 . Also, we have Raymonda experts on this site, few and far between are any fans who have seen the 'white lady' as a major factor in modern productions. The La Scala reconstruction of course is different. I wasn't claiming that it was a major factor for most experts (and trust me, I know there are plenty on this board), but it was something that was mentioned in above posts as being noticed. I'm simply saying that the one good thing about seeing a production for the very first time is that I'm easily pleased. I don't notice a lot of the minor technical miscues and I don't feel sad over things being omitted in restagings because I don't know they exist yet. And with companies like the Mariinsky, I'm not too bummed over casting, as I've never seen the majority of these dancers live anyway. I fully enjoyed my newbie naivete for my first Raymonda experience. It might not be as wonderful next time, because I will have something to compare it to. Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 White Lady appears in every major production I've seen, including Bolshoi & POB. It's not just a La Scala thing. The Kirov-Mariinsky is by far the greatest aberration...not to say that it is not a pretty version...just very, very different. My qualm is that this and other 1940s/50s K Sergeyev stagings were "sold" to Soviet audiences as if they were Petipa's Holy Grail. Nothing could have been further from the truth! Yet, I respect the K Sergeyevs as unique works of art in and of themselves. Just don't call them "Petipa" AND - even worse - arrogantly bury heads in the sand and dismiss the work of stagers like Vikharev and Ratmansky who shed light on the truth. The truth hurts when one was led to believe that something else was the be-all and end-all. Like the lies in the newspaper PRAVDA ("The Truth") during USSR times! Link to comment
MadameP Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 White Lady appears in every major production I've seen, including Bolshoi & POB. It's not just a La Scala thing. The Kirov-Mariinsky is by far the greatest aberration...not to say that it is not a pretty version...just very, very different. My qualm is that this and other 1940s/50s K Sergeyev stagings were "sold" to Soviet audiences as if they were Petipa's Holy Grail. Nothing could have been further from the truth! Yet, I respect the K Sergeyevs as unique works of art in and of themselves. Just don't call them "Petipa" AND - even worse - arrogantly bury heads in the sand and dismiss the work of stagers like Vikharev and Ratmansky who shed light on the truth. The truth hurts when one was led to believe that something else was the be-all and end-all. Like the lies in the newspaper PRAVDA ("The Truth") during USSR times! THe White Lady does NOT appear in the Bolshoi production. I have just come back from Russia, where I saw a number of Don Quixotes and Raymondas, and I can tell you there is not one glimpse of a White Lady in the current Bolshoi production (or in the Mariinsky one either!) Link to comment
Drew Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Kaysta--I love your point. Even as someone who has been going to the ballet for years, I try to take it 'as it comes' to speak. Even if I do have a few criticisms from time to time. Re 'holy writ:' I remember how astonished a Russian acquaintance of mine was (she had emigrated from the Soviet Union at end of the 80's), to learn that Swan Lake did not originally have a happy ending -- not in this world anyway -- for Odette and Siegfried. Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 THe White Lady does NOT appear in the Bolshoi production. I have just come back from Russia, where I saw a number of Don Quixotes and Raymondas, and I can tell you there is not one glimpse of a White Lady in the current Bolshoi production (or in the Mariinsky one either!) Wrong... Or, rather, WRONG!!!! Look at the film with Bessmertnova. WL just walks around but she's there. Link to comment
MadameP Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Wrong. Look at the film with Bessmertnova. Not in the CURRENT Bolshoi Raymonda, Natalia! I have just seen it - and not a White Lady anywhere. I wasn't talking about the film, but about the CURRENT Bolshoi production! Link to comment
MadameP Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 WRONG! Well, are we talking at cross purposes? I have been in Moscow until last week, and saw Smirnova/Rodkin and Krysanova/Ovcharenko in Raymonda on the Bolshoi stage and there was no white lady in sight! Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Cubanmiamiboy, was that your booming voice in front-Orchestra yelling "Bravo!" right after the A1-sc2 Pdd last night, right before the rest of the audience applauded? I could swear I detected your voice from way up in my 2nd Tier seat. Yes, Natasha. That was me! I rarely get so transfixed as I was by Katya and Danila's artistry in this pdd. This is, along with the Sugar Plum pdd and Diamonds, one of my all time favorite adagios from the whole ballet repertoire. The Cuban company presents it often in gala performances, and it had been quite a long time since I saw it for last time live. I absolutely ADORED their performance, so I just had to shout it out loud. Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Yes, Natasha. That was me! I rarely get so transfixed as I was by Katya and Danila's artistry in this pdd. This is, along with the Sugar Plum pdd and Diamonds, one of my all time favorite adagios from the whole ballet repertoire. The Cuban company presents it often in gala performances, and it had been quite a long time since I saw it for last time live. I absolutely ADORED their performance, so I just had to shout it out loud. Ha! I knew it. Glad that you had so much fun in DC. It was great having you and the other visiting fans from all over the USA! Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Skorik danced Act 1 today and I kept dozing so maybe it wasn't the wine at all on Friday but Skorik. Then, when we sat down for Act 2 it was announced Anastasia Kolegova would dance the rest of the leading role. The Gods smiled down on me because I considered skipping the final one! And to me it looked like entrechats quatre that Kolegova did like always. Calves were switching. Link to comment
MRR Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Skorik was the only one of the three Rays to perform changements on pointe during the A2 solo. The other two just performed hops on pointe without switching the feet. This of course contrasts with the 1898 version at La Scala in which Ray performs a long series of entrechats six...but that's the great Novikova! Novikova performed the entrechat quatre series in the reconstruction, not entrechat six. Which was still fantastic, as I don't see how entrechat six en pointe would be possible. (0:47 in the video) Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Skorik danced Act 1 today and I kept dozing so maybe it wasn't the wine at all on Friday but Skorik. Then, when we sat down for Act 2 it was announced Anastasia Kolegova would dance the rest of the leading role. The Gods smiled down on me because I considered skipping the final one! And to me it looked like entrechats quatre that Kolegova did like always. Calves were switching. Kolegova's feet stationary yesterday. Doesn't matter; I still enjoyed her very much. Link to comment
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