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Premiere - Le Corsaire


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The cast of the first performance:

Medora — Ekaterina Borchenko

Conrad — Leonid Sarafanov

Gulnare — Anastasia Soboleva

Pas des esclaves — Asthik Ogannesyan, Victor Lebedev

The cast of the first performance:

Medora — Ekaterina Borchenko

Conrad — Leonid Sarafanov

Gulnare — Anastasia Soboleva

Pas des esclaves — Asthik Ogannesyan, Victor Lebedev

Who is Asthik Ogannesyan? She is a coryphee, but do you have any information on where she trained or what companies she has danced in before?

Also, there is another dancer I do not know - Vera Sabantseva - who dances Gulnare with Lebedev - do have any information on her?

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Isn't Lebedev the slave even if he's not named Ali in the production. (First photo above)

He is dressed like Ali to me, so you could be right, but it looks like he is dancing Lankedem (Lankedem dances a pdd with Gulnare when he shows her off to the Pasha). Of course, I haven't seen this production, so things could be different from the Mariinsky version, although the Mikhailovsky's is supposedly based on the Sergeyev version. Maybe the Mik has melded both Lankedem and Ali into one character (traits of both)? Has anyone on BA actually seen this version to let us know?

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The Mikhailovsky's website does list him in the "pas des esclaves" (their spelling) but the funny thing is that Messerer makes a big deal in an article on the same website about basing this new version on the 1970s Kirov Sergeyev version (although apparently Sergeyev kept changing things or adding things over the years), so sticking Lankedem in as the male with Gulnare during the pas des esclaves as the Mariinsky does today must not be Sergeyev's 1970 version....Is it Gusev's version that changes the slave into the slave trader Lankedem?......for me personally the ur-original is not what is interesting to know.....knowing what was added, deleted, re-added, and reasons why (although we may never know) are even more interesting than actual reconstructions or "originals".....the changes over the years are fascinating, and this new Mikhailovsky version is apparently an attempt to recreate the 1970s Kirov version that apparently the Mariinsky no longer does.

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Principals Irina Perren and Marat Shemiounov (her husband) has been fired from Mikhailovsky. This was due to the fact that Perren did not perform at Le Corsaire on September 12th and performed in a gala in Monte Carlo instead.

http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/press/news/izmenenie_v_sostave/

Their profiles has disappeared from the company roster.

Terrible news as Perren is a truly brilliant prima ballerina.

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Sad to learn of this...When the company came to NY, I loved Perren's performance in Flames of Paris (and her flamboyant acrobatic pas de deux with Shemiunov was a special highlight at the last performance I saw--on a Saturday night).

I've read fabulous things about a number of her roles -- notably Giselle and Medora. This seems really unfortunate...

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Ekaterina Borchenko

Pas de deux from Act 2. This is a tape from the last performance - Borchenko was urgently called to replace Perren and she danced with Ivan Vasiliev. Not only that she is taller than him, but they had to perform after a single rehearsal made just before the show. I think they did it well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F9K6MquoTs

Le Jardin Anime. This is Ekaterina's top scene!

pt 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4kSsLxp6zc

pt 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N987iB4tukA

pt 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPKDGpiGCrg

Final love scene (with Ivan Vasiliev):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2ZLSpZ5fI4

Angelina Vorontsova

Variation from Act 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0QSzQSAyIc

A lovely dance of "the little corsaire":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICeFEWOTb0

Pas de deux (with Leonid Sarafanov)

Adagio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZprJLao29nw

Variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVrSQNWC274

Coda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoChrnAsmqw

Leonid Sarafanov

Conrad's variation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piHzEYpkHag

Ivan Vasiliev

Other variation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yMHtkyF79g

Enjoy!!! :wub::wub:

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No comments? :crying:

I think the reason is time constraints. I am guessing that is why no one has commented. Also, less people (Americans at least) follow the Mikhailovsky. Thank you for the clips. I have not gotten through all of them, even though they are fairly short, b/c I have so much going on this weekend. I still need to finish the Sarafanov clips (only watched his variation). They are fascinating for the differences (comparing to the Gusev version at the Mariinsky which I am much more familiar with).

Even if it is not "original" I actually miss Ali!

I am not sure I like how the backdrops are really mainly an electronic projection (film projection). At least that is what it looks like. They have tried that type of thing in opera also and I never liked it in that art form either.

To my eyes Borchenko seems like a combination of Petersburg and Moscow styles mixed together. Vasiliev still seems very Moscow to me. His time at the Mikhailovsky has not changed his overall style. Sarafanov is much more elegant than Vasiliev but there is excitement to Vasiliev's wildness nevertheless. This is what I love in both ballet and opera.....seeing so many different dancers and there are pros and cons to most all artists (same in opera.....all the greats have flaws but make up for it with major pluses that make them unique).

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