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Ratmansky's Sleeping Beauty at La Scala


Natalia

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Now that originally-cast David Hallberg *and* his replacement, Sergei Polinin, are out...who will dance first-cast Prince Desiree, partnering La Zakharova? Is Marcelo available?

Update: According to Teatroallascala.org, corps newbie Jacopo Tissi (la Scala class of 2014), has been tapped for the honors. Talk about an opportunity!

Opening night is just five days away, this Saturday. Will Milan audiences love it as much as we did in the USA?

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I remember that Italians, for the most part, detested the new-old RAYMONDA designs and pageantry, as staged by Vikharev in 2011. (We foreign visitors loved it...but that RAYMONDA was slammed in the local press as pretentious return to elite aesthetics). Maybe it's a political thing in Italy? That's the only reason why I fear a bit about this BEAUTY. But perhaps Ratmansky has done his "prep work" with local powers-that-be and journalists, which Vikharev was unable to achieve in 2011 with RAYMONDA? Ratmansky's earlier work for La Scala (the ballet titled OPERA) was rather well received, so maybe he'll fare better than did Vikharev.

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I don't want to read too much into Ratmansky's comments in this Facebook post, but he says that the boys at La Scala's school shouldn't have any problems w/ the garlands, so does that mean he had no confidence that the boys at ABT's school could handle them?

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The big premiere was on Saturday. There are lovely photos of Zakharova, Tissi and the rest of the opening cast in http//www.gramilano.it

Did anyone here attend the premiere? I'm hoping that impressions of others are a bit more positive than my Milanese friends, who reported "mild applause" at the end for the dancers, then a quick emptying of the stalls before the curtain calls! Not nice. "Not enough action...too much posing and parading....Where was the virtuosity?" were some of the quotes.

This is similar to what I heard in 2011 during the premiere of the new-old Raymonda. Milanese balletomanes do not seem to love recons of old Petipa ballets but they *do* love the Nureyev versions.

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The Milanese are very keen on Nureyev's stagings of the classics, with very energetic movement. The pro reviews of the new-old RAYMONDA (2011) were mostly scathing, even though we American and British tourists mostly loved it. Local balletomanes, critics and dancers themselves hated it. Yet, a telecast and DVD of RAYMONDA came to pass soon after premiere and that ballet was repeated the following season, probably due to tourists' interest. I wonder if Milanese critics may be kinder with the BEAUTY reconstruction?

My initial hopes for an Italian telecast & subsequent DVD aren't so high but one never knows.

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I was there tonight for a second cast. Applause was very muted throughout and I think it affected some performances. Timofej Andrijashenko nearly dropped his poor princess Nicoletta Manni on fish-dive number 2. The sound of slapping flesh (his hand striking her body panickedly) was very audible. The third was much more sheepish.

I am glad I have first cast tomorrow to look forward to, as tonight was merely OK in my eyes. I hope to review both.

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Much better reaction to last night. Zakharova found the core of beauty within this Beauty. Petipa's vision by way of Ratmansky done full justice. Mr Tissi showed a few hints of his 'newness' and exhibited some uncertainties, but they made a lovely couple with a small frisson of true chemistry that should if allowed only grow.

It might be worth keeping an eye out for local reviews, Natalia? if you see any please let us know!

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Here's links to my two posts about the Ratmansky Beauty at La Scala. I went on two nights. The first was me a bit underwhelmed by the dancing and the second is where it really worked well.



https://theoperatuni...october-1-2015/



https://theoperatuni...october-2-2015/



High quality dancing from all, but truly the stand out for me apart from the expected qualities from Zakharova was from Maria Celeste Losa. Just delightful.


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I liked this production when I saw it with ABT but also was disappointed with the scenic effects--the transformation of the castle at rhe end of Act I especially held little magic. I gather some of the scenery, like the costumes, was based on Bakst...but that knowledge doesn't help...

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