Le Corsaire from Vienna, streamed live April 2

[volcanohunter]

Normally these cost an arm and a leg, but on Saturday, April 2, at 7:00 pm Central European time (1 pm Eastern, 10 am Pacific), the live stream of Manuel Legris' new production of Le Corsaire for the Vienna State Ballet will be available free of charge on the Vienna State Opera's live streaming site. There's also an option to select one of multiple start times within 72 hours of the broadcast.

http://www.staatsoperlive.com/en/live/288/le-corsaire-2016-04-02/#tab_0

Medora - Maria Yakovleva

Conrad - Robert Gabdullin

Gulnare - Liudmila Konovalova

Lanquedem - Kirill Kourlaev

Birbanto - Davide Dato

Zulmea - Alice Firenze

Seyd Pasha - Mihail Sosnovschi

Odalisques - Natascha Mair, Nina Tonoli, Prisca Zeisel

[volcanohunter]

The live feed from the auditorium has begun, and the standard package about the Vienna State Opera, which includes an interview with Manuel Legris about the ballet company as well, is now playing.

[yudi]

Is the time [ America/... ] to watch, on the booking page, Eastern time?

[volcanohunter]

I think it adjusts to the time zone you select when creating your account. In any case, you can change the start time later.

[SFCleo]

This evening I watched the Legris Corsaire and came away more confused about Le Corsaire than I was beforehand. I understand there are many versions of Le Corsaire including the Burlaka reconstruction I've watched on YouTube, but Legris' is the first I've seen that messed around with the three odalisques. The only clue that it was the three odalisques was that the costumes worn by the three dancers were similar to what they usually wear. The music and the choreography for the variations were completely new to me -- they looked Petipa-ish and sounded Minkus-ish but I really couldn't tell if it was or not. The Gulnare character actually danced the customary third odalisque variation to the "correct" music at an earlier point in the ballet --very strange. I couldn't find any information about this via googling -- does anybody here know?

Other than the odalisque issue I enjoyed the performance -- nice costumes and sets and some of the dancing was really excellent (Konovaleva and Yakovleva especially). I'm not sure it's the right ballet for a small-ish company (I think Legris said 70 dancers?) to put on -- the corps for the jardin anime was a bit sparse compared to the legions fielded by Mariinsky and Bolshoi. The Vienna stage seems a bit small also, but with all the limitations, Legris managed to pull it off. It was great to see a new (to me) ballet company in action and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to watch it for free.

[volcanohunter]

If you've got the means to work around the geoblock, the stream is still available on the Arte Concert web site, although I do not know for how long.

http://concert.arte.tv/fr/le-corsaire-de-manuel-legris-lopera-de-vienne

The production struck me as mostly reminiscent of the old Kirov staging still performed by the Mariinsky. Le Corsaire is not the easiest work to try to reconstruct in some kind of original form, and to be sure Legris' version is not the unholy mess that Kader Belarbi made of it, but considering the work that has been done at the Bavarian State Ballet, the Bolshoi and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Legris' approach does seem a little passé. Like SFCleo, I don't know what to make of the odalisque trio, nor do I understand why Lanquedem is given a variation in the seraglio, and I think it's a bad idea to give one to Conrad during the rescue scene, especially when the music so clearly suggests a battle. The transition from the rescue to the shipwreck is also awkward, but none of Legris' choreography looks horribly out of place among the familiar numbers. Musically the ballet is very uneven. (One of the intermission features showed the orchestra rehearsing the entrée of the pas d'esclave, and I was sure the instrumentalists were thinking, "I can't believe I have to play this.")

Maria Yakovleva is a strong technician, although I did not find her particularly interesting as a dancer or actress. Liudmila Konovalova as Gulnare had more personality, musicality and style. Robert Gabdullin has pretty legs but also a short neck and a tendency to carry tension in his shoulders. This and his costume--a cap-sleeved vest that tended to ride up and a wide headband with long strips of fabric coming down the side, conspired to make the distance between his torso and his head vanish. Kirill Kourlaev was somewhat stiff and inexpressive, and the problem with Mihail Sosnovschi was not that he was too young to play Seyd, but that he was too short to be effective. I give the top dancing prize to Davide Dato, who was earthy, explosive and pantherine. He may never be right for princely roles, but as Birbanto he was in his element.

Luisa Spinatelli's designs were opulent, although I think there were a few misfires, such as Conrad's unflattering costume. Lanquedem, with his headband, wristbands and strappy, low-cut, sleeveless vest, looked a little like an escapee from an old Michael Jackson video, the tutus were enormous, floppy and apparently designed to give us an unencumbered view of backsides, and I'd rather not see ballerinas' bony midriffs.

The camera work was generally good, with the exception of the shipwreck. The transmission was intended for small-screen viewing--a webstream and a DVD release--and since the entire shipwreck was shown from a long shot, it was difficult to make out much of anything. (The ship sank, but it didn't break in half as it does at the Bolshoi.)

I'm almost certain I wouldn't buy the DVD, but I was very happy to watch the transmission free of charge.

[sandik]

This and his costume--a cap-sleeved vest that tended to ride up and a wide headband with long strips of fabric coming down the side, conspired to make the distance between his torso and his head vanish.

Oh dear.

[Natalia]

This evening I watched the Legris Corsaire and came away more confused about Le Corsaire than I was beforehand. I understand there are many versions of Le Corsaire including the Burlaka reconstruction I've watched on YouTube, but Legris' is the first I've seen that messed around with the three odalisques. The only clue that it was the three odalisques was that the costumes worn by the three dancers were similar to what they usually wear. The music and the choreography for the variations were completely new to me -- they looked Petipa-ish and sounded Minkus-ish but I really couldn't tell if it was or not. The Gulnare character actually danced the customary third odalisque variation to the "correct" music at an earlier point in the ballet --very strange. I couldn't find any information about this via googling -- does anybody here know?

Other than the odalisque issue I enjoyed the performance -- nice costumes and sets and some of the dancing was really excellent (Konovaleva and Yakovleva especially). I'm not sure it's the right ballet for a small-ish company (I think Legris said 70 dancers?) to put on -- the corps for the jardin anime was a bit sparse compared to the legions fielded by Mariinsky and Bolshoi. The Vienna stage seems a bit small also, but with all the limitations, Legris managed to pull it off. It was great to see a new (to me) ballet company in action and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to watch it for free.

SFCleo, in case you're still interested...the music of the three odalisques in this version of CORSAIRE comes from a little-known Adolphe Adam ballet, L'ECUMEUR DU MER. Legris and his assistant, Mirzoyan (ex-Kirov dancer of '80s), created the choreography in the Petipa style. Another Russian connection in Vienna, the musicologist and pianist Igor Zapravdin, was familiar with the music & suggested it to the stagers/choreographers. Not wanting to lose the gem that is the traditional solo of the 3rd Odalisque, Legris "gave" it to Gulnare, as part of his suite of harem dances that opens Act III. This isn't my favorite CORSAIRE but it contains some interesting new morsels, including this brand-new Odalisques pas, 100% new but in the old manner.

Why Legris & Mirzoyan made this & other changes, heaven knows. They also redid Medora & Conrad's A2 "Bedroom Adagio" to the SYLVIA A3 adagio tune and even created a pdd for Birbanto and his Greek girlfriend in A1. Seid Pasha is now a young hunk. Ali is gone; the A2 pdd is just for Medora & Conrad. It seems to be a rethinking of the ballet, yet one that retains entire portions of (mostly) the 1980s Gusev/Vinogradov Kirov version. I prefer the 2007 Burlaka & Ratmansky version for the Bolshoi, with ABT's Holmes-after-Sergeyev edition close behind, but the Vienna redaction has its lovely moments.