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Advice Requested


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I'm asking advice for a friend traveling to St. Petersburg in May and would like to attend the ballet. She looked at dates for the Mariinsky and it appears during her stay they are doing short works including Carmen and Marguerite & Armand. However, she would prefer to see a full length and found that the Hermitage Theatre Ballet is doing Swan Lake during her visit. Do any of you have knowledge or opinion of whether or not she should stick with the top tier Mariinsky or if the Hermitage would be an acceptable option? She enjoys ballet but is relatively new to it and hasn't seen a lot of different companies. She mentioned she read that the Hermitage dancers are Vaganova trained so perhaps the difference between companies wouldn't be that important. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!

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Well, in Swan Lake the difference between the two companies would be important, but that's not the choice she has.  I would say that neither Carmen nor Marguerite and Armand are great ballets.  (The first I personally find rather dreadful though a showcase for a certain kind of diva ballerina performance; the second is Ashton and not without considerable interest but, as you know, was created as a vehicle for Fonteyn and Nureyev and probably needs that level of performance or close to it to come off fully. ) Moreover, neither is likely to showcase the really distinctive greatness of the Mariinsky though some superb leading performances may -- or may not -- be on offer depending on cast.  I'm afraid I know nothing about the Hermitage company, but if they are performing in the hermitage theater I imagine that would be a big treat in itself.

 

On the other hand, I have to say, it's hard for me to bet against the Mariinsky ... there is just a kind of shining quality the dancers have that really is special ... even the way they walk on stage. And if the performances are in the historic theater, well, that has its own charms too. [Edited to add: I see the Carmen etc. program is in Mariinsky II, the new theater.]

 

I guess I would recommend your friend check out some youtube of both Carmen and Marguerite and Armand (preferably as danced BY the Mariinsky) as that would give her a sense of whether they are ballets she might enjoy even if not quite as much as a full length ballet. If she thinks so, then maybe go for the Mariinsky, but if she sees some excerpts and thinks "meh" or "awful"... or (another possibility) "what on earth has Shchedrin done to Bizet's music?" then maybe the Hermitage Swan Lake is a better option.

 

One other thought: the Mariinsky is not always like, say, ABT, with their full summer schedule completely announced well in advance. I went to their website for May and saw the May 12th Carmen/Marguerite and Armand program that I assume your friend is looking at, but couldn't help noticing nothing was yet listed for the "historic" Mariinsky on the 11th or the 13th...maybe the theater is dark those evenings but it wouldn't astonish me if something else was announced a little closer to the date. (I realize she may only be in Petersburg for the one night, or just prefer to have her plans settled now, but thought I would mention this  in case she wanted to keep an eye out to see if those nights fill in or not...)

Edited by Drew
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Barbara, I don't have time to get into this in depth for the moment and haven't read the full discussion, but I would like to mention something. From my experience the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi are simply in a class of their own. I would see them first. The only place that they might not necessarily excel is in modern works after the time of Balanchine. If your friend really wants to see a full length classic (Swan Lake) at this time then the Hermitage should be fine. This and similar theatres do have some very good artists and the performance would probably be very enjoyable.

 

Added comment:

 

Having just very quickly read Drew's response, I would perhaps totally agree. The Hermitage is a very small and charming 'jewel box' theater. It charges the same prices as the Mariinsky and although many(?) of the dancers may come the Vaganova (the Mariinsky 'school') it's not the same as the Mariinsky. Occasionally an 'upper level' Mariinsky dancer might come over to do an evening.

Edited by Buddy
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If your friend has never seen the historic Mariinsky Theatre in person she should hold out and see if the Mariinsky announces performances in that theatre. Drew above says that there is nothing listed yet for May in the historic theatre (just in the modern M-2 theatre), and I am sure something will play at the historic theatre (just isn't listed yet), although sometimes it is an opera. One of the Russian operas (rarely played in the West) would also be a good choice in the historic theatre, if no ballet gets listed, but I think she should wait and see what is listed. The historic Mariinsky Theatre is so beautiful with a warm, soft glow.

 

The Hermitage, as Buddy says, is very small. I would be surprised if they could get more than 10 corps dancers on stage for the swan corps, but I could be wrong (maybe the stage is larger than I remember). Compare that with the Mariinsky's Swan Lake where 32 swans fit easily. It is fun to sit in the Hermitage Theatre and see a show, but the artistry is not the same level as the Mariinsky. I am not sure she will have really seen a true Swan Lake if she only saw it at the Hermitage. I think many of the dancers would be Vaganova, but they might be ones that could not make a better company and they will also be limited in what they can do on such a small stage. The only reason I would go see a Swan Lake at the Hermitage is to see how they manage it (how many swans they put on the stage, etc).

 

I would definitely choose Mariinsky (old, historic theatre) if it were my first visit. Of course, I am an opera lover also, so whatever they play there I would go see. Every time I enter that theatre I can't believe I am there. It never loses its "wow" factor for me.

 

Also, she could check the Mikhailovsky's schedule. Maybe a full length is playing there, and I think most of their dancers are Vaganova trained and the stage is a decent size compared to the Hermitage. It is also a pretty theatre, although not as gorgeous as the Mariinsky, in my opinion.

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I did see a very lovely Odette/Odile at the Hermitage who I believe is one of the regulars. You usually don't know whom you're going to see until you get there and then you have to ask one of the managers. Birdsall is correct in that the stage is quite small supporting only a small number of swans. Ten could be correct. Still, a very fine and enjoyable performance can happen. The orchestra is usually heart touching. 

 

The Mikhailovsky is a beautifully restored theater, but as Birdsall says, there is only one theater building with the look and aura of the old Mariinsky. The Mikhailovsky stage is smaller than the Mariinsky's, but as I recall they can still get a fair number of swans onto it. It also has some very fine stars (some coming and going). Leonard Sarafanov (formerly Mariinsky) is still probably the main attraction.  

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I see the Mikhailovsky website only has programs posted through April. Probably programs for May will go up relatively soon...I agree that if the Mikhailovsky is doing a full length classic when your friend is there, that might be a better option than the Hermitage ballet, though depending on exactly how long your friend will be in St. Petersburg I also think it's well worth waiting at least a bit to see if the Mariinsky May line-up fills out a little more. 

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13 hours ago, Drew said:

I see the Mikhailovsky website only has programs posted through April. Probably programs for May will go up relatively soon...I agree that if the Mikhailovsky is doing a full length classic when your friend is there, that might be a better option than the Hermitage ballet, though depending on exactly how long your friend will be in St. Petersburg I also think it's well worth waiting at least a bit to see if the Mariinsky May line-up fills out a little more. 

 

Not knowing how long your friend will be in Saint Petersburg, I have to agree with Drew about waiting to see what the Mariinsky adds. In January, for example, there is a ballet almost every day, sometimes two. Also they tend to vary the performances, seldom showing the same work more than several times in a month. A few years ago, If I recall correctly, they never performed the same work two times in a row, and offered a large variety each month.

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I had an ESL stint in Russia a long time ago and pretty much went to the theatre every other week. This was back when you could get Partere tickets at the Bolshoi for 1000 rubles (about 30 US dollars in the exchange rate back then). My experience was that you could get very good quality dancing at the second theatres like the Stanislavsky and Mikhailovsky and even the third theatres like the Kremlin. I also liked that the crowd at those places was was mostly local ballet fans  and not chatty tourists who kept harping about Fonteyn and Nureyev from the 70's. Also, if your friend goes to a matinee performance at the Mariinsky, she may get a cast that's made up of young dancers making their debuts rather than the stars. 

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I agree that visiting the Mikhailovsky will be a great option. The theatre is located in the very centre of St. Petersburg, close to the Russian Museum and the Church of Savior on Blood.

It is relatively small but a charming theatre, the ticket prices are not expensive, and the quality of dancing is very high, with beautiful principals such as Soboleva, Perren, Borchenko, Vorontsova. Also Victor Lebedev (a Vaganova graduate) is one of the most beautiful young male dancers in Russia. The current roster might even be better than the Mariinsky. (as Somova, Kondaurova and Lopatkina are not performing this season)  

Sometimes they do modern stuff such as Duato's works but usually they perform the classics.

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11 hours ago, naomikage said:

I agree that visiting the Mikhailovsky will be a great option. The theatre is located in the very centre of St. Petersburg, close to the Russian Museum and the Church of Savior on Blood.

It is relatively small but a charming theatre, the ticket prices are not expensive, and the quality of dancing is very high, with beautiful principals such as Soboleva, Perren, Borchenko, Vorontsova. Also Victor Lebedev (a Vaganova graduate) is one of the most beautiful young male dancers in Russia. The current roster might even be better than the Mariinsky. (as Somova, Kondaurova and Lopatkina are not performing this season)  

Sometimes they do modern stuff such as Duato's works but usually they perform the classics.

 

So as not to start a fan panic, Ekaterina Kondaurova is scheduled for two performances this month. Do you know why the other two aren't dancing, Naomikage ?

 

Barbara, Mariinsky tickets can be easily obtained on the internet from the theater at normal pricing, which is usually much less than an agent would ask. As soon as the performance is announced tickets are available at the performance's internet site.  You can get a ticket printout by email. For instance, here's January.  

 

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/?type=ballet&year=2017&month=1

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As your friend probably knows, as a visitor to Russia, she needs to buy the "full" price, not the discounted price tickets. That was a useful bit of information to me when it came to understanding what was going on with the websites when two ticket prices for same seat were appearing.

 

(There are a lot of great dancers at the Mariinsky even when some top ones are injured or out.)

Edited by Drew
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35 minutes ago, Buddy said:

So as not to start a fan panic, Ekaterina Kondaurova is scheduled for two performances this month. Do you know why the other two aren't dancing, Naomikage ?

 

Thanks, I was not aware that Kondaurova was back. Somova is expecting her second child and Lopatkina has announced she is not dancing until the end of the season due to injuries. 

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On 7 December 2016 at 2:34 PM, naomikage said:

I agree that visiting the Mikhailovsky will be a great option. The theatre is located in the very centre of St. Petersburg, close to the Russian Museum and the Church of Savior on Blood.

It is relatively small but a charming theatre, the ticket prices are not expensive, and the quality of dancing is very high, with beautiful principals such as Soboleva, Perren, Borchenko, Vorontsova. Also Victor Lebedev (a Vaganova graduate) is one of the most beautiful young male dancers in Russia. The current roster might even be better than the Mariinsky. (as Somova, Kondaurova and Lopatkina are not performing this season)  

Sometimes they do modern stuff such as Duato's works but usually they perform the classics.

 

I agree too :) The Mikhailovsky productions of the classics are really lovely. I saw a wonderful Giselle with Soboleva & Lebedev last month which was more enjoyable than the the two performances I saw at the Mariinsky. Soboleva & Lebedev were both exceptional, and to my mind outshone most of the Mariinsky dancers favoured with principal roles these days, him in particular. 

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I saw performances of Swan Lake at the three SP theaters...Mariinsky...Mikhailovsky and Alexandrinsky, plus the Bolshoi in Moscow.. Mariinsky has the KS midcentury version...and the Mikhailovsky does the older Messerer one. They all have a charm of its own, although you might be aware of my dislike for the Soviet versions. Still...going to all this magnificent theaters is a unique experience, as other have noted. They are all wonderful buildings.

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22 hours ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

I saw performances of Swan Lake at the three SP theaters...Mariinsky...Mikhailovsky and Alexandrinsky, plus the Bolshoi in Moscow.. Mariinsky has the KS midcentury version...and the Mikhailovsky does the older Messerer one. They all have a charm of its own, although you might be aware of my dislike for the Soviet versions. Still...going to all this magnificent theaters is a unique experience, as other have noted. They are all wonderful buildings.

 

I've never been to the Alexandrinsky, Cristian. It's good to know that it perform ballets. I went to the Conservatory (Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory) across from the Mariinsky once and saw a very nice Swan Lake for about $15. The inside was rather modern and plain, but I believe that it's being restored. In addition to teaching classical music students they also teach some ballet instructors, who were the performers. The music was some of the finest that I've ever heard, although I'm not that familiar with classical orchestras. 

 

It's good to hear the nice comments about the Mikhailovsky. It does have some artists at the Mariinsky/Bolshoi level and there is a limited transition of artists between the Mikhailovsky and the other two theatres. Still, I feel that the Mariinsky and Bolshoi are overall in a very elevated class of their own and would certainly try to see them.

 

A belated thank you, naomikage, if you're reading this, for the information about Ulyana Lopatkina and Alina Somova not performing this season. Both are exceptionally fine artists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Buddy
slight elaboration
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