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Mariinsky livestream The Seasons


Drew

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I did several searches but could not find an announcement on this site of the June 19th Mariinsky livestream of The Seasons--a two act ballet by Ilya Zhivoi to music by Max Richter based on Vivaldi (don't shoot the messenger). The spring/summer sections premiered during the White Nights Festival, but the 19th will be the premier of the whole ballet.

 

I saw a bit of the White Nights performance on youtube and honestly I can't say choreography piqued my interest except as an opportunity to enjoy the Mariinsky dancers; The premier will feature Kondaurova and Roman Belyakov.)

 

I think the livestream will be via the company's youtube channel, since they are featuring it there--but if someone knows otherwise please post the link:

 

 

Edited by Drew
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13 hours ago, Drew said:

I did several searches but could not find an announcement on this site of the June 19th Mariinsky livestream of The Seasons--a two act ballet by Ilya Zhivoi to music by Max Richter based on Vivaldi (don't shoot the messenger). The spring/summer sections premieredduring the White Nights Festival, but the 19th will be the premier of the whole ballet.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up, Drew. Does anyone know what time of day this will air in US/Canada?

Let me see: 9am GMT is 5am Eastern Daylight Time, and 2am Pacific Daylight Time?

 

Probably not doable for me unless they archive the video on YouTube. I want to see Kondaurova dance, and I don't mind the Richter piece actually.

Edited by pherank
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1 hour ago, pherank said:

 

Thanks for the heads up, Drew. Does anyone know what time of day this will air in US/Canada?

Let me see: 9am GMT is 5am Eastern Daylight Time, and 2am Pacific Daylight Time?

 

Probably not doable for me unless they archive the video on YouTube. I want to see Kondaurova dance, and I don't mind the Richter piece actually.

 

On my youtube it says 7pm GMT (+3 I have no idea what the +3 means) and then switches and says 12 p.m. I was assuming that last was a translation to my time zone which is Eastern Standard Time -- in which case 9 a.m. would be the west coast time. So perhaps watchable after all? But I'm not a master of the time zones. In any case, I hope they will archive it for at least a little while.

 

Edited by Drew
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20 minutes ago, Drew said:

 

 

 

On my youtube it says 7pm GMT (+3 I have no idea what the +3 means) and then switches and says 12 p.m. I was assuming that last was a translation to my time zone which is Easter Standard Time -- in which case 9 a.m. would be the west coast time. So perhaps watchable after all? But I'm not a master of the time zones. In any case, I hope they will archive it for at least a little while.

 

 

I think I see what you are referring to - when I click on your embedded video I first see this displayed:

 

Live in 17 hours
June 19, 7:00 PM GMT+3

 

Then it changes to:
Live in 17 hours
June 19, 9:00 AM

 

9:00am PST would be better for most people on the West Coast.

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Looks like an exhausting piece to dance, both for the principals and for the demi-soloist/Corps dancers who are mostly duplicating the movements of the leads. It's always nice to get to see Big Red dance an extended piece. I do get lost in the typical contemporary ballet puzzle of twists, turns and transformations - some of the movements are overt while others strike me as purely kinetic eye candy that does not telegraph any particular meaning, aside from "energy". But in that sense, the choreography fits fairly well with Richter's score - I always found that to be atmospheric and energetic, similar to incidental cinematic music. Richter dissolves most of Vivaldi's formal structures in favor of pure atmosphere and a reduced/compressed emotional range. Nice background music though for when one isn't feeling up to the challenges of Vivaldi's original score.  ;)

The beginning of the male dance section at about 28:40 was a low point for me - that needs some work. Once the women reappear the choreography becomes more involved and interesting though I can't say what any of it "means". The first part of the second half of the ballet [59:00] has a somewhat different choreographic look and feel from the first - less wannabe avant-garde and more playful and lyrical. But then we go back to moody experimentalism before finishing with a quiet scene on the "grass" where everything started.

The premiere casting is interesting in that the "Corps" dancers are of fairly uniform build, average size, while Katya Kondaurova and Roman Belyakov have the more out-sized physiques. In these surroundings, it is readily apparent how unusually long-limbed she is, with Olympian shoulders, sort of a leaner Marie-Agnes Gillot. Both leads seem quite at home with the choreography. For me, Kondaurova was the first Mariinsky dancer "born" contemporary - there was never the sense that she had to get her head around contemporary roles and change everything about how she danced to make it work. She just understood, while everyone else looked like a 'dear caught in the headlights' dancing contemporary works. Things have obviously improved for the Mariinsky dancers, but really only in the last 3 or  4 years are we seeing things come together from Principals to Corps.

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I really enjoyed The Four Seasons - I don't find any need to over-think what it all meant!  I enjoyed it very much for what it was, including the played around with Vivaldi music.  I  thought both Kondaurova and Belyakov were excellent technically, expressive and all the corps dancers equally charming and all dancing well - and they were all MT corps members, so a special mention for Andrei Arseniev.  It was just all very easy on the eye and feel-good.   I liked it very much.  

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On 20 Jun 2017 at 4:26 AM, MadameP said:

I really enjoyed The Four Seasons - I don't find any need to over-think what it all meant!  I enjoyed it very much for what it was, including the played around with Vivaldi music.  I  thought both Kondaurova and Belyakov were excellent technically, expressive and all the corps dancers equally charming and all dancing well - and they were all MT corps members, so a special mention for Andrei Arseniev.  It was just all very easy on the eye and feel-good.   I liked it very much.  

 

I’ve watched the first two parts, MadameP, and I tend to like it as well. I do see the influence of one of my favorite happenings in new choreography, the Mariinsky’s young Maxim Petrov, in the interesting structuring of groups and moves. What’s been added is a blending of Mariinsky modern choreography and a nice sense of classical flow. In terms of young choreographers’ works that I’ve seen on the Mariinsky stage, this has a nice sense of focus and artistic composer.

 

Any of these new choreographers’ efforts, in which Yekaterina Kondaurova always seems to be cast, at least show what wonderful ability she has. It’s really a pleasure when she’s given something worthy of herself.

 

Added:

 

For the moment it can still be seen here. At first viewing it really seems quite nice.

 

https://mariinsky.tv/e

Edited by Buddy
spelling correction
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On 19 Jun 2017 at 9:49 PM, pherank said:

I do get lost in the typical contemporary ballet puzzle of twists, turns and transformations - some of the movements are overt while others strike me as purely kinetic eye candy that does not telegraph any particular meaning, aside from "energy".

 

 The first part of the second half of the ballet [59:00] has a somewhat different choreographic look and feel from the first - less wannabe avant-garde and more playful and lyrical. But then we go back to moody experimentalism before finishing with a quiet scene on the "grass" where everything started.

 

 

Drew, I find that there's slightly less of this here than I've seen in many Mariinsky (and other) young (and older) contemporary  choreographer's efforts and this is good. Sometimes 'modern dance abstractionism' does really work for me. I like certain efforts by Tharp, Forsythe, etc. very much. A handful of those sort of moves here did get my admiration. I think that Ilya Zhivoi is now trying to get more of a handle on this sort of thing.

 

I'll also mention the possible collaboration of the Mariinsky's Maxim Petrov, having seen many of his works. He comes from a different style, which I like very much, a highly entertaining yet technically remarkable one. I think that this has to be factored in. 

Edited by Buddy
typo correction(s)
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30 minutes ago, Buddy said:

 

Drew, I find that there's slightly less of this here than I've seen in many Mariinsky (and other) young (and older) contemporary  choreographer's efforts and this is good. Sometimes 'modern dance abstractionism' does really work for me. I like certain efforts by Tharp, Forsythe, etc. very much. A handful of those sort of moves here did get my admiration. I think that Ilya Zhivoi is now trying to get more of a handle on this sort of thing.

 

I'll also mention the possible collaboration of the Mariinsky's Maxim Petrov, having seen many of his works. He comes from a different style, which I like very much, a highly entertaining yet technically remarkable one. I think that this has to be factored in. 

 

The comment to which you were responding was by Pherank...I thought the ballet was unpretentious and that, at least, I liked. It seems a little short for a full evening though. 

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On 22 Jun 2017 at 9:36 AM, Drew said:

 

The comment to which you were responding was by Pherank...I thought the ballet was unpretentious and that, at least, I liked. It seems a little short for a full evening though. 

 

Sorry for the mixup, but it's always good to hear from you anyway and I'm glad that you enjoyed it.  So did I. I also think that there's a lot of potential that can be developed in future works.

 

 

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On 19 Jun 2017 at 9:49 PM, pherank said:

For me, Kondaurova was the first Mariinsky dancer "born" contemporary - there was never the sense that she had to get her head around contemporary roles and change everything about how she danced to make it work. 

 

Hi, Drew ! :)  

 

I do agree with you. Also both she and Diana Vishneva have always been able to take most anything given to them and make it work.

Edited by Buddy
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On 19 Jun 2017 at 9:49 PM, pherank said:

 For me, Kondaurova was the first Mariinsky dancer "born" contemporary - there was never the sense that she had to get her head around contemporary roles and change everything about how she danced to make it work.

 

Hi, "Pherank".  :) 

 

Moves that may sometimes just seem to be moves become very special because of the way that she is able to do them. In fact they seem sometimes to exist just to show off how remarkably well she can do them. For example, the second section (Winter?) starting just before 23:00 and perhaps most dramatic starting around 30:00.

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Gorgeous work! My kind of contemporary ballet...lovely expressive movements to lovely music, women on pointe, gorgeous flowing dresses on the women (girls are girls - boys are boys), a true star in Kondaurova, a new strong partner in Beliakov (still so young when Lopatkina chose him as a partner...says a lot), likeable corps, etc.

 

A heck of a happier experience than I recently had with Justin Peck's ugly mess, The Times Are Racing, for NYCB!!! Send Ilya Zhivoi to NY.

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30 minutes ago, Natalia said:

Gorgeous work! My kind of contemporary ballet...lovely expressive movements to lovely music, women on pointe, gorgeous flowing dresses on the women (girls are girls - boys are boys), a true star in Kondaurova, a new strong partner in Beliakov (still so young when Lopatkina chose him as a partner...says a lot), likeable corps, etc.

 

A heck of a happier experience than I recently had with Justin Peck's ugly mess, The Times Are Racing, for NYCB!!! Send Ilya Zhivoi to NY.

That's exactly what I thought, too, Natalia, except no - leave Zhivoi at Mariinsky!  

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3 hours ago, MadameP said:

That's exactly what I thought, too, Natalia, except no - leave Zhivoi at Mariinsky!  

 

You're right. The Mariinsky needs him. In StP, he won't be forced to stoop to "PC culture" to sell a few extra tickets.

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