Birdsall

I actually attended this and loved Netrebko and Beczala. Kwiecien is handsome as hell but not in their league. Tanovitski ruined Gremin's aria. Shocking they couldn't find a good bass at the Met for that small role. Triquet was just as bad. Overall, the leads were good. This production seemed to keep the backstage workers very busy. Much ado about nothing. Weak production, in my opinion. A friend played a tape of Radvanovsky's recent Norma and the entire cast was shockingly bad! This is why I stay away from opera most of the time. I can't take hearing my beloved Norma sung horribly. It is bel canto. It is supposed to be beautiful singing! Not screeching and smudged coloratura!

David Letterman has had so many opera singers on his show and has said he's gone to some in the past on previous shows, yet he always claims to be ignorant of the art form. I suspect he actually likes or even loves opera, but he wants to seem "cool" or something so he pretends he doesn't know anything about it. So few talk shows have opera singers appear, so I really suspect he actually knows more than he claims. Fleming is a good sport, I suppose. But I can't picture Callas, Sutherland, etc. doing this! I did like the Ridi, Pagliaccio/Miley Cyrus twerking one! That made me laugh!

Tiara, I like everything you said. Sergeyev can be very impressive. His Prince Desire was good, and his Espada was WOW (Spanish cockiness galore), but then when he danced Ivan in Little Humpbacked Horse I was a bit disappointed. He didn't come close to what Sarafanov did. Maybe his heart was not i the role. Zyuzin was actually better than Sergeyev in Humpbacked Horse, and I like Zyuzin a lot, but I think his puppy dog cute boy face makes him seem too nice at times. That look was perfect for Ivan in Humpbacked Horse, but I did not find him believable as Lankedem. It is just hard to imagine Zyuzin as a "bad" person. Physically he has the physique for the princely roles, but his youthful, puppy dog face keeps him from being ideal, in my opinion. Ermakov is getting better and better from what I can tell. I think he is going to be an elegant and much needed tall dancer at the Mariinsky. Love Stepin and agree with all of you. I think he could play princes and villains. And so many lovely ballerinas too..... It is hard to complain. They each amaze in certain roles but are not always perfect in every role. But that is the fun.....comparing and seeing how they all do in a different role....

The male principal roster is very small and weak for Mariinsky. Kolb has become a character dancer, so he no longer dances principal roles. Ivanchenko should have retired a long time ago, leaving only two worthy principals in Shklyarov and Korsuntsev. Analyzing possible promotions to principal, 1st soloist possibilities, are only two since Andrei Batalov is not liked by Fateyev adn Kuznetsov does not dance principal roles. That leaves Sergeyev, who I would support as principal, but not likely, and Askerov, who I do not see as a 1st soloist, but he has a wealthy father and wealth can do much in post soviet Russia. Therefore, I expect Askerov to become the 5th male principal. Askerov's father is one of the most powerful individuals in Azerbaijan, maybe the most powerful, being on Azerbaijani TV often. I see little hope of 2nd soloists jumping to principal and no hope for coryphee jumping to principal, but there are several worthy principals in the 2nd soloist and coryphee categories. I will list the names, but they have no chance of getting principal status now and obviously coryphee have no chance of moving to 1st soloist. Ermakov, Zyuzin and Stepin are all worthy of moving up to 1st soloist and if they were 1st soloist now, I would say all 3 were possible principals, particulary Stepin, who I feel is currently the best Mariinsky dancer. Coryphee have two potential future principals in Tkachenko and Alexei Popov, but Tkachenko needs to be given Basilio and Solor among other roles to have a chance. In the corps de ballet rank, both Ivkin and Latypov are potential future principals. It is shocking that Ivkin is still corps de ballet with the best jumping ability at Mariinsky, but then his Vaganova partner, Marchuk is even more shocking as a current corps de ballet girl. Regarding the women, Fateyev has opened the door for his prized collection, his precious Skorik, to move to principal. I agree about Stepin and the others. This is the problem. People think the quality is going downhill at the Mariinsky, but it is only because the really great dancers are being stopped and stuck in lower ranks. This would be understandable if the principals were amazing also. I notice that people complain about this at ABT also, but the lower ranked dancers at ABT are stuck while famous international stars with huge followings are hired as principals, so at least the audience gets talented artists and even if it is unjust there is rhyme and reason to what is happening there. At the Mariinsky you have the best dancers stuck and the principals, even the good ones, are not as good as the lower ranked ones.

On the Mariinsky's website, Irma Nioradze and Igor Zelensky are no longer listed as Principals. I believe this is a very recent change (this week) on the site. It makes sense, since neither dancer has been dancing with the company, but I wonder if this means someone is being moved up.

I've seen it and there are moments here and there that are interesting, but it is a modern updating of Cinderella and not traditional at all. The stepsisters and mother are getting hair done by wild looking hairdressers. The fairies (seasonal fairies) are men who look like punk rockers to me, although some of the choreography for these fairies is interesting. When the prince goes to look for Cinderella he is approached by female and then male prostitutes I believe if I interpreted it correctly. A children's show it isn't. The choreography has very modern moments although definitely based in ballet vocabulary. But I don't think this is for someone looking for classical ballet really. I think Ratmansky's Little Humpbacked Horse is actually more enjoyable. Didn't see that this was posted for Australian Ballet.....I was speaking about the ballet itself (at the Mariinsky).....haven't seen the Australian Ballet's production.

I agree with this. In the Mariinsky's peasant pas de deux, the female soloist has to turn and end with her arm hooking the male's arm twice in a row, and it looks incredibly hard. I think many would fall off pointe when stopping (the linking of arms is what stops her. A good ballerina makes it look so easy.

I think the 2nd act is the more beautiful, but act 1 is full of acting moments including the mad scene, so you can judge the ballerina on being the "complete package" when you see both acts......for me the transformation of Giselle into a more ethereal creature in Act 2 has more impact if you see her young, country girl in Act 1 so full of love and hope for life......the mad scene was a common element of theatre (I'm sure many of you know this already).....many 19th century operas have mad scenes which are the piece de resistance in many operas of the time, most notably Lucia di Lammermoor (probably the most famous Mad Scene in opera), and so I think for the time period it is fascinating that this also appeared in ballet. Madwomen appeared in literature of the time also. And I have to say that when I saw the Mariinsky's corps dance even in Act 1 with that unique style, I had an "Ahhhhh.....so beautiful" moment even when it was just the peasants dancing. And, of course, the corps was gorgeous as Willis also in Act 2. I would say the corps is the beauty of the Mariinsky. But that is my personal opinion. For me it is as if I need a swooning couch when watching them.....it is like eating a piece of double chocolate cake......so rich and puts you into ecstasy!!! Of course, the chairs are crammed in the Mariinsky boxes, so no space for a couch or for swooning......LOL Go!!!

I am not familiar with him, but I saw the Mikhailovsky's Flames of Paris in late July, and it knocked my socks off. It is 100 times better than the Bolshoi's version, in my personal opinion. My cast was: Philippe: Ivan Vasiliev Jeanne: Oksana Bondareva Diana Mireille: Ekaterina Borchenko Antoine Mistral: Viktor Lebedev Teresa, a Basque: Mariam Ugrekhelidze All were amazing in their roles. Ugrekhelidze does the lead in the basque dance which is the aggressive dance (Osipova does it in the Bolshoi's dvd even though she plays Jeanne). Ugrekhelidze was so powerful and aggressive in this dance that she actually made Osipova seem like a wilting flower, and everyone knows Osipova is no shrinking violet, so you can imagine how powerfully Ugrekhelidze danced! And this version of Flames of Paris is supposedly closer to the original, and I have to say that it made you want to join a Revolution. It had the feel of it. I have only seen the Bolshoi's version on dvd and it puts me to sleep. So I highly recommend the Mikhailovsky's Flames of Paris. Wonderful show! Of course, it probably helps if the dancers are amazing.

The corps alone and sitting in the Mariinsky Theatre is worth going to see. The theatre is gorgeous and the Vaganova training is very apparent in the corps. I think you would enjoy it.

I know the local ballet company in my city has a list of shows it advertises on its website that it is willing to take on tour, and I assume that means venues can request particular shows. Of course, that does not mean a big company like the Mariinsky or the Bolshoi would let venues choose (more prestige probably means the venue has less say and vice versa), but it means that it sometimes does happen. I am sure there is a contract and it is all hashed out in the contract what the venue and what the company does or does not do. It probably varies. Some venues might want more control and others simply want to book the act and do not care what shows.

A lot of people feel this way. No one quite understands what is going on. It is like a big joke is being played on us, and we don't get the punch line.

From what I have seen of Duato's work I totally agree with you. I hate it. Hopefully, the Mikhailovsky will retire some of his ballets. I think his tenure there was a big flop!

I am bewildered too. The clips on YouTube show an incredible dancer. I believe some clips have been removed. This is someone born to dance Odette/Odile! I like many of the Principals at the Mariinsky but Stepanova would probably outclass every single one of them if given a chance. She has authority in roles like Lilac Fairy where she signals Carabosse to scram. Technically great but also an incredible actress!

I was looking at Semenyaka's final Raymonda variation (via youtube) just the other day--it's just stunning. I did also see her Raymonda w. the Bolshoi when they were on tour: I remember loving it, but honestly can't remember any details of the performance--watching the video though reminded why I have always thought she was one of the greatest I was ever lucky enough to see. (Very much enjoyed the Tereshkina video, especially the second to last variation--the one in the beautiful purple tutu which is indeed rather better than the tutu she wears at her wedding.) Yes, I love the blue/purple tutu that Mariinsky Raymondas wear also (it seems to be blue with some and purple with other dancers and each has slight variations to the embellishments on the tutu). Bart

Look at her arms and upper body. These are the "seaweed flowing" arms that I always talk about that I love in Vaganova graduates (most Mariinsky dancers). You don't see that anywhere else, in my opinion. Some people do not like that style, but I think it is gorgeous. So the upper body flows along with the body. The entire performance is great, although I believe she slips at some point (not in the variations) but I can't remember for sure, but she is definitely good. Kolegova and Novikova are also incredible Raymondas.

I was sitting in a box at the Mariinsky at the Raymonda performance I attended in front of an English couple, and the man was extremely shocked and disgusted by the clapping during tour de force moments and the people taking pictures and videos with their phones constantly. So, I assume the audience is much more demonstrative in Russia than the English audiences (although I have not been to a ballet performance in England). I believe he said, "This is the worst behaved audience ever!" LOL I kept my mouth shut because I have seen much worse. From my few experiences at the Mariinsky I did not feel like there was a loud claque helping or harming any one dancer at any given moment there, but that doesn't mean it doesn't ever happen, but I never felt any area of the audience directing the applause or trying to direct it in one way or another. I do think the audiences there are sometimes louder for the males just like what seems to happen here in the U.S. At the Mikhailovsky a huge group of female fans would not let Vasiliev leave and kept applauding for more curtain calls after Flames of Paris. But it seemed like genuine fans and not a claque.

My personal opinion is that the Mariinsky Ballet has a very unique style, one that I love. I know others find their arms and upper body too much, but I love it. I think it is a totally unique style, and I think the Bolshoi has a little of it, even though the curriculum is supposedly the same. But I think the Mariinsky style is more extreme than the Bolshoi, and I personally like it better.

I think a lot of people feel this way. Skorik has become the bete noire for many people, and so Fateyev's actions seem almost sadistic and cruel. Just yesterday I saw a clip of Ivanchenko's Ali. Before I ever saw the clip and read on the Mariinsky website that he was listed for Ali I thought it must be a misprint and that he was going to dance Conrad (like he did in one of the Corsaires I saw recently), not Ali. I thought it had to be a cast listing mistake on the site. I thought Ali was all wrong for him. It plays to his weaknesses, not his strengths. I actually like Ivanchenko more than the majority of people on this forum, because I see the Vaganova style in his dancing, although I admit that I do think he needs to guzzle 10 espressos before going on stage. So I am more apt to give Ivanchenko credit than most. I think he partners well. But he is totally miscast as Ali, and only his enemy would have given him that role. I am still fairly new to all this, and even I could tell he was not right for Ali. How can Fateyev with all his experience in ballet give that role to him?

In my personal opinion, Fateyev has the worst taste in dancers. Kolegova, Novikova, and Osmolkina should be Principals way before Skorik, in my opinion.

Maybe Olga Esina is held in high esteem in Europe. I have no idea. And, Naomikage, I didn't really mean to insult Esina. I meant the Miss Nobody comment to refer to the fact that she doesn't seem to bring the same star power that the Guest Principals at the Mikhailovsky (Marcelo Gomes and Polina Semionova) bring to the table. For me Olga Esina's name (star power) is about equal to Kolegova and Osmolkina probably in Europe. I could be wrong. Now Novikova, because she stars in two commercial videos (Don Quixote at the Mariinsky and Raymonda at La Scala) probably has much more name recognition than Esina. Maybe I am wrong. It just seems very odd to hire a Guest Principal who is not world famous. Hiring Gomes and Semionova as Guest Principals makes sense to me. Hiring Esina as Guest Principal does not. That is a personal opinion. That's because if you have tons of talent already in the company, why even go outside? Going outside should mean that you are getting someone world famous who is going to bring lots of attention, publicity and star power. That is all I am saying. It just seems to make better business sense to hire huge stars as Guest Principals. I'm not even a Business person and hate Business. It is the last thing I would ever major in if I were to go back to college. For me if I had my life to do over it would always be to study more meaningless subjects that get you no jobs like languages, literature, etc. Business is actually totally foreign to my make-up and foreign to my interests in life, yet even my non-business personality thinks it is better to hire STARS if you go outside of the company. For example, many little opera companies hire one big star like Deborah Voigt to sing Tosca or Lady Macbeth and surround her with nobodies (often local singers). They know her name will help to sell tickets. I do not mean that the "nobodies" can't sing (although often they can't......just a joke.....), but less people want to see Mary Jane Smith debut her Tosca. Many more (including the international press) are going to be interested in Voigt's first Tosca (which actually did happen in Florida several years ago). I hope Olga Esina is an amazing dancer and does wonderfully at the Mariinsky and gets applause. I wish her no ill will at all. I just find the whole concept of hiring her unusual. But I am probably viewing it from a very Western background.

This is my own personal opinion, but if I were a hardworking dancer and jumped in and saved performances due to cancellation and slowly worked my way up the ranks and the Mariinsky decided to hire Svetlana Zakharova or Natalia Osipova or Cojocaru as "Guest Principal," I really couldn't complain. Big names bring publicity, ticket sales, money, etc. That is life. I might think, "Shoot....." but I would understand WHY some outside world famous ballerina would be hired by the company and my wait to rise will just be longer. But if some Ms. Nobody gets hired as a "Guest Principal," I honestly would feel like that is a slap in the face. But that is me. It is one thing for someone who is a big name (and has tons of experience and lots of fans and maybe has paid her dues) to cut to the front of the line. It is another thing for a fairly unknown (at least worldwide) ballerina to cut the line and treated like a star above more talented dancers. Like I said, I have nothing against Esina, and she is a beautiful woman judging from pictures, and her dancing is nice in the DQ variation, but I personally think it would annoy me much more to see her hired in contrast to Zakharova (even if Esina is better than Zakharova). We know that Name brands sell. It is like that in opera even. When Renee Fleming (a big star) was starring in Il Pirata at the Met people rushed to buy tickets. Then, when Olga Makarina jumped in for 2 performances people were like, "Who is that?" and no one wanted tickets to those performances and tried to switch. Makarina supposedly did a credible job in the role, but nobody really wanted to see her. They wanted to see the star soprano! And everyone knows this happens. So when Zakharova is hired, people might be frustrated, but they understand. "Well, I am being bumped or held back because the company wants a star! I can sort of understand it! She's going to sell more tickets and create more publicity!" is what my thought would be. But if a Mary Lou Smith is hired as "Guest Principal" taking up a slot and bringing very little if any publicity or starry name to the mix, that would really make me mad! But that is me. Maybe others do not feel that way.

My thing is that Novikova, Osmolkina and Kolegova have a stronger Mariinsky repertoire (Esina doesn't have Giselle, Kitri or Nikiya in her rep from what I see, although those 3 have not danced all those either but each has danced some plus many other roles) and they have proven their loyalty (jumping in when cancellations have occurred). They are true team players and proven their worth. I think the Mariinsky is taking them for granted. All three are also willing to explore "new" repetoire. I would have preferred to see one of them move up to Principal status instead of hiring an outside person (even if Vaganova trained and originally at the Mariinsky) who jumps to the top of the heap. From the small little role I have seen Esina in (and granted it is several years ago that the DQ was taped) I do not think she compares to those three named above. They will probably never move up, and I find that tragic. Of course, maybe a Guest Principal is not paid as much as a regular principal since a "Guest Principal" does not dance constantly with the company. I have no idea. So maybe this is comparing apples and oranges. Before I left St. Petersburg, there were posters with Esina's face in the lobby of the Mariinsky treating her as if she were this huge star and in a tiny corner it said "Le Corsaire" with the date (her face was apparently more important than the ballet).......I have nothing against her, but it just seems strange to me when there are amazing dancers waiting for their chance. Of course, that is life. What can we do? I just feel it would make more sense if she were Semionova or Osipova or some other bigger name. Bringing people in to jump the queue and be a "star" seems to make more sense to me personally when the person is already a big star. It would also be less of a slap to the patient Mariinsky dancers. They would be able to placate themselves, "Well, it is Osipova who is world famous!" It may be that her "new" rep that she brings with her was attractive to Fateyev. No idea. It will be interesting to see how long she remains a "Guest Principal."

Yes, I now remember that she danced Swan Lake at this past festival. I guess a lot of the Mariinsky dancers who can't get promoted need to follow her lead and go dance in Vienna or Budapest or elsewhere and then come back as a guest principal. It might be the only way to get ahead at the Mariinsky nowadays.

Sorry, what is the program for Dec. 15 or 22? Whoops!!! Sleeping Beauty....... I am tired so forgot to put the title......Dec. 15 was listed in the description (like press release) but on the ad on the site it said Dec. 22....so not sure which date or if it will play both. I suspect it is the Zakharova/Hallberg Sleeping Beauty that played already in movies.