Marc Haegeman

Interesting: "In the Middle" on June 15, "Giselle" on June 16 for Pavlenko. Why do they keep on saying they never mix these extremely opposite styles and techniques? I suppose they didn't dare to cast her in both on the same day . When Pavlenko will do Giselle later this month in St. Petersburg it will have been 5 years since she last danced it - and that was her debut.

A new photo gallery of the Bolshoi Ballet's Giselle (production by Vladimir Vasiliev) featuring Svetlana Zakharova on :For Ballet Lovers Only

Color is tricky especially on stage, but it's safe to say that the introduction of digital photography made it a lot easier in this respect - easier in the sense that one has a much better control over it than in analogue.

Donb, thanks. Best is to browse though For Ballet Lovers Only and the Specials section in particular. You can find some more (mainly studio) on Svetlana Zakharova's website.

Thank you for the information, Natalia. Very exciting indeed. I gather the Jewels casts you are giving are liable to change...?

Essential reading because of their attention devoted to Tchaikovsky the musician are the massive biographies by David Brown and André Lischké (only in French I fear). Even if Brown finds a lot to say about Tchaikovsky's emotional life, it is his detailed musicological analysis which makes his book an outstanding read. Lischké also gives a very thorough analysis of Tchaikovsky the composer.

There is a third full-length recording of Løvenskiold's La Sylphide available in the 9 CD-box, released last year during the Bournonville Festival, played by the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra under Peter Ernst Lassen. It also features the complete score, including the extra 2nd Act pas de deux. Performance practice frequently results in changes in the score. For instance in the current version of Sylphide danced by the Royal Danish and staged by Nikolaj Hübbe the French horn solo in the beginning of the forest scene in the 2nd Act has been replaced by a violin. Whatever the liner notes state Damgaard's version seems to be closer to the performance score than Garforth, and it is edited. And since we are talking about errors in crediting, Solor: the correct names of the composers are Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer and Herman Severin Løvenskiold . The Schneitzhoeffer score is available on the Sylphide DVD from the Paris Opera Ballet.

Thank you all, for your feedback. Much appreciated!

Happy New Year. I posted a new photo gallery on For Ballet Lovers Only, dubbed Light, Color and Movement. Thank you for visiting and sharing your comments.

Dachnitsa, I'm afraid it is not your copy. If you look at the back of the case of the Bolshoi Nutcracker (w Mukhamedov, Arkhipova) it's so far the only release in this series which is supposed to have Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 (the others are just plain PCM stereo). The DVD producer tried to enhance the sound but unfortunately totally blew it: the Dolby sounds like recorded in a swimmingpool, the DTS in a cavern. You can also distinctly hear the applause is overdubbed, since it does sound even worse than the music. It is one of those tape-to-disc-transfer mistakes, that unfortunately are still being made every now and then in the CD and DVD production. It's no use of getting it back, they all have it. The DVD's in this series come with a booklet, situating the ballet etc, which is great. But, why can't the information be accurate? In The Sleeping Beauty of the Bolshoi (w Semizorova, Fadeyechev) one can read that Konstantin Sergeyev is the son of Nikolai Sergeyev, assistant of Petipa! And if that wasn't enough, Konstantin S. is credited with staging Beauty for Sadler's Wells Ballet before and after World War II, and before he did it for the Kirov! Well, there you go, folks!

Helene, tips are not expected, nowhere in this theatre - which doesn't mean you can't give any of course, but it's not necessary. You can only buy your program with cast sheet outside of the auditorium. The ushers inside the auditorium will guide you to your seat and give you an extra cast sheet when needed.

No doubt there is a lot of material of Kolpakova, but the thing is that it is not commercially available. There was an earlier "Sleeping Beauty" with her and Yuri Soloviev (so predating 1977), and there was an indispensable "Raymonda" broadcast from the late 70s and a "Chopiniana" from the same era. Russian TV also broadcast a "La Sylphide" with her and Berezhnoi filmed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Stinger, why don't you ask her yourself, since you see her everyday

I have no idea what he means by this. It never struck me before. I didn't see this particular performance, so I don't know, but maybe that's just what he saw. The question could well be: What are the current Kirov dancers making of Sergeyev's production?

My vote would also go to Novikova, but it still is a very disappointing lineup when it comes to mere personality. Just remember, Natalia, some ten years ago we could choose between the following Auroras: Asylmuratova, Ayupova, Makhalina, Lezhnina, Shapchits, Chenchikova,..... None of the current dancers comes near to any of these ladies in character and charisma. They are sweet little soloists, but is that enough for "Sleeping Beauty"?

But this is the choreography, canbelto - there is no signalling for help whatsoever, it's how it's supposed to be. Similarly, Zakharova often ends her 1st Act variation the way she does it here. I don't see any "running out of steam", nor would I call her an "erratic turner" :mellow:

The only woman as far as I know who danced Carabosse in recent years was Yelena Sherstnyeva (and brilliantly so!) - but that was in the K. Sergeyev "Sleeping Beauty". Petrov is I would say rather similar to, if perhaps somewhat smaller than Baimuradov.

Robert, in the premiere of Vikharev's staging of "Beauty" Diana Vishneva danced opposite Andrian Fadeyev's Désiré. I've also seen her dance it with Igor Kolb and Igor Zelensky. As far as Carabosse goes, I've only seen it danced by men (Islom Baimuradov in the premiere, Igor Petrov) which doesn't mean of course it was never danced by a woman .

Quite, Joseph. After all in the theatre, the Mariinsky Orchestra playing this music is usually one of the highlights of their "Scheherazade". That the first movement was totally cut on the DVD release is hard to understand.

Daria Pavlenko is out of this tour, according to her website where the dates for the US tour have been removed. (Daria Pavlenko website)

It's a shame that none of these two DVD releases has the complete score of "Scheherazade", though. The "Return of the Firebird" film has a very shortened 1st movement (which is normally played as a closed-curtain overture to the ballet), and the Kirov Nijinsky DVD omits it completely. For anyone loving the Rimsky Korsakov score this is disappointing.

This new DVD appears to be a rather unsuccessful example of how to film a ballet performance. Cameras seem to have been in every corner and level of the theatre and the film editor clearly was overeager to show us they were. The mix of images, longshot, closeup etc. is at times very distracting and long movements like the adagio's are difficult to follow. The La Scala production of Burmeisters version is pleasantly classical, brightly coloured (and in this respect much preferable to the POB's carnavalesque version of the Burmeister "Swan Lake" with Pietragalla and Dupond) but company dancing is no great shakes. This DVD is mainly of interest to have for Svetlana Zakharova in one of her signature roles. As an extra there is a short but useful documentary with La Scala AD Frédéric Olivieri introducing the Burmeister choreography and some footage of rehearsals.

At the time of writing, Vishneva is scheduled to dance the opening night's "Beauty" in Detroit. Pavlenko doesn't dance Aurora, unfortunately, only Lilac and Florine, and her appearance in Detroit is very, very uncertain. Novikova is excellent, if still rather young. All information is liable to change, of course

For the centenary of Dmitry Shostakovich next year the Bolshoi Ballet will perform all three of his ballets: "The Bright Stream", "The Bolt" and "The Golden Age". "The Bolt" was revived last season with a new choreography by AD Alexei Ratmansky, who is also the choreographer of the resurrected "Bright Stream" from 2003. The "Golden Age" will be the old Yuri Grigorovich staging.

Richard Bonynge's 2-CD set of "Le Corsaire" released by Decca in 1992 is a recording taken from the conductor's score for the Paris Opera revival from 1867. Thus it contains all the music used for that revival: the score by Adolphe Adam and the "Pas de fleurs" Act II divertissement, an interpolation by Léo Delibes. As such it is as complete as we will ever get and I don't see why we should need anything from the Mariinsky archives, since this recording documents the Paris Opera production. So MinkusPugni if you are looking for a recording of "Le Corsaire" as it is currently danced by the Mariinsky or ABT, this CD won't do it for you. Yet, if you are interested in a well-conducted and well-recorded account of an original 19th century ballet, Bonynge's "Corsaire" is worth the investment - provided one can still find it of course .

Yes, Paul, Irma Nioradze would be on much better grounds as Lilac than as Aurora. I rather liked her as Lilac Fairy, but yeah, that was ten years ago and it's somewhat surprising she is listed now. As a friendly reminder to anyone, please remember preliminary Mariinsky casts are liable to change and what is announced here now, won't necessarily be what you will actually see! Just think like Gina and be happy to see any cast.