Marc Haegeman

It's the eternal problem of wanting a danceable ballet recording on CD, while most CD's are not made for that purpose. As always, the best you can do is select the video performance that suits your preferences in tempi and copy the soundtrack.

Shame, though, that Bonynge has such a sloppy orchestra. :grinning: The only "Beauty" recording that is danceable is that from the Bolshoi Theatre conducted by Kopylov, simply because it is a live performance of a ballet performance transferred to disc. I don't think it's still available.

Thanks for the review, Herman :rolleyes:. Glad that you don't blame us for having pushed you into this wonderful night out :grinning:. Thing is, Viviane, Saito may be an agreeable soloist in smaller parts, but Nikiya is altogether a different kettle of fish. But then again, that goes a bit for the whole company when tackling these great Petipa ballets, starting with Sunal. I'm sure both would be fine in the manu dance. That said, it's a shame the corps didn't make much of an impression, because that was by far the best part of the evening I attended. They hardly ever perform with an orchestra. Some years ago they used to dance premieres of new productions with orchestra, and at the same time recorded a tape which was used for the rest of the run. But even that doesn't seem to happen anymore. It's a shame because the few times I heard them play (the Orchestra of the Flemish Opera), it was excellent, and we have an able conductor in Koen Kessels.

Hi, pls email me at mail@for-ballet-lovers-only.com

The site of Video Artists International is at: http://www.vaimusic.com/index.shtml

Did you really hear that, Juliette? It does sound like news to me.

I see no reason either NOT to look forward with much expectation to this Bolshoi season. I don't think it's such a bad selection. There are two new productions and besides London hasn't seen the Bolshoi Ballet in full force since 1999 (I'm not mentioning the rather ill-fated soloists stint at Drury Lane). There are several new faces and some of the youngsters from 1999 have developed into interesting artists. And let's hope indeed that Nina Ananiashvili turns up for "Don Quixote" and "Swan Lake". The only thing to regret is that they don't bring Ratmansky's "The Bright Stream", although I guess in view of the way London received Ananiashvili's group at Sadler's Wells, I think it's better that they don't. :angry:

The schedule for the Bolshoi's London season (courtesy by the Bolshoi Theatre press), no more "Sleeping Beauty" and no more Balanchine, but "Spartacus" and "Pharaoh's Daughter" instead. Week 1 Mon 19 July, 7.30pm - Don Quixote Tue 20 July, 7.30pm - Don Quixote Wed 21 July, 2.00pm - Don Quixote Wed 21 July, 7.30pm - Don Quixote Thu 22 July, 7.30pm - Swan Lake Fri 23 July, 7.30pm - Swan Lake Sat 24 July , 2.00pm - Swan Lake Sat 24 July , 7.30pm - Swan Lake Week 2 Mon 26 July, 7.30pm - Romeo & Juliet Tue 27 July, 7.30pm - Romeo & Juliet Wed 28 July, 2.00pm - Romeo & Juliet Wed 28 July, 7.30pm - Romeo & Juliet Thu 29 July, 7.30pm - Spartacus Fri 30 July, 7.30pm - Spartacus Sat 31 July , 2.00pm - Spartacus Sat 31 July , 7.30pm - Spartacus Week 3 Mon 2 August, 7.30pm - Swan Lake Tue 3 August, 7.30pm - Swan Lake Wed 4 August, 2.00pm - Swan Lake Wed 4 August, 7.30pm - Swan Lake Thu 5 August, 7.30pm - The Pharaoh’s Daughter Fri 6 August, 7.30pm - The Pharaoh’s Daughter Sat 7 August, 2.00pm - The Pharaoh’s Daughter Sat 7 August, 7.30pm - The Pharaoh’s Daughter

The news had been out for a while, but now it finally seems official. Even the Mariinsky website has changed its roster (if only in the Russian section for the moment): Daria Pavlenko is now a principal dancer of the Mariinsky. Well, I guess if there was a Kirov ballerina who deserved to be honored with that title in recent years, it surely was Pavlenko. http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru/ballet/soloist Pavlenko's biography: http://users.skynet.be/ballet-lovers/Dasha10.html

It seems that Brigitte Lefèvre's idea about how to preserve classical ballet in Paris is limited to mount a two or three Nureyev classics per season, and that's it. A whole part of their classical repertory is completely overlooked and sacrificed to contemporary dance. The next step could be to stage their examinations with three minutes of Bausch or Brown.

Silvy, as with most of the great classics Rudolf Nureyev made his own transcription of "Sleeping Beauty" - more or less different from the "standard" version he knew in Russia. He staged his "Beauty" for several companies, including La Scala, National Ballet of Canada, London Festival, and of course Paris Opera Ballet. In most cases the male role is (over)developed with Nureyev, as you can tell from the long solo of Prince Désiré in the 2nd Act of his "Beauty" set to the music of the entracte.

It's perfectly clear what you mean, Silvy , and I agree. We are a long way from the traditional Kirov. We might even argue about the "form" - that too is basically very different. Besides that, the Mariinsky has been fostering the "one-ballet ballerina" in the last dozen of years. Vishneva is a typical example.

No disrespect for our Dutch friends , Herman, but WHY Groningen of all places???

Hi, Marjolein (we're with three now! ). Herman is right. You need to see it with your own eyes; so try to get a ticket and tell us all about it. B)

LOL ! Thank you, Herman, you really made my day. And then Sunal is described as a Nikiya full of nobility, poetry and passion.... .

Manuel Legris, étoile of the POB, now has his (official) website - an informative one, cool desgin, and with many, many photos covering his career. Well worth the visit. An English section is under construction. http://www.manuel-legris.com/

OK, I see. The repertory of the RBof Flanders is still largely classical/neo-classical. The problems in performing the great 19th century ballet are to my mind more related to company-wide aesthetics and incomprehension of style (which can also be said for the DNB), as well as matters of scale, means and number. But they still look fine in classical choreography.

Ah, there's that blasted Swan Lake again . Maybe this can explain the difference, Alexandra: the choreography of the Shades Act was pretty straightforward and what we usually see in this particular scene - let's call it Petipa choreography. Swan Lake wasn't - the choreography as we know it had been mistreated by incompetent hands and very hard to salvage from total disaster. There was a funny documentary, sort of "The Making of" of "Swan Lake" (or rather in this case "The Unmaking of....") :grinning: In one scene we had Fabre supervising the rehearsals of the swans in act 2. It still looked like Ivanov. But then Fabre suggested to just drop those particular steps - they didn't make sense to him. And that's what they did.

That's OK, Alexandra, we feel very much at ease within international company and chatting about international issues :grinning: As far as I understand from the HNB booklets under Wayne Eagling the notion "international" had a lot to do with the fact that internationally renowned choreographers worked with and for the company and sort of created an "international" repertory. (Something which the POB also always takes great pride in.) They named first of all the famous Dutch choreographers (the Vans), followed by a whole group of big names from today's dance world - Carlson, Forsythe, Lock, Marin, among others. I felt, too, that the favorable comparison with POB, Kirov, Bolshoi, RB, ABT was pushing it a bit too far, but yet, Herman, on the other hand it isn't that far-fetched when you realize the richness and diversity of the HNB's repertory - and what's more, they can give a more than decent (to put it this way) show of everything they have. Frankly, I never felt that way about the Royal Ballet of Flanders, even though that company, too, is of a pretty good level and is attempting the same things, but it's simply no comparison to what HNB can do - and the difference is not just by sheer number of dancers. It will be interesting to hear your take on the Bayadère, Herman.

As much as I have my doubts about the intentions behind Gypens suggestion, it is a fact that the Royal Ballet of Flanders is already to a large extent a touring company. Most of the season the company is touring Belgium and neighbouring countries and there are relatively few performances in their hometown Antwerp. They don't have anything special, they just take the current program on the road. (Viviane, maybe that's why the sets are always so sparse :rolleyes: ). The new production of "La Bayadère" was already shown in Dordrecht, The Netherlands last Saturday, and more performances will follow in the coming months, as well as in Italy. Schedule on: http://www.koninklijkballetvanvlaanderen.b...llet/index.html

Interesting points. Thalictum, I don’t think they are using the Festival to promote their favourites. They don’t need to promote them anymore; they are established stars, everybody knows them and (like it or not) the fact that Vishneva or Lopatkina will be performing a leading role, is for many people a very good reason to book for the Festival. Do you really expect them to cast highly talented third-row-in-the-corps-de-ballet-girl to dance the lead in “The Sleeping Beauty” or “La Bayadère” during a Festival of this magnitude? (I agree, if that girl is worth it, why not give her go – and that’s what happens during the season, but not during a festival like this. It sometimes happens during a tour as well, yet the first thing you hear is that people aren't expected to pay all that money to see a corps de ballet dancer tried out in a principal role.) Just for the record, Thalictum, which "equally or more talented dancers" are you thinking of? I think it’s quite normal that the management showcases its “best” forces during the festival – of course it’s what they consider the best, not necessarily what you or I consider the best, or the more suitable for this or that role. The visiting companies are doing the same for that matter. It’s limiting, I agree, and it’s always the same people, but that has been the Mariinsky policy for years now. No doubt, a short-sighted, risky policy which is beginning to show its limitations, now that Zakharova has left, Lopatkina has been injured a long time, Vishneva is guesting often abroad etc. Also with the expanding repertory it becomes increasingly difficult for that handful of favourites to cope with it all, but that's another problem. Finally, let’s not forget that these are only the leading roles. The great classics like “Beauty” or “Bayadère” are a showcase for the whole company, not just the two or three leads. It’s part of tradition that the principals dance the leading roles, but at the same time you will be able to see quite a large part of the company in supporting roles and in the corps de ballet. Simply by performing these ballets, the company shows its depth of talent. (For that matter, the Forsythe pieces are similar, as almost the whole company seems to be involved in them).

The thing is that the reviewer foolishly admitted not having a clue what he was reviewing: "La Bayadère is considered by ballet-lovers as a masterpiece in the genre".... as if he was talking about a football match on a different planet - and in his case he actually was. Alexandra, I have to admit the suicide was in undiluted Madama Butterfly style. :rolleyes:

Since I am reviewing this production, I won't add much - moreover, Viviane has said it all - except maybe the following. As is well known, Belgium doesn't have a proper tradition when it comes to dancing the great classics. I understand and appreciate the novelty of the whole thing for the Royal Ballet of Flanders. Truly, it wasn't the evening it could or should have been, for obvious reasons. Yet what bothers me most of all is that in some of our newspapers (if they cover it at all) "La Bayadère" was described as a dull, overlong piece of old-fashioned romantic wish-wash which doesn't have a place here. And, yes, hadn't our brave reviewer been watching three hours of glorious Pina Bausch in Antwerp recently, enjoying every second of it? So, the main idea is clear: get rid of this classical bore and bring in some real, exciting dancing. To my mind that's a rather serious situation. Undoubtedly not unique to our regions, but there we go. What do others think?

Ayupova and Sologub have danced the new/old "Sleeping Beauty" as well. Nioradze was scheduled to dance the Sergeyev "Beauty" on 21 Jan.

For what it's worth (no claims at completeness or accuracy) :grinning: March 6 Swan Lake: Lopatkina, Martinez March 8 Chopiniana: Zhelonkina, Korsuntsev The Prodigal Son: Makhalina, Lobukhin The Rite of Spring: Amosova March 9 Chopiniana: Ayupova, Kolb Le Noces: Yosifidi, Popov Etudes: Fadeyev, Sarafanov March 10 Manon: Sologub, Bolle, Tkachenko March 11 Sleeping Beauty: Vishneva, Murru March 12 Don Quixote: Herrera, Fadeyev March 13 La Bayadere: Pavlenko, Stiefel, Tarassova March 14 Gala with International Stars, among others with Etudes: Pujol, Martinez, Paquette. Pavlenko, Sologub, Gumerova, Kolb, Merkuriev, among others, are rehearsing the Forsythe pieces. March 8, Prodigal Son is replacing Neumeier.