Marc Haegeman

The casting carousel doesn't seem to stop. Here are the latest updates re the cast for the Festival: http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/balfest03

This striking difference in reception of Pavlenko and Zakharova by the Mariinsky audience reminds me of that person who went all the way from Italy to St. Petersburg to see the scheduled debut of Diana Vishneva in “Raymonda”. However, Vishneva didn’t make it and eventually it was Pavlenko who danced. The remark was then that Pavlenko’s performance as Raymonda was utterly disappointing because "this dancer was much too classical....”

Thank you, Roma, for taking the time to post this fascinating and wonderfully detailed account of these Mariinsky performances. Great to hear, too, that Daria Pavlenko made such a strong impression again.

Thank you, Inga and Ina, for these clarifications. By the sound of it, Lunkina’s debut in "Swan Lake" made the same impression as when Alina Cojocaru first danced this ballet at Covent Garden earlier this season. In her case, there was also this feeling that she wasn’t entirely ready for it yet, that it looked more like a lesson learned, leaving little space for spontaneity etc. However, we shouldn’t forget what a tough nut this ballet presents for these young dancers, hardly ever turning into a total success at a debut but rather being a career-long challenge for a ballerina. Let’s hope that Lunkina will be given a chance to grow into the role. Interesting point you make, Ina, about the coaching system at the Bolshoi, raising the question whether it makes sense to have coaches teaching a role which they hardly ever or even never danced, let alone possessed it in such way to be in the right position to reveal all its secrets to their pupils? We have similar examples like that at the Kirov (Chenchikova coaching Dumchenko in "Chopiniana" and "Romeo and Juliet" for instance). A problem facing Lunkina at the Bolshoi might be that from the very start of her career (especially by then director Vasiliev and his wife Maximova) she has been catalogued as the quintessential romantic dancer, the frail, dreamy looking ballerina born to dance "Giselle", "Sylphide", "Chopiniana". Up to a point this could be correct, although in my view there is also something of a solid classicist in her, the ballerina which should be at her best in roles like Aurora, Raymonda, Paquita, the dream sequence in "Don Quixote" etc. and I think it would be a shame not to let her explore and develop this part of the repertory as well.

Thank you, Inga, for this clarification I agree that for a ballerina of her age she has quite an amazing stage presence and artistic maturity.

Maria Alexandrova graduated in 1996 from the Moscow Choreographic Academy (pupil of Sofia Golovkina) and won a Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow the following year. However, as far as I know she was only nominated for the Golden Mask for her role of Ramze - the ballet was taken out of out of competition before the Golden Masks were awarded. She did receive the "Soul of Dance" award in the category "Rising stars" from the dance magazine "Balet" in 1999, though. Interesting point you make, Jeannie, about the looks - it could well be that Maria Alexandrova was born a few decades too late, however it is also clear that the Bolshoi isn't making much of an issue on matters of emploi, as Alexandrova danced "La Sylphide" as well as Aegina in "Spartacus" last year. It think it is a rather simple problem so to speak: she may have been adored by the previous management and given a lot of opportunities by Alexei Fadeyechev, yet the current one doesn't like her and now it's a daily fight to get a role.

I think what Viviane means is that the curtain calls at the POB are far too orchestrated. I often felt like in a shop where it is near closing time: when a certain amount of bows have been done, the curtain stays closed and there are the houselights - the hint is clear, it's time to go home, no matter the enthusiastic response of the audience. There is indeed quite a difference in the way Legris and Martinez acknowledge the ovations, undoubtedly related to personality. With Legris it's obvious that he stays in the role and enjoys the curtain calls as much as the act of performing itself - for him they are part of the performance. Martinez is well in the role during performance, but at the curtain calls he seems a totally different character: polite, but distant and cool. That said, I thought that Martinez and Letestu (both very tall dancers) gave a marvelous example of partnership in the "Paquita" I saw. Their duets had (except maybe for a slight misunderstanding during the final shoulder lift) a fluency, a common sense of purpose, an innate rapport in movement not seen with Legris-Pujol.

Thank you, Inga, and welcome indeed. Great to hear about Svetlana Lunkina's debut in "Swan Lake". I gather she is also cast now as Esmeralda in Petit's "Notre-Dame de Paris" which will be premiered at the Bolshoi on February 15?

Edited to add Admin Note:Please read: Since this wonderful list was published, discussion boards and sites that allow comments have become the target of spammers, who drop a "great site!" message with a list of links to their porn, fake Rolex, drug, rip-off employment agencies, etc. sites. Please note that this is by no means limited to Russian sites!. We had to go through a painstaking process to eliminate this on Ballet Talk, and not all software allows the webmaster to do this. A word of caution: if you go into the comments section of a site, please tread carefully, especially if you aren't fluent in the language and are clicking for pictures. URLs must be in Roman characters: read them carefully. And before you click, please be sure you trust the source. ---------------------------- Here are some useful links re the Bolshoi and ballet in Moscow: * The official site of the Bolshoi Theatre: http://www.bolshoi.ru/announces_new.shtml (Russian section) http://www.bolshoi.ru/announces_eng.shtml (English section) Again, as with the Mariinsky, the English section isn’t as frequently updated as the Russian one. The monthly schedule of the Theatre (now for the two stages) can be found on: http://www.bolshoi.ru/cgi-bin/poster/poste...t.cgi?lang_id=2 * Informative, frequently updated and focusing on the Bolshoi dancers (with interviews and many photos) is: http://www.bolshoi.net/index.htm (with a small section in English about Nikolai Tsiskaridze http://www.bolshoi.net/stars/tsiskaridze/index.htm ) * Also highly informative on ballet in Moscow and in Russia, but unfortunately only in Russian is "World of Dance": http://www.mmv.ru/p/ballet/ * Other ballet companies in Moscow: Moscow City Ballet (Smirnov-Golovanov): http://www.mtu-net.ru/smirnov-ballet/ * The following sites about dancers are of interest: Nina Ananiashvili: http://www.ananiashvili.com/ Created and maintained by the Friends of Nina Ananiashvili in New York Nikolai Tsiskaridze: http://www.tsiskaridze.ru/ Containing about everything you wanted to know about the man, including many photos. English section is under construction. Andrei Uvarov: http://www.uvarov.msk.ru:8101/ Vladimir Vasiliev: http://www.vasiliev.com Anastasia Volochkova (former Kirov, now Bolshoi): http://www.volochkova.nm.ru/ The Maris Liepa Charity Foundation, to commemorate the 60th birthday of dancer, choreographer and teacher Maris Liepa: http://liepa.ru/home/english.htm About Vladimir Malakhov, former principal of Moscow Classical Ballet, now with ABT, and AD of Ballet of the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin: http://www.malakhov.com/ * Biographies and photos of Bolshoi artists of past and present can also be found on: Small Ballet Encyclopedia: http://www.ballet.classical.ru/ A site in full expansion. Now mostly only in Russian, although the first steps towards an English translation have been made. For Ballet Lovers Only: http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/

Some more casts for the Festival have been revealed by the Mariinsky Theatre. * "Jewels" on 25 Feb. will be danced by Paris Opera soloists (Emeralds), Whelan-Woetzel (Rubies), Pavlenko-Korsuntsev (Diamonds). * "Manon" on 28 Feb. is danced by Zakharova-Malakhov * "Swan Lake" on March 1 is danced by Kowroski-Korsuntsev * the closing gala on March 2 consists of "Bella figura"(Nederlands Dans Theater); a divertissement; "Raymonda" Act III (Letestu-Martinez) http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru/afisha/balfest03

Many thanks Viviane and Alexandra . I hope to put up more of these interviews in the near future.

Here are some useful links re the Kirov/Mariinsky and ballet in St. Petersburg. * The official site of the Mariinsky Theatre: http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru (Russian section) http://www.mariinsky.ru/en (English section) Unfortunately the English section limps a bit behind the Russian one and is less frequently updated. The monthly schedule of the theatre can be found on: http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill There are now also online booking facilities: http://tickets.mariinsky.ru/index_eng.php * The official site of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg: http://www.vaganova.ru/ In Russian, Japanese, and they are working on the English section. * The site of the St. Petersburg Mussorgsky State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre - Mikhailovsky theatre (the Maly Theatre): http://www.reserve.sp.ru/opera/index.htm In Russian and English. * The site of the Hermitage Theatre in St. Petersburg: http://www.souzsporttheatre.ru/?n=31〈=eng In Russian, English, French, and German. * The site of St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre (Tachkine Ballet Theatre): http://www.spbt.ru/ In Russian and English * Unfortunately there aren’t that many sites about Kirov dancers yet. Here are few, usually containing a short biography and photos (in Russian and English): Irma Nioradze: http://www.irmanioradze.ru/ Natalia Dudinskaya: http://dudinskaya.narod.ru/ * Biographies and photos of Kirov (and other) dancers can also be found on: Small Ballet Encyclopedia: http://www.ballet.classical.ru/ A site in full expansion. Now mostly only in Russian, although the first steps towards an English translation have been made. For Ballet Lovers Only: http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/

The Mariinsky Theatre announced the names of the foreign guest stars, scheduled to appear during the Festival: Nikolai Tsiskaridze (Bolshoi), Vladimir Malakhov (ABT, Berlin), Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg (Royal Ballet), Agnès Letestu, José Martinez, Manuel Legris, Jean-Guillaume Bart (POB), Maria Kowroski, Wendy Whelan, Damian Woetzel (NYCB). The final Gala performance will be dedicated to Rudolf Nureyev. http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru/massmedia/press/mariinsky03

As happened a few times in the previous years, the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi theatres will present a programme of exchange next March. On March 8 and 9 the Bolshoi Opera performs Puccini's "Turandot" on the Mariinsky stage, followed by the ballet company with Roland Petit's "Passacaglia" and "Pique Dame" on March 11 and 12. On March 14 and 15 the Mariinsky will bring Petit's "Carmen" and "Jeune homme et la Mort", and Ratmansky's "Middle Duet", on March 16 and 17 MacMillan's "Manon" at the Bolshoi. More on : http://www.goldenmask.ru/press/news/#3283

The February dance event at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, called "La muse de ballet", assembles not only Mariinsky soloists. There are also dancers from the Bolshoi, the Stanislavsky, Moscow City Ballet, Monte Carlo, Royal Winnipeg, etc). The programmes as well as the casts can be found on the site of the theatre : http://www.bunkamura.co.jp/english/orchard...ule/2003_2.html As a very special treat, Maya Plisetskaya and Charles Jude, are cast in "L'après-midi d'un faune."

Absolutely, it's more than time that they get their act together. There are a lot of rumours circulating about the eventual casts - needless to say, nothing is definite yet. [unofficially] Maria Kowroski is said to be dancing "Swan Lake" on March 1st.

"Manon" is now replacing Nederlands Dans Theater on February 28th.

In the latest press release of the Mariinsky Theatre about the Festival the evening of February 28 is still listed as "to be announced". So the performance of the Nederlands Dans Theater still isn't a hundred percent sure.

I understand your enthusiasm for this production, Jeannie. However, no matter your argumentation, I still don’t see the vaguest resemblance. Besides, any good historian should know that revealing only part of the past, is a half done job ;). Unless I’m mistaken of course, Petipa’s ballets included besides the pageantry a good bit of classical dancing as well, and there were also the elements of harmony, balance, a sense of proportion, beauty, a moral significance, etc. none of which I could find in Shemiakin’s "Nutcracker".

Opening night (Febr. 21) of the Festival is now finally announced: "La Bayadère" replacing "Ondine" http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru/afisha/balfest03 Of course, Jeannie, I agree, one always has to see it first with one's own eyes before judging. Yet, in this case, my mouth only opened in disbelief that such a production ever made it to the Mariinsky stage. There used to be a Maly theatre for the more experimental works. But maybe it's because I still associate ballet with choreography, while there isn't any worth mentioning in this "Nutcracker".

I don't know what everybody seems to have with, what the Mariinsky calls, "revolutionizing Tchaikovsky". If they mean making the tempi undanceable, like they did during the performances of Shemyakin's "Nutcracker" I had to sit through, then I can easily live without it. For one thing, I never thought that Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" needed to suffer this treatment, as the great conductors (Mravinsky, Svetlanov, Dorati among others) have always made it sound like the true masterpiece it is. Thank you, Jeannie , but I don't share your enthusiasm for Shemiakin's opus minor. I saw it first on a video and had hoped it would work better in the theatre, but unfortunately it turned out to be even worse (some boo-ing at the end didn't help either). And I really don't see the link with the Imperial Ballet, where it was as far as I know more about harmony and balance instead of utter darkness and chaos. Efforts like this fall in the same category as Fabre's "Swan Lake", where ballet is reduced to a parade of highly personal quirks. It tells us nothing new, except maybe that we have another nutcase on the loose. And finally I will never forgive anyone, choreographer, designer or whoever, who has the Kirov corps de ballet girls crawl like animal on flat feet and hands or make them roll on their backs, legs up in the air, after which a Nosferatu-like Drosselmayer sends them all home like unruly children. This particular passage may stand as typical for the whole concept behind this "Nutcracker": the mockery and complete destruction of classicism - nothing more, nothing less. Dale, those Gergiev early recordings were quite in a different league than the recent ones.

Dmitry Semionov is recovering from a broken leg.

He does: Valery Gergiev. He is the one who brought him in and the idea to make a new Nutcracker is as much Gergiev's. These people seem to share a rather peculiar view of the "humanistic ideals" as Alovert calls them. Same thing struck me (although in a different context) when hearing Gergiev's new CD recording of Rimsky's "Scheherazade". Although the maestro insists that he is "painting a beautiful picture", to my ears the beauty is hard to find in his reading. It's dark, rough to the extreme, devoid of all poetry, and it sounds as if this Scheherazade seems to have spend some time in a Chechnian camp rather than wallowing in the perfumes and colours of a fantasized Bagdad.

That Shemyakin is involved with the new production is in itself less worrying than the fact that he, as the designer and librettist, is taking precedence over the choreographer and the composer. Everybody is supposed to rave about the designs from Shemyakin, while the choreography from Simonov (no matter its artistic values) is passed over as a footnote.

The programme of the 3rd International Ballet Festival, Febr. 21-March 2, at the Mariinsky is now up on the site of the theatre (I found only the Russian version so far): http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru/afisha/balfest03 There are many changes from the initial schedule and the opening night Febr. 21 still has to be announced. The Bolshoi's guest performance of "La fille mal gardée" has been replaced by a Kirov "Giselle" (Febr. 24), while Nederlands Dans Theater (?!) is taking the evening of Febr. 28 instead of "Manon". The premiere of "Princess Pirlipat" as a prologue (or first act) for "The Nutcracker" is still scheduled for the 27th. The Balanchine evening of the 25th is now a performance of "Jewels" with dancers from POB, NYCB and the Mariinsky. Here's the complete schedule: February 21: tba February 22: CINDERELLA (Ratmansky/Prokofiev) February 23: LA BAYADÈRE (new production) (Petipa/Minkus) February 24: GISELLE (Coralli, Perrot, Petipa/Adam) February 25: JEWELS with stars from the Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet and the Mariinsky. February 26: AN EVENING OF HISTORICAL BALLETS (a divertissement called 'variations on a romantic theme'; 'variations on a Slavonic theme': "Coppelia", "Little Humpbacked Horse"; 'variations on a Spanish theme': Grand pas from "Paquita") February 27: PRINCESSA PIRLIPAT (world première) (Simonov/Slonimsky; Libretto and Design by Mikhail Shemyakin) THE NUTCRACKER (Simonov/Tchaikovsky) February 28: NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER (works by Kylian) March 1: SWAN LAKE (Petipa/Tchaikovsky) March 2: INTERNATIONAL STARS GALA The schedule for the Stars of the White Nights Festival is supposed to be online as well. For some perverse reason they posted the one from last year.