Marc Haegeman

Like a few other things in Russia the Maryinsky Theatre is in desperate need of restoration and modernisation. Maryinsky chief Valery Gergiev has been planning a vast building project for some time now, which includes the restoration and the technical upgrade of the Maryinsky itself (no, they won’t tear it down), as well as the construction of a new theatre. Moreover, in a later phase a multi-purpose cultural complex is planned on a neighbouring tract of land. The plans of the new theatre and the controversy they created, have already been discussed here in an earlier thread: http://www.balletalert.com/forum/showthrea...=&threadid=6831

Thank you for your impressions Viviane, which I can support wholeheartedly (I even think I saw the same performance as you did ) I was lucky to catch Daria Pavlenko as Nikiya in the third night's Bayadère at the Chatelet. As some well-meaning French balletomane stated after the performance without a hint of irony: "We finally saw a classical ballerina. After always these Vishneva's and Zakharova's I didn't know the Kirov had any..." Pavlenko's performance was indeed different from all what came before. Finally, here was a dancer whose dancing style was ideally mirroring her portrayal and who understands that by shading her dancing her character develops. A beautiful plastique, clear mime, fine dramatic details, no excesses whatsoever, in short a performance that made perfect sense in a 2002 reconstruction of a 1900 ballet. Vyacheslav Samodurov made a lively, if not always polished Solor. Tarassova was excellent as Gamzatti. The new/old production has its strong moments (especially the 4th Act) and works better than The Sleeping Beauty in my view, even if I still need to find someone in the company besides Vikharev who seems to share that view

The complete schedule of the Bolshoi tour in the US, running from late October till mid-December, is now available on http://users.skynet.be/ballet-lovers/Burning3.html

Until the late nineties Marina Chirkova was a soloist with the Kirov Ballet. As she once said, she used to be specialized in the "friends of" roles: friend of Kitri, friend of Raymonda, friend of Prince Siegfried etc. Still, occasionally she could be seen in more important roles like Zarema in "Fountain of Bakhchisarai". Good to see she finally made a breakthrough within the Estonian ballet.

Mel, try: http://www.danceinternational.org/winter2002.html and scroll downwards.

I hope you are not serious about dropping the thing, Mel Did you ever see the Lacotte version? It's one of the marvels of today's Bolshoi. Pierre Lacotte always said there didn't survive enough of the original to revive an authentic version, but Doug is the best man to tell us more about this.

Absolutely, the use of Lacotte’s modern version was a definite choice, not a matter of lacking the necessary sources (or the access to those sources) for a careful historical reconstruction. Pierre Lacotte will revive Pugni’s “Ondine” for the Maryinsky this season.

"La Fille du Pharaon" remains in the repertoire of the Bolshoi as far as I know. The company performed it last season and there are bound to be more performances next year. It is true, however, that when Gennadi Rozhdestvensky became director of the theatre in the summer of 2000, the ballet wasn't performed and it was even said that it would be dropped altogether. The reason given was that maestro Rozhdestvensky didn't like the score. Luckily that didn't happen. Rozhdestvensky has in the meantime left the building, but "Pharaonka" is still there.

I was much less bothered by the absence of sets in this Tivoli Gala, most of the pieces shown didn’t really need one. And I don’t recall seeing that many summer galas with sets and corps anyway. That’s why the reduced reconstruction of the backcloth for Nijinsky’s "Après-midi d'un Faune" (not to mention the fine costumes and wigs) came as a nice surprise. (BTW, KayDenmark, when you come to see the POB’s version of "Romeo and Juliet" you will notice that there is no balcony and the scene is danced entirely in the garden of the Capulets where the lovers meet.) The program itself was attractively harmonious, providing an excellent idea of the range and flexibility of the French dancers, with both sections of the evening building up to a strong finale – parts of Forsythe’s "In the Middle" for the first and of Petit’s "L’Arlésienne" for the second. Even if there were some bumpy moments and not all the dancing was topnotch, my overall impression was a favourable one. For my money the most unforgettable parts of the evening came with Isabelle Guérin (the best proof that sets can be missed), well matched by an excellent Benjamin Pech. Guérin’s Giselle was atmospheric beyond all, two steps on the stage and Giselle was there for all of us to see, while her portrayal of Vivette in "L’Arlésienne" brought out all the drama of the piece. And yes, she passed the fatal age of 40 - but she still can do it!

Thank you for your comments. Considering your question, Leigh, I would be tempted to say that I’d prefer the Kirov to be the more “restricted” classical company (repertory-wise, that is), instead of the more all-round, 'we-can-take-anything-company' which the current management is always so eager to highlight as one of its greatest achievements. I remember seeing tremendous performances of the Paquita-divertissement under the old regime. In recent years I’ve seen so many under-rehearsed or simply badly danced Paquita’s from the Kirov, that I doubt whether they actually still care for this kind of ballet anymore. Yet, isn’t this what should be the true calling-card of the Kirov? Well, at least it used to be. A gala I attended last year was a sad case in point: Rubies, three Fokine pieces, and Paquita. A nice programme on paper, in the something-for-everybody vein, but even if Rubies was acceptable, the Paquita was an expensive joke, with soloists ill-prepared and showing no understanding whatsoever of what they were supposed to do. Funnily enough, all the current ballet masters who were the great interpreters of the Paquita solo’s in the past were in the audience (Chenchikova, Komleva, Evteyeva), yet it were their pupils who were having a rough time. I really don’t think that the current ballerinas are more interesting than the so-called “mixed bag” from Vinogradov’s time, as is suggested in Ms. Jacobs article. No question of being nostalgic for the old days, but at least under the previous regime there used to be somebody around to pick out the right ones. Any more thoughts?

As pointed out by Ari in the Links section there is a pretty rewarding take from the American side of the Atlantic ;) on the Kirov Ballet by Laura Jacobs in "The New Criterion". Although mostly based on the recent performances in New York, Ms. Jacobs observations also go back to previous engagements of the Kirov in the USA, which results in some thought-provoking comparisons. Most recent articles about the Kirov seem dominated by one fundamental idea (and this piece by Ms. Jacobs is no exception), simply put: the Kirov under previous artistic director Oleg Vinogradov was mainly a slumbering, ancient Soviet troupe with uninteresting dancers (!), while now with Makharbek Vaziev in charge, the company is ready to face a new golden age, sublimated by the adoption of Balanchine. Personally, I would be inclined to say that the current regime at the Kirov is basically a somewhat overblown continuation of the previous one. While the fundamental question that remains is not, did the Kirov change in the last decade or so, but were the changes for the best? Does anybody have any thoughts about this?

Glad to hear Daria Pavlenko made such an impression. Interesting to note that in June 2000, during the London season, because of some acute ballerina shortage, she learned the Diamonds part in just one day. Well, it's very nice to dream Manhattnik, yet in my opinion the only place where she really belongs is the Kirov - with all respect, but heaven forbid she should ever go to ABT

There is quite a lot Lunkina hasn't danced yet - which is a good thing, anyway . Jeannie you can find a list of her roles on: http://users.skynet.be/ballet-lovers/Svetla100.html

Here is a slightly more complete cast list for the Swan Lakes and Bayadères (of course, liable to change): June 12: Swan Lake with Gracheva, Uvarov, Belogolovtsev. June 13: La Bayadère with Antonicheva, Tsiskaridze, Allash. June 14: Bayadere with Volochkova, Alexandrova, and Ivanchenko. June 15 (mat): Swan Lake with Antonicheva, Tsiskaridze, Belogolovtsev. June 15 (eve): La Bayadere with Volochkova, Ivanchenko, Belogolovtsev. June 16: La Bayadère with Gracheva, Uvarov, Allash. Svetlana Lunkina doesn't dance any of the leading roles in these ballets. She might still turn up in the supporting cast of Swan Lake, though.

I don’t think you were that 'harsh', Viviane. Quite a few of the supporting roles (Queen of the Dryads, Cupid, last act variation, Street dancer) in these casts were indeed disappointing. We had the same problem last Winter with the Bayadères, when the role of Gamzatti looked at times seriously neglected by the casting department. I don’t think it’s a question of age, as Estelle mentions, it’s rather the ability to pick the right one out of the masses to have a crack at the big role. And not everybody is a Nureyev to make that judgement.

Well, it's a funny situation anyhow, with the Maryinsky going all the way to the Bolshoi in Moscow to find a Solor to dance the premiere of their new production . What happened to their own guys?

Interesting to note also that when it is indeed Daria Pavlenko who dances the premiere of the new "Bayadère", it will be her debut as Nikiya. She never danced the role, not even in the previous production.

Jeannie - Not a hundred percent sure for Tsiskaridze yet, it might be Igor Kolb instead - well, you'll know for sure when the curtain goes up . Gamzatti is supposed to be danced by Elvira Tarassova. Choreography for Nikiya is allegedly little changed - Gamzatti and Solor are quite different.

One week from now, on May 31, the Kirov Ballet will show its new production of Marius Petipa’s "La Bayadère", as an opener of the Stars of the White Nights Festival. This production is reconstructing the choreography (based on the notations by Nikolai Sergeyev), the sets and costumes of the 1900 version of "La Bayadère". It also has the 4th Act, missing from the Russian versions since the Revolution, restored. As with the earlier revivals of "The Sleeping Beauty" and "Petrushka" by the Maryinsky, the project is supervised by Sergei Vikharev. Interesting to note that "La Bayadère" was created in 1877. The new/old "Bayadère" will tour to New York in July and to Paris in October.

I have been seeing Irina Zhelonkina for most of her career at the Kirov. It’s true that her performances can be a bit disappointing and she never really made it to the very top (and she won’t now), but for me she is one of the purest Vaganova/Kirov products. Definitely one of the old school. Zhelonkina is a great stylist, who can easily switch from romantic to classical ballets (and neo-romantic) without confusing them. Only last year I saw her Giselle – and that was one of the best I have ever seen within the Kirov. In the second Act the emotion grew entirely out of the quality of her style of movement, unlike the first Act where acting and drama are predominant. And what a relief to see a Giselle who doesn’t look already mad from the moment she steps out of the cottage.

Terry, one of the most tiresome things in ballet is when a dancer is always the same, no matter which role he or she tackles. What kills a performance like Vishneva’s Kitri in Paris for me, is the fact that we have already seen it so many times before, whether she is dancing Kitri, Juliet, Giselle, Scheherazade, Rubies, it doesn’t really matter. The result is always similar and I consider that a serious drawback. Maybe if the Paris audiences would see her in different ballets their enthusiasm might fade away. Vishneva simply has no eye for the different classical plastique required for interpreting the classics. This has nothing to with a difference of schooling between Russia and France. But because of that, in my view, Vishneva is one of the most dull and predictable dancers ever – that at the Mariinsky she is coached by Olga Chenchikova, who in her time knew more than any to vary her classical plastique, is one of the great mysteries of the cosmos. It’s interesting that you mention Alina Cojocaru. Funnily enough, her performance of Kitri in Covent Garden earlier this season, provided just that: by subtly varying her plastique she knew how to express the different moods of her character within the ballet. It may not win over an audience as the Vishneva tactics can, but that's a subtleness which is completely beyond her.

I will be reviewing this later on, but I would just like to post a few comments on the performance of Diana Vishneva with the Paris Opera Ballet in their "Don Quixote" on May 18. Remembering that heavenly transformation that the other Kirov star Svetlana Zakharova underwent while appearing with the POB, I was rather curious to see how Vishneva would fare in this apparently blissful environment . It’s sad to say, though, that this time the goods weren’t delivered. Even though she learned Nureyev’s choreography for the occasion, Vishneva remained her usual self. My biggest disappointment comes from the fact that while she dances strongly throughout, she completely fails to comply with the different stylistic needs of the successive acts of this ballet. I won’t even bother with her coarse, one-dimensional portrayal, yet I can't make any allowances for her poor rendering of the classical passages of the Vision scene, where her complete lack of poetry, sense of grandeur and scale proved a total loss, painfully exposing her limitations as a dancer. It's a technical exercise, executed like a robot. It was a bit strange to see that the Parisian audience completely fell for such a poor display – they have seen a lot better.

Nothing to do with being for or against Nureyev's versions, but which productions of the great 19th-century classics would you prefer the POB to dance, bearing in mind that the originals are not available or accessible for them? What great choreographies are you thinking of, Estelle? I am just asking, because thinking of all that's being danced by the POB these days and accepted by the dancers as interesting choreography, makes me wonder about the value of that judgement (not to mention the creations by the dancers themselves - Pietragalla, Le Riche, etc).

In October 2002 the Kirov Ballet performs in Paris (for the first time since 1994), as part of a grand "Saison Russe" at the Théâtre du Chatelet. The programme consists of a Fokine Evening (with Petrushka, Scheherazade, Polovtsian dances from Prince Igor, Spectre de la Rose, Firebird), the Shemyakin Nutcracker and the new/old La Bayadère. More details on the site of the Chatelet. http://www.chatelet-theatre.com/saison1/ballets/sommaire.htm

Doug, Sergeyev's pas d'action in Act II is also for three couples (Raymonda-Abderakhman; 4 friends), but quite different from Grigorovich's. As for CD recordings I prefer Svetlanov with the Bolshoi Orchestra.