leonid17

Translated review from Vedomosti http://www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/article/2009/12/28/222330 Edited to remove erroneous information.

Apologies, I forgot to mention this error.

Royal Opera Website @ http://www.roh.org.uk/bolshoi/index.aspx

I think it would be a success in London but unfortunately it is not one of the productions they are bringing next July/Aug.

I have not so far found any reviews in Russian Press for this new production but I thought this page from the Bolshoi website would be of interest. http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/season/ballet/pre...&act26=info Casts are given at top right of page under "Characters" There are also photographs of the production at: http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/season/press-offi...otos/esmeralda/ The same page announces Ivan Vasiliev's debut as the Nutcracker Prince on January 7, 2010. ADDED REUTERS photographs of dancers relaxing during rehearsals of Esmeralda: http://www.daylife.com/search?q=Esmeralda scroll down to see photos then click on See More Photo Results at top right.

There are a number of accounts of the rehearsals of the original production and Diaghilev having met Marie Rambert a student of eurhythmics, at the Dalcroze School took her into his company initially to assist with figuring out Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring with Nijinsky. Briefly, eurhythmics is a dance training method pioneered by Émile Jaques-Dalcroze which uses physical movements and musical rhythms to teach and establish musical concepts. Having heard Dame Marie Rambert both talk and discuss the rehearsals of "The Rite of Spring", I personally have no doubt that the Diaghilev Company did assume what was required by Nijinsky after its reputed 100 rehearsals. I have seen the Kirov production of this work staged by Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer which was glorious in its designs and very well performed, but to my mind, lacked the weight in steps and movement which was once so visible in the character dancing of Russian ballet companies of the 1960's. From all the descriptions and discussions of the original I have read and witnessed, I am happy to believe that Dame Marie Rambert was an effective teacher of rhythm and movement (she was also ballet trained) enabling the concept of the original production envisaged by Roerich, Stravinsky and Nijinsky. Echoes of the first production difficulties in rehearsing this ballet can be found in an article by Kenneth Archer and Millicent Hodson at http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_03/ju..._rite_diary.htm

I have bought a copy direct from Paris Opera boutique(bookshop) for 39Euros with 9 Euros postage to the UK. Google search Paris Opera find sitemap at bottom of page it shows Shop scroll down to Ballet Russe add to basket and then it gets a little tricky if you do not have French.

I am grateful I took your advice Helene and watched the film this afternoon which I thought was filled with realities, charm, emotion and what I can only call a kind of bravery. I hope Irlan Silva is doing well with ABT, which google tells me he joined last year. Thank you Nanarina for your original post.

Because of Anna Pavlova's sometimes broken English, the following quotes of her statements can be found with slight variations. "Although one may fail to find happiness in theatrical life, one never wishes to give it up after having once tasted its fruits." "No one can arrive from being talented alone, work transforms talent into genius." "To follow one aim without pause, ; there is the secret of success. And success? What is it? I do not find it in the applause of the theater. It lies rather in the satisfaction of accomplishment. "

Thank you PeggyR for posting this interview. I had not read this before and found the following comments an interesting echo of what experienced members of audiences say. “ABT is such a gifted company that in some way or another they will always produce a performance. That's not to say it's the ideal performance but you cannot underestimate the power of these dancers. They are absolutely phenomenal. Let me put it this way: they're not experiencing their art the way we did then. It's a different time. Ballet is a different, the requirements are different, and audiences are different. “ and “You know, it depends who your audience is really and what they expect. Now audiences want to be stimulated and excited with bravura works: something they can identify with or something they can understand. It makes them excited. They clap their hands. It's very much instant gratification, I think, for audiences. In today's world it seems that frequently audiences are more interested in quantity and not so interested in quality “

From appearing as a page in Swan Lake on the 8th September 1954 Georgina Parkinson was to become a member of the Royal Ballet corps until a big break in La Belle dame san Merci opposite Donald Mac Leary which was choreographed by Andree Howard. As the only woman among the nine men who made up the rest of the cast, she became immediately recognised for her presence and her extremely beautiful face. The first time I noticed her was Diversions where her very feminine quality of movement struck me. When Napoli pas de six was first staged for the RB she held her own against Merle Park and Antoinette Sibley. She was the notably vigorous Gypsy Girl in The Two Pigeons and stood out in Ashton’s La Valse. I remember her as a warm embracing Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty in 1962 though she was slightly uncertain technically at her debut. I think it was in Symphonic Variations (1963) that she showed that she could adapt to Ashton’s subtle difficulties on my first viewing of this wonderful ballet. Miss Parkinson was in the first cast of MacMillan’s Symphony at a time when Ashton’s impact as Director had moved the RB up to truly first rate technical company with clearly delineated aesthetics. In 1964 she was given the difficult second variation in the Shades Scene from Bayadere and I remember her beautiful carriage and style in this role. Later that season she looked and moved beautifully in MacMillan’s Images of Love. Later in the year in absolute contrast to these two roles with superb carriage and hauteur she successfully essayed the role of The Aristocrat in Mamzelle Angot. In December of this same year she took the role of the Blue (boy/girl) in Les Biches recalling that detached look that you can see in Vera Nemchinova the originator of the role. This ballet hit the audience powerfully and the reception for Nijinska at the curtain calls was one of the happiest moments of my life at the ballet second only to her reception for Les Noces two years later when Miss Parkinson was again superb in her role. The way in which Miss Parkinson unfolded the choreography in Ashton’s Trois Gnossiennes was mesmerising in this highly successful première. Shortly after she essayed Calliope in Apollo in a production and cast I have always retained a powerful memory of. There are so many performances to recall, I loved her debut as Juliet, in Song of the Earth, as Fridays child with Donald Mac Leary in Jazz Calendar, her deeply felt and expressive Winifred Norbury in Enigma Variations. As an Episode in his past In Lilac Garden, a glamorous Raymonda, imperious in Anastasia, memorable in The Concert. Georgina Parkinson had a slow start to her career but remained a solid stalwart of the RB through what I consider to be its best years. If like Lynn Seymour she had not been so close to Macmillan, perhaps yet again Ashton would have choreographed more for her. For me she leaves a real legacy of contribution to the Royal Ballet over and above some of its more famous dancers. PS I have amended an error kindly pointed out by a co-poster.

It is loosely based on the Lavrovsky production with Delibes music for Sylvia. The Perm Opera and Ballet website has full details and a good number of photographs but I could not get the link to work. You can read the following review in Russian or do as I have done and use Google translation http://www.rg.ru/2009/11/23/fadetta.html or google balletfriends.ru fadetta and scroll down for more reviews. PS The Mikhailovsky Ballet also have a production of Fadetta.

It is a fantasy to call Zakharova and Lopatkina ballerinas. Ballerina is a much over used term by journalists and marketers who feel they are making dancers stars by using the word in their reviews as well as creating pieces of puff to identify themselves arbiters of taste and knowledge. The two dancers are principal dancers which is quite different to being a ballerina that alone a prima-ballerina. They could be called 'stars', because they are promoted as such by their companies.

It has always been known to me as a "stulchik" since it was explained that is what it has always been known by when I enquired as to the name of the onehanded lift in "La fille mal gardee." Certainly that is what London balletomanes were calling it at the beginning of the 1960's.

I understand Orwellian as an adjective to mean or describe an event, situation, idea, or a condition of societies as being destructive to the welfare of a free society. Is that what you meant, as I have yet to read newspaper accounts as to what was taking place. I was very pleased to read Pamela's post which in ten lines gave a full flavour of the event. Many thanks.

Precisely Bart.

Nobody needs to be told that Giselle is a Romantic ballet staged in a Romantic style. Zakharova in this clips take a Soviet gymnastic approach in the opening adage which has nothing to do with the Romantic Ballet. To those uninitiated in the concept of balletic art, there appears to a thrill factor in seeing such extravagant execution of steps. If the aesthetics and the emploi of the Romantic style are aborted in performances, we are no longer watching Giselle as it should be, but instead, a perverted statement of a style. Zakhorova is undoubtedly an outstanding product a a style of execution which removes dancers from the possibility of ever becoming great in Romantic or Academic classical ballets. All great artists blend technique with music and characterisation to such a degree that they become the role and you get lost in the performance. When the height of a developpe becomes an absolute moment emphasised by it angle, art is lost. Such mannered execution as seen in this clip Christian, for me, goes beyond vulgar becoming corrupt and corrupting. I remember in 1966 when I saw Svetlana Beriosova perform a deep penchee that was almost 180 degrees in Balanchine's "Apollo", I was not shocked as it seemed entirely appropriate for the style of the work and that, is where the line is drawn.

I cannot recollect absolute 180 degrees being performed by NYCB in 1965. It was more like 160 t0 170 degrees.

Yesterday was the 80th birthday of one of Europe’s most distinguished conductors, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Count Nikolaus de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt) He moved from being a cellist in the in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra to found the Concentus Musica Wien (1953) creating an historic path in the revival of playing early music on period instruments and contributing significantly to reading of old scores. He moved in to early opera and his cycle of Monteverdi operas in Zurich bringing his historic understanding of early operas to the world. This was followed by his revelatory cycle of Mozart operas. Maestro Harnoncourt has not slowed down in his workload which has broadened to include not only 17th, 18th century music but 19th and 20th century music as well? He remains not just a Grand Old Man of Music but a Great Old Man of Music. Happy Birthday Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

This one point is, I think, still seriously off. Because many of the adults who take their children to Disney World continue to go there afterward BY THEMSELVES, because they LOVE it. Most of the people I know who watch American Idol and the other TV trash are adults, even though I know the teens watch them. But it's a whole culture of people of all ages who are now consuming the same silly stuff. I do not think you have a point that 'they'd rather be watching Hannah Montana & High School Personal', because it's just most people are all doing that. Maybe more young people, it seems to me that everybody is going for these bimbo things, not just the kids. So there are going to be some Enquiring Minds among the kids too. I guess what I am saying is that you just have to be pro-censorship or anti-censorship, but people have usually made up their minds hard on these matters and are not going to change just because one is 'rational' (I mean I think you are being, but so what.) So the fact is that children either have to be at risk for these things or not. One decides which is the greater risk, that children might find their way to the 'naughty things' (I did) and these 'ruined their lives' (some would say mine was, others would say the contribution had been invaluable), or whether censorship is the greater risk. I certainly agree that the latter is far worse, but then I'm talking of my own interests. And they're talking about theirs; so it really becomes more ideological and political than intellectual/rational at a certain point. What I'm saying is it's, ultimately, not a matter of the rational always being the most powerful, although it is, as with everything else, to a certain degree 'the reason of the stronger is always right' (not morally, but just de facto, as long as something prevails, it can be virtuous or wicked). It is like trying to argue rationally for legalization of drugs or differences of opinion on abortion, religion, etc., it's not only not possible to fully succeed in it, it's also true that the more reactionary side does have at least some points. The only one that seems to me to be valid is that, yes, there will be some young people who find their ways to literally anything, including challenging difficult works. So that what seems 'rational' to us (and probably is, at least we are quite convinced it is) doesn't matter to those who oppose it, there are limits on how convincing the rational argument can be. Another point to make from the other side while not supporting them, is that while I think it entirely wrong to censor and block the de Frutos piece because of its lewdness or whatever, I also don't think it's that serious. Naturally, there would be some backlash from the radio personality (Ross?) you told us about; but that is natural given that things are already so unleashed the bared, and this nakedness itself (however much the backlash), already proved that 'anything really does go', not the other way around. And it's the very prevalence of all the filth you've cited that proves that: With all that there, it's not really very likely that serious censorship of old regimes will ever take hold again. As for 'perverts' in Victorian times and 'hypocrisy', oh well, sure, but there are all sorts of periods in which the emphasis goes back and forth. But we're not now in an Age of Censorship in any serious way. I enjoyed reading your post.

I read psychology at university and have subsequently been involved in supporting, guiding and directing young teenagers into education, skills, The Prince's Trust and work. I would not dare to make any of your statements regarding children that have the semblance of claims. But I defend your right to make them. I have of course not read any case papers, but one in ten children in this country have mental health problems which mean childhood experiences and influences are likely to be of significant importance. You say, "I still maintain that the absolute stranglehold that vacuous mass media has is far more damaging to the psyches and development of children's intellect than being confronted with challenging material." What is the evidence for this? Leonid, I challenge you to watch an entire afternoon of entertainment geared at kids/tweens/teens that includes, American Idol, X Factor, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Hollyoaks, Best of Friends, Kyle XY, The Season, T4, Camp Rock, Trouble on Deck, The Jonas Bros, Aaron Stone, Beauty and the Geek, Search for a Pussycat Doll, Sonny With a Chance, Nicktropolis - there's a few to be getting on with. Then let's talk about the current mass media geared at youth. Yes, childhood trauma is the leading cause of psychotic disorder and disturbance in children. Incest, sexual abuse, PTSD, violence, bullying, underage sex, drinking drugs, negelct, no one refutes that. What is beneficial is keeping channels of communication open, you don't have to hit a kid with all the evils of the world and every sordid detail, but keeping discourse, debate open and answering questions in age appropriate manner is completely different. The point about the Victorians isn't that a return to the superficial morality they followed is the answer, rather that they were the biggest bunch of perverts going. If anyone has ever seen pornography produced in that era, they'll know, it's hardcore and far more centered around the taboo sexuality and morality they tried so very hard to divorce themselves from. But okay, here's a few things to think of: Two men rape a young woman, they cut off her hands and rip out her tongue in order that she can't name her accusers. A man kills two men in revenge, turns them into pies and tricks their mother into eating them. A man marries and has sex with his mother, unwittingly, when he finds out he pokes out his eyes. A young girl is raped in an Edwardian garden by a much older man, as his wife seduces a young boy. Sixteen youths are brutally tortured to death in war time Italy in the state of Salo by a priest, a minister, a politician and a doctor. A king's gay lover is murdered and that king killed by forcing a red hot poker up his rectum. A young mother finds her life is a sham and commits the ultimate sin in 19th century Norway, the monster abandons her husband and children forever. Those are a few examples off the top of my head. Shall we now censor and ban Shakespeare, Marlow, Pasolini, Euripides, MacMillan, Ibsen? At the very least let's keep our children away from these dangerous, sick so-called artists. But there's no fear of that, they'd rather be watching Hannah Montana & High School Musical. I never mentioned censorship of any kind.

There was never any claim on Ashton's part to anything other than inspiration from the original. Lynn Seymour was 37 when she created the role of Natalia. I have just watched the Makarova clip for the first time. I confess like many London balletomanes she remained to me mannered even affected in most things that she danced. I first saw her in 1966 and subsequently a good number of times in a variety of roles. The only time I have truly admired her was in the last act of "Onegin." When she was performing at Festival Hall in London and I was at an Ashton Gala at the Royal Opera House, two secret service types asked me if I thought she would have a successful career in the west. I of course replied no. She defected the next day. How wrong could I have been.

I read psychology at university and have subsequently been involved in supporting, guiding and directing young teenagers into education, skills, The Prince's Trust and work. I would not dare to make any of your statements regarding children that have the semblance of claims. But I defend your right to make them. I have of course not read any case papers, but one in ten children in this country have mental health problems which mean childhood experiences and influences are likely to be of significant importance. You say, "I still maintain that the absolute stranglehold that vacuous mass media has is far more damaging to the psyches and development of children's intellect than being confronted with challenging material." What is the evidence for this? Many successful choreographers and companies of the last twenty years are the product of "the vacuous mass media" and as I have avoided de Frutos I cannot comment on his work.

Brilliant observation Alexandra and it is remarkable that it is hardly ever mentioned by critics in England. A month in the Country” was the work of a subtle genius gloriously realised in its choreography and the designs of Julia Trevelyan Oman. I also see in the role of Natalia clear echoes of the performance style of Ashton’s lifelong great love Anna Pavlova. Bart I concur with your views, high personal drama yes, melodrama no. We are aware of Natalia’s frustrations early on with her responses to her son Kolya and her ward Vera played on the first night, by Wayne Sleep and Denise Nunn. In this pas de deux Seymour’s body sings out her feelings for Beliayev suggesting that she can escape her ennui in passionate love to realise the freedom she seeks. The musical accompaniment has its own voice, supporting the dramatic content as if in an eternal reverie. I can only recall Miss Seymour dancing lead roles in four Ashton Ballets, The Two Pigeons opposite Christopher Gable, Hamlet opposite Rudolf Nureyev, and A Month in the Country opposite Sir Anthony Dowell, Brahms waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan. She did perform the Pas de Deux in Les Patineurs and was a memorable Fairy Summer in Ashton’s Cinderella. For Miss Seymour, it was her performances in Two Pigeons, a Month in the Country and the Brahms Waltzes that added to her much loved status in the UK and I just wonder why Ashton did not choreograph more for Miss Seymour?