mnacenani

2 hours ago, Quinten said:

Uh....Nureyev? 

I personally am still hoping it will get the axe when the date approaches. I would like to

see state-funded Balshoy preserve and carry on the classics to the next generation, not

put on "contemporary" rubbish loads of which are available in London and Paris. I don't

hear Strapless being talked about in Moscow and hope Nureyev will go the same way.

No problem if "brilliant ideas" like Nureyev are staged in experimental or avant-garde

theatre !

1 hour ago, MadameP said:

Apparently there is so much that can be considered "politically incorrect" or offensive these days,  to the extent that many think  it should not be seen on stage, that very soon there will be little left to see .

If you mean in the West, then you're probably right . No such issues is Russia ..... I love it there !

17 minutes ago, MadameP said:

but for me, Stepanova is the ultimate Medora.

I do respect your view but we will probably agree to disagree for ever . After all, isn't beauty

in the eye of the beholder ?? Anyway I have to see more of Stipanova to be able to have a firm

opinion.

50 minutes ago, Marta said:

The hairstyles in Bolshoi's version of Corsaire were very similar!  I enjoyed seeing Le Corsaire, especially Krysanova and Lopatin who were both wonderful. But I never want to see this ballet again!

Yesterday at the second interval of the livecast Corsaire Novikova was speaking with (I presume) Zaytseva (decor&costume)

and she spoke at length about how carefully they researched for costume design and to create the bazaar scene in the first

act as truthfully as possible not only designed on ethnic lines ie Greek, Turkish, Albanian etc but also tried to reproduce the

different dress styles of the different Greek islands - I was quite impresssed.

Re Corsaire : also not my favourite ballet, but want to see it once more at Mariinsky this season, to refresh my memory of

their presentation of the Jardin Animé which is different from Ratmansky's. And imho the version with Ali works for this

ballet, although normally I am dead against classics being tampered with. I think this role enhances and rounds off the "story".

22 minutes ago, Marta said:

I recall also seeing her in a Bolshoi DQ a few years ago and she was wonderful as Kitri.  

 

Last year on one day at the Balshoy I saw Krysanova at the matinee and Zaharova in the evening as Kitri.

Although normally I can't get enough of Zaharova for this role I had to give the decision to Katyusha.

7 hours ago, Quinten said:

Here are some of my impressions of the Bolshoi's broadcast of Le Corsaire, which I saw this afternoon at my local theater.

Seems we have quite different perceptions about dancers - I saw both Stipanova and Krysanova live at

the Bolshoy last week and have no doubts about who was the better and more confident dancer :

http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/43049-two-casts-of-karsar-aka-corsaire-at-the-balshoy/

Stipanova has a lot of fans on this forum and I respect their views, it's just that I have to see more

of her and be convinced, if !

6 hours ago, Deflope said:

Tsvirko is not my favorite dancer but he is a good actor and this role suited him perfectly, highlighting his strength and power. Krysanova was excellent as Medora. All the leads were excellent in fact. Khokhlova (btw, you can hear the linguistically proficient Novikova clearly pronouncing the name) didn’t grab me at first but was much better in the third act. Great to see Lopatin, whose dancing I love (even if his looks preclude him from many leading parts). 

Tsvirko may not have the allure of say Chudin or Rodkin but he seems to be a "jack and master of all roles". One thing I like at the Balshoy is

how a principal or leading soloist dances the lead one night and a bit part the next. Tsvirko is my default "Fool" in Swan Lake, stellar artistic

and athletic performer of this role. Agree that Hahlova may not grab in the first act but boy imho she really shines in the third act - I promoted

her to my joint default Gulnare, joining Tixomirova.

3 hours ago, Amy Reusch said:

it seemed a lot of the footage was shot with the camera at the dancers' knee level so that we were looking up the skirts and the view was distracting.

The three main cameras are placed at the center and sides of the first row, which is below stage level when seated

so you a miss lot of the footwork. On my very first visit I was seated just next to the camera on the right side and

right behind the huge bass drum and cymbals ...... at Swan Lake !

3 hours ago, Amy Reusch said:

Was it the entire pas with the feathery fans?  They kept saying what it was but my French is too basic to catch the term... Pas de What?

Yes, the "Pas des Eventailles (fans)" in the third act. What he said was that this was originally in the

place of the famous Pdd in the second scene but the choreo was lost so this part is totally new

choreo by Ratmansky. Don't you think he made an excellent job and it looks like original Petipa ??

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/198/roles/#20171022180000

Curious regarding whether members are able to receive it in the US and UK. Today I was

able to stream it in HD quality for the first time for 95 % of the time. Cast was the same

cast I saw live past Thursday - Krysanova excellent once again as Medora and Hahlova

also excellent as Gulnare. Laparevich as the Pasha and Yanin as Lanquedem :  I am won-

dering whether this level of characterisation can be "learned" ...... these artists must surely

have something innate !

3 hours ago, yudi said:

I also saw Alyona Kovalyova dancing in Etudes. She is a "Snow White" kind of beauty. She was good in Etudes. However, when Kovalyova stood on pointe toes, she was higher than Ovcharenko for over a head.

Saw her Odette/Odile debut last month, turned out Laura Cappelle was also at the performance and later

tweeted likening Alyona to Bambi ..... both descriptions are somewhat befitting I think. Will be tracking

Alyona this season and if she does well will be patting myself on the back

20 hours ago, Drew said:

From the Bolshoi repertory I would recommend Russian Seasons. Also The Bolt if only they still did it! You can get a small flavor of Russian Seasons via youtube and you can probably find The Bolt. If you like farce, then Bright Stream which is also rather brilliant in its riffs on Soviet Ballet. 

 Thank you for the tips, will certainly follow up asap. Would like to see Bright Stream live if Alexandrova were to dance

the Ballerina - Masha is my "lyubimaya artistka" and I have been told this is one of her signature roles.

35 minutes ago, Fleurdelis said:

It is Stipanava. Your friend Vita is not Russian, is she?

She is Russkaya - Moscow ballet writer and lecturer. However, there might be more than one

acceptable way of pronouncing Russian words or names, as there is no accent shown in writing.

I am certain the Russian presenter said "Hahlava" on tv although I feel it should be "Hah-lova".

Especially confounding is the letter "yo" (e with two dots on top for anyone not familiar) which are

99 % of the time not shown in print and one is supposed to know. If you remember the extended

discussion on whether it is Kovaleva or Kavalyova when I introduced Alena/Alyona on this forum

earlier this year.

PS :  I forgot to mention the "Special FX" put on as coda, with the ship spectacularly

breaking in half accompanied by thunder and lightning and the full symphonic might

of the Balshoy orchestra. Does anyone know whose composition this theme is, from

among the half dozen contributors ??

Could I have a point, or could I be totally mistaken, in thinking Ratmansky has something

in common with Wheeldon, namely style and FX over substance ? I greatly enjoyed American

in Paris with Cope-Fairchild but could not stand Alice in Wonderland, and hated Little Humpback

Horse too. Am due to see Ratty's R&J at the Balshoy premiere next month and have an uneasy

feeling about it.

1 hour ago, Fleurdelis said:

"Hahlava" sounds like a Georgian last name. Maybe on Russian TV they were talking about some Georgian ballerina.

No, it was Darya they were talking about on "Balshoy Ballet" or similar program. However, I just asked my

friend Vita in Moscow to voice message me the three names above, and she said "Hah-lova", "Stipanova"

and "Sivinard" so it's almost a full match vs your suggestion - thanks for the tip.

23 minutes ago, Fleurdelis said:

I am going to deduct a full point from your review score for your incorrect distortion of the English transcription of Darya's last name

You are welcome, I am not a know-all. I heard Darya's surname pronounced as "Hahlava" on Russian TV, but my

friend Vita says "Hahlova" which may be the correct pronounciation. Will take you tip re the other two.

Joy Womack was due to dance Aurora with the Istanbul State Ballet this past Wednesday.

Kuznetsova posted a review on the Kremlin Festival last week with the sarcastic observation

that "Sarah Lane becoming a principal shows what a wonderful land of opportunity the US is" !

I regret very much I could not see Adiarys Almeida (my Zaharova Cubana) dance Kitri on 28th

September - I was in Moscow but booked for something else. Kuznetsova wrote somewhat nice

things about her I was told.

Even after the second night of Corsaire at the Balshoy don't really
have much to write about which would be of much interest for our
members. Can't seem to make fish or fowl out of Corsaire - am on
the flight back to Istanbul (where I am hoping to catch the last per-
formance of Sleeping Beauty by Istanbul State Ballet) and called
up my spreadsheet to look up how many Corsaires I have seen
live since Jan. 2015 : one at Mariinsky (Gusev staging), three in
Istanbul (A-M Holmes), and four at Balshoy (Ratm-Burl). I have
also seen the ENB Holmes staging and the quite interesting if un-
conventional Belarbi Bordeaux staging couple of times on video. I
will have to do some more viewing of Corsaire before I can call up
the particulars of the various versions from memory.

Last night was Katyusha's turn as Medora, with Hahlava as Gulnare
and Tsvirko as Conrad. Don't have to say anything re Katyusha - her
excellent execution, poise, presence are well known. Tsvirko is also
a well known asset. Hahlava was quite good as Gulnare, and imho
was maybe just one tick off the incredible characterisation by Tixo-
mirova at the London tour last year. I am not a big fan of this Ratty
staging - the characters are not instantly identifable (should be in
my view) and I like the Jardin Animé presentation of the Mariinsky
staging better. That said, the Balshoy CdB is a feast for one's eyes,
believe it or not this scene makes the huge Balshoy stage seem too
small for the CdB !
Stashkevich was excellent in the pas des esclaves, she really shone,
I retract the countervailing view I posted after seeing her in Flames of
Paris couple of weeks ago. And once again may be allowed to say that
the character roles, ie the Pasha, Lanquedem and Zulmea are so well
executed and add so much to the spectacle - there simply is no match
in the West.
Now the first night, ie Stepanova & Co :  Yulya imho is a very good dancer,
quite attractive, but no Zaharova re technique. Re characterisation I found
her a bit "hesitant", acting the character as opposed to being the character.
To my eye Krysanova looked so confident, so sure she is doing it right. But
as I wrote above maybe I am seeing what I want to see, it's quite possible.
Jiganshina as Gulnare I found so-so, not very memorable. On both nights
there were familiar faces in the PdS of the Jardin Animé : Sevenard and
Shrainer. Overall I seem to have enjoyed the second night a bit more, will
have to see more of Stepanova to make my mind up. Did she merit being
fast-tracked to principal ?? Can't tell, will have to see more of her this sea-
son, will be looking up what she is cast for.
 

Casting info for the Wed 18 October performance :

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/198/roles/#20171018190000

Have decided to post my report after the second performance tonight :

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/198/roles/#20171019190000

I somehow did not click with the first performance, this was the first time

I saw Stepanova live in a full Petipa classic. Good physique, fouetté was

fine this time ..... I do not want to draw the ire and fire of Yulya's admirers

before saying out loud what I thought - want to see Krysanova first to pick

my brain a bit. In general I did not connect with last night's performance.

Just want to say this now :  in law, criminology, it is a well-established fact

that witnesses to a traumatic event like a murder or accident often give

quite different accounts of what they witnessed - we are all affected by our

subconscious.

Thanks for the tip. So sorry that I could not go see Lucia in a full classic ballet

when she was in Munich, only saw her in a couple of galas. Too late now.

2 hours ago, its the mom said:

Looks like Golding is a guest artist in Munich for this season

Yes, he has been listed as guest artist. Imho he has a fine physique. I saw him only

twice live at the ROH when he partnered Tsgankova (replacing Osipova !) in Don Kixot

and when he partnered Sarah Lamb (replacing Osipova !!) in Giselle. Going into Giselle

I was a bit doubtful regarding Matthew's dramatic characterisation capability but he

pleasantly surprised me and was quite believable as Albrecht.

Manon
Kenneth MacMillan
Generous philanthropic support from Sarah and Lloyd Dorfman, John and Susan Burns,
The Gerald Ronson Family Foundation, Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson and the Friends of Covent Garden
Thursday 29 March at 7.30pm
Morera, Bonelli, Campbell, Calvert, Saunders
(Manon, Des Grieux, Lescaut, His Mistress, Monsieur G.M.)
Thursday 5 April at 7.30pm
Osipova, Hallberg*, Sambé*, Naghdi*, Avis
Wednesday 11 April at 7.30pm
Nuñez, Bolle, Zucchetti, Stix-Brunell*, Saunders
Friday 13 April at 7.30pm
Osipova, Hallberg, Sambé, Naghdi, Avis
Monday 16 April at 7.30pm#
Nuñez, Bolle, Zucchetti, Stix-Brunell, Saunders
Thursday 19 April at 1.30pm
Hamilton, Kish, Zucchetti, Hinkis*, Gartside
Thursday 19 April at 7.30pm
Morera, Bonelli, Campbell, Calvert, Saunders
Thursday 26 April at 7.30pm
Lamb, Muntagirov, Hirano, Mendizabal, Avis
Saturday 28 April at 7.30pm
Takada*, McRae, Hay*, Choe, Whitehead
Tuesday 1 May at 7.30pm
Hayward, Watson, Campbell, Calvert, Whitehead
Thursday 3 May at 7.30pm†
Lamb, Muntagirov, Hirano, Mendizabal, Avis
Saturday 5 May at 7pm
Takada, McRae, Hay, Choe, Whitehead
Monday 7 May at 1.30pm
Cuthbertson, Clarke*, Hirano, Mendizabal, Gartside
Monday 7 May at 7.30pm
Hamilton, Kish, Zucchetti, Hinkis, Gartside
Saturday 12 May at 12.30pm
Hayward, Watson, Campbell, Calvert, Whitehead
Wednesday 16 May at 7.30pm
Cuthbertson, Clarke, Hirano, Mendizabal, Gartside
*Role debut with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
#Student performance (Amphitheatre only)
†Live cinema relay

Obsidian Tear/Marguerite and Armand/Elite Syncopations
Wayne McGregor/Frederick Ashton/Kenneth MacMillan
Obsidian Tear – Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor is generously supported by
Linda and Philip Harley
Marguerite and Armand – Generous philanthropic support from Aud Jebsen
Elite Syncopations – Generous philanthropic support from Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson
and Peter Lloyd
Saturday 14 April at 7pm
Obsidian Tear: Ball, Richardson
Marguerite and Armand: Ferri, Bonelli
Elite Syncopations: Lamb, Hirano
Wednesday 18 April at 7.30pm
Obsidian Tear: Ball, Richardson
Marguerite and Armand: Ferri, Bonelli
Elite Syncopations: Lamb, Hirano
Wednesday 25 April at 7.30pm
Obsidian Tear: Ella, Sissens*
Marguerite and Armand: Cuthbertson*, Ball*
Elite Syncopations: Takada, Kish*
Monday 30 April at 7.30pm
Obsidian Tear: Bracewell*, Brændsrød
Marguerite and Armand: Nuñez*, Muntagirov*
Elite Syncopations: Stix-Brunell*, Edmonds
Wednesday 2 May at 7.30pm
Obsidian Tear: Bracewell, Brændsrød
Marguerite and Armand: Cuthbertson, Ball
Elite Syncopations: Takada, Kish
Friday 4 May at 7.30pm
Obsidian Tear: Ella, Sissens
Marguerite and Armand: Osipova, Shklyarov
Elite Syncopations: Hamilton*, Clarke*
Tuesday 8 May at 7.30pm
Obsidian Tear: Ball, Richardson
Marguerite and Armand: Nuñez, Muntagirov
Elite Syncopations: Stix-Brunell, Edmonds
Friday 11 May at 7.30pm
Obsidian Tear: Ball, Richardson
Marguerite and Armand: Osipova, Shklyarov
Elite Syncopations: Hamilton, Clarke

2 hours ago, vagansmom said:

He is multi-talented, becoming more and more well-known outside the ballet circle,

Imho Robert Fairchild will hit big time in musical theatre. When I went to see American in Paris in London at first I did

not bother to look at the cast sheet, thinking "it can't be anyone noteworthy for someone who follows Russian classical

ballet". But,  both the male and female leads could sing, act and dance extremely well, and the Pdd in the final scene was

serious stuff ..... who can these be ??  Ergo : Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope !

6 minutes ago, Peg said:

The complexity of the reasons for his departure at this point in time make it all the more sad for those of us who love him as a classical ballet dancer and felt his dancing ability was underused in An American in Paris. 

Dear Peg forgive my ignorance - I don't follow American ballet but do know Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck. Saw RF with Leanne Cope

in American in Paris in London earlier this year. Before that I had first seen RF on video with Tiler in the "Heaven's Ballet" scene of the

one-off semi-staged performance of Carousel at Carnegie Hall (?) some years ago and was VERY impressed. My question is : why is

Robert leaving the NYCB - is he going to pursue a career in musical theatre like Leanne Cope ?  Many thanks !