CharlieH

Certainly nature, Buddy. Flora and fauna. The elements. It’s curious that, when Petipa himself first revived his Midsummer Dream at the Mariinsky in 1889, it was part of a triple bill of one-act ballets, along with The Enchanted Forest (Lev Ivanov/Drigo) and Caprice of the Butterfly (Petipa/Krotkov). Definite connections there!

Oh dear. I wonder what this means for the ABT’s May 18 Osipova/Hallberg Giselle? I hope that he fully recovers in time for the Met season.

Buddy, Keichel is new to me. Many of my ballet pals first assumed that this is the same as the 2017 ballet “The Four Seasons” but, no, that one was by a different choreographer to Vivaldi’s score (arr. by Richter). I’m sincerely hoping that Keichel works in the reconstruction/classical mode, although, to the best of my knowledge, the Harvard Notes don’t include Petipa’s Seasons. However, we know the scenario and a lot of the stage action from reviews and other contemporary accounts. There’s enough fodder to allow for a Lacotte-style imagining of Petipa’s 1900 ballet. One can hope. As for Midsummer Dream, there is definitely a Petipa-classical connection, not just because of Balanchine’s new-classical style. Petipa himself created a one-act ballet in 1876 that used much (not all; no Wedding March) of the Mendelssohn, plus new short pieces by Minkus (!). Alas, the Petipa Dream is not in the Harvard collection but, hey, we have the Balanchine - Petipa’s spiritual son! I’m wondering which portion will be shown in the gala? I find it odd that Bayadere’s Shades Entrance isn’t on the program but perhaps the producers think that it’s enough to present the full ballet during the festival. I’m so grateful that this program is being telecast, so that at least I’ll be able to eventually see a part of the Petipa celebrations in St-P...through the kindness of friends in Europe with recorders. I’ll be on a cruise soon, for much of this month, but look forward to reports. I do plan to attend the Moscow celebrations and conference in June, so can report back on that.

You’re absolutely correct, NAOTMAA...and I love your name & understand it. (Wink) The one hope — and apologies for sounding a bit crass — is that, now, the majority of coaches (ex-stars) of the Soviet ballet, who were so inflamed by Vikharev’s reconstruction, have either retired or passed away. Fewer angry voices may mean a chance that the new-old Sleeping Beauty may be filmed professionally for posterity?

Glad to be the bearer of good news. As for the recent Japanese DVD of Sleeping Beauty...the good news is that you may not have missed much, as that is the 1950s Soviet version...the same version that you can see on earlier Kirov DVD releases starring Kolpakova and, later, Lezhnina. The entire world is still waiting for a filming & DVD/BluRay of the magnificent Imperial Tsarist version, as reconstructed by Vikharev.

The past Kremlin galas by the Vaganova Acad have eventually made it to YouTube but, of course, we can publicize it here if we learn of a way to see it during the telecast. For example, the 2016 telecast is all on YouTube, in 4 stages. Through this, you’ll also see the full 2-hr 2017 telecast in one big file.

Yet more celebration of Petipa’s birthday! The Academy of Russian Ballet (Vaganova Academy) will perform a gala in Moscow’s Kremlin Theater on June 20, in honor of Petipa: https://m.facebook.com/events/146144772734174?acontext={"ref"%3A"98"%2C"action_history"%3A"null"}&aref=98 The concert will include guests from other great ballet academies around the world. Ballets on the program include Petipa’s setting of Dance of the Hours for the ballet La Gioconda, among other rarities. There’s a good chance that the gala will be telecast by Russia’s Kultura Channel, just as happened with the Vaganova Academy’s two past guest concerts at the Kremlin palace theater (2016 and 2017).

While seeking information on the Mariinsky’s Petipa Gala telecast (March 11) I ran into the good news that Mezzo will air its recent filming of the famous dram-ballet “The Fountains of Bakhshiserai” starring A. Matvienko, Tereshkina, Parish and Belyakov (March 2): Note that the above-cited casting is correct, as it corresponds to that filmed on May 28, 2017. http://www.mezzo.tv/nos-programmes/la_fontaine_de_bakhtchisarai_ballet_du_theatre_mariinsky__2017_

As posted on the Petipa-200th thread, the gala on March 11 (Petipa’s actual birth date) will be a live telecast to all countries that receive the French Mezzo Channel. Gergiev conducts. Program includes Vikharev’s recon of the Petipa/Drigo Flora’s Awakening.

Just confirmed by Mezzo TV of France: the March11 Petipa 200th gala will be live-telecast! According to Mezzo’s website, the gala will be conducted by Gergiev and is set to include Petipa/Vikharev’s Flora’s Awakening, Balanchine’s Midsummer Night’s Dream (assume an excerpt) and Keichel’s new (or reconstructed?) choreography for Glazunov’s The Seasons. This is more information than what’s cited in the Mariinsky’s own site. No casting yet provided but we’re promised most of the Mariinsky principals and soloists. http://www.mezzo.tv/nos-programmes/soiree_hommage_a_marius_petipa_theatre_mariinsky_11032018 Since the cameras will be around, is it too much to ask that they also capture the Vikharev Sleeping Beauty for future airing or a DVD release? Also on the Petipa-200 front: Arte TV (France) will air a new 52-Minutes documentary (by Denis Snegirev): Marius Petipa: French Master of the Russian Ballet http://www.poissonsvolants.com/project/marius-petipa-le-maitre-francais-du-ballet-russe/ In partnership with the French Institute of Russia, Moscow’s Bakhrushin Museum presents a major Petipa exhibition from March 7 through June 10. https://www.institutfrancais.ru/fr/moscou/exposition-deux-siecles-petipa This culminates in a Petipa conference on June 6-8, 2018. http://www.gctm.ru/en/2018/01/30/the-exhibition-two-centuries-of-marius-petipa-is-open-in-march-7/

Any word on the progress of the three new ballets for the March presentations, including Marcelo Gomes’ newest work?

Yes. The performance was originally advertised to be in conjunction with the conference.

It’s on an advertisement for the program that the academy performed on a recent tour to Switzerland and some other European stops. It’s the program that includes excerpts from Burlaka’s Flora’s Awakening Suite, excerpts from Naiad & Fisherman, etc. The original ad (published in Nov) for the Feb 2018 Euro tour also mentioned the presentation in StP. I don’t recall the venue - Alexandrinsky? Not the Mariinsky. A similar program will be performed in Moscow, in summer, at the Kremlin Theatre.

Buddy, my Nov 28 post, above, gives some info. It came from Vaganova Facebook. I posted here as soon as I saw it on my Facebook (same day).

Yeah, right. How interesting that my (our) three choices for potentially-salvageable Repertory works are the three cited by Stafford: Barber Violin Fearful Symmetries Hallelujah Junction Out of 75-plus rep works (all of Peter Martins’ oeuvre beside restagings of 19th-C classics), these three ballets are cited. Slim pickings, in other words. “That’s all, folks!” said Bugs Bunny.

Thanks, Sandik. I just didn’t want folks to think that I was pegging Lifar’s known pro-Nazi feelings to Martins.

This is a game changer. Maybe - maybe this will finally be committed to professional DVD? Are you listening, Mezzo TV?

I mean this more as a sad reflection. Lifar & Martins both led major ballet troupes for many years, both suffered from “a whif of scandal” during their terms (for very different reasons/allegations), and were both highly prolific choreographers, yet a very small percentage of their respective outputs is -in Lifar’s case - still in the rep or - in Martins’ case - in danger of the same fate.

You’re welcome. Besides Martins’ take on the 19th-c classics, we’re up to about five or six ballets worthy of retaining at NYCB: Barber Violin, Hallelujah, Fearful, Adams Violin, Waltz + maybe Calcium Light. Slim pickings for a 40 year output. Martins may end up being the Lifar of NYCB.

I never saw that one but remember having read mostly-positive reviews about it at the time. The Waltz Project might be added to the “keepers” list. I saw it ages ago soon after the premiere, which garnered nice reviews.

Cassandra Trenary and Cirio are both mentioned in that article. So now we know names of three possible and likely cast members (Lane, Trenary, Cirio). I’m guessing that Simkin will also be in the mix.

Drew, Calcium Light Night was surely one of Martins’ earliest hits, if not the first. His La Sylphide is fine since he kept 90% of the Bournonville. E Johnson, I have to agree about Reliquary! I’d also “ban” Friandises (where each dancer was seemingly asked to excecute his/her best move at the end!), Ash, Ecstatic Orange, Them Twos, Thou Swell, Jazz...ok, maybe save that one for the Wynton Marsalis score.

FYI: So as not to divert this thread, I’ve started a separate thread in Ballets and Choreographers to discuss Martins’ choreographic legacy (what to keep, what to put in deep hybernation).

I’m opening a thread to continue a discussion about the possible future programming of Martins’ many ballets, created created before and after he took over NYCB’s direction upon the death of Balanchine in 1983. That’s a long time and a lot of ballets! My vote for “best ballets” that should remain in the rotating -active rep, because of their musicality & excitement factor: Fearful Symmetries Hallelujah Junction Barber Violin Concerto In the Petipa vein, I like his Sleeping Beauty and The Magic Flute. On the opposite side of the spectrum...what should be retired forever? Hmmm...Ocean’s Kingdom? Red Violin? R+J? How about that Ray Charles gem that was telecast around 1990?

This is not the last stop on ABT’s tour. Let’s hope that the hotels on remaining stops are being thoroughly checked out now.