nysusan

I always look forward to seeing Jewels, so last night's performance was strange for me. There were great performances by several dancers - Whelan & Neal were wonderful in Diamonds, De Luz was pitch perfect in Rubies and his arial work was gasp inducing, Reichlin reprised her world class "tall girl" and Mearns was indescribably luscious in Emeralds - yet for me the ballet as a whole just didn't come together. Perhaps this is a case of another infamous NYCB first performance/last dress rehearsal? I had actually planned to skip the opening show but added it when I realized it was the only night that Reichlin was dancing.

Osipova is an AMAZING Kitri. She is a natural soubrette who is just starting to essay ballerina roles, both Sleeping Beauty and R&J will be debuts for her. I loved her in Giselle and am looking forward to her debuts but if you're only going to catch 1 performance I'd go with Don Q.

Anyone who's ever seen Ivan Vasiliev dance, even for an instant would expect his Spartacus to be danced in spectacular fashion. One could just imagine him attacking all those leaps and jetes. He delivered all that and more for a stunning performance on Sunday afternoon. I recall when the Bolshoi brought Spartacus to NY in 2005 that I didn't find their men to be really believable in the 2 performances I saw; in fact I was more impressed with the women (remember, it was our first sight of Osipova in a Don Q solo and here in the tiny role of a shepherdess). Not so this time. Vasiliev established a charismatic, rousingly heroic Spartacus from the minute he stepped on the stage. He won the audience over from his first entrance and swept them along on his journey till the end.

He may not be the tallest Spartacus around, but I think his brawny, muscular appearance, incredible dancing chops and impassioned reading of the role make him THE Spartacus of his generation. From the abandon with which he threw himself into all of those glorious Grigorovich leaps to the tenderness & passion in his 3rd act pdd with Phrygia, his performance was never less than riveting. In fact I agree with abatt that it was truly electrifying.

I found Kaptsova to be a lovely, lyrical Phrygia, especially beautiful in her big 3rd act adagio & pdd and that poignant final scene but I missed the sweeping line and endless extensions I recall from Antonicheva at the 2005 Met performances. Allash was fine as Aegina, cold and calculating with a very sharp attack. Volchkov was more than fine as a very tightly wound Crassus who totally unraveled when humiliated by Spartacus. He showed beautiful classical form in the first act, his leaps spiraling more out of control along with his personality as the drama barreled along to its inevitable conclusion.

This really showcases the entire male contingent of the Bolshoi, and they were impressive. I heard several people say that it was the best ballet they'd ever seen. Not sure if I'd agree with that, but it was a wonderful performance and a very entertaining afternoon.

Thanks for the report abatt. I'd love to hear about today's matinee, if any BTers are there. Particularly interested in hearing about Merkuriev's Crassus and Krysanova's Aegina. I'm going to tomorrow's matinee.

I wonder if part of it has to do with the acoustics of the Kennedy Center opera house. Whenever I sit in the second tier, the shoes always sound loud, but the times I've been in the orchestra they've seemed quieter. I've seen both the Mariinsky and ABT in both locations, and the effect has been the same.

I was in the orchestra and the pointe shoes didn't seem particularly loud to me. What I noticed was that the men were very quiet in their landings ( as opposed to the NYCB & ABT men I'm used to, and also compared to what the Kirov men sounded like at City Center last year).

I saw the Saturday matinee and evening performances. I was not particularly impressed with Kolegova’s Aurora or Iosofidi’s Lilac, they were both good but neither was exceptional. Anastasia Kolegova has been given lots of opportunities in her first few years with the Mariinsky. She is a big, tall brunette with a very pretty face, a long torso and sky high extensions. I wouldn’t really call her carriage stiff, but it was very upright with little flow. Her very first entrance as Aurora was marred by a little slip; she practically skidded into the queen at the end of that first entrance. Her supported pirouettes were a tiny bit wobbly and her Rose Adagio balances weren’t overly impressive but her dancing overall was of a very high caliber, in particular, her bourrees were very beautiful. I just found her cold and charmless, especially in the first act. The vision scene was a better fit for her remote demeanor; I think it was her best act. She seemed most comfortable in the 3rd act but there was little character differentiation, if anything she seemed more girlish here than in the first act. If you like Aurora as Ice Princess then Kolegova is the one for you. Alexandra Iosifidi’s Lilac Fairy was lovely, joyful and gracious with clean technique and musicality but was certainly not in the same league as the best Lilacs I’ve seen. Anton Korsakov was Prince Desire. He looked much, much better than he did at City Center last year. His beats were clean, turns fast, jumps high and everything was landed with a soft, cushy plie.

The evening cast of Viktoria Tereshkina, Vladimir Shklyarov and Ekatarina Kondaurova was wonderful. With Tereshkina’s first entrance we saw a princess who was elegant and refined but also girlish & dewy. She was excited at the prospect of marriage and ready to embrace her future. Her dancing was grace personified, with beautiful line, strong technique, balance and turns. There was wonderful spring to her sissonnes (which this production has in the last act and also in her first act entrance instead of the series of pas d’chat). In her Rose Adagio she paused beautifully at the top of each of the first series of balances as she took a rose from each suitor and swung around in that pirouette that turns into a developpe. As discussed in previous posts, my recollection is that neither she nor Kolegova raised her arm into overhead 5th position between the climactic promenade balances in attitude. Tereshkina was a technical marvel and I also found her to be totally convincing in all 3 acts. There was nothing showy or pushed too far in any of her dancing; everything was executed with ease and joy. Her vision scene had an aura of veiled mystery and she was truly regal during the wedding celebration of the final act. In place of the fish dives that we are so used to this Aurora does multiple pirouettes and then “swoons” into her prince’s arms. Tereshkina’s pirouettes were flawless, and they ended the variation with a fish dive as the final pose (which I don’t recall from the Kolegova/Korakov cast). This was great, but there were a few nervous seconds as Shklyarov struggled to secure his footing and hold her in the pose. But thankfully all ended well and they managed to hold onto the pose for a very pretty picture ending to the variation.

Shklyarov was a handsome, ardent prince. With beautiful line, high, clean jumps and really fast turns in the air his dancing was wonderful and his dramatic and partnering skills were impressive. He and Tereshkina had great chemistry, he seemed totally enthralled with his Aurora in a very Gomes – like way.

Kondaurova made a wonderful Lilac – benevolent and gracious but also very much in control. Its hard to describe her dancing, the extensions were all as smooth as they were high and her upper body was luscious, just one stream of continuous flowing motion. For me she belongs in my own personal trinity of Lilacs – Lopatkina, Kondaurova and Mearns.

Off topic – after the performance it was my great pleasure to meet one of the most iconic Lilacs of all time, the incomparable Lubov Kunakova who is Tereshkina’s coach. She is a charming and lovely lady and I felt privileged to have a chance to chat with her (through my friends translation, thanks Y!)

I love watching the Mariinsky’s corps and soloists and there were plenty of opportunities to see old and new favorites as prologue and jewel fairies and in the 3rd act variations during both the matinee and evening performances. Even though the Diamond Fairy is the only one of the Jewel fairies with a solo variation all of the other gem fairies distinguished themselves and it was nice to see Anna Lavrinenko as Gold. She was lovely here, so was Yana Selina as a glowing Sapphire at the matinee. Nadezhda Gonchar was a fine Diamond at the matinee but I preferred the fire of Tatyana Tkachenko at the evening performance. My favorite of the prologue fairy variations are the Fairies of Tenderness and Generosity. Tenderness was danced to perfection by the lovely Maria Shirinkina at the matinee and by Maya Dumchenko at the evening performance. Yulia Kasenkova did a wonderful job with Generosity at both performances. I also really enjoyed both Tkachenko (matinee) and Selina (Evening) as the Courage/Bravery fairy. The Mariinsky’s version of the White Cat pas is a little racier than the NYCB version and while Valerya Martinyuk did a very fine job at the matinee as far as I’m concerned Selina owns this role. She danced it at the evening performance and managed to be totally charming, sexy and alluring, both flirtatious and playfully contentious at the same time while continuously embodying the essential feline essence. Both Grygory Popov and Vasily (brother of Tatyana) Tkachenko were high flying and frisky Puss in Boots.

The Bluebird/Florina pas de deux is one of my favorites. At the matinee it was danced by Vassily Scherbakov and Maya Dumchenko. Scherbakov was a wonderful Bluebird – the best I’ve seen in years. He had great elevation with high soaring jumps and perfectly clear beats. His dancing was very fluid and graceful and his landings were absolutely silent. Dumchenko was an enchanting Florina – she displayed very pure, pristine technique and beautiful line and was a delicate, shimmering feminine beauty displaying little to none of the arm waiving motions familiar from many western versions. Andrey Solovyov and Oksana Skoryk danced the roles at the evening performance. Solovyov was good, but not as impressive or graceful as Scherbakov. Skoryk is a very interesting dancer. She looks tall and is another very pliable dancer who appears to be on the Mariinsky fast track. She was a little wobbly at the beginning and has a bit of that Somova Gumby quality (maybe it’s due to a really loose hip joint?) but nowhere near as extreme as Somova and with much better control of her limbs. She also seemed to be a very musical dancer. During the coda she really kicked her rear attitude leg up which I found rather jarring, but overall I enjoyed her performance and I look forward to seeing how she develops over the next few years.

I'm sure looking forward to getting away from story ballets for the last two weeks of the season. And at least we know what we're getting:

Balanchine and Robbins. Seems like old times...

Me too! Can't wait, especially for TP2 and Jewels!

I went to the Sunday matinee with Mearns, Angle & Ulbricht. This was my first (and only) performance this season, and while I remembered that I hated the first act, I forgot just how much I hated it. It is heinous. The combination of abstract "scenery', horribly ugly costumes in ridiculous colors and the abomination that Martins created out of Petipa's glorious choreography is just unwatchable.

I thought the costumes -- particulary the tutus -- were lovely. At the chat tonight, with Sara Mearns, Jared Angle and Marc Happel (Director of Costumes), they not only showed some of the costumes, but talked about them. The tutus, in particular, are stunning (they almost look like they have been needlepointed).

Deb, I agree that the Swan Queen's tutus are beautiful but I wasn't crazy about the Swan Corps costumes and I thought all the rest were absolutely atrocious. They each were not only ugly on their own they clashed terribly with each other and it seemed as though they consciously undermined any sense of time, place or story - and without the story there is no Swan Lake. Even Balanchine's work suffers if the visual elements are offputing and the steps are danced perfectly but vacantly or with the wrong accents, phrasing musicality etc.

I thought I remembered (from past performances) that I loved both lakeside scenes in this production but I didn't feel that way this time. Despite the glory of Mearns' dancing I disliked the first lakeside scene intensely, and I didn't like Mearns interpretation as much as I did in her debut performances. She was beautiful and dramatic but there were just too many jarring touches and embellishments.

As much as I like Bouder (and she was the only reason I went), it was a huge disappointment as well. A hysterical Odette, running from one corner of the stage to the other one, dancing at such speed that I could literally not believe my eyes.

...

The orchestra matched perfectly with the whole show, who knows what they were playing.

...

I could not stop thinking about the young people and the inexperienced audience (almost sold out house), is this the way they are going to be educated about such a legendary ballet ?

if there is a baBalanchinerust to make sure that Mr B's ballet are properly performed around the world, there should be a Petipa trust or similar to avoid aundiences such a pain !

Classic Ballet, I know that you were talking about the Bouder cast, but I agree with you 100%. One of the things I remember clearly from the last run of SL was that I found their orchestration of the music absolutely thrilling. But that was when Andrea Quin was musical director. Last night the music for the first lakeside scene was played at breakneck speed and despite her beautiful dancing Mearns did look like a hysterical Swan Queen on speed during her first meeting with Siegfried.

Classic Ballet--oh lord, I haven't seen it yet, but I think I know why someone once told me 'it has to be seen to be believed', if your (hilarious, if unfortunate) report is accurate (I have no reason to doubt it).

As far as I recall, I saw one performance by a very small company, like small town performance, not too serious, that prob came close to this.

if you want to experience something pretty unique, i encourage you to go, u wont ever forget it.

Again, I know exactly what you mean. Despite the fact that I know these are all glorious dancers (down to the last member of the corps) to me they looked awkward and amaturish much of the time. That was due to Martins' ridiculous rendition of the Petipa/Ivanov choreography and the speed at which it was danced. This is Petipa/Ivanov for goodness sake, not Balanchine. If Martins wanted to do a modern neoclassical take he should have completely rechoreographed the ballet from scratch with his own original steps. That's not what he did, he kept most of the original (except for the corps in the lakeside scenes) but tweaked it and coached it in a neo classical style. To anyone who is used to seeing the classics danced by the great classical companies of the world (Royal, Kirov, Bolshoi and even ABT) these dancers looked awkward and amaturish in this choreography. I am thinking particularly of the first act pas de trois and the "little swans" dance in the first lakeside scene but really, I can think of very few exceptions.

The only part of this production that I liked was the last lakeside scene, and I think that may be because Martins DID jettison most of the original choreography and came up with new (or after Balanchine) choreography. It was not Peitpa/Ivanov, it was very different in feel and concept but I thought it worked wonderfully with the music and was an extremely moving ending.

Also, regarding the arms in the last set of balances, I noticed that neither Kirov Aurora I saw brought the arm to overhead fifth position in this series of balances (I saw Kolegova & Tereshkina yesterday). They both went directly from one suitor to the next until the last suitor took them into a supported penchee after which they came back up and held the final balance.

That is funny...I remembered Kolegova raising her arm on both sets of balances. I recall thinking she didn't do it very well--it was a very abrupt, fast movement giving the impression that she was having trouble staying on balance.

Very funny! I agree that she didn't do it very well but my recollection was that she went very abruptly from one suitor to the next without raising the arm above her shoulders and I anticipated that Tereshkina would raise the arm (as I'm used to) at the evening performance. So I was surprised when Tereshkina didn't raise it either however she performed the balances very well, she was very secure and appeared to be completely relaxed.

Tereshkina was wonderful . On the other hand, she took a very high attitude (well past 90), so I guess it sort of evens out.

Another Somova-like mannerism. Never been very found of it for Aurora.

No, I don't like it either. the high attitude just doesn't look appropriate in something so Classical as Sleeping Beauty.

After the mostly classical proportions and clean lines I saw in her Nikiya broadcast on French TV on New Year's Eve, this is disappointing to hear.

Could it be why she didn't lift her arm in fifth? Somova is more flexible than Tereshkina, and I would guess her exaggerated back leg position would not have affected her balance.

I'm not sure. For the first set of balances, she did take her arm back to fifth, and her leg was at 90.

That attitude was quite high, but I didn't find it offensive or unclassical and certainly not "Somova like". There was no strain apparent in hitting or holding it, the line was beautiful and it looked rather organic. Also, regarding the arms in the last set of balances, I noticed that neither Kirov Aurora I saw brought the arm to overhead fifth position in this series of balances (I saw Kolegova & Tereshkina yesterday). They both went directly from one suitor to the next until the last suitor took them into a supported penchee after which they came back up and held the final balance. I'll check my notes from the last time I saw the Kirov in SB and my DVDs of Kolpakova and Lezhnina, but this may just be the way the Kirov Mariinsky performs the Rose Adagio.

Just back from DC, I'll post some additional impressions soon but overall - it was a great trip!

A number of years ago Placido Domingo was "Mr. January" in the Opera News calendar, in a lovely, shirtless photo from Samson and Delilah.

It was January for several months at my sister's house.

Not that I want to sound shallow or anything, but I purchased my CD version of Don Carlos solely because it had a drop-dead gorgeous photo of him on the front.

Back to Carmen, it looks like Gheorghiu is out altogether:

First it was eight, then two and now zero. Those are the number of Angela Gheorghiu’s appearances this season in “Carmen,” a production created for her at the Metropolitan Opera. It was to be her first Carmen. The Met on Friday said she had withdrawn from her two remaining scheduled performances of the work, directed by Richard Eyre.

Ms. Aldrich will sing with Mr. Kaufmann, who is contributing to my shallowness.

A few months ago I was lucky enough to be in the audience at Symphony Space for the hi def simulcast of La Scala's opening night production of Carmen with Kaufmann, Rachvelishvili and Schrott. Made you think they should have named the opera "Don Jose". Can't wait for his Met performances. Not that I'm shallow or anything...

A couple of interesting tweets from Kathryn Morgan:

KMorganNYCB

Excited for Aurora #2 tonight. Oh, the relief of having one under your belt!!!! about 5 hours ago from TweetDeck

KMorganNYCB

What you didn't know- fell in my dress reh. Fri, tweaked my foot, and couldn't finish! Thurs was the first time I did the whole ballet! about 5 hours ago from TweetDeck

Kathryn Morgan is a beautiful dancer, her debut as Aurora was impressive and full of promise but I would not call it an unqualified success.

She is so at home on the stage, with (to quote a friend) "regal bearing", beautiful line and a glowing presence she gives the impression of being completely at ease and in control. However despite the relaxed impression she managed to convey during the Rose Adagio her actual dancing of it was tight and tentative, from slightly wobbly supported pirouettes to very minimally held balances. I can only imagine what a monumental test this is for a young dancer in her debut performance, and once it was over she came out in her first solo like a breath of fresh air dancing freely, musically and with great charm. Too bad I won't be around for her 2nd performance, I bet it will be sensational.

Still, while I felt there was room for development throughout her performance I would unquestionably consider this to be an outstanding debut. She and Tyler Angle displayed a wonderful rapport and a great feeling for the classical style. Unfortunately although he was a wonderful partner for Morgan I did not feel that he was up to the technical demands of the role. I also felt that Veyette was all wrong for Bluebird.

Completely agree that Chase Finlay made a great impression and Scheller's rendition of Courage last night was my favorite in the run. It looked to me like she softened her approach a bit.

While Mearns' Lilac Fairy is extraordinary and I welcomed another chance to see it I had been looking forward to Krohn's debut in the role - I hope she is ok.

Here's another voice to add to chorus of accolades for Tiler Peck's Aurora. This was a spectacular debut. She started off her Rose Adagio at a very high level. Agreed that she didn't hold the balances very long but they were all secure, the technique was all there and her musicality, phrasing and interpretation were gorgeous. Hers was both an excited 16 year old and a gentle, royal princess. She started off at such a high level that you'd think she had nowhere to go but down however as the evening went on she just kept getting better. Her vision scene was beautiful and ethereal - again, danced with outstanding musicality and phrasing. And her Aurora was absolutely regal and queenly in the Wedding act.

I also felt that Janie Taylor was terribly miscast here. She is a big favorite of mine but she's such a wild, intense dancer I couldn't imagine her as Lilac. Turns out - neither could she. I wouldn't say that she looked afraid of her variations, she just had no affinity for them or for the expansiveness and benevolence required of this role.

I loved Pereira and Huxley in the Bluebird pdd. I was so glad to see her cast in something other than one of the "cute as a bug" roles and I thought she was lovely. Huxley was probably the most natural bluebird I've seen so far at NYCB - he combined style, grace and wonderful line with the high flying leaps and beats.

After seeing 4 casts so far I can say that as much as I like most of what Martins has done with SB I really dislike his "Diamond" choreography and the way the "Courage" variation is coached here. Diamond looks so awkward and stiff to me I just don't think it belongs in a Petipa based ballet and the Courage Fairy looks more like an Anger or Vengeance fairy - totally inappropriate gifts for the baby princess. The coaching staff needs to rethink their approach to this variation - 3 very talented dancers all looked like Edward Scissorhands galloping in on a Clydesdale - far too much stabbing of hands and feet, it really needs some attention.

I was given a last minute ticket to see the Fairchild/ De Luz cast on Tuesday night. I had been planning to skip this cast but was glad I got to see them, De Luz is a favorite and was a wonderful Desire. Fairchild was much, much better than I expected her to be. As other posters have mentioned there wasn't much differentiation between the acts in terms of her acting but her dancing was beautiful, and very expressive. She was a charming Aurora with crystalline technique. I also really liked Somogyi's Lilac. Her line and epaulment were beautiful and she was a serene, shimmering Lilac with a gently benevolent presence.

as per Russian site of Bolshoi

http://www.bolshoi.ru/ru/season/press-serv...x.php?id26=1430

It'll be Ruben Muradian (?) dancing on 18th and 20th of Feb, and not Egor Khromushin.

and it'll be Maria Allash, and not Zaharova on 16th, 19th and 21st.

And the Bolshoi site lists Krysanova, no Shipulina.

No English equivalent of the announcement, but wanted to let you know

I'm disappointed that Zakharova is not appearing.

Me too, very disappointed. Maria Allash is not one of my favorites, in fact I'd prefer Shipulina. Krysanova ia a young dancer that I LOVE but I've always thought of her as very lyrical, more of a Phrygia than an Aegina. Alexandrova would be my pick for Aegina however it's the 2 main men's roles that make or break Spartacus so I wouldn't be too concerned about who's cast as Aegina.

YID - thanks for letting us know!

Thank goodness Pavlenko is dancing major roles again. I only wish she was on the U.S. tour (selfish of me, I know!). I also wish they were bringing the Vikharov production to DC instead of the Sergeyev ...

I was also there for Bouder Beauty #3 last night (her third, my second) and agree that both she and Mearns were even better than on opening night. Last night's fish dives were a bit tentative and there were a few other very minor missteps however Bouder toned down the facial expressions a bit while losing none of her characterization and artistic vision. She and Mearns both danced at the highest possible technical level while taking the audience with them deep into the story - a total triumph. The whole cast was great, although I do agree that the music was somewhat patchy. I put it down to the truncated score (you can't lose an hour out of a ballet without losing a good chunk of the score) but generally speaking I think this is a very successful production for NYCB. Certainly better than their R+J, Swan Lake or Double Feature. Way better!

No reports on the Fairchild/De Luz/Somogyi cast of Beauty? I saw the Hyltin/Stafford/Reichlin cast last night and while all 3 principals were fine, they were nowhere near the level of the first cast.

Hyltin has quick feet & beautiful line. She was up to all of the technical demands of the role (until the 3rd act fish dives) but she really didn't make much of an impact. She hit the Rose Adagio balances but didn't hold them for long, her phrasing in the Vision scene wasn't particularly beautiful, nor did she create a mysterious, evocative vision of Aurora. I liked her very much at the beginning of the last act and thought it would prove to be her best until those fish dives. She and Stafford completely blew the second one and he had a tough time holding on to her for that last posed one. Stafford's acting was ok but his solo wasn't very impressive and he didn't seem to have much stamina.

Reichlin was beautiful, her Lilac was very well danced and cut an authoritative figure but she really doesn't give you the type of continuous movement that starts somewhere deep in the back and radiates out through the upper body and arms so her Lilac didn't have the same breadth, graciousness or expansiveness as the best Lilacs have (i.e. Mearns, Part, Lopatkina, Kondaurova).

I particularly enjoyed Laracey's reading of the Generosity fairy, Krohn's Diamond and Scheller's Florine, though I thought Paradiso's Bluebird was very sloppy.

.....Somova/ Ivanchenko casting. They are now scheduled for only one performance on Wednesday .....

Congratulations. You've just hit the jackpot!

Hans, look at the Thursday cast listing (Terioshkina/Schklyarov). The Saturday @ 7:30pm is on the same line as the Thursday date.

I know I've really wanted to see Kolegova. I'm just hoping that this casting holds, but one never knows with the Kirov!

I respectfully disagree with your conclusion that it "undoes her" in the Rose Adagio balances. In fact, I think it's perfectly in character. Aurora is supposed to be a 16 year old girl -- just a couple of years older than Juliet. It makes perfect sense that she'd be effervescent, and even excitable, at her 16th birthday party.

I happily concede that "undoes" was too strong a word, chosen in haste. Your comment leads me to note that Bouder's characterization captured that in-betweenness of being 16 -- part girl, part woman -- perfectly.

Have anybody seen her swan lake ?

of course I wont miss her performance in Jewels, which I assume she will dance.

Yes. Go. Her Odile blazed, but more surprisingly, her Odette brought out fascinating aspects of the choreography no dancer has ever shown me before.

Bouder has danced both Emeralds and Rubies. I hope that, as in the past, she gets to do both this season.

I also had second thoughts about saying that she used her eyes to flirt rather shamelessly with her princes in the Rose Adagio. She didn't actually flirt shamelessly, she flirted kind of shyly in that forward/shy teenage way, making eyes at them and then blushing which is why I thought it fit with her characterization of Aurora (although I couldn't actually see her blush I could swear that I felt it).

Bouder is FABULOUS in Swan Lake. Although there are parts of Martins' production that I absolutely hate, I love his lakeside acts, and I find his final scene heartbreaking. Unfortunately I will be out of town during the SL run and the only performance I may be able to catch is the last one. But I will be in town for the whole run of Jewels and also hope to catch Bouder in both Emeralds and Rubies!

I have a couple of minor quibbles with NYCB's Sleeping Beauty but for the most part I think it's a beautiful production, and very well done.

Despite great performances from just about everyone, Bouder was far and away the star of the night for me. As everyone has noted, the level of her technique is amazing but so is her mastery of upper body nuance, and her ability to really breathe life into the character and delineate the 3 different stages of Aurora's development. I remember when she made her debut in the role she actually fell off point early in the balances. No such nerves last night. If anything a few of the little "Bouderisms" were a trifle disconcerting if you're looking for a strictly classically correct Aurora. I'm talking about the way she turned and looked straight out to the audience with a huge smile on her face after nailing that first balance, or how she used her eyes to flirt rather shamelessly with her princes. But IMO she never pushed anything too far and the ways she chose to relate to her fellow dancers and audience fit well within her portrayal of Aurora. Besides, this isn't a Mariinsky Beauty, I think NYCB's has enough leeway for those types of personal, modern touches.

I agree with ABATT & DeborahB that Mearn's Lilac fairy was gorgeous, supple and engaging but I also agree with vipa who had reservations about her solo. I disliked her prologue solo but I attributed it to her phrasing rather than the tempo of the music. She seemed to really hit the top of those developpes hard rather than luxuriate in them and I'm not sure it was the speed of the music, to me it looked like a conscious decision on her part or that of her coaches. I think Scheller's Courage fairy may have been a victim of too fast a tempo. She is a dancer I really love but her Courage variation looked very rushed and awkward to me. My favorite of the prologue fairies was Hankes, who looked beautifully classical and expressive. Somehow she must have found a way to convince Karoui to compromise on the tempo for the Sincerity variation...

I still have several more casts ahead of me (not to mention the Mariinsky Beauty (Sergeyev version) in Feb and the Moscow Festival Ballet's Beauty in April!) but this cast has set the bar pretty high.

There have been some casting changes on the Kennedy Center website. Unfortunately no Fadeev this trip, but at least he's been replaced by Schklyarov. And a great big gift for me, who decided that since I was going for the Sat eve performance I'd add the Saturday matinee despite the Somova/ Ivanchenko casting. They are now scheduled for only one performance on Wednesday and the Kolegova/Korsakov/Iosofidi cast is now scheduled for the Sat mat (it looks like they switched the Saturday and Sunday matinee casts).

PRINCIPAL CASTING

Tue., Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Aurora: Diana Vishneva

Prince Desire: Vladimir Shklyarov

Lilac Fairy: Ekaterina Kondaurova

Wed., Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Aurora: Alina Somova

Prince Desire: Evgeny Ivanchenko

Lilac Fairy: Anastasia Kolegova

Thu., Feb. 11 & Sat., Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Aurora: Viktoria Tereshkina

Prince Desire: Vladimir Shklyarov

Lilac Fairy: Ekaterina Kondaurova

Fri., Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Aurora: Anastasia Matvienko

Prince Desire: Evgeny Ivanchenko

Lilac Fairy: Oksana Skoryk

Sat., Feb. 13 at 1:30 p.m.

Aurora: Anastasia Kolegova

Prince Desire: Anton Korsakov

Lilac Fairy: Alexandra Iosifidi

Sun., Feb. 14 at 1:30 p.m.

Aurora: Anastasia Matvienko

Prince Desire: Maksim Zyuzin

Lilac Fairy: Oksana Skoryk

I was just browsing through Repertory in Review. On page 307 Nancy Reynolds quotes several critics on the original production of Cortege Hongrois, including Deborah Jowitt:

"...In the beginning Hayden is very grand, melodramatic almost; d'Amboise supports her in slow twisting balances that yearn towards something in the wings. Her solo is fraught with mysterious melancholy. Later she becomes gayer. She looks splendid, regal, a little out of place; its as if some Bolshoi ballerina had wandered in by mistake and started to do the real Raymonda."

I loved today's matinee, with the exception of the "Dog" in the middle. Pardon the pun but Ms. Hyltin's dog was the most enjoyable part of the ballet. I was really looking forward to this new work - Shchedrin is a new composer for me and I've never seen anything by Miroshnichenko. I found the music overly melodramatic and the choreography dull and pointless. This is not one of those ballets that is actively offensive, just boring and a waste of talent.

Loved Agon. Wendy and Albert were wonderful and I especially liked Sean Suozzi in this, he really showed a very strong attack and consistent syncopation. I remember seeing Cortege a few seasons ago and not liking it. I don't know why, I loved it this time around. I don't think I'd really consider this to be a Balanchine masterpiece, but it's a very enjoyable piece, especially if you love Raymonda (as I do!). I loved the Czardas, thought Krohn, Suozzi et al did a very good job with it. It was also fascinating to see how Balanchine kept the outlines of Petipa's 3rd act classical variations and reinterpreted the rest. I didn't see this in the 70's so I don't have either Hayden or McBride as a benchmark but I've seen many Raymondas and found Kowroski's regal interpretation very satisfying. Not that I wouldn't love to see Bouder in it one day

It's too bad Scheller isn't getting a chance at Aurora. I think she would have done well with that role.

I was so looking forward to a Scheller Aurora - too bad there won't be one this season. Perhaps next time they do Sleeping Beauty we'll get to see Scheller & Pereira make their debuts as Aurora. One can only hope...