Cygnet

Isn't it the artists' interpretation that makes familiar steps interesting? Doesn't it depend on the coaching and the foundation the artists are building on? Sir Anton Dolin once said, " ... Tibaldi, Sutherland, Callas: They all sang the same operas. They all sang the same notes; but their interpretations were different." Phrasing and coloring can be changed. Isn't this what keeps us coming back for more?

Some dancers can handle a professional/private relationship and some can't. Who knows what's going on in the wings? Sometimes the fit hits the shan in a performance. Anyone remember that lovely couple Gelsey and Misha? Their curtain calls were legendary. She once thrust her bouquet in his face . Incidents like that spoke volumes about their private/offstage issues.

Q: ' Is there a book that outlines productions with new/re-done choreography for SL?' Good question! My souvenir book from the 1986 Kirov tour says that, "... over 500 productions have been chronicled." All of Balanchine's works have been itemized in a book. Is there a book out there that lists all 'Swan Lake' productions for all time? I haven't come across one. If there isn't one, there should be. That's a good research topic.

Hi. There are sooo many resources to choose from. You could start by researching the story and the music. Browse "Swan Lake" and "Tchaikovsky." See if the following books are available on Amazon or Ebay: "Tchaikovksy's Ballets" by Roland John Wiley, "Four Centuries of Ballet - Fifty Masterworks" by Lincoln Kirstein, "The Official Bolshoi Ballet Book of Swan Lake" by Yuri Grigorovich and Alexander Demidov. See if the public library or Ebay has the JVC Maryinsky "Swan Lake" CD 1895 Drigo edition conducted by Victor Fedotov(1994). The book inside the CD has the entire history of the ballet and a reprint of the original story submitted September 24, 1894 to the Imperial Theatres. Very detailed. This document is housed today at the Lunacharsky Library of Drama in St. Petersburg. The corps de ballet is everything in this work. Look for grace, lyricism, nuance, discipline, precision, fluidity of movement, understanding of the story, and tradition when you see Boston dance. The Royal Ballet, Kirov and Bolshoi are peerless in this respect because of their uniform schooling and distinctive styles. The title role of Odette/Odile is the one role that separates the good ballerinas from the great ones. There are too many recorded performances to mention here. I'd look for Fonteyn & Nureyev (Vienna Ballet). I'm too young to know whether they ever taped a full performance at Covent Garden - I was a baby . Makarova & Dowell - that's a keeper. Check out any Kirov tape for the corps work, or an old Bolshoi tape with Plisetskaya in the starring role, to see, IMO, the clearest distinction between the two swans. If Boston Ballet offers a pre-performance seminar, attend it. Hope this helps.

Alina reminds me of three old RB dancers who were exceptional, thrust into too much too soon, and then burned out: Bryony Brind, Maria Almeida, and Marguerite Porter. Alina is currently injured, and she had that awful spill last year in "Manon." A young dancer needs consistent guidance and the utmost care. Is Monica Mason seeing to it that she's getting it?

I have that one . I think Lezhnina is excellent in the pas de trois. Makhalina and Zelensky were both very young and green in that tape. My favorite tape is with Konstantin Zaklinsky & Olga Tchyentchikova, filmed during the Wolf Trap Farm leg of the Kirov's 1986 North American tour. I saw her live with Yevgeny Neff a few weeks earlier, when they were at the Shrine in Los Angeles. I taped it from the PBS Great Performances telecast. Zhanna Aypova was in the corps de ballet. She was in the pas de trois, and was as one of the little swans . That corps was superior to the corps in the Makhalina/Zelensky tape, and the one dancing now - if you can imagine that!

Plisetskaya - No doubt about her. That's a given. Asylmuratova - Yes. She was closing fast on Assoluta but she wanted to retire early. I think she would have definitely made it if she had gone on longer. She was (and remains) the greatest and most acclaimed of her generation at the Kirov. She was one of the last to have come fully through the Soviet system. She was the exemplar of the legendary Kirov style that has changed in the last decade. Unfortunately, she is not as revered in Russia as she is in the West. As the most acclaimed Kirov bred dancer of her generation to achieve international recognition, she was appointed Artistic Director of the Vaganova Academy. Maximova - Yes. As a soubrette/ingenue she was unsurpassable. What qualifies her is that she had the chops to break out of that mold, and cover new ground as an artist - solo and with her husband, Vasiliev. I think she may be the only ballerina of the Soviet era to have had the most ballets created specifically for her. That was a privilege and a luxury most Soviet ballerinas, including Plisetskaya, didn't have. Also, this isn't counting the works her husband made for her. She was also the most travelled and beloved of ballerinas during the Soviet era. Her teacher was Elizaveta Gerdt; and she was considered the most classically pure ballerina the Bolshoi had by far produced when she graduated. Gerdt developed her technically. Ulanova developed her artistically and gave her her work ethic. Semenyaka - Prima, yes; Assoluta, no. In the spring and summer of her career, she was quite a remarkable dancer, but I think her Petersburger artistry/technique slowly declined under Grigorovich. In spite of that she never really shed the Kirov training from her body. Also, her rep wasn't as varied as Maya's, Altynai's or Katya's. IMO her dance gift wasn't as versatile as the latter three women. Aurora was her greatest classical role, but success in one ballet doesn't do it. Alonso - Yes. She gave Cuba a national ballet and influenced the spread of ballet in Latin America. ******* I'll add two more: Carla Fracci - If the title were given by category, she was the mistress of Romantic style. Irina Kolpakova: Yes. For me she is the queen of academic dance. Her feet were flawless. ****** Most likely to succeed - if not obstructed, (its the Kirov and the Royal you know), Daria Pavlenko & Tamara Rojo.

Pavel Gerdt's title was "Soloist (Premier Danseur) to His Imperial Majesty;" this was during the reigns of Alexander III and Nicholas II. The Soviet government gave Ulanova many titles, among them People's Artist of the USSR and Hero of Socialist Labor, but not Assoluta. After suffering persecution from Stalin's KGB in the summer of her career, (late 40s - 50s), Maya Plisetskaya was given the title by N. Kruschchev. She is the only prima ballerina of the Soviet era to be awarded the title.

Silvy, I found an old recording that may work for you. Look for John Lanchbery's version with the Philharmonia Orchestra (1982). He did all three Tchaikovsky ballets for what was called the du Maurier collection. It may be out of print now. It has a forward by Margot Fonteyn. Although Lanchbery conducts the Intro and Marche from the Prologue at 180 mph, but the Pas de six, and important highlights in the subsequent three acts are conducted as if he's following feet at Covent Garden . Slow enough I think. Its an inferior performance compared to the ones mentioned above in this thread. I checked out Dorati's Concertgebouw version from the library this past weekend and yes, the variations are fast. Dorati conducts the work extremely well, and the brass section is very animated and clearly emphasized. I can't find fault with it except for his tempi, which is a matter of preference. Good luck!

Sorry Mel. Gottlieb goofed. Just goes to show you, you can't trust a journalist to get it right.

I've across some some neat quotes. Here's three by Balanchine from Robert Gottlieb's 1998 Vanity Fair article "Balanchine's Dream:" -'We were watching Martins and Farrell. Suddenly, Balanchine said, "It has to be Peter. He understands what a ballerina needs." -"There are no mother-in-laws in ballet." -"Put a man and a girl on stage and there is already a story; a man and two girls, there's already a plot." ****************** -"I don't mind being listed alphabetically. I do mind being treated alphabetically." M. Tallchief. ****************** -My wife is the greatest dancer in the world!" K. Zaklinsky on A. Asylmuratova 1996 Dancing Times article. -"Maya is able to absorb within a month what some other dancers cannot do in a decade." M. Semyonova on Plisetskaya. -"The only weapon I had was my dancing. With that I fought like a general without an army. If I could have saved all the energy I wasted on my struggle it would have sufficed me to cover a dozen ballets." Plisetskaya to G. Smakov on the persecution she suffered from the KGB, while a superstar at the Bolshoi. -"Good Morning! I am a pupil of Balanchine." W. Forsythe to the Kirov Ballet when he began rehearsals with them for the 4th International Ballet Festival three weeks ago. --- article by M. Ratanova in Tanznetz magazine dated 3/5/04

My favorites are: Gerd Larsen, David Drew, Wayne Sleep, and Monica Mason - (as Carabosse) from the Royal Ballet, Gediminas Taranda (Bolshoi), Vladimir Ponomarov, Pyotr Russanov, Eldar Ailiev (as von Rothbart), and Tamara Mirzhoyan (as White Cat) Kirov Ballet.

'For me, Previn's recording with the LSO (1974) was the IT recording until I bought Pletnev's. IMHO Pletnev's performance surpasses Previn's (something I never thought could happen). Previn's was great in that the specifics were clearly delineated. For example, the fairies first appearance and variations, as well as Act II were so magical they seemed supernatural in sound. Previn's tempi was fast here - not danceable, but they sounded like magical beings.' [/b] My favorite recording remains Previn's. The LSO sounds great and Previn has a marvelous feel for the drama and magic of the story -- you hear it immediately in the Prelude with the contrast of the fury of Carabosse's theme to the radiant lyricism of the Lilac Fairy's theme. In fact, the entire Prologue sounds glorious, despite the fast tempi of the fairy variations. But Previn and the LSO outdo themselves in 'The Vision' scene. It's absolutely ravishing! This is by far his best Tchaikovsky ballet recording. Hi MakarovaFan! This is OFF TOPIC I think Previn's best Tchaikovsky ballet recording is "Nutcracker" (1972) with the LSO. Again, not danceable but well paced with superior mucisianship and tonal clarity. As one critic put it at the time, Previn's "Nutcracker" should be, ". . . placed at the top of the list of all available choices." IMHO it STILL is. Its superior to his most recent one with the Royal Philharmonic. (Lightening doesn't strike twice in the same place ). I've heard many - in live performance, and I've bought my share over the years: Ormandy with the Philadelphia (my first one when I was a pre-schooler), Bonynge with the National, Lanchbery with the Philharmonia, Kopylov's (the Maximova/Vasiliev tape) and Rodeszhtvensky's, both with the Bolshoi. This one is IT. Only the late Victor Fedotov did a comparable job. I heard Fedotov live with the Maryinsky and on Lezhnina's DVD, and HE didn't have the Ambrosian Singers to backup the Snowflakes like Previn did!

The Gergiev / Kirov recording of Sleeping Beauty is one of Gergiev's signature bad recordings. I don't know what the sound engineers did to further this bad sound, but it is spectacular. It's like you're listening with a crash helmet around your head. Musically Gergiev puts a lot of energy into the climaxes. So the Rose Adagio is terrific, and so is the Vision scene and the 3d act PDD, but just like the ballet is not about the principals only, the music isn't just working its way to the 'climaxes'. This misunderstanding is fatal IMO. I really like the recording by Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian Nat O. Pletnev has also performed Sleeping Beauty on the piano a lot, so he knows the score inside out. (As far as I know Gergiev rarely ever conducts the ballet.) For studying the steps perhaps the Kirov / Larissa Lezhnina dvd would be good. Have I ever said this is probably the most gorgeous music on the face of the earth? I totally agree with you. When I purchased Gergiev's Kirov version, I was unpleasantly surprised to say the least. FEDOTOV SHOULD HAVE RECORDED IT!!! Also, the location of the recording was the Maryinsky pit, but it sounded like they were playing in a tin can. I never thought of it as wearing a crash helmet - perfect description!!! For me, Previn's recording with the LSO (1974) was the IT recording until I bought Pletnev's. IMHO Pletnev's performance surpasses Previn's (something I didn't think could happen). Previn's was great in that the specifics were delineated. For example, the fairies first appearance and variations, was so magical it sounded supernatural. Previn's tempi was fast here - not danceable, but the fairies sounded like magical beings. You could differentiate between the mortals and the immortals in the music. IMHO the BEST recording - THE recording to beat is without question Pletnev's. It is a very robust performance. There is total crispness, clarity and spectacular tonality. The musicianship is superior on all levels: You feel like you are on stage IN the performance. The acoustics, engineering and production values are high. The Mazurka, Finale & Apotheose are a revelation. Indeed, the only saving grace of Gergiev's performance is Aurora's first entrance and the Rose Adagio. Pletnev speeds up Aurora's final balances and that's the only flaw. So, when I play the CDs I listen to Pletnev then cheat by flipping to disc two for number 8 on Gergiev's version, and back to disc 1 to Pletnev's number 17 track to continue the sublime experience. When I listen to this masterpiece, I know there is a God. Marc, have you tried Pletnev's version of Prokofiev's "Cinderella?" IMO I found it exceptional and quite convincing. I purchased this one before his "Beauty," and I was very pleased. In fact, his "Cinderella" prompted me to give his "Beauty" a go. Conductors direct and orchestras play the same notes but interpretations vary. If you want 'out of this world' recordings, I'd vote for anything by V. Horovitz, Haifetz's version of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, and von Kleiber's version of Beethoven's 5th with the Vienna. In the end, its all a matter of personal preference. PS: For steptext clarity, I bow at Kolpakova's altar - DVD (1982). She coached Lezhnina in the role. Even though she was 50 in that performance, her technique was still flawless.

I have the tape with the sweats! I remember taping it during the "Great Performances" program, May 8, 1988. Makarova was, as near as dammit, perfect that night, and McKenzie was completely right on! Everything cooked that night at the Met. Johann Renvall was also perfect as Mercutio, and Victor Barbee was a ferocious Tybalt. A very young Julie Kent was in the corps de ballet. Makarova also did a very nice interview on dancing Juliet, (at home?) during intermissions. Q: Was that her last performance of Juliet at the Met? She danced Juliet again at Covent Garden later that year, then in January 1989 she went back to the Kirov, danced two pdd from "Onegin" and retired the next day. Other tapes I've seen are the LaScala tape with Fracci, Nureyev, Fonteyn, Semenyaka & Vasyuchenko Act II Grigorovich's version, (owned, 1991 Prokofiev Commemorative 100th Birthday Gala at the Bolshoi), Bessmertnova & Liepa (Lavrovsky's), Bessmertnova & Muhkhamedov, Ulanova & Sergueyev exerpts (owned), Marguerite Porter and Wayne Eagling (seen live with Royal Ballet), Lesley Collier & David Wall (gala tape), Maximova's first entrance as Juliet in "The Glory of the Bolshoi" (exerpts). BTW Marguerite Porter looked sooo much like Margot it was eerie.

In 1975 Grigorovich choreographed IVAN on Vladimir Vasiliev and he danced the premiere and subsequent performances. I have never come across any information on Vladimirov, but he was of the same generation as the late Alexander Gudonov, circa mid-late '70s. Some backstage trivia regarding IVAN THE TERRIBLE: Vasiliev felt that the role of Ivan was "kitchy." He told G. Smakov in an interview for "The Greatest Russian Dancers" that "..... it (IVAN) was more interesting than Grigorovich's second version of "Sleeping Beauty" which was simply a waste of time." Shortly thereafter, there was a huge falling out between Vasiliev and Grigorovich over his next socialist ballet "Angara" and thus began the slow exodus and estrangement of Volodya and Katya from the Bolshoi, culminating in their forced retirement by Grigorovich in 1987. To his credit, Vasiliev wanted to grow as an artist and develop his career as a choreographer. Grigorovich retaliated with setting up obstacles and backstage politics. Vasiliev felt that Grigorovich was typecasting him as the "Ultimate Alpha Soviet Male" ie. Spartacus, Ivan et al. He too wanted artistic freedom, but he fought for change at home - not by defecting. Vasiliev was a member of the Supreme Soviet and the Bolshoi Art Committee and beloved by the powers that were and the masses. Therefore he and Katya could not be gotten rid of so easily. Because of their priviledged status, in the interim until their retirement from dancing, Volodya and Katya travelled freely. They toured extensively throughout the world, premiering ballets, doing films, t.v. and guesting with other companies, while appearing infrequently in their home theatre. Gennady Smakov, covers this difficult time thoroughly in his essay on Vasiliev, and briefly mentions it in the essay on Maximova in the same book.

IMHO my votes go to Galina Mezentseva, Natalya Bessmertnova, Farouk Ruzimatov and Gennady Selyutsky. Although Mezentseva was good, she was a technically inconsistent dancer and she never seemed musical to me. I witnessed what A. Croce stated regarding Galina in a review of "La Bayadere" "..... I know Nikiya is supposed to be dead, but blind?" Bessmertnova's musical and technical gifts weren't suited for Petipa's ballets; her greatest roles were "Giselle" "Les Sylphides/Chopiniana" & Lavrovsky's Juliet. She fared best in her husband's (Grigorovich's) works. Farouk Ruzimatov: How can I state this diplomatically? He had great virtuosity in his salad days but he's an inconsiderate partner. He always seems to be dancing with and for himself. Yeah, I know the following are character roles, but the High Brahmin, Hilarion and Catalabutte are roles that call for subtle and nuanced mime, not cartoonish acting. I hope the following is not considered inappropriate, as I'm trying to be vivid in my description. Gennady Selyutsky's interpretation of these roles reminded me of Inspector Clouseau disguised as Don Corleone in "The Godfather," desperately trying to get Kato's attention because he was choking on cotton.

Andris Liepa mentioned in "Gergiev and the Kirov" that in Petipa's day, it was expected that the ballerina would take as long as she wished for applause, regardless of the music. Also, the audience clamored for the courtseys. The PDD, variations or coda could each be show stoppers. Perhaps because of his musical training, Balanchine rebelled against chopping up the music for applause. (?) Maybe he didn't want to adapt that 'custom' for his company. He didn't believe in slowing down the tempo for a dancer either. Think of it this way: If Albrecht completes his variation in Act 2 by collapsing from 'dance exhaustion,' it looks absurd if he leans up on his elbow, smiles, acknowledges applause and lies back down on stage.

Lesley Collier is a brunette. Elvira Tarasova of the Kirov has auburn hair, and so did Dame Merle Park.

IS HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS NEWS! GO DASHA! ITS BEEN LONG OVERDUE!

Silvy, I agree. Vishneva is an excellent dancer. She's Kirov trained. She has great virtuosity, technical fireworks and speed. Her's is a flamboyant stage personality. She dances Aurora in the 1890 production, and its in this production that one can really see the disonnant styles of performance. Her's is just a very modern approach to Aurora - and that's OK if it fits the temperament of the piece and the company's temperament. Although her Princess dances beautifully, to me her Aurora seems to lack modesty and seems slightly spoiled. If you boot up ballet.co.uk and look up the La Scala performance, you'll read other opinions recorded by the reviewer overheard from the audience during the intermissions after Acts 1 & 3. She doesn't have the same style as Kolpakova, Sizova or Lezhnina - there's was the old style approach. Also, the Sergueyev production, in which each of the latter ballerinas excelled, had much less pomp and circumstance ie. "aristocracy" than the new/old production. IMHO, I think she would fit right in at NYCB or ABT. She would be great in the NYCB "Beauty." Although the Kirov has cast her in lyrical/tragic roles, I think her best roles are Rubies in "Jewels" and Kitri - roles that really highlight the attributes I mentioned. Roles with tragic notes like Manon, Nikiya, Juliet, Giselle, Odette/Odile, Diamonds etc.... not 'right' for her stage persona.

Makarovafan & Perky, I concur! Of his generation, he was far and away superior in technique and artistic development than Nureyev and Baryshnikov. At that time, Vasiliev set the tone for what came to be expected of Soviet male dancers. For example, his Basilio in "Don Q" was groundbreaking. His innovations in this role, particularly the variation and coda in Act 3 are now standard. Smakov wrote in his essay in "The Greatest Russian Dancers," that Baryshnikov and Valery Panov "followed him (sic. Vasiliev) extensively." Smakov also quotes Fyodor Luphukov who, ".... pronounced him 'an unprecedented phenomenon with whom no one could be compared, including Nijinsky.' " Another great tape to get, is what may have been his final "Nutcracker" with his wife Maximova at the Bolshoi - Kultur video 1987. They looked sooo young and in love, and they were perfect. It was the best "Nutcracker" I had ever seen. It was a fully realized performance and one of many definitive records of their partnership.

Kirov coaches lobby for perfromances for their charges too. That's also a factor. They do reconnaisance at other dancers' performances. This is all good and its healthy competition. But if your coach is the artistic director's wife (as in Diana's case), it is a decided advantage, no?

Well said, Thalictum, you are right on! This is what I was trying to imply, (diplomatically), about Diana with 'Beauty' as an example. The Maryinsky should give others the opportunity to come forward in important roles. Training and casting in depth is important. For example, NYCB, in the middle their historic Balanchine 100th Anniversary Celebration season, had to call in a ballerina from Royal Danish Ballet a few weeks ago to make an emergency appearance. Luckily, the dancer was still at Kennedy Center on tour. Point: She was the only one who knew the roles in question well enough to perform them on short notice. Why did this happen? Because of mass injuries with no prepared back-up. Injuries are a fact of life. Therefore, thorough preparation of back-up is necessary. The principals of NYCB dance more performances in shorter seasons with a smaller roster than the Kirov. So, what's the Kirov's excuse? They share the stage and rehearsal space with the Opera, and time constraints. But they have +250 dancers total: One half at home and the other touring - way more than NYCB. They have the numbers but the management has their "house pets." So the casting is, as you say, "anemic." I say let's see the new faces and feet. What do you think Marc?

I'm very glad that Zhelonkina is getting a performance. The Kirov seems to treat her like an "also ran." She is exceptionally pure - old style Kirov. Also, I'm glad to see that they've taken Ayupova off the shelf. She's also very pure in her style. It would have been great if she was cast as Aurora. Q: Is Diana the only Aurora the Kirov is willing to field in the new/old production? The last 'Beauty' performance was Jan 15; she danced Aurora in that, last month's sole performance of this production. (I don't know who danced Aurora Jan 21 in the Sergueyev production). March 11 will be the second performance of this production this season. Sologub as Manon - with Bolle that should be an interesting evening. March 12 should be great too - Herrera is an excellent Kitri. March 13 should be a real occasion for 3 obvious reasons!