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Cygnet

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  1. The historic Mariinsky Theatre will be renovated. The tentative start date will be in 2015, and the equivalent of $200 million has been set aside for the project. http://www.fontanka.ru/2014/03/19/204/
  2. After what the Bolshoi has been through, this is very encouraging news. They seem to be making some progress in labor relations and they're forging ahead. Hopefully, in the near future there may be legislation that uniformly addresses all of these matters for all of Russia's theatres. In the meantime, one has to remember that the 'culture' and dynamic at the Mariinsky is a very different animal than that of the Bolshoi. The Maestro holds all the high cards, makes all the decisions and is backed by his direct link to power. Fateev has a free hand with the Ballet precisely because he doesn't make waves with the Maestro. Dasha Pavlenko simply stood in as a substitute representative for Pykachev at the time when the letter was delivered to Gergiev and the Ministry of Culture was cc'd. As for Konkov he's is in the corps de ballet; and as such that doesn't command respect from the Maestro. Pavlenko is a Principal and she was publicly smacked down by the Maestro for daring to publish the Mariinsky's working conditions. The letter was published on behalf of the corps de ballet; that said, to date there has been no further movement on this because Gergiev knows how to effectively shut down dissent. Please see this thread for a full summary: http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/36449-mariinsky-open-letter-to-minister-of-culture/
  3. I couldn't tell who the leading men were because of NBC's extremely irritating coverage of the segment. I could be totally wrong, but the ballerina who was Pavlova looked like very much like the Bolshoi's Nina Kaptsova. There's no way I could identify the Slave, Zoebide, Karsavina (Firebird) or Diaghilev. In retrospect, it looks like the Opening ceremony featured the 'A' Team of Russia's ballet elite (the United Russia Party girls), and the closing ceremony the 'B-' Team (the "Not So 'In' Crowd"). Lastly, IMO it was unconscionable that Uliana Lopatkina was absent from both programs. That said, brava Sochi, brava Russia !!
  4. He had a superlative partnership with Makarova. He will be sorely missed. Ivan Nagy, rest in peace.
  5. She was truly one of a kind, unforgettable, a trailblazer, and as "California" mentioned she set a precedent for civil rights in the U.S. Shirley Temple Black will be sorely missed. May "The Little Princess" rest in eternal peace.
  6. The 2014 nominations for the Golden Mask Awards have been announced. The Golden Masks are the Russian equivalent of the Tony Awards. They acknowledge and honor the best performances and productions in the Russian theatre world, encompassing everything from puppetry to production design. Congratulations to all the nominees! For the complete list of nominees in all categories: http://eng.goldenmask.ru/gm.php?id=114 BALLET/BEST PRODUCTION: CANTUS ARCTICUS, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg CONCERTO DSCH, Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg THE SECOND DETAIL, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Perm SLEEPLESS, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, Moscow SALIERI VARIATIONS, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg THE RITE OF SPRING, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Novosibirsk KVARTIRA, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow MAYERLING, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, Moscow THE FLAMES OF PARIS, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg PULCINELLA, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Novosibirsk ROMEO AND JULIET, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg BALLET/CONTEMPORARY DANCE/BEST ACTRESS: Oksana BONDAREVA, Jeanne – THE FLAMES OF PARIS, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg Elena VOROBYOVA, SALIERI VARIATIONS, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg Sofia GAIDUKOVA, TRISTAN+ISEULT. FRAGMENTS. Ballet Moskva, Moscow Anna ODINTSOVA, Ibeji twins – THE RITE OF SPRING, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Novosibirsk Natalia OSIPOVA, Juliet – ROMEO AND JULIET, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg BALLET/CONTEMPORARY DANCE/BEST ACTOR: Roman ANDREIKIN, TRISTAN+ISEULT. FRAGMENTS. Ballet Moskva, Moscow Vladimir VARNAVA, PASSENGER, Vladimir Varnava and Maxim Didenko Joint Project, St. Petersburg Maxim GRISHENKOV, Pulcinella – PULCINELLA, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Novosibirsk Mikhail KEMENOV, Ibeji twins – THE RITE OF SPRING, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Novosibirsk Sergei POLUNIN, Rudolf – MAYERLING, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, Moscow Denis SAVIN, KVARTIRA, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow Leonid SARAFANOV, Romeo – ROMEO AND JULIET, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg Andrei SOROKIN, SALIERI VARIATIONS, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg BALLET/CONTEMPORARY DANCE – BEST BALLETMASTER/BEST CHOREOGRAPHER: Tatiana BAGANOVA, THE RITE OF SPRING, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow Sasha WALTZ, THE RITE OF SPRING, Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg Vladimir VARNAVA, PASSENGER, Vladimir Varnava and Maxim Didenko Joint Project, St. Petersburg Patrick DE BANA, THE RITE OF SPRING, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Novosibirsk Mikhail MESSERER, THE FLAMES OF PARIS, Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg Alexander PEPELYAEV, SQUATS (SQUARE FOR TEMPORARY STORAGE 48 Х 9), Kinetic Dance, Moscow Olga PONA, DIVES AND RESURFACINGS, Contemporary Dance Theatre, Tchelyabinsk Vyacheslav SAMODUROV, CANTUS ARCTICUS, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg Vyacheslav SAMODUROV, SALIERI VARIATIONS, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg It's interesting to note that there are three productions of "The Rite of Spring" in competition in the category above. Also, the Bolshoi, Stanislavsky and Mikhailovsky Theatres received several nominations throughout the ballet, contemporary dance, opera and theatre design categories.
  7. Kristina Shapran, has left Moscow's Stanislavsky Ballet, and has joined the Mikhailovsky as Principal. She will be making her Mikhailovsky debut as "Giselle" on February 8 with a follow up Mikhailovsky debut as Kitri on February 18. Altynai Asylmuratova is coaching her for her first Mikhailovsky Giselle. http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/en/theatre/company/principals_f/kristina_shapran/
  8. Thank you Natalia your report! I am extremely happy to hear that Somova has greatly improved! I am so glad to learn that this was a personal best performance for her. May she continue to go from strength to strength not only in this role but the rest of her repertoire. Brava Alina !
  9. I agree with you Canbelto. However, I'm not surprised by the tone of this short article; it has the slight whiff of misogyny lingering in it as well. I was expecting some kind of progress report. His P.R. machine never stops.
  10. When one approaches the finish line of another year, it’s good to step back for a moment and consider that in spite of everything, we should count our blessings. By blessings I mean friends, family, and those incidental things that we sometimes take for granted. 2013, like any other year, was horrible for some, glorious for others. Without question, 2013 was unforgettable for the right and the wrong reasons. I’ll list, what were IMO, the general ballet world highs and lows. I’ll conclude with what happened in Russia, which was in a category all by itself. The Best: Lacotte's "La Sylphide" marathon this past July at POB. The return of Alessandra Ferri to the stage in “CHERI” Anytime Uliana Lopatkina appeared onstage - anywhere. POB’s Mathilda Froustey's and ABT’s Simone Messmer’s relocation to San Francisco Ballet Stephen McCrae and Evgenia Obraztsova finally danced together in MacMillan’s "Romeo & Juliet” at Covent Garden Joseph Phillips also, formerly of ABT moved on to became a founding member and Principal Dancer of the brand new State Primorsky Ballet in Vladivostok. The bumper crop of babies born to several Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky ballerinas last Spring. The Worst: The passing of David Howard, Frederick Franklin, David Wall, Maria Tallchief and Galina Rahkmanova Alastair Macaulay The Best à la Russe: Sergei Filin’s courage in carrying on with his life in the midst of tragedy and adversity. The Platinum Soldier On Award: To the Bolshoi Ballet, for hanging tough all year as an ensemble through an ordeal that might have destroyed other institutions. The company celebrated it’s 50th anniversary engagement at Covent Garden, and found time for another triumph last month with the premiere Pierre Lacotte’s production of “Marco Spada.” “Holy smack-down Batman!” Award: From Reid Andersen to Svetlana Zakharova, re the Bolshoi opening night casting of Olga Smirnova as Tatiana in the Russian premiere of “Onegin.” The IPhone5 Dance Program Award goes to Diana Vishneva. The Head-hunter of the Year Award goes to Vladimir Kehkman, General Director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre The Comeback Kid Award goes to Altynai Asylmuratova The Worst à la Russe: The most outrageous and disgusting event: The acid attack on Sergei Filin. The most outrageous and disgusting result of the most outrageous and disgusting event: The Tsiskaridze takeover of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, and the complete summary of how that unfolded from beginning to end. The farce of the year which evolved simultaneously in two parts: 1) The Russian criminal justice system and how it tried the Filin case, and 2) The fractious factions within the Russian media which took sides in its coverage of the scandal all year long. *(Cue the Lilac Fairy music) - "The Slipping Duty" Award. Once again, it’s a photo finish. The award goes to Maestro Valery Abisolovich Gergiev, the General and Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theatre & Yuri Fateev, Interim (Acting) Deputy Director of the Mariinsky Ballet. The reasons? Gergiev’s blessing of the design and execution of the Mariinsky II with no thought given at all to the needs of the Ballet, not to mention their working conditions which he continues to ignore. Gergiev's "If you like your Academy you can keep your Academy" fib, denying that he wanted to combine all the Petersburg performing arts institutions under the Mariinsky brand, (and his control), when the media produced his correspondence to the Ministry of Culture and the Russian President requesting exactly that. I can’t recap all of Fateev’s management issues here, so I refer you to the Mariinsky-Kirov link for a full summary.
  11. Former Prima Ballerina of the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet, and Artistic Director of the Vaganova Academy, Altynai Asylmuratova has landed her new job. She has been named by Vladimir Kehkman as the Mikhailovsky Ballet's Advisor to the General Director. She starts tomorrow 12/11/13. Brava Altynai and congratulations! http://izvestia.ru/news/562241
  12. There's been another personnel shake up. This just in: Filin's advisor, Dilara Timergazin is done. Her last day is January 1, 2014. http://izvestia.ru/news/561760
  13. The Berlin Opera Ballet opened Yuri Burlaka's reconstruction of "Nutcracker" on October 23. The production is based on the original 1892 Mariinsky designs. The 43 pic slide show is available on the media center link. http://www.staatsballett-berlin.de/en_EN/media
  14. This is wonderful Natalia, thank you for the link! Brava to all the artists involved in Lacotte's "Marco Spada!" Also, kudos to the Bolshoi Ballet and the Bolshoi Theatre for soldiering on so well during this difficult time.
  15. Thank you so much Natalia for your detailed and concise report. Brevity is the soul of wit .
  16. Whatever one thinks of Gergiev, when the Soviet Union dissolved, Gergiev not only went west to earn a living, but he plowed some of that money back into the Mariinsky. If he hadn't driven the effort to privatize the Mariinsky quickly, and if he hadn't spent huge amounts of time fund-raising, there might not be much of a Mariinsky to discuss now. Russian figure skating was gutted for 15-20 years, and only the athletes who started in the Soviet Era were successful until recently. With few exceptions, the most successful Soviet era coaches came to the US to train their skaters, to be able to earn a living and for decent ice conditions.Whatever one might think of his conducting, almost every conductor is a staff conductor at one time or another. Leonard Bernstein was a staff conductor. James Levine was a staff conductor. It also makes little intuitive sense for Gergiev to starve the Mariinsky Ballet in any way if anyone was making money off of it, since it's the cash cow that funds everything else. It makes business sense to make cuts and "starve" non-profitable ventures. Maestro Gergiev knows diddly about classical ballet, doesn't care about it, then turns around and complains that the artistic level and quality of Vaganova graduates is inadequate. But, it's Yuri Fateev, his appointee who hires the graduates (who wish to join the company). Fateev decides which ones will be the standard bearers that reflect his taste. Then, in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture, Gergiev goes on to make seismic and sweeping decisions which could adversely effect the future of the Academy and the company he is ultimately responsible for. Gergiev has gone on record in Western and Russian media over the years stating that he's no ballet expert and has only perfunctory knowledge of it. What's wrong with this picture? Gergiev's and the Mariinsky Ballet's current condition is akin to a hamster on a wheel. Everyone has to start somewhere. However, unlike Gergiev, Bernstein & Levine (and others of their stature), weren't appointed, (in Leonard's case, to his penultimate position), nor Levine (currently), by a Congress or a President. Nor did they make or temper their decisions for their institutions on that basis as Gergiev does for his institution. In Russia, (and everywhere else), he (or she) who has the deepest pockets runs the show and makes the rules. It's also 'who you know and how you know them.' Why did all of this happen? Follow the money. I agree with you on your last point. If nothing else, it clearly demonstrates to everyone once and for all what an exceptional bundler/politician/fundraiser Gergiev really is.
  17. Puppytreats wrote: Exactly. What is the end game? How does a former staff conductor become General Director of one (1) Theatre and morph into Earth's unofficial Czar of Music? How could that happen? Think about that. Might I suggest that other superior conductors of the past and present didn't demand, nor expect the kind of outsize recognition and adulation that this man does. It seems that having Gergiev at the podium is compulsory. I'm ITA with Tamicute's comments because in today's Russia, money walks, talks, dances, wins competitions & government titles - and gets people fired. For now, this is a done deal regardless of the outcry. Whatever the outcome of this new arrangement, the consequences for the Vaganova Academy and the Mariinsky Ballet (in particular) will be laid at the feet of those who put all of these events in motion in the first place.
  18. At this point, Diana like (slightly - Anna Netrebko), can pretty much speak her mind without fear of V.G. sanction, or that of his Praetorian Guard in The M.B. Uliana could choose to do so also, but within limits. Reason being, even though the Mariinsky is her HQ, Diana isn't really considered an "in-house" Prima like Uliana is. Gergiev lauds and fetes them both, but Uliana has Gergiev's ear. Diana's situation is slightly nuanced because she has long since gone global. Whereas Uliana has always preferred to stay close to home and has rarely ventured out on her own beyond The M.T.
  19. Touché. Only, Gergiev isn't a composer. I'd say Rodion Shchedrin has the right audial cadence for this soundtrack. It looks like the only outlet for dissent on this matter is social media (for now). You have to tread carefully where you post, what you post, how you post and against whom. Marc Haegeman interviewed Altynai on 11/16/01. I think one of the most telling sections of the interview is that she didn't ask for the position: The faculty requested that she take it. http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/interviews-asylmuratova.html Cela dit tout.
  20. IMO at 80 Madame Kolpakova would have been too old to shoulder that kind of responsibility or be considered. Back in the 80s or 90s I'd say yes; but not now. Tsiskaridze's connections may have landed him this position. Perhaps "law school" was a ruse to side step the Moscow media. According to the article he already has "legal training." The only connection he would have to the Vaganova Academy would be Marina Semyonova, who was Agrippina Vaganova's first pupil and product. But really, this appointment is a stretch if that's the reason. As for Uliana , I'm very happy for her as well. However, if I had my druthers, I'd much rather learn the news that she was the new Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Ballet. That would have been the choice appointment and the smart move. Gergiev more than likely, pardon the pun, orchestrated her appointment and she has always had his ear. Here's an ominous thought: Could Altynai have been given the choice of retirement or resignation because of her opposition to His Maestroness' quest to unite the Academy and the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire under his control in conjunction with the Mariinsky? The only thing I think that could've been held against Asylmuratova would be the fact that some of the Academy's choicest students in recent years escaped the Mariinsky by going to greener pastures after graduation - and that wasn't Altynai's fault. Otherwise, I can't give an explanation why this has happened - or the haste by which it has happened. So, now that this is a fait accompli, the questions are will Uliana retire from the stage, or will she combine both jobs with gradually lesser performances? Moreover, will Kolya be able to augment his flamboyant, outspoken personality and play ball with V.G. and the comparatively low key, but no less hot house Mariinsky and it's culture of absolute monarchy?
  21. Cygnet

    Evgenia Obraztsova

    Here are pics of Obraztsova's 22 October guest debut as MacMillan's Juliet with the Royal Ballet. Stephen McRae was her Romeo. They dance again in mid-November. Brava Genichka & Stephen ! http://www.danceeurope.net/gallery/romeo-and-juliet-the-royal-ballet http://www.flickr.com/photos/dancetabs/sets/72157636771219834/
  22. Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Mariinsky Theatre, Uliana Lopatkina's birthday is today, October 23. Russian PM Dmitri Medvedev sent her birthday greetings, and there is a photo gallery dedicated to her in RIA Novosti. Happy Birthday Uliana! http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/news2/23_231oct/ http://fr.ria.ru/photolents/20131023/199625724.html
  23. This isn't a surprise. This is a very sad situation. The Mariinsky Theatre is a fiefdom. Maestro Gergiev has absolute power. We know the saying about absolute power. The Maestro has both the political class and the money behind him. The only way that the Maestro will be officially sanctioned, rebuked, let alone removed, is if his best friend President Putin is deposed. The odds of that happening are slim and none. El Presidente has no interest whatsoever in the performing arts. V.P. is more interested in the upcoming Sochi Olympics than in intramural backstage politics of the nation's major theatres. As for the Ministry of Culture, it is comprised of United Russia Party members from top to bottom. Also, the major (native) donors of the Theatre are enthusiastic Gergievites, and that invariably means they're Putinites as well. That's an understatement.
  24. Uliana Lopatkina - second cast to Skoryk who will be getting a follow-up performance compared to Uliana's one? How ridiculous. Welcome to the 2013-2014 season of the Mariinsky Ballet. The status quo is still in effect.
  25. Cygnet

    Olga Smirnova

    Thank you so much for posting this; Olga's truly special.
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