art076

As DSanderson mentioned - Amazon seems to be mistakenly offering two versions. One looks like the European release, the other the American release - both look exactly the same, except one will actually be shipped to you while the other involves considerably more complications.

I received my copy within a week of ordering, during the first week of release. Check to make sure you have ordered the one that says "Ships within 24 hours" and not the one that says "Special Order."

One you should order:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009Y26A...&s=dvd&v=glance

One you should not:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009ETDC...&s=dvd&v=glance

Of course, when ordering - make sure to link off of the amazon.com banner on this web site, so that BalletTalk gets a kick back!!

Can someone post the date ranges for the spring season ballets? (ie Giselle May XY to June YZ, etc...) Thanks in advance.

For a fuller version of the above story - which Playbill mostly borrowed from the Orange County Register - click here:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/enter...icle_705808.php

Not sure how I feel about Playbill's trend of reporting news stories from other papers, using only that paper's article as its primary source and frequently lifting entire quotes and sections from the original article. The paper only receives credit as "The Orange County register reports" in the first paragraph of the article, and there is no link within. Kind of takes the wind out of an article that another reporter worked hard to create...

Alina Somova's debut

10/7/05

Ekaterina Osmolkina

10/6/05

I was expecting the worst after all the chatter about Somova on this board (and after seeing her high-flying 180+ degree extensions as Medora in Le Corsaire over the summer).

But, I was extremely impressed by Somova's Aurora on Friday. What we got in Somova was a wide eyed, dramatically present Aurora that was very well acted and who actually reacted in real time to the other people on stage around her. When she received the bouquet of flowers from Carabosse-in-disguise at the end of Act 1, there was genuine wonder with the gift while she played with it. And there was real shock when she pricked her finger on the needle, and you see her arms and body recoil in fear. I've grown accustomed, at this point, to seeing ballerinas do the recoil in "ballet" mode, that is, everything is still slow and pretty - wavy arms, and the like - when really she should be quite scared. That sense of being scared was there in Somova (without it being unintentional).

She did start off a bit shaky on the technique side - understandable as she was probably quite nervous for her debut. It wasn't that she wasn't hitting the marks, they were just a bit rushed in the beginning and slightly clunky. In the Rose Adagio, during her first series of balances (when she trades off between four partners while standing in place), her supporting arm communicated more panic as she quickly and suddenly traded between her partners. But these glitches slowly disappeared as the performance went on. She was lovely as Aurora, and those extreme extensions that characterized (and detracted from) her Medora in DC were barely present. It looks like she conciously toned it down, knowing it would be inappropriate for Aurora.

While Somova lacked the sheer glowing stage presence of Vishneva (who does have it besides Vishneva?), I enjoyed Somova's performance immensely - and in some parts I wondered if I actually liked it more than Vishneva. It looked like Somova was awake and excited to be on stage - an infectious energy that jumped into the audience. She was even more convincing as a wide-eyed, bright young girl in some of the dramatic scenes - Vishneva is more of a gracious, commanding woman. And Somova pulled off the Act 1 prick-your-finger-and-fall-asleep scene beter than all three Auroras I saw. So certainly, all in all, a wonderful debut.

Which brings me back to Thursday night, with Ekaterina Osmolkina as Aurora. She was pretty, certainly, but nothing special compared to Vishneva or even Somova. She looked more like a porcelain doll up there, but porcelain dolls also tend to not show much emotion. Leonid Sarafanov partnered her reliably enough (there were very few perilous moments in the partnering), but he was much more interesting on his own than with her.

On Friday, Uliana Lopatkina replaced the announced Daria Pavlenko as the Lilac Fairy - she is always a joy to watch, with an easy, commanding presence. She barely has to flick her wrist to make a loud statement on stage, and of course her dancing is beautiful to watch. Vostrotina danced Lilac on Thursday, and while quite good in her own right, could not match Lopatkina.

Irina Golub danced a wonderful Princess Florina on Thursday night - very light and pretty, with strong technique. Bolshakova returned to dance it on Friday, and others have noted here that she was not the most exciting Florina. To me, her legs look spidery and freakishly long, so when she does an arabesque or a high extension it looks, well, unhuman and distracting.

The children were simply wonderful in all the performances I saw - it's remarkable that in only 2 or so weeks of rehearsal, they look so good and also, surprisingly, look very Russian-trained as well. Many of the girls in the waltz have wonderfully arched feet and excellent turn out in that Russian style, and to know that they were all local children made it all seem even more impressive.

I confess to being rather disappointed with Wednesday's opening night, and it was because it looked like most everyone on stage was walking through their roles. There was little passion in the mime, and important moments in the story were rushed through - going through the motions as they say. Not to say that the dancing wasn't beautiful (though the Prologue variations seemed a bit sloppy and clunky, with the exception of Tatiana Tkachenko's Vivacity Fairy). I just didn't get the sense that they were bothering to tell us any sort of story, or give us any reason why we should be interested that they were dancing this ballet on stage in front of us for 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Bright spots only came when either Diana Vishneva, Igor Zelensky or Uliana Lopatkina were on stage. From the moment Vishneva started walking down the steps for her Act I entrance, it was clear she was in a different mode from everyone else on stage. She had a radiant stage personality, a clear dramatic focus to both her dancing and her movement on stage, and she was simply more present than everyone around her. The stage seemed empty when she left again. Zelensky, too, made the most of the Prince's limited role in this production. He was dashing and noble; quite nice to watch on stage. It's not clear what the Lilac Fairy is supposed to be doing in this Sergeyev production of Sleeping Beauty except parade on, look authoritative, and do a lot of arabesque poses. But Lopatkina is gloriously regal; her presence and exquisitely Russian style of dancing made up for the fact that she really wasn't doing anything dramatically except waving her wand around.

I think I prefer the Royal Ballet's method with story ballets - they stage them as complete works of dance theatre, taking care to give reason and clarity to the mime, and making sure that everyone on stage is dramatically present during the ballet's various scenes. Even if the big story ballet's don't make the same sense as, say, a Shakespeare play, that doesn't mean you shouldn't make an effort to tell a story - and I didn't feel the Kirov even tried on Wednesday night.

Saw this brand new listing on the PBS Great Performances web site today:

"JEWELS" FROM THE PARIS OPERA BALLET

Over a career spanning more than six decades, groundbreaking choreographer George Balanchine made ballet a modern art. From his early days in Russia to his trailblazing role as co-founder of New York City Ballet, Balanchine reigned supreme among the pioneers of 20th-century dance. Premiering in 1967, "Jewels" is the choreographer's only plotless work in three acts. The abstract ballet illuminates, with clarity and brilliance, the music of Fauré, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky in its three movements -- the romantic "Emeralds," the jazzy, neoclassical "Rubies," and the classically inspired "Diamonds." "Jewels" literally shines, as the dancers' costumes are imbued with the brilliance of the stone for which each section is named. Brought to life by the Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris, the splendid "Jewels" features opulent costumes and sets by renowned French designer Christian Lacroix.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/jewels/index.html

Currently set for Spring 2006 without a definite date.

The Orange County Register also lists today that Pavlenko will dance Lilac Fairy opposite Somova at the Friday 10/7 performance. The LA Times article also mentioned that Friday is Somova's debut as Aurora.

http://ocregister.com/ocregister/entertain...icle_701129.php

Today's (10/5) LA Times article interviewing Osmolkina, Somova and Novikova lists the following casting for Aurora:

Wednesday 10/5 - Vishneva

Thursday 10/6 - Osmolkina

Friday 10/7 - Somova

Saturday 10/8 - Vishneva

Sunday 10/9 - Novikova

There's also a pretty picture of the three sitting on the steps of California Plaza in downtown.

Just one note, canbelto:

The Bourmeister production doesn't actually include all 32 fouettes in the Black Swan Pas de Deux - when the Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet did it, a similar thing happened, where they ended quickly and were cut off by the corps, and it happened for all three casts performing the role. I'm not sure why Bourmeister decided to curtail the fouettes, but in any case Zakharova may actually be able to do them. She does do a long series of them on the recent "Pharaoh's Daughter" DVD.

Zahkarova is lovely on this DVD, particularly in Act II. Her White Swan Pas de Deux is appropriately lyrical and drawn out, and her Swan Queen variation is marvelous. She's particularly good at creating beautiful poses, so that and her strong technique make the variation very good. The only disappointment is that the Bourmeister version does not include the "traditional" Black Swan Pas de Deux, but a replacement version using music that we usually hear with Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. It would have been nice to see Zakharova dance the traditional PdD, as this one has choreography that isn't of any particular note. Still, however, her Odile is still very strong in the character department.

Hopefully they will update the LA casting soon! Olesia Novikova was a fantastic Gulnara in Le Corsaire during the Kirov's Washington engagement this summer; she's currently listed for the Sunday matinee in Los Angeles, so keep an eye out for when she is dancing. The innocence and verve of her Gulnara point the way towards a wonderfully bright Aurora.

Now that I'm back from Washington (and staying back from Washington) I finally bought my LA tickets. It'd be nice to see anyone attending at the Nureyev statue, as Andre said a few posts up!

I'm sure they are touring with the Sergeyev production for the same reason they toured with the Chabukiani/1940s production of Bayadere - tour economics. The Sergeyev production is probably more portable, while the Reconstruction sets are much more elaborate - and not to mention the shear number of people on stage for the Reconstruction. With three cities on the tour, it would not be able to move fast enough and the cost of housing or casting supernumeraries in each city would be enormous. And, sadly, much of the audience might not be as interested in which production comes to town as, say, a New York or London audience who is familiar with ballet history.

Washington did have the Reconstruction Sleeping Beauty at one point, didn't it?

Also, Re: Natalia's post from Aug 3 -

The Kirov's tour repertory for June 2006 in Washington has changed. No more La Bayadere, but instead the Forsythe mixed bill that was seen in London as well as Giselle. The dates have also moved back one week (which means the Kirov will now be immediately followed by The Royal Ballet - a jam packed two weeks!).

They could have used some local students, though, as the Mariinsky sometimes does on tour.

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I suppose it wouldn't have been quite as feasible for this tour, though, since they were only at Wolf Trap for two days, after performing in Philadelphia earlier that week. Also Wolf Trap is in the middle of a national park, instead of being in the city like the Met or another "fully enclosed" theatre.

Too bad, though, it would have been fun to see the children!

This is probably the version by John Neumeier that the POB danced last season. It's not a classical version, the way Ashton's or even Mark Morris' for San Francisco Ballet are.

It could be the same reason that they toured the US with the 1940 Bayadere: the recent reconstruction is an enormous production, physically and personnel wise, making it very uneconomical to tour widely. The producers of the US tour said as much to the press about their reasoning for using the old production, but while using the new sets & costumes.

The reconstruction has a bunch of supernumeraries, including children, and goes on for nearly four hours. It isn't the wisest to bring this production on the road except for very special engagements - which meant one time in London (mixed reviews) and once in New York at the Met.

What are good tickets at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion?  Does the orchestra incline steeply? ...

Does anyone know if the loge is above or behind the founders circle? It looks like I can still get the first row of the loge, which may be the best bet for me...any help would be appreciated!

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The Dorothy Chandler is an excellent theatre for dance - even in the back of the orchestra you don't feel very far away, and it's decently sloped so that heads haven't been a major problem for me. It's not stadium seating, but it is nicely sloped. For dance engagements, the Orchestra Ring section (essentially rows W to Z of the orchestra) is usually a good deal, as it is a good $30 or so less than the rest of the orchestra and the view is still very good.

The loge is indeed above the Founders Circle, and then the Balcony is one level above that. The price in the Loge is equal to that of the Orchestra Ring, which doesn't make it a very good deal at all for how high up it is in the theatre. To be that high, you might as well sit in the Front Balcony for $30 less and not have the balcony hanging down over you (the balcony isn't an obstruction in the Loge, but there is something to be said psychologically for not feeling trapped in a box). The Balcony is high, but the theatre manages to make itself feel much more intimate than, say, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. So it's definetly not a bad place to sit, and the view is still good.

For the Kirov prices are $95 in the front orch, $65 in the Orchestra Ring/Loge, $35 in the Front Balcony and $25 in the Rear Balcony. My favorite seats for the value and view are the Orchestra Ring and the Front Balcony. Mid-orchestra would be ideal if view was the only thing that mattered.

Casting for Orange County, from the most recent press release:

http://www.ocpac.org/about/PressDetail.asp...ssReleaseID=442

THE BRIGHT STREAM - Tuesday, August 9 at 8 p.m.

Yury Klevtsov………………...….Petr

Anastasia Yatsenko…..………..…Zina

Maria Alexandrova……………….Ballerina

Yan Godovsky………………...….Dancer

THE BRIGHT STREAM - Wednesday, August 10 at 8 p.m.

Vladimir Neporozniy………….….Petr

Nina Kaptova……………………..Zina

Ekaterina Shipulina………….……Ballerina

Yan Godovsky…………………….Dancer

THE BRIGHT STREAM - Thursday, August 11 at 8 p.m.

Yury Klevtsov……………….……..Petr

Anastasia Yatsenko……….………..Zina

Maria Alexandrova……………...…Ballerina

Yan Godovsky………………….….Dancer

SPARTACUS - Friday, August 12 at 8 p.m.

Dmitry Belogolovstev…….……Spartacus

Vladimir Neporozniy…..………Krassus

Anna Antonicheva…..……..…Frigia

Maria Allash…..…………….…Aegina

Yuri Baranov…..………………Gladiator

SPARTACUS - Saturday, August 13 at 2 p.m.

Alexander Vorobiev……….……Spartacus

Alexander Volchkov……………Krassus

Nina Kaptsova…..………………Frigia

Ekaterina Shipulina………..……Aegina

Alexander Petukhov…..……..…Gladiator

SPARTACUS - Saturday, August 13 at 8 p.m.

Yury Klevtsov…..……………..Spartacus

Vladimir Neporozniy…..………Krassus

Anna Antonicheva…..………..Frigia

Maria Alexandrova…..………...Aegina

Alexander Petukhov…..…….…Gladiator

SPARTACUS - Sunday, August 14 at 2 p.m.

Dmitry Belogolovstev…..…..…Spartacus

Alexander Volchkov…..……….Krassus

Anna Antonicheva…..………..Frigia

Maria Allash…..……………….Aegina

Yuri Baranov…..………………Gladiator

If I'm not wrong, I believe that the Royal Ballet production with Durante - despite the modernistic sets and costumes - has choreography that is closer to Petipa than the two available Kirov productions (both the Asylmuratova recording and the more recent one with Larisa Lezhina, the latter of which is available on DVD, incidentally).

The Kirov production recorded is of a revision by Konstantin Sergeyev made in 1952, which differs choreographically from the Petipa original. I've been told that the Royal Ballet production, as with many of the English productions of SLeeping Beauty, stick more closely to the original "text", if you will, though changes have been made. Can someone expand upon/correct me?

I understand, though, that this is not the Bournonville version but rather the Lacotte version. Can anyone elaborate on the differences between the two versions, and if the difference makes the DVD any less worth buying?

Did some posters of this forum attend the performance when he was promoted ?

And, to the RB watchers here: what do you think of his promotion ?

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I was there that night (visiting London for vacation), and it was a fine performance. He certainly had strong presence and danced the few solo passages very well, but I thought his acting was particularly strong as well. I suppose Palemon isn't the most noticeable role in he male repertoire, but it was nevertheless a solid performance. Nothing special occurred at curtain, and there were no anouncements made - the promotion must have been delivered backstage after the final curtain. I didn't hear about the promotion until reading the papers the next day!

Watson did make a pretty good impression as Oberon in "The Dream" (which I also saw on my trip). I saw his debut on May 17, and it certainly did not look like a debut. It was assured and I enjoyed it very much. He was also paired that evening with Leanne Benjamin - a fantastic Titania. So the whole thing just sparkled, with huge applause at the end of the pas de deux.

I haven't personally seen more of him than this, but based on these viewings the promotion seems worthy.

I'm dying to know what a "virtual orchestra machine" is. 

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This machine is probably very similar to, or possibly the same as, the machine that caused a three-day strike of Broadway musicians a few years ago. Its essentially a very complex synthesizer, that can reproduce the sound of a full orchestra's many different parts - strings, winds, percussions, etc. At the moment, it's mostly used to "fill out" a pit orchestra, generally for tours of Broadway musicals, adding the sound of more musicians to create the sense that a full orchestra is there when only a few musicians are present. The opposition is due to the fact that it could also replace the entire orchestra if need be.

I saw a production of "Oliver" recently that used this new machine. You can definetly tell with the synthesized strings - even if it is much better than most synthesizers, the sound is nevertheless flat and tinny. But from a producing perspective, it makes it much more cost effective to tour since the expense of live musicians can really add up. And I suppose if I wasn't told that the virtual orchestra machine was in the pit, I may not have even noticed it.

And its the notion that this machine could replace live musicians that has all the musicians unions very against it.

ABT had its opening night performance here in Los Angeles - a one night only mixed bill of "Theme & Variations," two pas de deux from "Swan Lake," "Tchaikovsky Pas de deux" and "Ballet Imperial." The house was PACKED up to the rafters, quite a rarity for ballet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with its 3,189 seats. And the crowd was just nuts - oohing, aahing, gasping, clapping. It was a great night to be there, right from the beginning with Pierce Brosnan and Angelica Huston kicking off the festivities. It wasn't just an enthusiastic audience: it was enthusiastic audience of ballet fans - friends that came with us said the place sounded more like a rock concert than a ballet, especially when favorite dancers appeared for pas de deux, etc. Marcelo Gomes had a particularly wild cheering section.

The performance was highlighted for me by "Ballet Imperial," the evening's closing ballet, which was impecably and thrillingly danced by Gillian Murphy, Maxim Beloserkovsky and Stella Abrera. Murphy articulated each movement cleanly, musically and with what looked like such ease. But what made her performance was a spectacular stage presence - she filled the stage whenever she was there, and the way her movement fit into the music made it all the more satisfying. Abrera danced with enthusiasm and aplomb, attacking each difficult set with grace, poise and thrilling athleticism. Even the corps de ballet was (mostly) on form in "Imperial" - by far the most satisfying ballet overall in the evening.

Another great highlight: Julie Kent and Jose Manuel Carreno's White Swan pas de deux, the second piece on the program. Kent was just wonderful here - she had such expressive arms and thrilling control in the adagio. It was beautiful to watch, but an emotional experience as well. Carreno was a fantastic partner, lifting her musically and lightly as though she were made of air. Kent sunk into the final pose of the pas de deux beautifully - it was magic as the curtain came down.

"Theme and Variations" opened the evening, with Michele Wiles and Marcelo Gomes in the principal roles. Wiles delivered a technically assured, if underdeveloped performance. She has very strong technique and delivered on the technical challenges wonderfully, but she has yet to look completely "ballerina" comfortable. For example, at the end of her variation, as she turns to look at Gomes to start the pas de deux, she seemed unsure of what to do; her body carriage was tight and she half waved her arms in the air - no authority or command here. Still, though, overall an excellent "Theme" on her part with great potential to grow further into the role. Gomes was great as a partner, and equally great as a soloist: very musical and assured throughout. The corps de ballet was another story: ragged, untimed and somewhat sloppy seemed to be the norm, rather disappointing as it detracted from the overall feel of the ballet.

Now the disapointments: "Tchaikovsky Pas de deux" with Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo was reliable if a bit flat and boring. Reyes wasn't very sharp or musical in this flashy role, and was ultimately upstaged by Cornejo's acrobatic brio. Even Cornejo, though, faltered some here with stodgy partnering - and his athletic tricks were impressive, but they tended to be too much. They lacked grace and precision as he seemed to simply throw himself around the stage for a "wow" factor. There were gasps and claps, sure, but an ultimately unsatisfying performance.

The Black Swan Pas de deux I guess wouldn't qualify as a total disappointment. Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella delivered it sparklingly - there just wasn't much heat or seductiveness in this gala performance. It was delivered as a technical showcase, and Herrera gave her usual flashy technique but next to no character or warmth. Still though, it was nice to see all those technical tricks, as well as Herrera's amazing fouettes and pirouettes. The audience ate it up - and so did I, ultimately.

I'm still left with a dazzling impression from "Ballet Imperial" though - Murphy and Abrera just nailed the piece, and the corps followed suit with a better performance (after that sloppy "Theme"). Left the theatre with a huge smile on my face!

Preliminary casting is available on the Kirov's fall 2005 tour promoter's web site (Ardani Artists). Noting that this is the Kirov, casting is subject to complete change of course, but if the current combinations hold firm, it would be exciting indeed: Vishneva/Zelensky/Lopatkina get opening night in all three cities plus an additional Vishneva/Lopatkina later in the run at all cities as well.

Casting here:

http://www.ardani.com/kirovballettour.htm

Web site has changed again...now the DVD is Fille du Pharaon. Interesting...

Solor - it's being marketed in the US under the English title, so the French will not bring it up. So by all means, click on the above banner and type in "Pharaoh's Daughter" to buy!