Waelsung

I'm happy Manon is gone.

Now I'm completely confused. Is it gone officially? Or just from the mussel's predictions?

Does anybody know when the tickets for this event will become available online or at the box office?

Thanks in advance, everybody!

I am also puzzled by the optimism about the sales figures. So they took in more than last year, but what were their expenses? How much did they lose on very poorly attended The Bright Stream and Firebird? How much did they pay Osipova, Vasiliev, Vishneva, Semionova, Cojocaru, et al.? To decide if it was worth it we need to have the whole picture, not just the gross receipts.

As my accountant used to say about a client of his, He lost money on every item but he made it up on the volume

Could be the same story with ABT. Hope not.

I would also like to reiterate the plea for any info on casting, as I have never in my life bought a ballet ticket without knowing who will (supposedly) be dancing the parts that were important to me, and I am not going to start now - I'm just too old for that

Thanks in advance everybody and best regards from the unbearably hot and humid New York. I wish it were October already

Now, as far as the casting goes, may we please have:

Semionova/Gomes in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Manon

Osipova/Vasiliev in Don Q and Le Corsaire

Osipova/Gomes in Manon and Onegin

Part/Bolle in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Onegin

Vishneva/Gomes in Manon

I don't really care about the rest of the programs, so they may cast them all as they please - they have my kind permission

But - and this is really important - we also need some fresh faces as Guest Artists, and specifically I wish the ABT management would invite the Mariinsky Ballet stars to perform in NY. I'm sure a lot of people would pay top dollars to see Lopatkina, Kondaurova, and/or Tereshkina in pretty much anything.

I know it's not very likely, but one is allowed to dream, isn't one?

Anything as long as it's not choreographed by Ratmansky and has Part or Semionova in the lead is fine by me

Hallberg and Semionova were excellent tonight. All the little details that were missing in their performance earlier this week were present tonight, resulting in a spectacular performance. The romance, drama, and emotional connections were all there tonight. I thought that on Tuesday her phrasing was a little choppy, but tonight was much smoother, as one phrase flowed gorgeously into the next. Hallberg seemed to let loose and was much more comfortable in the portrayal of his relationship with Semionova. The only thing that stil need some work is Semionova's mime skills. It was a very memorable performance. The audience was packed on this oppressively muggy evening in New York City.

I'd like to concur - An absolutely stellar performance from both principals tonight.

David Hallberg was much more emotional than I have ever seen him, and Polina Semionova - just divine.

She played a very girlish Odette, scared, helpless and desperate, not a Swan Queen, but rather a Princess; and a very devilish Odile, a real snake that seduced Adam in the Garden of Eden, a true personification of pure evil. Her metamorphosis, emotional abandon, the rapport with Hallberg, the technical prowess - everything was electrifying and stunning.

And the last Act, truncated as it is, still broke my heart. Took me a while to regain my composure.

Thank you, ABT, for a glorious night of the Ballet Art of the highest level. It will never be forgotten!

And when might we hope to see the casting? Before or after the tix go on sale at City Center?

I absolutely loved Semionova's Nikiya. The lines, the extensions, the musicality, the almost flawless technique. Hallberg and Seo were rather disappointing, but Polina! I am ecstatic about ABT signing her up.

I also saw Irina Kolpakova during the intermission. Hope it means that she'll be working with Semionova on a permanent basis and that Polina will finally have a real pedagogue that she was deprived at Malakhov's. If that's the case we should see quite a few miracles and wonders in the next few years.

I saw Part in the opening performance, and she was ravishing.

I also saw the Tuesday performance and have to concur: Part was incredible - Beauty and Poetry incarnate - and her partnership with Gomes was out of this world. Osipova should add a very interesting dimension to the story. I had a ticket for Friday, but gave it away as a present to a very dear person and snatched a very good Orchestra seat for Saturday night instead. I wouldn't mind seeing Veronika again, but I just wanted somebody else to witness her great art, too.

Thanks a lot, cinnamonswirl - I've just made my selections based on your recommendations!

Any word about when the castings will be announced? I am particularly interested in who will dance Giselle.

Thanks in advance,

Len

......This is how I feel about almost every Ardani production I've attended. ....

Join the club. And Vishneva's 'Dialogues' haven't even made it to City Center yet. Buyer Beware.

I swore off all Ardani productions because I always feel cheated by them. I really don't know what they would have to put on for me to buy a ticket to their event. Maybe only if they resurrected some long-gone dancers from the dead

Single tickets go on sale April 1. You don't see this until you work through the purchase-subscription-single-ticket clicks. E.g.: http://www.metoperaf...n.aspx?id=11896

I understand that if you buy a subscription, you can buy additional single tickets now, but you can only pick a section, not a specific seat.

Thanks! I swore off subscriptions and blind buys; am going to take my chances again this year and wait until I can see what seats I am actually buying.

Anybody know when single tickets for 2012 Met season go on sale?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for your trouble! That's interesting, so a lot must have been cut compared to the 152 minute 1974 Vasiliev/Maximova production. I wonder if it was cut for the broadcast, or in performance (I believe the Lavrosky one you mention was filmed during a tour).

Anyway, thanks for remembering to look it up!

Isn't the Bessmertnova/Lavrovsky DVD the Grigorovich production? That would definitely explain the running time difference

I must admit I am not a big fan of modern ballet, but with The Little Mermaid everything worked for me - the way Neumeier's presented the story, his expressive choreography that was not used arbitrarily but really served his take on the Andersen's fairytale very well, Yuan Yuan Tan unbelievable performance, and last but not at all least Lera Auerbach music. Everything clicked and made sense to me. Actually, it all made a lot of sense, even in retrospect. Of course, this ballet is not for the weak of heart and could be very disturbing, but its impact is as cathartic as only a true work of high art can be. And again, I usually don't get easily impressed by today's oeuvres. Obviously, it's way too early to tell, but I have a very strong feeling that this Little Mermaid is going to become a classic and could in time surpass even Die Kameliendame as the most popular Neumeier's creation. (Disclaimer: I'm usually wrong about all my predictions )

According to several Russian news agencies, Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev have submitted their resignation and are leaving for the Mikhailovsky Theater in Petersburg.

Apparently, the Bolshoi General Manager A. Iskhanov has not signed the dancers' release papers yet and the Bolshoi Ballet Artistic Director S.Filin has said that he would try to persuade Osipova and Vasiliev to stay. They both are said to have two weeks to reconsider and change their minds.

Even the grumpy me must admit that this does sound like a pretty exciting season. Lots of very interesting all-star casting decisions and most beloved warhorses present. I better start saving up right now.

Does anybody know when the NYC, 2012, tickets will go on sale. After miliosr's post on Chicago, I guess it might be soon, and that's the furthest in advance I've ever heard of ticksts being sold--a year and 3 months or so, earlier than the Kirov when we had them here in 2008.

As it is part of Lincoln Center Summer Festival, I imagine the tix will go on sale with the rest of the program - probably in the Spring of 2012. I wonder if they will also be sold by the Met box office a la the Kirov this year.

Don't mean to add fuel to the fire, but I would see Lopatkina. She's a living legend and you will spend many-many hours telling your grand-children about that time you saw her live.

Waelsung, you are so right about that! I saw Carmen last night and found the ballet dated, as if it had been created for its shock value in another era. But Lopatkina was a marvel. The geometric perfection of her body, the long limbs, the line, the fluidity of her movements, the extensions, everything done to the max. I'm so glad I was there to see her. I enjoyed Symphony in C, but wasn't swept away by any of the star ballerinas. Lopatkina has raised the bar (barre?) to a standard almost impossible to attain.

I was there last night too and I fully agree. Carmen is an acquired taste, so to speak, but the way Lopatkina danced it made much more sense than all the other versions I had seen previously.

And of course, she is in a class by herself, nobody can even begin to compare.

We are truly blessed to have a chance to witness her art on stage.

I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED Lopatkina in tonight Anna Karenina. The beauty, the poetry, the lyricism she brings to the role are simply unparalleled.

Every performance this lady gives is the stuff the legends are made of.

A cynic might say that this is a story line designed to send the Romanovs back to their palaces with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces.

From a political POV, I always thought that SL symbolizes the union of Russia and France which had such horrific consequences for the Romanovs and their empire. Dragged into the World Word I by their Antanta allies, Romanovs would fall prey to the revolutionary Carabosses and lose everything.

Of course, the history has not ended in 1917, so it still remains to be seen if this idyllic paradise can be restored by some kind of a gorgeous prince.

Sarkozy anyone?

Are you saying it is about Grace? Would unmerited forgiveness be a gift, and would birth itself be a sin, then?(Question asked by a nice Jewish girl who knows very little Christian theology.)

Unearned, unmerited Grace, yes. But why would birth be a sin in this context? No quite sure I get the connection here. I'd rather think, it's quite the opposite: Aurora is born into a magic kingdom of light and goodness, and without having done anything either good or bad, she receives everything one can only dream of. Sin has no role to play here.

Or did I completely misunderstand you and you meant something else?

I suspect, though, that the problem for me with this ballet is the story. “Sleeping Beauty” is not a drama, nor an over-the-top comedy like “Don Quixote” or “The Bright Stream.” It’s a fairy-tale like “Cinderella,” but there is no real conflict (it takes all of what, two seconds for the Prince to eliminate Carabosse?), no reversal of fortune for the characters (elevation of Cinderella from rags to riches; punishment for her stepsisters/mother), and no real chance for the Prince and Aurora to fall in love on stage. The music is undeniably lovely (except when played badly as it was occasionally last night), there may be some nice dancing, and it might be enjoyable to see your favorites or star ballerinas in it, but I suspect that it will never be a favorite ballet of mine.

I agree completely - SL is not a drama. Unlike Cinderella where the protagonist gets rewarded for being nice to a destitute stranger, Aurora hasn't done anything to deserve all the gifts she's being blessed with at BIRTH.

Sleeping Beauty is not about character development or dramatic conflicts, but about the promise (and eventual fulfillment) of absolute happiness which is presented as a pure gift, inexplicably bestowed upon Aurora for no apparent reason and without requiring anything from her in return. The ultimate gift, so to speak

At least, that's the way I always saw it

As far as I know, Osipova is currently in London rehearsing Romeo & Juliet with Vasilyev there. But many people bought their tickets specifically to see her and therefore will be terribly disappointed. It's surely even more upsetting for those who have purchased tickets to Cojocaru/Kobborg Friday performance, too.