WindFlyer

Wow... I never thought of him as the most impressive of the house conductors at the Mariinsky, but did not realize the extent of chronic problems with Swan Lake. I got to hear quite a bit of him during this year's White Nights–in both Opera and Ballet, and he generally was 'on'

Perhaps the partnership has not yet really developed... at the O.C.'s performance of Romeo & Juliet, there wasn't much chemistry between them either. OTOH, he and Obraztsova were reported to have plenty good chemistry (I saw those two in Ondine in Petersburg last spring and they seemed made for each other).

Interesting observation! I'd like to have seen that Odile......and you're not the only one not seeing much chemistry between Vishneva and Fadeev (I take it that's who you mean by 'Andeev' ).

Thank you, Paquita for the detailed review. I'm glad you enjoyed the performance. I think you may be talking about one of the 'Drigo' pieces... whose story goes a bit like this:For the 1895 Petipa setting, a fair amount of the original partiture was re-ordered, some music was cut, and some was added. Tchaikovsky was already dead, so the music that was added, while composed by Tchaikovsky, was orchestrated by Riccardo Drigo (an in-house composer at the Mariinksy Theatre at the time). The music came from a set of 18 Piano Pieces published as op. 72. The following three pieces were added: No. 11 (Valse bluette), the corps piece inserted early into Act IV; No. 15 (Un poco di Chopin), inserted toward the end of Act IV between the beginning and closing of the Scene finale of the original partiture; and No. 12 (L'Espiègle), inserted into the Black Swan pdd before the Coda. I do not recall having ever heard these 'Drigo' pieces performed by companies other than the Mariinsky–though they may have. I was surprised reading that! Sounds like he was at less than 100% rather than having an off day... He does make a very good prince, in my experience.

I was also wondering why he got scratched from Sunday's performance

Welcome to BT, Peter Thank you for your post.

Swan Lake - Sunday Afternoon I meant to post this as soon as I returned from SoCal, but a rather sad personal situation got in the way... Let me start with a rant... This was one of the worst audiences I've had the displeasure of seeing a performance with in a very long time... Crying babies, chirping cell phones, murmur of conversation well into the first few minutes after every intermission, untimely applause—when Vishneva lined for the start of the fouettés, the audience started clapping before a note sounded :rolleyes:... It came very close to ruining a good afternoon of ballet for me. Fortunately, the 'A' company showed up to perform and save the afternoon... The music started, the curtain went up to reveal the set, and I felt that comfortable feeling of another Mariinsky Swan Lake—not one that is perfect, not one I like unquestionably, but one that is always performed with a fervor approaching that of national pride. My previous outing had featured the pairing of Lopatkina and Zelensky and that had been immensely satisfying. I had loved the lyricisim of her Odette and the fine rapport she had with Zelensky's Sigfried... Her Odile, however had something missing. Anyway, I was excited by the prospect of seeing what Vishneva would bring to the role, and whether she and Fadeev could conjure up some chemistry... Fadeev was out for some reason and I got to see Kolb who was adequate in every respect—I don't think the Mariinsky's Sigfried gives the dancers too much to work with. Most importantly, he and Vishneva engaged each other very well, giving me a nearly unforgettable White Swan Pas de Deux... ...and here, I think the credit goes to Vishneva. As others mentioned, Visheva's approach to the role is more dramatic in character giving that scene a different complexion, a 'human' dimension, perhaps—very much in the moment and injecting nuances as if on the fly. Her Odile was wicked but not quite seductive enough for my absolute liking...and at this point (and into the final act) I noticed the technical sharpness to drop off somewhat. Rothbarth was danced well by Chashchegorov, though I missed the extra gusto Kuznetsov usually throws into the role. OK, so we may have our favourites in the principal roles, but invariably an undisputed star in any Mariinsky Swan Lake is the corps. They were in near-perfect form this afternoon, beautifully framing the lake scenes I also give uniform good marks to the various other dancers, the orchestra (mostly), and the orchestra soloists, who rendered those breathtaking musical passages with tenderness and rarely heard (in a ballet orchestra) technical excellence. So, dosvidanya, Mariinsky Ballet until the next time I'm in St. Petersburg.

Indeed it is, and indeed it has very little 'dancing'. He is, indeed.

Glad to hear that. Good observations about Vishneva... She was childish enough for me in Act I, but certainly a 'mature woman' in Act III. Given what I know of her approach to a character, it would seem as though her 'angle' to Juliet was to play her as a girl that becomes a mature woman quickly... oddly, in my mind she was best in Act III, but her choice was probably to the detriment of the ballet... as art076 said, where's the director?I would have loved to have seen the Obraztsova/Fadeev chemistry... and the lift

We've all done it :rolleyes:...yes, Ilya has rarely disappointed me in a couple dozen outings or so... maybe I'll get to see him as Rothbarth again on Sunday.

Very good observation... I kept thinking why the whole thing wasn't gelling together and could not put my finger on any one thing in particular. I think you might have. Might you be thinking of Ilya Kuznetsov as Tybalt, or did I get my characters mixed up? Me too. Let's try again on Sunday

Colour me shocked

Too bad I didn't get to see your post until after the performance... But I will be back in SoCal for Sunday's performance, so perhaps we'll get to meet then. If any other BTers are planning on being there, please feel free to PM me so we can figure out a way to meet.

Had the pleasure of meeting Giannina at intermission ...and back to the performance, I agree with her general impressions. I had never seen this version of this Ballet, and I was left with the distinctive impression that this choreography does not give dancers much to sink their teeth into. Sarafanov (as Mercutio) certainly stole the show in Acts I and II; and Kuznetsov was much to my liking as he played a caddish and mean Tybalt with incredible gusto (I've seen him a couple dozen times over the past handful of years, and except for one off night in St. Petersburg, he has always impressed me by his dramatic qualities). I had never seen Vishneva and Fadeev as partners, and I have to say, there seemed to be very little chemistry between them until the third act... (I'll be interested to read the impressions other viewers have from the other pairings). ...also, I'd dare say that both principals seemed to dance their best when *not* dancing together... (I hope this changes for Sunday, when I get the same pairing for Swan Lake ). Vishneva really came into her own in the final act, displaying much of the dramatic talent that has given me a handful of unforgettable evenings of dance. Like Giannina, I was astounded by the lifts of a dead Juliet in the final scene—walking up steps too! As usual for the Mariinsky, the orchestra was in top form, rendering the 'cinematic' Prokofiev score with great flash and beautiful glow... and on the solo passages, the violin, cello and oboe soloists shone! ...more to come from me after Sunday.

Is the PM feature currently disabled?I've tried to PM you but it seems unavailable to me :confused: ...oops, nevermind. Perhaps I needed to hit 10 posts before PMing...

Any word on venue? IIRC, the Mariinsky Theatre was to close for renovations starting 1 Jan 2007

I'll be there Tuesday evening (tomorrow !).I'll PM you about meeting up.

Now I *really* want to see her in Swan Lake... I've seen her before in smaller roles (including 'Leningrad Symphony' this Spring in St. Petersburg) and liked her very much....too bad she won't be dancing in O.C.

I'll be there Sunday afternoon as well... look forward to reading your impressions and how they compare with mine

I've seen Lopatkina in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Bayadierka (to name just three roles), and she has been spectacular (except for one off-night of Sleeping Beauty that she was upstaged by Vishneva). This go around I'll get to see Vishneva only... at the O.C. in both Romeo & Juliet & Swan Lake. Look forward to the performances and will post my comments.

Thanks for the link.I can now book my trip to SoCal knowing who I'm likely to see

If not it may be a good thing... I've not been impressed by her technically (or dramatically, for that matter).

A smaller venue with a much smaller stage I agree with everyone who says the company is looking better of late.

Your observations correspond precisely with what I saw in Orange County a couple of weeks later during the same tour.I was hoping to see Shipulina while in Moscow in May, but alas, she was not in any of the casts while I was there (though I still hoped for a last-minute Mirtha substitution).