volcanohunter

The recent Mariinsky telecast of Leonid Lavrovsky's Romeo and Juliet with Diana Vishneva and Vladimir Shklyarov is available on demand on Arte Live Web for the next 5+ months. http://liveweb.arte....onid_Lavrovski/

The biennial tour which should have taken place this fall is not happening, and the tour before last was cancelled at the last minute, leaving local presenters in a real bind. I agree with Helene on this one. It's not a question of bashing the company per se, just wondering whether it should really be called "National" when its reach is anything but.

Except that by the time of its U.S. tour in 1990 the company's performances were greeted with headlines like "'Bolshoi' means big, 'bolnoi' means ill."

Yes. In fact I suspect that one of the reasons the Met turned to movie theaters in the first place was because its PBS broadcasts had dwindled to a trickle, down from highs of 7 or 8 broadcasts per season in the 1970s and '80s. 2000-01: 3 telecasts 2001-02: 2 telecasts 2002-03: 1 telecast 2003-04: 1 telecast 2004-05: 0 telecasts 2005-06: 1 telecast (the Volpe retirement gala) But once the cinema series began, PBS was more than happy to broadcast an already finished product. Typically, the performances are aired with a delay of about 4 months. But it may also be that the opera broadcasts have reached a point of diminishing returns. I think I mentioned on the Met HD thread that the two PBS stations I get no longer air all the Met transmissions, and the number of productions that don't air seems to increase with each season. There have been complaints in the UK that performing arts programs on the BBC are becoming less frequent, and there is some irritation that having already paid taxes that go toward subsidizing the Royal Opera House, people are being asked to pay again to see performances at movie theaters, rather than being able to see the fruits of their taxes on television as in years past. On the other hand, as with the Met, the number of performances being filmed has increased. So I suppose it could go either way.

There is a PBS spot I find really irritating. If memory serves, it features Desmond Richardson relating that as a child he saw Rudolf Nureyev (I think) dance on PBS and how this inspired him to become a dancer. I wanted to shout back at the TV: "And what are the chances of a kid from small-town South Carolina seeing Desmond Richardson dance on PBS today?!!"

The Paris Opera does HD transmissions to movie theaters, about 45 cinemas domestically and about as many in Austria, Belgium and Germany. This season's schedule includes Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Carmen, Don Quixote, Falstaff, The Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, Hänsel und Gretel, La Gioconda and La Sylphide. http://www.fraprod.fr/index.php Unfortunately, the transmissions' reach is not as international as I'd like, and frankly they could do more ballet. Perhaps we should encouraged by the fact that this year's Royal Opera House HD season features 6 operas and 3 ballets, while next season's will have 5 of each. The big potential downside of this model is that it could eventually replace broadcasts on state television. Perhaps cinema broadcasts are more viable financially, but inevitably, they're going to have a smaller audience. I would guess that the chance of the uninitiated forking over a fairly substantial sum of money to go see a ballet or symphonic concert at a movie theater is pretty slim, whereas there's probably a better chance of someone stumbling upon opera for the first time on (more or less) free television and getting hooked that way.

Thank you. I asked because it's not unusual for theater chains to stick to opera or ballet presentations from a particular distributor. For example, here are three upcoming ballet performances being presented in French cinemas, and you'll see that there is no overlap in the movie theaters. But if you live in Marseille, for example, you will be able to go to three different cinemas to see each of the performances. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Esmeralda The Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler In France Pathé Live presents the Bolshoi Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater and the Metropolitan Opera, Côté Diffusion presents the Royal Opera House and dramas from a variety of French theaters, François Roussillon et Associés distributes the Paris Opera, and they don't mix. In Canada the movie chain business is virtually monopolized. When Cineplex definitively swallowed up its primary rival Famous Players, it had to sell some of the old FP locations because even in larger cities it would have owned virtually all the movie theaters, a few art-house cinemas excepting. This allowed Empire Theatres, previously located only in Atlantic Canada, to go nation-wide, though of the four Famous Players multiplexes it bought where I live, two have since closed. When the Met first began direct-to-cinema transmissions, no one was sure whether they would fly, and during the first season the broadcasts were shown Canada-wide by both Cineplex and Empire Theatres. However, the screenings did take off, and apparently Cineplex used its far stronger position to insist that it be the primary Canadian presenter of the Met in HD, because since the second season Empire Theatres has shown the Met only in its native region of Atlantic Canada, where Cineplex has no theaters. Empire attempted to counter by going into partnership with a Canadian distributor of Opus Arte productions, and although these were not live performances (which many people seem to value very much, though to me it's unimportant), I appreciated the series because it endeavored to show as many ballets as operas. Sadly, it lasted only a few seasons, and the distributor eventually went out of business. Thankfully, Cineplex eventually began presenting a regular ballet series, initially the Bolshoi, expanded as of this season to the Royal Ballet as well. But you're right, while the Royal Ballet seems to be okay, the Royal Opera is still inaccessible, and La Scala is right out. In order to see any of those opera productions, I'd have to drive 8 hours to do it. Prior to the start of the current Met season Cineplex did show a couple of operas from Covent Garden, but these were 3D versions of Carmen and Madama Butterfly, and neither was live. If Regal, AMC and Cinemark have locked themselves into the Met, leaving Carmike--located more in the South and West and frequently a bit off-the-beaten-track--to screen performances distributed by Emerging Pictures, this does make it difficult for the ROH to make inroads. But even if the Met were less jealous in guarding its turf, I wonder whether the big chains would be interested in showing performances from other opera houses. Perhaps they'd calculate that the market is saturated already and that there wouldn't be much appetite for more than the Met's dozen or so transmissions, which are being cut back to 10 next season as it is.

I have a very poor idea of how movie chains function nation-wide in the U.S., though it seems to me that they are less centralized, or monopolized, than in other countries. Where Met broadcasts in the U.S. are concerned, are they shown primarily by chains?

Last month Makarova staged her version at the National Opera of Ukraine. I believe it was the first instance of her production being staged in the former USSR. The stage at the opera house in Kiev is not enormous, certainly smaller than the Met, but from these photographs, you can see that this time she used two ramps and 32 shades. http://www.opera.com...13_IMG_9501.jpg https://www.facebook...0000.1364063580 So my guess is that this is primarily a question of company size. The National Ballet of Ukraine lists 147 dancers and 12 apprentices on its roster, a big corps from which to draw. http://www.opera.com...solisti-baletu/ http://www.opera.com...artisti-baletu/ Les Grands Ballets Canadiens has just announced that this Bayadere will be coming to Montreal next February, which would give people on the east coast a chance to see what Makarova's production looks like with the full 32 shades (assuming they all come on tour). http://www.grandsbal...nce/la-bayadere

Perhaps Filin's leadership is not all that popular within the troupe. Now don't anyone wig out on me; I'm not suggesting that this justifies any sort of violence. But despite our sympathy for him as the victim of a monstrous attack, it may not be all that productive to turn him into a plaster saint. We should consider that perhaps the Bolshoi's dancers have legitimate grievances, which may be coming to light under extremely regrettable circumstances and which unscrupulous people will, no doubt, seek to exploit. (Obviously, the conspiracy theories out there, along the lines of Filin being scarred by a chemical peel gone horribly wrong, are absurd.) That Filin continued to head the Bolshoi performers' union after he left to work elsewhere is problematic, and that he continued to hold that post for another two years after he returned as artistic director, even more so. If Dmitrichenko was willing to challenge Filin on this point, other Bolshoi artists may have gravitated toward him as a champion unafraid of "speaking truth to power." And if the Dmitrichenko that appeared in court seemed very different from the combustible loudmouth they knew from work, it may explain why they were unwilling to believe that his confession had not been coerced. Again, I'm only trying to understand this from their point of view. What I have to say about Tsiskaridze's television appearance the other night is that, as always, he was extremely careful in what he said. (That the way he says it comes across as totally tone-deaf is another matter.) The wildest accusations came from show host Tina Kandelaki, who turned self-appointed expert to declare that Filin was not being treated as a real burn victim would be treated, though her co-host Margarita Simonyan expressed doubts that a conspiracy involving multiple doctors in at least two countries was feasible. Most of the mud slung around was directed at Anatoly Iksanov, whom Anastasia Volochkova again insisted on calling Tahir Iksanov, and who had fallen to the rank of pimp by the time the show was over. Dmitri Tcherniakov's production of Evgeny Onegin, the one Galina Vishnevskaya hated so much, was again trotted out as Exhibit A for everything that's wrong with today's Bolshoi, and it was all Iksanov's fault. But again, some of the grievances have merit. Why, for example, does an institution that can renovate its theater to the tune of something close to $1 billion by the latest count and which receives 4.1 billion rubles--or more than $132 million--in state funding annually pay members of the corps de ballet a base salary of 9,000 rubles--less than $300--a month? The Paris Opera receives about $137 million in state funding annually (54% of its budget) and pays its dancers a whole lot more; a rookie corps member receives about $3,400 each month. It's unfortunate that these questions are being asked against a backdrop of a horrible tragedy, but they should be asked, because I can certainly understand how Bolshoi dancers could be unhappy and dissatisfied.

Wow...this is getting more and more bizarre each time. So Dmitrichenko is indeed popular among ballet dancers, even after his arrest...? In the interview Antonicheva was asked about that. Mezzo-soprano Alexandra Durseneva gave a description of how the voting took place. http://izvestia.ru/news/546889 According to Izvestia, this vote took place on March 9, the opera singers having already voted on March 2. Since members of the opera company were also present at the dancers' meeting, it was considered something of an AGM. Because Dmitrichenko is not able to perform his duties at present, the union is currently being run by company manager Ruslan Pronin. Other dancer representatives include Maria Alexandrova, Elena Andrienko and Denis Savin. The dancers are demanding to be included in the artistic advisory board formed last week at the Bolshoi Ballet. Its head, Boris Akimov, says he is not opposed to the idea. However, the problem of the performers' union being headed by a member of the theater administration remains, so Pronin is to hold the position for only three months. If by that time Dmitrichenko has not been released from police custody, another election will have to be held. http://izvestia.ru/news/547033

Anna Antonicheva has confirmed Dmitrichenko's election. Apparently, the opera section of the performer's union elected him prior to his arrest, and the ballet section did so "last week." http://www.mk.ru/cul...profsoyuza.html

Anecdotally I can confirm this. I have an aunt who lives right across the GWB. At one point in her youth she was going to the Met practically every night as a standee; later she was a subscriber for decades. But she can no longer afford the subscription, and limited mobility makes it difficult for her to get into Manhattan. While seats high in the Family Circle may be within her reach financially, they're not accessible to her physically. But she does occasionally attend the live transmissions, because in suburban New Jersey she doesn't have to pay the bridge toll, she doesn't have to pay for parking, she doesn't have to negotiate a lot of steps, and she finds the experience more satsifying than watching the television replay.

Saturday afternoon performances at the Met always sell out anyway, so it's not the broadcast performance itself that is going to be cannibalized by an HD transmission. On March 28 the Royal Ballet is planning a live broadcast of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the run is completely sold out. I would guess that if some performances are not selling out, it has more to do with repertoire than with accessibility to a multiplex version. http://www.roh.org.u...topher-wheeldon As for subsequent PBS retransmission of the Met's broadcasts, I'm sorry to say it does not apply to all markets. As producer of Great Performances at the Met, I imagine that WNET airs all the operas, but last season, the two PBS stations I get (one East Coast, one West Coast) skipped four of the productions, and after showing this season's initial broadcast, they're skipping the next four. I share Birdall's concern that the greater victim may be regional opera and ballet. For example, I've fallen out of love with my local ballet company because they're doing awful repertoire, so I've greatly reduced my attendance and have come to rely on movie-house access to the Bolshoi and Royal Ballet as a substitute, though I've also followed through on my threat to use my air miles to see live ballet elsewhere.

Maria Prorvich back on stage as the White Cat https://www.youtube....h?v=do6cvguBh94 with Anzhelina Vorontsova as the Silver Fairy. https://www.youtube....h?v=t2mnEngF_GY

I don't think the Mariinsky has ever gone live into movie theaters. Their performances, whether 2D or 3D, tend to be pre-recorded, and they appear very sporadically.

Mikhail Lobukhin? These are some of the possible Bolshoi casts, though the lists also include guest artists and dancers who have since retired or left. Spartacus Jewels Lost Illusions The Golden Age

The Bolshoi's 2013/14 cinema season has been announced. There will be four live cinemacasts instead of five, and the McGregor/Ek bill has not been rescheduled at this point. (This as the Royal Ballet is increasing its live broadcasts from three to five.) With the broadcast of La Bayadère the Bolshoi has run out of its existing 19th-century repertoire, so I suppose the appearance of more Grigorovich ballets was inevitable, though I am disappointed surprised to see two of his ballets in one season. I'm more surprised by the absence of Lacotte's Marco Spada, which the Bolshoi is supposed to acquire next fall, and Cranko's Onegin, premiering this July, but getting any sort of Cranko on video seems to be nearly impossible. Bolshoi Ballet October 20 - Spartacus November 17 - Le Corsaire (repeat) December 22 - The Sleeping Beauty (repeat) January 19 - Jewels February 2 - Lost Illusions March 30 - The Golden Age http://www.pathelive.com/fr/news Royal Ballet October 16 - Don Quixote December 12 - The Nutcracker January 27 - Giselle March 19 - The Sleeping Beauty April 28 - The Winter's Tale http://www.roh.org.u...eason-announced

Izvestia reports that there are 36 sheets of signatures. If all the sheets were filled, that would be 360 signatures in total, and since the Bolshoi has 220 dancers, this would necessarily mean that others signed. Perhaps it is significant that the paper reports that one of the signatories is Ruslan Pronin, the company manager and as such a representative of Filin's team. If he sensed that the sentiments of the dancers on this issue were very strong, he might have thought it prudent to show publicly that he sympathized with their concerns.

Between the scan of handwritten signatures and the names printed in the article itself, there are 42 names listed. That still is a long way from 300+. A letter from the Bolshoi to the President where the names of the signers come to light little by little---why does this sound so familiar? It would be more transparent if the press would show us all the signatures. Perhaps we should ask them. It's possible that the majority of signatories came from the ranks of the corps, as they do constitute the bulk of the Bolshoi Ballet, and that the press assumed that these names would not mean anything to its readers, so instead they perused the lists for dancers of higher rank and formulated the relevant sentences along the lines of "signatories include People's Artists X, Y and Z" and left everyone else out.

Izvestia has published one sheet of signatures, and no doubt this particular one was chosen because it includes Tsiskaridze's. It claims there are 35 more sheets. All of the signatories on the published sheet--Kochkina, Baranov, Kochan, Tsiskaridze, Barichka, Bochkareva, Zhidkov, Zelenko, Oppengeym, Savichev--are members of the ballet company. http://izvestia.ru/news/546485

As part of his final season at the Berlin State Ballet, Vladimir Malakhov has invited Vasily Medvedev and Yuri Burlaka to stage their reconstruction of Lev Ivanov's original Nutcracker. (At least I think that's what the description says, my German being the pits.) http://staatsballett...detail/11499959

They last staged the ballet in 2001, but the production didn't last. It was filmed with Tamara Rojo, Johan Kobborg, Zenaida Yanowsky and Alina Cojocaru. http://www.rohcollec...tion=4455&row=0 Previously Anthony Dowell had staged a production in 1993. http://www.rohcollec...tion=4452&row=0

It will be a revival of the MacMillan version.

This is a translation of an open letter by employees of the Bolshoi Theater demanding a fair investigation and trial of Pavel Dmitrichenko. It is said to have been signed by more than 300 employees. It's my own translation, so I apologize in advance for its imperfections. http://www.mk.ru/cul...itrichenko.html