Mashinka

Thank you! I loved that. The magic branch by the way is like Faust's pact with the devil, if Robert accepts it he gets unlimited power and immortality. In the opera he accepts the branch but then breaks it taking him back to square one with his father (a demon) and his foster sister, armed with a letter from his mother, fighting for his soul in a final face off.

Some operas resonate in the sub-conscience of ballet fans more than others and Meyerbeer’s ‘Robert le Diable’ has the distinction of launching the Romantic Ballet movement when Taglioni first danced the lead in the famous Ballet of the Nuns. Robert, the leading character, visits a haunted ruined abbey once notorious for the depravity of the inmates and the nuns rise from their tombs to seduce him. What the ballet looked like back then I’m not sure, here’s how it looked to Degas, but long enough after the premiere to have changed. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/29.100.552 This is probably earlier as the decor of the Opera in this picture isn’t the same as the Garnier interior of today. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=robert+le+Diable+Opera&view=detail&id=E60D68CEDBA1C662070CC700CD6B71D1AE4CD56A&first=1 What I saw last night was more Shaun of the Dead than memories of Taglioni as the nuns lurched Zombie-like around the stage before joining the chorus in a mass orgy. According to the programme it was the 74th production of this opera at Covent Garden but it hasn’t actually been seen there since the 19th century. Fashions in music change I suppose, though as Meyerbeer epitomized the concept of ‘Grand Opera’ it’s a pity his works are so rarely performed. Actually there was a great deal of back-stage drama before the opening night, when a change of soprano had to be made in a hurry as the original choice proved unsuitable. As few have ever sung the role of Isabelle. the ROH was very lucky that Patrizia Ciofi was available at such short notice, sang brilliantly and was rewarded at the end with the lions share of the evening’s applause even though the rest of the cast was also pretty fantastic.

Bit off topic but did the TV series Lost in Austen make it beyond the shores of the UK? It's about an Austen fan who time travels back to the Bennett family home and wreaks havoc with the traditional story line of Pride & Prejudice. Well acted, very clever and in places very funny. The DVD should be available on line if you search.

On the whole I out grew whodunits by my teenage years, but as I took my summer holiday in Ireland this year I wanted something to read that would be evocative of the sun and thought I’d try a book in the Greek detective series by Anne Zouroudi , I’ve since read another three in the series and recommend them to anyone with a liking for that genre. I suppose it is a challenge to dream up any type of detective that hasn’t been thought of before but Zouroudi trumps the rest by making hers a Greek god, albeit one that has run to fat a bit. She doesn’t say so in as many words, but the clues are all there such as predictions that come true, sticky ends for the villains and the downtrodden finally getting a break in life after they cross the path of Hermes or the Fat Man as he’s termed in the books. The stories are contemporary and some are quite gritty with crimes revolving around incest and gerontophilia in a couple of books and references to unscrupulous property developers cashing in on the tourist boom in another. Actually the books are crying out to be dramatized and televised as the Greek settings would make a wonderful back drop for a detective series. Ms Zouroudi’s books are extremely well written and have been very well reviewed and from my years of roaming round Greece and the islands, I can say there is the ring of truth in all the characters she writes about. The Books I’ve read so far are: The Messenger of Athens The Taint of Midas The Doctor of Thessaly The Lady of Sorrows

I had reservations over aspects of Vaziev's tenure, the promotion of Somova for starters, but the company has simply fallen off a cliff since Fateev took over. Looks like their grubby little secrets are seeing the light of day at last and that can only be a good thing in the long run.

Maybe we can turn this one on its head and suggest the person who sent the message is too rude to post on Ballet Alert.

My point is that neither was accepted into the Kirov company and that both reported serious psychological bullying and discouragement from their teacher. Kolesnikova has danced extensively in the UK by the way.

If these paragons of the teaching profession genuinely have the expertise you claim, how come they rejected Glurjidze and Kolesnikova?

This article is very similar to the list of composers being discussed, but interesting none the less. Looks like Rite of Spring is outright winner, but I was pleased Britten and Puccini were in with a mention; though I’m surprised no one nominated anything by Ravel or Shostakovich. The question is what is your favourite piece of 20th century music rather than most outstanding or seminal etc. and I find it hard to picture someone going home of an evening to chill out by listening to Stockhausen. Personally I’m not sure if I could decide on just one piece, half a dozen spring to mind with me. Anyway, here’s the link if anyone cares to comment. http://www.guardian....ival-favourites

I’m very glad Helene mentioned Tereshkina, as this was an example of the Kirov getting things absolutely right. She was eighteen when I first saw her dance Gamzatti and she already looked the finished article. Other roles came thick and fast after that and she has gone on to excel in everything she dances. There is no controversy here about Tereshkina whereas there have been and will continue to be seemingly endless debates concerning Somova and Skorik and that is because of actual (not perceived) deficiencies.

Margaret Willis's interview with Rojo http://www.dancemaga...-2012/In-charge is subtle in the extreme, but it's clear that Ms Willis is all too aware of the back story here. What was actually being bandied about was the fact that Rojo had been interviewed for the job the previous December, i.e. before Wayne Eagling was sacked. Put bluntly an ENB insider leaked the story because he was disgusted by the actions of the ENB board towards Eagling. Also please note that the original moves to sack him were made last summer as by 31st July he was confirmed as remaining in the post following protests by the company members, therefore she was actively petitioning for the job "last fall" when Eagling's position with the company was supposed to be secure.

With respect, I don’t think comparisons with singers hold up too well here. The week before last I went to Bartoli’s Steffani concert at the Barbican and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house despite the eye-watering price of the tickets (I paid £50 for the back row at the top) and Cecilia’s ecstatic worshipers sounded as if they didn’t begrudge a penny if you judge by the deafening applause at the end. Errors in singing technique are not so difficult to spot as our ears are attuned to registering wrong notes and I know many people for whom Callas’s voice will forever put them in mind of nails down a blackboard. Errors in dance technique are more difficult to recognize, especially for newcomers, and you need to know the choreography of a ballet pretty well before you can spot the changes and omissions that certain dancers habitually make and it’s no surprise that it is the contortionists that feel it necessary to alter things to accommodate their ‘personal style’. When a Kirov season is announced in London, the fans are desperate to find out casting before booking – to avoid booking for the unwatchables and I’m pretty certain there is no dancer in the company that could inspire the same level of enthusiasm as a Cecilia Bartoli. I’ve personally given up on the Kirov seasons in Baden Baden that I enjoyed so much in the past as I feel the company no longer merits the costs of flights, accommodation and tickets as the Somova and Skoriks of this world are simply not worth the time and the money and above all, the effort. When the contortionists take over the world, and there is a horrible chance they will, I will probably stop going to the ballet altogether, but the company that will be the first I’ll turn my back on now looks certain to be the Kirov.

Well said.

The Daily Express first revealed that the Eagling resignation was actually a sacking and Dance Europe questioned the selection process in an editorial.

Applying vigorously in this instance appears to have included methods most would not condone, don't forget that the sitting director of ENB was sacked to make way for her and her actual appointment seems to have contravened UK employment law. As this thread is about Nikolai Tsiskaridze, I suggest you look elsewhere on the web for the information on this that is readily available.

I saw Seymour dance O/O at ROH in 1964, I believe it was the first major role she totally relinquished, I wish very much that she had persevered with the classics rather than accepting the title of MacMillan's 'muse'. The rehearsal shot clearly shows her beautiful line, in those days almost on a par with Fonteyn's. Seymour wasn't then considered an outstanding exponent of that role because at that time there were so many of the greats still dancing, but with hindsight she was quite superb and I would swop her intelligence and sensitivity any day for the exaggerated techniques of the contortionists currently aspiring to the role today.

Few would agree.

The way in which Ms Rojo attained her present position left UK ballet fans aghast, she most certainly isn't someone to be held up as an example of doing things the right way.

Objections to that particular piece of casting are understandable and as usual Tsiskaridze was probably giving voice to what the majority of the company thought. Back in the 1970's I remember a similar reaction when a film was made of the RB Swan Lake with Makarova in the leading role as it was thought her style was in no way representative of the company as a whole. Those that raised objection were, in hindsight, right as stylistically she clashed with the once admired 'English style' that was at that time greatly admired. Mr Iksanov's future with the Bolshoi has been called into question before and I remember that a couple of years ago there was a strong rumour that he was to be ousted to make way for a Putin crony. Perhaps the fact that the story was leaked at the time prevented that from happening; this present situation could well have come about to prevent an unsuitable (but well connected politically) apparatchik getting Iksanov's job.

The Cameron fling will be performed when the voters fling him out of office at the next election, along with his clog (sorry Clegg) dancing poodle. Not a political opinion by the way, but a certainty according to the polls.

Last night I saw a Gala at the Opera house ‘One Extraordinary World’ which was a tie in with the Queen’s jubilee. You tend to get a different audience at these affairs, a moneyed audience that doesn’t quite grasp the concept of applause. The steep prices meant I sat in the Upper Slips which gave a view of about three fifths of the stage, so I shan’t attempt to review what I saw because I missed too much of the danced content for a fair assessment. What impressed me with the evening though was the amount of new dance that was presented with three short world premieres by Messrs McGregor, Marriott and Scarlett who each produced a pas de deux of some interest. As the ballet content was overseen by very new director Kevin O’Hare I feel it augers well for the RB’s future that he apparently takes every opportunity to present new work. Among the other pieces on show was a pas de deux by John Neumeier, a choreographer whose works have been woefully ignored in London for too long, and at the end of the evening Mr Neumeier took a bow with his dancers which leads me to hope that the RB may have undergone a sea change in its attitude towards him. I was also delighted to see Natalia Osipova dancing in the new McG. with Edward Watson, Osipova has just finished three guest O/O’s with the company and the sight of her appearing in the house choreographer’s newest work might indicate she has more of a future with the RB than being a one-off guest, at least I hope so. The evening wasn’t just ballet of course with Gheorghiu and Alagna appearing too, she not quite the right voice type for Carmen and he singing two extracts from Massenet’s glorious (but politically incorrect I’m told) Le Cid. But it was Bryn Terfel who stole the show and actually woke up the woefully moribund audience with a super-charged Mephistopheles (Boito) and provided the dramatic finale with the Te Deum from Tosca. I saw his stunning interpretation of Wotan on Sunday and know that this is a singer on top of his form, but it isn’t just the glorious voice that makes Terfel so great, it’s the way he OWNS the stage in a way that all the greats used to but so very few do today. Perhaps we should initiate some reminiscences of dancers that had that quality, there aren’t too many around at the moment.

I suppose they become favourites in the same way as any other type of dancer - by watching them on stage. The definition of character dancers interests me, as some become character dancers due to acting skills, e.g. Derek Rencher and some become character dancers after careers as company stars, e.g. Danes. It seems only in Russia are dancers ear marked for character work from the start.

Yes.

I have seen nothing in Lopatkina's performances to indicate that she might have directorial abilities and as Altinai Asylmuratova(in my opinion a muich more distinguished ballerina) is only 47 years old and has run the Academy brilliantly, I do not see how the Directorship comes into the equation. I don't either. A number of people have speculated on her becoming director and I think that is more out of desperation to see the back of Yuri Fateev, but there are better candidates for the job within the company. I would say there is a question mark over how well Asylmuratova has run the Academy, Kirov style as I recognize it has become seriously diluted over the years within the company ranks. Of course it is possible that the same conditions apply to actual entry into the company as apply to the acquisition of roles once a company member. It is also worth remembering that some of the very best graduates turn up elsewhere; for my money I'd rather see Elena Glurjidze or Irina Kolesnikova any day rather than the present crop of Kirov principals.