Rosa

*Respighi's "Pines of Rome"

*Elgar's "Nimord" (from "Enigma Variations")

*Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre"

Yesterday I watched Triad featuring Amanda McKerrow, Robert La Fosse, and Johan Renvall from the American Ballet Theatre at The Met: Mixed Bill DVD. I had never heard of it before and was very impressed by it, actually liked it the most of all the four ballets on the DVD. The back of the jacket sadly provided little information: choreography by MacMillan, music by Prokofiev.

I was wondering if anyone familiar with this ballet could tell me what it is about? Does it have a plot, or is it conveying a mood, a theme, an idea...? And for those who have seen it, do you like the ballet?

I just want to say a big "THANK YOU!" to everyone's reviews of ABT at City Center. I've particularly enjoyed reading about the opportunities some corps (and soloists) have had to shine. Thank you.

Sascha is now with the Dutch National Ballet.

A lot of interesting casting! Herrera/Hellberg for Corsaire. Part/Bolle in Swan Lake!!!! Vishneva (debuting?) in Sylvia. And, whoa, Cory Stearns making his debut as Romeo opposite Irina! Seems he's being given a lot to do next spring...

Not available just yet, but Amazon.com lists the release date as November 18.

ASIN: B001F5IO4S

Thanks for the heads up, volcanohunter.

I may end up caving in and getting it, mainly because I'm curious to see how Nureyev's production looks performed live. Also, according to Opus Arte's website, the DVD includes cast gallery, illustrated synopsis, and a documentary "Cinderella goes to Hollywood." One can only assume (and hope) the documentary will be part of the DVD released in the United States.

"Jerome Robbins"

Tudor's "Jardin aux Lilas" or "Pillar of Fire"?

YAHOO!! Such exciting news!

There are two clips from Sara and Jared's performance yesterday (the 19th) on YouTube. (The corps looked very good.) They can be found by searching the keywords "Swan Lake Sara Mearns."

Earlier this year I enjoyed reading her thoughts and memories of her career in Ms. Newman's Striking a Balance. May she rest in peace.

So in addition to doing Theme and Variations with Wiles, Cory Stearns will dance Jardin aux Lilas with Kent. Interesting...

Finding a score could be a problem. Also there is the matter of having so many characters to keep track of.

Now that the discussion is resurrected - a question. If Benno was Siegfried's confidant (not a bad idea) narratively and a parallel to von Rothbart in Act III choreographically (also interesting) what do we do with him in Act III? Why isn't he there warning Siegfried, "Say, you know this girl doesn't look like Odette. I mean, I danced with her too." The necessity of having Siegfried without good counsel might have been another reason he didn't stick around in productions.

In DVD of the Royal Swedish Ballet's Swan Lake Benno, performed wonderfully by Johannes Ohman, is in Act III -- in fact, he appears in all four acts. He is the only one who knows of the new pressure Siegfried faces going into the ball. Had he never met Odette, it seems possible the prince would have gone on and picked a bride. Now though there isn't a chance of that happening, and he has to be nervous about how the queen will react.

Benno, along with a partner and two other couples, provide entertainment until the princesses' arrivals. While dancing with a bride candidate, Siegfried at one point turns away from her and Benno urges him to continue, aware of the tension mounting between the prince and Queen Mother. Benno is the one who makes Siegfried aware of the late guests coming as the situation is about to get explosive, perhaps as relived as Siegfried for the interruption. When Siegfried races offstage with Odile after her arrival with Rothbart, Benno looks after them with a confused expression, "It LOOKS like Odette, but I'm not sure... Is it even midnight?" He seems to watch her wearily throughout the rest of the act, yet has no opportunity to talk to his friend. When the ball is in chaos as the triumphant Rothbart and Odile leave followed by a stricken Siegfried, Benno approaches the Queen Mother for a moment and then rushes off after his friend to help. ...Only to be too late.

A not so great memorable Swan Lake ending, in my opinion, is the DVD of the London Festival Ballet with Hart and Schaufuss. During a good part of the finale Schaufuss dances/runs about the stage, surrounded by swan maidens, with no Odette in sight. A projection of owl-Rothbart (he is never an actual dancer on stage during the lake acts) often appears, taunting Siegfried one is left to assume. Odette finally comes back and the lovers drown in the lake. A projection of owl-Rothbart spins around and around, dying. The swan maidens dance to move along the music now that all three main characters are gone. Then the ballet ends with a shot of Siegfried and Odette walking through a strange tunnel towards...the afterlife?

For me there is no sense of struggle, of conflict between good and evil with Rothbart being just a visual image and Siegfried rushing about aimlessly, unable to fight a foe he cannot touch. This ending left me confused and unmoved.

What a fascinating thread! I think Charles Perrault's fairy tale "Donkeyskin" would make an interesting ballet. Or is perhaps Jane Austen... "Pride and Prejudice" anybody?

Such a shame the 1980s Cinderella VHS (featuring Sylvie Guillem and Nureyev himself as the producer) wasn't released instead...

Yes, definitely. It wasn't just Guillem that was marvellous. I remember the vivid spitefulness of Isabelle Guérin's stepsister most of all.

It is a shame!! Guillem was fabulous. And Jude was a wonderful partner!

Opus Arte has posted a minute-long clip from the final act pas de deux between Letestu and Martinez on its channel, opusarte, on YouTube.

To me, Lezhnina is the ideal Kirov Aurora -- very much in the Kolpakova mold. Pushing her out, and bringing in another "ideal," was one of the turning points in recent Kirov history, for me.

Was interested to see this old discussion just after watching Lezhnina, with whom I wasn't familiar, as Aurora on the DVD last night. Exquisite tiny doll she was, and simply mesmerizing and fairylike at all times. I had to remind myself that Aurora is still in a sense a 'mortal' compared at least to the Lilac Fairy and the others, because she is the lightest little thing imaginable. I love this production too, so someone please tell me if they think this is wonderful too--even things like Garland Waltz are better than I remembered them elsewhere, and much preferred to Royal Ballet DVD of 1994 with Viviana Durante.

Lezhnina is lovely as Aurora! She is a tiny exquisite gem, radiating joy. This was only her second time performing the role. I've grown up watching this Kirov production and think it is simply wonderful -- my personal favorite Sleeping Beauty. All the dancers, the corps, the soloists, are a pleasure to watch. (I prefer the costumes and sets to the new ones.) This is one of the few SBs I enjoy from beginning to end. It is a pity more of Larissa's dancing was not filmed; to my knowledge there is only her SB, Nutcracker, and one of the Prince's Friends in Swan Lake.

I was beyond excited when recently I discovered Lezhnina's debut in Sleeping Beauty on YouTube, partnered by Ruzimatov. There were some nerves, but she was a very sweet princess, her smile lighting up the stage. Supported by her fellow dancers, she delivered a performance full of promise. The unexpected highlight for me was her Vision Act. She was not a princess made of flush and blood, but a phantom of ethereal lightness. She was in a world of her own as she danced, casting a spell over Desire -- and me. She was mesmerizing, leaving me breathless.

After seeing her debut I rewatched my video. Larissa is better in her second performance, more confident and sure, yet just as sweet. I only prefer the magic of her Vision in her debut.

Brava Ms. Lezhnina!

Thank you for the link, volcanohunter. Boy, don't I wish I lived in Canada!

There are also some endings where Odette remains a swan forever despite Rothbart's (and sometimes the prince's) death; the Staatsoper Berlin 1998 production with Scherzer and Matz comes to mind.

And the it-was-only-a-dream ending. Nureyev took that route with his second version of Swan Lake, with Odette simply being a fragment of Siegfried's imagination. And in Christopher Wheeldon's radical Swan Lake for the Pennsylvania Ballet, one of the dancers imagined himself in the role of the prince.

Thank you, amitva. Those photos and clips are wonderful.

Thank you for the comparing/contrasting of Part and Ananiashvili, FauxPas. I appreciated your descriptions and details, they made me feel like I was there.

Did anyone see the evening performance? With Carreño and...Murphy?

Thank you for all the reports on Part's Swan Lake everyone!!!

While on paper this looks to be a perfect match, I sense that maybe it's not a very easy relationship.

Was this the first time Hallberg and Part danced together?

You are very welcome, Hans!

Is there a full-length Swan Lake with Asylmuratova?

*whispers* A performance of Asylmuratova's full-length Swan Lake has recently been put up on YouTube. She is partnered by her husband Zaklinsky. The lighting quality leaves much to be desired, especially in the lake scenes. But she is lighted fairly well, and her dancing totally makes up for the video quality. You can find the videos by searching the keywords "Asylmuratova Swan Lake."

Thank you for the link, motwins8391. Those photos are gorgeous.