rg

if mem. serves the elephants in FANTASIA are standard-issue gray; it's possible there's a 'drunk' scene, in, maybe DUMBO?, where 'traditional' pink elephants appear.

the following comes from an email sent me by a Moscow historian colleague of Burlaka's. the statement, or my paraphrase of it, was posted on this site early in the process of planning this NUTx for Berlin: << Yuri underlines that Nutcracker in Berlin won't be reconstruction so he kindly asks do not anticipate it. But as always this production will have ancient imperial look)) >> the photos of the final result, also posted as a link on this site, more or less confirm that this was a production w/ a basis in the 1892 but hardly a full-scale reconstruction.

it's perhaps important to note that this was meant as Hollywood movie still, featuring the movie star, who happened in this case to be a dancer, dancing. my hunch is that Zorina showed up for the shoot in some studio corner and was asked to do something while the photog clicked away. this shot got as far as being printed but w/o the often usual captioning with the movie's title, and the studio's data, etc. so perhaps it wasn't really meant for distribution as a formal still/excerpt? while the movie is said to have included Balanchine's choreography, uncredited, for the Mardi Gras number - from the stage show, LOUISIANA PURCHASE for which he did the "ballets" - he was not "personally involved" in the making of the film. in the stage musical the number presumably indicated here was called: "Queen of the Mardi Gras" w/ Zornia as Queen of the Creoles, and Charles Laskey as Premier Danseur.

scan of publicity photo of Zorina, presumably in Balacnhine's Mardi Gras number for the '41 movie.

scans of two publicity photos of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. the earlier one, probably from '63 when Suzanne Farrell made her debut at Titania (and shown here with Richard Rapp as Bottom), shows Karinska's costuming for the original City Center production. the later one, from '67, or maybe '66, shows Patricia McBride as Hermia and Nicholas Magallanes as Lysander in the costuming done for the production at the New York State Theater in '64.

the d'Amboise WHO CARES? archive taping took place last Mon. Nov. 18. i was unable to go, but a colleague said it was good. he danced this role until near the end of his time at NYCB. i don't know of any films of him in the part.

to be sure, Paul, the CBC recording is a treasure, but it was filmed w/ Bonnefous, not d'Amboise, who must have been indisposed. otherwise full first cast, complete w/ the soon dropped "Clap yo' hands" segment as well. here's the JRDD NYPL cat. entry: Le New York City Ballet: Une école, un style, une compagnie, un repertoire: 1971. 66 min. Notes : A production of Radio-Canada, telecast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1971. Text: Jean Basile. Narration in French: Leo Illial. Choreography: George Balanchine. Performed by the New York City Ballet. Pianist: Gordon Boelzner. SUMMARY: A documentary about New York City Ballet (with still photographs and films of rehearsals), the School of American Ballet, company management and personnel. Includes three ballets by George Balanchine, who appears in rehearsals. : CONTENTS. - Reel 1. Tarantella. Music: Louis Moreau Gottschalk; performed by Patricia McBride and John Clifford. Movements for piano and orchestra (Image appears on film in reverse of actual performance positions). Music: Igor Stravinski; soloists: Kay Mazzo and Anthony Blum. Who cares?. Music: George Gershwin; soloists: Patricia McBride, Marnee Morris, Karin von Aroldingen, Jean Pierre Bonnefous

perhaps Albrecht on that tour was danced by Nikolai Fadeyechv. i'm not sure Zhdanov did Albrecht during these tours. certainly Fadeyechev was Albrecht to Ulanova's Giselle around this time as recorded in Czinner's film made in London in '56. Stuchkova was still dancing Giselle in the 70s when the Bolshoi Ballet played NYC.

scan of a captioned photo from the Bolshoi Ballet's historic, 1959 tour, w/ Stuchkova and Zhadanov

i'm unclear on the Pergolese & Stravinsky connection to Pulcinella but i think there's also an additional, less known composer in this mix, who may have composed the bits attributed to Pergolesi. yes, i find FIREBIRD quite Rimsky-like. as for the Gounod/Delibes equation, there is some suggestion that the ballet music for FAUST was written by Delibes but here is further suggestion that it is indeed Gounod's work but w/ help? inspiration? from Delibes who worked at the Opera Comique when Gounod was asked to add ballet music to his opera for Paris. but, none of this is, as far as i understand it, definitive...

Stravinksy's Pergolesi Stravinsky's Rimsky? Gounod's Delibes?

yes, the 'corpse' gaffe was part of the seller's note about this item, i didn't re-check to find that the misspelling was actually part of the 'official' captioning. i've seen this slip before but not quite on the scale of newsphoto caption-writing. maybe, the writer was making an oblique reference to the fact that the plot twist in the film involves an arranged accident with a trap-door on the Garnier stage that badly injures, but doesn't actually kill, the younger rival (Slavenska) of the favorite ballerina, as played by Chauvire.

scan of a publicity shot for both the Mordkin Ballet in NYC and for the run of Levy's then new film LE MORT DU CYGNE set at the Paris Opera and released in the US as BALLERINA. Mort du cygne. 1938 French film starring Mia Slavenska, Yvette Chauviré, and Janine Charrat. Directed by Jean-Benoit Levy. Chor: Serge Lifar. Released in the U.S. under title: Ballerina.

additional footage of Ulanova as Odette, w/ Preobrajensky, if mem. serves, is part of a 1947 film originally entitled SOLISTKA BALYET (in Russia) and RUSSIAN BALLERINA in a US release. for anyone with a subscription to the NYTimes, there's a Sep. 11, 1947 review by Bosley Crowther in the archive.

there is footage that predates that of STARS OF THE RUSSIAN BALLET, documenting Ulanova's Odette, albiet only the first lakeside adagio (w/ K. Sergeyev in costuming that resembles that for Vaganova's staging 1933 staging in which Ulanova's Swan as her role was called was contrasted with the role of Odile as danced by Olga Jordan) all filmed in a studio. the NYPL has a copy; i've not heard of her Odile on film, which does not mean, as has been stated here, that some footage doesn't exist in some archive, somewhere.

scan of a 1964 newsphoto of THE RED DETACHMENT OF WOMEN, presumably backstage: shades of Mark Morris's dance portion of NIXON IN CHINA.

even photos of Ulanova's Odile are scarce, if not unknown. film of her in the role, however, has, at least in the West, not yet surfaced.

it's now been pointed out that the production's been reported on by Ilona Landgraf in her blog on www.danceviewtimes.com

regarding the 1892 aspect of this staging, Burlaka told a Moscow historian who wrote me and who asked me to post it on this site, which i recall doing though i cannot locate it now, that while aiming to recreate the 1892 designs, Burlaka was not aiming to recreate a 'reconstruction' of the Petipa/Ivanov choreographic plan for the ballet. from these stills it would seem that the choreography here owes a debt to Vainonen and perhaps to Peter Wright's staging now at the Royal Ballet, as well as it includes such original touches as having the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Coqueluche appear as dancing dolls in the first act's parlor/party scene.

f.y.i. sent by a colleague: http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20131107/NEWS/131109577

the historic Bolshoi Ballet season in London was 1956; in New York, '59. the Kirov then came in '61. NYPL cat. entry for reviews of the season says: 1959 The Bolshoi Ballet, opening of season presented by S. Hurok at Metropolitan Opera House, New York, April 16-May 9. & 1961 Kirov Ballet - September 11-30, Metropolitan Opera House, New York City. scans of news photos with cations from the London appearances in '56

scan of an uncaptioned photo of what I take to be the Epilogue/Apotheosis from the SWAN LAKE with Ulanova and Konstantin Sergeyev as filmed in '53, presumably with this scene created especially for the film. the scene suggests the ultimate return of Odette to her human form. (elsewhere on the site, previously, this moment in the Soviet staging of the ballet was brought up, if the moderators can find that exchange and link to this photo it might be useful to the discussion of the history of SWAN LAKE.)

scan of a charming, French photo of some of POB's "petits rats" on the occasion of a '55 toy drive for the Red Cross. good to see that the photo includes two boy students, albeit in the back row, but still...

scan of a publicity shot, presumably from 1956, related to Paul Czinner's filming of the Bolshoi Ballet's GISELLE, with Galina Ulanova in the title role, for THE BOLSHOI BALLET, released in 1957. the photo's details aren't all easy to read but it seems that the moment caught by the photographer might be around the time of the mad scene of Act 1, as Ulanova's hair is seemingly unbound. (the original caption that was glued to the back of the print got separated from the photo so all that remains of that is a yellowing stain from its glue.)

Smuin's version of THE TEMPEST was telecast,so it's around; it's Nureyev's that seems lost for the ages. NYPL cat. entry: Tempest: Ballet commissioned by the Royal Ballet; in one act. Chor: Rudolf Nureyev; mus: Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (Suite no. 3, last movement; Polonaise; 2 movements from Suite no. 1; The tempest overture); lib: after Shakespeare; scen & cos: Nicholas Georgiadis. First perf: London, Covent Garden, Dec 2, 1982; Royal Ballet.