abatt

Bingo. Pride and self esteem are wonderful attributes, but hubris can backfire, and it sure did here. I'm not sure whether she was sophisticated enough to realize that her affiliation with NT was a bad idea from the outset.

Yes, but it was the restrictive nature of the roles she (and Vasilev) were assigned at the Bolshoi that, in part, led them to seek other opportunities with ABT and ultimately to leave the Bolshoi. I'm not complaining- the Bolshoi's loss was my gain be being able to see them here in NYC at ABT. If Anzhelina Vorontsova and her supporters believed she was so talented and underappreciated, she should have jumped ship and tried to find other opportuniites. Commission of a crime was not the answer. She is now damaged goods, I believe, and will, fairly or unfairly, be regarded in a very negative light by these events. At a minimum, she will be seen as a troublemaker and not someone any artisitic director wants to deal with. What real chance does she have now to ever advance at the Bolshoi with Filin at the helm?

The singers in the HD broadcasts know well in advance exactly when and if they will be interviewed during the intermission of the HD broadcast. In fact, I bet they already know in advance the questions they will be asked too. Most singers would kill to be in one of these HD broadcasts, so I'm sure the imposition of giving a brief interview is very minimal in comparison to the worldwide exposure that they are given.

He could have left the movie theater during the intermission. Nobody forced him to sit there and listen to the interviews.

The problem is that SL sells really well regardless of who is performing, so these performances will sell very well even if we get mostly second tier (or worse) dancers in the lead roles.

Given that the Olympics in Russia will take place starting Feb 7, would it be fair to conclude that some of the Mariinsky's top stars may be taking part in special events and may therefore skip a trip to the US around the same time? I hope that the Mariinsky will rent the Koch during Jan 2014 and swing by NYC (when NYCB is on hiatus), but I'm not holding my breath.

Mariinsky is at the KC Jan 28-Feb 2, 2014 (Bolshoi dates are May 20-25, 2014)

According to the Mariinsky twitter page, Big Red Kondorova will be dancing lead roles in each section of Jewels tonight. Soooo jealous! Hope we can find some Youtube clips at least.

I was just listening to the live stream season announcement for the Kennedy Center for 2013-2014. Mariinsky is bringing a week of Swan Lake. (The Bolshoi is also coming, but no mention in the conference of what ballet they will be doing.) I'm clearing my schedule.

That's a photo of S. Sylve, if I'm not mistaken. She was wonderful. Ah, New York's loss is San Fran's gain.

I think this problem of diminishing interest is a problem for all of the "high arts" in the US, not just ballet. The opera and the symphony are experiencing this issue as well. The fact that ballet dancers sometimes makes guest appearances on shows like Dancing w. the Stars is a good start for introducing new audiences. Increasingly, what seems to be happening is pandering to try and gain new audiences. I think this was one of the rationales behind using a mediocre Paul McCartney score for a ballet at NYCB (Ocean's Kingdom). Pandering was also, in part, responsible for the Broadway-style (awful) ballet that Susan Stroman made for NYCB relatively recently.

I saw Parsifal live in the Big House, so I was not aware of the interviews that were broadcast to the HD audience. Did the director have anything else of interest to say? Did they interview anyone else during these interminable intermissions?

Definitely agree w. you about Wagner's view of women. However, in this production, did you notice that Kundry is the person who brings forth the grail at the end of the opera. That was an interesting and unanticipated event, because I would have assumed that women were forbidden to touch it. Also, at the end of the opera the women and the men reunite and are no longer on separate sides of the stage. Very interesting production. There have also been some interesting reviews regarding the sexual imagery in the production - particularly the second act.

I remember reading somewhere that Balanchine believed that a program should be designed like a meal - an appetizer, main course and dessert. Not a bad metaphor!

Sorry, I meant the 4th movement.

This season was not Reichlin's debut in TPC2. She performed the lead role the last time they revived it (forget when that was). She was marvelous. (She did the soloist role brilliantly for a number of years.) I'm also very glad that Reichlin was given the opportunity to dance the secnd movement in Symphony in C. I thought she did a wonderful job in that role debut (replacing Mearns). I'm going to disagree about the casting of Bouder in Western 3rd movement. Yes, she did an excellent job. However, that choreography is designed to show off a long limbed ballerina. I thought Bouder was miscast in Western.

I have a hard time picturing Lopatkina as Titania. That role requires someone who can convey a sense of humor and warmth. I associate Lopatkina with an icy, dramatic stage presence.

Martins seems to have an affinity for Per Kirkeby - a fellow Dane (designer of sets and costumes of SL and R&J). While Martins might enjoy his artwork, I think he made a huge mistake hiring him for these 2 productions. As noted above, the designs and costumes are hideous. Kirkeby may be an admired artist (by some), but his concepts do not translate well to the ballet stage. It's a big problem when directors like Martins hire their friends for projects that they are not qualified for. (Similar problem with the new backdrop for Scotch Symphony that was unveiled a few years ago, designed by a former NYCB dancer.) The designers used for the sets and costumes of SB are well known and have worked on numerous Broadway productions. They are not studio artists who are dabbling in stage production design..

My understanding is that the only prices that were cut were the super-expensive seats that were simply not selling for mediocre operas/casts. The pricing in many sections of the house remained the same as last year. They are continuing with the policy of variable pricing - charging more for certain operas/casts than for others.. They have abandoned the $7.50 per ticket exchange fee for subscribers who needed to exchange subscription tickets. The Met is the only subscription based institution that I know of that had the nerve to try that, and it apparently backfired. They lost much more in subscription sales than they gained from charging the fee.

Darn. I'm too late. The youtube clip was removed.

The Met has announced its new season, including a list of next season's Live In HD broadcasts. See press release below. The Met Opera website has complete details. http://www.metoperafamily.org/en/news-and-features1/press-releases/releases/2013-14-Season-Announcement/

I thought Jennifer Hudson sang well. However, I thought Catherine Zeta Jones' performance was definitely lip synched. I know she has gotten a number of singing roles, but she can barely sing. The Tony Award she got a few years ago was a gift.

Speaking of the tour, it seems that Somogyi has recovered. I looked at the casting for the Nevada shows, and Jennie Somogyi is cast in Red Angels. Let's hope she stays injury-free for a long, long time.

Thank you for operating this site. It is a pleasure.

Wonderful news for all. Just noticed in my program for tonight that Lovette is the newest Janice Levin award winner . (That info is not even on the NYCB website.) I feel sorry that Lydia Wellington is not among the people promoted. Lauren King was positively radiant tonight as Florine.