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BARCELONA BALLET in Detroit Opera 27 april 2012 Swan Lake


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Cornejo

Video Graphic Design Alvaro Luna

Conductor Yevg SWAN LAKE (2010)

BARCELONA BALLET

Director Angel Corella

Choreography Marius Petipa and Liev Ivanov, revised by Angel Corella

Music Piotr I. Tchaikovsky

Set & Costume Design Benjamin Tyrrell

Lighting Design Luis Perdiguero

Costume Production eny Voronko (with the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra)

Duration 2 hours, thirty minutes with intermission

DETROIT OPERA HOUSE

27 April 2012

Odette, Odile Momoko Hirata

Siegfried Alejandro Virelles

Tutor Fernando Bufala

Benno Kirill Radev

Pas de Trois Anna Calderon, Maria Jose Sales

Von Rothbart Jonatan Diaz

Cygnets Ana Calderon, Cristina Casa, Leire Cabrera, Carla Lopez

Corella’s Barcelona Ballet brought excitement, maybe anticipation, in Detroit especially

with the three-run performances of Swan Lake for the week-end.A pair of principals are featured each night: Hirata/Virelles (27th), Yuko Iseda/Angel Corella (28th) and Carmen Corella/Dayron Vera (29th).

MoreIover, the first anticipation has to be for the company unfolding its first run in the U.S.:I s the promise of the whiz-kid dancers worldwide going to be realized in the

brand -new company?

Swan Lake is a fair-enough testing ground; my favorite first act of Swan Lake is that of the Mariinsky Theatre. Corella’s revision is fairly accurate as described, save that, he leaves off the annoying jester.

The set and costumes are elegant, the colors muted, the lightinq luminous.

The ensembles of the Barcelona Ballet (titled Aristocrats and Peasants, like ABT ‘s) moved, to me, somewhat slow to my taste. Again, when the pas de trois began, Benno and the two women seemed to lack a simultaneous pulse. All three were short on interaction. And smiles. For me the pas de trois is a joyous thing! Never mind!

Alejandro Virelles (first soloist) is a handsome royal and a technically impeccable dancer, as well glows with charisma as he interacts with others on stage.

The prince with Benno and friends assemble for bird-hunting in the moonlight.

Siegfried dismisses his retinue and tells them he’d rather hunt alone.

Then Odette comes in.

In a danced poetry of a weeping spirit, she enchants the prince; with the story of a

mother ‘s tears that made the lake as well as the transformation of the women into swans,including herself, the narrative of the story becomes palpable.

Ms Hirata is confidently, serenely, in the realm of the weeping spirit in the Ivanov choreography.

What a wonder she is! Each step flows from the ribbon of music

she hears and he hears, and, when the flock of swans come in, they hear in sympathy and amity. She is obviously their queen.

And by the end of the second act, the prince and Odette are in love.

Bravi for Ms Hirata and for Mr Virelles! Phenomenal performances.

The third act brings the appearance of Odette’s double, the phantasm-sorceress Odile.

Ms Momoko Hirata brought glamour, allure, as well as confidence to this illusory look-alike for Siegfried’s beloved. With a dynamic classical display, she smiled and flashed her eyes to the besotten lover and to Von Rothbart as they negotiated the grand adage. In the solo, her confidence and power was evident, as she etched the arcs and spins of her attitudes and pirouettes. By the time of the fouettes the spins became a passionate confession

of love starting with singles and a triple, eventually ending with singles and a ccommanding full stop.

The.sorcery of treachery is revealed.

The fourth act deals with the remorse of Odette and the sorrow of Siegfried amid the

swan maidens ”who tell ...... the tragic story of what happened during the ball......” and

“.....because Siegfried swore his love to Odile, the curse cast over Odette can no longer be broken.....The lovers throw themselves into the lake....their sacrifice destroys von Rothbart and with his death the young swans are released from his spell..’

Bravo Corella who frees Tchaikovsky for his (original) tragic ending!!

Brava Hirata, who graced the stage with her exceptional interpretations!

I am curious whether Mr Corella had coaches to prepare the nascent company for performances. The program makes mention of revisions alone in the choreographic text. Otherwise...... that’s quite a feat!

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