Legend of Love

[Birdsall]

I feel the same way that Tereshkina feels (see video below in which she discusses the ballet) about this ballet *Legend of Love*.....it is unknown for the most part here in the West, but it is such a fabulous ballet. Modern but still immersed in ballet vocabulary! Lopatkina, Tereshkina, and Kondaurova are all fabulous in the role of Mekhmeneh Bahnu who gives up her beauty to cure her sister of a disease. I feel like the ballet shows various love: love of family, romantic love, jealous love, love of your people/humanity, etc. It is such a shame that it is not better known. Too bad the Mariinsky does not tour with this ballet! It probably would not bring in the crowds but it should if the world were just. Not only is the main female role fabulous, but the secondary female role is great too and the male lead is also a great role for male dancers.

[Birdsall]

Here is another video that has Gabriela Komleva talking about it.

[trieste]

From what I've seen, it's a beautiful ballet, and they should at least release a DVD... I'd love to see it become a classic, performed by companies the world over.

[innopac]

Is there a difference between the Bolshoi and Mariinsky productions?

[Mashinka]

There was certainly a video in existance with Bylova, Taranda, Mukhamedov and (I think) Mikhailchenko. Has it not transferred to DVD?

[innopac]

Yes, There is a PAL dvd. Not sure about NTSC.

The Legend About Love

Maria Bylova, Alla Mihailchenko, Irek Mukhamedov, Gediminas Taranda

[Birdsall]

So glad that others like this ballet! Maybe one day the Mariinsky will take it on tour if more and more people talk about it.

[Nanarina]

Oh Dear, here we go again, and no doubt I am going to upset some people, I had it years ago on video, and was not that keen on it. I found it much too long and a bit boring, although there were some more enjoyable parts of it, when the music was more melodic.

The dance of the water bearers, the main girls theme, Irek Mukhamidov, as usual brilliant. There were other parts which just seemed to go on and on in a very repetiative way. It actually took ages to get anywhere, but when it finaly did, then it opened up and I quite liked it. I dont think I would buy a dvd or possibly go and see it. Though the atmosphere live is very different, so who knows?

I still prefer the Bolshoi version of Raymonda, and of course my favourite Stone Flower danced by the Kirov/Mariinsky.

[Alymer]

I remember that the Bolshoi danced one act of Legend of Love as part of a mixed bill on a tour to London. They also performed a shortened version during a season at the Albert Hall. Like Nanarina, I wasn't at all impressed by the ballet which I thought very repetitious. I also recall a conversation I had with Maris Liepa about the ballet and it was clear that he found it, shall we say, less than convincing despite the fact that he was in the original Bolshoi revival.

[Natalia]

I just saw a DVD of the Oct 2014 "cinemas-cast" of this ballet. Wow! What a difference 25 years can make in one's perception of a ballet. What appeared tired, repetitive, robotic in that dark 1989 VHS filming, now bears the spark of life with Maria Allash, Denis Rodkin and (if less impressive) Anna Nikulina as Shirin. It's important to look beyond the Soviet-style stomping of the male corps to the gentle, lyrical portions of this ballet.

Newly found RESPECT for Yuri Grigorovich here.