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Mariinsky Live 3D Cine-cast of Swan Lake, June 6


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Ivanchenko is scheduled to partner Lopatkina earlier in week, so -- if all goes well -- I should have a chance to compare and make a fair judgment.

To return to topic: I have never experienced 3D film of any kind--the idea of putting glasses on top of my glasses is not terribly appealing. At some point I guess I will give it a try at least once for one of these ballet broadcasts.

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Re: Ivanchenko vs Askerov - I saw them both when the Mariinsky did Swan Lake in Orange County. Askerov was partnering Kolegova and I thought he was an ok dancer - good elevation but a bit stiff in the upper body. The main thing I remember though is that he was a much better actor than Ivanchenko. As far as Siegfried goes, all I ask is that he partner well and have an emotional connection with his ballerina. I'd take Askerov over Ivanchenko any day!

Unfortunately I will be out of town on business when this is broadcast. I'd love to see it - hopefully there will be an encore presentation.

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We have more casting:

Kondaurova as Odette-Odile, Timur Askerov (rather than the trailer's Ivanchenko) as Prince Siegfried, Andrei Yermakov as Rothbart, Maria Shirinkina, Nadezhda Batoeva and Xander Parish in the pas de trois and Vasily Tkachenko as the Jester. The same cast will also be performing the afternoon before, and presumably this performance will also be filmed as a backup.

http://www.mariinsky...013/6/6/1_2130/

9:30 is a late start time for a show that runs 3 hours, but that's what you get when you're aiming primarily for audiences in Central European Summer Time on a weeknight.

Just as an FYI, during the White Nights Festival, they often have performances starting at 8, 9, 10 or even 11 p.m. to maximize stage space. The plan here - as of today's press release just issued seconds ago-- is that Kondaurova et al will perform on the main Mariinsky stage and the 3-D broadcast will be presented inside the Mariinsky II Theatre next door, on screen, at the same time ...

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. Batoeva is an up and comer to really watch! She is great!!!

Batoeva!! yahoo.gif

You should see her in Rubies - she is absolutely stunning! Actually, she is absolutely stunning in everything she does! She should be a principal!

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...Kondaurova et al will perform on the main Mariinsky stage and the 3-D broadcast will be presented inside the Mariinsky II Theatre next door, on screen, at the same time ...

Quite a luxurious 'spill-over space.' I hope that the audience buying tickets to see Swan Lake 'live' at the Mariinsky II realize that they'll just be looking at a screen.

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...Kondaurova et al will perform on the main Mariinsky stage and the 3-D broadcast will be presented inside the Mariinsky II Theatre next door, on screen, at the same time ...

Quite a luxurious 'spill-over space.' I hope that the audience buying tickets to see Swan Lake 'live' at the Mariinsky II realize that they'll just be looking at a screen.

That was my thought too... I am sure some people won't realize it (tourists)...Actually what I think they wont realize is that what they see on screen is taking place, ahem, NEXT DOOR. ermm.gif

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. Batoeva is an up and comer to really watch! She is great!!!

Batoeva!! yahoo.gif

You should see her in Rubies - she is absolutely stunning! Actually, she is absolutely stunning in everything she does! She should be a principal!

I lucked out and saw her do the Satanella pas de deux at the children's show at the Concert Hall ("Magical World of Dance"), although if I remember correctly, it was just the adagio and the coda leaving out the variations unfortunately, but it was still a joy to watch her. Then, I saw her Symphony in C in her debut in the first movement. I have also seen her in Rubies, and I agree with you!

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I'd hate to be the poor tourist who, after saving his pennies and dollars for years, for the ONE CHANCE to go to Russia and attend a LIVE performance at the Mariinsky, ends up seeing a cinema screen...which he could have seen back in Peoria, IL, for $15, without having to take a plane. If he/she complains, the Mariinsky can say, "You saw it LIVE...and 3-D!" This is the utimate 'Buyer Beware" situation!

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I wondered the same thing Natalia and Catherine wondered when I saw it advertised on the Mariinsky's website that tickets to the 3D are available. People will accidentally buy tickets to the wrong place. I think there will be some who don't realize they are just going to see a screen and some who don't even realize they could have gotten a ticket next door and seen it in person. The whole idea is a bit weird. I think they should set up a screen outside and allow people to watch it free like the Met does occasionally. I think that actually causes more people to want to venture inside and see a real performance one day. But it seems so bizarre to go see a movie version next door when it is actually live in the other theatre. This is a sign, in my personal opinion, that they still aren't sure what they are doing with Mariinsky II and how to fill the performance schedule there. Maybe this will be worked out eventually. But I would think they would need an entire new staff for the new theatre in order to keep it filled with performances night after night.

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..

e .... But I would think they would need an entire new staff for the new theatre in order to keep it filled with performances night after night.

At the very least, the new Mariinsky-II staff will be trained to hand-out the 3-D glasses! I guess that the unsuspecting folks who paid for a ticket to a live performance of Swan Lake at the Mariinsky-II on June 6 will know that something's afoot when they receive a pair of 3-D glasses when they enter the lobby. Maybe RT cable tv will have cameras to record that?

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It does seem pretty ludicrous to spend so much money on a new theatre and then use it as a movie theater. I mean, I know this is a one-off situation, but they will probably do it from time to time. This won't be the last time. The whole pitch about Mariinsky II is that it is state-of-the-art and can do things that were not possible in the historic theatre. Then, they turn around and use it to show a movie. Unbelievable!

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It does seem pretty ludicrous to spend so much money on a new theatre and then use it as a movie theater. I mean, I know this is a one-off situation, but they will probably do it from time to time. This won't be the last time. The whole pitch about Mariinsky II is that it is state-of-the-art and can do things that were not possible in the historic theatre. Then, they turn around and use it to show a movie. Unbelievable!

Exactly huh.png.

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By the time I saw the announcement of the movie showing at Mariinsky II, the live performance was sold out. I don't know when the announcement about the film showing went up originally, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was only after the tickets for the performance itself were gone. I agree that the best would have been a free showing on the square in front of the theater, but I think they are trying to make this a huge special event and feature the whole 'arts complex.' So they are saying--well you couldn't get into the live showing but you can watch it in a "special" glamorous setting (uh...the New Mariinsky).

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By the time I saw the announcement of the movie showing at Mariinsky II, the live performance was sold out. I don't know when the announcement about the film showing went up originally, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was only after the tickets for the performance itself were gone. I agree that the best would have been a free showing on the square in front of the theater, but I think they are trying to make this a huge special event and feature the whole 'arts complex.' So they are saying--well you couldn't get into the live showing but you can watch it in a "special" glamorous setting (uh...the New Mariinsky).

You are probably right.

It makes some sense when you put it that way, but in an ideal world they would have had live shows planned for Mariinsky II when they opened. I am getting the sense that they don't have enough staff to put together shows for both houses every night and are still flying by the seat of their pants. I suspect that is probably normal at the beginning. Maybe both houses will be more solidly booked next season.

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It's bad enough that they'll be presenting nearly a month of the Broadway musical My Fair Lady yet again (as of mid-July). I hate to be a snob but...really? The city is full of 'musical theater'-type stages that specialize in such shows. I find it a sad moment when a grand historic opera-ballet house like THE Mariinsky has to turn to 'pop fare' like musicals and circus acts (as at the Mikhailovsky of late) to fill-out the repertoire.

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It's bad enough that they'll be presenting nearly a month of the Broadway musical My Fair Lady yet again (as of mid-July). I hate to be a snob but...really? The city is full of 'musical theater'-type stages that specialize in such shows. I find it a sad moment when a grand historic opera-ballet house like THE Mariinsky has to turn to 'pop fare' like musicals and circus acts (as at the Mikhailovsky of late) to fill-out the repertoire.

I agree with this. So far (notice I say so far) the Metropolitan Opera does not put on musicals, although Lyric Opera of Chicago has (I think they are doing Oklahoma this season). I think La Scala has put on Westside Story during the summer several years ago, if I remember correctly. I hated the thought of La Scala doing that.

I think this is the second summer in a row that they are doing My Fair Lady. It is actually a nice musical, but it does not belong at the Mariinsky.

But many of my friends (when they find out I am an opera lover or past opera lover, now an opera hater b/c everything has gone downhill and I can only complain....LOL) tell me how much they love Phantom of the Opera thinking they are relating to me. They don't realize it isn't an opera.

And I suspect most tourists seeing My Fair Lady at the Mariinsky will tell their friends, "Oh, we saw the opera My Fair Lady at the Mariinsky!"

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....And I suspect most tourists seeing My Fair Lady at the Mariinsky will tell their friends, "Oh, we saw the opera My Fair Lady at the Mariinsky!"

True. Unfortunately, these are the same sorts who applaud inept ballerinas in Swan Lake. No wonder that Mariinsky Central Casting doesn't give a hoot about quality, even on tour - ESPECIALLY on tour to any place but London, Paris or NY. (Fateev knows that he can't pull the wool over the eyes of the few truly-knowledgeable audiences in balletdom....and when he does -- as in Romeo & Juliet/London a few years ago -- there is hell to pay.)

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I actually doubt many American tourists in St. Petersburg will be particularly thrilled at seeing My Fair Lady--they may not be outraged or they may think it's charming, but I'm skeptical they believe for an instant that the Mariinsky does a better My Fair Lady than they would see at a West End or Broadway revival. Undoubtedly they would rather see Swan Lake than The Little Humpbacked Horse for the most part--but My Fair Lady? I doubt it. Local audiences may feel differently. I hope not, but I don't know.

I also agree that when tourists see inept ballerinas they will often just be vaguely unimpressed even if they applaud. Bart Birdsall wrote something similar above. They may well think 'what's the big fuss about the ballet.'(I only say "they" because we aren't talking about balletomane tourists--I certainly will be a tourist if my visit to St. Petersburg comes off--with most if not all of a tourist's follies.)

It's hard to say over the long term what the damage will be to the "Mariinsky"--especially if the problem remains limited to a bit of bizarre or, at any rate, controversial casting. This June, the casting that has been listed indicates Kondaurova and even Lopatkina and Vishneva are dancing more than Skorik who is scheduled so far for one Bayadere. And if the corps and soloists remain at the overall level of the company's great tradition, then it can probably weather a few ballerina storms, however unpleasant those are for dancers and fans. I agree that the school and its standards are a key issue here.

But certainly My Fair Lady is a depressing sign of the times. Very much so. I would have wept had I planned a trip to St. Petersburg and discovered that was what they were doing.

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The new cinema tab on the Mariinsky's website also has a link to the full cast for June 6's Swan Lake. Of course, this casting could change by June 6, but at least it gives us an idea of who we should see.

I guess since this is a special event at the movies they found the time and effort to make the full casting info available. They never provide this much casting info normally on the site. In contrast, the Bolshoi often gives this much casting info on its site.

http://www.mariinskycinema.com/assets/cast_list.pdf

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‘It takes eight large cameras including three in the stalls and one on a crane above the dancers, as well as on stage and in the orchestra pit.

'It’s not discreet, it will feel more like a Hollywood set than a theatre for the night but it really captures movement in space. With a pirouette, when the dancer’s leg extends it flies immediately at you. It’s just stunning.’

http://www.dailymail...a-near-you.html

Ah yes, the Mariinsky skycam. Nevertheless, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

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‘It takes eight large cameras including three in the stalls and one on a crane above the dancers, as well as on stage and in the orchestra pit.

'It’s not discreet, it will feel more like a Hollywood set than a theatre for the night but it really captures movement in space. With a pirouette, when the dancer’s leg extends it flies immediately at you. It’s just stunning.’

http://www.dailymail...a-near-you.html

Ah yes, the Mariinsky skycam. Nevertheless, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

I don't like the skycam. I like to see the film as though I'm viewing from the audience, although I do like close-ups - but the skycam seems an unnatural shot.
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Just back from the Mariinsky Swan Lake which I saw in 2D. A perfect all-around disaster. Interminable videos before each of the three acts: Maestro Gergiev talking various nonsense into the camera, Maestro Gergiev conducting bits of Tchaikovsky's Symphony #4, a random ballet dancer doing a pirouette on a staircase in the Winter Palace, the hostess (supermodel Natalia Vodianova) providing inane, cringe-worthy commentary from a poorly memorized script, etc. The hostess actually forgot Kondaurova's name when interviewing her husband Islom Baimuradov before the second act, and kept calling him "Islam". All this caused the actual performance to begin around 7pm instead of the announced start time of 6:30pm, and end after 10pm. Considering that this was a recording, what's the point?

Then there were horrendous camera angles. Close-ups of corps dancers while the entire corps was dancing. Close-ups of dancers sitting or standing next to the wings while somebody else was dancing outside of the camera shot. Distracting cut-aways which broke the continuity of dancing. Poor lighting which made von Rothbart indistinguishable from the background most of the time. (Interestingly, the lighting on Maestro Gergiev in the pit was always very good.)

Then there were problems with the orchestra. Bad notes from multiple sections in the orchestra during the first act, plus lack of coordination between Gergiev and the dancers---on several occasions, the orchestra and a dancer would finish at very different times.

Kondaurova is a great dancer, and Timur Askerov---who I was watching for the first time---is excellent as well, but there was little chemistry between them and not much emotion or expressiveness. It didn't help that Kondaurova had two slips during the "white" adagio.

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By the way, Anastasia Kolegova was the ballerina going up the stairs during the intermission features and looking at the book and doing the pirouettes while Sleeping Beauty music played. She is a great ballerina. Beautiful too. She's not as famous as Kondaurova or Lopatkina, etc., but she should be!

But it was sort of cheesy to add those bits inside the Winter Palace, and I am not quite sure what the point was. But I can't complain whenever I see her. I also enjoyed the shots of St. Petersburg.

Natalia Vodianova is beautiful but should not quit her day job as model! LOL It is obvious her forte is standing and looking pretty, not speaking!!!

A friend in Chicago saw it in 3D (I saw it in 2D), and he said the picture was blurry and 3D did not work well. He thinks the Pace company messed up with the 3D, but isn't sure if it was just his movie theater that had problems or worldwide. Can anyone who saw this in 3D tell their experience?

One of the worst moments of filming the wrong moment was the camera staying on Askerov as he takes flowers on the side as the corps is dancing and many moments that dancing was ignored to show a moment like that. I always expect moments like this, but they still make me shake my head. Why don't the cameramen know we want to see the dancing, not Askerov getting flowers from the Jester or whoever????

Yes, some of the notes coming from the orchestra were amazingly bad!!

I was wondering if the biggest slip was caused by Askerov, because he was finishing turning her when that happened, and then during other supported turns she was leaning a lot and he had to pull her upright. That can be his fault also.

Kondaurova comes alive, in my personal opinion, when she plays strong women (or biyotches in this case). To me her whole personality lights up as the Black Swan, whereas her Odette is good but nothing incredible (this is my own personal opinion, and I am sure some disagree with me). I think her Carmen is also very good. To me she is a very extroverted dancer so her personality simply fits the more extroverted parts. In contrast, Lopatkina seems like an introverted dancer so she does better at Odette than she does at Odile. I think a gala with Lopatkina as Odette and Kondaurova as Odile might be a fun idea. It would sell tickets for sure!!!

I felt Andrei Yermakov as Rothbart demonstrated true Vaganova style with the famous Russian rubber spine that can bend backward so well plus the famous Vaganova arms. I think he showed off the style that the Mariinsky is famous for whereas Askerov was very stiff and I think it is simply his physical make-up. Askerov is very tight and and stiff in the neck and shoulders which is unusual for a Mariinsky dancer. Some people said they would prefer him to Ivanchenko, who was originally cast, but even though Askerov is fresher, younger and maybe bouncier, I think Ivanchenko looks more like a Vaganova trained dancer even though he phones it in all the time and doesn't really excite. He is also a more reliable partner. For last night I think I would have preferred to swap the two main males. Yermakov as Prince Siegfried and Askerov as Rothbart.

In all fairness Skorik did so much better than she usually does as one of the 2 swans. I think her issue must be a stamina or nervousness thing. This is why Fateyev should keep her in smaller roles like this until she is ready to move on.

It was a joy to see up-and-coming dancers like Batoeva (one of the prince's friends), Marchuk (among Little swans), Nikitina (one of the 2 swans), and Stepanova (one of the big swans). It was also nice to catch glimpses of Martynyuk, Ivanova, Vasnetsova, etc.

This was fun to see, but I am not sure it was a performance that needed to be preserved on dvd. I imagine the dvd will use footage from both nights to edit out the minor slips.

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