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Mariinsky's Raymonda To the KC in Feb 2016


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ITA, Amy. At the end of the day, it's all a matter of personal taste & preferences. However, photos & films don't lie..."the proof is in the pudding," as they say. If a ballerina falters in her one solo variation of G-P Classique, then how can she make it through the six (6) solo variations of RAYMONDA? The sad thing is that the best RAYMONDA that I've seen live is Olesya Novikova at La Scala, even though she remains a First Soloist on the Mariinsky roster, yet I hold no hope of her inclusion in the DC tour (recently had 3rd child with her husband Sarafanov).

As for versions of RAYMONDA, I love the Vikharev recon of the Petipa original at La Scala...but the Mariinsky is much closer to the original than is the Bolshoi-Grigorovich edition. At least we can see in the Soviet-KSergeyev version a complete Valse Fantastique (AI, sc2) with a full corps in various layers (including a male corps, demisoloist ladies in tutus, other ladies in longer skirts), then three "Dream solo variations" closer to the 1898 Petipa originals than in the Bolshoi version. To me, that Dream Scene (in AI, sc2) is the crown jewel of this ballet, even though all three acts contain magnificent classical highlights.

The proof is in the pudding? Unfortunately, I do not have a full length video of Somova's Raymonda to upload here, as presumably that would be the only proof that anyone would accept. HOWEVER, I WAS present in St Petersburg at Somova's Raymonda debut as I indicated above, and each variation was technically wonderful. Whether or not anyone personally LIKES Somova is a question of their own taste, but to say she could not perform the role of Raymonda to a technically high standard, is patently WRONG. I SAW it. And not just technique, but artistry there was in abundance, a fact that was appreciated by the whole Mariinsky audience, who gave her a huge ovation. Her dream scene was just exquisite in particular, with beautiful floating arms and lyrical upper body. Her "blue" variation was crisply articulated with strong footwork - basically each variation was differentiated, which is one of the hallmarks of a great Raymonda, since it is so difficult for any one ballerina to dance EACH variation to the same level of excellence. I have also seen in person on the Mariinsky stage most of the other ballerinas who currently have the role in their repertoire, and she was certainly the best of them. I say this objectively, as personally I love Novikova's Raymonda also as well as Lopatkina's Raymonda. Kolegova and Matvienko also are lovely Raymondas, both very strong technically and professional. We can all prefer certain ballerinas, but anyone judging Somova's Raymonda objectively could NEVER say it was anything other than excellent, both technically and artistically.

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Yes that's my problem too, Drew and it really is very sad; it all comes down to bad training and how the Vaganova method has changed since Vaganova's death. The teachers at the Vaganova Academy will probably deny that the method has changed, but they would do. I don't mean to pin all the blame on the dancers or at least come across as if I do because it's not really their fault; it's clearly a sign of bad training and lack of artistic direction. I really hope someone deals with all these issues very soon... the funny thing is, the male Vaganova graduates seem to be okay, it's the girls who are emerging in quite a state...

But anyway, those of you who will be going to see the Mariinsky in DC, I hope you enjoy yourselves. :)

I am astonished to read this. I think Mesdames Kovaleva, Udalenkova, all the senior teachers, as well as those just joined as well as their artistic director, Zhanna Ayupova, would be frankly disbelieving and insulted by this comment. Perhaps you could clarify which points of technique you think they with their collective centuries of experience, are lacking in the ability to transmit to their students with their "bad training?"

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I agree that Raymonda seems a potentially good temperamental fit for Somova. I would be happy to see her.

But...casting zen as I say. (Well, not as regards Lopatkina dancing opening night...I would have to be the Buddha reincarnate to pull that off.)

For all those who love the 'Vaganova' upper body in Petipa, a short video I enjoy a lot -- Lezhnina in Pacquita. For all those who don't, at any rate it will give you a very good idea of what I would be sad to see lost to ballet tradition. In fact, my problem with the Mariinsky is not that they still dance like this, but they don't--at least not as much as they used to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGAo0yTgmLo

I love Larissa. It's a shame she left the Mariinsky. Dutch National Ballet gained a gem of a dancer.

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For me, a good Raymonda is a crisp, sharp technician, who can perform those infamous six variations with aplomb, exactly to the beat of the music. It is hardly a loosy-goosed 'interpretative' role. Hence, my concern when a potential Raymonda cannot even deliver a crisp, sharp Grand-Pas Classique diagonal in her one solo in that work. Perhaps my years of enjoying sharp technicians like Guillem, Pontois, Wiles, Komleva, Paly, Loudieres (especially Loudieres!) in this pdd has spoiled me so that loosy-goosies like A.S. do not satisfy...not to say that the loosies can't be good interpreters of, say, Ratmansky's Cinderella or Tsar Maiden in LHH, which A.S. certainly is. I simply prefer sharp technicians in icy tech roles like Ray and GP Classique.

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Per Kennedy Center Website:

RINCIPAL CASTING (subject to change)
2/23 eve. | 2/26 eve. | 2/28 mat.
Raymonda: Oxana Skorik
Countess Sibilla: Elena Bazhenova
Jean de Brienne: Timur Askerov
Abderakhman: Konstantin Zverev
René de Brienne: Soslan Kulaev
Ali: Islom Baimuradow
Henrietta: Nadezhda Batoeva (2/23 & 28); Nadezhda Gonchar (2/26)
Clémence: Kristina Shapran (2/23 & 28); Yekaterina Chebykina (2/26)

2/24 eve. | 2/27 eve.
Raymonda: Yekaterina Kondaurova
Countess Sibilla: Elena Bazhenova
Jean de Brienne: Daniil Korsuntsev
Abderakhman: Yuri Smekalov
René de Brienne: Soslan Kulaev
Ali: Islom Baimuradow
Henrietta: Nadezhda Gonchar
Clémence: Yekaterina Chebykina

2/25 eve. | 2/27 mat.
Raymonda: Anastasia Kolegova
Countess Sibilla: Elena Bazhenova
Jean de Brienne: Yevgeny Ivanchenko
Abderakhman: Yuri Smekalov (2/25); Konstantin Zverev (2/27)
René de Brienne: Soslan Kulaev
Ali: Islom Baimuradow
Henrietta: Nadezhda Batoeva
Clémence: Kristina Shapran

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Thank you for posting the cast information. I'm looking forward to seeing ALL of these dancers, and extremely excited to be seeing the ballet. Basically could not be happier that Mariinsky is touring Raymonda. But I am still a wee bit disappointed in some of the casting. The two Jean De Brienne's I was most looking forward to having a chance to see--Yermakov and Shklyarov--not coming. No Lopatkina even though she is dancing in NY later the same week and is an admired Raymonda (!!!) and no Tereshkina who opened the California run. And for myself, too, I would have preferred seeing Somova to Kolegova...

That said, just reading all the different parts has me very excited about seeing the production.

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Thanks...and GREAT! :)

"No-fly zone!"...the next-best thing to winning Powerball! I'm now free to "move about the cabin" and purchase tix to the remaining performances.

Drew, those two missing Jean de Briennes (Ermakov & Schklyarov) will be in Brooklyn at this time, performing with Lopatkina et al at the MT Orch galas mentioned elsewhere.

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Thanks for the casting. I'm kind of disappointed in not seeing Somova, as I wanted to see her live, to come up with an opinion on her.

I don't know much about the cast I'm seeing (Kolegova cast), so at least I'll be exposed to some unfamiliar dancers.

I, too, wish Shklyarov was coming to DC.

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Cygnet wrote a detailed review of Kolegova's Raymonda during one of the California tours but I can't locate it now. Anyway, our Cygnet recommends Anastasia Kolegova in the Petipa classics. I've seen her as Gamzatti at the Mariinsky but as Aurora & Kitri at the Maly before the changes. She was fabulous...dark/haired and glamorous face...she'll bring the 'snoot' to Ray, I bet.

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...she'll bring the 'snoot' to Ray, I bet.

My thoughts exactly. I've seen Kolegova as Aurora & O/O with the Mariinsky, also with them in Les Sylphides. I have absolutely no recollection of her in the Fokine but I didn't like her in the other two. Strong technique, beautiful face with those amazing slavic cheekbones but I thought her Aurora was cold and her O/O dull and unfocused. Raymonda is a role that I think may fit her to a tee, I can only imagine the hauteur she'll bring to the Grand Pas Hongrois!

I can live with the KC casting. I didn't think we'd get Lopatkina but I was looking forward to seeing Tereshkina, so thats a disappointment. I'm out there Thurs - Sat and then rushing back to NY for Lopatkina's last night at BAM. So if the casting holds I'll see Skorik & Kondaurova each once and Kolegova twice. Very excited to see Big Red's Raymonda and also Bateova and Shapran as Henriette.

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I would love to see Kolegova's Raymonda, I think she may prove the perfect fit for the role. She's a dancer who I've noticed seems to fall between two stools with a lot of people, not the favourite interpreter of roles, but not falling into the disliked category either. A few weeks ago I saw her dance Medora in Baden Baden and although she had to compete with Tereshkina's near definitive performance the night before, Kolegova was quite beautiful, though giving a more lyrical rendition of the part, a more vulnerable Medora than the feisty pirate girl I usually prefer. After that performance I felt she had risen substantially in my appreciation of her.

For me the definitive Raymonda will always be Fonteyn, full of glamour and drama in the third act she also had that turn of speed that I agree with with other posters is being ignored at the Kirov as they concentrate on adage at the expense of allegro. Again at Baden Baden, I was troubled by the slowness in of all things the Don Q. pas de deux in the gala programme, the friend I was with thought so too and asked one of the coaches for an opinion: all the fault of the maestro apparently. So now you know.

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I have seen Kolegova live in person at the Mariinsky Theatre as Odette/Odile, Aurora, Medora, Nikiya, Tsar Maiden (Ratmansky's Humpbacked Horse), and Chopiniana....maybe something else that I have forgotten. I have also seen her in those very roles in multiple performances on video as well as La Sylphide, Giselle, Raymonda, Gamzatti, Juliet.

I have read many reviews in the past few years of her as cold but I am very surprised, because I find her acting to be exactly how I would act. Maybe because she is an Aquarius like me I "get" her personality and acting. To me her reactions to characters and how she acts is subtle but exactly how I would respond in real life to the characters she responds to.....I do think she is subtle, so maybe if you sit far up in the balcony you might miss some of her acting, but I have always been up close and have always felt her acting was better than many others. I know that even world renowned critics have said she was cold. I disagree. I find her erotic when she needs to be erotic, sweet when she needs to be sweet, frightened when she needs to be frightened, etc.

The only role where I felt she missed the mark was Nikiya because she came onto the stage almost furious at the High Priest from the moment she entered, before he grabbed at her. Literally when he removed the veil she looked like she wanted to kill him. It was too angry. I don't think she has had many chances at Nikiya and that is the reason why. She tends to dance Gamzatti in Bayadere.

Her Raymonda is technically great with wonderful Vaganova arms and daintiness and her beauty does not hurt at all. She is an absolute delight coming out on stage to pick up the flowers.

I met her in St. Petersburg this summer and she actually told me she was coming to DC, but I did not want to say that because I wasn't sure if it was considered "inside information." This is a ballerina who comes out after Swan Lake and simply acts like she is leaving a Pilates class and was so down-to-earth and friendly like it is no big deal that she just danced Swan Lake. Her look (when she is dressed up) is intimidating because of her beauty (I saw her in the audience at other performances and I can imagine how some might think she was unapproachable), but she is just the opposite. She called me by name each time I saw her even though she only met me once. She is super down-to-earth and very sweet. Total opposite of a diva. I got the impression dancing Swan Lake was just like another night at the gym and she was finished and ready to just go get a shake.

Personally I think she will be the best out of the three. I think Kondaurova might be decent in many ways, but in the past times I have seen her recently she was prone to many little mistakes (falling off pointe or some other mistake). Each time is no big deal but all of the little mess ups start to add up. I had heard she was injured (seriously) for a while. I hope she is back in good form for the Raymondas, but I also think Kondaurova seems more suited to the Bolshoi's Raymonda where strength is a plus. The Mariinsky's Raymonda has the character of Raymonda much more delicate and dainty until the end after experiencing Abderakhman's attentions and death and her final act variation tends to be haughty because she is no longer a "girl," rather a woman of the world (my personal interpretation). I think Kondaurova is best in the final variation but lacks the sweetness and daintiness for the first act. I like Kondaurova in things like Carmen Suite and Street Dancer. She is good at strong women and therefore her final Raymonda variation is actually very haughty.

Skorik has improved but I have seen her live and she has a tendency to look like she is in a rehearsal concentrating very much on the steps. There is a general jerkiness to her dancing (can't put my finger on it.....maybe linking steps are not smooth). She is no longer a disaster, no longer making mistakes, but she has a way to go to live up to her status as Principal, in my personal opinion.

I will still enjoy seeing this beautiful work many times in DC. You will have to view the sets as almost like pop up book cut outs. They evoke the middle ages but are not heavy duty sets. To me it is like a fairytale pop up book (the sets).

Highlights for me are Raymonda's entrance picking up the flowers and the big waltz in Act 1 with Raymonda dancing her first variation in the middle of it.

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Birdsall, could you please analyze the three Jean de Briennes for us, assuming you've seen them all as Jean....Askerov, Korsuntsev & Ivanchenko? Who is your fave?

I think Korsuntsev is probably the best Jean de Brienne out of the three. He is a great partner most of all, and Raymonda's partner is very important. There are many overhead lifts and mostly partnering duties for Jean de Brienne. He gets one variation in the final act. Korsuntsev's partnering of Lopatkina in Raymonda this past summer was terrific, and he did a very good solo at the end. Earlier on my trip he danced Siegfried and was showing his age, but I think Raymonda is a good ballet that plays to his strengths. He is tall, strong, and his acting is good. He isn't a dancer like Barishnikov or anything (he doesn't make your jaw drop), but he gets the job done very well.

I know some will groan about Ivanchenko. I think he needs 5 espressos before going on stage. However, since Jean de Brienne is mostly about partnering, believe it or not, I think Ivanchenko will do a very good job. He is a good partner. His personality seems laid back and he has the strength for lifts and tends to help the ballerina look her best, in my opinion. So even though he would probably be most people's least favorite male dancer at the Mariinsky he is actually decent (mainly for his partnering) in Raymonda.

I have not seen Askerov in Raymonda. I don't remember seeing him cast in the role ever, so maybe this is his debut as Jean de Brienne. I just went to his bio on the Mariinsky website and did not see Raymonda listed in his credits, so it could be his debut on this tour. I could be wrong.I have seen him in other roles, and he seems fine in some respects, lacking in others. I distinctly remember him in Marguerite and Armand with Lopatkina, and I thought he did okay, but then the very next night Shklyarov (with Tereshkina) blew him out of the water. He is technically okay and has more zip than Ivanchenko, so some reading this will prefer Askerov, but I believe he is shorter than the other two Jean de Briennes listed above and I also remember him omitting the falling backward down the steps at the end of Romeo and Juliet this past summer. I don't remember what I thought of his partnering skills in the past. I think he is okay, but for partnering I believe the other two are better partners.

Anyway, I suspect that is the order of my personal choices in the men.

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Askerov seemed hugely improved since I last saw him in London, he was first rate in the Auber Grand pas Classique with Tereshkina, in fact as a pair they stood comparison with any of the previous couples I've seen. I don't think he's short, my guess is about six foot, but the other two are definitely taller.

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Thanks for your thoughts on the guys, Birdsall. ROTFL on the "5 espressos" for Ivanchenko! He can be a 'sleeper' then, the next minute, astounds us. For example, he was one of the 3 Mariinsky Principals featured in last summer's "Knights of Dance" program at the MT (in honor of their coach, Selyutsky). At first I thought, "They have to be kidding." Then Ivanchenko broke into the sexiest, most passionate tango during the final modern piece....and we all went "WHOAH!" He must have had those espressos just before the tango

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Skorik dancing Raymonda, let alone first cast of a major tour, is an insult to this great company. Her dancing is completely without soul. There is nothing of artistic value in her. She is forced and robotically unnatural. Just appalling.

I have to say, I sat right next to the Mariinsky stage for her Raymonda with Ermakov JdB and I could see that she had actually improved technically. The problem is that everything looks careful and rehearsed: it is like the performance of someone learning the role, and even her acting LOOKS rehearsed, and not natural. She is a very inexpressive dancer.

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Thanks for your thoughts on the guys, Birdsall. ROTFL on the "5 espressos" for Ivanchenko! He can be a 'sleeper' then, the next minute, astounds us. For example, he was one of the 3 Mariinsky Principals honored in last summer's "Knights of Dance" program at the MT. At first I thought, "They have to be kidding." Then he broke into the sexiest, most passionate tango during the final modern piece....and we all went "WHOAH!" He must have had those espressos just before the tango

I saw Ivanchenko's JdB in Alina Somova's Raymonda debut, and have also seen Korsuntsev, Askerov and Ermakov in the same role at the Mariinsky and all the current JdBs either on stage or on video. I think Ivanchenko actually is the most princely in bearing and appearance of the three who will be appearing at the KC, and a wonderful partner. Technically he has the edge on Korsuntsev, although ERmakov is superior to them both. Askerov unfortunately cannot act. But ... for a medieval image of a courtly knight with perfect manners and partnering, Ivanchenko does fit the bill and is still technically able to execute the role, although he is not exciting ... agree with Birdsall ... massive doses of espresso first!

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That's your opinion. To me, it's an ultra-aristocratic role. Not warm-and-fuzzy soubrette. Think Lopatkina, Platel, Bessmertnova. Novikova too...magnificent at La Scala. I have great hopes for all three Rays at the Kennedy Center because they all have a certain degree of "snooty air"...in a nice way, of course.

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I haven't seen a live full-length Raymonda in some years, but I should think that--like Aurora--Raymonda should be subtly different in each act. Fresh and youthful in her entrance certainly, though still a blue-blood and, by the end, radiating aristocratic grandeur. (At least "ballet" aristocratic -- which is as absurd in its way as "ballet" peasant. Though very beautiful.)

And any good ballerina will mold the role a bit towards her particular strengths--the role has its requirements, but if the ballet didn't allow for some interpretive range it could be danced by holographs.

Despite the damsel in distress aspects, the choreography endows Raymonda with more agency and character than the story does. I like that about Petipa.

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