cgc Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 This is a fact seeking question, rather than an aesthetic philosophical one, but I wasn't sure where to post it. Apologies. My question has to do with the number of ballets Ratmansky has produced to Shostakovich's music. I've counted 7: La Sylphide88 Bolt Bright Stream Concerto DSCH Symphony #9 Piano Concerto #1 Chamber Symphony In her June 7, 2013 New Yorker article on Ratmansky and Shostakovich, Joan Acocella states that he's done ELEVEN to Shostakovich's music. Anyone want to fill in the blanks here? Apparently I'm missing four. THANKS Link to comment
Paul Parish Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I can't add any names, but I sure hope someone else can. I want to know the answer to this question. Link to comment
choriamb Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 The Golden Age is the only other one I can come up with. I think you might have to start digging into earlier and more obscure pieces. The Mariinsky has a nice list at http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/choreographers/ratmansky/ and his wife Tatiana's ABT page includes some early works that I've never seen listed at http://www.abt.org/education/archive/choreographers/ratmansky_t.html . Update: It also occurred to me that he might have provided incidental dances for Bolshoi productions of Shostakovich's operas. Link to comment
Swanilda8 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 The Golden Age is the only other one I can come up with. Has Ratmansky done a Golden Age? I thought that Golden Age was the only Shostakovich ballet he hadn't done. Link to comment
Helene Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 This bio in a .pdf of a program from State Ballet of Georgia (at Berkeley) lists: Charms of Mannerism, commissioned by Nina Ananiashvili Dreams of Japan Leah, based the The Dybbuk, which he revised and presented after he became head of Bolshoi Ballet Capriccio (part of the New Choreographers program at the Bolshoi) in addition to Yurliberlyu and Whipped Cream, which were listed in Tatiana Ratmanskaya's bio among his ballets. I'm not having much luck finding composers, though. Link to comment
choriamb Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 This bio in a .pdf of a program from State Ballet of Georgia (at Berkeley) lists: Charms of Mannerism, commissioned by Nina Ananiashvili Dreams of Japan Leah, based the The Dybbuk, which he revised and presented after he became head of Bolshoi Ballet Capriccio (part of the New Choreographers program at the Bolshoi) in addition to Yurliberlyu and Whipped Cream, which were listed in Tatiana Ratmanskaya's bio among his ballets. I'm not having much luck finding composers, though. I'd wondered about the State Ballet of Georgia dances, too, but they all seem to be non-Shostakovich. The Yurliberlyu and Whipped Cream are still question marks though. ["Self, is it wrong of me to hope against hope that the world contains a ballet scored to Herb Alpert? Yes, self, it is.] Link to comment
Natalia Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 In an interview a couple of years ago, Ratmansky cited Shostakovich's operetta MOSCOW CHERYOMUSHKI, a comedy set in a Kruschev-era concrete jungle of high rise apartments, as a possible subject of a future ballet. Knowing the operetta and film, I totally agree...it could be a BRIGHT STREAM set in the 1960s, with several hilarious characters. Link to comment
cgc Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Thanks, everyone. Those ABT and Maryinsky bios are helpful. I'm still unable to find the composers for Whipped Cream, Jurliberlu, Sarabande, and Water (many of these are listed in Tatyana Ratmanskaya's bio and appear to be choreographic miniatures and early works). So those could be the missing pieces. Here are some composers I did find listed for some of the more obscure Ratmansky works. 98 Steps - Nino Rota Old Lady Falling Down - Desyatnikov Capriccio - Stravinsky Charms of Mannerism - R. Strauss Turandot's Dream - Hindemith Leah - Bernstein Chromatic Variations - Bizet I couldn't find anything on Moscow Cheryomushki other than that Gergiev conducted a production in London in 2006 (no choreographer mentioned), the Chicago Opera had a run in 2012 (Ratmansky was not the choreographer), and the Maryinsky revived the production in Feb. 2015. But I don't see the choreographer listed for either of the Maryinsky productions. Link to comment
Natalia Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 AR said that Cheryomushki is a dream/idea. An instrumental version of the operetta's score would have to be arranged first or have singers in the pit or ????. The recent Mariinsky Young Singers version of the full operetta was a partially-staged concert in which the singers did their own movement and bits of dancing. AR not involved. Curiously, the famous 1960s movie of Cheryomushki starred a Kirov Ballet soloist, Olga Zabotkina, who lip-synched her songs. Link to comment
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