XVIII Mariinsky International Ballet Festival 2018

[MadameP]

1 hour ago, canbelto said:

There are two commercially available videos of Balanchine's Nutcracker and the entire Nutcracker is also on YT. Search "Balanchine 1993."

Thank you!

[MadameP]

52 minutes ago, mnacenani said:

Which gala ?? Has M been posting events in hotchpotch fashion again ?? What disorganisation, unbelievable and unacceptable. Gimme the Bolshoy any time !

Despite the fact that the Bolshoy frequently puts up casting only a few days in advance?  I prefer Mariinsky.

[Buddy]

Well I just got my tickets.

3 Swan Lakes
1 Giselle
2 Sleeping Beauties
2 Don Quixotes
1 Gala
and More, 

in 14 days, 
on the home stages. 

Somewhat hard to pass up, I do believe.

Edited February 3, 2018 by Buddy
corrected the number of days

[Buddy]

Well, this is sort of interesting. Maybe we have a Festival after all, at least in title. What form it takes this year, who knows? But apparently there is a future. This year it's currently being announced as a two month affair.

MAIN “MARIINSKY” 18TH INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL

"An annual festival, featuring the stars of the Mariinsky Theater and leading dancers of the largest ballet companies of the world, presents masterpieces of the classical repertoire and new productions of young choreographers. In 2018, Russia will widely celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Marius Petipa. During the festival, the Mariinsky Theater will present famous ballets of the great choreographer".

Hosted by:  Organizing Committee (326-41-41)
From:  01 March 2018
Till:  30 April 2018
address  State Academic Mariinsky Theater, Mariinsky-2
Website: http://mariinsky.ru

http://new.spbculture.ru/en/kulturnye-sobytiya/culture_event_details/36859
(thanks once again to Sophia at Dansomanie for finding what I couldn't after quite a search)

Edited February 4, 2018 by Buddy

[Buddy]

On the other side of things, the prices that I've checked are about 50% higher than for the same events last year.

[Birdsall]

Buddy, I looked at the Mariinsky website, and it appears that the two SB performances at the historic theatre are going to be the reconstruction that they have not staged for a long while! You are lucky!

[Buddy]

2 hours ago, Birdsall said:

Buddy, I looked at the Mariinsky website, and it appears that the two SB performances at the historic theatre are going to be the reconstruction that they have not staged for a long while! You are lucky!

Hi Birdsall. Could you post the link to this information ?  Thank you.

Added: I found it, Birdsall. There will also be five of the other version on the new stage in March and April. Right now I've tickets for the reconstruction.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Buddy

[mussel]

Seeing the 4-hour plus reconstructed Beauty alone is worth the entire trip.  While Bayadere is listed as the Soviet version.

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2018/3/8/1_1900

Edited February 7, 2018 by mussel

[mnacenani]

19 minutes ago, mussel said:

Seeing the 4-hour plus reconstructed Beauty alone is worth the entire trip

Do excuse my ignorance but could this be the Vikharev reconstruction which made all the then pedagogs cry in disbelief ??

PS - there is a lecture on YT not about the Vikharev but the Ratmansky recons which could be of interest :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc0Y8exD1IU

 

Edited February 7, 2018 by mnacenani

[MadameP]

3 hours ago, Birdsall said:

Buddy, I looked at the Mariinsky website, and it appears that the two SB performances at the historic theatre are going to be the reconstruction that they have not staged for a long while! You are lucky!

Seriously?  Wow!  I had booked those 2 SBs and the gala and DID NOT REALISE!!!  Hooray!!!  But still ... much depends on casting ...

[Drew]

Reviving the reconstruction...Wow!  I wonder who will be responsible for the staging...and....also if my boss would like to send me to St. Petersburg that week.

[Ashton Fan]

Mnacenani,

The information given under the heading "Credits" states that it is the Vikharev reconstruction. I can't help wondering not only who is going to stage it but who is going to coach it and what performance style will be adopted?  I seem to recall that in her autobiography Tchernichova had some pithy things to say about the pedagogues' shocked disbelief when faced with this reconstruction in 1999. It was to the effect that most of the coaches who had criticised Vikharev's  reconstruction for radically departing from Konstantin Sergeyev's  "authentic" Sleeping Beauty had criticised Sergeyev's production for its lack of authenticity when it was first staged in 1952. At that time the very people who were now claiming to be shocked by Vikharev's staging were fully aware of the changes which Sergeyev had made to the ballet's text in order to create his "authentic" version.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Ashton Fan

[CharlieH]

9 hours ago, mussel said:

Seeing the 4-hour plus reconstructed Beauty alone is worth the entire trip.  While Bayadere is listed as the Soviet version.

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2018/3/8/1_1900

This is a game changer.

Maybe - maybe this will finally be committed to professional DVD? Are you listening, Mezzo TV?

[mnacenani]

For the attention of Buddy, MadameP & Co. who will travel to SPB in March :  just in case you have not noticed, the new Mixailovskiy production of "Cinderella" is on at mat and eve on Saturday 10th March. Evening cast Soboleva-Lebedev, matinee cast Vorontsova-Zaytsev. Have not seen Angelina so far but know her by name quite well thanks to the "Bolshoy Babylon" affair . High-tech production, could be enjoyable, here's the trailer :

https://www.mikhailovsky.ru/en/media/video/cinderella_ballet/1112127/

Edited February 8, 2018 by mnacenani

[Drew]

What a great week to be in St. Petersburg--I would love to see the Mikhailovsky Cinderella which I understand is Messerer's revival--as much as is possible--of the Lavrosky version albeit with some high tech production elements. I thought Messerer did a very fine job with the Vainonen Flames of Paris which I saw the Mikhailovsky dance on tour and enjoyed a lot. I also love Prokofiev's music for Cinderella even if it sometimes seems a bit dark for a fairy tale.

(And there is a much older film of the Lavrosky version--at least some portions of which are available on youtube for anyone curious.)

Anyway, I am hoping to read about these March performances if/as people are able to attend them and write.

[Buddy]

9 hours ago, mnacenani said:

For the attention of Buddy, MadameP & Co. who will travel to SPB in March :  just in case you have not noticed, the new Mixailovskiy production of "Cinderella" in on at mat and eve on Saturday 10th March. Evening cast Soboleva-Lebedev, matinee cast Vorontsova-Zaytsev.

Thanks so much, Mnacenani.

I just bought a ticket to see Angelina Vorontsova. Never seen her on stage, but have liked her very much from video clips.

[MadameP]

1 hour ago, Buddy said:

Thanks so much, Mnacenani.

I just bought a ticket to see Angelina Vorontsova. Never seen her on stage, but have liked her very much from video clips.

Angelina is a strong technician (especially in turns) with a vivid personality - I have seen her several times and I like her very much.  She is perfect for exuberant roles such as Kitri, and in Laurencia, La Fille Mal Gardee etc.    It is a shame Bolshoi did not give her the roles she deserved, but she is a wonderful principal for Mikhailovsky.  I have actually seen Lebedev and Soboleva in Cinderella and I LOVED this production of Cinderella.  It is SO much better than the dismal Mariinsky one.  It is truly magical.  The "special effects" - the swirling leaves for the fairy variations, fireworks, moving palace while Cinderella is leaving, turning world - it is all just so beautiful.  And to see fabulous choreography for the prince, and the final act, where there are dances from the regions of the world where the prince is searching.  I LOVED this Cinderella.  Lebedev is a wonderful prince who just oozes quality and his wife was a touching Cinderella.  , Anyway, I think you will love it.  It is a true fairy tale and a modern synthesis of dance and special effects that is truly a triumph.  

[Buddy]

3 hours ago, MadameP said:

Angelina is a strong technician (especially in turns) with a vivid personality - I have seen her several times and I like her very much.  She is perfect for exuberant roles such as Kitri, and in Laurencia, La Fille Mal Gardee etc.    It is a shame Bolshoi did not give her the roles she deserved, but she is a wonderful principal for Mikhailovsky.  

And she seems to be a lovely Giselle from a video clip that I'm watching. She has a very nice combination of flow and sculpture. She also seems to fit the character quite well with a touch of Bolshoi liveliness.

Sometimes the Festival, for me, extends beyond the Mariinsky performances. Occasionally I go to the Hermitage Theater. I saw a lovely Odette-Odile two years ago. Also several years ago I saw Yevgenia Obraztsova perform what I thought was an absolutely beautiful Odette-Odile with the Royal Ballet in London immediately after the Festival. Remembering her lovely history at the Mariinsky, where I had seen her quite often at the Festivals, I considered her's, perhaps, the finest performance of 'the Festival'.

I thought that Angelina Vorontsova might move to the Mariinsky. In any case she's as beautiful as many of the 'best' that I've seen at the Mariinsky and perhaps will be the best that I've seen at the Milkhailovsky.  

[mtthwbrehm]

1 hour ago, Buddy said:

I thought that Angelina Vorontsova might move to the Mariinsky. In any case she's as beautiful as many of the 'best' that I've seen at the Mariinsky and perhaps will be the best that I've seen at the Milkhailovsky.  

I saw Angelina this summer in the Sleeping Beauty. Out of all the ballerinas I saw in Petersburg and Moscow, her performance made the greatest impression. She was effervescent and beautiful, perfectly capturing Aurora. Mikhailovsky is lucky to have her and the theater's repertoire suits her well.

[Buddy]

On 2/8/2018 at 7:30 PM, mtthwbrehm said:

I saw Angelina this summer in the Sleeping Beauty. Out of all the ballerinas I saw in Petersburg and Moscow, her performance made the greatest impression. She was effervescent and beautiful, perfectly capturing Aurora. Mikhailovsky is lucky to have her and the theater's repertoire suits her well.

It’s nice to read this, Mtthwbrehm. Thank you.

I thought about attending a second performance of Angela Vorontsova’s Cinderella at the Mikhailovsky, but it would be quite a rush getting from the airport. Thus, I may have to attend her 1:00 pm, March 10, performance — twice.  

I like your choice of the word “effervescent” very much. Looking at a few other video clips, that’s how she seems. I’d like to discuss her, because although she’s not (not yet, anyway) part of the Mariinsky Festival, she will be part of my festival.

Much of her identity has been associated with the ‘Felin attack,’ of which I know little, like many. I would hope that time will show that she was perhaps naive and an innocent bystander who should be discussed here primarily as a fine artist. 

If you just look at her as an artist, I think that she’s very noteworthy. If you look at some of the internet interview video clips, she seems as innocent and precious a person as you could imagine. Again, my justification for mentioning this here is that I think that it reflects highly in her stage presence. It explains her ‘effervescence.’

One interesting thing that I’ve noticed during a Giselle video clip is that I can hear a professional camera clicking. It always occurs at the most picturesque highlights. What  it doesn’t seem to do is try to capture some of the transitional moments, where her facial expression, for one thing, is more subtly soulful and embracing.

So I greatly look forward to seeing her along with the Mariinsky Festival artists, whose names have not yet been announced. Maybe she’ll be one of them. 

Edited February 10, 2018 by Buddy

[mnacenani]

39 minutes ago, Buddy said:

Thus, I may have to attend her 1:00 pm, March 10, performance — twice.  

???

[Buddy]

Attending her 1:00 pm, March 10, performance — twice.  Rather hard to do, I would think.  

[mtthwbrehm]

10 hours ago, Buddy said:

I like your choice of the word “effervescent” very much. Looking at a few other video clips, that’s how she seems. I’d like to discuss her, because although she’s not (not yet, anyway) part of the Mariinsky Festival, she will be part of my festival.

Much of her identity has been associated with the ‘Felin attack,’ of which I know little, like many. I would hope that time will show that she was perhaps naive and an innocent bystander who should be discussed here primarily as a fine artist. 

If you just look at her as an artist, I think that she’s very noteworthy. If you look at some of the internet interview video clips, she seems as innocent and precious a person as you could imagine. Again, my justification for mentioning this here is that I think that it reflects highly in her stage presence. It explains her ‘effervescence.’

I can direct message you if more appropriate than this forum, but I believe wholeheartedly in her innocence. She is an extremely beautiful and technically capable ballerina. On stage, I feel that she did not have to act. Her personality was just as sweet and innocent as Aurora. I'll never forgive myself for not bringing her flowers.

If it is within your interest, I would consider buying her a nice bouquet for the performance. 

[Buddy]

Thanks, Mtthwbrehm, for your thoughts.

Based on your continued enthusiasm and what I've seen on the internet I may try to see Angela Vorontsova twice although it might involve a tight schedule from the airport. I've never bought flowers for a ballerina before, but I'd be glad to give it a try. If I do and you want your name included on a card please send me a personal message. At the Mariinsky I've often seen a lady arriving with an armload of very beautiful  bouquets, which I assume she's delivering for customers. It's a lovely sight and a lovely gesture.

As I've mentioned, although my interest is primarily the Mariinsky Festival performances, I have been able to tie in other performances that have added to and even exceeded what I saw at the Mariinsky. Several years ago I was able to go to the Bolshoi for the first time, right after the Festival, and it was almost a seamless continuation. The lead ballerinas, Svetlana Zakharova, Anna Nikulina and even Ekaterina Krysanova, had strong and lovely Mariinsky resemblances those evenings. Seeing Angela Vorontsova might be the same.

I would hope that the Mariinsky will be posting some of the casting as soon as possible. Also there are still some unposted dates, the Saturday evening before the Sunday gala being an important one, that might be very interesting. Charlie, if you read this, I think that your idea of a Balanchine tribute night remains a fine one. Often Balanchine is included in gala events, so it could still happen, although the tribute so far is being taken rather literally.

 

Edited February 11, 2018 by Buddy
spelling correction

[MadameP]

44 minutes ago, Buddy said:

Thanks, Mtthwbrehm, for your thoughts.

Based on your continued enthusiasm and what I've seen on the internet I may try to see Angela Vorontsova twice although it might involve a tight schedule from the airport. I've never bought flowers for a ballerina before, but I'd be glad to give it a try. If I do and you want your name included on a card please send me a personal message. At the Mariinsky I've often seen a lady arriving with an armload of very beautiful  bouquets, which I assume she's delivering for customers. It's a lovely sight and a lovely gesture.

As I've mentioned, although my interest is primarily the Mariinsky Festival performances, I have been able to tie in other performances that have added to and even exceeded what I saw at the Mariinsky. Several years ago I was able to go to the Bolshoi for the first time, right after the Festival, and it was almost a seamless continuation. The lead ballerinas, Svetlana Zakharova, Anna Nikulina and even Ekaterina Krysanova, had strong and lovely Mariinsky resemblances those evenings. Seeing Angela Vorontsova might be the same.

I would hope that the Mariinsky will be posting some of the casting as soon as possible. Also there are still some unposted dates, the Saturday evening before the Sunday gala being an important one, that might be very interesting. Charlie, if you read this, I think that your idea of a Balanchine tribute night remains a fine one. Often Balanchine is included in gala events, so it could still happen, although the tribute so far is being taken rather literally.

 

Buddy, if you go to the little flower shop called Magnolia, just along the street from Mariinsky (I think it is Ulitsa Glinki) you can buy or order flowers for dancers at the Mariinsky.  That is where many of the dancers themselves go.  They have buckets of roses and other flowers and you can choose which you want and they will make up the bouquet.  If you tell them the date of the performance and the dancer they are for, they will deliver them to the theatre for you.