Vladimir Malakhov

[Petra]

Sadly but predictably, one's expectations (and reactions) to a performance are often based on the advance publicity. If I'd gone to performance billed as "A Celebration of Russian Ballet" and seen Sherezade, Walpurgisnacht and Paquita with Ruzimatov and Visneva, I would probably have had a great evening and consider my money well spent. (BTW, I'm just assuming that the best femake dancer that evening was Vishneva. As there weren't any prgrams in a script I can read I don't actually know).:rolleyes:

[Katja]

GWTW, please do not blame the dancers on any sort of the advanced publicity - it is usually done by the presenters, in this case it must have been israeli presenters. Also, from a friend of mine who was at the Gala - Vishnyeva didn't dance at all that evening and Malakhov did dance but only one piece - his solo "Voyage." It is too bad you have chosen the Gala. According to my friend their "Giselle" was the greatest ballet performance she has ever seen. She was raving about it, I only wish I could be there.

[Paul Parish]

If I remember right, back in hte late 80's, when hte "Iron Curtain" was breaking up, Russian companies started appearing in San Francisco with great frequency -- the kirov, hte Bolshoi, and hte very fine Moscow Classical Ballet, where I first saw Malakhov, as Adam in the Creation of hte WOrld (and Maximova, who was fabulous and looked 14 years old in a Juliet-ish pas de deux -- by Bejart?? in a white leotard and skirt costume that looked like practice clothes).....

ANd some company -- the Bolshoi? did Lavrovsky's Walpurgisnacht, and it was rip-roaring and WONDERFUL, and lots of girls jumped about in the position we call "attitude-front" -- what does the rest of hte world call that? It looks very Isadora-ish to me -- and the ballerina (Nina Sorokina?) was lifted in this position a lot and looked fabulous, and there were some pretty convincing furry-thighed satyrs or pans..... It seemed way too much fun to be a witches' sabbath -- I had not yet seen Mark Morris's Dido, but when I did, i knew now THAT's a witches' sabbath; Walpurgisnacht was really a baccanal, and it was a riot, but it was really joyful. WHen I finally saw Robbins's "Autumn," it reminded me of Walpurgisnacht.... the memory's dimmed, so long ago, now we're on the brink of war, everything seems so long ago, but I felt it was a wonderful ballet, I'd love to see it again -- but then, I'm very impressed by Lavrovsky. THe tiny snatches of his Spartacus I've seen intrigued me no end, and I admire his Romeo and Juliet beyond all others........

[Alexandra]

Galas can be fun. I only saw a couple of Bolshoi Highlight programs, and I'd be happy to see more. Paul, that "Walpurgisnacht" is on video -- one of those "Magic of the Kirov" compendiums; RG will know which one -- with Maximova. I think of it as a happy Rite of Spring (and I think Robbins said he hads been influenced by it for "Four Seasons.")

GWTW, I really can understand your disappointment. I agree with Katja that it's best to look at pre-performance publicity with a wary eye, but people won't know that until they've experienced one of these. I agree, too, that one has a totally different expectation when going to see "Great Stars of the Ballet" and a program organized around one or two particular dancers -- and presenters should realize that. It would avoid a lot of misunderstandings and disappointments.

[Petra]

Katja, now I'm really curious. Could you ask your friend who dancde the principal ballerina in Walpurgisnacht? She was wonderful.

[Katja]

The ballerina in Walpurgisnacht was Irina Surnyeva. She is the soloist of the Imerial Russian Ballet.

[coda]

Dear Paul Parish,

you wrote that you liked Walpurgisnachts and then:

"I'm very impressed by Lavrovsky. The tiny snatches of his Spartacus I've seen intrigued me no end, and I admire his Romeo and Juliet beyond all others........"

Which Lavrovsky you meant - father or son?

If father, Leonid, then he never choreographed "Spartacus".

If son, Mikhail, then he never staged "Romeo & Juliet".

Perhaps, I misunderstood you?

[Mel Johnson]

Wait a moment; never is a long time, and while Grigorovitch is the standard we see today, Leonid Lavrovsky's Spartacus was the version with which the Bolshoi toured in the 1960s.

[coda]

There were 3 productions of "Spartacus" by the Bolshoi Ballet:

1958 - by Igor Moisseyev

1962 - by Leonid Yakobson [This production toured the USA in 1962]

1968 - by Yuri Grigorovich

[Mel Johnson]

I stand corrected!

I went down to my infamous cellar, and found the 1962 Bolshoi Souvenir Program, and sure enough, the Spartacus was Yakobson's. Of course, there was this big full-page photo of Mikhail Lavrovsky as the Slave on the first page of the article, so that may be the source of my confusion.

Or maybe it's just another case of brain burps. I've been having them since my operation, and I must ask the surgeon what they did in my tummy to make me mistake one Leonid for another!;) At this rate, I'm lucky I didn't misremember one or the other of them for a meteor shower!

[ina]

On December 14th it was announced, that Malakhov was awarded the prestigious Nijinsky Prize as a best male-dancer 2002. Unfortunately he could not be present at the ceremony in Monako (though he intended to be there) because the balerina, who was to dance in the second cast of Malakhov's "La Bayadere" at the Staatsopera (the premiere was on December 8th) got flu, so the first cast (Vishneva-Malakhov) had to remain in Berlin and dance the performance. I had a happy chance to see them on the opening night and was greatly fascinated by the harmony and chemistry existing in this duet. As far as I know they will be dancing R&J at ABT in June and already envy the new yorkers who will see them. It seems to me that another perfect partnership is on the way (knocking the wood!).

[Dale]

Ina, thank you for the news on Malakhov. Are you saying that Vishneva and Malakhov will be dancing together at ABT? I had not heard that. However, I had read that they performed a very moving Giselle in Russia last year.

[ina]

Yes, Dale, by my information (which is from reliable sources) they will have two performances in the summer season of ABT in the first decade of June. Hope, that nothing will change these plans.

[Roma]

Ina, thank you so much for the casting preview! I am really curious, though, as to what Malakhov's "Bayadere" is like. If it's possible, could you give us some details about the production and the performance you saw?

[Alexandra]

Yes, please! I think all of us would like to read about that Bayadere. Ina, if you could, would you post a new thread on Recent Performances and tell us about it?

[ina]

Thanks for the proposal. I'll try to do my best, but please give me some time. After a week in Berlin there are a lot obligations which are too pressing at the moment.

[Kevin Ng]

Originally posted by Dale

Are you saying that Vishneva and Malakhov will be dancing together at ABT?  I had not heard that.

Diana Vishneva was in Hong Kong during the Kirov's tour about 3 weeks ago, before she flew to Berlin to dance with Malakhov. When I interviewed her, she told me that she will guest with the ABT next spring, but she didn't mention her partner.

[Kevin Ng]

I just listened again to the tape of my conversation with Diana Vishneva in Hong Kong. Vishneva also mentioned that she will return to dance with the Berlin Ballet next year - in John Neumeier's Lady of the Camellias, as well as in Swan Lake which she hasn't yet danced with the Kirov Ballet.

[ina]

I can confirm that Vishneva is planning to dance "Swan Lake" in Berlin (I think that is supposed to be in May) and Balanchine's "Ballet Imperial" (the premiere is planned for May 3d). On the 21 st of December she is dancing "Giselle" with Malakhov in Greece (Maria Alexandrova is invited there to dance Mirtha).What to "The Dame with Cammelias" she hasn't mentioned that while visiting Berlin to dance in "La Bayadere" and I am not sure I've seen this ballet in the repertoir for this season, but I must check.

[Dale]

Vishneva doing Ballet Imperial should be interesting. I know people who are interested in the Kirov doing more Balanchine mention Ballet Imperial as a logical choice. Malakhov did the ballet at ABT and I remember he was OK (his foray with Apollo was not a success, but he was good in Symphonie Concertante). I wonder who is going to set and coach the ballet in Berlin. I'd rather see Vishneva and Malakhov doing BI than McMillian's Romeo and Juliet.

Ina, I hope you find time to post about what you've seen recently.

[Kevin Ng]

Ina, Diana Vishneva's Swan Lake in Berlin will be in April 2003. Perhaps Neumeier's The Lady of The Camellias will be a new production for the Berlin Staatsoper.

Vladimir Malakhov has been invited again to dance in the Kirov's Mariinsky Festival in St. Petersburg next Feb.

[ina]

Kevin, do you know by chance what ballet Malakhov is supposed to dance?

[Kevin Ng]

Ina, I only know that Vladimir Malakhov is one of the guest stars who will dance in the Mariinsky Festival next Feb. I don't know yet in which ballet he will dance. But I'll post again here when I've more information on the casting, which probably won't be available till nearer the time.

[liljules5]

I thought he did a wonderful job with the Corsaire video (ABT)...he was a thrill to watch and I loved his expressions!!

[Marilia Tsoukia]

Fantastic! Perfect! Thrilling! Marvelous! Beloved! Unforgettable! I will never forget how I felt before it started and after it finished. Vladimir Malakhov and Diana Visneva are by far the best partership after Nureyev and Fonteyn.

The choreography was the best I have ever seen. It was done by Leonidas De Pian and he payed attention even in the smallest detail. This Giselle had something that does not exist in the others that I have seen. The costumes were fabulous, the scenery even more fabulous. It was like you were entering in an other world. That real it was!!!!!

Vladimir Malakhov was the most perfect thing I have ever seen in my life. I remember I was shaking when he came out on stage. I had never seen him before and I was very excited about the whole event. This guy jumps in the air and he stays there. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING: HE STAYS IN THE AIR!!!! And when he lands you don't hear anything. It is as if a feather was thrown on the floor. This is how he lands. His face expressions were something unbelievable. He could transmit his feelings to the audience. Especially when Giselle died of a broken heart I almost cried.I think he is by far the most perfect ballet dancer. And he is quite handsome too...

Diana Vishneva was quite good, but I expected that she would be better. I liked her face expressions very much. She is very beautiful and she knows how to use her face very well. At some points in act I, she was somehow clumsy it seemed to me. Yet she is quite flexible and she has impecable technique. That was seen in the Mad Scene where she was just perfect. I belive only by her expression someone could understand, but she was dancing in such a way that could convince that she was actually crazy (This is the case when we say that dancers are also actors). On the other hand, in act II, she was just PERFECT! The sad expression on her face was quite beautiful and it made the audience easily understand her pain. She was very light, she was like a leaf taken away by the wind. She seemed so vulnerable without her Albrecht, yet she was like she aquired courage when she saw him and willing to save him.

Myrthe was Maria Alexadrova whom I didn't like at all and Hilarion was Yasen Valkanov who was actually pretty good. The peasent pdd was danced by Ivanka Kasabova and Trifon Mittef (sorry if I have mispelled the names, I translate them from greek). Mittef was unexpectadly good but Kasabovava was completely "expressionless", although her dancing was quite good. The two Willlis were Vesa Tonova- Krastanova and and Ivanka Kasabova. This time Kasabova was very beautiful. I think the role of the Willi fits her best. Krastanova was excellent. She seemed so fragile!!!

In general, it was the most fabulous Giselle I have ever seen in my life and it made me really happy to be there seeing all those wonderfu dances before my eyes! I will never forget it......