Buddy Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 (edited) Catherine Pawlick at her Vaganova Today site has posted four reviews of the Festival. http://www.vaganovatoday.com I’ve only had a chance to read the one about George Balanchine’s Jewels. http://www.vaganovatoday.com/mariinsky-festival-2019-jewels She has some very nice things to say about Maria Khoreva’s Diamonds, from which her duet was perhaps the Festival highlight for me. She also has well deserved praise for Xander Parish. “Khoreva's dancing is characterised by impeccable timing, innate musicality, a pliant back, the ability to fill out the adagio sections, and flexible, high arches that are simultaneously strong and controlled. Her épaulement is ideal and she never leaves the classical framework for the sake of extension or show. She infused this role with exceptional nuance and maturity beyond her years. She proved to be in reliable hands alongside Xander Parish, whose split jetés and double tour in the coda created sparks, and whose series of tours à la seconde revealed an exquisitely pointed working leg. Khoreva's coda section includes the challenging sequence of sauté arabesque, pas de chat, soutenue, piqué-fouetté, which she performed without falling behind the music or blurring the delivery. The now very controversial Peter Martins was indeed present at the Festival as Catherine mentions. He was sitting in the front row for the beginning performances, but I did not see him again after Don Quixote, which followed Jewels. And some more nice words for a personal favorite from her performance of Emeralds. “Maria Iliushkina, a brunette with a delicate face and the ability to infuse lyrical nuance into the balancé sections, danced the second leading soloist in the lovely "foot tap" variation.” Edited April 8, 2019 by Buddy Link to comment
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