The 50th anniversary of Baryshnikov's defection

[Meliss]

11 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

The tour received a good review--especially for Baryshnikov--at its first stop in Ottawa, but terrible reviews once it reached Toronto: "The Bolshoi Ballet that Canada gets is the over-the-hill gang" (Globe and Mail, 22 June 1974).

IAre there any reasons for it?

12 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

It has to be said, though, that five years later, when the Bolshoi proper with Grigorovich at the helm, opened its North American tour in Canada, it also got terrible reviews, and there were not a few letters to the editor from ordinary ballet-goers complaining that they had been victims of false advertising, poor productions and inflated ticket prices.

Oh, really? I wonder which reviews were more - those that you write about, or those that I read:

Bessmertnova danced two performances, with two different Siegfrieds, both of them talented and accomplished young dancers. Alexander Godunov, whom we last saw here in 1974, may be the more accomplished.

Ouch... while I was looking for other articles, I found such a miracle...

 

 

It is a pity that delivery to Russia is not possible...

[volcanohunter]

I still have that program. The tour was my first exposure to the Bolshoi, and I hated what I saw. 

The headline of the review of the first performance of the tour read: "Bolshoi Swan Lake is a lame duck" (Globe and Mail, 21 July 1979).

"After the shock comes the reflection: perhaps one expected too much. But doesn't it seem reasonable to think that the Bolshoi Ballet, being Russian and specializing in classics, should present a stellar production of a Russian classic like Swan Lake? Just two days ago, a member of the company called it the diamond of its repertoire.

"But what a dull and disappointing thing this diamond turns out to be! As performed at Hamilton Place on Thursday night, this was a half-dressed, half-danced, half-baked affair which did neither the company nor the ballet credit."

Then the tour moved onto Toronto: "Bolshoi swans in disarray" (Globe and Mail, 30 July 1979).

"The Bolshoi Ballet finally arrived at O'Keefe Centre yesterday for two performances of Swan Lake, and judging by the second one, not a great deal has improved since the Hamilton Place performances last week.

"Miss [Natalia] Bessmertnova, who may have been exhausted from having danced the matinee, is still a Swan Queen without nuance, all elbows and wrists and drooping fingers as both Odette and Odile, with nothing except a slight increase in flourish to denote the difference. One got no clear sense of line, especially when her Russian attitude position was not firmly held and finally resembled a limp arabesque. And once again there was no trace of feeling between her and Godounov - simply the flash of technical flamboyance, especially in the Black Swan pas de deux."

There were unhappy letters to the editor: "Since the management of the O'Keefe Centre seems unwilling to assume any responsibility for the presentation of The Bolshoi Ballet, is it possible that someone can locate Concert Productions International who, it seems, must bear all responsibility?"

And there were protests: "Mara Katz and her family joined the protest because her sister, brother-in-law and niece have been waiting eight years for an exit permit to go to Israel. 'They've been given no reasons. We went on a hunger strike in May and then went to the Soviet embassy in Ottawa. They said they'd look into it. We've heard nothing since,' she said...

"Linda Paton, a member of the Toronto Group of 35, which has been demonstrating on behalf of Soviet political prisoners since the early 1970s, said she was pleased with the audience's response. 'Torontonians are becoming more aware that you can't separate art from politics.'"

Edited August 18 by volcanohunter

[volcanohunter]

But as for this thread's titular topic, Baryshnikov's reviews in 1974 were rapturous, even when some reviewers were confused by the details of his participation in a Bolshoi tour.

"Bolshoi dancer wows Ottawa ballet lovers" (Canadian Press, 17 June 1974)

"Mikhail Barichnikov, a leading dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow since 1967, scored a personal triumph of mounting cheers and standing ovations during the Russian dance company's second Ottawa performance this weekend.

"The handsome, athletic young man has been winning international prizes in ballet since 1966, copping the gold medal in the first international ballet competition in Moscow in 1969.

"He made his mark on the capacity audience of 2,300 in the National Arts Centre in his first brief solo appearance, an interlude the well-known pas de deux (dance for two) from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. The audience cheered him.

"Then with each successive appearance on stage, the enthusiasm mounted, interrupting the show several times while he was called back to the stage by enthusiastic ballet fans giving him cries of 'More!'"

 

"Mighty Kirov stars bolster mediocre Bolshoi" (25 June 1974)

"Barichnikov, quite simply, is a marvel. He has elegance, total control and an exciting, virile presence. He put as much care into each tiny detail as he did to the glorious grand manege that concluded his solo. Miss Kolpakova, who is a stunning technician, has a somewhat austere stage presence, but quite frankly at this level of consummate artistry, it didn't seem all that important...

"This company, one sincerely hopes, does not represent the best of the Bolshoi. There are a few interesting dancers among the women, but for the most part it was pretty second-rate--on a technical level, as well as from a choice of program...

"The program for tonight and tomorrow is better, but it would seem that this Bolshoi company is being carried by the Kirov. And there's this too--these dancers make their Canadian counterparts look very good."

 

"One great dancer, 12 great minutes" (Globe and Mail, 26 June 1974)

"Mikhail Barichnikov, the marvellous Kirov dancer who is performing at the O'Keefe Centre this week, continued his conquest of Toronto last night. He couldn't have been on stage for more than 12 minutes in all, but it was 12 minutes which redeemed the previous 90.

"Dancing alongside Raissa Struchkova in the third act of Alexander Gorsky's Don Quixote, he provided the very definition of his art, which had remained unarticulated by most of the members of the Bolshoi...A very great dancer is in this city. Don't miss him."

And a few more along those lines.

[Meliss]

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

The tour was my first exposure to the Bolshoi, and I hated what I saw. 

Why?

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

there was no trace of feeling between her and Godounov - simply the flash of technical flamboyance

It's hard to believe that top-class professionals danced on tour without inspiration.

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

There were unhappy letters to the editor: "Since the management of the O'Keefe Centre seems unwilling to assume any responsibility for the presentation of The Bolshoi Ballet, is it possible that someone can locate Concert Productions International who, it seems, must bear all responsibility?"

It's just wild to write such letters when the dancers were demonstrating technical flamboyance.

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

'Torontonians are becoming more aware that you can't separate art from politics.'"

Well, that's the explanation for the dissatisfaction with the Soviet ballet. It's a sad picture.

[Meliss]

13 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

"Mighty Kirov stars bolster mediocre Bolshoi" (25 June 1974)

 

14 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

"Mikhail Barichnikov, the marvellous Kirov dancer who is performing at the O'Keefe Centre this week, continued his conquest of Toronto last night.

It's funny that Kirov star Baryshnikov dreamed of working at the Bolshoi Theater, but they didn't take him there.

[volcanohunter]

1 hour ago, Meliss said:

Why?

I found Grigorovich's version of ballet to be grotesque, simplistic, crass, melodramatic to the point of absurdity and visually awful (meaning Simon Virsaladze's "designs"). Fundamentally, my opinion of his ballets has changed very little in the intervening 45 years.

[California]

4 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

On 4 July 1979 the Canadian Press agency published a story titled "Bitterness in Bolshoi over defection" when the tour reached Vancouver. Irina Kolpakova and tour director Alexander Lapauri were interviewed. 

"Miss Kolpakova, who danced with Barichnikov for several years, and was scheduled to star with him here Tuesday night, said her former partner was seeking 'only financial success and fame' in fleeing to the West. 

"She said his training in the Soviet Union would not integrate well into Canadian ballet."

[]

Kolpakova also called him an egotist, who loved only himself.

Some of this appears in White Nights, in Baryshnikov's exchanges with the Helen Mirren character, although not the exact detail. I have to think that Baryshnikov had some control over the final script. I've always wondered if hiring her at ABT when he was artistic director was his way of making amends for the suffering she endured after he defected, as well as bringing a gifted artist to ABT to coach.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/04/04/steps-toward-understanding/

[Helene]

The members of the public who were disappointed in what they saw were hardly the people protesting or spoke about the quality of the performances, just as the people who were protesting Putin’s anti LGBT+ laws outside opening night of the Met Opera’s Eugene Onegin were not the ones who later commented on Netrebko’s singing or Gergiev’s conducting.

Critics were very positive about prior tours by the Kirov and the Bolshoi, in the US there had had been public protests against Soviet emigration policy for several years without influencing reviews or ticket sales of the tours.  

There was great disappointment about the dancing and performances on that particular tour among both the public and critics.  Why the Soviets added Baryshnikov to the tour if the Bolshoi was so grand, is on them, but they must have had their reasons.

I quite liked Bessmertnova on video, but chemistry between her and her partner was never anything I saw or expected.

[volcanohunter]

17 hours ago, California said:

I've always wondered if hiring her at ABT when he was artistic director was his way of making amends for the suffering she endured after he defected, as well as bringing a gifted artist to ABT to coach.

It was almost the last thing he did as artistic director, like a parting gift to her.

17 hours ago, Helene said:

I quite liked Bessmertnova on video, but chemistry between her and her partner was never anything I saw or expected.

My young eyes had a really hard time getting past her hands and wrists. My own training emphasized hand placement, and broken wrists were right up there as far as cardinal ballet sins were concerned.

The Russo-Soviet attitude position still drives me batty, especially the way-above-the-head placement of the foot that came later.  

Edited August 19 by volcanohunter

[Mashinka]

I adored Bessmertnova finding the overall quality of her dancing surpassed classroom perfection.  I also admired her partnership with Lavrovsky.  Her joyous Kitri will stay in my memory for ever.  With Bolshoi style you either go with the flamboyant, uninhibited qualities or you don't, but back in the mid 70's they had some pretty impressive dancers.  With a couple of honorable exceptions the last time I saw the company the female principles were dreadful.

9 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

The Russo-Soviet attitude position still drives me batty, especially the way-above-the-head placement of the foot that came later.

Agree totally.  They have mirrors, can't  they see how ugly it is? 

[volcanohunter]

32 minutes ago, Mashinka said:

I adored Bessmertnova finding the overall quality of her dancing surpassed classroom perfection. 

I can certainly understand that, because in her time Suzanne Farrell was controversial in some quarters, particularly (I think) in the UK, where some regarded the main feature of her dancing to be distortion. And in childhood my great idol was the more accessible Patricia McBride. I didn't really "get" Farrell until I was 16, at which point she hit me like a ton of bricks.

In 1979 Bessmertnova was 38 and perhaps not as free and spontaneous as she may have been earlier, so again, my young mind remembered her as mannered. By the time of The Bolshoi at the Bolshoi video recordings made for Japanese television in 1989-90, in far superior resolution to anything filmed for Soviet television, she was in her late 40s and probably past her prime, so I suspect those are not the best records of her performances either.

[Mashinka]

Digging an even bigger hole for myself, I have to confess I actually fell for Farrell's dancing when she was dancing with Bejart's company (I did later see her with NYCB).

 

I've a feeling most people here cross themselves when they see the words Bejart and Grigorovich.

[Marta]

volcanohunter said:   I didn't really "get" Farrell until I was 16, at which point she hit me like a ton of bricks.

mashinka said:  

Digging an even bigger hole for myself, I have to confess I actually fell for Farrell's dancing when she was dancing with Bejart's company (I did later see her with NYCB).

I've a feeling most people here cross themselves when they see the words Bejart and Grigorovich.

The first time I saw Farrell anywhere was at the State Theater in 1979, Divertimento No. 15.  "hit me like a ton of bricks" is about how I felt too!  I've seen some videos of Farrell dancing Bejart, and though he is not a favorite choreographer, she showed different facets of her dancing in his work.  Somehow, I put Bejart in a different more favorable position  than Grigorovich.

[Meliss]

On 8/18/2024 at 4:56 PM, volcanohunter said:

I found Grigorovich's version of ballet to be grotesque, simplistic, crass, melodramatic to the point of absurdity and visually awful (meaning Simon Virsaladze's "designs"). Fundamentally, my opinion of his ballets has changed very little in the intervening 45 years.

And which of his ballets have you seen?

[Meliss]

On 8/18/2024 at 5:44 PM, California said:

I've always wondered if hiring her at ABT when he was artistic director was his way of making amends for the suffering she endured after he defected,

Why should she have suffered then? She received many state awards after that.

[Meliss]

On 8/18/2024 at 5:48 PM, Helene said:

There was great disappointment about the dancing and performances on that particular tour among both the public and critics.

In 1974 or in 1979?

[Meliss]

23 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

The Russo-Soviet attitude position still drives me batty,

There's a difference between what you don't like because you've been taught to do it differently and what you don't like because it looks ugly.

[California]

25 minutes ago, Meliss said:

Why should she have suffered then? She received many state awards after that.

She reported bring grilled relentlessly by the KGB, as she and her husband had guaranteed that they would ensure Baryshnikov's return to the Soviet Union after the tour.  

[Meliss]

14 hours ago, Mashinka said:

They have mirrors, can't  they see how ugly it is? 

Ugly? Really? 

[Meliss]

36 minutes ago, California said:

She reported bring grilled relentlessly by the KGB, as she and her husband had guaranteed that they would ensure Baryshnikov's return to the Soviet Union after the tour.  

All his acquaintances were called in for questioning. And everyone was forced to write letters to him urging him to return. One girl wrote: "Mishenka, come back, my mother cooked such delicious jam - you'll lick your fingers!"))

[volcanohunter]

2 hours ago, Meliss said:

And which of his ballets have you seen?

At opera houses, that is live performances, I saw Grigorovich's Giselle 6 times, La Bayadère once, The Sleeping Beauty 5 times, Swan Lake 10 times (6 times with the current ending, 4 times with the previous ending), The Nutcracker 3 times, Spartacus 3 times, Ivan the Terrible once and Romeo and Juliet 3 times. Except for Romeo and Juliet, I also saw these productions at the cinema and/or on video.

Except for those cases in childhood, when someone else was choosing what I would see, when I did attend, it was to see specific dancers. I think if I were to tally up how many tickets to Grigorovich ballets I returned, resold, gave away or simply didn't use, the total would be higher than the total of seen performances listed above. 

I saw Grigorovich's complete Raymonda only at the cinema and on video. I once had a ticket to see it live, but after an extremely disappointing cast change, I didn't use it. In live performance I saw Grigorovich's version of the "Raymonda's dreams" section. I also saw the adagio from that section and the duet he interpolated into the second act at concerts (4 times each). 

I saw the complete Legend of Love only on video. However, I saw some of the duets in concert. 

I saw The Golden Age only in the cinema and on video.

I have never seen Grigorovich's productions of Don Quixote or Le Corsaire. I have never seen The Stone Flower, and judging by the occasional amateur clip I've seen on Instagram, I don't want to see it. I have never seen Angara.

How many have you seen?

Edited August 19 by volcanohunter
formatting

[volcanohunter]

44 minutes ago, Meliss said:

Ugly? Really? 

This is not how Russian companies perform attitudes today. If you reread that part of the discussion, you will see that the criticism was directed at the current practice of lifting the foot so high, that it rises far above the top of the dancer's head.

[volcanohunter]

5 hours ago, Marta said:

Somehow, I put Bejart in a different more favorable position  than Grigorovich.

To this day I think there is abiding gratitude to Béjart among NYCB devotees for granting Farrell refuge when she needed it. Even if many would rather not see his ballets. 

[Drew]

Farrell has spoken at length about all she learned from working with Bejart--I think the interview I'm remembering was in Ballet Review....

[Helene]

She did in her memoir, too, along with describing living with Mejia as a married couple.  It must have been a relief for both of them to not have to walk on egg shells around Balanchine.