Meliss Posted November 24 Posted November 24 (edited) Question: has anyone seen the tour posters of the Bolshoi Ballet with the name of Godunov, but Godunov did not come on tour? Quote from an interview with Lyudmila Vlasova: "... all advertising of the Bolshoi Ballet abroad was based on his name — posters and booklets with his portraits were prepared, and the repertoire was based on him: Vronsky, Tybald, Spartacus, Jose, Ivan the Terrible... And then they lied that Godunov, unfortunately, was ill and, sorry, gentlemen, could not come." Edited November 24 by Meliss
volcanohunter Posted November 25 Posted November 25 I can't say anything about posters of that sort, because I first saw the Bolshoi during the tour on which Godunov defected, so obviously he had come. From later tours (1990- ) I can remember that dancers pictured on posters were usually identified, but in small print at the bottom. At that time advertising was based on the Bolshoi brand and the images, not on the names of individual dancers. Plisetskaya's Anna Karenina was not performed in the United States until 1988. Bolshoi tours were generally showcases for Grigorovich ballets, not his in-house choreographic rivals. Godunov performed in Carmen Suite in the United States in 1974 on a "Bolshoi stars" tour led by Plisetskaya. (I'm 99.9% certain that the advertising focused on her.) Spartacus was performed in the United States in 1975. Godunov made his debut in the ballet in 1976. He performed it in New York in 1979. Grigorovich's Ivan the Terrible was first performed in 1975 and came to the United States the same year, before Godunov had danced it for the first time in late 1976. It returned to the U.S. in 1979, when Godunov danced it. Grigorovich's Romeo and Juliet was first performed at the Bolshoi in 1979, was taken on tour to the United States immediately after, and of course Godunov participated in part of that tour. I can't say anything about tours outside of North America during the 1970s. What probably everyone who has seen a Bolshoi tour can say is that the roster of soloists who ultimately participated was not the same as the roster of soloists that was initially announced. Casting announcements from the Bolshoi were notoriously changeable and unreliable, and ticket-buyers had to be prepared to be frustrated and/or disappointed.
Meliss Posted November 25 Author Posted November 25 4 hours ago, volcanohunter said: Spartacus was performed in the United States in 1975. Godunov made his debut in the ballet in 1976. He performed it in New York in 1979. Ivan the Terrible was first performed in 1975 and came to the United States the same year, before Godunov had danced it for the first time in late 1976. It returned to the U.S. in 1979, when Godunov danced it. Thank you very much. It is very interesting whether Godunov's name was on the tour posters of the Bolshoi Ballet in the USA in 1975.
Drew Posted November 25 Posted November 25 I remember one tour where Gediminas Taranda was featured on the cover of the souvenir program sold at the performances (at the time such programs were expected), but then didn’t come on the actual tour. We all assumed he was considered a defection risk, but we may have been wrong
volcanohunter Posted November 25 Posted November 25 I remember that the 1990 tour of the U.S. was advertised with dimly lit photos by Snowdon. A photo of Taranda as Prince Kurbsky was on the Playbill for Ivan the Terrible, and he was definitely on stage, while the souvenir program cover featured the Bolshoi’s main curtain. (My memory is that Taranda was removed from a tour as punishment for some sort of misbehavior--a sexual dalliance, as I recall--but I would have to dig through undigitized British dance publications to find it.) In 1975 I suspect the posters focused on Maximova, Bessmertnova, Vasiliev. (Theoretically, it would be possible to scroll through microfilm of the New York Times or other newspapers to find advertisements from 1975.) I know that when the 1979 tour was announced, the news was "Plisetskaya, Maximova and Vasiliev are not coming," not "This time Godunov is coming." https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/13/archives/bolshoi-to-dance-in-us.html Maris Liepa didn't come. The company performed the Grigorovich Swan Lake. Romeo and Juliet won out over Giselle.
Meliss Posted November 28 Author Posted November 28 On 11/25/2024 at 9:02 PM, Drew said: I remember one tour where Gediminas Taranda was featured on the cover of the souvenir program sold at the performances (at the time such programs were expected), but then didn’t come on the actual tour. We all assumed he was considered a defection risk, but we may have been wrong On 11/25/2024 at 11:05 PM, volcanohunter said: I remember that the 1990 tour of the U.S. was advertised with dimly lit photos by Snowdon. A photo of Taranda as Prince Kurbsky was on the Playbill for Ivan the Terrible, and he was definitely on stage, while the souvenir program cover featured the Bolshoi’s main curtain. (My memory is that Taranda was removed from a tour as punishment for some sort of misbehavior--a sexual dalliance, as I recall--but I would have to dig through undigitized British dance publications to find it.) In 1975 I suspect the posters focused on Maximova, Bessmertnova, Vasiliev. (Theoretically, it would be possible to scroll through microfilm of the New York Times or other newspapers to find advertisements from 1975.) I know that when the 1979 tour was announced, the news was "Plisetskaya, Maximova and Vasiliev are not coming," not "This time Godunov is coming." https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/13/archives/bolshoi-to-dance-in-us.html Maris Liepa didn't come. The company performed the Grigorovich Swan Lake. Romeo and Juliet won out over Giselle. Thank you very much.
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