June, 2 20145 . Issue No. 32Royal Ballet presents: guest performances at the Bolshoi June 25, 27 and 29 - "Don Carlo". Guest soloist: Dimitri Pittas (tenor) will perform the part of Don Carlo Historic Stage - Don Carlo. Opera in four acts. PREMIERE New Stage - rehearsal day The Royal Ballet Company's guest performances closed at the Bolshoi Theatre. The Bolshoi's Historic Stage. Photo: Katerina Novikova Natalia Osipova and Carlos Acosta in the ballet "Manon", choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage. Photo: M. Logvinov Newsletter Kuznetsova watched two performances of "Manon", which turned out to be totally dif ferent. "Manon" (1974), a monumental three-act ballet, staged by Kenneth MacMillan to the music by J. Massenet, is a part of not only British, but also the world's cultural heritage. The British are eager to stage it all over the world: during this season only this ballet has become a part of Teatro alla Scala repertoire and will also premiere at the Stanislavski Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre in a couple of weeks. This ballet is a crowd pleaser and easy to understand; the plot, described by Abbé Prévost, is presented as an English educational novel and the characters are wearing luxurious costumes. Because this production gives the whole company something to do and always is a box office hit, it is a real treasure for any theatre. In the distant 1987 the Royal Ballet already showed this jewel in its crown at the Bolshoi; back then the production had a stunning effect as well. Since that time many productions have been shown and many stars have performed here and the key pas de deux from "Manon" has become a regular number at every gala; therefore, the audience and the critics were going to scrutinize this ballet a priori. Just like it was with the first program of guest performances (see: Kommersant.ru, June 19), the company and the general ensemble deserves the greatest compliments. In "Manon" the Royal Ballet demonstrated not only its fidelity to its signature style and dance scenes that were wonderfully rehearsed; here the company had to act according to the drama theatre rules. The performance of this production, which has lots of characters, was as detailed as a performance of the Moscow Art Theatre artists would have been. Each "prostitute" from corps de ballet danced in the crowd of similar looking girls with impeccable precision; each of them had her own character and her type. Each man hunted for his pleasures in a smart and passionate way; none of them stopped doing it even during the pas de deux, performed by premier dancers. The wonderful ensemble was headed by wonderfully despicable half-pantomime characters - Monsieur G.M. (Christopher Saunders) and The Gaoler (Gary Avis). Russian companies that are considered "acting" ones just because it is some kind of a habit can learn how to demonstrate this totally juicy acting, where not a single secondary character, even a "leper", standing in the center of the stage, is lost. Things were not as good when it came to solo parts. Both Lescaut's mistresses (Laura Morera and especially the provocative Helen Crawford) did a good job; however, Lescaut, the main heroine's brother, was not very good in both casts. Thiago Soares, a well-built brunet, who looked more like a pimp, danced badly and recovered only in the "intoxicated" adagio with his lover. Alexander Campbell with his fat cheeks looked like a naughty tomboy; he coped with the dance text much better, but also lacked precision when it came to lifts and endings of the combinations. /…/ Natalia Osipova as Manon. Photo: M. Logvinov The guest premier Carlos Acosta and Natalia Osipova, who made her debut with the part of Manon in the Royal Ballet Company, closed the guest performances; they looked like antipodes of the first cast. One could find faults with their technique: Acosta, who is more than 40 years old, performed arabesques that were neither high nor free, and Osipova's lack of experience showed in some parts of the second act adagio - the ballerina went from one of her fans to another not as easily as her predecessor did. Still, one could not take his eyes off the duet Acosta - Osipova: the love obsession of this Manon, who loved life so much and whose short life passed in front of the Bolshoi's audience during three hours, was motivated by a painful grown- up passion of her courageous Des Grieux. Without any doubt, Natalia Osipova is the best actress of the modern ballet theatre. None of her predecessors presented such a radical interpretation of Manon. Three acts - three different women; the psychological connection between the three of them was obvious. There was a curious young girl, full of the joy of life, who learned about first love and first sexual experience in the first act; after the intermission she turned into a reckless seductive fortune-seeker, who had discovered the power of her sexuality and was ready to use it. In the third act the ballerina's bravery went beyond the limit, pre-determined by the drama theatre. This half-insane Manon with sharp ugly knees, man-like calves of her muscular legs, dead child's face and involuntary moving fingers on her week hands can be called a masterpiece of modern choreography. Osipova's acting was touching and on the edge of naturalism; however, she had total control over it. Perhaps, this could be best seen in the final pas de deux: after crazy double spins in the air the ballerina's body went limp in Des Grieux arms. Only real professionals can perform such a trick. The miracle of Natalia Osipova's return to her native stage, even just for one performance (it is the task of the Bolshoi's management, which is empowered to invited the ballerina to perform in Moscow, to make sure that she comes back on this stage many times), is a nice added bonus of the Royal Ballet guest performances. These guest performances demonstrated one more time that everything is more than OK with ballet on the other side of la Manche. Everyone for himself; the Royal Ballet for all This was truly a royal gift of the Russia-UK bilateral year of culture. The first time the British presented their guest performances in the USSR was in 1961; our ballet fans were waiting for the second occasion for 26 years, and for the next one - for 16 more years. The company that was founded by Ninette de Valois in 1931, changed names and locations several times; it finally settled at the Royal Opera House and was awarded the title of the Royal Ballet in 1956, when it became one of the five leading ballet companies of the world. In the beginning of the 2000s Prince Charles became the president of the Royal Ballet. This year the company presented two programs during its guest performances. The program of one-act ballets is a kind of a "road map" that presented the connection between the sacred monster of the English choreography (Frederick Ashton and his "Rhapsody") and those, who determine the image of English and world ballet today ("T etractys" by Wayne McGregor and "DGV" by Christopher Wheeldon). "Manon" by Kenneth MacMillan is the "trademark production" by this choreographer and of this company; it has become one of the classical ballets of the 20 century. "Rhapsody" (1980), one of the last works of Ashton, is a vintage work that impresses the audience more than any 3D performance even today; it tickles the eyes and ears and leaves an absolutely real feeling of a fresh May night and the smell of lilac. This happens due to the music of Sergei Rachmaninof f in the first place. It is also so because of the way the choreographer expressed it in movement, and Neil Austin, the lightning designer, in the atmosphere. The ballet was choreographed for Mikhail Baryshnikov, so the ballet master did not have to restrain his imagination when he composed breathtaking passages. Steven McRae, a premier dancer of company, managed to combine Paganini's virtuosity with Mozart-style lightness; he achieved impeccable elegance without any sign of primness. Perhaps Laura Morera, his partner, lacked individuality; however, the power of this abstract ballet lies in the mood and stylistic unity, and this is something that the ensemble, which accompanies the main couple, does better than anyone else. Still, it is not easy to discuss the unity of style while talking about today's Royal Ballet Company. Without any doubt, the corps de ballet and those who perform secondary parts, continue to preserve this style. This is particularly easy to notice in "Manon": in the crowd scenes, in the culture and quality of the courtesans' and Madam's guests' dances. The soloists follow the law of the jungle: everyone for himself. In the best case they compensate technical and stylistic faults with vivid pantomime (like the Brazilian dancer Thiago Soares, who performed the part of Lescaut); in the worst case they make the situation even worse as they demonstrate the total lack of temperament and no thorough development of their characters (for example, take Federico Bonelli, who performed the part of Des Grieux). It might seem that in a dif ferent case such a mixture of dif ferent schools would have a sudden positive effect. As a rule, when Russian classical dancers, whose bodies are built in a certain way and whose minds are formed in a certain way as well, start working on modern choreography, they use their "swan" skills - sometimes even without wanting to do so. It can work well and be really beautiful; however, it will have nothing to do with what an author meant. Natalia Osipova, who became the Royal Ballet's prima ballerina, last year, went to the next level. She appeared at the Bolshoi Theatre as a guest artist in the one-act ballet by W. McGregor. June, 2 5 2014 Newsletter W ayne McGregor composed his "Tetractys - The Art of Fugue" (2014) - a puzzling geometrical rebus - to the music by J.S. Bach; it looks like he made the dancers wear pointe shoes only because he wanted to distant himself from all stereotypes connected with them, most determinately. It was Osipova with her great classical ballet knowledge, skills and many years spent on self-perfection, who can catch and transfer that very harmony of the opposite which, on one hand, comprises the mystery of this piece by Bach, and on the other hand brings the classics and the modern closer together. She does not justify pure geometry, but rather makes it absolute as she dances on the edge of her physical abilities. Geometry of "Tetractys". Photo: Johan Persson/ROH " Danse Г grande vitesse" is not so mystical. Michael DGV : The composer-minimalist Nyman was commissioned to write the music in the beginning of the 1990s to mark the opening of the French high-speed rail. Christopher Wheeldon staged his ballet in 2006; he perceived minimalism as something monotonous and let the Royal Ballet artists make it brighter themselves by doing whatever each of them could. The artists coped with the task very well. Dinara Alieva will present the concert version of the opera "La Traviata" in Prague T rend Life quotes the singer's personal web site and announces that Dinara Alieva, an Honored Artist of Azerbaijan and the Bolshoi Theatre's soloist will take part in the international festival "Prague Proms" that is organized in Prague (the Czech Republic). Mass media about the Theatre On July 3 Dinara Alieva will present the concert version of the opera "La Traviata" by G. Verdi. Dinara Alieva is an Honored Artist of Azerbaijan. She was born on December 17 1980 in Baku. She studied the piano at music school. In the year of 2004 she graduated from the Baku Academy of Music. In 2002 - 2005 she was a soloist at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, where she performed leading roles. Dinara Alieva has been a Bolshoi Theatre soloist since 2009. She has participated in the master-classes of Montserrat Caballe and Elena Obraztsova. She is a laureate of the following international competitions: the International Byul-Byul Competition (Baku, 2005), the International Maria Callas Competition of Opera Singers (the Athens, 2007), the Elena Obraztsova International Competition of Y oung Opera Singers (Saint-Petersburg, 2007), the Francisco Vinas International Singing Contest (Barcelona, 2010) and Operalia (Milan, La Scala, 2010). Dinara Alieva is also recipient of the Irina Arkhipova Foundation medal. Natalia Osipova and Ivan V asiliev, the Bolshoi Theatre's former soloists, will present the project "Solo for Two" in Moscow Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, the Bolshoi Theatre's former soloists, will present the new project "Solo for Two" in Moscow. The performances will take place from July 31 till August 3 at the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre. The artists made the announcement at the press- conference that was organized by the theatre. The American impresario Sergei Danilian is the producer of the project. He was the one that brought to Moscow "Kings of the Dance", "On the Edge" with Diana Vishneva and other famous projects. Mr. Danilian mentioned: "It is not often that we can see Natalia and Ivan together. Ivan has just danced in the performance of "Don Quixote" at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, and Natalia, who has joined the Royal Ballet this year, has performed in the company's guest performances at the Bolshoi Theatre". However, according to Danilian, Osipova and Vasiliev were supposed to leave for Israel on Tuesday, June 24 and to start working on "Solo for Two" there on June 25. The producer clarified: "The program will consist of three parts with two intermissions. One of the parts will be staged by the famous Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin". Danilian also mentioned that the program would include a composition created by the famous Belgium choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The last part of the project will be choreographed by Arthur Pita from Portugal. "Solo for Two" will premiere on July 25 in California; the project will then be presented in Moscow. Then the production will go on tour to London and New York. Natalia Osipova admitted: "The whole project is devoted to the modern choreography, and this is very interesting for me. I am 28 at the moment, I am in my best shape and, being a classical ballerina, I want to learn the language of the modern dance as well. This is a totally different style, which is very complicated, but my dream is to master it". Ivan Vasiliev considers: "This is a wonderful project: it is killing, and at the same time it is wonderful". As for the star couple's plans for the future, their schedule is very busy. Natalia Osipova is now working at the Royal Ballet in London full-time; however, she should fulfill her obligations according to her contracts with the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and some other theatres as well. Ivan Vasiliev cooperates with the American Ballet Theatre, T eatro alla Scala in Milan and the Bolshoi Theatre. The artists' work on the project "Solo for Two" in their spare time, instead of their summer vacation. Baikal mass media: A documentary about Morihiro Iwata was presented in Ulan-Ude On June 20 the presentation of the film "TAMASHI. Morihiro Iwata: The End and The Beginning" by the Japanese director Junsuke Kinoshita took place in the Republic of Buryatia National Library. The film tells the story of Morihiro Iwata, the Buryat State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater artistic director; it was filmed in spring 2012 - autumn 2013. This is what the director says about his film: "Morihiro Iwata is a wonderful person, a great professional and a very sensible and thoughtful person. No sound effects that stimulate the narrative and feelings were used in this film. I wanted to make the audience feel the real talent, sensitivity and kindness without using those effects". /…/ June, 2 5 2014 |
