SWORDS AND SANDALS

The Mariinsky Theater presents Leonid Yakobson’s 1956 production of “Spartacus”.

By Kevin Ng

After the summer break, the Mariinksy Theater’s new 2010/11 season will open on Sept. 14 with Mussorgsky’s opera “Khovanshchina,” conducted by maestro Gergiev. On the following day, the ballet troupe will commence with Leonid Yakobson’s 1956 production of “Spartacus” which was revived in July during the Stars of the White Nights Festival. Its premiere was the highlight of the ballet programs during the summer’s Stars of the White Nights Festival.


photo: Natasha Razina

This Yakobson ballet is actually the first ever ballet production set to Aram Khachaturian’s bombastic score, though it is less famous than Yuri Grigorovich’s later 1968 production for the Bolshoi Ballet. This important revival, supervised by former Mariinsky dancer Vyacheslav Khomyakov, who himself danced in this ballet back in the 1970s, is a worthwhile undertaking, as this production was originally created for the Mariinsky, albeit back in its Kirov incarnation. It’s also timely, as an earlier 1950 work by Yakobson, “Shurale,” was also revived by the Mariinsky Ballet last year. Igor Zelensky and Viktoria Tereshkina, who led the premiere cast of “Spartacus” on July 1, will dance again on 15 September.

Compared with Grigorovich’s Bolshoi version, this Yakobson production is far more substantial in mime and spectacle than in actual dancing. There is a lot of splendid pageantry on stage, especially with the endless grand processions in the first two acts. The costumes and sets are far more sumptuous, providing a richer, more engaging visual spectacle. The marble decor depicting Imperial Rome is particularly lavish. An excellent touch comes at the end of each of the eight scenes, when the action is frozen and then depicted immediately on a backdrop.

The Yakobson production also does a better job of developing the story. There is more emphasis on the courtesan Aegina and Harmodius (Spartacus’ friend who later deserts him). Phrygia’s pas de deux with Spartacus are rather dull in comparison with the lustful duets of Aegina and Harmodius, which are far more emotionally charged. Aegina’s characterization is deeper and more profound than that of Phrygia’s. While the ruthless Roman General Crassus is essentially limited to a pantomimic role, the numerous, extensive sword-fighting scenes are brilliantly realistic white-knuckle rides.

It’s not all good news, though. In the final act, the various divertissements drag on for too long and could have done with some judicious cutting. Similarly, Phrygia’s grief over the body of her dead husband in the closing scene could be accused of being too melodramatic. Overall, however, this Soviet period curiosity, so grand and spectacular, is still fascinating and of historical interest.

The performance of “Spartacus” that I attended in late July on the closing night of the White Nights Festival was admirably danced by Yuri Smekalov in the title role. Konstantin Zveryev, a handsome and stylish young soloist, was outstanding as Harmodius. He was well matched with the talented newcomer Yulia Stepanova, who was compelling as Aegina. They definitely made more dramatic impact, and outshone Smekalov and Daria Vasnetsova as Phrygia. The best in this cast was Crassus, danced with incomparable weight and authority by Vladimir Ponomaryov, at present the greatest male character dancer in the Mariinsky Ballet.

Ballerina Ryu to perform her last ‘Dying Swan’

There is a Korean saying that you should leave when you receive the greatest cheer.

Ryu Ji-yeon, the only Korean ballerina to have joined Russia’s 300-year-old Mariinsky Ballet Company in 1997, is going to do just that.

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After being picked as the soloist to perform the “Dying Swan” in the ballet company’s upcoming performance in Korea, Ryu said she will leave Mariinsky and 20 years of life in Russia for good after the dance.

“Even before I entered the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet at the age of 14 in 1991, I have always dreamed about joining the Mariinsky Ballet Company,” Ryu said in an e-mail interview from St. Petersburg in Russia.

“In retrospect, I think my dream has come true. Now I want to spend time with my family,” she said.

The “Dying Swan,” a short three-minute ballet choreographed by Mikhail Fokine for ballerina Anna Pavlova, was first staged in 1905 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The solo dance, considered one of the most prestigious roles for a ballerina, has been given to legendary Russian ballerinas including Maya Plisetskaya.

“Although it is a very short piece, the choreography requires highly advanced techniques. From head to toe, I will do my best to express the last moments of a dying swan,” the 34-year-old said.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Russia and Korea, the Mariinsky Ballet Company is to present “Giselle,” “Swan Lake” and a ballet gala at the Goyang Aram Nori Arts Center’s Aram Theater from Nov. 9 to Nov. 14.

Ryu’s solo is to be staged during a ballet gala on the last day.

“Giselle” and “Swan Lake,” popular classical ballet works, are staged by numerous ballet companies but Mariinsky’s performance will be a rare chance for Korean fans to see the Mariinsky’s uniquely delicate and graceful group dance, Ryu said.


“I’ve always been happy and proud of the ballet company whenever ballet fans from different countries visit the Mariinsky Theater to see us,” she added.

Although based in St. Petersburg, Ryu has been giving special lectures to Yewon School, an arts school and students in Seoul during summer holidays for the past 11 years.

Finding it pleasant and enjoyable to spend time with young ballerinas, Ryu will soon look for ways to help students learn what she has learned from her 15-year ballet experience, she said.

“I don’t have a specific plan yet but I hope that I could be of help to anyone in need in Korea,” she said.

The Mariinsky Ballet Company’s “Giselle” will be staged at the Goyang on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., “Swan Lake” on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, and a ballet gala on Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. Other programs for the gala include “Grand Pas from Paquita,” “Scotch Symphony” and “In the night.” Tickets range from 30,000 won to 250,000 won. For reservations, call (02) 1577-7766.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldm.com)

Le Petit Cheval Bossu

Paris. Théâtre du Châtelet. 01-XI-2010. Troupe du Théâtre Mariinski : Le Petit Cheval Bossu. Chorégraphie : Alexeï Ratmanski. Partition : Rodion Chtchedrine. Décors et costumes : Maxim Isaiev. Lumières : Damir Ismagilov. Avec : Leonid Sarafanov, Ivan le Fou ; Alina Somova, La Demoiselle-Tsar ; Grigori Popov, le Cheval bossu ; Andrei Ivanov, Le Tsar ; et la troupe du ballet du Théâtre Mariinski. Orchestre du Théâtre Mariinski, direction : Valery Gergiev.

Le Petit Cheval Bossu est un ballet tiré d’un conte populaire russe en vers. Le chorégraphe Alexeï Ratmanski nous offre du neuf et de l’original. Il est actuellement considéré comme le seul chorégraphe russe à s’exprimer dans le langage de la danse classique contemporaine et semble fortement inspiré par le style pluriforme de Diaghilev. L’ensemble est imprégné d’un ton, d’un humour et d’un folklore spécifiques à la culture populaire russe. A cet égard, le ballet apparaît sans doute moins accessible au public étranger, mais qu’importe : l’interprétation de haute qualité pallie aisément à l’hermétisme de l’œuvre. Le mime des artistes, extrêmement lisible, permet de faire comprendre une intrigue assez complexe.

Le rôle principal d’Ivan le Fou est tenu par Leonid Sarafanov ; sa prestation mérite une fois encore tous les superlatifs. Sa pantomime soignée et truculente à souhait, s’accompagne d’une haute maîtrise technique. Cette virtuosité se joint à une délicatesse artistique qui lui permet d’éviter l’écueil de la prestation toute en force. Sarafanov est un magicien, un adorable elfe, qui fait naître émotion et poésie. Sa partenaire, la ravissante Alina Somova, s’approprie le rôle de la Demoiselle-Tsar avec humour et charme. Cette danseuse, aux indéniables qualités techniques, tranche passablement avec le corps de ballet : elle est différente, tout autant par son physique que par ses ports de bras, lesquels semblent étrangement éloignés du « style Mariinski ». Une marginalité assumée avec panache par cette artiste très énergique (trop ?). Grigori Popov, qui campe le rôle du Cheval bossu, se montre aussi drôle que virtuose : son extraordinaire ballon lui assure tous les suffrages. Le corps de ballet féminin, composé de ballerines aussi gracieuses que poétiques, est irréprochable.

L’ensemble vif, léger et charmant, nous ramène aux plus jolies pages de la littérature populaire enfantine. L’orchestration de Chtchedrine s’adapte à l’univers allégorique burlesque du ballet. Ratmanski signe ici une délicieuse parodie d’un conte populaire, un clin d’œil d’autant plus savoureux que l’ironie n’en est pas exempte.

Crédits photographiques : © N. Razina

par Marie-Astrid Gauthier (10/11/2010)

El caballito jorobadito por el Ballet Kírov del Mariinsky de San Petersburgo

Le Petit Cheval Bossu (chor. A. Ratmansky) © Natasha Razina / Théâtre Mariinsky

Presentaron dos obras de Schedrin: el ballet “El caballito jorobadito” (que escribió en 1955, aunque su coreografía para el Bolshoi por Alexandre Radounski se realizó en 1960), y la ópera “El vagabundo embrujado”, estrenada en 2002.

No pude asistir a la representación de la ópera, aunque me hubiese gustado, ya que aprendí a gustar de las partituras de Schedrin interpretadas por la Bayerischer Rundfunk (Orquesta Sinfónica de la Radio de Baviera), pero la representación del ballet tenía ese perfume inasible y al mismo tiempo penetrante de la segunda venida de los rusos al Chatêlet, tras esa primera mítica temporada allí de los Ballets Rusos en 1909. El fantasma de Diaghilev debe seguir rondando en ese teatro, en vez de estar descansando en su tumba en Venecia…

“El caballito jorobadito” es un cuento popular en verso (1834), basado en el folklore ruso, de Piotr Yerchov. Ya Arthur de Saint-Léon lo hizo ballet para San Petersburgo en 1864, con música de Cesare Pugni, seguido por Marius Petipa (1895) y Alexander Gorski (1901).

La obra de Schedrin-Radounski para el Bolshoi fue creada por Maya Plisétskaya, la esposa de Schedrin, en el rol de la Muchacha-del-zar, o la Zarina. La gran Pliséstkaya acompañaba esa noche en el Chatêlet a Schedrin. No es posible sustraerse a su presencia. Resplandeciente, elegante, conserva toda su esbeltez de bailarina, y se movía durante el entreacto con la agilidad de una joven de 20 años.

La nueva versión de Alexei Ratmansky (ex-director artístico del Ballet Bolshoi, y ahora coreógrafo residente del American Ballet Theater), fue concebida especialmente para el Ballet Kírov del Mariinsky en 2009. Éste es el tercer ballet “plisetskayano” de Ratmansky, un ferviente admirador de Maya Mijailovna, tras “Anna Karenina” (2004, música de Schedrin) y “Juego de cartas” (2005), de Stravinsky.

En dos actos, con una duración total de 2 horas y 15 minutos, “El caballito jorobadito” de Ratmansky opta por el humor y una ironía casi imperceptible, con lo cual hace creíble y hasta disfrutable en grado extremo una truculenta historia de encantamientos, fantasías diversas y sucesos imposibles.

Ratmansky ha demostrado poseer un amplio espectro. En el caso de “El caballito…”, se trata del coreógrafo que con habilidad notoria enfrenta ballets de toda una noche, “narrativos”, y más aún, con esta temática de “antiguo cuento ruso” y perteneciente al pasado soviético, que Ratmansky, como si fuera una suerte de rey Midas, está “renovando” por medio de otra visión, completamente anclada en el siglo XXI.

“Completamente anclada en el siglo XXI” no quiere decir, según lo visto en “El caballito…”, que Ratmansky sea un “vanguardista” a ultranza, “inventor” de pasos o algo en consonancia. Según lo apreciado en este “Caballito…”, ni siquiera el manoseado término (y probablemente incorrecto) de “neoclásico” es aplicable a Ratmansky.



Utiliza sino el “lenguaje clásico”, pero como demostró Balanchine éste puede ser inagotable por lo ilimitado que ofrece. Basta tan sólo una intención discursiva en cómo ofrecer las combinaciones de pasos, un cierto gesto aquí o allá, la manera en que se desarrolla y se asienta la estructura de las frases por separado y en el resultado total estilístico y conceptual, para que el producto sea “novedoso”. Mejor aún que esta palabra: válido y efectivo. Que todo es un asunto de lo que el coreógrafo tenga en la “cabeza”. Si ésta es “sólida”, ello se refleja en cómo ordena, dispone, subraya, exalta o hasta “insinúa” (no faltaron algunas citas a ciertas coreografías de los Ballets Rusos de Diaguilev, como por ejemplo, a “Les Noces” de Bronislava Nijinska). Del mismo modo que si un escritor escribe bien es porque piensa bien.

Los intérpretes fueron inmejorables, sobre todo ese Leonid Sarafanov como Iván el loco. Más allá de su virtuosismo, fue un comediante delicioso. Alina Somova, como la Zarina, aportó una nota tan tierna como venida de un mundo de sueños, pero todo servido de la mano del humor. A señalar, asimismo, a Grigori Popov como el Caballito, al desopilante Zar de Andrei Ivanov y a la aristocrática Princesa del mar de Ekaterina Koundarova.

Lo único algo discordante en este espectáculo absolutamente logrado son los diseños de vestuario y escenografía (con la excepción de la solución encontrada para la tina de agua hirviente donde tienen que sumergirse Iván y el Zar) de Maxim Isaiev. Sí, cierto que fueron pensados con intención “modernista” y hasta “abstracta”, hay también algunas citas en ellos, pero su gusto puede ser chocante, como en el vestuario de los gitanos o esas altas tocas blancas de los boyardos: parecían éstos chefs de cocina…

Mariinsky Theatre goes on record

Fifteen performances have been nominated for a "Golden Mask" award.

All the hard work that Mariinsky had put in, releasing one premiere after another, finally did pay off. Mariinsky’s new productions have been nominated for fifteen "Golden Mask" awards. The Jury was duly impressed with such heavyweights as season premiere of ballet "Anna Karenina", operas "Les Troyens," Frau ohne Schatten and "Bluebeard's Castle”.

Alexei Ratmansky's ballet "Anna Karenina" in itself may very well become the best musical performance, and its soloist Ekaterina Kondaurova has a good chance of winning a prize for the title role.



The Award ceremony will be held in Spring of 2011 in Moscow.

Dear Octavia,thank you for posting the video of the X-th festival,which I had the chance to see live.I don't think it's possible to ever forget the glory of the finest Russian Ballet and its splendid artists!I became more and more interested in Kirov/Mariinsky so that I'm following its development,unfortunately I live far from Petersburg and only can watch videos...so I'm really grateful that this forum and people like you exist