Some dancers have a defining attribute: Sylvie Guillem’s ear-high extensions, Alina Cojocaru’s airy delicacy, Natalia Osipova’s enormous jump. But what makes Cuthbertson special is more to do with the quality of her presence. Her performances are very personal: you never see a cliched gesture or a “ballet dancer expression”. Even in abstract work, her dancing is peculiarly spontaneous, transparent in its lack of rhetoric or airs.
The Financial Times visited Milan’s historic theatre to witness Sergei Vikharev’s reconstruction of Raymonda — a production which is sending ripples of interest and excitement around the ballet community.
This blog alone, and its associated YouTube channel, has received thousands of extra visits to read about Raymonda, pushing the associated posts to the top of the most viewed list. The countries most interested seem to be America, Russia, Britain and, of course, Italy.
During August when the Mariinsky Ballet was visiting at the Royal Opera House in London, The Financial Times awarded many 4 and 5-star reviews during the three week run. But this is unusual, and they are handed out with caution. With Raymonda, La Scala got a 5-star review and some glowing words for a company which has often puzzled visiting critics in recent years.
Raymonda is not an easy ballet to stage. With its big cast, difficult ballerina role and slight storyline, it has often been overlooked or changed beyond recognition, but Vikharev, who has reconstructed 19th-century ballets for companies round the world, has restored features long dropped from international productions.
On August 11 and 12 of this years dancers from the American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Paris National Opera, New York City Ballet, Bejart Ballet Loussane, Staatts Ballet Berlin, the National Contemporary Dance Company and Ballet of Teatro Colon gathered on stage at the Teatro Coliseo of Buenos Aires.
The First International Ballet Gala featured some of the best dancers of classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballet: Mathilde Froustey and Mathias Heymann who, two years ago, at 22, reached the rank of “danseur etoile” at the Paris Opera Ballet; Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, principal dancers at the Bolshoi; Daniil Simkin of the American Ballet Theatre and others.
These three contributions to the gala are now on YouTube: Delibes Suite (Froustey/Heymann), Les Bourgeois (Simkin) and Don Quixote (Osipova/Vasiliev).
The Sunday Times’ Christopher Hart hated the National Theatre’s new social-drama:
Just as Hollywood is rediscovering the thrills of 3-D, it seems that, with 13, the National is excited all over again by the possibilities of 2-D, especially in character. And for any decent actor to have to squeeze themselves into a two-dimensional space must be a pretty flattening experience.
With no coherence, no nuance, few jokes, 13 is just three hours of pompous declamation …
… Any theatregoer, regardless of their political persuasion, should object to such a sloppy, self-regarding bit of propaganda masquerading as art. For the duration, perhaps the venue should be renamed the National Socialist Theatre. Now why doesn’t that sound quite nice?… continue reading
All the Raymonda variations from the reconstruction of the ballet at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala with Olesia Novikova, and de Brienne’s variation with Friedemann Vogel, are now available on YouTube.
Playlist (11 extracts)
DJ, TV presenter and charity fundraiser Sir Jimmy Savile has died, aged 84. Savile, who was one of the most famous names on British TV and radio in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, died on Saturday.
His family programme, Jim’ll Fix It, drew in huge audiences and the programme received 20,000 letters a week at the height of its popularity.
Savile started out as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 and was the first host of Top of the Pops in 1964. He also appeared on the music show’s final edition in 2006.
His TV persona included chunky gold jewellery, a huge cigar, his trademark snowy white hair and a number of catch-phrases which were frequently parodied by impressionists such as Mike Yarwood.
Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Savile was conscripted as a Bevin Boy, working in the coal mines during the war. But he was one of Britain’s first DJs in the 1950s and began his broadcasting career at Radio Luxembourg before moving to the BBC. Off screen he did a lot of charity work, running 200 marathons and raising £40m over the years.… continue reading
Adele has cancelled all her remaining live dates and promotional appearances for 2011 after suffering continuing problems with her voice. A statement on her website said she was undergoing surgery “to alleviate the current issues with her throat”.
As a result, doctors have ordered her to rest her voice and completely recuperate before looking to schedule any work commitments.”
The statement added the singer was expected to make a full recovery.
Adele cancelled her 10-date US tour earlier this month after being diagnosed with a vocal cord haemorrhage.
The singer wrote on her website earlier this month,
I have absolutely no choice but to recuperate properly and fully, or I risk damaging my voice forever.”
What an extraordinarily unresponsive crowd to greet the opening of the newly restored Bolshoi Theatre. Ten seconds of timid clapping and then the television director honed in on bored faces, while bangs and scrapes came from the unlit stage during the scene changes.
The whole approach, from lighting to graphics, was rather like that of a child discovering a room full of sweets and wanting to try them all: the director just couldn’t hold back. Just as the dancers went for a lift so the camera lurched towards the stage from under a violinist’s armpit. While Svetlana Zakharova was emoting touchingly as a white swan, we were treated to another drunken remote-controlled shot from behind the chandelier. And the back projected animations wore a little thin.
The director didn’t get it all wrong however. After Angela Gheorghiu, clutching her score which she stared at throughout, finished Liza’s aria from The Queen of Spades, he zoomed in on the disapproving face of Galina Vishnevskaya.… continue reading
The Mariinsky Ballet are entering their last week of a three-week run at Turin’s Teatro Regio, after a week of their Fokine programme, a week of Bayadères, and now they start on their twelve Swan Lakes.
The Regio’s modern theatre was designed for opera and leaves the dancer, especially the male ballet dancer, shortchanged. Andrej Ermakov’s huge leaps brought him dangerously near the orchestra pit on several occasions, but he easily dominated the stage with his bravura attitude and good ol’ Russian chutzpah when his physical prowess had to be tamed for the Turin stage.
Anastasija Kolegova was an assured, and extraordinarily pretty, Gamzatti. As she approaches 30 she still has the face of a teenager. Strangely her turns with Ermakov seemed awkward, yet by herself she sailed through the technical difficulties with ease. Perhaps she lacks true star quality, but she graces the stage quite beautifully.
Ekaterina Kondaurova, as Nikija, has star quality in abundance and drew every eye in the packed house to her.… continue reading