by Lidia Paulinska | Apr 18, 2017
Fathom events, April – On Sunday, April 9, 2017, live from Moscow, thousands of movie-goers throughout the United States and abroad were treated to a one-time cinema viewing of A Hero of Our Time, the final ballet of the Bolshoi’s 2016-2017 Season. The splendid production was presented by Fathom Events, the indispensable conduit of cultural treasures with worldwide distribution and production by Pathé Live.
The ballet in three acts was choreographed by Yuri Possokhov with music by Ilya Demutsky and is based on a novel made up of five novellas by Mikhail Lermontov (1814-1841), a Russian writer and poet considered to be second only to Pushkin. Lermontov’s so-called “Superfluous man” novel features a classic Byronic hero (or anti-hero) by the name of Pechorin who in the ballet adaptation is represented by three different dancers in each of three act. (Vladimir Nabacov rendered English translation of the novel in 1958.) The three novellas adapted from the novel were “Bela,” “Taman,” and the longest of the short stories, “Princess Mary.”
The ballet is superb in all its manifestations on the Bolshoi’s wonderful new stage. The choreography is strong, crisp, and innovative and each of the three acts stand alone in style and tone from each other. However, therein lies a potential problem for an audience unfamiliar with Lermontov’s collection of novellas. The main source of potential confusion is the fact that the protagonist, Pecheron, is performed by three different dancers in each of the three acts: Act one features Igor Tsvirko, act two is danced by Artem Ovacharenko, and act three performed by Ruslan Skvortsov, all wonderfully powerful, precision dancers in the grand tradition of the incomparable Bolshoi.
The three acts have a continuity of character portrayal (Pecheron), but differ markedly in style and tone which may add to possible confusion. Each of the three interpretations of Pecheron shows a side of his character which is influenced by age and experience. In “Bela” he appears indifferent to Bela, danced by Olga Smirnova, but is remorseful in a solo performance after her death. In “Taman,” so name for a small coastal town by the Black Sea, is home to a group of shady smugglers whom our hero gets involved with. Fearing that Pecheron will alert the authorities of their nefarious activitiea, a young woman named Undine, danced with purposeful strength by Eketertina Shipulina, attempts to drown him. Escaping, he winds up in a spa town for rehabilitating army officers. Pecheron flirts with Princess Mary , performed by Svetlana Zakharova, who falls in love with him, but he was merely toying with her affections and has no romantic interest in her. He is challenged to a duel by her frustrated boyfriend whom he kills. He ultimately loses his true love Vera, danced by Kristina Kretova, and lives on in despair as a matured and self-reflective “hero.”
The male dancers of course are as strong as usual, but it’s the ballerinas who shine in this production. Olga Smirnov as Bela is convincing as a young innocent woman who is given to Pecheron in exchange for a horse. As act one opens, she is covered in a blanket and is both vulnerable and mysterious. Her dancing is fluid and alluring beautiful. Ekaterina Shipulina appears as the femme fatale Undine in act two, a passionate red-swan-like force, danced with strength and conviction. The graceful Svetina Zakhaorova performs the naive Princess Mary with style and grace, and as Pecheron’s only true love, Kristina Kretova’s Vera performs a dark and melodramatic solo that stands out as one of the most profoundly emotional and memorable moments in the ballet.
Atmosphere is very important in the novel and in this production itself and is well-expressed in the modern stage sets and Ilya Demusky’s varied and haunting score. Each act opens with a solo performance accompanied on stage by a solo musician or opera singer which has a haunting impact. Russian folk influences are apparent in Caucasus of act one. Act two the set designer (uncredited in the cinema info sheet) create hints of a small, harsh village represented by construction-like scaffolding and an ominous chorus of smugglers with flashlights. The third act takes place in a kind of gymnasium which simultaneously serves as a ballet studio, gym, hall, and medical clinic/hospital, a somewhat disconcerting and confusing series of locals which in their own way add to the intriguing and unexpected nature of this extraordinary and eminently memorable ballet.
by Lidia Paulinska and Hugh McMahon
by Lidia Paulinska | Mar 23, 2017
Fathom events, March – On Sunday, March 19, 2017, Fathom Events and Pathé Live broadcast a thrilling and historic program to hundreds of select cinemas throughout the country; and it was a rare treat indeed. “A Contemporary Evening,” a triptych of works dedicated to modern choreography, featuring some of the world’s greatest dancers, direct from the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow.
First on the program, and new to the Bolshoi’s repertoire, was “The Cage,” by masterful American choreographer, Jerome Robbins, followed by the young Russian-American choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s colorful and folklore-inspired “Russian Seasons.” And finally, “Études” by the Danish choreographer Harald Lander which is considered to be an homage to classical ballet training.
Jerome Robbins’ (1918-1998) ground-breaking “The Cage” is set to Stravinsky’s Concerto in D for chamber orchestra and had its premiere at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York on June 10, 1951. In a 2003 New York Times review it’s viewed as a “sardonic take on Male-female relationships;” and indeed two male creatures are stomped to death and have their necks broken between the knees of a female insect whose web they unfortunately wandered into. AnotherTimes review of Robbins’ ferocious ballet from 1982 opines: “Ostensibly set in a matriarchal insect society in which males are killed after mating, the ballet follows the life of one of the insects, referred to as the Novice, from her birth to her murderous adulthood.” Mr. Robbins has devised a wide variety of astonishing movement motifs for his collection of insects, including body undulations, brushing of legs, repeated lunging at the floor, stabbing arm motions, and silent screams to create the sense of non-human predacious creatures . The Bolshoi dancers are certainly up to the challenge and Ekaterina Krysanova as the predatory Novice is both lithe and menacing in the role. Mr. Robbins’ underlying theme of male-female relationships may be a bit dated, but the vitality and immediacy of his choreography is as fresh today as it was 66 years ago, and as always, the magnificent Bolshoi is up to the task. Mr. Robbins choreographed works for the New York City Ballet and is best known to popular audiences for his Broadway gems, “West Side Story” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The second work on the “Contemporary Evening” program, “Russian Seasons,” by Alexei Ratmansky (b. 1968), premiering at the Bolshoi Theatre, June 2006, and could not be more different from “The Cage” in style, tone, theme and intent. In a 2012 New York Times review by Anna Kisseldorf of this work when presented by the New York City Ballet states, “The ballet touches on many of Mr. Ratmansky’s inclinations: traces of folk dance are given modern makeovers as strange bursts of humor and pathos erupt like tiny fireworks all over the stage. Unison is less of a choreographic conceit than a way to show how a tribe moves with one pulse.” Mr. Ratmansky’s use of the ballerina is a pleasure to watch. In a vibrant and vital work choreographed for 12 dancers, 3 of the 4 leads are women and refreshingly, they aren’t relegated to “arm putty for tricky partnering or objects to be admired or violated.” The colorful costumes in red, green, blue, violet and burgundy red (uncredited in the movie program notes) become an integral compliment to the spirited movement of the piece and shimmer in stark contrast to the minimalist mise en scene. From 2004 to 2008 Mr. Rtmansky was the director of the Bolshoi Ballet and as of April 2014 he is artist-in-residence at the American Ballet Theatre in New York.
The final ballet of the evening, “Études,” was choreographed by Harald Lander (1905-1971) and premiered January 1948 at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen with the Royal Danish Ballet for which Mr. Lander served as artistic director and ballet master. This exquisite work is a marvel of balletic continuity, visually chronicling as it does the progression of the dancer’s training from emergent student through corps de ballet, and finally to prima ballerina. As a reverential homage to classical ballet, it moves from the ballet studio with students at the barre diligently performing routine pliés then finally to beautifully executed excerpts from the classical ballet repertoire, including performances like the solo “dying swan” scene from “Swan Lake” and other vignettes. The ballet is performed to “piano studies” for music students composed by Carl Czerny which thematically compliments the opening scene of “Études” (“a short, musical composition for practice”) which focuses on ballet students at practice. “Études” is considered an homage to classical ballet training, beginning with students at the barre and ending with spectacular classical virtuosity.
All three works in this superb program are “modern” by definition, but performed by the exquisite classically trained Bolshoi Ballet, they sparkle with classical precision and stunning bravura.
by Lidia Paulinska | Mar 22, 2016
On Sunday, March 13, 2016, Fathom Events presented a live cinematic performance of “Spartacus,” the Bolshoi Ballet’s signature piece, viewed by fortunate movie-goers for one showing only in 500 cinemas worldwide. This epic ballet premiered in Moscow in 1968, marking the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, and 48 years later it continues to exhibit all the energy, fervor, and raw brawn which has characterized the very essence of the Bolshoi’s male dancers ever since.
Staged by the legendary choreographer Yuri Grigororvich with an oddly cinematic but functional score by Aram Khachaturian, “Spartacus” is nothing short of spectacular in its display of space-devouring leaps and astonishing Olympic athleticism by its two principal male dancers: The incomparable Mikhail Lobukhin in the title role of Spartacus, leader of an unsuccessful slave revolt against the evil Roman ruler Marcus Licinius Crassus, powerfully performed by Alexander Volchkov. Both Lobukhin and Volchkov are the very personifications of the unbridled male energy and muscularity the Bolshoi has come to be known for, and accordingly, in the case of “Spartacus,” subtlety of expression is definitely not it’s strong suite. With successive decades and interpretations of this iconic work, we’ve come to expect nothing short of broadly expressed, passionate male heroism and this current production doesn’t disappoint; in the world of ballet, the role of Spartacus stands as the coveted tour de force piece for every principal dancer to aspire to.
Ably complimenting the merciless Crassus is his cunning and crafty courtesan, Aegina, performed seductively by the beautiful Svetlana Zakharova whose flowing, erotic movements contrast with the harsh, angular, war-like virility of the male dancers.
The fourth principal in this remarkable production is Anna Nikulina who plays the pure and virtuous Phrygia, wife of Spartacus, a role in absolute contrast to the vampish, glittering, and irrepressible Aegina. However, the contrast is so great, I feel Nikulina’s demeanor, and even her drab costuming depict her as a bit too bland, even considering her character’s “slave” status. Yet all is redeemed by her exquisite partnering with Lobukhin in their wonderful pas de deux, a breathtaking show-stopper with each successive lift more incredible than the former, and possessing a lyrical, subtle beauty so uncharacteristic of this muscular piece in general. The contrast works beautifully.
On balance, “Spartacus” is an historic treasure that has fortunately not become an historic artifact even after almost a half century. A dynamism prevails throughout, from the very first scene with Crassus in command of a gold-clad army, wielding shields and spears, dynamically lunge-jumping and forward leg kicking reminiscent of Fascism, to the horrific “crucifixion” of Spartacus in the final act, lifelessly impaled on the bloody tips of dozens of spears, held high above the heads of his victorious slayers. “Spartacus” intrigued us and held our attention.
