The Pharoah’s Daughter, one of Marius Petipa’s original ballets, is a work nearly unknown in American and European houses but that reigns supreme on the Bolshoi stage, where today it is almost exclusively performed. However, those performances occur quite rarely. A block of Pharoah revivals closed out last season in July 2018 for those Muscovites who had not already abandoned the city for vacation time. This week Moscow audiences enjoyed their only glimpse of the ballet for the current season in a series of 6 performances over the span of 4 days.

This large-scale work, in every sense of the word –from sets and costumes, to the large number of cast members and even animals required for all three acts– is a restoration by France’s Pierre Lacotte dating from 2000. The libretto sets the action in ancient Egypt, where a British explorer finds himself smoking opium and falling into a dream. Reminiscent then of the last act of Bayadère (Solor too smokes opium before his dream of the Shades), Pharoah also has components of Romeo and Juliet‘s star-crossed lovers: the heroine Aspicia throws herself in the Nile River when she cannot be wed to her beloved Taor. But in a true fairytale twist, she’s saved by the God of the Nile, who resembles Poseidon with a trident and long golden locks.

The March block of performances featured a series of debuts, including Margarita Shrainer next to Vyacheslav Lopatin in the leading roles and, on closing night, the ever-reliable Ekaterina Krysanova alongside Vladislav Lantratov in his debut as Taor.

On 14 December, an historical event took place in the city of Perm, Russia, deep in the Ural mountain region. The Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre, known for its adherence to classical traditions, premiered the ballet La Bayadere for the first time in its history.

In an ode to Russian literary classics, the Bolshoi presented a short marathon of four performances of John Cranko’s Evgeny Onegin in early October. Ekaterina Krysanova and Vladislav Lantratov danced the leading roles in the second of four performances, with Anastashia Stashkevich and Semyon Chudin as Olga and Lensky, respectively.

Cranko’s work is a genius depiction of the Russian poem-novel in visual, stage form. At the first curtain we view this Russian family on the lawn behind their countryside home, Olga preening in front of the mirror, and Tatiana quietly consumed in a book. The choreography expertly highlights the personality difference between the two sisters: Olga’s jubilant cheer, hopping around between the various ladies, and Tatiana’s dreamy and withdrawn nature. Stashkevich ebullience seemed endless as she teased Krysanova, stealing the book out of her hands. In turn, Krysanova’s calm pensiveness suggested an other-worldly girl, lost in her own thoughts.

Something fresh is always happening at the Stanislavsky. Between their new additions, the Grigorovich ballets, the classical repertoire, and the upcoming Balanchine premiere, the troupe is constantly engaged in developing their talents in both classical and modern works. One contemporary programme that debuted in April 2018 reappeared this past weekend, in late September. The triple bill with Dmitry Briantsev’s Illusive Ball, Marco Goecke’s Lonesome George, and Ohad Naharin’s clever Minus 16 drew a full house at start of the season.

Briantsev, a name little-known outside of Russia, is a classical genius who previously held the post of artistic director at the Stanislavsky Ballet, a post that Laurent Hilaire now holds. Briantsev disappeared in 2004 while on business in Prague at the age of 57, not returning to for his ballet season as planned, and he has not been seen since.

Following several nights of opera, the Bolshoi Theatre opened its 243rd ballet season on 18 September with the requisite performance of Swan Lake, featuring Svetlana Zakharova and Denis Rodkin in the leading roles. While no one, not even Soviet ballet icon Yuri Grigorovich, can improve upon the beauty of Petipa classics, Grigorovich’s choreographic talent comes through in the sections devoted to male dancing and his ability to pare down the classics to the bare minimum. There are elements that he retains in faithfulness to Petipa: the Bolshoi Lake style features soft elbows for the Prince, basic adherence to the “original” choreography for the White and Black adagios, and a focus on large corps sections throughout. Purists should be forewarned: the musical score is cut in numerous places so that 3 hour and 15 minute traditional 3-act version that runs at the Mariinsky Theatre is now just 2 acts that finish in 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Today Bolshoi Ballet soloist Igor Tsvirko bid an official farewell on Instagram to the theatre he has called his home for several years. Mr. Tsvirko has accepted a contract with the Hungarian State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Budapest. We wish him all the best in this next chapter of his life!

Flora’s Awakening, graduates of the Vaganova Academy.
Photo by Natasha Razina.

By decree dated May 4, 1783, Empress Anna of the Russian Empire issued a decree establishing the first Imperial Theatre School in Saint Petersburg. This year marks the 280th anniversary of the Vaganova Academy, the very school that has trained top names in Russian and international ballet for centuries. The Academy devoted its annual graduation performances this month to the season-long celebration of what would have been the 200th birthday of Marius Petipa, offering a mainly Petipa-based program performed entirely by students with several former graduates.

Yuri Grigorovich has become more than just an icon in the Moscow ballet scene. He’s a living legend who commands respect from the entire world of ballet for his long choreographic and artistic career. His venerable productions include undeniable masterpieces that have not only remained in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theatre for decades, but been adopted worldwide and even used as sources of inspiration for other creators as well. Two of his first works, The Stone Flower and Legend of Love, are still routinely danced at the Mariinsky Theatre, while the latter is also performed at the Stanislavsky.

The inclusion of guest stars, such as those from the Bolshoi, during the Mariinsky Theatre’s Petipa festival in March was no doubt done to underscore the historical weight of Marius Petipa’s contributions to ballet. One such star was Marcelo Gomes who performed with American Ballet Theatre for 20 years, and previously participated in the Mariinsky’s annual ballet festival both as a dancer and as a choreographer. Gomes, a veteran principal dancer who hails from Brazil and is perhaps best known for being Diana Vishneva’s constant partner during her ABT contract, is also a blossoming choreographer in his own right (he just set a new work with the Washington Ballet) but on stage he’s known for his solid technique and strong acting skills, traits he brought to Petersburg for this landmark appearance.

In touching base with Makhar Vasiev of the Bolshoi Ballet last week, the discussion turned to the topic of stage space, in particular, the lack of it in the Bolshoi’s two theatres. As many know, the new stage was built for use during the reconstruction of the historical stage. But as Vasiev points out, they’re not the same size. “The main stage has 1680 seats. The new one, about 830.” These are low numbers indeed when compared to the world’s leading theatres. “In Paris, the Opera Garnier holds 1800 people and the Bastille has 2700 seats. So on a given day, they are selling 4500 tickets,” Vasiev explained.