St Petersburg Ballet Theatre: La Bayadère, London, August 2015

[Coated]

Saw the Bayadere tonight and got on much better with that than their Swan Lake.

 

Denis Rodkin is a marvel to behold in the flesh and gets enough to do as Solor, the company gets into the spirit of Bayadere with some delightfully hammy acting (particularly enjoyed the flouncy, cross Brahmin) and I quite liked Gamzatti as well. Kolesnikova's arm were beautiful and I felt she was more suited to Nikiya than O/O.

 

The shades were a bit shady at times and as in Swan Lake, there were no real stand-out dancers.

 

I think it's a shame that the company seems to have focussed on one dancer as their star but doesn't really seem to develop the lower ranks. I'm sure there is some talent there, but some of the variations looked very haphazard.

Edited August 22, 2015 by Coated

[MAB]

 

I think it's a shame that the company seems to have focussed on one dancer as their star but doesn't really seem to develop the lower ranks. I'm sure there is some talent there, but some of the variations looked very haphazard.

 

Seeing how dancers from "the lower ranks" have gone on to become principals of the Dutch National Ballet, English National Ballet and the Kirov, surely that proves there is a great deal of talent within the company and clearly they aren't being held back.

[capybara]

Please could you give us the names of these dancers, MAB?

[MAB]

Alexander Zhembrovsky, Elena Glurdjidze and Anastasia Kolegova.

[Beryl H]

You should have seen the ending to La Bayadere, Solor has a Cleopatra moment and dies from a snake bite, has that ever been used before? Sublime dancing from Irina Kolesnikova and Denis Rodkin though, he certainly shows the influence of Nikolai Tsiskaridze, he has the same charisma, I think I have a new favourite!

 

This is another old fashioned production like Swan Lake, good dancing from the 3 Shades, the Idol, and Natalia Matsak who looked much more confident with Denis Rodkin than she had in the afternoon, think she was too tall for Kimin Kim for the partnership to work, what a fantastic dancer he is though, flying through the air like a bird! The corps in Bayadere were very good too, apart from a few wobbles.

 

There were some strange sounds coming from the orchestra, the tunes didn't always sound correct but the musicians were very young with lots of English names in the programme, this might have been their first Bayadere.

 

Couldn't help comparing the almost packed matinee including the Balcony which had only been on sale for 2 weeks, and the much sparser crowd at the only Bayadere night, my programme says Don Q, Carmen by Shostakovich (?) and a Gala Night for next year, but Nutcracker and Swan Lake sounds more like it unfortunately, hope they go with Carmen and the Gala! September is a good month, won't clash with the Bolshoi.

[Mary]

Upper circle wasn't packed, but it was a respectably full house I agree.

Once again Denis Rodkin was the great success of the performance for me, with some spectacular jumps, great dignity and poise and an ability to carry off wearing a sort of nylon lilac two piece that not many men could wear to effect.

The first act seemed very slow, with, as my companion said, an awful lot of walking around.

Act 3 did hot up with a not-- too- wobbly Kingdom of the Shades, (though one corps member was struggling throughout ) and  that super Kolesnikova/Rodkin pas de deux. She seemed much better suited to this ballet. and to be taking it seriously, (!) rather than playing to the gallery as in SL. The snakes did seem to be mismanaged ... perhaps they were having a fit of temperament but both times they leapt out of the basket at what seemed the wrong moment and lthen lay inert rather than doing any convincing biting/slithering.Solor seemed to die by rummaging in what looked like a knitting bag and then hurling himself to the ground.

It was all great fun.

[alison]

I too appreciated the company's production of Bayadère a lot more than their Swan Lake.  I've tried in the past to get to see it, but they performed it so rarely in the UK, and either the timing or the venue or both never worked for me.  After seeing her Odette/Odile, I wasn't sure that Kolesnikova would be suited to Nikiya, but actually thought she was very good for the first two acts, although I found her perhaps a bit ... steely? ... in the Shades scene.

 

You should have seen the ending to La Bayadere, Solor has a Cleopatra moment and dies from a snake bite, has that ever been used before?

 

Not that I can remember.  I suppose it makes sense: her shade reminds him of his broken vow, he's overcome with remorse and, seeing the basket with the snake, decides on death by snakebite, like his beloved.  Unfortunately, I think that on the first night the bag containing the snake was cleared off the stage by accident, and had to be pushed back on, which probably robbed the moment of some of its power.

 

I wouldn't say the audience on the first night was sparse: the stalls were full, the Dress Circle pretty full, and I'd guess the Upper Circle about the same.  It was only the Balcony which hadn't sold well, and I'd guess that would have been because it was put on sale so late.

 

Once again Denis Rodkin was the great success of the performance for me, with some spectacular jumps, great dignity and poise and an ability to carry off wearing a sort of nylon lilac two piece that not many men could wear to effect.

The first act seemed very slow, with, as my companion said, an awful lot of walking around.

 

Agree about the slowness of the first act - well, certainly the first scene - and Denis Rodkin.  I'd already seen him in Bolshoi broadcasts, but will be looking forward to seeing more of him: great jumps, elevation and presence, to name just a few things.  (And yes, why is it that costumes for Solor are rarely got right?  Everyone else gets bright colours, and in this production he gets pale lilac.  Solor is a demanding role, and yet he always seems to be put in costumes which, colour-wise and material-wise, aren't suited to the demands of the role.  I've lost count of the number of performances I've seen where e.g. his turquoise costume is discoloured in large patches due to the amount of sweat produced.  This one suffered less than most in that respect)

 

The corps in the Shades scene, albeit a little wobbly in places, looked very unified - even down to the angle of tilt of the tutu skirts - I guess they are indeed getting most of their dancers from the same school, still.  It's just a shame that some subtler lighting effects couldn't have been used to give some more mystery - the light was rather cold and harsh.

 

I was particularly pleased to note the lack of anyone blacking - or even browning - up in this production: even the fakirs were in some sort of mesh all-in-ones with "paint marks" applied on top.  What did surprise me somewhat was the length: despite not having a final act, the production still managed to come in at perhaps only 10 minutes short of the Royal Ballet's version - and this without the insertion of the duet for Nikiya and the slave in Act I Scene II, or Manu in Act II, among others.

[trog]

I saw La Bayadere this afternoon. There was a major boo-boo when the snake jumped out of the flowers and landed on the stage, leaving Nikiya being bitten by a secondary invisible snake. Mary describes the same thing above. I haven't seen Kolesnikova since she last came to Birmingham in 2009 and I haven't seen her in Bayadere since 2005. She's prety much as I remember, beautiful to watch but sometimes seems to be holding back a bit. Natalia Matsak was stunning as Gazmatti. I'd like to see more of her. I think Bayadere has some wonderful scenes - the Golden Idol, the Shades, Solar & Gazmatti pdd and the grand pdd, but I think it's a fairly weak ballet over all.
 

You should have seen the ending to La Bayadere, Solor has a Cleopatra moment and dies from a snake bite, has that ever been used before?

 
The Kirov production that I saw has this and perhaps the Bolshoi one did too.

[Terpsichore]

I saw La Byadere for the first time at the Coliseum this afternoon and was blown away much as I had been many years ago the first time I saw Swan Lake. Up to then the only part of the ballet I had seen before had been the descent of the shades in the last act. I had assumed there was a reason why this ballet is not performed as often as The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake. Having seen it I regard it as a masterpiece. Great diverissments, spectacular choreography particularly in the last Act and Minkus's gorgeous score.

 

Having seen him in HDTV transmissions from Moscow I expected a lot from Rodkin and was not disappointed. I expected less from the other dancers because I knew nothing about them but they were good.

 

There were some glitches as frog has said but they did not spoil my enjoyment.   I saw this ballet with my friend Gita who is of Indian as well as British heritage.   I shall be interested in her impressions of the show. 

[stucha]

Alison said

(And yes, why is it that costumes for Solor are rarely got right?  Everyone else gets bright colours, and in this production he gets pale lilac.  Solor is a demanding role, and yet he always seems to be put in costumes which, colour-wise and material-wise, aren't suited to the demands of the role.  I've lost count of the number of performances I've seen where e.g. his turquoise costume is discoloured in large patches due to the amount of sweat produced.  This one suffered less than most in that respect)

 

The only decent costume for Solor that doesn't make him  look as if he has strayed from his boudoir is that of the Paris Opera production.

Luminous blue/green to start and then a similar version  in white for the Shades scene.

 

https://www.facebook.com/operadeparis/posts/1174250395922074

Edited August 24, 2015 by stucha

[Bruce Wall]

I attended both of the performances of the SPBT La Bayadere and thought the matinee was much preferable to what I assume was almost a dress rehearsal on the Saturday evening with the majority of the company having danced the SPBT Swan Lake earlier in the day.  

 

There was NO question but that Denis Rodkin was superlative throughout each performance.  Most certainly he was the highlight.  He alone was at a world class level here.  Each variation built on the previous and each was delightfully panther-like.  The silence of his landings - always in rapt placement - reminded one of an early Zelensky or Woetzel at any time during his truly stellar career.  Rodkin enacted his Solor with an economy of purpose that was always decorous in its sincere intent and was - especially given both Kolesnikova's and Matsak's oft uncertain centre - a miraculous partner.  He alone amongst the men was always sensitive to his surroundings - something too that could not be said of his ballerina - and exercised his imagination in terms of improvisation and technical deployment with a refined dignity throughout.  The audience's hunger for such - as much as their keen appreciation - became potently evident at both performances given the cheer that arose when Rodkin - finally alone during the curtain call after having graciously held the front curtain for his ballerina/employer(?) - he stepped forward and threw but one of the flowered pellets tossed earlier back towards his audience.  The slight bow of Rodkin's head was as gently grateful as was his smile at that juncture.  A lovely and caring touch.  His modesty in face of the maturity of his evident skill - one not gifted to all - was entirely endearing.  This will, I'm sure, be a further annuity towards the good health of the Bolshoi's box office next summer at the ROH.  

 

At the matinee - when the asp accidentally flew out of her basket of blooms in the second act - I wanted Kolesnikova to respond in some way.  At the end of her spirited variation's conclusion - one always included in the indigenous Russian versions - she had a perfect opportunity to do so.  (Heaven knows the conductor dances to her tune here.  That has been made quite evident throughout this SPBT season.)  I could just see in my mind's eye Makarova - Ah, Makarova - at the end of her variation's applause spy the beast - chase, grasp and fight it - and then - as with the Solor's boa at the end of this production - be curtailed by the reptile's poisonous victory.  It could have been truly exciting.  But no.  Sadly Ms. Kolesnikova is not an artist of that heightened gift - and that is not to say she is not entirely competent.  She is.  She simply placed the basket on top of the stage plastic so that it could be easily collected.  Very tidy.  Job done.

 

I pray that Rodkin and Muntagirov will return with SPBT next September in whatever repertory they finally choose to bring.  They are sorely needed in this respect.  Kim, while having a soaring leap, is still unclean in terms of partnering and his crucial finishing placements.  That said the men resident in the SPBT Company are - at least from my perspective - a disgrace.  The drum dance sequence on the Friday night - a historically cherished character standout sadly cut from Makarova's productions - was - quite simply - a travesty and the golden idol only slightly better.  The matinee showed a slight improvement in both after a night's sleep for all but London I believe - especially at the dynamic prices charged at the Coliseum - deserves better.  It is, I think, irresponsible not to say so.  I fear if we don't ask for such not only will we most likely never receive any improvement; we won't deserve to.  Who then could blame our children for simply not knowing the difference.  

 

The SPBT women - on the whole - fared better in terms of their responsibility in execution.  Certainly I appreciated the first Shade solo by a spirited Anna Samostrelova and that it was taken by the orchestra at its original heightened tempi as was the initial slave variation (without the pas de deux that the resident Mariinsky, Bolshoi and POB companies deploy at that point) such as is not always the case locally.  

 

Finally I would like to gratefully acknowledge that there was some truly outstanding work by both the harpist and cello players, talented ladies both, at each of these two SPBT performances.  

Edited August 24, 2015 by Bruce Wall

[capybara]

 

I pray that Rodkin and Muntagirov will return with SPBT next September in whatever repertory they finally choose to bring.  

 

I enjoyed Muntagirov's performances as Siegfried, of course, but I would rather see him in repertoire new to him with the Royal Ballet (in which he also excels) than guesting  with the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre where the production values do not seem to be as high.

[Bruce Wall]

I enjoyed Muntagirov's performances as Siegfried, of course, but I would rather see him in repertoire new to him with the Royal Ballet (in which he also excels) than guesting  with the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre where the production values do not seem to be as high.

 

I pray capybara that you might see Muntagirov celebrated in both ... although I agree that it is ALWAYS more exciting to see him in undertakings that have a better opportunity to challenge as much as to excite us all throughout.  I only wish that this most recent season at the Coliseum could have been marked by another company from St. Petersburg, the Mikhailovsky.  I see the latter are returning to NYC next November after having danced there last year with a more diverse rep .. and they are shortly too to appear in Tokyo where the SPBT will be seen.  For my money they are a FAR superior outfit overall with now much more certain artistic leadership; certainly a much preferable representative of that fine city; and one whose quality - certainly at the prices charged - I, myself, believes London deserves.  That said I'm confident the leading balletic SP emblem, the Mariinsky, will be back in London sooner than naught.  Perhaps Muntagirov will guest with them then as he has historically in Russia.  

Edited August 24, 2015 by Bruce Wall

[alison]

I saw La Bayadere this afternoon. There was a major boo-boo when the snake jumped out of the flowers and landed on the stage, leaving Nikiya being bitten by a secondary invisible snake.

 

Oops.  Never mind.  I'm sure Gamzatti, as the deceitful little miss she is, would have taken pains to ensure that there were several snakes in that basket, just to make sure that Nikiya had no chance of not disturbing one of them

 

The only decent costume for Solor that doesn't make him  look as if he has strayed from his boudoir is that of the Paris Opera production.

Luminous blue/green to start and then a similar version  in white for the Shades scene.

 

https://www.facebook.com/operadeparis/posts/1174250395922074

 

I'd forgotten that one.  Glorious.  Thanks

 

I attended both of the performances of the SPBT La Bayadere and thought the matinee was much preferable to what I assume was almost a dress rehearsal on the Saturday evening with the majority of the company having danced the SPBT Swan Lake earlier in the day.  

 

Including Gamzatti having danced Odette/Odile   I notice she didn't turn up for the curtain call - I hope she was soaking in a hot bath or something by then.  I also hope the company managed to fit a dress rehearsal in on the Friday afternoon - some dancers did indeed not look quite sure of their steps, or where they should be placed.

 

There was NO question but that Denis Rodkin was superlative throughout each performance.  Most certainly he was the highlight.  He alone was at a world class level here.  Each variation built on the previous and each was delightfully panther-like.  The silence of his landings - always in rapt placement - reminded one of an early Zelensky or Woetzel at any time during his truly stellar career.  Rodkin enacted his Solor with an economy of purpose that was always decorous in its sincere intent and was - especially given both Kolesnikova's and Matsak's oft uncertain centre - a miraculous partner.  

 

Definitely agree on Rodkin - he recalled Zelensky to me, too, although I was never fortunate enough to see Woetzel in anything classical.  And yes, I did notice his deft partnering - and his partners' divergence from the vertical    Also agree about the musical soloists: thankfully their quality was better than that of the orchestra overall - without a decent harp, the effect of the Shades scene would be greatly diminished.

[MAB]

As you appeared to have hated the company so much Mr Wall, I'm surprised you returned.

 

It is unusual for one of the dedicated touring companies to undertake a London season and in many respects quite brave, especially as they don't have the state resources of the Bolshoi or Kirov or the limitless coffers of an oligarch like the Mikhailovsky.  Having actually worked for a Russian touring company (not this one) I know a great deal of the challenges involved, particularly in regard to punishing schedules and the continual headache of acquiring male dancers.  Far more female dancers are trained to a high standard in Russia than males and with the top companies creaming off the best, it often takes a sharp eye to hoover up talent that has been overlooked, but the quality of the men goes up and down like a graph and if the company ballet staff (a rather distinguished bunch at StPBT, if you bothered to read the programme) find a diamond in the rough, before long that diamond will move to greener pastures, as I have mentioned above.

 

Funny isn't it that such an apparently awful company managed to achieve what so many more established companies (including NYCB) failed to do, namely sell out the Coliseum completely, even standing room.  In the past two seasons I believe only Carlos Acosta and Sylvie Guillem managed that feat and with fewer performances.  There were standing ovations for all the performances too, even at the matinee.  I would call that a resounding success .

[Bruce Wall]

As you appeared to have hated the company so much Mr Wall, I'm surprised you returned.

 

 

 

That I consider MAB to be entirely unfair and certainly inaccurate.  I believe I gave generous praise for various elements in what I wrote above.  I returned because I wanted to be sure that I was being fair in my estimation; i.e., that it wasn't simply a matter for some of being understandably over-tired at SPBT  - also because I so admired Mr. Rodkin's performance of the evening before.

 

Your comment vis a vis NYCB at the Coliseum, presented as they were by Sadler's Wells, is also I feel unfair.  If they too had been dancing Swan Lake - even Peter Martins' Swan Lake which is far from anyone's definition of a 'best production' I think - they would have better filled coffers too in London methinks certainly more than they did at the inflated prices the presenters chose to have them appear at. 

 

Enough said. 

Edited August 24, 2015 by Bruce Wall

[annamk]

As you appeared to have hated the company so much Mr Wall, I'm surprised you returned.

 

It is unusual for one of the dedicated touring companies to undertake a London season and in many respects quite brave, especially as they don't have the state resources of the Bolshoi or Kirov or the limitless coffers of an oligarch like the Mikhailovsky.  Having actually worked for a Russian touring company (not this one) I know a great deal of the challenges involved, particularly in regard to punishing schedules and the continual headache of acquiring male dancers.  Far more female dancers are trained to a high standard in Russia than males and with the top companies creaming off the best, it often takes a sharp eye to hoover up talent that has been overlooked, but the quality of the men goes up and down like a graph and if the company ballet staff (a rather distinguished bunch at StPBT, if you bothered to read the programme) find a diamond in the rough, before long that diamond will move to greener pastures, as I have mentioned above.

 

Funny isn't it that such an apparently awful company managed to achieve what so many more established companies (including NYCB) failed to do, namely sell out the Coliseum completely, even standing room.  In the past two seasons I believe only Carlos Acosta and Sylvie Guillem managed that feat and with fewer performances.  There were standing ovations for all the performances too, even at the matinee.  I would call that a resounding success .

Just for the record I don't think they sold out the Coliseum completely did they ? The Upper Circle on Sunday afternoon had plenty of empty seats and from the little I could see of the Balcony the same appeared to be the case. Nor did I see any sign of a standing ovation at either of the performances I attended. 

I agree that It was brave to put on a London season but personally I found the dancing average at best with the exception of the strong but workmanlike and emotionally flat Kolesnikova and Denis Rodkin, who was outstanding. 

[MAB]

I didn't go to the Sunday matinee because of the difficulties of travel on Sunday, in fact the nearest main line station, Charing Cross, was closed all weekend,  I imagine other Londoners give Sunday perfs a miss for the same reason.  It doesn't surprise me at all that there were empty seats.

 

I went to four performances where people were standing up around me in the stalls and the upper circle, perhaps in other parts of the house they stayed sitting down.  A friend who went to almost every performance reported the same. 

 

I was told by someone who counts the receipts that it was a sell out.