annamicro

3 hours ago, Angela said:

Hamburg Ballet season 2024/2025:

 

"The Times Are Racing":

“Adagio” by Pina Bausch, “Variations for two Couples” by Hans van Manen, The Thing with Feathers” by Demis Volpi and “The Times are racing” by Justin Peck

 

“Slow Burn”:

World premiere by Aszure Barton and "Blake Works 5" by William Forsythe

(Hamburg has not seen a Forsythe ballet in the repertoire ever)

 

Revival: Death In Venice. A Dance of Death by John Neumeier

 

Creation: “Demian” by Demis Volpi after the novel by Hermann Hesse

 

https://www.hamburgballett.de/en/schedule/overview_2425.php?type=premieren&season=2425

https://www.hamburgballett.de/en/news/editorial.php

Download the brochure here

 

Principal Karen Azatyan is leaving the company to go to Zurich, Futaba Ishizaki, Charlotte Kragh and Daniele Bonelli are following the company from Ballett am Rhein as soloists

I have mixed feelings about the season, at the same time repetitive (on Neumeier's works) and innovative (interesting to see more choreographers that during Neumeier's time).

I am sorry to see Karen Azatyan leaving: he is one of my favourites for his charisma and technical qualities. 

I am happy to see Alina Cojocaru still listed as guest.

Olga Smirnova will be dancing Anna Karenina in Hamburg on the 8th and 10th of May. Her Vronskij is Jacopo Bellussi.

I'm afraid that Neumeier's Anna Karenina unfortunately is not exactly one of my favourite ballets, opposite to Tolstoj novel, that I love: maybe that's the reason 😁

20 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Cojocaru= join another company

Cope= rejoin Royal Ballet 

(Both situations not exactly the same as Campbell of course- no announcement of an RAD job for Alina). 

Ah, ok. Anyway Cojocaru didn't "return" to stage: she just moved to another one 😊

On 03/03/2024 at 19:04, Emeralds said:

I live in hope that Campbell might do an   Alina Cojocaru or Jonathan Cope and return to the stage to dance,

Not sure what you mean 😊: Cojocaru never stopped dancing (except for injuries 😟, pregnancies and lockdowns)

Alina Cojocaru talks of the 7 ballets more relevant for her and includes La Strada, her first experience as a producer.

She is posting all the seven on her IG, I suppose the link to the interview will be included in today list.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1avhJVI0mq/?igsh=N2w4d2RtNnNmcWhl

Another beautiful clip about the idea and the making of this new production of La Strada, with comments of Alina Cojocaru, Natalia Horecna and Otto Bubenicek.

I totally forgot that Otto (and of course his twin brother Jiri) comes from a circus family.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0jRH2MJmoO/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The poster in the making: I love it!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz3pkqYIP_Y/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

It will be on sale 😊. I have now to find a way to bring it home (not glflying Ryanair it's a good start 😁)

2 hours ago, Jeannette said:

I was surprised at the title, which I’ve heard of only at POB. Congratulations to Manni, who I’ve enjoyed on various DVDs & live in Ratmansky’s Swan Lake.

Rome Opera Ballet company has several étoiles. A name is a name...

55 minutes ago, alison said:

That's rather late on in her career, isn't it - or am I confusing her with someone else?  Congratulations to her, anyway.

She is 32 I think. Étoile is an uncommon title in La Scala: I think only Ferri, Bolle, Murru and Zakharova had the title recently. 

Prima Ballerina/ Prima Ballerino are the ones who dance principal roles.

Another clip from Johan Kobborg 🙂

On 05/11/2023 at 02:01, Angela said:

 

Her bio says "she was named a “Choreographer of the Year” by German Tanz magazine", not "choreographer of the year".  It is a critics' survey, so she got nominated by one out of ca. 30 critics. Boris Charmatz, now director of Wuppertal Tanztheater, got the most votes in 2012 and won the title "choreographer of the year". 

 

Horecna has a kind of NDT style, influenced by Kylián, most articles about her work say. But to be honest, she has not worked so much here in Germany, I would not say she is famous. 

Maybe not famous in Germany, but Horecna created a work also for La Scala (I didn't see it), where Zeni was her leading dancer. She has been a dancer of Hamburg Ballet for several years, as was the charismatic Sasha Riva, initially in the cast with his partner in crime Simone Repele (they create many works of their own as Riva&Repele, unfortunately the final dates for La Strada were in conflict with a commitment they already had with Opera di Roma, so they had to withdraw).

I remember Zeni was supposed to be Cojocaru Romeo in La Scala in 2010, but unfortunately he was requested by Roland Petit for I don't remember what and Cojocaru danced with a modest Sutera (he was named principal after those shows, probably for previously earned merits). Indeed Zeni was particularly fine in Petit's works, and this Summer Alina danced L'Arlesienne (a beautiful Petit ballet) with Jacopo Tissi, rehearsing it in La Scala.

All the above to say that it's a world of connections and in such a small group it's important to work well together (one of the dancer, Cristi Preda was a dancer in Bucharest under Kobborg's directorship).

I think it's interesting, in Horecna interview below, the point about co-creating with the dancers: with three so experienced and talented leading dancers, I think that a strong and deep cooperation is a relevant plus.

More than the choreographic style, I'd be curious about the dramaturgy of this new La Strada: I would love to know how it was "written".

A new clip realased by Johan Kobborg

30 minutes ago, postie said:

I looked at La Strada but have been stung too often recently by 'independent hires' (rather than being part of the regular SW season). I will probably regret it ..

La Strada had originally the support of Arcimboldi Theatre in Milan (I have not clear in which form, honestly, anyway they put it on their future programs already in March 2022) and the ballet was rehearsed in Italy (in a fantastic venue used also by Akram Khan). I don't know abut your previous experiences, but I supect you would regret not going to this one, that looks like a serious and well contructed project (also considering the quality not only of Cojocaru, Kobborg and Zeni, but also of other cast members not quoted in the press release) 🙂

2 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

I see Mr Ball isn't in London doing Manon during the Bath run

 

I'll book and hope for the best

As far as I know, Cojocaru is dancing all the shows in Bath (luckily it was possible to delay of 1 weeks in order to avoid the "conflict" with Sadler's Wells shows), so I suppose it will be the same for Ball.

Mick Zeni is a wondeful actor and a dancer of great intensity. (The other two leading dancers don't need an introduction 😁 ).

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

This means that Alina will have danced in all three major Sleeping Beauty productions in the UK: Royal Ballet (Monica Mason's after Sergeyev and de Valois, but also briefly, Makarova's), ENB (Kenneth MacMillan's), BRB (Peter Wright's)....

Not an addition to her repertoire: if I remember well, Cojocaru has already danced BRB Sleeping Beauty in 2018 (with Dingman)

4 hours ago, Emeralds said:

 impresario (maybe an old fashioned title!) 

It's a totally current Italian term...

Alina Cojocaru guesting in Ashton The Dream with Semperoper ballet triggered the trip to Dresden and Sachsen I was "dreaming" about since when I was in the high school. Booking my ticket I discoverd this amazing page with a full detailed Semperoper seat by seat view!

https://map.3ddigitalvenue.com/semperoper

On 07/05/2023 at 20:46, FionaE said:

In the recent London Ballet Circle interview with Olga Smirnova she expressed regret that the Dutch National Ballet calendar meant she had had to drop out of performing in Nijinsky with Hamburg Ballet in June/July (as previously announced).  She said she hopes to be able to perform it later in 2023/24 season.  

Nijinsky Gala cast announced

Alina Cojocaru in the 3rd of Mahler was one of my ballet dream. Praetorius and Frola in Genzano Flower Festival is something to look forward too. And Azzoni-Riabko in Desir!

https://www.hamburgballett.de/en/news/nijinsky_gala_2023.php

I quoted the wrong post writing on the mobile, not worth to change the quoting I think 😊

1 hour ago, Peanut68 said:

Interesting! Esp to see the continuing trend gif world class big draw artists to ‘produce’ their own works…. I couldn’t however pick up from the link when & where this production will be performed….??

It should be at Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan in few months.

13 minutes ago, Angela said:

 

Or John Neumeier adapted high literature in a complicated dramaturgy that just overstrained some American audiences?

😂  I have to admit that his adaptation of some beloved high Russian literature ovestrained my tolerance 😂

He does much better with French (especially with the one that was so difficult to that audience 😍)  and American works, IMO 🙂

13 hours ago, FionaE said:

Casting for Illusions - like Swan Lake is announced.  
 

Alina performs the role of Odette (there is no Odile in this version) on 11 & 12 February 2023

Natalia is a sort of Odile, dancing also the back swan pdd, but with a different intention (Diana Vishneva danced it as a Black Swan and was booed -maybe because she didn't perform the foutttes, but there were better reasons to dissent with that performance).

Natalia is a much more relevant role and Cojocaru danced it opposite Revazov in previous run. I am happy she is not dancing Natalia in this cast: Odette can stand alone, as Marguerite surprisingly and splendidly did in Venice.

52 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

That doesn’t apply to Hayward, Naghdi, Osipova, Salenko, Parish, (possibly Sambe) or Trusch, though. Chou danced in Nureyev’s production of Don Quixote when he was a member of Australian Ballet. 

On what are you basing you assumption?Osipova and Trusch danced Nureyev's DQ, as a minimum.

Edited to add that Osipova danced also Nureyev's Swan Lake. And of course Raymonda with the Royal Ballet.

Neumeier's Duse (Eleonora of course), Purgatorio (Alma Mahaler) and Le Pavillon d'Armide (Nijinsly)

Bugonzetti's Caravaggio (I don't remember if it's narrative or not)

He basically isn't cast in anything since a few year. Good he has several projects in other countries, especially Japan. 

He was sidelined more or less when Thiago Bordin left the company (2014) and Carsten Jung seemed to  fill in all the available spaces (as soon he finally retired, they moved to Trusch): I honestly thought Neumeier had the desire to destroy his company before leaving.

Yes, Riabko is still the greatest artist of the company and in excellent physical and technical shape (I saw him dancing few months ago in the beatiful Echoes of Life with Silvia Azzoni, accompanied by pianist Michal Bialk, and in a gala insupport of his Ukraine).