Berlin Giselle, Stuttgart Onegin - October 2022

[annamk]

A friend and I are big fans of Danil Simkin (Berlin) and Friedemann Vogel (Stuttgart) so when we spotted an opportunity to see them on consecutive evenings in Giselle and Onegin we couldn’t resist making the trip.

 

In Berlin the Giselle production uses Peter Farmer’s costumes and sets with choreography of Patrice Bart, after Coralli and Perot. Many of the steps were familiar, some looked very much like the choreography in Ratmansky’s recent production, although there seemed to be much more dancing for the corps (male and female) in Act. Evelina Gudanova was making her debut as Giselle but you would hardly have known- it was a very pleasing performance with no amateur dramatics, but entirely convincing and danced very well. Daniil Simkin was absolutely wonderful, he’s a fine partner, he dances brilliantly, his was a really rich performance. The corps seemed under-rehearsed in act 1 but were much improved in act 2. The Myrtha of Aurora Dickie was very strong and we liked both Zulma Luciana Voltolini and Moyna Alizee Sicre. Among the unfamiliar pieces of choreography were some beautiful bourees for Giselle where she leaves Albrecht by boureeing swiftly backwards to exit the stage side left. The orchestra were fantastic playing with an excellent brisk tempo.

 

On the day of the Giselle performance there was a cast change announcement in Stuttgart: Jason Reilly would be replacing Friedemann Vogel. It was too late to alter our plans even if we’d wanted to but since we’d seen Jason Reilly’s Onegin when he guested with the Royal Ballet opposite Alina Cojocaru, replacing an injured Johan Kobborg, we thought he would be very good. What we didn’t expect was to witness a phenomenal performance that was a masterclass in every respect. Like Friedemann Vogel Jason Reilly is now in his early 40’s, but he danced like a man at least 10 years younger with flawless tours en l’air, astonishingly youthful jetes entrelace, incredible fury turns, and so I could go on. His partnering was flawless. In some hands the exhausting mirror pdd can seem like a series of increasingly fumbled lifts as Tatiana is hoisted high into the air but Reilly moved entirely seamlessly from one lift to another so that the pdd became the perfect flowing expression of all Tatiana’s youthful longings and she melted in his arms like a whisper of gossamer. Reilly’s characterisation was so complete, so multi faceted, with every little detail correct, he revealed nuances that can only come from a lifetime of performing experience.

 

Tatiana was Elisa Badenas who trained at the Royal Ballet school and whom I’ve seen dance on several occasions in Stuttgart. In the great Stuttgart tradition she is a remarkable actress and a beautiful dancer. She has no mannerism, nothing is exagerated for unnecessary effect. The partnership with Jason Reilly was the truest, most genuine, most passionate, intense performance I’ve seen since the days of Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru.

 

In the supporting roles were two younger dancers: Mackenzie Brown as Olga and Henrik Erikson as Lenksy. Mackenzie Brown won the gold medal at the prix in 2019 and has risen rapidly in the Stuttgart ranks to Soloist. She’s a lovely dancer and very much captured the personality of the flighty Olga. Her young Lensky was the tall and slender demi-soloist who partnered remarkably well for someone with relatively little experience and danced gracefully with a beautiful line and soft landings. The well known Lensky solo in the pre duel moonlight was executed with great aplomb - unlike many dancers I’ve seen tackling the exposing solo, Erikson didn’t hold every step and shape and force them into (im)perfection rather he moved seamlessly creating a beautiful flow of movement. Absolutely one to watch.

 

The Stuttgart opera house is unsurprisingly somewhat smaller than London and I’d say that Onegin is a ballet that benefits being viewed from the intimacy conferred by a smaller stage.

 

At the end of the performance the audience were invited to stay and be filmed applauding the cast and watching Erikson perform the Lensky solo again. It was for a documentary that’s being made to celebrate John Cranko, next year being the 50th anniversary of his death.

[Bruce Wall]

Oh, lucky you, Anna.  I so adore Reilly (not to take ANYTHING AT ALL away from the glorious Vogel).  I will always remember that Oneign with Cojocaru at the RB, his oh, so witty Petruchio in Stuttgart and those entirely jaw dropping one-handed lifts he did in that programme honed by Polunin at the Coliseum which remain up there in my memory aside those stunning ones of Jose Manuel Carreno and Vladimir Vasiliev.  Bless you for your full report.  I can just imagine the glory you were able to witness.  

[alison]

Thank you Anna - it's great to hear reports from abroad, and to see that so many people recently are able to travel abroad to see ballet once again.

[Angela]

2 hours ago, annamk said:

It was for a documentary that’s being made to celebrate John Cranko, next year being the 50th anniversary of his death.

 

Thank you, Anna, for this very very wonderful report - I was there the next day and was equally ravished by this couple and by Reilly's incredible partnering.

In my performance, they repeated the final pdd for the movie with a camera on stage, which is an incredible physical achievement first, and then they did it with all the passion and intensity like before. Yes, it will be a movie about Cranko, not a documentary, where these Stuttgart dancers play the roles of their predecessors in the famous ballets - Elisa Badenes plays Haydée (you may have noticed that her hair was darker than usual), Reilly plays Ray Barra, the first Onegin (notice the curls!), Erikson plays Egon Madsen and Mackenzie Brown is Anita Cardus, the first Olga. They didn't reveal who will be John Cranko, the director of the movie said it will be a famous movie star. We'll see!

[Fonty]

I think Cranko looks a little bit like Ralph Fiennes.  Who does know a small amount about ballet. 🙂

[annamk]

2 hours ago, Angela said:

 

Thank you, Anna, for this very very wonderful report - I was there the next day and was equally ravished by this couple and by Reilly's incredible partnering.

In my performance, they repeated the final pdd for the movie with a camera on stage, which is an incredible physical achievement first, and then they did it with all the passion and intensity like before. Yes, it will be a movie about Cranko, not a documentary, where these Stuttgart dancers play the roles of their predecessors in the famous ballets - Elisa Badenes plays Haydée (you may have noticed that her hair was darker than usual), Reilly plays Ray Barra, the first Onegin (notice the curls!), Erikson plays Egon Madsen and Mackenzie Brown is Anita Cardus, the first Olga. They didn't reveal who will be John Cranko, the director of the movie said it will be a famous movie star. We'll see!

 

Thank you for the kind words Angela and for the clarification on the Cranko filming. How absolutely incredible to see them dance the final pdd twice - once was unforgettable, twice I cannot imagine ! 

[Angela]

13 hours ago, Fonty said:

I think Cranko looks a little bit like Ralph Fiennes. 

 

Yeah, when Ralph Fiennes still had hair 🤫.... Cranko was only 45 when he died, Ralph Fiennes is 59 now. But yes, he has these piercing blue eyes...

[Christine]

17 hours ago, Angela said:

 

Thank you, Anna, for this very very wonderful report - I was there the next day and was equally ravished by this couple and by Reilly's incredible partnering.

In my performance, they repeated the final pdd for the movie with a camera on stage, which is an incredible physical achievement first, and then they did it with all the passion and intensity like before. ...

 Yes, thank you, Anna, for sharing this great report of your ballet tour to Germany.

Actually, Elisa and Jason did not just repeat it once: when they began the repeat of the PDD, there was a hiccup and the (by now) playback music played two tracks simultaneously: Lenski's solo from the previous night and the final PDD music. Both continued to dance a good three minutes before breaking off and then doing it all again ... Heroes!

 

I also attended the last performance with this cast on Sunday night which was not filmed for the Cranko movie and it was even better - perhaps, simply, because it was the third time and had gelled even more or because dancing knowing that the filming is over can be a liberating expierience.. . Anyway, I found Jason even more convincing technically,  Elisa for me was outstanding in all three shows. The sheer amount of dramatic action she packs into her turns, twizzles and ballet steps is literally mind-boggling, On Thursday night she was so immersed in her role that she did not even manage to smile during the applause. By Sunday, probably routine kicked in and she recovered more quickly. On that night, too, they finally got the deserved standing ovation.

 

16 hours ago, Fonty said:

I think Cranko looks a little bit like Ralph Fiennes.  Who does know a small amount about ballet. 🙂

 

The exact thought that crossed my mind when they announced last week that the role was going to be given to an international movie actor...

True, what Angela said about age though. So it will be interesting to find out...

 

By the way, I heard that in the movie Friedemann Vogel will be playing the German dancer Heinz Clauss. Cranko cast the role of "Onegin" on him the the second and final version (1967) that we know today.

[Fonty]

5 hours ago, Angela said:

 

Yeah, when Ralph Fiennes still had hair 🤫.... Cranko was only 45 when he died, Ralph Fiennes is 59 now. But yes, he has these piercing blue eyes...

 

Yes, i realised there was a big age gap.  But looking at the photos, Cranko did have a rather old fashioned side parting (by today's standards) which made him look older than he actually was IMO.

 

Edited to add that I did a quick search for Hollywood actors who can dance.  Up came Tom Hiddleston who is 41, and Christian Bale who is 48.  The latter did ballet, apparently.   

 

 

Edited October 18, 2022 by Fonty

[Emeralds]

Hollywood stars who can dance ballet- Ryan Gosling of course. He did ballet and tap as a child, performed with a local ballet company (I don’t know which one), and competed with a group of youngsters in a Canadian talent show, where he was the only boy, and they won! (According to the choreographer of La La Land, which he was the male lead in, he was still very good in a ballet class, but she didn’t put ballet in the film.)  He does have a similar face shape to Cranko. 😊

 

If they wanted to cast other acting roles that have ballet, I believe Sascha Radetsky formerly of ABT and the hit film Center Stage, still dances, though probably wouldn’t be attempting the same virtuoso pas deux or solos from his ABT days. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine, X-Men, Les Miserables etc but also stage musicals) is acknowledged by many fellow Hollywood actors to be one of the best dancers among the A list stars, although I’m not sure how much  ballet and how much jazz dance/musical theatre.  This is a fun guessing game! 

 

 

[Fonty]

Strange, Ryan Gosling's name didn't come up.  He would be in the right age bracket as well.  If they don't do what they do when portraying females, by casting someone about 20 years younger. 🙂

 

[alison]

Just for clarification, presumably it was the Berlin State Ballet?

[Angela]

7 hours ago, alison said:

ust for clarification, presumably it was the Berlin State Ballet?

 

For the Simkin Giselle? Yes. I fear there is no other ballet company left in Berlin - they had three once, one for every Opera House. Alas.

[alison]

I didn't realise both the others had gone

[Sabine0308]

8 hours ago, alison said:

I didn't realise both the others had gone

The companies of Komische Oper Berlin (formerly Tanztheater), Staatsoper Berlin and Deutsche Oper Berlin have been merged to Staatsballett Berlin in 2004. A tragedy I don't want to discuss anymore. For Berlin visitors and non-insiders it's very difficult to understand that they do not belong to an Opera house. In all modesty: since friends, colleagues or people from the audience asked me about it, I "fought" 4 years with the Staatsoper Marketing team to FINALLY print a short explanation and link to the Staatsballett website into their annual programme (which consists of about 50 pages for Opera and 3 for Ballet🙈). Then they did it.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Sabine0308

[annamk]

19 hours ago, Christine said:

I also attended the last performance with this cast on Sunday night which was not filmed for the Cranko movie and it was even better - perhaps, simply, because it was the third time and had gelled even more or because dancing knowing that the filming is over can be a liberating expierience.. . Anyway, I found Jason even more convincing technically,  Elisa for me was outstanding in all three shows. The sheer amount of dramatic action she packs into her turns, twizzles and ballet steps is literally mind-boggling, On Thursday night she was so immersed in her role that she did not even manage to smile during the applause. By Sunday, probably routine kicked in and she recovered more quickly. On that night, too, they finally got the deserved standing ovation.

 

I'm so jealous, I wish I could have stayed for the other 2 performances ! 

 

Will you see the other casts ? Please post on here if you do. 

[Christine]

2 hours ago, annamk said:

 

I'm so jealous, I wish I could have stayed for the other 2 performances ! 

 

Will you see the other casts ? Please post on here if you do. 

 

So far I have no concrete plans to see the other casts, but perhaps Reilly/Su or Fernandez/Aleman next week. If so, I'll report.

 

[Estreiiita]

Sorry for reporting somewhat late, but still I think it's appropriate to share my impressions from seeing " Giselle" on the 18th of September in Berlin - I was both at the day and evening performances.

  The main roles at the day performance were danced by Ksenia Ovsyanick and David Soares (it was his debut). I liked them both. Ksenia Ovsyanick was impeccable both in her dancing and interpretation of the character. Albrecht of David Soares looked very young and noble and made a very good impression - there were a lot of cheering and applauses for both dancers in the end. Myrtha was danced by Vera Segova, a beautiful dancer with wonderful lines. It was also her debut and a couple of times she seemed to be a bit careful and unsure, but still quite good dancing. Alexei Orlenco was Hillarion and for me he looked a bit too beautiful and fine for this role.

  The peasant pas de deux were danced perfectly well by Yuria Isaka and Dominic Whitbrook.

  The evening performance happened to be even better as it was practically a perfect set of dancers: Giselle - Iana Salenko, Albrecht - Dinu Tamazlacaru, Myrtha - Elisa Carrillo Cabrera, Hillarion- Erik Swolkin ( his physical appearance was more suitable for this role in my opinion than the dancer's from the day performance, gave an impression of the real peasant). The peasant pas de deux was danced by  Aya Okumura and Murilo de Oliveira. Moyna in both performances was Alizee Sicre and Zulma - Luciana Voltolini. The corps de ballet danced beautifully.

  While I was watching the evening performance I couldn't but keep thinking that it could be put in a " Giselle" textbook as an example of how should you dance. But well, luckily we have no such textbooks and every dancer has right to suggest his own interpretation and accents.

  To my mind Berlin has a very strong ballet now and I'm looking forward to see both " Sleeping beauty" and " Swan lake" there in the beginning of January.