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Press Release: ENB Principal Casting Announced For A Tribute To Rudolf Nureyev


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Principal Casting Announced For A Tribute To Rudolf Nureyev

 

A Tribute To Rudolf Nureyev

London Coliseum 25-27 July 2013

Petrushka by Michel Fokine

Song of a Wayfarer by Maurice Béjart

Nureyev’s Raymonda Act III by Rudolf Nureyev

 

Principal casting is today announced for A Tribute To Rudolf Nureyev which opens at the London Coliseum on July 25. Benois de la Danse winner Vadim Muntagirov will dance in Song of a Wayfarer and Raymonda and Tamara Rojo can be seen in Raymonda. Full details as follows:

 

Petrushka
25.7.2013 [Matinee] – Gruzdyev (Petrushka), Oliveira (Ballerina), Dynott (Moor)
25.7.2013 – Reimair (Petrushka), Osbaldeston (Ballerina), Souza (Moor)
26.7.2013 – Gruzdyev (Petrushka), Oliveira (Ballerina), Dynott (Moor)
27.7.2013 [Matinee] – Lukovkin (Petrushka), Costa (Ballerina), Acosta (Moor)
27.7.2013 – Reimair (Petrushka), Osbaldeston (Ballerina), Souza (Moor)
 

Song of a Wayfarer

25.7.2013 [Matinee] – Bosch, Reimair
25.7.2013 – Muntagirov, Berlanga
26.7.2013 – Muntagirov, Reimair

27.7.2013 [Matinee] – Konvalina, Reimair
27.7.2013 – Muntagirov, Berlanga

 

Raymonda

25.7.2013 [Matinee] – Klimentová, Muntagirov
25.7.2013 – Glurdjidze, Konvalina
26.7.2013 – Rojo, Berlanga

27.7.2013 [Matinee] – Rojo, Berlanga
27.7.2013 – Glurdjidze, Konvalina

 

2013 marks both the 75th anniversary of the birth of Rudolf Nureyev and the 20th of his untimely death. English National Ballet pays tribute to the legacy of this great artist in a programme of three works he made his own, celebrating his career from his beginnings with 19th Century classical ballet, through his interpretation of a masterpiece of the Ballets Russes, to his embrace of the innovative 20th Century of Maurice Béjart. 

 

Petrushka

Choreographed by Fokine, with a rousing score by Stravinsky, Petrushka tells the tale of a hopelessly romantic puppet who is trapped in a love triangle. Petrushka is in love with the Ballerina, but she only has eyes for the Moor who returns her affection. The tragic Petrushka suffers from the fact he is no more than a puppet who cannot express his love like a human and dances to his death as he fights against the Moor for his heart’s desire.

 

Petrushka was first performed by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris in 1911

with Nijinsky in the title role. Nureyev first danced Petrushka in 1963, and following his highly acclaimed performance of the lovelorn puppet went on to dance the role throughout his career around the world.

 

Song of a Wayfarer

Maurice Béjart’s Song of a Wayfarer is one of the most beautiful ballets ever created for the male dancer. The story follows a romantic wayfarer who wanders from town to town looking for freedom but condemned by destiny to a life of eternal unhappiness and loneliness. Béjart created this piece especially for Nureyev believing that it expresses the errant life of the dancer, going from company to company, country to country, condemned never to return to his home land. The ballet is set to Mahler’s first song cycle, four songs with lyrics by the composer.

 

Raymonda Act III

English National Ballet is delighted to perform Nureyev’s staging of Raymonda for the first time. The original ballet was created by Marius Petipa in 1898 for the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, and the spectacular choreography and magnificent score enticed Nureyev to restage the production himself in1964 in Italy. Having had an intimate knowledge of Raymonda after performing the ballet as a young dancer with the Kirov Ballet, Nureyev revived many of the dances from memory.

 

Nureyev presented an adapted version of Act III of the ballet in 1969 depicting the wedding celebrations of Raymonda and her knight Jean de Brienne, following Jean’s return from the Crusades.

 

Alexander Glazunov’s score for the ballet has been described by George Balanchine who called it “some of the finest ballet music we have.”

 

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Im surprised(and disappointed) to see Konvalina dancing only Saturday Matinee of SoaW, which I cannot make. From the acclaim he got for it dancing previously I was looking forward to see him do it. 

But indeed I'm very happy Elena is dancing Raymonda! 

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Katherine, I wondered whether that were the case. I also notice that there are two other men down to dance his role (whereas there are only two men cast for the other role). He's scheduled to dance Siegfried in Swan Lake next week. He's been off since the Autumn.

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Katherine, I wondered whether that were the case. I also notice that there are two other men down to dance his role (whereas there are only two men cast for the other role). He's scheduled to dance Siegfried in Swan Lake next week. He's been off since the Autumn.

I've just heard from Esteban Berlanga that he will be replacing Konvalina in "Swan Lake" on 16 June, dancing with Erina Takahashi.  I'm not sure if he is replacing him for all the performances or just this one at the moment.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Isn't Konvalina coming back from an injury? Perhaps he's pacing himself.

Konvalina injured himself during 'Wayfarer' rehearsals (different injury to his previous one) and didn't dance in "Swan Lake".  ENB website has just altered the casting for 'Wayfarer' and Konvalina is to be replaced by Bosch at the matinee on 27 July so we won't be seeing him again this season.

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In addition to the changes mentioned above, there appears to have been quite a bit of moving around with the casting. It is now shown as follows:

 

Petrushka 
25.7.2013 [Matinee] – Lukovkin (Petrushka), Oliveira (Ballerina), Dynott (Moor)
25.7.2013 – Reimair (Petrushka), Osbaldeston (Ballerina), Souza (Moor)
26.7.2013 – Gruzdyev (Petrushka), Oliveira (Ballerina), Dynott (Moor)
27.7.2013 [Matinee] – Lukovkin (Petrushka), Costa (Ballerina), Acosta (Moor)
27.7.2013 – Reimair (Petrushka), Osbaldeston (Ballerina), Souza (Moor)

 

Song of a Wayfarer
25.7.2013 [Matinee] – Bosch, Reimair
25.7.2013 – Muntagirov, Berlanga
26.7.2013 – Muntagirov, Reimair 
27.7.2013 [Matinee] – Bosch, Reimair
27.7.2013 – Muntagirov, Berlanga

 

Raymonda
25.7.2013 [Matinee] – Glurdjidze, Gruzdyev
25.7.2013 – Klimentova, Muntagirov
26.7.2013 – Rojo, Berlanga
27.7.2013 [Matinee] – Rojo, Berlanga
27.7.2013 – Glurdjidze, Gruzdyev

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  • 2 weeks later...

I realise that I have made a complimentary comment about last night's  ENB MasterClass on Petrushka on another thread which ought to be repeated here.

 

Tamara Rojo introduced Isabelle Fokine, who is staging the work, and set Petrushka in the context of wanting to give a birthday present to Nureyev. Ms Fokine then coached Anton Lukovkin and Fabian Reimar (who danced Petrushka's main scene together twice!). Their differing interpretations encouraged a number of those present to think in terms of booking additional performances. [Dimitry Gruzdyev is also dancing the role.]  Later, Jane Pritchard provided some background to the ballet and interviewed Ms Fokine as only a connoisseur can. Questions from the audience elicited, for example, more about the music, the Benois designs and the art of coaching.

 

Anyone who needs further encouragement to book for the Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev programme (25th to 27th July at the Coliseum) should note two recent reviews of ENB dancers which have been posted on the Links section of this Forum. Today's Telegraph review of Boston Ballet's first programme refers to the performance of their lead dancer "not quite matching the narcotised perfection of English National Ballet's Anton Lukovkin on the same stage last year".  And the review of ABT's Sleeping Beauty in the New York Post yesterday said: "Vadim Muntagirov is that rare thing: a true Prince with strong technique and beautiful lines. Most important of all was the natural ease of his dancing.......His lucky ballerina was Hee Seo......Muntagirov made her look her best - their final duet was like a luxury limo ride, elegant and spacious.........When they made a final pose with their outstretched arms softly rounded, it looked as if the whole universe could fit inside."

Edited by capybara
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Today's Telegraph review of Boston Ballet's first programme refers to the performance of their lead dancer "not quite matching the narcotised perfection of English National Ballet's Anton Lukovkin on the same stage last year". 

 

Apologies - I omitted to mention that the review was about L'Apres Midi d'une Faun.

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The last time I looked at the ENB website, the casting for Petrushka had changed (again!) with Shev Dynott replacing Junor Souza as the Moor on the Thursday and Saturday evenings. Poor Junor seems to have out through injury for most of this season.

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