David Hallberg - news

[PetitDi]

David Hallberg has had to pull out of engagements until the end of the year to recover from surgery on his ankle:

 

http://www.gramilano.com/2014/08/david-hallberg-cancels-engagements-recover-surgery/

 

 

 

 

[alison]

Apologies if the title gives anyone a nasty turn, but I was very pleased to see from today's Links that Hallberg is due to return in mid-December: https://deborahjones.me/2016/11/20/david-hallberg-to-return-to-the-ballet-stage-in-the-australian-ballets-coppelia/

 

Long may he remain uninjured!

 

 

EDIT: The original title referred to his ankle injury  

Edited September 28, 2018 by alison

[Amelia]

David Hallberg is now a Guest Principal of the Bolshoi Theatre:
https://www.bolshoi.ru/en/persons/people/1422/

His first performance will happen on 6 October in “Onegin” with Olga Smirnova:
https://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/655/roles/#20181006190000

[capybara]

11 hours ago, Amelia said:

David Hallberg is now a Guest Principal of the Bolshoi Theatre:
https://www.bolshoi.ru/en/persons/people/1422/

 

But hasn't he been 'on their books' for several years?

[BeauxArts]

He certainly was pre-injury - was that during the Filin tenure? He was in Russia in July - I think - to dance Giselle with the Mariinsky and made a visit to the Bolshoi while he was there - maybe the invitation was made at that point. 

[Amelia]

The Bolshoi greeted his return with an article on the home page:

https://www.bolshoi.ru/en/
https://www.bolshoi.ru/en/about/press/articles/announce/Hallberg-come-back-2018/

[Amelia]

David Hallberg -- Monologue about life without ballet:

https://www.lapersonne.com/post/david-hallberg-monologue

 

Also David Hallberg interviewed by Katya Novikova: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbxd6qQlgs

Edited November 20, 2018 by Amelia
The interview added.

[stucha]

I saw him again last Friday as Albrecht in Giselle with Nicoletta Manni in the La Scala Ballet production.

 

Act l was very good but l was concerned in Act ll which started ok, but it seems (and l stress 'seems') as if he injured himself because he danced very gingerly for the rest of the performance and without much engagement in the drama.  It was rather an anti climax and quite disappointing.

 

I haven't heard any news but I hope he is ok.  

[Sophoife]

@stucha I had friends in Brisbane at the weekend who saw him twice and they said his second act was "the same disappointing nothing" both times. Apparently no entrechats, just "a bit of jumping around"...is that right?

 

However he seemed happy enough on a Sydney beach on the Monday and at TAB Spartacus that night...per his and others' public Instagram accounts.

[stucha]

That's how l saw it but it wouldn't have mattered so much had he shown some involvement in the character and the unfolding of the drama. It was rather perfunctory, no bravura at all.

Perhaps that's how he does the role of Albrecht these days?

The audience certainly gave him a warm reception anyway.

Edited November 21, 2018 by stucha
Add clarity

[alison]

It has to be said that not everyone - and every production - does the entrechats, but presumably you were expecting to see them in the AB production?

[stucha]

Alison it was the La Scala company and as I said it was not so much the choreography but what seemed to be the perfunctoriness of the dancing and the acting (perhaps occasioned by the pain of an injury?) at the climax of act 2 that was so disappointing and concerning.

[capybara]

I think it's time to say that, for me, Hallberg is one of those dancers who has a reputational glow which far exceeds what he actually delivers . I felt that before his terrible injury but his showings since his recovery have, in my opinion, been poorly executed and emotionally disengaged. So what you report from Australia comes as no surprise.

[jules_skichick]

I saw him at London Coli several years ago and he performed amazingly well then.  - with ABT

[Sophoife]

13 hours ago, alison said:

It has to be said that not everyone - and every production - does the entrechats, but presumably you were expecting to see them in the AB production?

 

@alison, yes in fact Hallberg did do the entrechats with The (mustn't forget that capitalised "The" 😉) Australian Ballet when he did a one-night-only appearance with the soon-to-retire Leanne Stojmenov, who was on début as Giselle, on 31 August. He was a most generous, caring and engaged partner on that occasion, it was a real treat.

 

Amusingly, TAB's Adam Bull did brisés volés as in the Baryshnikov ABT film, which I happily thanked him for (as an alternative), to which he replied that his knees were now too old to let him do all those entrechats!

 

@stucha was commenting on his performance as a guest with La Scala in Brisbane last weekend, of which I have heard from other ballet friends, and not in a complimentary way.

[stucha]

To set the record straight, I have no desire to indulge in Hallberg-bashing.

 

I have nothing but respect for him and his dancing, his recovery from injury and his return to the stage.

 

I guess I was expecting something more from his performance than he delivered in the climax and I gave him the benefit of the doubt in suggesting that it might have been because of injury. Other than that scene his performance was perfectly fine, "generous, caring and engaged" as mentioned in the previous post.

 

I would point you to a couple of YouTube clips which are quite easy to find. I don't think that giving links on this site is acceptable.

 

1.  An 30 minute interview with Katia Novikova of the Bolshoi on his return to the Bolshoi in October for Onegin.  Clearly she is a great fan and it is a very warm interview.

 

2.  A quite long clip of a rehearsal of Apollo at the Mariinsky with a voice over by Hallberg talking about his journey to recovery.

 

3.  A 10 minute clip of the final scene of Giselle with Alina Somova at the Mariinsky last July. In this  version the entrechats are clearly called for and performed by him.  

 

I have seen enough performances of Giselle worldwide to know that entrechats are not specified in every production and that there are quite legitimate alternatives for them. In fact I once saw 3 performances of Giselle at the Paris Opera. Each Albrecht did something different, only one performing the entrechats.

 

 

 

 

[Sophoife]

I'm sorry - I was clumsy. I said:

2 hours ago, Sophoife said:

@stucha was commenting on his performance as a guest with La Scala in Brisbane last weekend, of which I have heard from other ballet friends, and not in a complimentary way.

 

What I meant was "@stucha was commenting on his [Hallberg's] performance as a guest with La Scala in Brisbane last weekend, of which I have heard (not in a complimentary way) from other ballet friends" - and yes, the consensus was that he was carrying some sort of injury.

 

I hope that clears up that I didn't mean to suggest that you were Hallberg-bashing.

 

I know the entrechats are not mandatory, I've seen enough productions myself 😉 and the POB are indeed marvellous - I love how they have the Wilis' veils whisked off (by wires?) while the Wilis are on stage, rather than so many productions which have the dancers exit and then re-enter, now sans veils.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Sophoife
clearer

[Shade]

I didn’t get to see Hallberg in giselle at the ROH but those who saw act 1 seemed very happy.

i did see him at the Wells with Osipova and I loved the Ratnansky duet. Hope he’s ok for R and J in 2019

[Sim]

Yes, I was very happy with his Act 1 at the ROH earlier this year.  He and Osipova really bring out something special from each other.

[Shade]

That should of course be Ratmansky!

[Amelia]

On 24/11/2018 at 18:08, Sim said:

...  He and Osipova really bring out something special from each other.

 

Here is the proof of your words, Sim, -- a Russian programme about their joint performance of “Giselle” at the Bolshoi in May 2010:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fUSN9Wpf8U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePnOyaE7-3I

There is a rehearsal with Vladimir Vasiliev there.

People are still talking about their "Giselle" and "R & J".

 

Edited November 26, 2018 by Amelia

[Sim]

Thank you Amelia....that looks like a stunning performance!  It doesn't matter that I can't understand the words...the beautiful dancing tells me everything.  

 

[Amelia]

An interview of a fashion designer with David Hallberg: 

 

[Amelia]

Sometimes they relax:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw2AE4lgL2u/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1f8bu5n9o3dt5

 

[Sim]

Love it!  Thank you Amelia!

[Amelia]

Soon we will see the Bolshoi's "The Bright Stream" with Ruslan Skvortsov, excellent in the role of the Classical Dancer. While looking for some clips I came across one with David Hallberg in this role at ABT. Even in a shirt and breeches he looked as an epitome of the character’s name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toOv2QyubZ0

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Amelia
added a few words and corrected typo as usual

[maryrosesatonapin]

I've just watched Hallberg's interview, above - how funny Americans are to ask if Moscow is safe for him!  How brainwashed they are   (And so are we to a lesser extent.)