In Yiddisch, we have an expression, "a Macher".

It can, on occasion, be flattering. On occasion. And then again...

On occasion, observing his grim, hyper-extended, six-and-a half-foot tall female troops, one does wonder about Makhar Vaziev.

Cassandra, thanks for that link.

That's the second article which has incorrectly listed Gelber's age. He just turned 35, not 30.

I think it's clear that the author was comparing Golden Age to Pharoah's Daughter, based on the two "New Offerings" in this Russian company-versus-Russian company summer London run. And the conclusion is that the latter succeeded as far as he is concerned.

I personally have a hard time understanding the surprise about the timeframe for Golden Age. When you sign a contract to create something -- be it creative, technical or otherwise -- you're always given a deadline, but you're also aware of that deadline from the start. You're aware of the cconstraints and the challenges, and you accept and carry through to the end, or decline, based on those limitations. I don't think that completing something on time, according to deadline/contract terms is necessarily a feat in and of itself. A project is judged on quality, not speed of creation in most cases. And as others have pointed out, some stellar ballets have been created in less time by choreographic talents or geniuses; some awful ballets have been created in more time. I do think you have to look at the work, the inspiration inside and behind it, and then judge.

Secondly, I happen to agree with the author on the assessment of Gergiev, but his personality cult is not the reason for the lack of attention to the ballet. The Cult of Gergiev does exist, but the reason the ballet is so neglected isn't directly due to the existence of the cult (the cult could exist and the ballet could be very well tended to -- so the two *may* be intertwined but don't necessarily have to be), but rather to Gergiev's innate preference for his pet and passion, the opera.

Well, Pharaoh''s Daughter isn't exactly new to London as it was staged here a couple of years ago. Perhaps Mr Jennings should have held off writing this article until after he'd seen The Bright Stream; another ballet to a Shostakovich score.


Certainly Gergiev is no shrinking violet, but I'm very grateful to him for bringing the Shostakovich programme as I agree with Jennings when he uses the word "lacklustre" to sum up recent Kirov seasons. I think that this most recent Kirov season was actually highly enjoyable giving us opportunities to see a number of excellent dancers in non-typical roles and it was a relief not to have to watch yet again those tortuous versions of the classics danced by the management’s favoured stick insects that have been inflicted on us of late.

Thank you Cassandra, for your thoughtful and well-considered review of the Golden Age. I too saw the 28th performance and wrote about it on another website. I too felt that it was a work of great choreographic promise, as was Gelber's The Overcoat, which I saw at the SP Festival in March.

THe London critical reviews are almost inexplicable. And frankly, nasty.

Thank you for your kind words jpc. I was also taken aback by the cruel comments of the London critics. I just hope Mr Gelber has a thick skin as it would be a tragedy if he became discouraged as a result of reading some of those frankly ignorant reviews .

Here is another UK review from the Independent's writer Zoe Anderson:

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article1208163.ece

And from the Independent Online Edition, by Clifford Bishop:

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/thea ... 216380.ece