ESTONIAN NATIONAL Ballet October-December 2004

Sat 30 at 7 pm SWAN LAKE (Ballet by P. Tchaikovsky)

NOVEMBER 2004

Thu 04 at 7 pm ROMEO AND JULIET (Ballet by S. Prokofiev)
Sat 06 at 7 pm SWAN LAKE (Ballet by P. Tchaikovsky)
Wed 10 at 7 pm ROMEO AND JULIET
Fri 12 at 7 pm SWAN LAKE
Thu 18 at 19.00 WITH LOVE AND PASSION Ballet evening Premiére!
Sat 20 at 7 pm WITH LOVE AND PASSION Ballet evening
Thu 25 at 7 pm WITH LOVE AND PASSION Ballet evening
Sun 28 at 12.00 THE NUTCRACKER (Ballet by P. Tchaikovsky)

DECEMBER 2004

December 3-21 – Opera festival CHRISTMAS STARS

Thu 23 at 7 pm THE NUTCRACKER (Ballet by P. Tchaikovsky ballett)
Wed 29 at 7 pm THE NUTCRACKER
Fri 31 at 7 pm NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL

NB! Programme subject to change without notice!
Reservations: Mo-Fr 10 am- 4 pm, phone (+372) 6831 260, (+372) 5 068 361, fax (+372) 6831 246 e-mail: eve@opera.ee . Info: info@opera.ee, www.opera.ee
Box office: open daily 12.00 - 7 pm. For matinées box office opens one hour before the perfomance. Phone (+372) 6831 215, (+372) 6831 214.
Address: Estonia Avenue 4, 10148 Tallinn, Estonia

<small>[ 29 September 2004, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Vladimir posted 25 August 2004 07:22 AM
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Thu 18 November at 7 pm WITH LOVE AND PASSION Ballet evening Premiere!

I part - Ballet by Igor Stravinski "The Fire Bird"
Choreographer Attila Egerházi (Hungary)
Designer Andrea T. Haamer

II part - "Red with me"
Choreographer Jorma Elo
Music by Frederic Chopin
Designer Andrea T. Haamer

III part - "Waltz. Bolero"
Choreographer Tiit Härm
Music by Maurice Ravel
Designer Kustav-Agu Püümann

information from the www.opera.ee

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Vladimir Arhangelski
http://www.estballet.ee

<small>[ 07 September 2004, 05:57 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

I Just added links:

Thu 18 November at 7 pm WITH LOVE AND PASSION Ballet evening Premiere!

I part - Ballet by Igor Stravinski "The Fire Bird"
Choreographer Attila Egerházi (Hungary)
Designer Andrea T. Haamer

II part - "Red with me"
Choreographer Jorma Elo
Choreographer's assistant Korinna Spala (Hungary)
Music by Frederic Chopin
Designer Andrea T. Haamer

III part - "Waltz. Bolero"
Choreographer Tiit Härm
Music by Maurice Ravel
Designer Kustav-Agu Püümann

Many thanks Vladimir. Which roles will you and Marina be performing?

Marina will dance "The Fire Bird" (Attila Egerházi) and "Bolero" by Tiit Härm.
I will dance only "Waltz" (Tiit Härm).

I'll look forward to seeing you both in these roles. I loved the images of "Red with me" by the National Theatre of Pecs - very strong and dramatic.

Yes photos have liked me too, after I saw Korinna Spala on our rehearsals I think, that National Theatre of Pecs's ballet troupe is very professional for such style of performances.

More information about "With love and passion" you can find here Premiere

Estonian National Ballet, “Shannon Rose” by Youri Vàmos,
Estonia Opera House, Tallinn, 17th March, 2005


The Estonian National Ballet already has a fine example of contemporary ballet theatre with Luciano Cannito’s “Cassandra” and now they have added a second with their recent premiere of “Shannon Rose” by Youri Vàmos. The Hungarian choreographer created this ballet nine years ago for Bayerische Staatsoper, basing it on the film “Ryan’s Daughter” and set to an assemblage of music by Sibelius.

The tragic story of Rose, a romantic dreamer, portrays her marriage to a friendly, but dull schoolteacher and an amour fou with a wounded English officer, against the charged, political backdrop of an Irish village rebelling against English occupation. Expressionist sets by Michael Scott employ broad sweeps of red paint to create a tense atmosphere, enhanced by forbidding lighting by Klaus Gärditz. The narrative is clear, but the demands of the story dictate that the first half has a number of short scenes, sometimes with insufficient time to fully make their mark before we shift to the next.

Vàmos uses a mix of ballet and contemporary dance vocabulary with only the romantic Rose on pointe. In contrast to the heroine, the earthy villagers make their first appearance with legs swinging wide, their vitality and passionate hatred for the English captured in their jagged steps. Vàmos told dancers rehearsing a duet: “I don’t want “Sleeping Beauty” – it’s a beautiful ballet, but not what I want.” The wedding night celebration features sensual choreography for the corps, culminating with pairs of villagers clashing stools together in an imaginative sexual metaphor. From this group, Daniel Kirspuu as the Head of the Rebels is a great mover and Heidi Kopti, as his wife, attacks her role with fiery abandon.

Marina Chirkova, as Rose, is the character that makes the longest journey from bright girl to dreamy young woman and, finally, obsessed lover of her English officer. She is a fine actress and her emotionally charged dancing embodies the essence of the ballet. Vladimir Arhangelski plays the schoolmaster who initially resists Rose, but eventually succumbs, only to disappoint her romantic ideals. Even with make-up to age him, the handsome Arhangelski remains a heart-throb and one friend told me she would trade places with Rose any day. Nevertheless, his portrayal of the cuckolded husband is convincing and, in the second half, his anguished solos provide an excellent counter-balance to the illicit love duets, accompanied by violin solos exquisitely played by Andrus Haav.

In previous productions, Linnar Looris has made an impact with his jetées and strong stage presence. However, as the English Officer he dances with a precision I haven’t seen before; his duets with Chirkova send sparks flying and the final tragic scenes are full of pathos. Vàmos has clearly inspired this young dancer to new heights and I understand that all the dancers were pleased to have the opportunity to work with this creator of powerful dance theatre. “Shannon Rose” will doubtless become a regular feature in the Estonian National Ballet’s programming and should help to give the Company the international recognition it deserves.