CriticalDance Forum

Details have been released of the 3rd International Ballet Festival to be held next year at the Mariinsky Theatre.

Friday, Feb 21
UNDINA (premiere)
Lacotte/Puni

Saturday, Feb 22
CINDERELLA
Ratmanksy/prokofiev

Sunday, Feb 23
LA BAYADERE (new production)
Petipa/Minkus

Monday, 24 Feb
LA FILLE MAL GARDEE
Guest performance by the Bolshoi

Tuesday, Feb 25
BALANCHINE BALLETS
including Prodigal Son, Apollo

Wednesday, Feb 26
HISTORICAL BALLETS EVENING

Thursday, Feb 27
PRINCESSA PIRLIPAT (world premiere)
Simonov/Slonimsky

SOUNDS OF EMPTY PAGES
Neumeier/Schnittke

LE JEUNE HOMME ET LA MORT
Petit/Bach

Friday, Feb 28
MANON
Macmillan/Massenet

Saturday, Mar 1
SWAN LAKE
Petipa

Sunday, Mar 2
INTERNATIONAL STARS GALA

Thanks a lot, Emma. How interesting that the Bolshoi will also appear for a performance. Do you know anything about Lacotte's Undina?

Kevin - I don't know anything about Undina but will try to find out!

Emma, I've now found out about the ballet Undina from another site. "Undina", or "L'Ombre" is a ballet choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1839. I am rather surprised that the Kirov has decided to revive this Romantic ballet.

Are you thinking of attending the Maryinsky Festival next Feb.? I'll try to attend a part of it, but I don't intend to stay for the whole duration like this year.

<small>[ 08-26-2002, 07:30: Message edited by: Kevin Ng ]</small>

Undina has three old version a first from L. Henry whose music is from Gyrowetz and is from 1825, the second version is by P. Taglioni and date from 1836, this version was created at Berlin in 1836. The last "old" version is from Jules Perrot and has been staged at London in 1843. I think it's this last one that Lacotte want to reconstituate.
I find this really interesting to make revival of these old ballets.
Even if it's not the "true" choreography but a reconstitution with "modern" classical choreography, I loved too many it. Paquita was a true success for parisian audience who adore the "kitsch" of these production. Dress and stage were absolutely beautiful as well as those for Fille du Pharaon and music and choreography were really charming and it was one of the greatest success of the 2000-2001 POB season

<small>[ 08-26-2002, 10:42: Message edited by: Cathy ]</small>

Cathy, thanks for your information. I hope that there will be Paris Opera Ballet stars guesting in the Maryinsky Festival next year, as in this year's festival.

<small>[ 08-28-2002, 03:26: Message edited by: Kevin Ng ]</small>

I forgot to say that the Undina version by Perrot is on Pugni music and it's the only one.

L'ombre is an other ballet from Taglioni that Pierre Lacotte reconstituate some years ago with Noella Pontois and he didn't use true "Ombre pas de trois" which it was in his version of la Sylphide and substitute an other pas de trois where the man is attracte by the shadow of her death promised and her new "fiancée".

thanks Kevin, Cathy for your insights. Kevin, i am thinking of going to St Petersburg but will have to decide a bit nearer the time.

The Bolshoi theatre has suggested on Mariinsky festival not LA FILLE MAL GARDEE, but Roland Petit ballets - PASSACALIA and QUEEN OF SPADES with Ilze Liepa and Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

I do find it very interesting that the Kirov will revive such an early ballet as "Undina". We have so few ballets from that period when pointe shoe design was at a rudimentary stage.

While an obvious example is "Giselle", the versions we see now are based on Petipa's revival later in the 19th C., with much demi-pointe work converted to full pointe, because of the possibilities of pointe shoe developments.

Like Cathy I suspect that Lacotte will make a "new" classical ballet. It may well be charming and enjoyable, but as always I make comparisons with artists of today who paint in a style from 120 years ago.

Stuart, do you think to the ballerinas who dance Swan Lake or Giselle or all these old productions at the creation when you saw the modern dancer in these ballets , and I enjoy the pleasure to discover the spirit of a ballet even in the classical reconstitution by Lacotte.

His revivals are always very interesting and it seems good to me to see something of an old ballet and I can assure you than Paquita was the most important success of the 2000-2001 season for the audience, not for the POB dancer who find this ballet updated

<small>[ 08-28-2002, 10:48: Message edited by: Cathy ]</small>