The Sleeping Beauty 26 October 2015 Mariinsky Theatre Saint Petersburg, Russia
by Catherine Pawlick
The Mariinsky Theatre presented a performance of the Petipa/Sergeyev version of "The Sleeping Beauty" in memory of the great dancer Yuri Solovyov on October 26th. While the performance date did not coincide with any milestones in the dancer's life per se, it served as impetus for ballet lovers and connoisseurs alike to fill the theatre for a short film presentation and the performance itself.
A lobby display with numerous historical shots of Solovyov in the studio and on stage greeted patrons prior to the performance. Following film clips that showed Solovyov in Flower Festival, Laurencia, Corsaire, and in his signature role as the Bluebird, the performance began to the skilled baton of Gavriel Heine. It must be said that among the Mariinsky's five or so "ballet" conductors, Mr. Heine has added an increasing number of ballets to his own conducting repertoire in the past year or two. He was the resident conductor for the ballet's recent tours to Los Angeles and Berkeley, and is now a favorite at home in Saint Petersburg as well. The Mariinsky orchestra, while incomparably divine compared to anything in the States, still somehow sounds better at his hands than any other conductor in this theatre. The violin solo that decorates the production midway through --with the orchestra elevated, electronically, to audience level-- made one feel that heaven had temporarily descended to earth.
Bits of that same ethereal glory were found onstage as well, but not as consistently. Unfortunately the leading roles left much to be desired. But the highlight of visual appeal came in the form of a radiant Ekaterina Kondaurova as the Lilac Fairy, whose ability to luxuriate in legato served as an embodiment of the protective goodwill of her character. Using every second of the music to etch her beautiful lines in space, she beamed smiles to the audience with a noble demeanor during the blessing of infant Aurora, and offered impeccable lines in the famous adagio solo in Act I.
In the fairy variations of Act I, Ksenia Ostreikovskaya was aptly gentle, emitting a sense of calm softness befitting of her character as the "Tender" Fairy. Tatiana Tiliguzova presented speed and agility delivering sharp jetés in seconde, thus matching her temperament as the Playful Fairy. Nadezhda Gonchar stood out as the Brave Fairy in orange, taking immediate command of the stage and hitting every position with certainty and attack. Less clear in execution were Anastasia Asaben as the Fairy of Generosity, and Oksana Marchuk as the Carefree Fairy, who seemed to require more rehearsal time.
Kondaurova carried forward the dramatic progression of Act II nearly singlehandedly, which brought us to the remaining fireworks of Act III in the form of the second set of fairies. Here Valeria Martinouk, who has now established her talents as a soloist, displayed razor-sharp brilliance as the Diamond Fairy, emitting the essence of bright light and precision with each step. Tiliguzova,reappearing as the Gold Fairy, danced with equal attack and strength.
The signature role of the evening -- based merely on the occasion -- would of course be the Bluebird pas de deux. Konstantin Ivkin was cast in the role alongside Anastasia Lukina, a Vaganova graduate now in her first season with the company. Lukina is blessed with arches that begin in her ankle joints, making for beautiful lines that would nonetheless be a challenge to properly "tame" but that she manages well. Ivkin, a compact man with beautiful insteps and a seemingly rubber spine, performed the brisée volée sequence with such fluidity and extremes of épaulement in his torso that he seemed extra human. His jumps offer ballon, and his tour jetés have beautiful lines. The hints at Solovyov's talent were there, though no one can compete with the Honored Artist of the USSR.
For their acting roles, Ekaterina Mikhailovtseva and Nikolai Naumov provided animated renditions of the King and Queen, and Soslan Kulayev a noble Catalabutte.
_________________ Author, "Vaganova Today: The Preservation of Pedagogical Tradition" (available on amazon.com)
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