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 Kirov
Ballet
'La Bayadère'
by Cassandra
August 2, 2003 (matinee)
-- Covent Garden, London
I approached the new ‘old’ production
of “La Bayadère” with some trepidation, as I had not been a fan
of the new ‘old’ “Sleeping Beauty.” The pared down choreography and the
garish costumes of “Beauty” simply didn’t work for me and I feared my
reaction to “La Bayadère” would be similar. It wasn’t: I found
this reconstructed work an absolute gem. Before I go any further I have
to mention the fact that not everyone I spoke to appeared to agree with
me -- two people disliked it quite vehemently, a few were undecided, saying
they missed certain aspects of the previous production, but most were
enthusiastic, finding this production far more attractive than anything
they had seen before.
For me the strengths of the production are threefold: the reinstatement
of original chorography, some of it of great beauty, the far more logical
sequence of the drama and the more attractive costumes (I found the previous
Kirov costumes mostly rather ugly). The only weakness for me was the reduction
in the male dancing.
The first act costumes for the bayaderes were a danceable approximation
of Indian saris, far more appropriate and far more becoming to the dancers
than what they replaced; in fact throughout the ballet the female costumes
were quite lovely with tasteful decoration and flattering lines. For the
“Kingdom of the Shades” the tutus were a longer length, falling to the
knee, always preferable to tutus of the “cake-frill” variety. The male
costumes were mostly good too, though I didn’t care for the harsh colours
worn by some of the attendants. Solor’s costumes were also a little problematical
as despite being historically accurate reproductions of Indian male attire,
they nevertheless appeared to rather overwhelm certain of the dancers
and only someone who was six foot plus was going to be able to carry them
off convincingly.
The sets reminded me of old watercolours or aquatints of the India of
the 19th century, with the colours being slightly muted in most of the
scenes. Only the “Kingdom of the Shades” which had the appearance of a
disused quarry didn’t ring true. Shouldn’t the afterlife be a little more
than a background of boulders? This scene was more brightly lit than is
usually the case and more subdued lighting would have better enhanced
the romantic mood that is created by the dancing.
Although there are a number of changes throughout the ballet, the Triumphal
Procession in honour of the Idol Badrinath in the second act is the first
lengthy and entirely new sequence in the ballet and would seem to have
inspired the later (1948) interpolation of the Golden Idol choreographed
by Nikolai Zubkovsky. I have to say I miss the Golden Idol and so did
everyone else I spoke to, but the massed parades of dancers in colourful
costumes provide a very impressive tableau at this point. The other wholly
new sequence is the “Dance of the Lotus Blossoms” in Act IV and danced
by twenty-four young students to previously unfamiliar music. The other
big changes are more a matter of re-arranging with sequences of choreography
being moved back to where they were originally intended.
I attended the performance on Saturday afternoon when the leading roles
were danced by Sofia Gumerova, Viktoria Tereshkina and Igor Kolb. Tereshkina
is a name entirely new to me and I was astonished to be told that she
is in her first year with the company and only 18 years old. A baby ballerina
in fact. She may be young but her dancing has remarkable maturity and
she clearly understands the role of Gamzatti. This princess had always
had her own way and was clearly more than a little piqued when she discovered
she had a rival. She offers her jewels after Nikiya fails to be intimidated
by her regal manner and instantly regrets her pleading with a mere temple
dancer. Her inner rage shows in every line of her body and just a glance
at her eyes tells you that henceforth Nikiya is dead meat.
I’ve always considered that Sofia Gumerova possesses eloquence but not
drama and her gentle Nikiya is less an ardent woman refusing to relinquish
her man than an unfortunate victim of circumstances. She is a sad regretful
figure with a melancholy line to her dancing which nevertheless suits
this role rather well but she certainly isn’t a match for Tereshkina’s
forceful Gamzatti. Gumerova’s duets with Kolb were affectionate rather
than passionate but otherwise she has the technique for this taxing role
and danced extremely well.
As the cause of all this trouble, Igor Kolb was well suited to the role
of Solor, the noble warrior. You can just imagine the Raja running his
eyes over his young lieutenants looking for prospective Son-in-law material
and deciding that Kolb would fit the bill exactly regardless of his prowess
in killing oversized cuddle toys (rethink that tiger!). Kolb very clearly
portrays Solor’s torment as he is forced to choose between love and duty.
He is filled with shame over the circumstances of Nikiya’s death, and
his anguish at being forced to marry a woman he doesn’t love is forcibly
conveyed.
Kolb looked wonderful in the costumes that seemed to swamp the shorter
and slighter Sarafanov at the general rehearsal, (surely adaptations should
be made to allow for different builds) and although I was prepared for
a reduction in the actual dancing of this role, he danced so well that
it was a disappointment not to see him dance more. At the curtain calls,
flowers were raining down on the stage in appreciation of outstanding
dancers, a handsome production and a wonderful company. They deserved
every last one.
Edited by Jeff.
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