Nureyev Gala: June 28th 2014, Wiener Staatsoper

A Gala...

Usually an evening full of excitement, joy, expectations and even nervousness... and I was, sort of “travelling back" to the 80’s and to N.Y. and to the Met and to the ABT Galas… lovely, happy times in my life... filled with Baryshnikov, Makarova, Kirkland, La Fosse, Bissel, van Hamell...

Well, yesterday’s one was more than that… it was like a ceremony of happiness closing an extremely successful season for the Opera, for the Ballet, for the company, for Monsieur Legris!

Because of its mood of celebration I do not believe that Galas should be analysed, scrutinized, criticized…
well, at least I am not in the mood for that… I would just like to tell you about it from the point of view of one “average every day ballet goer” to another!

The whole “ceremony” took nearly 4 and a half hours and the audience had the chance; in fact, the honour to travel through many choreographic “worlds”, languages and eras; specially concerning style... very special, delicious!
The challenging programme, exquisitely chosen by Manuel Legris, was an unique, intelligent choice and combination of pieces which meant absolute delight and joy to the audiences (just beside me, two brazilian ladies, which in fact had no idea at all nor of ballet and neither of what the evening was going to bring us , were simply delighted, ecstatic of what they were witnessing… ). The precise conception of the evening reminded me somehow a good vitamin pill: yes, all the right ingredients, in the right measure! Perfect!

I would just like herewith to write down the programme and mention the brilliant dancers that gave wonderful performances (and many of them very intelligent "readings" of certain roles):

- Raymonda (Nureyev after Petipa)/ Valse fantastique: Liudmilla Konovalova, Robert Gabdullin, Alice Firenze & Nina Tonoli. Brilliant!

- Flower Feast in Genzano (Bournville): Ioanna Avraam & Dumitru Taran - simplicity combined with precise technique.

- Le Souffle de l’esprit (Jiri Bubenicek): Eno Peci & Masayu Kimoto. I wonder how Greig Matthews would have performed the third role…

- Swan Lake (Petipa)/ Black Swan pas de deux: with lovely Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding, guests at the Staasoper and with whom I had the chance to have a lovely talk during the Premiere party… Such normal, down-to-earth persons...

- Other Dances (Robbins): Kyoka Hashimoto & Deny Cherevychko, both simply filled with "Star-Quality"!

- Le Spectre de la Rose (Nureyev after Fokin): Ezster Ledán & Mihail Sosnosvschi - style...

- Labyrinth of Solitude (de Bana) : a « premiere » for the Staatsoper with Kirill Kourlaev, who simply « stole the show » from everyone and was the STAR of the evening…

- La Dame aux Camelias (Neumeier): with marvelous Isabelle Ciaravola & Friedemann Vogel ( Opera de Paris & Stuttgarter Ballet) as the second guest “couple”. Simply perfectly emotional!

- Paquita (Petipa): Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding as well as Natascha Mair, Nina Tonoli, Alice Firenze, Ioanna Avraam and Rui Tamai (who is going back to Japan after this season): a pure joy and celebration!

- Cinderella (Nureyev): Ketevan Papava. I wonder how Vladimir Shishov would have perfomed the role of the prince.

- Swan Lake (Nureyev): La Polonaise… his very own dreams becoming reality on stage. Amazing. Powerful! Wonderful!

- 5 Tangos (Hans van Manen): Denys Chrevychko (bringing down the house…)

- Die Fledermaus (Roland Petit): Ketevean Papava and Manuel Legris… Yes, simply an historical moment… Incredible! I am definitely proud to have witnessed this incredible moment...

And finishing the evening, a questionable but extremely appropriate choice… one can just understand that after "feeling" the whole conception of the programme.... yes, for sure...

- La Bayadère (Nureyev after Petipa): Anna Tsygankova, Liudmilla Konovalova (in the ungrateful and even sometimes unflattering role of Hamsatti), Vladimir Shishov & Marat Davletshin. Delightful!

After the performance and during the party given on stage Natascha Mair and Nina Tonoli were appointed “demi-soloists” and lovely, gifted Ioanna Avraam was made into a “soloist” – a position that she has been occupying for quite a time already. Well deserved.

After the “stage party” there was this “get together” at the Operngasse and friends made me go along with them.
Destiny played a funny trick on me and instead of sitting together with friends to whom I wanted to chat, I spent the most of the evening in a small “circle” of friends of Monsieur Legris (including one of my "idols", Isabelle Guérin/ Opera de Paris, whom I did not recognize; my fault, I fear!), getting to know him a bit better and enjoying a lot his wit, charm and intelligence.

So glad about this 2013/14 Season… looking forward to the next ones!

Well, what else can I say? (and I have said it many times): Merci, Monsieur Legris! (for the last seasons, for this fantastic one and for the upcoming ones!)

All pictures (except curtain call ones) © Wiener Staatsoper programme.

Nurejev Gala 2014 - On stage videos from DelbeauFilm on Vimeo.

Meistersignaturen (Vienna State Opera, June 16th 2014)

Meistersignaturen (Master Signatures) is an evening programme to cherish: the combination of four different ballets, with very different music, very different “languages” and very different conceptions is an interesting, pleasant, warming one and a VERY interesting one, too!

Here just a few words and thoughts to yesterday’s performance at the Opera.

- Le Souffle de L’esprit (Master: Jiri Bubenicek): the use of Bach’s music is one that gives the challenging choreography a sort of musicality (in its movements) that is very singular, very pleasant. Soloists and Corps de Ballet were in very good shape and precisely rehearsed. Denys Cherevychko was a bit uneasy and his movements did not flow naturally, as if he was having a sort of problem in translating Bubenicek’s language to his own body. I was wondering why; he has been dancing this piece since 2011... But any normal person may have a bad day, isn't it?
On the other hand, one of the most pleasant moments of the evening belonged to Dumitru Taran. Mr. Taran completely in his element. He absorbed the choreography in such a way that its “language” was completely natural to him, nearly becoming his own! Using an expression that used to be common in Portuguese in my youth: “Parecia que havia bebido azeite” (“It seemed that he had drunk oil” meaning the his movements were smooth, his flexibility immense, that he was "at home" doing what he was doing). Mr.Taran’s dance is an intelligent one. I like that!

- Vaslaw (Master: John Neumeier): there are many different opinions about this work – many consider it boring, updated... I personally like it very much because of its great insight, its small details, its “mood”.
Mayasu Kimoto with his great stage presence, showed us once more his precise technique and appeal to the audience!
Also once more Dumitru Taran gave us a beautiful performance – in fact nearly without time to change between “Souffle” and “Vaslaw”.
Greig Matthews did his best out of a very ungrateful solo: very challenging and without that “certain” effect which keeps audiences concentrated. I wonder why Mr. Matthews is always getting such parts – like for example the prince’s solo on “Sleeping Beauty” (also another very difficult, ungrateful, impactless dance).
Ketevan Papava and Robert Gabdullin on top form! (I liked very much to hear, from a colleague of Miss Pavava, a refference made to her: “She is an artist”. And this articulated with great respect!)

- Alegro Brillante (Master: Balanchine): what a pleasure to watch Liudmila Konovalova in such a night like this. Precise, brilliant, musical, daring, effortless and so much in the Balanchine mood and style…
Robert Gabdulin, an attentive partner, also at ease with Mr. B’s vocabulary.
Natascha Mair and specially Suzan Oppermann (with Marat Davletshin) were “shining” on stage.

- Vier letzte Lieder (Master: Rudi van Dantzig): Just the presence of the sopran Olga Bezmertna on stage was reason enough to relax, “put your feet up” and enjoy this marvelous piece.
Kyoka Hashimoto/Mihail Sosnovschi, Ioanna Avraam/Mayasu Kimoto, Ketevan Papava/Kirill Kourlaev gave emotional performances.
The only uneven couple was Alice Firenze and Roman Lazik:
She, a real joy to watch in her vital, sensitive, substantial, strong performance and lovely, clean technique. He, (again) making suffering faces all the time (a very boring and very old-fashioned tendency - to turn dancing into suffer - that I had't experienced anymore in years) and very strangely made up. His Make-up was so "white" that it made his eyes "disappear". Normally Mr. Lazik is not an ugly man.

Perhaps the audience still remembered Shane Wuerthner in the “solo” role - the Angel of Death - and how he made it his own (he is still pictured on the programme’s cover).
Even so Eno Peci gave a fine performance because of the impact of his very strong stage presence that obviously appeal to many ballet-goers.

Not trying to quote the Marx Brother’s film, I must say:
One NIGHT at the Opera – another fine present for us from the “Legris’ era”!
It is GOOD to be an eye witness of all this...

"Ein Reigen" (Volksoper, April 29th 2014): Premiere and repetitiveness...

At first, after watching yesterday’s performance and talking to many dancers, in and out of the cast, during the after-Premiere party, I thought of not writing a review about the Show. It seemed utterly unfair.

Today I have decided otherwise. My “dilemma” in relation to “Ein Reigen” lies not on the talent of so many young dancers but somewhere else… I will try to explain why.

“Der Reigen” was one of the biggest theatre scandals in the 20th Century and was, after the “Schnitzler’s Trial”, forbidden on Austrian stages until 1982 (even though Films and Records were produced).

“Ein Reigen” , loosely based on “Der Reigen” from Arthur Schnitzler, differs primarily from the original in the story-telling’s main line… In the play all characters “meet” in “pre- and post-coital” situations. In yesterday’s ballet all characters have obvious “love/sex” scenes – unfortunately most of them extremely repetitious. After the second there was no more “surprise” (nor thrill) for the audience.

Monsieur Manuel Legris said in his speech after the show that it is very hard to find someone who’d accept to stage a full-length Ballet.

He is absolutely right.

To fill a whole evening’s programme one’s “choreographical vocabulary” must be extensive, huge in fact. Unfortunately this was not the case. Ashley Page’s choreography is not only repetitious but lacks completely the “ups and downs” that give rhythm to a “script”. After a while the story-telling became boring… not inventive, not challenging, not dynamic. All this added to a very questionable music score: Surely wonderful works from Mahler, Zemlinsky, Korngold, Berg etc. ON THEIR OWN – but all of them - especially put together - extremely gloomy and nearly depressing.

Once more very repetitious.

Perhaps the only “brilliant” use of music was Ravel’s La Valse at the very End of the Show. “La Valse” which, in fact, was never a success when used for a ballet – even though history shows us the many choreographers who envisioned this piece as “dance stuff”.

The concept of using “celebrities” makes it quite confusing and bothered me. I personally would have preferred the use of “fictious” characters (like played by Alice Firenze - see photo above) instead of Freud, Mahler, Kokoschka, Alma Mahler, Schönberg, Schiele etc… Here we are again into that English craze, apart from the big “cliché” which these characters bring along with, of trying to “use” Ballet as a platform for other forms of art, not using the language of dance but simply the “script form” of a play… MacMillan’s “Mayerling” is one of the best examples of how confusing this can be.
History books have their own language – so should Ballet (And do audiences and even the dancers really know all about who is being portrayed? Today's world pace is too quick to assimilate all that we should... )

One positive thing must be said about Mr. Page: His very pointed feeling for casting. Knowing the company, I enjoyed (nearly most) of his casting.

But...

...I still have not revealed the main point about deciding so late about writing a review about yesterday’s show or not.
It can be seasily described in simple three words:

Lack of Rehearsals.

Audience could feel that in many parts of the show the dancers were insecure (never “ending” movements) and very uncertain (especially musically). I was sitting beside another dancer and sometimes we’d look sadly at each other…

I am sure that with some more rehearsal this ballet may turn into a good one – even though I question why it was put on the stage of the Volksopera. Need of a financial magnet for tourists in having a ballet about “Vienna”?
It could be… I wonder if it will survive this season.

Even so I could witness again the lovely stage presence of Suzan Oppermann (on whom I could concentrate a lot!), Clara Soley, Flavia Soares (elegance), Gala Aura Jovanovic (exceptional in a “trouser’s role”), Ioana Avraam, Maria Alati (very daring! I like that), beautiful Denys Chrevychko (unfortunately dressed in a horrible costume) and Kirill Kourlaev.
Surprisingly enough for me was the fact that Mr. Roman Lazik, a dancer that I consider extremely “blasé” on stage, managed to show at last some emotion.

Eno Peçi and Dagmar Kronberger, great professionals who would never, for a single second, let the audience see a glimpse of discomfort or insecurity. I enjoyed especially to witness again their dancing together.

Ketevan Papava had the difficult (and notorious) Alma Mahler to portray. And she did a very good job out of the very ungrateful choreography that was given to her.

But three dancers outshone completely the rest of the company:

Eszter Ledán (Emilie Flöge), that seemed to have arrived directly out of the past and looked like a reincarnation of the famous Klimt’s portrait (so sorry I do not have a picture of Miss Ledán in this role),

Alice Firenze (Mitzi, a prostitute), full of strength, power, interpretation’s understanding.

It is needless to write about both dancer’s splendid technique.

and Misha Sosnovschi (here with Maria Alati as Wally Neuzil) , that gave life to Egon Schiele and had one of the best parts, choreographically and dramatically observed, of the show.

I can well imagine what a creative, construtive and committed “worker” Mr. Sosnovschi is.
Feeling “responsible” for his work (he is the one that has to go on stage and show to the audiences what the choreopgrapher created) he is surely the dream for every choreographer to work with.
Participation. That's the secret of a real artist...
Apart from his splandid technique and stage presence. I like that...

The use of the revolving stage of the Volksopera was no surprise.
Neither for the rest of the audience nor for me.
Once again the factor “repetitiveness” playing a role.

Sceneries were good but the costumes were excellent – even though they could be described as too “Volksopera affine”
(Both by Anthony McDonald.

BUT...

...one last question remains unaswered for me:
hasn’t “Wien, Wien, nur Du allein” (Maurice Béjart) a much greater “insight” into the Viennese gloomy, very depressive moods? Prostitution, Betrayal, Prater, Tarot cards, Murder…
In 1990 I had the privilege to watch this (marvelous) show (Marcia Haydée, Jorge Donn) at the State Opera.
It received very mild applause…

Yesterday’s applause was also lukewarm…
Do Viennese really want to see themselves portrayed?

Copyrights: Pictures from the Volksopera's programme and Thomas Schulz (Many Thanks, dear Thomas)

A photographer: Ronnie Boehm and his dancers...

Ronnie Boehm's work with dancers of the Wiener Staatsballett, The Royal Ballet and Queensland Ballet has quickly become internationally recognized. His pictures appear regularly in magazines like Pointe, Impression and Dance Spirit. His first solo exhibition took place in 2013 at SAPA Vienna. Further exhibitions in Taipeh and Sydney coming in 2014.
I much admire his “language”. His pictures are not the pictures we are used to… in fact I love this very rare capacity of (also) catching “movement”, not final poses which are generally static ones… Looking at this picture of the young, talented Greig Matthews (bellow) you’ll see what I mean… Greig hadn’t yet finished the movement and as he was captured by “Boehm’s eyes” he was still “moving” and this is what we see, feel…
Ronnie Boehm was born 1980 in Vienna… a young, brilliant artist!

O trabalho de Ronnie Boehm com os bailarinos do Wiener Staatsballet, do Royal Ballet e do Queensland Ballet foi rápidamente reconhecido internacionalmente. Suas fotos aparecem regularmente em revistas como Pointe, Impression e Dance Spirit. Sua primeira exposição solo aconteceu em 2013 no SAPA Vienna. Futuras exposições em Taipeh e Sydney previstas para 2014.
Eu admiro muito sua “linguagem”. Suas fotos não são as quais com que estamos acostumados… na verdade amo esta rara capacidade de (também) pegar “movimentos”, não poses finais que são geralmente estáticas… Olhando para esta foto do jovem, talentoso Greig Matthews (acima) voces verão o que quero dizer… Greig ainda nao tinha terminado o movimento e quando foi capturado pelos “olhos de Boehm” ele ainda estava se “movendo” e é isto o que nós vemos, sentimos…
Ronnie Boehm nasceu em Viena em 1980… um jovem, brilhante artista!

I like very much his simple way of presenting himself, like for example in his homepage (http://500px.com/RonnieBoehm): modesty is still the essential quality of real talents…
“Hi. My name is Ronnie Böhm. I am a photographer based in Vienna/Austria, focused on dance, especially ballet. In my work I want to show my appreciation for the artists I work with. I want to show them at their best, show their incredible depth, dedication and passion. Ronnie”

Gosto muito da forma simples com que se apresenta, como por exemplo na usa homepage (http://500px.com/RonnieBoehm): modéstia é ainda a qualidade essencial dos grandes talentos…
“Oi. Meu nome é Ronnie Böhm. Sou um fotógrafo baseado em Viena/Austria, focalizado em dança, especialmente ballet. No meu trabalho quero mostrar minha apreciação pelo artistas com quem trabalho. Quero mostrá-los na sua melhor forma, mostrar sua incrível intensidade, dedicação e paixão. Ronnie”

Here, some of his work with dancers from the Wiener Staatsballet.
Aqui, algo do seu trabalho com os bailarinos do Wiener Staatsballet.

Greig Matthews, a dancer whose career I have been following quite closely since nearly two years. One of my favourite ones in Vienna, ein "Liebling".

Greig Matthews, um bailarino cuja carreira tenho seguido de muito perto nos últimos dois anos. Um dos meus favoritos em Viena, um "Liebling"

Alexis Forabosco, another one of my few favourites: great personality, very french in style and interpretation. His dance is intelligent, polished and has "chic" in it! I like that!

Alexis Forabosco, outro dos meus poucos favoritos: grande personalidade, muito frances em estilo e interpretação. Sua dança é inteligente, culta e tem "chic" nela. Gosto disso...

Mascha Tolstunova

Natalie Kusch

Laura Nistor

Ezter Ledan

...and the (still) very young Natascha Mair (18 years old), that someday, after leaving the cocoon, will "turn into a butterfly" and will surely develop herself into a fine dancer. The cult to the technique diminishes as time passes by and intelligent dancers, like her, realize that technique is just a tool to achieve their full artistry...

Life is so ephemeral... a whole new generation of dancers is growing up in front of our very own eyes...

...uma (ainda) muito jovem Natascha Mair (18 anos)que algum dia, depois de sair do casulo, "se transformará numa borboleta" e se desenvolverá certamente numa bela bailarina. O culto à técnica diminui com o passar do tempo e bailarinos inteligentes, como ela, aprendem que técnica á só uma ferramenta para alcançar o total potencial artístico...

A vida é tão efemera... Toda uma nova geração de bailarinos está crescendo na frente dos nossos olhos...

All pictures: © Ronnie Boehm, all rights reserved.

Wiener Staatsballet: 2012,Nov 30th: MEISTERWERKE DES 20. JAHRHUNDERTS

Before you start reading the text bellow, please notice that I have nearly no pictures of THIS particular performance. That is the reason why I have used other dancers’ in order to illustrate this performance.

One November 30th I had the privilege (and luck) to receive 2 tickets for the Opera from my friend Vladimir Shishov. After a hard week full of problems and hard work, I was really looking forward to a relaxing evening… I had much more than that!

The seats were marvelous, exactly in the fourth row, even though quite unusual for me: I normally choose seats on the first balcony for the Ballet… I like to be a bit “above” the stage. Unfortunately it is not always a pleasure to sit there and be aware of the formations which are usually intended by the choreographer… last March at “Glass pieces” the company hadn’t been properly rehearsed for the 3rd piece (a part of “Echnaton” from Glass) and I nearly regretted to be seated in my favourite box of the Opera…

Anyways, this time I had a completely different experience: not only has the company been “growing and growing” in artistic terms, repertoire and internationality, it has been working a lot… and rehearsing a lot… and DANCING a lot! Monsieur Legris…
The first part of the evening – and main reason of this review - “Suite en Blanc”(Serge Lifar) is one of my all-time favourites. I hadn’t seen this ballet in years until it premiered again in Vienna last February. I was at that time very much impressed with Shane Wuerthner’s performance (bellow with Liudmila Konovalova and Alexis Forabosco). Unforgettable.

When the curtain opened, guess whom I saw first. My dear frined Flavia Soares, her delicate fairy-like figure and inimitable smile. What a pleasure!

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

Once more Vladimir Shishov (above) showed us why he is in the Premieur Danseur rank. His stage presence, his “Persona” shines… When he enters on stage, the whole Opera House seems to belong to him. He demands our full concentration… and everything seems to be done at such ease, with incredible naturality and poise:
Premier Danseur. It could not be any othe way.

He and Olga Esina (below) were marvelous at the “Adage”.

Mais uma vez Vladimir Shoshov (acima) nos mostrou o porque do seu Status de Premieur Danseur. Sua presença no palco, sua “persona” brilha… Quando ele entra no palco, toda a Ópera parece lhe pertencer. Ele atrai toda a nossa concentração… e tudo parece ser feito com facilidade, com incrível naturalidade e porte: Premier Danseur. Não poderia ser de outra forma.

Ele e Olga Esina (abaixo) estiveram maravilhosos no “Adage”. "Poise" is the key-word.

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

I was also very impressed with Denys Cherevychko’s (below) strong performance in “La Mazurka” (Denys was a short time ago at the Paris Opera as Basil in “Don Quixote” ).

Always a pleasure to look at, Davide Dato (“Pas de Cinq”), “growing” more and more and everyday as an artist. Every time I see him on stage, he surprises me agin.
Exact, technically stronger every day and a beautiful, dynamic personality on stage.

Enchanting Prisca Zeisel (below), one of the few Austrians in the company, impressed the public with her musicality and lines in “Thème varié”).
Precious Precociousness!

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper.

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

The revelation of the evening for me was Alexis Forabosco (below).
Although I had seen him already many times on stage, this time I sort of “concentrated” more on his performance, he caught my full attention. His French background and technique give him a full understanding of “Suite” – combine these qualities and add presence, musicality and beautiful lines, mix them on a stage while slowly adding the music of Edouard Lalo and you’ll have what just delighted me and the audience on the last November 30th in “Thème varié”.
A beautiful performance by a very gifted and very sensual dancer. Bravo, Monsieur Forabosco.

Copyright: Wiener Staatsoper

After the first intermission another “jewel” by the Swedish choreographer Nils Christe. Inventive work to a very difficult music from Bohuslav Martinu – really VERY difficult.

Two of the dancers which had just only been on stage in “Suite” were again on stage. Much energy required after the technically demanding “