Wiener Staatsoper: Josephs Legende (Davide Dato & Ketevan Papava)

Sometimes the power of Marketing and Advertisement can be quite underestimated... History shows us many examples, art history even more. It takes just that certain, precise and (very) lucky moment to be on the right spot at the right time…

Just a few weeks ago marvellous Denys Cherevychko had one of the biggest hits of his career with Neumeier’s “Joseph’s Legend”. Definitely a very well-deserved success. No question about that.

But everything can be interpreted from different points of view and to my particular taste, I feel that the marketing Machinery of the State Opera performed perhaps a “bit too well” with him and overlooked a lot another precious performance.

The whole (ballet) media work concentrated on both Mr. Cherevychko’s and Miss Horner’s performances (culminating at their presence at the Opera Ball, which was quite unusual, especially if considering that Miss Horner is not a soloist), neglecting a bit the “other cast” - no expressions like "second cast" here - that was also performing.
Performing splendidly, by the way, as you’ll be able to witness in the following video – a new, beautiful work from Balàzs Delbo (© Delbeau Film).

The splendid performances from dancers like Davide Dato, Ketevan Papava and Eno Peci were not as talked about and discussed as they would have deserved.
One thing is more than clear: their rendition is of another sort. One cannot talk about “a notch above” but surely of subtleness. Intelligent subtleness. Another “reading” of the same theme.

In order to avoid any misunderstandings, I am just ALSO trying to highlight Mr. Dato’s and Miss Ketevan’s performances. I surely loved Mr. Cherevychko and Miss Horner but I still believe that there is place enough in the Media to accommodate different, marvellous interpretations of the same role, even if given by other performers. Think about the ABT, New York City Ballet, Covent Garden and the Paris Opera and the different Auroras, Giselles and Albrechts, Odettes and Odilles, Basils and Kitris from each and every Season…
This “richness” of choice teaches the audiences to think more compare, learn, ponder, develop healthy criticism… and not take anything for granted!
Audiences here are in quite a desperate need of learning that.

Unfortunately our “Austrian way of thinking” is quite “passé” specially concerning the contemplation of different talents.
Our world nowadays offers us so many talents and unlimited possibilities – it is quite normal to have different interpretations and “readings” of a same role at the same time… but we do not seem to adapt to that.

Passed and gone are the times in which only existed a “Nureyev”, or just one “Baryshnikov or perhaps a “Makarova”.
Unfortunately austrian audiences (and Press) tend to keep attached to this old-fashioned idea that there only exists one talent at the time…
and the media work, in this particular case of "Joseph`s Legend, reflected just that.
Times have changed, audiences all over the world too and so should we…

Let’s think about that…

P.S. I would like very much to point to the wonderful rehearsal pictures. © Ashley Taylor – you will surely hear this name quite frequently in the future.

DAVIDE DATO AS JOSEPH from DelbeauFilm on Vimeo.