Wiener Staatsballet: April 6th, 2017, "Giselle rouge" - revisited.

When I heard that Robert Gabdullin was in the revival of „Giselle rouge” as “the partner” (Serge Lifar), I felt very tempted to watch this show again.

Adding to my curiosity was the “new cast”: Nina Poláková as “the ballerina” (Olga Alexandrovna Spessivtseva), James Stephens as “the friend” (Serge Lifar’s lover) and the fact that on April 6th Vladimir Shishov would be playing the police inspector (Olga’s mad, sexual, insane love affair).

Copyright: Ashley Taylor/ Wiener Staatsballet.

But I had decided not to concentrate only on the main characters (like during the last times I was in the audience watching this wonderful piece) but on the corps-de-ballet. I always have the feeling that Boris Eifman’s work is constructed through “bridges” – those lead us from one “group scene” to the next letting the main characters play “in between” – but never letting us forget that the whole environment around those is the explanation of their behavior. Their “Alibi” to put it plainly. Think of hos “Ana Karenina” for example…


Copyright: Ashley Taylor / Wiener Staatsballet.

Of course I could not do “just” that – I mean, not concentrate on the main characters. There was a lot of emotion and art’s “finesse” going on the stage of the Volksoper last night.

First of all it must be said that Andreas Schüller conducting skills are much more than you can expect at this house. Brilliant. “Giselle rouge” covers a wide range from Tchaikowsky to Adam, from Schnittke to Bizet and than from popular music (Yes, sir that’s my baby) back to Tchaikowsky and Adam back again… amazing!

Kamil Pavelka gave us a god portrait of the “teacher” – not so dramatic like Peci’s portrayal but extremely human, believable, honest. I liked this understatement. Daring and very effectfull.

James Stephen’s “friend” was good and correct. Somehow a little bit tense for me. I admire this dancer’s clean technique and long arms and legs, which will surely be a kind of asset in his future life.

Copyright: Ashley Taylor / Wiener Staatsballet

Robert Gabdullin gave another “reading” of “Serge Lifar”: not so affected like the ones I had seen before. He made us believe in Serge’s “duality”, “ambiguity” and (in his way) “honest” feelings for Olga. He was also a man of flesh and blood. Needless to say that Mr. Gabdullin’s presence on stage is growing stronger and stronger every day. An artist. Sensibility is the key word.

Copyright: Ashley Taylor / Wiener Staatsballet

Vladimir Shishov feeling “at home” in his role as the “Inspector”. Impressive. This was the first time I have seen him in this role. And it was extremely threatening. I felt afraid sometimes… Just after a few seconds on stage – in his first intense “meeting” with Olga –he lifts her and holds her with one arm two and half meters above the stage. At this he showed her (and us) who was “the boss ‘round here”. Mr. Shishov’s presence on stage has always been a great one. He usually dominates the whole house. But this police inspector is surely a “notch above”. Not only a perfect partner but exploding within himself in a craze of feelings. Applause.

Copyright: Ashley Taylor / Wiener Staatsballet

Nina Poláková’s Olga is a very special creation. Miss Poláková, a prima ballerina at the height of her career, presented the audience with such a fine performance and this is not easy to put into words… I am not discussing technique – this “tool” she is in complete command of – but about the emotional aspects of an artist’s performance. In an awesome way she gave an extremely pin-pointed performance. Growing up, being abused, leaving her country and an abusive relationship, finding no love, falling into despair, becoming mad…

For the first time ever I was really touched when she was put into the straight jacket in order to leave the stage during “Giselle”. The once “beautiful Olga” turns into the “mad Olga”. An amazing performance. I like to honour talent.
Tonight, after the performance – I almost never do this anymore – I HAD to wait for Miss Poláková to salute her.
And congratulate her for waking so many emotions!
Such an emotional portrait!

But I do not wish to finish this critic before mentioning the corps-de-ballet. As I have written before – I have paid much more attention to those bridges and began more and fascinated by them. All group scenes are fantastic – and require sometimes quite quick costume changes. I congratulate the corps-de-ballet for such an exquisite, finely rehearsed, precise performance… Bravo Elena Bottaro, Gala Jovanovic, Eszter Ledán, Anita Manolova, Laura Nistor, Alaia Rogers, Francesco Costa, Marat Davletshin (great posture), Marian Furnica, Igor Milos, Dumitru Tiran, Jaimy van Overeem to name just a few…

Great evening!

Wiener Staatsballet: "Marie Antoinette" revisited (Volksoper, June 16th, 2016)

I think I had seen Patrick de Bana’s “Marie Antoinette” for the last time in 2012… or was it 2011?

By the time this work “re-opened” at the Volksopera, I was on my way to South-America. But things happen in a way because they should happen that way – I still believe that… If I had been able to watch previous performances I might have lost this one that meant a great deal for me. Specially because of its young cast.

Many weeks ago, on my way to the Opera, I met Manuel Legris, by chance as he was walking out of the underground. It was raining and he was kind enough to offer me a place under his umbrella. He told me that Mr. de Bana was strongly reworking the piece. What can be more fascinating than an artist that keeps his work in constant motion, changing it if he feels that things could be made another way, better, more effectively, more emotionally? That is exactly what dancing is all about – MOTION. Constant motion. Not “framed” pictures that will never be able to move or change… Well, for weeks I have been “haunted” with curiosity and did not know exactly what to expect. With Monsieur Legris’ words, still sounding in my ears, I walked into the Volksoper yesterday. So many changes... even point work! He really did not exaggerate and I could not have been more delighted.

Natascha Mair & Kamil Pavelka / Copyright: Ashley Taylor

The Corps-de-Ballet was wonderfully rehearsed – perhaps with the exception of the beginning of the second act – which is musically very tricky. Strong personalities like Alexandru Tcacenco, Zsolt Török, Elena Bottaro, Anita Manolova, Suzann Oppermann, Alaia Rogers and Géraud Wielick among others.

Most principals dancers were brilliant in their own ways and qualities.
That is sometimes a very underrated quality: the wisdom to give the right roles to the right performers.

Nikisha Fogo and Francesco Costa – respectively “The Shadows of Antoinette” and “The destiny” gave very strong performances of two extremely well-conceived characters. Perhaps choreographically seen, the strongest parts of the play. Miss Fogo, as I say, “always on fire” is one of our new, most promising talents in Vienna.

Nikisha Foho & Francesco Costa / Copyright: Ashley Taylor

Nina Tonoli, as Madame Elizabeth, surprised me once more. Her anguish while imprisoned was extremely well played – with the difficult task of having to emit sounds of fright and desperation, losing her mind. This fact gave us a glimpse of Miss Tonoli’s acting abilities, which until now had remained – at least for me – quite unknown. Her beautiful technique and poise must not be mentioned.

Nina Tonoli / Copyright: Ashley Taylor

Laura Nistor: after watching Miss Nistor in “Arepo”, last January, I thought “well, that is really another side of this gifted dancer”. Yesterday she surprised me once more (Sorry , if I am being repetitious with the use of the word “surprised” but that is exactly the way I feel. The way it was). Another side – an amalgam of her different gifts - emerged strongly with Mr. Bana’s “Maria Theresia”: a VERY strong character which Miss Nistor added to her versatility list. The use of her arms was amazing – she used this “language” as though she had grown-up as a contemporary dancer. And she did not. On top of it all: her poise… impressive, outstanding.

Laura Nistor / Copyright: Ashley Taylor

Jakob Feyferlik had the difficult task to play Louis XVI – a very difficult character to my way of thinking: a part that combines so many specific movement directions in such a complete intrinsic way. Not easy to portray. He gave us a marvelous portrait, with neither stereotypes nor clichés, using his outstanding technical qualities to his advantage and best effect. His costumes accentuated his physique – specially his long legs.


Jakob Feyferlik & Natascha Mair / Copyright: Ashley Taylor

Natascha Mair: I remember really noticing Miss Mair for the first time as “Amor” in D.Q. and this was not many years ago. On the other hand it seems like “ages ago” due to her extreme growth as an artist during the past few years. Apart from her technical gifts and skills – I will not waste time about her pirouettes, extension, developées , point work, balance etc. – Miss Mair possesses aacting talent which makes us feel and fight with her, right beside her. An impressive picture that was pasted in my mind yesterday: Antoinette’s despair, sitting in her cell while Madame Elizabeth “freaked out” (to put it mildly)- take a look at Nina Tonoli's picture above - Miss Mair is sitting in the background.
Her strength and frailty at the same time are a rare thing – her vulnerability and sadness towards the end of the piece, the way in which Antoinette “gives up” astonishing.
I consider Miss Mair a rising, bright new Star of the Opera. I am positive that we will hear very much from her in the future and that a brilliant career lays ahead of her.


Natascha Mair & Francesco Costa & Jakob Feyferlik / Copyright: Ashley Taylor

One thing became quite clear to me – a sort of certainness about a very subjective feeling, sense of continuity:
a new generation of dancers in the Staatsballet is not coming; it has arrived. IT IS THERE!

Patrick de Bana’s contribution to the dancing world is unique. His talent also singular. His jumps over emotional abysses are filled with an easiness, in such a way that makes us wonder how a choreographer has created such a deep and vast OWN language and dance vocabulary.

His “Antoinette” possesses something very rare in the dance world. It does not “tell a story” in the common, old-fashioned, ordinary way. It gives us instead psychological glimpses and aspects of the characters – specially of Antoinette – just like Stephan Zweig’s “Marie Antoinette - Bildnis eines mittleren Charakters” , a book not famous for its precise historical research but simply amazing in its psychological insights and analysis of this historic person. There is no better way to understand and feel...

Having followed contemporary choreographers and their work during the last 40 years, I have seen many good works but also many repetitious, boring, dusty pieces along the way that just reminded me – badly - of other pieces. That is why I am so impressed by Mr. Bana’s contribution. His choreography is filled with a new richness that reminds us three basic things about dancing: emotion, motion and magic. It was a real privilege to watch this revised/reworked/reshaped version of “Antoinette” – and with such a wonderful young cast that it turned out to be difficult for me to imagine other dancers dancing these parts.

Not to forget: the wonderful and “sensual” costumes by Agnès Letestu, which could only have been conceived by a dancer, the scenery by Marcelo Pacheco & Alberto Esteban and the “plasticity” of the staging strongly emphasized by the brilliant lighting of James Angot. All part of this marvelous creative group!

All in all: my humble, special THANKS for such an evening filled with talent, creativity and JOY in dancing.
The “things” that really matter and that make all the difference.

P.S. My special Thanks to Ashley Taylor for kindly letting me use his wonderful pictures.