Dance Review
Presented by Moscow City Ballet SWAN LAKE
Music Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky Choreography; Victor Smirnov-Golovanov on that of Petipa, Ivanov, and others Hackney Empire 25 and 26 February, 2008
Ibsen Sta
A review by Barry Grantham for EXTRA! EXTRA!
In the popular psyche, ballet is Swan Lake and Swan Lake is ballet, and the production by Moscow City Ballet does nothing to dislodge that datum. It is perhaps the greatest of all 'so called' classical ballets. I say 'so called' because it is no such thing The style of dancing it employs may be said to be 'classical' in the terns of a long established and rigorous technique, but Swan Lake, the ballet itself is 'Romantic' being kindred in idiom to that Gothik/Romantic movement from the last years of the 18th century, which gave us Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein ' and the parody in Jane Austin's 'Northanger Abbey'. The story, on which the ballet is based, was intended to inspire fear, mystery, and awe. It is, like all such fare, more than a little ridiculous. Prince Siegfried has been told that it is time for him to marry and that he must make his choice of a bride at the forthcoming ball. He is reluctant to settle down and shows no interest in the merchandise on offer - he is full of a melancholy anguish for some unattainable ideal. A flight of Swans passes overhead and his chums suggest a hunting party to cheer him up. Act II and we are in the forest bordering the 'Lake' of the title. We are introduced to a large number of beautiful creatures in white tutus, floating hither and thither on their toes. (Here we see some of the original enchanting choreography by Petipa and his assistant Ivanov.) They don't look very like swans, but here's the clever bit - they're not - well only in the day time; in the evening they half return to their human form. They are under a spell cast by the evil magician Von Rothbart who takes on the form of an owl and makes his presence felt by flitting about and looking threatening .(The flitting is effected by Adel Kinzikeev, a dancer of power and prodigious elevation). Among the Swans is Odette, their queen and leader, and of course for Siegfried, this is his ideal and he promptly falls in love with her. In the course of a number of routines from the corps ballet, the famous dance of the four cygnets and the delightful pas de deux, and during which Rothdart gets very ill-tempered, Siegfried and Odette pledge eternal love. Act III, back to the Ball at the palace; the dancing from the 'Fiancees' and their entourages is interrupted by the appearance of Von Rothbart and his daughter Odile (a duel-role for the ballerina) . He in the human form of a nobleman and she in a cloning of the Prince's love Odette. Yes, even if you don't know the ballet you will have worked it out; Siegfried chooses Odette - sorry Odile - as his bride. Thunder and lightning. He has betrayed his promise, and Rothbart and daughter, triumphant, leave in a puff of smoke. The last act is back at the lake and ends with the demise of Siegfried , Odette, and Rothbart, and the lifting of the curse from the rest of the swans - We are told that the lovers are united in death and live happily ever after. So, as you see, it is all a bit farfetched - none-the-less it is the structure for a very considerable choreographic masterpiece. Moscow City Ballet does a great job in popularising ballet round the world, and they are a good, if not great company, and have some very good dancers. On the minus side, the production values are not of the highest - how could they be in the venues they play - recorded music, and at the Hackney Empire (for other events excellent,} slightly inadequate lighting, lack of space and perhaps not an ideal dancing floor (I noticed one or two awkward landings) The corps de ballet is good, though one or two of the men did struggle with some of the more difficult choreography. Act I starts with an awful lot of dancing before we get into the plot. `When are they going to start `Swan Lake? ?’ I said to myself If `Swan Lake ' is Ballet, The Odette/Odile role defines the Ballerina, and Anastasia Gubanova is a certainly Ballerina Assoluta, with a flawless technique and the tensile strength of a bird, hidden beneath the downy feathers. In fact I think I will be rash and say that she is my favourite Odile -so often a scowling harridan - but here an alluring coquette of irresistible charms - no wonder poor old Siegried was hoodwinked. (Now if it had been me I'd have hung onto Odile, so much more exciting than that goody-two-shoes Odette but that's just a matter of taste.) And no one could ask for a more handsome and courtly Prince than Talgat Kazhabayev with a nice line in melancholy in the earlier part of the ballet and an ideal partner throughout. One of the joys of the production is that together they don't give the impression of his lifting her, but that she has flown upwards and he has just caught her in time to stop her flying away. Another of my favourite dancers was Valeria Guseva who plays the Spanish Fiancee with great bravura and panache, but everyone will find their own favourite. On the way home I spoke to two ladies who were in no doubt as to theirs and that was the Jester of Dmitry Shchemelinin He is certainly a splendid dancer, but I fear that the role - not the dancer - always annoys me. The role is played down in most Western productions, but they seem very fond of him in Russia. Personally I find his jolly behaviour rather out of keeping with the GothiklRomantic style of the ballet. Whatever - the packed house enjoyed the whole thing and responded enthusiastically throughout and at the final curtain.
Box Office: 8985 2424 Hackney Empire, Mare St. Hackney, E8 1 EJ
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