|
|
| Arts Calendar / December 28 / Ballet |
|
|
19:00 | Pas de deux on the fingers and toes |
|
|
|
|
The man whom Yehudi Menuhin called the “best and most perfect violinist” and the woman who became prima ballerina of the Bolshoi and a shining Étoile of Teatro alla Scala bring music and movement together in a supreme expression of beauty. United on stage as they are in life, Vadim Repin and Svetlana Zakharova combine the grace of ballet and the inspiration of the violin with supreme artistry in soulsoaring performances. His fingers and her toes create an ethereal pas de deux to rival the mythical performances of Apollo and his muses. They have chosen beautiful music ranging from classic to contemporary to be played by Riccardo Muti’s excellent youth Chamber Orchestra “Luigi Cherubini” led by Vadim Repin with his 1733 Stradivari violin. A Pas de Deux for Toes and Fingers was born when they decided it was time to combine their talents in a special show. First seen at the inaugural Trans-Siberian Art Festival in Novosibirsk in April 2014, individual performance commitments mean it doesn’t get too many outings. It was not the most challenging evening, this sort of thing rarely is, but it showed the couple’s artistry to perfection. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall |
|
|
|
|
|
|
12:00, 19:00. Ballet in two acts to music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. 135 min (with one intermission). Libretto by Yuri Grigorovich. Choreographer: Yuri Grigorovich. One of the peaks of Tchaikovsky’s work and the quintessence of his style, The Nutcracker explicitly shows the composer’s approach to the genre. Ballet in the early 19th century looked a lot like patchwork: an array of loosely connected numbers. Mostly thanks to Tchaikovsky and Petipa ballet acquired single dramaturgy like symphony music, based on the contrast and interaction of the main themes and images. In over 120 years The Nutcracker has been staged in many great theatres and by many great choreographers including Alexander Gorsky, George Balanchine, Fyodor Lopukhov, Vasily Vainonen, Igor Belsky, Yury Grigorovich, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Aleksey Ratmansky. The original version underwent some changes. For example, the main character’s name, Clara, was at rst changed to Marie and then, in the Soviet period, to Masha. The famous Adagio (the lyrical apotheosis of the ballet) is now performed by Masha and the Nutcracker and not by the Prince and Sugar Plum Fairy. “The brilliant symphony of childhood” (Boris Asaev), The Nutcracker is still one of the most beautiful music fairy tales about good overpowering evil. Bolshoi Theater |
|
|
|
|
|
|