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Royal Ballet presents: guest performances at the Bolshoi The Royal Ballet guest performances start at the Bolshoi Theatre on June 17 Vladimir Urin gave an interview to the newspaper "Profil" Elena Obraztsova and her friends at the "Novaya Opera" Facebook: video "The Royal Ballet guest performances" June 17th - June 22nd - The Royal Ballet guest performances at the Bolshoi Historic Stage - Rhapsody, T etractys, DGV (Danse Г Grande Vitesse) New Stage - rehearsal day Steven McRae in one-act ballet "Rhapsody". June 17and 18, the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage. Photo courtesy: Tristram Kenton June 17 - 22 - the Royal Ballet presents guest performances on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage. One-act ballet "DGV (Danse Г Grande Vitesse)". Eric Underwood and Zenaida Yanowsky. Photo courtesy: Bill Cooper Mass media about the Theatre Newsletter am giving interviews all the time. But all of this is a gewgaw. I come here at 10 a.m. and go to my office or to some other place at the theatre and stay till 10 p.m. I have to sort out very complicated issues and solve complicated problems. This happens at any theatre, not only at the Bolshoi; there are no exceptions. I can say that my position is about 2 minutes of vanity and hard work for the rest of the time. - Which of the following describes what you are doing now the best: an intendant, a dispatcher, a collector of talents or a general director? - It depends on the situation. Sometimes I am a dispatcher, sometimes I am an intendant; at some point I am a general director, and at some point - a producer. This is not so much about a title, but rather about understanding what decisions you should make so that the theatre remains a united organism, the majority of people have the same understanding of goals and objectives and there is one team. When you are a general director, the line between one role and another can be very fine. Y ou can usurp the power, stay at your office and give orders, but there will be no theatre! Vladimir Urin: "My position is about 2 minutes of vanity and hard work for the rest of the time". Photo: IDR-Format/Alexander Korolkov It is important to understand that your role is to unite, guide and correct, and only then decide. If a director of any other non-creative institution or organization can calculate and program many things, at the theatre we work with creative and sensible people, who depend on a great number of factors. It is important to always be aware of the fact that as you unite, guide, correct and think about how to do it together with all your colleagues, you do not turn into a Bolshoi Theatre General Director, who thinks: "I know here everything and can do everything". This is very dangerous. That is why the team is so important. - While "Urin's team" is still being formed, do you feel the presence of "Iksanov's team" or representatives of some other groups? - Most of the people who are working at the theatre today, have worked with Anatoly G. Iksanov for many years. The fact that those people remained devoted to him appeals to me very much. This is an important quality that decent and professional people should have. I am a dif ferent tree and I understand that very well. In some time I will state clear demands concerning things that I feel are absolutely necessary in order to achieve our common goal. Of course, decisions on many issues will be dif ferent from decisions that Anatoly Iksanov would have made. If people understand and accept this, they will be on my team. If there is an attempt to protest (this is something that is often done subconsciously, and this is what I see happening today, because many people do not want to change habits that have been formed over a long period of time), I will have serious discussions with such people. This is a process, and at the moment it is a very civilized and decent one. I am making decisions concerning a whole range of managers; some people will not continue in the decision-making structures of the theatre, some will, but everything depends on how this process will go in the future. - You have planned the repertoire for the new season based on the vocal possibilities of the company. You tried to turn weaknesses into strengths. Y ou also "froze" several productions and took some productions away from the repertoire. How ready is the company to cope with such shock therapy? - There are different processes that are happening inside the company, so it is impossible to talk about a unified reaction to what is about to happen. All people react dif ferently. Honestly, I would not say that the coming season is going to look exactly as I would like to see it. We confirmed the plans only 10 months after I came here and 3 months after Tugan Sokhiev started working here. It is necessary to understand that a music theatre plans its work 3-4 seasons ahead. We would love to invite many people to cooperate with us, but it is impossible, because those people will be busy in the near future. The new season is all about compromise. This compromise has a lot to do with those things I mentioned earlier, including the condition of the company. Unfortunately, the musical level of some productions that the current repertoire has leaves much to be desired. Some serious work should be done. Speaking of the Bolshoi Theatre's opera life - people grew very fond of the so-called project theatre, when a production team gathers to make a certain production. Besides, there is a system of block productions, when artists perform a piece once in six months or once in a year; therefore, the quality of productions has become much lower. Now we do not have a repertoire theatre, a special feature of the Russian culture which I consider to be very important. Repertoire theatre gives a chance to follow the development of artists, see them gain experience and become outstanding performers. - You have been in charge for almost a year, and now we can say that the theatre's development vector is aimed at making authors of productions the most important people; they choose artists for a production according to the results of auditions and are not influenced by ballet artists' patrons and wives of influential officials. Does it mean that the devil is not so black as it was painted? - Frankly speaking, I do not believe these stories about artists' sponsors, wives and lovers. Perhaps, there is something and there has always been… but this does not determine the theatre's life. I am convinced of it. I want to stress: during almost a year that I have been working at the theatre, I have not faced a situation when someone would use some means - administrative, financial, or any other - in order to push me or to influence my decision-making process. Some mass-media still consider that there are scandals at the Bolshoi Theatre almost every day. Besides, journalists have a tendency to mix negative events from the theatre's life with what is happening on the stage. On the other hand, I do not idealize the situation. There is a mix of ambitions, individuals, characters, talents and relationships that work out or do not work out at any theatre. One of my main tasks is to try to make sure that the clash of ambition, characters and talents does not influence whatever the audience sees. How can I do it? By creating an atmosphere that suggests transparency when it comes to the decision making. We should not be afraid to tell an artist that he/she sang or danced his/her part not very well. We should not be afraid to say that a production turned out to be not a very good one. Failures are OK if they are creative failures. If we should have auditions for a production, these auditions should be open. Any artists, who can possibly be interested in getting a part, should have a chance to meet with the conductor and the director, if it is an opera production, or the choreographer, if it is a ballet one. An artist should have such a chance and such a right. Naturally, I am talking about the Bolshoi artists. It is fairer to work this way. If your creative career at this theatre is not going the way you would like it to, you are free to go; do not stay at the Bolshoi Theatre, go to any other theatre and try to prove what you are worth. Unfortunately, not many people are ready to make such step. - Have the recent scandals influenced the image that the Bolshoi Theatre has among professionals greatly? - In general, they have not influenced it. Many people understand that those events do not have a direct connection with the theatre. My meetings with intendants of various theatres and successful tours prove it. We have just gone on tours to Vienna and Washington, D.C. The houses were full and the audience gave us a very warm welcome. We are now preparing for guest performances in New Y ork. Colleagues say that tickets to guest performances of some Russian musicians are not sold because people supposedly do not agree with our country's policy, but this is not our case. Alvis Hermanis, who directs "JenЕЇfa" by L. JanáДЌek, the joint production of out theatre and "La Monnaie" theatre in Brussels, was the only one who refused to work at the Bolshoi. The Bolshoi Theatre has existed for 238 years. The scandals that took place here are just a little grain of sand in comparison with the theatre's history. What to expect at the Bolshoi In the new season the audience will be presented with six new opera productions and three new ballets. In September the concert version of the opera "The Maid of Orleans" will mark the 175 anniversary of P. I. Tchaikovsky. The Bolshoi's new music director, 37-year old Tugan Sokhiev will conduct the orchestra. In December "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi will be presented on the New Stage; this production is being created by the joint efforts of several European theatres. Robert Carsen, a June, 17 2014 The concert, which took place on June 6, was not cancelled after the tragic news about his death; music is the best tribute to such an enthusiast of the art of music. Before the concert started, the audience rose to commemorate Svyatoslav I. Belza. Mikhail Segelman, literary manager of the "Novaya Opera", took the position of the MC. /…/ The opera diva chose repertoire for this concert very carefully, and it was a nice surprise for the audience. She had more solo numbers than any other participant, and those numbers created a very different mood; at the same time, the program was structured very wisely. Comic "Duetto buffo di due gatti/humorous duet for two cats" (which is believed to be written by Rossini) and "tipsy" aria from "La Périchole" by J. Of fenbach were performed in a very cozy, domestic manner; these two numbers also involved great acting, which was touching and moving. This is the way one would sing not for some strangers, but rather for good old friends, who are loved and trusted. Charlotte's aria from "Werther" by J. Massenet, on the contrary, was performed in a very dramatic manner; surprising as it might have been, but the singer sang it "a voce piena" - it was a powerful performance, which demonstrated real emotions and a strong connection to the character. And, of course, there was the Countess from "The Queen of Spades" - a real talisman of Obraztsova. The singer has performed this part during almost all her career at the greatest opera theatres of the world. No matter how well new stars sing, there was only one opera diva at the concert! /…/ Photos: D. Kochetkov On the Bolshoi Theatre official pages in the social networks we congratulated Galina Stepanenko and Anna Leonova on their birthdays Galina O. Stepanenko, a People's Artist of Russia, and the Bolshoi Ballet manager, celebrated her birthday on June 12. Anna Leonova, the Bolshoi Ballet first soloist, celebrated her birthday on June 15. Newsletter Canadian opera director, who has worked with the largest theatres in the world, including the Mariinsky Theatre, will stage the production. In the end of February, 2015 Lev Dodin will bring the production of "The Queen of Spades", which has been a success in the West, to the Bolshoi's stage. In April the director Evgeny Pisarev, who has had a lot of experience working with comic operas, will present his interpretation of "Le Nozze di Figaro" by W.A. Mozart; in July a director Alexei Borodin will present a new version of "Carmen" on the Historic Stage. An opera for children will appear in the repertoire as well; it will be "A Story of Kai and Gerda" by Sergei Banevich, staged by Dmitry Belyanushkin. As for ballet performances, in the end of October we will see the grand revival of "Legend of Love" by Yuri Grigorovich, and in March the British director Declan Donnellan together with a choreographer Radu Poklitaru will present their version of "Hamlet" - if the heirs of Shostakovich allow the use the music of his two symphonies. Negotiations are being conducted now. In July 2015 the audience will be presented with "A Hero of Our Time", staged by Kirill Serebrennikov and choreographed by Yuri Posokhov; this production will be the final event, marking Lermontov's anniversary. - I can easily buy a ticket to the Vienna Opera or the Metropolitan Opera in New York six months before a performance; I can plan a trip there to see or to listen to my favorite artist. However, getting to the Bolshoi Theatre is a very expensive and hopeless thing. Why is it so? - Not being able to buy a ticket to the Bolshoi is another fairy tale. It is possible to buy tickets to many performances in advance. There is a ticket sales rhythm. We start selling tickets three months prior to a performance at our theatre's ticket office. It is usually done on a Saturday, so you can come, join the queue and buy a ticket. Whatever is left is sold in the Internet or is left at the ticket office for advance sale. Of course, there are productions that are more popular than others, so almost all tickets are sold out on the day of the advance sale. Many people have not had a chance to see a performance on the Historic Stage after the reconstruction, so their desire to get there and to take a look at it creates additional excitement. I think that in two-three years the issue of getting to the Bolshoi Theatre to see a production will not be so critical. the Moscow Art Theatre's school-studio and a professor. On July 9 2013 Vladimir Urin was appointed the Bolshoi Theatre General Director. Elena Obraztsova and her friends at the "Novaya Opera" On June 6 2014 the theatre "Novaya Opera" continued the cycle "Stars of World Opera" with the concert "Elena Obraztsova presents…" Elena V. Obraztsova, other leading opera soloists (winners of competitions, which were organized in different years and which Obraztsova was the head of the jury at), "Novaya Opera" orchestra and the conductor Fabio Mastrangelo took part in the concert. W e have already reported about the first concert of the cycle, which Ildar Abdrazakov, V assily Ladyuk and Kristina Mkhitaryan took part in. Svyatoslav Belza was the MC of that concert. Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet June, 17 2014 Anna Leonova Galina Stepanenko W e have also uploaded a video about the Royal Ballet guest performances that will take place on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage on June 17 - 22. The Royal Ballet presents the one-act ballets "Rhapsody", "T etractys" and "DGV (Danse Г Grande Vitesse)", as well as the full-length ballet "Manon" More information is available on our website: .bolshoi.ru
Analysis of articles published on June 12 - 15 2014 The Berliner Zeitung and other German newspapers report on the farewell performances of Vladimir Malakhov who received major standing ovations at his farewell gala in Berlin. The Newspaper says Malakhov brought a little bit of the Bolshoi to Berlin. The Berliner Morgenpost reports that Vladimir Malakhov received "endless cheers, standing ovations and flowers at the Schiller Theatre: An era ends." Ismene Brown the Arts Desk Dance critic writes in her blog based on translations of Russian newspapers about former Bolshoi Ballet dancer Svetlana Lunkina joining the National Ballet of Canada full-time. Bluewin Ch (Swiss) reviews the film of Romanian director Radu Mihaileanu about Andrei Filipov (Alexei Guskov) who in the film was once a celebrated conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre. The Main Post (Germany) reviews a concert at Bad Kissengin saying that on June 14, Arseny Yakovlev (tenor) and Andrei Zhilikhovsky (baritone), two singers from young artists Bolshoi Opera Programme in Moscow sang arias and duets as part of the programme. Newsletter June, 17 2014 , 7 EFE the Spanish newswire reports that the Uruguayan National Ballet Sodre (BNS) and the company of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow are working on an agreement of mutual cooperation for possible exchange of dancers, teachers and entertainment between the two entities. Corriere della Sera writes about plans for reducing the salary for the La Scala superintendent Pereira and adds that one of the new productions this season will be coming from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Hannover Allgemeine Zeitung announces that the Bolshoi's Marco Spada will be shown in cinemas there this weekend. Süddeutsche Zeitung writes that performances from the Bolshoi Theatre will be shown live in cinemas in southern Germany including Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. The newspaper writes very positively about the Bolshoi Theatre saying: "Legendary artists have danced at the Bolshoi. Thanks to its ballet school is the Bolshoi continues the tradition of classical ballet with a new generation of talented young dancers. With massive reconstruction and rehabilitation measures in the years 2005 to 201 1, the historical appearance of the Bolshoi Theatre was restored. At the same time it was the most advanced stage technology and is today regarded as one of the technically best-equipped theaters in the world. Many legendary artists are part of the Ensemble of the Bolshoi Ballet, such as the American dancer David Hallberg, who joined the Bolshoi in late 2011. For the versatility of repertoire Sergei Filin is responsible, a former principal dancer of the ensemble, who is now the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet." Sochi mass media: A competition under the patronage of the ballet master Grigorovich started in Sochi On June 12 the opening ceremony of the competition "Young Ballet of the World" took place in Sochi. The competition will continue till June 19. The competition opened with Grigorovich's favorite ballet, "La Bayadere". The cast starred the Bolshoi Theatre's leading soloist A. Nikulina. The gala concert of the competition "Young Ballet of the World" traditionally takes place in Krasnodar, the region's capital. All spectators are invited to come to the Music Theatre on June 21. A museum of ballet that Yuri Grigorovich initiated the creation of is expected to open in Sochi soon. |
