Haglund has been following Russian blog comments about ABT's Moscow performances. They've been very positive about Theme and Variations and Seven Sonatas, mostly positive about Fancy Free, and uniformly negative about Millepied's new Troika. For those interested, here's a link to them. It appears that there was an extremely last minute change to the T&V cast on the first night with Stearns coming out and Hallberg stepping in. Can't wait for details of that backstage drama to leak out.
The only formal review Haglund has found so far is Kommersaut.ru. The Google translation does its usual mixed job, but some of the (translated) comments were:
On Theme and Variations:
Well-knit American chorus led the "theme" with taste and skill, clear writing songs and pictures small seeds in the Pas-de-Bourret, framing adagio approx. Maestros acted with commendable synchronicity, even adjusting the speed pirouettes and spread legs to jump. Prima, Gillian Murphy, friendly and cute as a wealthy American housewife, were neither bright personality, beauty legs: the party she had smooth, clean, musical, but without the gloss, slightly rough failure, stop at small battus. The upper support adagio, she seemed too heavy for her partner - a high-Nordic blond David Hallberg. Anyway, in his solo, despite their blasted complexity (such as bundles of 16 double air tours and double pirouettes parterre), he felt much freer and more confident and purity of his dancing has confirmed the reputation of one of the best "classics" of the world.
[When the Russians start complimenting the Americans on their corps de ballet, you know hearts have been won.]
On Seven Sonatas:
Inspirational all were filled with "Seven Sonatas" by Scarlatti set Alexei Ratmansky in 2009 for three pairs of a special mission ABT. Neatly constructed, formally - plotless, in fact - tells about the various human characters and subtle twists and turns of romantic relationships, this ballet has permeated this crystal tenderness, which Alexei Ratmansky has never demonstrated in their homeland. It seems that job, he chose correctly. Now, with some envy can say that the best Russian choreographer, became an American national treasure - as once his predecessor George Balanchine.
And look who (among others) is pictured on the Bolshoi's website – it's Стелла Абрера dancing in СЕМЬ СОНАТ:
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