Mariinsky at BAM with Lopatkina in Swan Lake

The A-List Classical Crew of the Mariinsky is bringing its big Swan Lake to Brooklyn. Whodathunkit? Well, Haglund will fold up his legs in a bow tie in those cramped little seats at BAM if need be to watch Lopatkina and Korsuntsev in Swan Lake and Pavlenko in anything. In fact, he might hit all five Swan Lake performances. Let's just make a permanent record of this too-good-to-stay-true-but-still-very-incomplete casting so we can keep track as it all goes down hill in the coming weeks - because, well, this is the Mariinsky.

SWAN LAKE

Principal casting: Viktoria Tereshkina (Jan 15), Vladimir Shklyarov (Jan 15), Ulyana Lopatkina (Jan 16), Danila Korsuntsev (Jan 16), Alina Somova (Jan 22), Yekaterina Kondaurova (Jan 23). There appears to be a Jan 21st performance on the calendar, too.

CINDERELLA

Principal casting: Diana Vishneva (Jan 17), Yekaterina Kondaurova (Jan 17), Vladimir Shklyarov (Jan 18), Daria Pavlenko (Jan 18)

CHOPIN: DANCES FOR PIANO rep program

(Jan 24; only performance) Principal casting: Alina Somova (Chopiniana, Without), Vladimir Shklyarov (In the Night), Yekaterina Kondaurova (In the Night), Ulyana Lopatkina (In the Night), Danila Korsuntsev (In the Night)

Real Swan Lake with real classical dancers in Brooklyn. Most of us will ride the G-train with joy to get to BAM. How lucky we are that the Mariinsky's A-List Classical Crew is coming to Brooklyn. Pavlenko, Lopatkina, Kondaurova.

Somebody freakin' pinch me.

 

Comments

[CMM]

Haglund, do you have any idea why it could be that the Jan 18 Cinderella has one female principal and one male principal listed but the Jan 17 Cinderella has two female principals listed? Is Kondaurova the Fairy Godmother perhaps?

[Haglund]

I believe you're correct, CMM.

As we know with the Mariinsky, casting is announced with a definite casualness toward accuracy. We haven't heard anything about Shapran or Xander Parrish or Skorik -- three who could easily be on the tour, too.

[Kenneth Benson]

Well, based on what one knows at this moment, what/whom must one see? If only one Swan Lake, which cast? If only one Cinderella, which cast?

[Haglund]

Kenneth, my choices would be Lopatkina and Pavlenko. Both are true Mariinsky ballerinas who are late in their careers. You're not likely to ever get another chance to see Lopatkina in Swan Lake or Pavlenko in anything. Tereshkina and Kondaurova as Odette/Odile are wonderful, too. I've heard that the younger Somova is improving nicely and has eliminated much of the Western influence that marred her early dancing at the Mariinsky.

[CMM]

I would be very interested in reading your comments on the recently updated casting, Haglund, when you get a chance to comment. I am particularly interested in what you have to say about Yevgeny Ivanchenko (dancing in Swan Lake with Ulyana Lopatkina) and Anastasia Matvienko and Alexander Sergeyev (dancing in Cinderella with Daria Pavlenko). Thanks!

[Haglund]

Thanks for the heads-up about the changes. We have been conditioned to expected them, of course, this being the Mariinsky.

I had read that Danila Korsuntsev had been dealing with an injury for quite some time; so, while this is a disappointment, I can accept it. Ivanchenko has a broad range of quality in his performances. Let's hope that he's enthused about dancing here. He's very old-school in his acting, which I can appreciate very much although it sometimes isn't as stirring as I might wish.

Alina Somova is off the tour. Oxana Skorik and Xander Parish added to the TBA Swan Lake. And so it goes. Skorik in Chopianna might be okay since there is no opportunity for excessive extensions - knock on wood. I am curious about Xander Parish's Siegfried.

I'm glad that the Matvienkos are making the tour. Basically, I don't care who Pavlenko and Lopatkina dance with because I won't be taking my eyes off of them for a second.