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Reviews

The Kirov in Graz

by Sylvia Kargl
Winter 1998

“Some years ago we were told that no country can be better than Russia. We heard that our ballet school is the best and we thought we were the best company in the world. We were not allowed to look at developments in other countries. So we all lived with a fatal lie. But now we have seen that other countries do have very good ballet dancers. We can learn a lot, especially in the field of contemporary choreography. It is so interesting to see what happens in other places!”

This strong and rather surprising statement is by Makhar Vasiev, former principal dancer and, since 1995, director of the Kirov ballet, during an interview before the Kirov’s July 1998 Austrian tour. Unlike the opera, which has changed the name to the old Maryinsky Theatre, the ballet company retains the Soviet-era “Kirov,” the name of a politician who was murdered in 1935, probably on Stalin’s order.

When Vasiev succeeded Oleg Vinogradov as the Kirov’s artistic director, he faced a daunting range of problems concerning repertoire, dancers and finance. Known in the West mainly as a dancer (his best roles including Albrecht in Giselle, Ali in Le Corsaire and Solor in La Bayadère) his position was undefined. In Russian, the word for choreographer and balletmaster is the same; the director’s position only encompasses the administrative part of the job. Vasiev, however, is also responsible for the casting and for scheduling now, which means he has the same responsibilities as any director of a company in the West.

Changes at the Kirov and in Russia

Vasiev’s statement quoted at the beginning of this article can also be seen as a very personal one. I remember what a shock it was a few years ago during their London tour when the Kirov’s dancers found that their reviews were not always glowing. They literally did not understand what had happened, and some reacted to the situation with arrogance. But this was a beginning for the new Kirov that we see now. Vasiev learned a lot, as well. For example, he has improved his English, so that he can give interviews to non-Russians to better present his company. St. Petersburg, too, now is completely different than it was only two years ago. You see a lot of advertising, especially for Coca-Cola and McDonalds. “We also have a new audience,” says Vasiev. “One can see elegant people in the auditorium; sometimes they forget to switch off their mobile phones.” But Vasiev also says that for some educated fans the tickets are not available any longer because they do not earn enough money to buy them. Vasiev has hopes arising from the changes initiated by the General Director and world famous conductor Valery Gergiev: “We are so happy to have him during such a difficult period of transition,” Vasiev said. “He is an outstanding personality, who combines being an artist with management qualities. I am really grateful to have him. Whenever there is a problem, I can ask him for advice.”

When Gergiev took over the general directorship of the Maryinsky/Kirov Theatre in 1996, he installed a committee whose job would be to discuss the ballet company’s future. Though it has turned out to be difficult to arrange meetings when all members are present in St. Petersburg at the same time, the list of names is significant, for the new direction is also reshaping the tradition: Altynai Asylmuratova, Igor Belsky, Vadim Gaevsky, Valery Gergievm, Poel Karp, Gabriela Komleva, Vera Krasovskaia, Askold Makarov, Yulia Makhalina, Olga Moiseeva, Sergei Vikulov, Igor Zelensky, Inna Zubkovskaia.

The company is becoming more international. Both Gergiev and Vasiev have a lot of meetings all over the world; for example, Gergiev met Mikhail Baryshnikov in New York this year. In September 1998 the Bavarian State Ballet from Munich will show Mats Ek’s version of Giselle for the first time in St. Petersburg. There is also a renewed exchange with Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet. Last spring the Kirov was triumphantly received in Moscow, signaling an end to the unnecessary rivalry between the two companies. Former Kirov ballerina Anastasia Volochkova has joined the Bolshoi company, and Andrei Uvarov, the tall principal dancer from the Bolshoi, was a successful guest with the Kirov in Italy and might join the Kirov.

The Repertory

Finding new repertory and modern choreographers seems to be the most difficult challenge facing Vasiev: Vasiev is well aware that one of the reasons why Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov left the company was the lack of contemporary choreography. “Concerning modem ballet, I am aware that we do not have the same level as some companies in the West. But we try to change that. The only really contemporary Russian choreographer who is also known outside Russia is Boris Eifman. I hope he will work for us.”

It is hard for us in western countries to imagine that the landmark Stravinsky ballets, Le Sacre du printemps and Svadebka (better known as Les Noces in the West from Bronislava Nijinska’s choreography, which is still in the repertoire of many companies, including St. Petersburg’s Maly Mussorgski theatre) were performed by the Kirov company for the first time in June 1997. As a signal for the future and as a step of a new artistic development, this first night cannot be overestimated. Moscow’s Bolshoi has not presented not an equally important evening yet. Of course the company cannot close the gap between the 1920s and the ‘90s in a single evening. The dancers, with their wonderful classical education, had difficulties with Evgeny Panfilov’s Sacre; some of them still cannot really follow Stravinsky’s complicated score. Panfilov, who is ballet director in Perm is caught in the classical style as well. There are many classical steps in his choreography, like tours, double-tours and pirouettes, that do not really match the music (which can also be said about the new Viennese Sacre by Renato Zanella). Still some aspects of the production are quite interesting, because Panfilov was looking for a story of his own and ignored the original libretto. We see ten men dancing in a company which many regard as a, “ballerina’s company”. Sometimes they use chairs, thus producing images familiar in Europe, but new to St. Petersburg’s audiences. One entrance looks like the shades’ entrance in the third act of La Bayadère; either Panfilov wants to remember the glorious past or he uses that influence unconsciously.

Two more things about this Sacre are remarkable: first of all Valery Gergiev’s sensational conducting of the Maryinsky Orchestra. Second, the sets by Ilmar Karuzo, are very unpretentious compared to previous Kirov productions, concentrating on lighting effects and a changing backdrop with growing symbols and different colours.

The choreographer of Svadebka, Alexei Miroshnitshenko, is a dancer still in his twenties. He also made his own version of the story about a Russian peasant wedding, transforming it to the present. The set, by Vjatcheslav Okunev, is more conservative in the sense of being slightly overloaded. Again the most important accent was given by Valery Gergiev’s conducting.

The Classical Tradition

As for the classics, both Gergiev and Vasiev are aware of the importance of keeping the company’s singular tradition alive. The problem with the so called “original versions” is widely discussed, because it has always been a central point with critics. Until recently the restagings in various versions were announced and sold as being the originals. “We had many restagings, especially the of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Raymonda by Konstantin Sergeyev dating back to 1948, 1950 and 1952. They are very important for us. But for our new Sleeping Beauty we want to get back to the roots. We will use material by Petipa from our archives.” Vasiev is also working with the Stepanov notation after Nicholas Sergeyev, which is the base for London’s Royal Ballet production. The prologue has already been staged. There are plans in the future to restore the original sets, which will be costly.

“Of course we need a lot of time to prepare this project, and we are surely not going to change the choreographies from one day to the other. Many dancers grew up with Konstantin Sergeyev’s productions and they ask me if I really dare to change his choreography. But I have to. Sergeyev had to accept the changes due to the Soviet-Russian ideology. Also, he wanted to present himself as a dancer, which brought more and more changes. I really appreciate many good things which Sergeyev, who was also my teacher, did for us. But not all what he did is suitable for us now,” Vasiev explains, without mentioning the name Oleg Vinogradov’s, who did nothing for decades to stop this.

Another new and refreshing change in St. Petersburg is the company’s handling of its own history. The enormous influence of the French and Italian schools are no longer kept secret, photos in the school show Rudolf Nureyev, and, to a lesser extent, George Balanchine and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Vasiev also talks openly about Nureyev: “I do not want to limit his merits now that he is dead. He was a very good dancer, had many talents and was a true world star. But for his choreographies, he took our base and only changed some steps and entrances. And then he said ‘These are my ballets!’” Vasiev’s opinion is shared by many teachers of the Vaganova Academy, who think that Nureyev broke the beauty of the line by adding to much movement.

Another new development that causes problems is the lack of teachers and coaches. “Many teachers leave St. Petersburg and look for engagements in the West. Whenever I come to a theatre in the West, I will meet somebody from Russia. So I am thinking already of the future for our school. For example, we also must teach modem dance there. And the young dancers often were not given enough time to prepare themselves for solos. In the past time every dancer had to start in the fourth line of the corps de ballet, later he moved to the third, second, first. Only then pas de deux was possible, and maybe a career as a soloist. Now we have many principals who are away for guesting. I give them permission to leave, because they see what is going on outside Russia and they earn more money. A dancer in the Kirov now eams less than a worker in the Coca Cola factory. I hate to throw young people in the cold water!”

The New Generation

Vasiev is fully aware of the problem. Oleg Vinogradov had pushed back talented dancers like Zhanna Ayupova and Yulia Makhalina because he did not allow them to develop. Uliana Lopatkina gave a very special interpretation of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake; I am tempted to say a very non-Russian one. In comparison to Yulia Makhalina, she is much more pure and natural. “She is not so much a technical phenomenon or the product of a purely traditional school, but a spiritual phenomenon,” as Gergiev puts it. The former pupil of Natalia Dudinskaya is now coached by Ninel Kurgapkina. With a short hair cut, she is graceful, modest and knows exactly what she wants: “The applause I get is also for my teachers and for our tradition.”

At the Kirov’s performances in Graz last summer, Yulia Makhalina also appeared to be in good shape, Altynai Asylmuratova is still a wonderful Nikiya. Diana Vishneva, much celebrated during Kirov’s season in London last summer, was not entirely convincing. After having problems in holding the balance in the Graz premiere of Sleeping Beauty, she had an even worse day two weeks later. With Svetlana Zaharova, who guested as Giselle with the Graz company in the spring, Vasiev is careful not to put her in roles too early. Her Princess Florine in the Blue Bird pas de deux of Sleeping Beauty was technically convincing, but lacked a deeper interpretation and expression. Very different from Lopatkina and Makhalina is Tatjana Amosova, a powerful dancer who is not as lyrical and ethereal as the others.

Faruk Ruzimatov works hard and is in incredibly good shape again. His Solor in La Bayaère and his Golden Slave in Scheherazade brought the house down. From the moment he enters the stage he looks like a visitor from a different world, like a bird from paradise or an exotic cat. In these special roles his mannerism is in the right place. It was funny to watch the reactions of the female audience when Solor kissed Nikiya in their first meeting in La Bayadère, just a few moments longer and lower on her abdomen than is customary!

In contrast, Igor Zelensky caused some problems. Always arriving from London late, he gave the impression of a dancer who just does a good variation, says “Hi” to the company, and jets out the next day. Of course this is not what you expect from a prince on stage! Perhaps he should not forget twenty-year-old Igor Kolb, a lyrical dancer with a strong technique who came from Minsk to the Kirov in 1996. His name sounds German, but is not. When his family in the past had no name, they just turned round the name of the poet Alexander Blok. Evgeny Ivanchenko also surprised many of us. At prior performances in Austria, we were not convinced of his stage presence. But his Solor in Graz showed how much he improved his landings, his jumps and also his acting abilities.

The Kirov in Graz

If you are now about to ask, “What is the Kirov doing in an Austrian town I have never heard of?” I will try to answer your question. Graz is the capital of Austria’s region of Styria, and Austria’s second largest town, with 250.000 inhabitants. Graz has a nice old center, three universities, a beautiful surrounding with mountains and lakes, and an opera-house with 1,300 seats. Founded in 1899, the opera is now managed by Gerhard Brunner, former director of the Wiener Staatsoperaballett. His modem opera productions are of high level, the ballet company under Linda Papworth is of good standard. Brunner has been interested in Russian culture for a long time. As the opera is closed in July and August, he had the idea of presenting Russian opera and ballet in Graz, starting with Moscow’s Bolshoi ballet in 1996, which came there shortly after Vladimir Vasiliev’s appointment as General Director. Although the performances were well attended, critics did not appreciate the Spartacus-style choreographies. To sum it up, for many of us the ballets and most of the dancers were disappointing. In 1997 the Bolshoi Opera came, and again their old-fashioned productions were not very successful.

The Kirov Ballet danced in Graz this past summer for eighteen performances (July 1-21). Although they have danced in Austria before, this was the longest season of the world-renowned company. We have a tradition of cultural relationships between Austria and Russia. The Viennese ballet-master Franz Hilverding came to St. Petersburg in 1758, the composer Ludwig Minkus was there from 1872 - 1885, his works including Don Quixote and La Bayadère. Later also many musicians like Johann Strauss and Gustav Mahler came, but Stalin put an end to this exchange. Now the contacts have improved again, mainly on Valery Gergiev’s initiative. He also conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during the Salzburg Festival 1997 and 1998. On July 1, 1999 he will also conduct the Vienna Philharmonic in an open-air concert in St. Petersburg with music by the Strauss family.

Gergiev’s ballet company was very well received in Graz, much better than the Russian events which had taken place there before. They showed four programs. The sets were adapted to the size of the stage, which is much smaller than St. Petersburg’s. They were accompanied by the impressive orchestra under Boris Gusev and Alexander Titov. Victor Fedotov had been announced at the beginning of the year, but his health declined and there were some difficult moments when he conducted the Kirov’s performances during their tour to Moscow last spring.

Sleeping Beauty Revival

The productions shown in Graz were all quite different. I think their Swan Lake is still very much in the old style of the ‘50s and ‘60s. But the audience always asks for Swan Lake, and we had several casts, which allowed us to compare the dancers. Sleeping Beauty has already undergone some changes in the prologue. The fairies’ variations are breathtaking. I’ve never before seen these variations performed so distinctively and with such love for the details as here-including previous performances by the Kirov, but also by the major companies in New York, London and Paris. Islom Baimuradov’s Carabosse is sensational, doing much less than his male or female colleagues elsewhere, but achieving twice as much! He is not a mixture of a Munster and Godzilla, no witch, but a perfectly bad fairy. The children in Graz were more frightened by him than in any other version I have seen before, where you sometimes can even hear them laughing This Carabosse is also completely different from the Rothbarts in Swan Lake, who sometimes looks out of place in the current production.

But there is still much work to be done for the new version of Sleeping Beauty, especially after the First Act. The casting was luxurious; one of Aurora’s princes in the Rose Adagio was Konstantin Zaklinsky, reminding us how the tradition has always been kept alive in this company. In most cases I would not dare to ask older principal dancers in our companies what they would think about being just an admirer supporting the ballerina!

The Fokine Program

The Fokine Program showed Isabella Fokine’s stagings. Scheherazade (staged by Isabella Fokine and Andris Liepa) was liked best by the audience, who really enjoyed seeing an exotic fairy-tale. Les Sylphides, also danced excellently, seemed difficult for an audience without experience in ballet. And of course, Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’s opera, Prince Igor was a big hit, done in the old costumes, not in the glittering new ones from the recent opera production. From Gergiev and Vasiev I have learned that they are quite amused when they read reviews in the West stating that the Polovtsian Dances should be done in the national costumes of the Polovtsians, which is like asking Steven Spielberg to dress his fantasy figures in their “original” dresses; Polovtsian is set in a Russian landscape of fantasy!

The audience in Graz definitely liked La Bayadère best of all the productions. The dancers were uniform, you could see the common school that unites them. In the beginning Gamzatti does not wear pointe-shoes, which gives a more dramatic note to the fight between her and Nikiya. Also both casts proved to be superb from the High Brahmin to the Golden Idol, who dances in the second act and whose bravura is even more impressive when he is not alone on the stage. Seen from a historical point of view, of course, one notices that the last act is missing. But the audience seemed to enjoy the ending after the famous Kingdom of Shades scene. The Kirov’s version has the national dances instead. It is a pity we have to miss them in other versions, especially when they are performed so well!

Russian Classics in America and England

Seeing the Royal Ballet with Makarova’s La Bayadère in London’s Coliseum only one week later, there were a lot of differences not only in the versions, but also in the quality of the dancing. Besides Viviana Durante’s fine Nikiya, nearly everybody else on stage was weaker than their Kirov colleagues. Ashley Page acted the Brahmin, but he was not the priest with the power that the Kirov showed, Deborah Bull gave a modem note to her Gamzatti, which spoiled ballet’s atmosphere. The Golden Idol did not show the special details in hands and feet which are asked for, and one shade was off the music.

But at least the Royal Ballet’s dancers share a common style, something completely missing when I saw American Ballet Theater’s production of Le Corsaire in New York. I could hardly believe that this was a new production, as the costumes and sets look as if they were bought at a 60’s flea-market. ABT has a special quality as a company with stars from many schools. Their exchange can be with no doubt interesting for some ballets, but definitely not for a Russian-styled ballet, which demands a close collaboration and understanding among the dancers. Even worse, some soloists of ABT gave the impression of making “funny” comments on what they were doing. But they are not to be blamed; the ballet masters should see (and stop) such abuse. ABT’s Kingdom of the Shades scene in La Bayadère, where every girl shows how high she can pull her leg in the famous arabesque penchée, was close to a nightmare.

So we need the Kirov to reveal the spirit of classical ballets. But the company is also looking for new choreographers. There is a permanent complaint by many of the European dance journalists about the lack of contemporary choreography. For the moment Vasiev prefers to start slowly, acquiring ballets which Russia had to miss for many years of this century, and these are mainly works by George Balanchine. Theme and Variations, Symphony in C, Apollo, Scotch Symphony, and Tchaikovsky Pas de deux have been added to the repertoire, followed this season by Francia Russell’s staging of Serenade, with Zhanna Ayupova and Yulia Makhalina, much appreciated not only by the audience, but also by the dancers. Vasiev is happy to have a good relationship with the Balanchine Trust and wants to have more ballets, perhaps Allegro Brillante and Jewels. Another plan for the future is a different version of Sacre. Vasiev is even thinking of Vaslav Nijinksy’s reconstructed choreography, adding another important link to the past.

As the Frankfurter Allgerneine Zeitung, one of the leading European newspapers, put it, the Kirov Ballet still is the yardstick for the classics and especially for Marius Petipa’s style. To keep that level high is a difficult task. Gergiev and Vasiev are aware of it, and both want to be more than a dance museum. They want to engage choreographers from the West who are musical and sympathetic to different working conditions. John Neumeier will begin his new creation in January 1999. There are also contacts with Maurice Bejart, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian and Roland Petit. They are also looking for talent in Russia. And to be honest, do we have so many choreographers in the West whom we could really recommend?