Ukraine

Acta diurna: Turning Point Ukraine

Turning Point Ukraine

Ukraine Turning Point 2014

see:  http://lewis27.ca/blogspot2

mid-winter ballet

 National Ballet of Canada
 mixed programme

    26 February - 2 March 2014

                 

Watch Her

chor. Aszure Barton (2009)

an ensemble ballet of  “mood, atmosphere, and suggestion" [Michael Crabb, TS, 27/2/2014]

It’s crowded choreography of little interest. Identically suited men abruptly appear through multiple doors, and just as suddenly disappear. A woman in red stands out, but so does one in blue. There is certainly emotion visible, even distress, but nothing lasts. A man throughout is watching.

Contemporary ballet need not tell a story, though I feel there is one here, all too hidden.

A Month in the Country

chor. Sir Frederick Ashton  (1976)

staged by Sir Anthony Dowell

with Aleksander Antonijević (Aleksei Beliaev) and Greta Hodgkinson (Natalia Petrovna)

libretto based on the play by Ivan Turgenev (1855), Месяц в деревне

It’s a quiet and very comfortable country house in appearance where disparate ages, however, suggest dysfunction. The tutor (Aleksandar Antonijević) and chatelaine (Greta Hodgkinson) dance some beautiful moments fraught with emotion while the boy of the house (Skylar Campbell) cavorts and ward Vera (Jillian Vanstone) flirts and throws tantrums. The performance I saw (1 March 2014) was completely engaging. 

With retirements imminent this was probably the last time Aleksandar and Greta would be together in these emotive roles. There were cheers and not a few tears in the theatre.

            Aleks and Greta with Sir Anthony Dowell

Ballet Boys (Norway, 2014)

Ballettguttene  (Norway, 2014)

Ballet Boys

dir. Kenneth Elvebakk

for release April 2014

Documentary on four years in the life of three ballet boys — Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød,  Syvert Lorenz Garcia,  Torgeir Lund

Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød

        Norwegian National Ballet School

                         Ballettskolen ved den Norske Opera & Ballett

XXII Winter Olympiad Opening

XXII Зимние Олимпийские Игры Сочи 2014

XXII Winter Olympiad Sochi 2014

The opening ceremony was a grandiose spectacle in the Fisht Olympic Stadium worthy of combined Disney and Cirque du Soleil on unlimited budget with gigantic scenery and projections, handsomely costumed dancers, actors, and musicians by the hundred. Intention was a worthy inauguration of the XXII Winter Games and celebration of both nation and the Olympic spirit. Despite an occasional small hitch it came off remarkably well. 

The large Canadian contingent looked good in scarlet inspired by the iconic Hudson's Bay point blanket. Curious American journalists took it to be a Mountie look.

Svetlana Zakharova shone for a few moments in a scene reminiscent of Lev Tolstoi’s monumental War And Peace, soon joined by virtuoso Ivan Vasiliev (both Bolshoi Ballet stars) and handsome Danila Korsuntsev (Mariinsky). 

Diana Vishneva (Mariinsky Ballet) later led a group of whirling doves in a gesture to peace.

Lighting of the gigantic cauldron set off an astonishing spectacle of fireworks.

7 February 2014

Illusions Perdues

Illusions Perdues
Утраченные иллюзии
chor. Aleksei Ratmansky  (2011)

Bolshoi Ballet
Балетная Труппа Большого Театра

with Vlad Lantratov (Lucien), Diana Vishneva (Coralie), Artem Ovcharenko (First Dancer, Youth, Robbers’ Leader)

Pathé simulcast from Moscow
2 February 2014

The performance was excellent, with star dancers in the principal roles: Vlad Lantratov (Lucien), Diana Vishneva (Coralie), Artem Ovcharenko (First Dancer, Youth, Robbers' Leader). Lantratov cut an impressive figure as the confident and successful young composer on the way to failure, marginalization, and emotional collapse.The libretto, a ballet about ballet in 19c Paris, at times seemed overloaded with detail. The specially composed score by Leonid Desyatnikov while mostly appropriate for the movement was jarringly modern for the period scenes unfolding. A soprano declaiming Russian poetry marked poignant moments, actually a distraction from the dance.

Giselle

Giselle
chor. Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot (1841); Marius Petipa (1884)
version: Sir Peter Wright (1987)

Royal Ballet
with Natalia Osipova (Giselle) and Carlos Acosta (Albrecht)

cinema rebroadcast from London
27 January 2014

Reviewer Judith Mackrell (The Guardian, 19 January 2014) was ecstatic about Natalia Osipova's Giselle though she found her interpretation of the role took "some drastic licence with the choreography's phrasing”. 

Natalia Osipova was dramatically and emotionally brilliant in the challenging role of Giselle — in turn girlishly cute, infatuated, distraught as the tragedy unfolded, then a protective and loving ghost amidst a host of vengeful willies. It was a wonderful production.

Carlos Acosta danced well, but was perhaps miscast as Albrecht. A younger partner would have been more suitable.

Jewels (simulcast)

Jewels
Драгоценности 
chor. George Balanchine (1967)

Bolshoi Ballet
Балетная Труппа Большого Театра

with Semyon Chudin, Olga Smirnova (Diamonds); Vlad Lantratov, Anna Tikhomirova (Emeralds); Vyacheslav Lopatin, Ekaterina Krysanova (Rubies)

simulcast from Moscow
19 January 2014

George Balanchine’s ballet gems, inspired by Van Cleef & Arpels, were brilliant in this performance with a large complement from the corps de ballet and strong principals in each segment. Memorable were the pas de deux of Vlad Lantratov and Anna Tikhomirova (Emeralds) and Semyon Chudin and Olga Smirnova (Diamonds), with virtuoso moments especially for Lantratov and Chudin. Costuming for the Bolshoi production was freshly conceived after consultation with the original French jewellers whom Balanchine admired.

Holiday Wishes and New Year 2014

Warmest wishes for the holiday season 

and the new year to friends and readers everywhere

Brevima Dies 2013

Brevima Dies

hibernal solstice

21 December 2013

1711 UTC

1211 EST

Swan Lake — new season

Swan Lake  

chor. Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov (1877, 1895)

recension James Kudelka (1999)

National Ballet of Canada

9 - 17 November 2013

performance 9 November 2013 (evening)

with McGee Maddox (Prince Siegfried), Xiao Nan Yu (Odette / Odile), Étienne Lavigne (Rothbart)

To my surprise the casting worked well. Xiao Nan Yu was an emotive and lovely Odette and an arresting Odile. McGee Maddox, a strapping boy, made for a sensitive certainly strong prince with his own ideas. He looked good and distinctive in the role. In this version of the storied ballet James Kudelka likes to scatter the swans around when he can and makes Rothbart a central figure. 

Toronto mayoralty

                                           His Worship Rob Ford, 64th Mayor of Toronto

                                              "What to do with a drunken mayor?"

                                                (The Economist, 9 November 2013)

                                                                He is a thug!

City Council, in a motion that passed 37-5, asked the recalcitrant mayor to take a leave of absence. They are powerless! Councillors also voted in favour of a request to the integrity commissioner to study the mayor's conduct, and to recommend possible penalties and sanctions. The province, which has powers, is meanwhile doing nothing. Organizers of the impending Santa Claus parade asked the mayor not to march. Pride need not worry about that presence, thankfully.
[13 November 2013]

Finally Premier Kathleen Wynne, hitherto virtually silent, has cautiously indicated that the province might act to correct the chaotic situation at Toronto City Council. As reported by ctv news:

Wynne said that if Toronto City Council were to indicate that it lacked the ability to function because of the ongoing scandal, the province would respond to a request to provide “new tools, depending on what that request may be. ... Events continue to move quickly and the things that we are hearing and seeing about Mayor Rob Ford are truly disturbing,” Wynne said. Wynne didn’t specify what exactly the province could do if Council asked it to step in. She did say if any action were to happen, “because of the extraordinary and unique nature of any intervention from the province, I would consult with the other party leaders to see if the Legislature could move unanimously if required.” 
[14 November 2013]

While Council can't remove the mayor from office, it can move to reduce and severely restrict many of his civic functions. There are signs that may happen swiftly. On 15 November 2013 Council moved to reassign the mayor's right to designate and participate in committees, to hire and assign employees, and even to act in emergencies. The actions would devolve on the office of the deputy mayor. It is proposed as well to cut back on the budget of the mayor's office.

While Council can not touch what may be viewed as the mayor's statutory role under the City of Toronto Act, 2006 (S.O. 2006, c. 11), the mayor is scarcely visible in wording of the legislation. In an annex, it states:

The purpose of this Act is to create a framework of
broad powers for the City which balances the interests of
the Province and the City and which recognizes that the
City must be able to do the following things in order to
provide good government: 
      1. Determine what is in the public interest for the City. 
      2. Respond to the needs of the City. 
      3. Determine the appropriate structure for governing the City.  

The role of the mayor is seen more clearly in wording of the Municipal Act, 2001 (S.O. 2001, c. 25) — while the mayor's role is largely that of representation and to some extent leadership, the head of council has actually no more powers than any other councillors.

Mayor of Toronto lost most of his remaining powers to appoint and to set agendas. His office budget was cut back. Most functions have been transferred to the Deputy Mayor who has agreed to accept them. [18 November 2013]

                                        L'Actualité [16 novembre 2013]

The dilemma of Toronto’s mayor makes me reflect on the utter permissiveness of Canadian democracy at times. I know how a Putin-style régime would deal with the situation. In the US there would be a recall. In France a juge d’instruction would be on the case. Toronto citizens who continue to support Rob Ford are as problematical as he is. 

6 January 2014

Remembrance

I have been reading Ann Jones' remarkable They Were Soldiers (Chicago, 2013) — moving but unsentimental, no-nonsense reporting on the human cost of war in Afghanistan (and elsewhere in the world to-day) — not just the mounting numbers of casualties, but the meaning of death, injury, suicide, and lifelong trauma for the mostly youthful military and their families.

I purchased it as an e-book to read on my iPad.

Jan Vermeer van Delft (1632-1675)

       

                                          The National Gallery, London

                                                      26 June - 8 September 2013

                                                      cinema tour, 3 November 2013

For the first time the National Gallery’s two paintings by Jan Vermeer, A Young Woman standing at a Virginal and A Young Woman seated at a Virginal are brought together with Vermeer’s Guitar Player, which is currently on exceptional loan from the Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House.

Music was one of the most popular themes in Dutch painting, and carried many diverse associations. In portraits, a musical instrument or songbook might suggest the education or social position of the sitter; in scenes of everyday life, it might act as a metaphor for harmony, or a symbol of transience. 

The exhibition displays 17th-century virginals,  guitars and lutes alongside the paintings to offer unique insights into the painters’ choice of instruments, and the difference between the real instruments and the way in which the painters chose to represent them. [National Gallery]

Interviewed experts can be tiresome, but mainly the film focusses on the pictures themselves in this remarkable exhibition.

male dance

                                        Dylan Tedaldi

                                        National Ballet of Canada

I run a pictorial web site at Tumblr focussed on danseurs. Where possible I indicate their current company affiliation. By now there are more than 2000 posts with about 550 followers. The site gets daily additions from numerous on-line sources. URL of the site is: 

http://acta-emeritus.blogspot.com

                                        Vladimir Shklyarov

                                        Mariinsky Ballet

Spartacus

Spartacus
Спартак
chor. Yuri Grigorovich  (1968)

Bolshoi Ballet
Балетная Труппа Большого Театра
with Mikhail Lobukhin (Spartacus), Svetlana Zakharova (Aegina), and Vlad Lantratov (Crassus)

The ballet is a grandiose spectacle worthy of its historical subject — the remarkable but ultimately doomed revolt of slaves in Rome, 73-71 BCE, led by Thracian Spartacus. A notable Bolshoi landmark created in a time of Soviet turmoil, it remains a signature piece for the company, with principal roles invariably attributed to outstanding talent.

Vlad Lantratov was an astonishing Crassus and Mikhail Lobukhin a robust and suitably arousing Spartacus, both virtuoso artists, in this blockbuster piece dominated by male dance.

simulcast from Moscow
20 October 2013

Don Quixote

Don Quixote
chor. Marius Petipa (1869, 1871), Aleksandr Gorsky (1900)
recension: Carlos Acosta  (2013)

Royal Ballet
with Marianela Muñoz (Kitri) and Carlos Acosta (Basilio)

The new version of Don Quixote took some liberties with the music and staging, but the scenes were lively and well arranged without offending tradition, totally enhanced by superb and confident principals.

cinema rebroadcast
16 October 2013

Swan Lake in 3D

Swan Lake  Лебединое озеро

chor. Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov (1895)

recension Konstantin Sergeyev (1950)

Mariinsky Ballet

Балетная Труппа Марийнскова Театра

with Ekaterina Kondaurova (Odette - Odile), Timur Askerov (Prince Siegfried), and Xander Parish (prince's friend)

rebroadcast in 3D at Cineplex, 18 September 2013

Ekaterina Kondaurova was a marvel as Odette - Odile, remarkably expressing contrasting qualities of the principal character. Timur Askerov danced effectively, though an aristocratically restrained prince. Xander Parish was a delight to watch in this model performance.

TIFF Bell Lightbox

TIFF Bell Lightbox (downtown Toronto) is a cinema complex well worth visiting for out-of-the-way and culturally interesting productions. I just saw Museum Hours  — not much of a film, but a nice tour of Vienna's great Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Museum Hours (Austria/USA, 2013)

dir. Jem Cohen

rating: ✶✶

Photography

Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto  (2005)

I have started to post some of my best photos, whether from prints, slides, or digital, to two sites. The most select are going to  http://www.behance.net/lewis927  which is related to Adobe Critical Cloud and Photoshop.  More extensive, with numerous personal photos added, is  http://photo.net/photos/bel_ami . I deleted my file at flickr.com when a new format there invaded my computer to pull out photos I had not chosen, to my dismay! Purely family photos, not necessarily by me, are at  http://lewis27.ca/family2 .

I welcome feedback always.

bel.ami@lewis27.ca

Lily Pond, Oklahoma City  (2004)