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Wednesday, January 14, 2015

In Context: Cinderella



Sergei Prokofiev's Cinderella, part of the Mariinsky at BAM, comes to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on January 17—20. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the production. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Program Notes


Read

Article
Once More, with "Feeling"–Prokofiev's Cinderella Through the Ages (BAM blog)
Track the evolution of Prokofiev's lush romance from its 1945 debut at Moscow's Bolshoi Theater.

Article
The Mariinsky Ballet: Pinnacle of Elegance" (BAM blog)
Susan Yung on what separates the famous St. Petersburg ballet from the rest.

Website
Diana Vishneva
Learn more about the Mariinsky dancer on her personal website.

Interview
Interview with Diana Vishneva (Bloomberg)
A prima ballerina with stiff ballet shoes? Nothing a hammer won't fix.

Website
Nadezhda Batoeva
Learn more about the Mariinsky dancer performing Cinderella on January 20.

Article
The Bewitching Yekaterina Kondaurova (PointeMagazine.com)
"She is a modern girl, which is a rarity among Russian dancers—she’s not a princess," says Alexei Ratmansky of the Mariinsky star.

Website
The Mariinsky Theater
Take a virtual tour of the famous concert hall, read about the theater's history, and more.


Look & Listen

Video
Backstage at the Mariinsky Theatre (The Telegraph)
Dancer Viktoria Tereshkina shows off her dressing room while Sarah Crompton explores where the backdrops are painted.

Video
Alexander Sergeyev and Viktoria Tereshkina (YouTube)
See a steamier side to the Mariinsky dancers in this work by Angelin Preljocaj, set to Mozart.

Video
Denis & Anastasia Matvienko (YouTube)
A gorgeous duet between married dancers Denis and Anastasia Matvienko (who dances Cinderella on January 18).

Video
The New Mariinsky Theatre (YouTube)
Backlit Onyx interiors, 10 floors, and a perfect view from every seat: explore the Mariinsky's $750-million new home.

Audio
Mariinsky in the USA (Spotify)
Sample excerpts from The Enchanted Wanderer, Swan Lake, Cinderella, works by Shostakovich, and more in this playlist featuring the Mariinsky Orchestra and Opera.  


Now your turn...

So how did you enjoy the show? Likes? Dislikes? Surprises? Tell us what's on your mind in the comments below.

7 comments:

  1. My reaction was totally negative when the ballet started, in fact I hated the first act, it was ugly .The second act I loved, here Ratmansky shows some originality, the steps are not very demanding, the part that he misses is the pas de deux between the two principals. same thing in the third act a no time there is a connection between them, but I am full of admiration for the use of the gay group. On the whole I need to see it again.

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  2. My husband and I Loved it, Loved it!!! We thought the costumes, lighting and orchestra were the best we've ever seen. Our seats were a little too far back, and wish we would have been about 5 aisles closer to the stage. However, we thought it was stupendous, and the clock we thought was Cinderella's carraiage wheel, but was a clock/chandelier, was brilliant! Bravo, Mariinsky. We look forward to see ing you again, K

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  3. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!!!

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  4. Inventive clever ballet. Loved it. But I didn't feel any chemistry between Cinderella and the Prince. The stepmother was absolutely the greatest.

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  5. Very lovely performance.Love the ball scene the most ,beautiful choreography.

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  6. Pure beauty! I loved the ballet. But disliked the costumes.
    My $30 seat was behind a column which covered half of the scene from me. I wish BAM ticket website let know of such issues - or discounted such seats further.

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  7. It was a wonderful classical performance. I have met a fine tradition of Saint Petersburg's ballet. I thank BAM for presenting the best ballet in the world.

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