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Thursday, January 22, 2015

In Context: Chopin: Dances for Piano


Chopin: Dances for Piano, part of the Mariinsky at BAM, comes to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House January 24—25. 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
The Mariinsky Ballet: Pinnacle of Elegance (BAM Blog)
Susan Yung on what separates the famous St. Petersburg ballet from the rest.

Article
The Mariinsky Label
Read about the the Mariinsky Theatre's USA tour on their blog.

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

Interview
Ulyana Lopatkina (Ballet.co.uk)
The Mariinsky principle discusses the controversial "6 o'clock extension," being a mother, and more.


Look & Listen

Video
A Talk with Benjamin Millepied and Deborah Jowitt (BAM)
Millepied talks with the dance critic about his newly founded artist collective L.A. Dance Project on the occasion of its New York debut at BAM.

Video
Ballet, Sweat, and Tears (YouTube)
Dancers Oxana Skorik and Diana Vishneva are featured in this documentary on the Mariinsky Ballet.

Video
Interview with Xander Parish (YouTube)
The Mariinsky principle turned down his first invitation to join the famous ballet.

Audio
"Uncovering the Heart of Chopin—Literally" (NPR)
A clandestine group of archbishops and scientists recently dug up the composer's ticker.

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
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.

5 comments:

  1. It was sublime. Exquisite dancing, and Chopin rendered by three gifted pianists

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  2. Sunday afternoon was beautiful. The piano playing and music was wonderful and the 3 different pieces separated by 1908, 1970 and 2011 provided a beautiful sense of the capabilities of the dance and ballet to this total ballet novice. A very nice Sunday afternoon, thank you.

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  3. Agree....The Mariinsky ballet is far better than the opera!!

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  4. All three performance were breathtaking! However, I was rather shocked to hear rock band practicing during intermissions....this absolutely ruined magical mood that dancers, musicians and choreographers worked so hard to create.

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  5. The Saturday night performance was outstanding, particularly the principals in the Millipied and Robbins pieces. It was exciting to see Benjamin Millipied come up on stage during the curtain calls.

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