 [Larger view] | Khachaturian - Spartacus / Vasiliev, Bessmertnova, Bolshoi Ballet
| ||||||||||
| |
Average user rating:  | |
 where's little katya?? | |
| I saw only excerpts of this ballet and it really made me sad for one precise reason, I saw the wonderful, inimitable excerpts from Vasiliev and Maximova Spartacus in black and white in The Glory of Bolshoi. In my opinion Bessmertnova represents no glory for the Bolshoi, she's just a ballerina as many others I wonder why she's in so much tapes and Katya Maximova, far more expressive , far more good is in so little tapes !! Does anyone Knows the answer? | |
 Best ever | |
| I won't write too many descriptive words; it would be dull to describe THIS. For those of you who are not lucky enough to be Russian and have a chance to get really acquainted with the ballet ART, I'll just point out some things. Vladimir Vasiliev is THE BEST male dancer ever performed. Don't even try to compare him with Nuriev or Baryshnikov. Vasiliev is the best, most talented, genius, handsome, and all other superlative words you can imagine. Don't believe me? Try to believe Asaf Messerer, Galina Ulanova, Kasian Goleyzovsky, Struchkova, and the list is endless. He is also very good choreofrapher, director, artist (he paints), and recently (1995-2000) he was the head of the Bolshoi Theater. Natalya Bessmertnova is not only Grigorovich's wife, she is very beautiful technically, plastically, and, simply as a woman. She was the true star of the Bolshoi Theater. In this case, she is a beautiful match to Vasiliev. Maris Liepa is also one of the ballet's legends. This role in Spartacus opened him his career and revealed one new star to the ballet world. As for Grigorovich. What to say. He is certainly head and shoulders above the croud (yes, much better than Balanchine - Georgiy Balanchivadze), he brought on stage new ballet - Ballet-Symphony. "Spartacus" is pure example of it. As well as the Stone Flower. I love his "Stone Flower", I have it with Nina Semizorova as Mistress of Copper Mountain (The Bolshoi Theater production) -it's breathtaking! She takes all your attention and doesn't let your eyes look at other dancers. If you can get The Bolshoi's Theater "Stone Flower" with Semizorova, get it! Returning to Grigorovich. Unfortunately, back in 60's he supplanted the genius Kasian Goleyzovskiy from Bolshoi Theater. It's a long story. Goleyzovskiy was one of the most innovative (if not THE most) choreographers of the 20th century. He in Bolshoi in Moscow, and Lopukhov in Petrograd (Leningrad) brought about a revolution in ballet. Goleyzovskiy was a pupil of Gorskiy, and after Gorskiy's death he became chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater in 1920s. He not only continued his teacher's tradition of making choreography more emotive; he went way further, through bringing dramatic theater implements into ballet to Meyerhold and Vakhtangov-like phantasmagories with superfine understanding and expression of human's emotions and states of mind. In 20s, he got kicked out of Bolshoi for his modernism, with ban against choreographic practice. Then, in 1960, Bolshoi Theater invited him and he created the legendary "Leili and Medjnun". Vasiliev and Struchkova danced in it - for only 4 years, and then the ballet was taken away from repertoire, dismissed. As Goleyzovskiy was too. There is an opinion among professional crytics and dancers (and I think this opinion has a good reasons) that Georgiy Balanchivadze, being mediocre dancer, before emigrating from Russia, switching his occupation and changing his name (to George Balanchine) fell greatly in love with Lopukhov and Goleyzovskiy's new approach and adopted it for his future career as a choreograph. He even gave his own name to this approach. The difference is that original authors are always better, and, they change and evolve with years and experience. My advice to you is to not read Balanchine's book. I give 10 stars out of five to Vladimir Vasiliev, Maris Liepa, Natalya Bessmertnova, Kasian Goleyzovskiy, Yuriy Grigorovich and all those from Golden Era of Soviet Ballet (which means Golden Era of world ballet). | |
| Great ballet | |
| Although I haven't purchased the vhs version of Spartacus it seems that some technical problems such as the jump between the scenes and some white points in the film pointed out by some previous reviewers have been diminished in the dvd version (shown in widescreen): I was distracted by those imperfections only three or four times. However what most annoyed me was the "special effects" such as the splitting scenes and superimposing images. The sound quality is poor: there is a constant "hiss" that is hard to be filtered by the receiver. The lightning in the stage is rather dark. However all of that is a minor detail if one consider the work as whole: This is a great ballet that alternates vigorous and sensual dances, supported by powerful and exquisite music rightly conducted, great production and first rate performances by the dancers. Surely a must-buy ballet. |
