RUSSIA: Russia's famed Bolshoi Ballet prepares for the premiere of "Eugene Onegin", following the abrupt exit of the theatre's general manager and speculation about his departure

Record ID: 493658

  • Title: RUSSIA: Russia's famed Bolshoi Ballet prepares for the premiere of "Eugene Onegin", following the abrupt exit of the theatre's general manager and speculation about his departure
  • Date: 11th July 2013
  • Summary: BALLET DANCERS PERFORMING ONEGIN BALLET DANCERS SITTING ASIDE ON STAGE, WATCHING BOLSHOI SOLOISTS VYACHESLAV LANTRATOV AND OLGA SMIRNOVA DANCING ONEGIN AND TATIANA DUET CANDLE LIGHTS INN BOLSHOI HALL BOLSHOI SOLOISTS LANTRATOV AND SMIRNOVA DANCING ONEGIN AND TATIANA DUET
  • Embargoed: 26th July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAAPDDO8X0S13FSX80O3ZTKIIJL
  • Story Text: The Russian Bolshoi Ballet prepared on Wednesday (July 10) for its premiere of John Clanko-choreographed "Onegin" ballet amid the abrupt departure a day before of its general director Anatoly Iksanov and speculation over the reasons for his exit.
    The Russian government dismissed the head of the revered but scandal-plagued Bolshoi Theatre on Tuesday (July 9), six months after a hit man hired by one of its dancers threw acid in the face of its ballet director.
    Iksanov was replaced by Vladimir Urin, an experienced theatre boss whose task is to rebuild the reputation of one of the world's great cultural institutions after a behind-the-scenes drama with more twists than an on-stage plot.
    Iksanov's departure as general manager had been all but inevitable since a masked man with a jar of sulphuric acid almost blinded ballet maestro Sergei Filin and exposed bitter infighting and rivalries at the Bolshoi.
    Theatre insiders said his removal may have been hastened by a new spat over the decision not to give a lead role in a new production to a prima ballerina admired by President Vladimir Putin, Svetlana Zakharova.
    Some of the excitement surrounding the ballet, which has only been performed once in Russia on a 1972 tour by the Stuttgart Ballet, has been dampened by Zakharova's conspicuous absence from the production.
    Theatre spokeswoman Yekaterina Novikova lamented her absence but said the show would go on.
    "Svetlana (Zakharova) is an outstanding ballerina, with brilliant, unique lines and abilities. (American dancer) David Hallberg came specifically to dance with her. They were supposed to dance two performances together. That's why we all regret very much that the situation has turned out that Svetlana is not taking part in the current shows. But we all haven't lost hope that maybe in autumn she will be back in the shows, because Tatiana's part is of course very interesting and we would all love to see Svetlana in this role. But we cannot influence the directors. (Bolshoi artistic director) Sergei (Filin) struggled for the chance to stage this for four years. And there were very difficult negotiations; the Stuttgart Ballet was not going to show this ballet in Russia at all. And Sergei spent a lot of time persuading them, and the directors made the condition that they have carte blanche here," Novikova said.
    Novikova woud not say whether Zakharova's slight influenced Iksanov's departure.
    "I simply know that yesterday we turned a very important page of our lives. Anatoly Gennadiavich (Iksanov) was the only person in the 21st century to be the general director of the Bolshoi Theatre. Many years - 13 years. We did a reconstruction, built a new stage. The historic stage was opened, new ballets appeared: ballets by Chernakov, Ratmansky, who were invited. It's been a great era in the life of the theatre. Yesterday it came to an end. Why did it come to an end? Perhaps because 13 years were over and something new has to start. It's difficult to say," Novikova said.
    For their part, dancers said they were excited to stage the new production of the ballet adapted from Alexander Pushkin's late 19th century novel and set to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
    "This is a typical dramatic ballet. This is neo-classical. There are very beautiful duets, beautiful variations. The images of heroes and heroines of this play are interpreted very well. The choreography can't be called new as the play has been staged long ago. But it (ballet) is for the first time performed on a Russian stage, for the first time in the Bolshoi theatre, of course. And this is why it is interesting: it is something new, something we haven't performed before, and this is probably what makes it unique," said ballerina Evgenia Obraztsova.
    "Onegin" premieres on Friday (July 12) and runs through July 21.
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