Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev

 International Ballet Gala with Stars in Honor of the legendary Superstar RUDOLF NUREYEV
September 13th 2010, Athens, Greece
 © John Kannelopoulos
 © Frederica Davis  

Gala Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev
September 2010 Athens, Herod Atticus Odeon
by Graham Watts

Nestling on the southern slopes of the Acropolis of Athens is the Herod Atticus Odeon , the third Roman amphitheatre to be built on this site, following the destruction of temples to Pericles and Agrippa. This structure was built in 160 AD by the Emperor Herodes in memory of his wife, Regilla, and destroyed by the invasion of Herulae in 267 AD. Amazingly, it is not the oldest theatre structure at the Acropolis since the decrepit Odeon of Dionysus (literally next door) was built at the time of the Acropolis 2,700 years ago. After nearly two millennia of decay, the Herod Atticus Odeon was restored and re-opened in 1955, since when it has been a major concert venue featuring such artists as Maria Callas, Jean Michel Jarre, Sting and Elton John. Rudolf Nureyev only ever danced in Greece at this theatre, appearing first with Margot Fonteyn in 1963 and then several more times, culminating in a performance with the Paris Opera Ballet in 1984. It was, therefore, a fitting venue for this gala tribute in his memory. And there could be no more spectacular setting for ballet, especially when – as on this occasion – accompanied by a vivid full moon (the performance started at 9.30pm) on a warm autumnal evening.

Sixteen dancers from around the opera houses of Europe formed the ensemble to honour Nureyev, including representatives from the three companies he was most closely associated with in life: the Kirov (now, of course, reverted to its Imperial title of the Mariinsky Ballet); the
Royal Ballet; and the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris. Other companies represented were Staatsballett Berlin and the Bayerisches Staatsballet Munich, English National Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet and the State Ballet of Georgia. It should be said that the relevance of some of the chosen choreography to Nureyev was not always evident.

A capacity crowd of 4,000 Athenians seemed surprisingly more appreciative of the modern works on the programme. Perhaps this was inspired by the remarkable early rendition of Raimondo Rebeck's 'Elegy' by the Berlin partnership of Iana Salenko and Marian Walter, which – aided by Ärvo Pärt's meditative, magical music - seemed wholly alive to the potential of intense emotion that hung in the air of a sultry evening with the stage glistening under the watchful gaze of the Parthenon above. Salenko and Walter are life-as- well-as-dance partners and they perform as though every moment has a special significance.

The longest piece was Roland Petit's stirring 'L'Arlésienne' , danced with great gusto and emotion by POB Etoile, Delphine Moussin, as the heroine Vivette and Premier Danseur, Alessio Carbone as the suicidal Frédéri. Inspired by Bizet's orchestral suite of the same name, Carbone gave a blistering performance of dramatic expressiveness with long, explosive jumps in the passionate solo that precedes the young man's leap unto death. He returned after the interval wearing an off-the-shoulder red leotard to dance a dynamic cameo solo from Béjart's 'Arepo' (which is, if you hadn't noticed, 'Opera', backwards) to Hugues Le Bars' tango inspired version of Gounod's 'Faust'. Made in 1986, this feast of modern classicism with it's heel-first steps, long arabesques and leg extensions, expressive port de bras and simple, clean tours en l'air is a perfect vehicle for Carbone's expressive, forceful dancing and was one of the night's highlights (incidentally, it is the work Carbone performed as a divertissement at the Benois de la Danse awards ceremony in 2008, which is readily accessible on YouTube).

The gala had opened – appropriately, given its representation of Nureyev's formative years – with the Mariinsky Principals, Danila Korsuntsev and Sofia Gumerova dancing a memorable interpretation of the Black Swan pas de deux. Bluntly, I expect any accurate portrayal of this duet would have been memorable against these moonlit ruins but Korsuntsev and Gumerova invested their work with much more than mere accuracy, bringing an impassioned vibrancy to make their astonishing techniques glow in the late evening warmth.

Royal Ballet Principal, David Makhateli and his wife, Natalia Kremen of English National Ballet, performed the Adagio pas de deux from Yuri Grigorovich's interpretation of 'Raymonda'. Kremen is a ballerina of considerable elegance but rarely seen in anything that challenges her technique and artistry within the ENB repertoire; here, at last, was a suitable test (in front of 4,000 spectators) and she rose supremely to the challenge with a moving performance of adagio classicism. Makhateli is always a safe and secure partner, and one of the few in London capable of partnering the taller ballerinas with assuredness, but he had the stage all to himself in a powerful, dramatic rendition of Ricardo Cue's 'El Cisne' – a modern male version of Saint-Saens' music for the dying swan. Cue himself – a pedagogue who has been a mainstay of ballet in Spain for many years – was an effective production manager for the gala.

The evening's only disappointment came in the performances of the Bolshoi's Anna Antonicheva and Dmitry Belogolovtsev, beginning with a nervous and lacklustre interpretation of 'The Sleeping Beauty' Grand pas de deux before going off the rails altogether in an incomplete White Swan pas de deux, which was not entirely their fault since part way through the Adagio we found ourselves listening to 'La Sylphide'! It wasn't going particularly well beforehand but it's a little difficult to dance to the wrong music. It was all too much for Antonicheva, who rushed from the stage in clear distress; ever the prince, Belogolovtsev gamely tried to persuade her to return but eventually gave up and followed her offstage. To both performers' great credit, they returned to complete the show in the final coda for all 8 couples, instead of hi- tailing it back to the hotel in high dudgeon.

The second half of the gala was again opened by Korsuntsev and Gumerova who matched the skill and emotion of their first pas de deux with another classic duet, this time from 'La Bayadere'. They were followed by another highlight in Kenneth MacMillan's Bedroom pas de deux from 'Manon'. This is a staple piece of gala fare but, again, the moonlit backdrop of the ruined stone edifice seemed to breathe new inspiration into the performances of Johan Kobborg and Roberta Marquez, which hit the impressive heights of passion and expressionist yearning that MacMillan's choreography deserves. Marquez in particular is at her best as the coquettish, seductive Manon and Kobborg matched her intensity with a witty performance that embraced strength, subtlety and security of partnering. The Greek audience loved it and the applause seemed to last an age. The recently departed Royal Ballet Principal, Ivan Putrov, followed with a precisely detailed portrayal of Bournonville's buoyant choreography for James in 'La Sylphide', partnering my find of the gala – Nina Gogua from the State Ballet of Georgia, who was the most perfect of sylphs. Unlike other couples, this was a scratch partnership dancing a work that one of them had not performed before, and they were outstanding. Putrov's command of the fast allegro steps and jumps in Bournonville style is unmatched by anyone at the Royal Ballet (apart from Kobborg, of course) and he will be missed in this role; Gogua is definitely a ballerina to look for in the future.

Lucia Lacarra is a ballerina who has long arrived in the premier league. Now 35 and recently married to fellow Staatsballett Munich Principal, Marlon Dino, she is still the most captivating, yielding and expressive performer. These newly-weds celebrated with an intensely emotional performance of Roland Petit's 'Thais' pas de deux with its remarkable athleticism and grace. The ending, with the 6' 5" tall Dino spinning effortlessly around holding the most exquisitely posed Lacarra high above his head, was one of those rare moments of pure artistry that only ballet is capable of achieving.

Salenko and Walter returned to close the gala with the pas de deux from 'Le Corsaire' in which Walter defied the slightness of his physique by tearing up the stage in a whirlwind of virtuosity through the slave's variation and Salenko exuded her own cool and demure certainty of classical technique. The 'Evening with the Royal Ballet' film of Fonteyn and Nureyev dancing the latter's own interpretation of Petipa's choreography for this pas de deux is perhaps the best-known filmed excerpt of them dancing together and so this duet proved an immensely popular ending to a very happy gala.
I've seen a lot of galas and liked all too few of them but there was something special in the air for this Tribute to Nureyev. It had much to do with the selection of dancers – most of whom were close friends and a third of them married to each other! – but the rare quality of the evening was set by the uniqueness of this amazing open-air theatre that has occupied this historic site for nearly two thousand years. Nureyev clearly loved to perform here and I can understand why.

 

 

"AVE MAYA" Gala with Stars dedicated to Legendary Bolshoi Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya.

Coming Soon!