Memorable Mariinsky

Back on Wednesday, “Le Corsaire” was the first full-length ballet production by the Mariinsky here in Bangkok, and while it was a less exciting choice for their first performance, the audience nonetheless got what they came to see – superb dance skills, spectacular sets and colourful costumes, albeit little in the way of story. Certainly, we witnessed how Filipp Stepin, with his athleticism and characterisation of Ali, stole the show from his corsair friend Conrad as portrayed by Konstantin Zverev. Plus, we were spellbound by Alina Somova whose slave girl Medora was marked by her youth and extraordinary flexibility, thanks in part to her long limbs.

On Thursday, the first part, divertissement, of the Gala Night showcased the individual prowess and panache of the company’s principal and much-awarded dancers but left many wondering why the pas de esclave from “Le Corsaire”, which some of us watched on the previous day, and Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky pas de deux”, which was in the programme here four years ago, were included in the line-up. Meanwhile, the second part “Firebird” showed more skills and unison of the corps de ballet, who were even more exuberant than in “Don Quixote” and “Le Corsaire”. 

In “Don Quixote” on Saturday”, the audience witnessed classical ballet at its very best, achieved not only through the technical brilliance of the dancers but also by their characterisation. This was in addition to the arresting live music accompaniment by the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Alexei Repnikov and the costume and set designs by Alexander Golovin and Konstantin Korovin, who clearly differentiated the colour tones in the scenes dwelling on reality and the dream sequences. The star of the evening was Valeria Martynyuk whose Kitri was filled with such playfulness in character and Spanish flair in movements that I almost forgot how stunned I had been by her younger colleague Somova’s portrayal of the same role in Singapore the previous weekend. 

Earlier this summer, the Mariinsky performed in New York and London and we should applaud the fact that Bangkok was included on the same summer tour. However, the programmes there – with more modern names like George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Alexei Ratmansky on the menu – were very different from the purely classical repertory we saw here.

Interestingly enough, when the company was here in late 2007, their tickets were among the hardest to get. That wasn’t the case during their six-day stay here this year, especially for “Le Corsaire” which was furthest from sold-out status. Had the programme been less predictable, would it have created more buzz among the dance-going public, I wonder? Also, since the Mariinsky Theatre is also world renowned for their opera and orchestra, putting in an opera performance and a symphony concert in-between ballet programmes might have been a good idea.

 

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