March, 19, 2014. Issue No. 256March 18 - the birthday of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The world celebrated the 170 anniversary of the great Russian composer March 20 - the ballet "Lady of the Camellias" will premiere on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage March 30 - the ballet "Marco Spada" will be broadcast in cinemas around the world"Lady of the Camellias" at the Bolshoi TheatreJohn Neumeier, Artem Ovcharenko and Olga Smirnova. Photo: Elena FetisovaThe interview with the outstanding choreographer John Neumeier ("The Green Living Room") is available on the Bolshoi Theatre Facebook page: Armand the First Prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova went to Hamburg to take lessons with John Neumeier; it was there that she started rehearsing her part in "Lady of the Camellias" together with Edvin Revazov. Photo: Elena Fetisova The production of the next Bolshoi premiere - "Lady of the Camellias", one of the most famous ballets by John Neumeier to the music by Frederick Chopin - is carried out with the support of VTB Bank. This ballet was first staged in 1978 for the Stuttgart Ballet; three years later Neumeier created a new version for his Hamburg Ballet. The world's leading ballet companies have been dreaming to stage "Lady of the Camellias" ever since. The Bolshoi premiere cast will star Svetlana Zakharova as Marguerite. The Hamburg Ballet's Edvin Revazov will be her Armand. Before the premiere VTB Russia.ru reporter talked to the dancer about his work in Moscow, moving to Hamburg and many other things. How it all started - Edvin, Russian ballet fans know you from the Hamburg Ballet guest performances and international galas. The first time you sparked everyone's interest was when you performed the part of Tadzio in the ballet "Death in Venice"… Please, say a couple of words about becoming a ballet dancer and a Hamburg Ballet dancer in particular. - I was born in Sevastopol; I started going in for dance together with my brothers - we danced in the folk dance ensemble "Kaleidoskop". Our parents also made us go in for acrobatics, swimming, tennis and folk dances. Once we found a cassette… - "We found a cassette" - you mean… - My two brothers and myself. I am the youngest. We are five brothers. So, we, the three kids, found a cassette with a recording of some ballet gala. We were so into that, that we started learning variations from that video and asked our friends if they had any ballet recordings; there was no Internet back then, in the middle of the 1990s. Then our parents decided to… - …take you to Kiev… - No, to Moscow. Our friends studied at the Moscow Academy of Choreography and we thought it would be easier in Moscow. So we came to Moscow in 1997 and showed up at the Academy, but there was one problem - we had Ukrainian passports. They advised us to go to the Gennady Ledyakh school and study there temporarily, until our Russian passports would be issued. The pedagogues there were great, and they treated us very nicely - they taught us for free, even though it is a private school. Nothing is more permanent than the temporary, and so we stayed at the Ledyakh school until the graduation. To be more exact, my brothers graduated from this school, and I graduated the School of the Hamburg Ballet.Newsletter "Being a husband and a wife, we can fight during rehearsals. But once we are onstage, there is complete mutual understanding". - How did you get there? - I went to the Prix de Lausanne (an International dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. The winners get scholarships to study at the best ballet academies of the world). My elder brothers helped; they paid my travel expenses. At the competition John [Neumeier] saw me and invited to study at his school. So I spent a year at the Hamburg Ballet School and joined the company in 2003. - Did you become a soloist soon? - Officially this happened three years later. But I was lucky: I got a main role during my first year with the company. When I came to the Hamburg Ballet, John was staging "Death in Venice". He gave me the part of Tadzio. At first I danced in the third cast, and then he moved me to the first cast. And I danced at the premiere. Fame is made in Hamburg - Please, speak a bit about the Hamburg Ballet. How many people are there in the company, what is your daily schedule like? Are there many productions every month? - There are 60 people in the company; by Russian standards, that is not many. Our working day starts with a class at 10 a.m. It finishes at 6 p.m. - Really? You have the same day as regular office workers. - Well, if there is a production in the evening, we are free at 1.30 p.m. Sometimes there are no days off. We tour a lot and have 120 productions every year; but, of course, leading soloists do not dance them all. The work load is pretty usual. "Lady of the Camellias" is considered to be the most difficult ballet for male dancers. However, Edvin Revazov is optimistic. Photo: Elena Fetisova - How does Neumeier work with artists? Does he explain a lot? Or does he rather show? Does he make you repeat precisely what he has come up with, or does he let artists improvise? - Of course, John knows what he wants to get from us; he always comes to rehearsals with some material that he has prepared. But we can suggest some things and express our wishes. The work is very interesting - John gives us a lot of freedom. But, or course, he guides us in the direction that he needs. Armands are different - Have you already danced the part of Armand in Hamburg? - Yes, I have; I danced it in 2009 for the first time. A year later I danced "Lady of the Camellias" together with my wife Anna Laudere. She also is the first soloist at the Hamburg Ballet. - Is it easier to act out a love story with your wife? - It is a sensitive issue. It is nicer to dance with your wife, because she is a very close person. Being a husband and a wife, we can fight during rehearsals. But once we are onstage, there is complete mutual understanding. - Now you are rehearsing together with Svetlana Zakharova. Is working with the Russian ballerina any different from working with ballerinas in the West? - Dancers are people of the world. Those French, who are ballet artists, are not like regular French; German ballet dancers are not typical Germans either. There is a kind of international ballet brotherhood; we always understand each other. So working with a Russian or a Western ballerina really is not that different. At first we work on technique. Then it is the time to work on emotions and to search for some nuances of relationship together with your partner. Svetlana came to Hamburg to learn her part. I know the ballet, so I could help her with the technique: to tell her were to bend more or turn a bit differently. We learned our three pas de deux very quickly; it took us about a week. - It seems that "Lady of the Camellias" is incredibly difficult for male dancers. The lifts are just crazy: at first a ballerina is lifted to the chest level, then up, stiff-armed, and then she is lowered almost to the floor. I guess it is easier to do all of those if a ballerina is not very tall. - "Lady of the Camellias" really is one of the most difficult ballets for male dancers. Perhaps, it is the most difficult one. As for ballerinas, I prefer the ones with long legs. I am quite tall myself. - The costumes in this ballet copy the real, historic ones. During almost the whole production the ballerina is wearing a full skirt with many layers; during the lifts, it often almost covers the dancer's face… - I know from experience where I can have troubles with the skirt and how to fix them so that the audience would not notice. Svetlana and I have already rehearsed in costumes many times; so far, so good. The Lady's multi-layered skirts and the hat that creates some troubles for the dancers need to be paid special attention to while dancing. Photo: Elena Fetisova, the Bolshoi Theatre press-office - Will you come to Moscow to dance in the performances of "Lady of the Camellias" every time together with Svetlana Zakharova? Has this been negotiated? - No; as of now, I will only dance in two premiere performances. - What do you think about you character? - Armand is a controversial character. He changes as the action unfolds. At first this is a shy provincial boy. But he is very persistent. Having known Marguerite only for several minutes, he breaks into her bedroom, declares his love and gets a response. He is much nicer in the ballet than in the book. But in the end he gets furious… - Well, he did not know that she left him from the best of motives. - But he did not know she was sick. This is a dramatic ballet, but not a romantic one. As in every drama, everything happens because of misunderstanding. - Marguerite is a courtesan and she makes love to other men; is it important for your Armand? - Not in the beginning; I mean, he knows what she is and what it is all about. But at some point this becomes very important. March, 192014Newsletter - Neumeier is a researcher, a literary critic. Does he recommend the artists to read original texts when they are rehearsing a part? - John explains what each part is about so well, that it is not necessary to read the original text. As for "Lady of the Camellias", each movement and each mise EN scene is choreographed so closely to the text of the novel, that everything is clear without words. - But, nevertheless, you read the novel, did not you? - Of course I did. And I do not regret it. You really live this production, from the beginning to the end. There is not a single moment when you get distracted and think your own thoughts, as you freeze in a beautiful pose. There is not a single empty second, even if Armand is sitting somewhere in the back during a crowd scene. Something is happening to him all the time: he is waiting, he is angry; he is looking for Marguerite and making decisions. - Do other dancers, who perform the part of Armand, rehearse together with you? Do they ask you for an advice? - Sometimes we do something together, but in general everyone rehearses in his own rehearsal room. They did have some questions, but now, when there are three casts, we all are working on our own. - You probably do not think about the time when you will have to retire, do you? - I have to start thinking about it. Time flies very quickly. But no matter what I do, it will be connected with the ballet. At the theatre we are granted the opportunity to stage our own choreography - I mean, with costumes, lights and everything. We also can show it to the audience. I have already made several productions. For reference Edvin Revazov was born in Sevastopol on December 30 1983. He has been dancing with the Hamburg Ballet since 2003; in 2010 he became the company's premier. He was the first to perform parts in the following ballets by John Neumeier: "Death in Venice" to the music by J.S. Bach and R. Wagner (2003) - Tadzio; "Parsifal - Episodes and Echo" to the music by J. Adams, A. Pärt and R. Wagner (2006) - Parsifal, "Orpheus" to the music by I. Stravinsky, H. I. Fr. Biber, P. Blegvad and A. Partridge (2009) - Apollo; "Chirstmas Oratorio" to the music by J.S. Bach (2013) - the mother's husband; "Purgatorio" to the songs by Alma Maria Schindler-Mahler and Symphony No. 10 by Gustav Mahler (2011) - scherzo. His repertoire also includes ballets by other choreographers. He also tried his hand in choreography, having presented pieces by CocoRosie to the music of this duet and "Zozulya" to the music by M. Sadovskaya and G. Lange at the "Young Choreographers" Ballet Workshops in Hamburg (2011 and 2012 respectively). He also performed in Munich together with the Bayerisches Staatsballett Company. To sympathize with lady of the camellias John Neumeier, one of the most famous modern choreographers, will present his "Lady of the Camellias" to the music by Frederick Chopin, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, at the Bolshoi Theatre on March 20. Neumeier, who is famous for his "literary" ballet productions, which also are "realistic", gave the main female part to the Bolshoi prima Svetlana Zakharova; he invited Edvin Revazov, the premier of the Hamburg Ballet, which he is in charge of, to dance the main male role. The dancers will present to the audience the famous dramatic and tragic love story of the courtesan Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval. Vladimir Matorin will present the program "The Ancient Russian Romance" The Bolshoi Theatre soloist Vladimir Matorin will perform at the Moscow House of Music on April 9. The singer will present the program "The Ancient Russian Romance".Vladimir Matorin has a powerful voice; his repertoire includes more than 60 parts from different operas: Boris Godunov, Varlaam and Pimen in "Boris Godunov" by M. Musorgsky, Konchak and the Prince of Galich in "Prince Igor" by A. Borodin, Ivan Susanin in "A Life for the Tsar" by M. Glinka and many others. The singer has been awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree and The Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet March, 192014Manon Lescaut and Chevalier des Grieux In the novel by Dumas Armand Duval, having been late to the auction were Marguerite's belongings were sold, tries to find and buy the book "The Story of Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut", which he had given to his lover at some point. In the ballet by John Neumeier the famous courtesan from the French novel of the 18 century and her miserable lover become fully legitimate characters of the story. Marguerite and Armand go to the theatre to see a play, based on this novel. It is like the ghost of Manon comes from the stage and follows Marguerite during all story, foretells her destiny and "makes" her make this or that decision. Marguerite and Armand There will be enough work in this ballet to keep almost the whole company busy; there are so many characters which are very different from each other. But the main duet, of course, presents the main intrigue. Neumeier stresses how much each production of this ballet depends on the artists who perform the main roles. When he first staged "Lady of the Camellias" for Marcia Haydée, she was the co-author of the production in the full meaning of this word. He had the same feeling later, when he worked with other different ballerinas. The choreography does not change, but the part of Marguerite (as well as the part of Armand) depends on the personality of the artist so much that the audience will see some new aspects of the story in each new production. That is why Neumeier likes working on this ballet again and again. He says that the part of Marguerite can be danced by a young ballerina, a very-very young ballerina and a ballerina that is about to finish her career. Each of them can create an image that will be individual, true to life and absolutely unique. Evgenia Obraztsova and Vladislav Lantratov. Photo: Elena Fetisova Marcia Haydée, Jean-Christophe Maillot and the Bolshoi Theatre John Neumeier, whose career started at the John Cranko's Stuttgart Ballet that had very many talents, staged "Lady of the Camellias" for Marcia Haydée (several years earlier John Cranko suddenly died and his muse remained without her choreographer). Last year, the Stuttgart Ballet Company presented its famous "Romeo and Juliette" on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage. The legend of world ballet Marcia Haydée performed the part of Signora Capulet, and the modern Bolshoi audience got an idea of how great the influence of her temperament and talent could be when she was young and mature. In 1981 Neumeier created the second edition of "Lady of the Camellias" for his own Hamburg Ballet Company. Marcia Haydée performed the part of Marguerite again. Jean-Christophe Maillot, the future famous choreographer and the Bolshoi Theatre friend and partner, who is now working on the exclusive ballet for the Bolshoi company, was the first to perform the role of Chevalier des Grieux. The history of the ballet is full of such coincidences. The first time John Neumeier and the Bolshoi Theatre worked together was in 2004. Back then the Bolshoi presented the Russian premiere of "Midsummer Night's Dream", another outstanding ballet by John Neumeier. Another Russian premiere will be the result of their present meeting - until now "Lady of the Camellias" has not been performed at any Russian theatre. Neumeier likes the Bolshoi artists and enjoys working with them. The first cast will star Svetlana Zakharova, just like last time. Finally, someone even decided to call her the Giselle of the 20 century. When John Neumeier was informed that his ballet had received such a compliment, he replied Newsletter March, 192014Newsletter Digest has been compiled by The Bolshoi Theatre Press Office Photos: Damir Yusupov and Mikhail Logvinov Design layout: Vladimir AndrusenkoAll materials used in the digest are the public domain of information agencies, mass media, civil society organizations and government Edvin Revazov. Photo: Elena Fetisova Her partner - Edvin Revazov, the premiere dancer of Hamburg Ballet, who is originally from Sevastopol, will perform the part of Armand. In the first series of performances the Bolshoi Theatre and John Neumeier will present very different artists; some are young, and some are very young. Svetlana Zakharova, Olga Smirnova and Evgenia Obraztsova will perform the role of Marguerite. Edvin Revazov and the Bolshoi premier dancers Artem Ovcharenko and Vladislav Lantratov will perform the role of Armand. Anna Tikhomiova and Ekaterina Shipulina will dance the role of Manon; Semyon Chudin and Ruslan Skvortsov - the role of Chevalier des Grieux.
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