© John Ross Kirov 'Apollo' reviews 'Apollo' reviews 'Glass Heart' reviews Sergeev in reviews Kondaurova in reviews recent Kirov reviews more Azulynn reviews Discuss this review (Open for at least 6 months)

The evening happily started with a Russian master and one of its early creations, Apollo, which was presented in Baden-Baden without the birth scene. Interesting to see Mariinsky soloists in this seminal work, where there is literally nowhere to hide – it features neither a strong storyline with accompanying sets and costumes, nor bravura technical moments. Cast with mostly very young dancers, it exposed a certain lack of consistency, while also showcasing Alexander Sergeev in a landmark performance. Among the Muses, Yana Selina impressed again as Calliope, with vivid expressions and a well-delineated solo. Olesya Novikova, as technically impressive as ever in the hard Polyhymnia variation, didn't seem too keen on off-centeredness. She would hit gorgeous arabesques and attitudes that were so stable, so straight, that they broke the flow. The end of her solo was beautifully judged though, with a puzzled, expressive look at the audience and Apollo. Maria Shirinkina, who graduated from the Perm School in 2006, danced Terpsichore; I am not sure why she was cast in this ballerina role, particularly since she looks like Novikova's twin and has less experience to rely on. This made for a strange trio. Shirinkina certainly has the technical chops to dance soloist roles (a question in passing : who doesn't, in the company ?...), but doesn't project continuously. She is very pretty dancer, but hardly the essence of the muse as of now. A footnote: the women seemed to interpret « off-center » as a leaning back of the shoulders and the upper back, while the hips remained firmly over the axis. It seems to indicate why some find the Mariinsky wanting in Balanchine – in Apollo, at least, it smoothes out the daring quality evident in other companies' performances.

Alexander Sergeev, just as Shirinkina, only debuted in Apollo in the fall. He has not been long in the company himself, but where have they been hiding him nonetheless? As Apollo, with his aquiline nose and distinct features, he is at once blond god and bad boy, although almost too slender. His musicality and vivid presence are already absorbing. More power to that new figure in the Mariinsky Pantheon.

I cannot say there was anything as memorable in Glass Heart, the one premiere of the 2008 Mariinsky Festival. Oh, yes - the sets were fine. The movement, on the other hand, was not. It is a non-stop storm of your average angst-filled contemporary ballet moves, which become plain vulgar at times. As for the storyline – just what is going on exactly? I have a feeling the love triangle between Alma, Gustav Mahler and Zemlinsky, the composer, on which the ballet is loosely based, never became quite that ugly. Alma is repeatedly dragged around and kicked in the stomach. The men get to punch tables under neon lights, looking like a cross between Freud gone mad and gymnasts on the pommel horse. And then, in the middle of the three-way fight, the corps de ballet (looking somewhat fazed) has its own merry divertissement, so that everybody will have had a chance to try out Simonov's language: legs kicking in every direction, far too many jump-and-do-the-splits combinations.

If choreographer Kirill Simonov is a puzzling choice for a new ballet, at least outstanding soloists took center stage in Glass Heart. Ekaterina Kondaurova, first and foremost, is larger-than-life as Alma – a flaming tornado, who deserved better. Her commanding presence, at once muscular and enigmatic, outshone her male counterparts, though both were very good. Islom Baimuradov danced her husband Gustav to fine effect, a versatile artist as always; Maxim Zyuzin was particularly noteworthy in the second act, portraying a truly helpless young Alexander. Yana Selina and Anton Pimonov inherited the other soloist roles – two gardeners who are apparently supposed to provide a contrasting image of love. Both of them brought energic verve to their random jumps around the main characters. Glass Heart did get slightly better at the end, as the action made more sense. Why Alma and Gustav plot to have Alexander shoot her with an unloaded gun remains a moot point in the choreography, but the bad action movie unfolding brings a final image tailor-made for Ekaterina Kondaurova. Sitted on a table, she blows on the gun with a devilish look, her shoulders suddenly sagging. A Marlene Dietrich moment if ever there was one in ballet, but hardly a bright fate for Russian choreography.