© Damir Yusupov Bolshoi 'Le Corsaire' reviews 'Le Corsaire' reviews Alexandrova in reviews Tsiskaridze in reviews recent Bolshoi reviews more Oksana Khadarina reviews Discuss this review (Open for at least 6 months)

Le Corsaire has been a permanent fixture in the Russian classical repertoire since 1858, the first production choreographed by Petipa and Perrot with a commissioned score by Adolphe Adam. Over time, there were numerous revisions to the original version. Petipa himself changed the ballet five times. Some of the most notable Russian stagings were created by Alexander Gorsky (1912), Pyotr Gusev (1958), Konstantin Sergeev (1973, 1992), and Yuri Grigorovich (1999).

Premiered in Moscow in June, 2007, the new Bolshoi’s Le Corsaire was revitalized and refurbished by Alexei Ratmansky, the company’s then-artistic director (now artist in residence of the American Ballet Theater) and Yuri Burlaka, the Bolshoi’s current artistic director.

Ratmansky and Burlaka, former classmates at the Moscow Ballet School, didn’t simply reconstruct the old 19th century classic, they produced the ballet anew, keeping everything that survived from Petipa and resurrecting the missing parts.

The ballet’s story, inspired by the 1814 tragic poem “The Corsair” by Lord Byron, is a comedy more than anything else. The intricate libretto can be confusing, with a synopsis running a whole three pages in the program book.

The plot centers on the improbable adventures of two lovers, a corsaire (pirate) Conrad and a beautiful Greek girl Medora and can be perceived as both a romantic comedy and action thriller. The young couple takes turns in rescuing each other from the old and cunning Pasha Seyd – a rich suitor, unhinged in his determination to add the beautiful Medora to his harem.

Serious action ensues: kidnappings and escapes; pirate fighting and bride-swapping; more escapes and pirate fighting; and a Hollywood-style shipwreck. But all the hustle and bustle mainly serves as a pretext for a marvelous dancing – one exuberant divertissement seamlessly flowing into another.

On opening night, faithful to its tradition – stellar dancing has always been the Bolshoi’s calling card – the company looked terrific, dazzling through this three-hour-long ballet spectacular.

With his long dark wavy hair, a single sparkling gold earring, and impeccable attire, Nikolay Tsiskaridze looked like a live-action pirate, stepping right out of a Walt Disney movie. He was a picture-perfect Corsaire, a leader of a band of longhaired, folk-dancing, saber-fighting, and tastefully costumed pirates. This Conrad was hardly a superhero, but rather the most charismatic and wicked pirate imaginable.

Combining enormous star power and virtuosic technique, Tsiskaridze was magnificent in his big dance number – the famous grand pas de deux of the first act.

When dancing, he uses every part of his body. You cannot help but admire his feline body claiming the space in large, spacious jumps, ignoring the laws of gravity. His movements possess a unique rhapsodic freedom and lightness. His landings are quiet and soft; and he remains fluid and captivating even in stillness

Medora is a challenging ballerina role. Maria Alexandrova handled the technical demands of her part beautifully. Clad in the most gorgeous tutus, she danced with ease and vibrant authority. Everything about her performance spoke of refinement and class.

Her Medora is a free-spirited, courageous young lady, who surely can take care of herself. Even under a threat of being sold to a harem, she is anything but a damsel in distress. You feel Alexandrova’s high spirit and power in a way she attacks the space, fearlessly flying through the air in determined jetes, at the same time striking the right balance between bravura and grace.

She looked simply irresistible in a pirate’s costume, which she was wearing only for a short time, while enjoying herself in the exuberant folk-dance as if to show that her heart and spirit belong with the pirates.

One of the performance brightest standouts was the lithe and petite Nina Kaptsova as Pasha’s slave girl Gulnare. Gulnare is like a beautiful butterfly, gentle and fragile. But don’t underestimate her. When it comes to saving a friend, she is a totally different creature: brave, resourceful, and quick-witted. Without an uptick in her pulse rate, she steps in for Medora at the altar outsmarting the lovelorn pasha. Medora is off the hook and the sweet and quiet Gulnare is no longer the Pasha’s slave girl but his lawful wife.

Kaptsova is a sensual, lyrical dancer, her every movement filled with a quietly beautiful tenderness. A real comedienne, her pantomime skills were truly admirable.

Anastasia Stashkevich and Denis Medvedev sparkled in the luminous pas d’eslaves, dancing with fervor and clarity. In the pas de trios des odalisques, Olga Stebletsova, Ekaterina Krysanova, and Anna Leonova were slightly formulaic, lacking in spirit and spontaneity; their performance focused and technically precise.

Some of the best acting came from Gennady Yanin as the hapless bazaar owner, Isaac Lanquedem. He earned the most laughs at his bungled attempts to sell Medora, his most precious commodity, to the highest bidder.

The Opera House’s stage has never looked more splendid than in the final tableaux of the second act’s Jardin Anime, featuring a beautifully choreographed series of immaculate arrangements of ballerinas in white tutus with garlands and flowers. This was a show-stopping scene, one of the highest moments of the ballet.

And when the curtain went up on the second scene of Act III, revealing a view of the ocean, you could almost feel the breeze and hear the waves breaking on the rocky shore. It was one of those rare moments in ballet when the astonished audience exploded with applause to reward the stage scenery. A riveting image of cinematic quality: The 21st century technology and special effects finally made their way to the classical ballet production.

There were hundreds of sumptuous costumes in the most eye-pleasing pallet of colors, featuring the finest fabrics and decorated with rich embroidery. They were recreated by the remarkably talented costume designer Yelena Zaitseva from the original 1899 sketches. This was unquestionably one of the best outfitted ballet productions I have ever seen.

The orchestra led by Pavel Klinichev sounded wonderful, playing with the right amount of intensity and keeping the tuneful score – which is credited to as many as seven different composers – as pleasant as possible by gently smoothing the spikes and outbursts in the brass and percussion departments.

This new Corsaire is a dazzling, opulent spectacle that aptly combines romance, comedy, and action. The production is visually stunning, conceptually dynamic and most of all hugely entertaining. The choreography is intelligent and sophisticated; and the pantomime is expressive and communicative. This 2007 production epitomizes the renewed, rejuvenated Bolshoi Ballet and makes it clear why Ratmansky is regarded as a driving force and brightest hope of the today’s ballet.