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SERENADE

Expectation was in the air on Thursday night, as the curtain was raised to reveal the beautiful elongated physiques of the Kirov female corps de ballet, wearing Karinska's powder-blue sleeveless leotards and romantic-length tulle skirts. In the first movement of the work, the corps progresses from very basic ballet positions (turn-out of feet to first position, to tendu-right, to fifth position of feet and arms, etc.) to broad-sweeping movements that echo the soulful Tchaikovsky music. On Thursday night (the first of two evenings), the Kirov ladies were a bit too careful, holding back noticeably, with one or two of them even looking at their neighbours to ensure that they were maintaining the straight lines. [No, this is not PAQUITA, ladies!] Friday night saw the corps dance with greater abandon, throwing themselves to the music, without sacrificing the beauty of the formations. The large circle of pique-turns by the corps during the waltz was exceptional...and applauded by many of the more enthusiastic folks in the audience (as other audience members tried to hush them to silence...my, my!).

One odd Kirov touch is that the female corps & soloists maintain their hair in tight buns throughout the work, instead of loosening their locks for the final movement. I was told that this was because most Kirov ladies have shoulder-length hair, as most ballets in the Kirov repertoire call for wigs. Whatever, I prefer the loose hair for the truly romantic feeling of the final movement of the work.

Svetlana Zakharova danced the leading ballerina role seamlessly on Friday night, making us realize why this role won her the 1998 Golden Mask award for the finest ballet performance in Russia. Dancing the part on Thursday, the taller and more muscular Uliana Lopatkina had problems in the partnered segments and seemed too segmented in her approach. I could almost see her counting the beats, going from chunk to chunk of the choreography, rather than losing herself in the magic of Tchaikovsky, as Zakharova did on Friday night. Blonde Ilya Kuznetsov had an easier time of it with the smaller of the two ballerinas, while tall & dark-haired Denis Firsov was appropriately mysterious as the Angel of Death on both nights.

Despite a slip of the foot early-on, Elvira Tarassova (on Friday) was the better of the two soloists essaying the "Russian Girl" role, musical and delightfully at ease in her Balanchine technique. Maya Dumchenko was nearly her equal in technique but seemed to be behind the music at times...and nearly crashed into Uliana Lopatkina during a pas de trois segment near the end of the ballet.

One of the great delights of the Balanchine Evenings - and, indeed, the entire Kirov season - was the opportunity to become acquainted with the artistry of the ravishing Veronika Part, a tall & raven-haired dancer who is going places quickly. Among all soloists in Thursday's SERENADE, Part's performance as the "3rd girl" stood out for its appropriately off-balance & fluid Balanchinean quality...not to mention Part's fabulously pliant back! Sofia Gumerova, was pleasant, if not extraordinary, in the same role on Friday night. But back to Veronika Part...this lady was born to dance the lyrical Balanchine repertoire! A kindred spirit with the unforgettable Suzanne Farrell. Oh, could we be so lucky as to see Ms. Part as a guest star with NYCB some day? [As you'll read below, she also won over the audience as second-cast Terpsichore in APOLLO and, especially, in the second movement of SYMPHONY in C.

Despite the absence of Veronika Part, Friday night's second performance was by far the better of the two SERENADES.

APOLLO

APOLLO was, alas, the most disappointing of the four Balanchine works on view. It is hard to believe that Pacific NW Ballet's Francia Russell, or anyone else remotely connected with the Balanchine Trust, staged this work. All of the incorrect positions and schmaltzy nuances that I saw when the work was initially performed by the Kirov in 1991 were back in 1999 - the wide-smiling faces of the three Muses being the most aggravating trait.

Igor Zelensky was a wild, uncontrolled Apollo on the first night, dancing much more cleanly on Friday. Both Terpsichores, Svetlana Zakharova on Thursday and Veronika Part on Friday, danced beautifully - although Zakharova's frozen grin killed the poetry of the performance for me. Part also smiled, but less conspicuously & far more naturally, with eyes downcast & not straight towards the audience (as did Zakharova and ALL of the other Muses on both evenings).

Blonde, cutesy soubrette Yana Serebriakova was all-wrong stylistically, and danced weakly, as first-cast Polyhymnia (the allegro finger-to-lips solo). Even more disappointing was Maya Dumchenko on Friday, totally behind the music and barely making it into her final "scream" position. The two Calliopes fared marginally better, with the raven-haired and glamorous Daria Pavlenko a bit stronger than Sofia Gumerova. Neither dancer got the "doubling-over-with-pain" move quite right.

The signature move of the ballet - the "fanning out of the legs" by the Muses, while holding on to Apollo - was a sloppy mess on Thursday; far better on Friday.

One big position on APOLLO: It was a joy to see the rarely-performed opening scene, wherein Leto gives birth to Apollo. Alexandra Gronskaya made the most of her brief role as Leto, writhing prettily atop her mountain-staircase.

TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX

Diana Vishneva and Viacheslav Samodurov danced this bravura work on both evenings. New York audiences already had fond memories of both dancers in the piece, when the two gave a spectacular performance of "TCHAI PAS" at the November 1997 Diaghilev Gala at the New York State Theater. It's 1999 and Vishneva/Samodurov tried hard to equal that legendary evening of two years ago, nearly succeeding on the second night of the Met run. On Friday, Vishneva was simply spectacular in the coda's fouettes and Samodurov brilliant in his solo (although one really sees the "labor" behind the dancing when he performs). On Thursday, both dancers were below-par, but still OK; even the orchestra sounded ragged. Not to take away from the splendour of the Kirov pair...but I could not help but think how much more satisfied I was with the performance of this ballet by NYCB's Alexandra Ansanelli and Damien Woetzel, one month ago. Ansanelli/Woetzel reminded me of...uh...Vishneva/Samodurov in 1997.

SYMPHONY IN C

The evening closed with a magnificent SYMPHONY IN C, in which most principals and all corps members glittered like diamonds. Since acquired by the Kirov three years ago, "C" has become one of the gems of the Mariinsky repertoire. This sort of Balanchine ballet - a classical-tutu work harkening to the Imperial past of the troupe - becomes them very well. The splendid, multicoloured Russian-style tutus (with wired, pancake-like skirts) designed by Irina Press, lend this work a royal air that, to me, is more appropriate to the splendour of the music than the NYCB's puffy, all-white Karinska tutus. The Kirov should continue to acquire this genre of Balanchine ballet...and one can only imagine how fabulous they will be in DIAMONDS, part of the full-evening set of three ballets (titled JEWELS) that the troupe will premiere in October 1999 in St. Petersburg. [Perhaps BALLET IMPERIAL should be next on the list?]

Svetlana Zakahrova's finest performance on this tour (for me, at least) was her 1st movement of C, on Thursday night. Zakharova was scintillating perfection, using her gorgeous Guillem-like legs and arched feet to maximum effect. She was partnered by high-flying Anton Korsakov, who has made quite an impact this season, despite his relative youth (having graduated from Vaganova only one year ago). On the other hand, the second-cast soloist in the 1st movement, Irma Nioradze, gave an appallingly brusque, particularly vulgar performance. What on earth??? Nioradze was so overly-powerful in her attack and shifts of position, that I feared that Anton Korsakov would be slapped at any moment...but he managed to survive. Low-light of the Kirov run, no doubt. [Note on Nioradze's GISELLE, seen on closing night of the tour: The same wham-bang approach, coupled with hot-pink fingernails and diamond-drop earings, made Nioradze's Act I Giselle a near-mockery of the ballet...then she totally surprised everyone with a fabulously sublime, soft and perfectly-danced Act II. What a difference one act makes!]

Among the two female demi-soloists in the first movement of C, dark-haired Irina Zhelonkina stood out for the pure classicism of her positions...a great counter-balance on Friday to the female principal in that movement!

The Tsarina of the Balanchine Ballets at the Met was Veronika Part, whose smooth-as-butter essaying of the lead female role in C's second movement brought tears of joy to my eyes and memories of Suzanne Farrell and Allegra Kent in the role! Part has the drop-dead-gorgeous, angelic face of Farrell, as well as Farrell's tall, but not-too-muscular body. The soft quality is the reason why, in my mind, Part triumphed over Uliana Lopatkina (Thursday night). A fabulous ballerina, no doubt, Lopatkina is, nonetheless, more muscular and sharp in her movements. Lopatkina is a tough & brilliant diamond, whereas Part is silk. Lopatkina is the Wendy Whelan of the Kirov; Part is the Maria Kowrosky.

Both Lopatkina and Part were capably partnered by Ilya Kuznetson. The ultra-lyrical and miraculously slender Svetlana Ivanova was magnificent as one of two demi-soloist females in the second movement.

The 3rd movement of C belongs to the first-cast couple, Diana Vishneva and Viacheslav Samodurov. Both were spectacular in their technique, razor-sharp attack, and boundless esprit. One viewing of Vishneva/Samodurov in this ballet, and depressed people can cast away their Prozac! (Psychiatrists of the world, take note!) The perfection of Vishneva was nearly matched by second-cast Elvira Tarassova, another joyful dancer with fine allegro technique.

The fourth movement saw a crisp and musical performance by second-cast female soloist, Daria Pavlenko, very clean in her technique. On the other hand, first-cast Maya Dumchenko had trouble with the final move of her brief, initial solo - the "fouette-kick-fouette" (or whatever it's called...it seems to do - in many a dancer). Pavlenko was spot-on with hers. Vasily Sherbakov was the better of the two leading males in the 4th movement.

The ballet's spectacular finale, with all cast members filling the stage and dancing in perfect unison, was unforgettable. Judging by the instant-standing ovation and wild cheers of the audience (especially on Friday), I was not alone in thinking that SYMPHONY IN C is a knock-'em-dead triumph for the Kirov Ballet.