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The pre-production hype was warranted. Quite simply, this is the finest, richest and most satisfying production of BEAUTY I have witnessed. What's more, it is the most sublime evening of theatre I've ever experienced and will probably ever have the honor of viewing. SLEEPING BEAUTY has always been my favorite ballet. Heretofore, I've considered the Royal Ballet's 1946 production, with its delightful Oliver Messel sets & costumes, and starring Margot Fonteyn (among many fine Royal ballerinas), as the benchmark against which all other BEAUTIES are judged. Royal/Messel now moves to the #2 spot-behind the Kirov-Mariinsky original. My English friends will simply have to see it for themselves to understand my praises when the Kirov presents its 1890 BEAUTY at Covent Garden in summer 2000.

There is so much to report about this production...and I know that many of you are dying to read as much detail as possible. So, at the risk of being long-winded, I will provide as much description as possible. I'll proceed as follows: give general overview impressions, followed by details on the leading soloists, then a description of memorable details act-by-act.

I. GENERAL IMPRESSIONS

The original 1890 BEAUTY is above all a depiction of good-versus-evil. It is a fabulous pageant displaying courtliness, manners, and the goodness associated with benevolent aristocracy. (So why on earth was Tsar Alexander III offended at the dress rehearsal, as we have read? Hmmm...maybe the stage action revealed a not-so-subtle hint against his heavy hand, pogroms and all?) In this production, as much time is spent promenading and posing as is spent in actual dancing. Beautiful people parading about in beautiful costumes was the order of the day.

The quality of dancing among all ranks of the current Kirov Ballet is very high, although there is a tendency towards neo-classical exaggeration among the ladies. The corps - under the direction of Nina Ukhova - remains without equal in the world of ballet.

The production is full of excellent character and mime dancing, as only the Russians can convey. The languages of mime and character dancing are in their blood. Catalabutte and the two monarchs (King & Queen), in particular, are much more prominent in this version than in any other I've seen before. These three characters almost become starring roles, they have so much to do.

What a pleasure to hear the rich-sounding Kirov Orchestra at the Met, under the baton of guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda, from La Scala, Milan. Maestro Noseda, I believe, danced as vigorously as any person on the stage: he was jumping and swooping during the four hours of this production, bringing out the best from his musicians. I sat very close to front-row center & could not miss his antics.

Unlike the dreary 1952 Soviet-Kirov production of BEAUTY (with designs by Simon Virsaladze), this new-old BEAUTY is awash in light and color. Even the Awakening Scene's set was applauded by the audience, as the curtain was raised, it was so rich and "deluxe" in detail!

In comparing the stage action of the 1890 original-as described in R.J. Wiley's enlightening tome, TCHAIKOVSKY's BALLETS - about 90% of the current production adheres to the choreography and directions of Petipa. Certainly nearly all of the Prologue and Act I are intact. Only three of the noble -ladies' dances in the Act II Hunt Scene are cut (the Dance of the Two Duchesses is now danced by not only the Duchesses but the Baronesses, Countesses and Marchionesses). Most of the notable discrepancies are in Act III:

* Red Riding Hood does not carry a milk pail and cry over "spilled milk," as per the scenario

* The Pas de Deux for Aurora & Desire remains just that - a pas de deux. Yet, the original 1890 production designated this as a Pas de Quatre, adding the Sapphire and Gold Fairies, who danced a duo in 6/8 time (to music that nobody can now identify) immediately following the adagio & preceding Desire's solo.

* Desire's solo in the pas de deux is that of the 1952 Soviet version, by Konstantin Sergeyev. Otherwise, there would be no virtuoso dancing for the Prince; we do recall Pavel Gerdt in those old photos, don't we? Gerdt was 45 in 1890 - elegant but not exactly an athlete, as is Igor Zelensky, the opening-night Desire in 1999.

* The stately Sarabande following the Grand pas de deux is omitted here. Nonetheless, the various "Quadrille" groupings of corps de ballet members in Louis 14th-style costumes do appear on the stage (representing Romans, Persians, American Indians, etc.), during the March that opens the final scene and, again, in the final Mazurka.

* JUST IN NEW YORK - The Panorama that closes the first scene of Act II was cut, as the "moving" setting for it is permanently installed at the Mariinsky Theater and cannot be hauled on tour. Instead, MET audiences were treated to the violin-and-orchestra Entr'acte, which Petipa cut from the Tchaikovsky score just prior to the 1890 premiere.

II. DETAILED REVIEWS OF THE LEADING SOLOISTS

I attended the initial two performances in New York, on June 28 & 29, 1999. The principals differed but most solo-level roles were taken by the same dancer at both performances.

Aurora -
First-cast Svetlana Zakharova was technically strong and very neo-classical in her attack and ear-high extensions, but (to me & a few others) lacked charm and personality. She seemed too concerned with achieving whiz-bang acrobatic effects and was bereft of poetry. Furthermore, her pale & uninspiring face did not help matters. Don't get me wrong, she is a pleasant-looking dancer; it's simply that her features are not well-defined. But, oh, what beautifully arched feet and long legs, like Sylvie Guillem!

The second Aurora, Diana Vishneva, on the other hand, was a true princess. Not only a perfect long (but not too tall) & slim physique, but also a striking face with vibrant features - raven hair, wide eyes, tiny round head, generous lips... a face of distinction! One overlooks Vishneva's high extensions because she did not depend on their effect to win over the audience, as did Zakharova. Vishneva offers much more. She radiates sunshine & conveys the majesty of the music through her facial expressions as well as the steps. Vishneva WAS the music! Only the film footage of Margot Fonteyn in her prime comes close to matching the radiance & artistry of Diana Vishneva as Aurora. I am in awe and totally enraptured.

Prince Desire -
Igor Zelensky (first cast) was the more authoritative and technically adept of the two Desires whom I saw. (Not that there was much of an opportunity to judge solo technique.) Nonetheless, second-cast Andrian Fadeyev, with his angelic face and baby-blue eyes, seemed the more god-like and more in-tune with the Petipa esthetic...every little finger and foot position oh-so-properly placed. To the manor born! Zelensky, with his big jaw, is somewhat plebian in looks (if not in dancing). Both were wonderful - just so different. One could chose between the Technical Pair (Zakharova/Zelensky) or the Beautiful Pair (Vishneva/Fadeev). In the end, I vote for Beauty.

Lilac Fairy -
The tall and beauty-queen-gorgeous Veronica Part (opening night), with light and gentle facial features, was more to my liking than second-cast Daria Pavlenko. To me, Pavlenko has too angular and bold facial features and is not tall enough to carry off the 1890s corseted costumes originally designed for Marie Petipa. Dancing ability is not the determining factor for this role. [As I would later see in GISELLE, Pavlenko is the stronger dancer, technically, but that is not the issue here.]

Carabosse -
This role was portrayed on both nights by Islom Baimuratov. He was good but far from the best Carabosse I've seen. The best include the Bolshoi Ballet's Yuri Vetrov (a very strong actor with a touch of comedy), ABT's Victor Barbee (a malicious Tudor Queen-in-drag), and the Kirov's own Yelena Sherstnyeva, an extremely powerful character dancer who inexplicably was left off the present tour's roster. [Only 88 of the Kirov's 200+ dancers, including "reserves," made the Met tour.]

Catalabutte, Master of Ceremonies -
A spectacular characterization both nights from Andrei S. Yakovslev. I admired his crystal-clear miming, especially in the passages with his Servant (Igor Petrov on Monday & Alexei Semenov on Tuesday), when the two were arguing over who was at fault for omitting the name of Carabosse from the invitation list. ("My fault? No,it was you!" "Who me? No, you!" etc.)

King Florestan XIV & his Queen -
These become major roles in this production, especially in the hands of the Kirov's senior mime-artists, Vladimir Ponomaryev & Nina Mikhailova-Borchenko. These two flirt with one another throughout the ballet and appear to be totally in love. [No, they are married to other Kirov dancers or former dancers!] It's no wonder, then, that the King yields to the Queen's pleas to set free the six knitting women at the start of Act I. Once the knitters are free & the Village Waltz begins, the King spends the first two minutes of the Waltz standing front-right stage, kissing and fawning the hand of his Queen, oblivious to the festivities around him.

III. DETAILS OF THE PRODUCTION, IN ORDER OF THE LIBRETTO

Prologue:

The Kirov Orchestra delivered a vigorous and lightning-fast Prologue. The Met's golden curtain goes up to reveal a painted front-curtain depicting a large marble vase atop a balustrade. The vase is overflowing with lilacs. Trompe l'oeil draperies in red frame the vase & balustrade. This front-curtain remains during intermissions and likewise during the Act II Entr'acte violin-and-orchestra sonata.

The Prologue action (Christening of baby Aurora) takes place in a bright & richly decorated hall, ca. 1600. This is quite different from the dark setting of the 1952 Soviet version previously danced by the Kirov. The magnificent sets were recreated by Andrei Voitenko from the originals by various set designers in 1890. All costumes are based on the Vsevolozhsky originals, slightly modified for 1999 dancers' elongated physiques by Elena Zaitseva.

The number of characters in each fairy's entourage is more numerous than in any other production I've seen. All hold props or attributes that identify each with a fairy; for example the two male pages in Canari's suite hold yellow banners with black glittery letters spelling out "CANARI" (just in case we forget!). Beside the usual eight female demi-solo fairies accompanying Lilac, we have a set of "pillow-carrying fairies," attribute-bearing fairies, and even six male fairies! The wild assortment of colors and designs on all of these groups' costumes must be seen to be believed. Suffice it to note that two of the men wear bright yellow leotards with black fringing around the hips, which sticks out as each man performs pirouettes.

The five solo fairies (beside Lilac) were not consistent; some wonderful, others not-so. They were:

Fairy Candide (pale blue tutu) -
Beside Lilac, this was the only Prologue Fairy danced by two different soloists: Natalia Sologub at the opening and Sofia Gumerova at the 2nd night. Both are tall dancers, Gumerova being exceptionally big-boned. Sologub has an aristocratic stiff upper-lip, while Gumerova is warmer & more smiling. While neither lady danced the variation cleanly, Gumerova was the more carefree and at-ease in her delivery. Sologub was labored; the "snooty look" did not help.

Fairy Coulante/Fleur de Farine (white tutu) -
Maya Dumchenko on both nights, with her lovely Ludmilla Semenyaka face & perfect physical proportions. This is extrememly generous casting, as Dumchenko is a principal who has danced Aurora & several other leading roles at the Mariinsky. As expected, she was SPECTACULAR on both nights - lightning fast & precise in her batterie. Best of all, she was classically pure, her arabesques going just slightly above 90-degrees. Maya Dumchenko wins my gold medal for classically pure style, among all of the soloists on view. [I am told by those who saw Assylmuratova, the 3rd-cast Aurora, that she, too, was very classical in her positions.]

Fairy Miettes qui Tombent/Breadcrumbs (grey skirt with bright red zig-zag border)
Tall Yulia Kasenkova was totally miscast in this solo, which for me should be the most graceful and gentle dance among the first five fairies. Kasenkova was robotic & awkward - lacking in the "soft touch" that should be present in this sublime dance. [Kasenkova would display similar characteristics in the Peasant pas de deux of GISELLE two days later.] Instead of floating, the dancer gallumped through the Breadcrumb Fairy dance, chopping her way through the zig-zag of bourrees. Too painful to recall the rest.

Fairy Canari (white tutu with bright pink, 3-dimensional roses on front-bodice-
The adorable Jana Selina was picture-perfect. Now here was correct casting! Selina is fleet-of-foot, sweet-of-face and oozing charm with every run of her feet and quiver of her hands.

Fairy Violente (yellow tutu with black & gold accents, including a black scarf across bodice; and you thought that Canari wore yellow...fooled ya!!)-
This powerful dance (the "finger variation") was performed by dainty, dark-haired Irina Zhelonkina. Just slightly off-the-beat the first night, she improved markedly on Tuesday, dancing crisply with the music and accentuating the finger-pointing more sharply. Zhelonkina is among the purest of soloists on the Kirov roster; we won't be seeing enough of her this season, I fear.

Lilac Fairy (gorgeous white tutu with embroidered accents in different shades of lilac & purple, with clusters of lilacs on each shoulder and on her head) -
I've already described Veronica Part & Daria Pavlenko, my two Lilacs. However, the dance must be described, as I've never seen anything quite like it. It is very different from the well-known Lilac solo choreographed by Feodor Lopukhov in the early 1920s. The current Kirov production uses the ca.-1914 version created for Elizaveta Gerdt. It is expansive & lush - a perfect showpiece for a tall dancer with an "open" style, which is why I prefered Veronika Part. The three sections of the dance are, from audience viewpoint: (1) series of three extra-high grand jetes, from right to left, across the stage; (2) clockwise promenade of attitude poses on pointe, moving from front-center to back-center stage; and (3) series of quickly-darting pique-arabesques-penches into passe, alternating from one working foot to the other.

The rest of the Prologue is fairly familiar, so I won't dwell on it. However, I must point out the design of Carabosse's wheelbarrow, in the shape of a big ugly cat. Too, Carabosse's cape with an applique of a cat is memorable.

Act I:

Lovely setting in the classical garden of a French chateau, of which the entrance is to the right (audience perspective). Large grotto-like fountain with a statue of the trident-bearing Neptune at the back. Urns and pottery to the left.

The Knitting Women's episode is complete, with an extended mime passage for King Florestan. The four guest-princes are very much a part of this stage action; they don't just appear out of nowhere to partner Aurora in the Rose Adagio! In the Kirov tradition, the four princes are danced by principals or top-ranked soloists, as here, with Nikolai Godunov, Andrei G. Yakovlev, Ilya Kuznetsov & Denis Firsov.

The Village Waltzers were garbed in very simple costumes; the adult women wearing white cotton dresses with royal-blue pinafore aprons., and milkmaid caps.

Aurora's entrée solo is danced in the quick grand-jetes familiar from the Soviet version and not the diagonal of battements-tendu & simpler hops danced in the Royal Ballet version. Apparently, the Petipa jetes are correct. (Big surprise for me.)

As mentioned above, the Rose Adagio was a bit of a "back-to-reality" jolt, as the 180-degree extensions by both Zakharova & Vishneva broke the 1890s spell. Vishneva's other qualities made up for the anachronistic style. And the balances? Neither lady was outstanding but Vishneva was solid...although the conductor so rushed through the final passage of music that Vishneva was only able to complete three balances. (Did Noseda ever look up at the dancers? He was too busy dancing himself and giving cues to the instrumentalists, I think.)

It is interesting to note that, in this original 1890 version, the Rose Adagio is not merely a dance for Aurora & the four princes, but also 4 tall Ladies in Waiting (black knee-length dresses with gold trim), 4 petite "Mandolin Girls" (youthful white and pink dresses in rococco style), and 8 "Violin-playing page boys en travestie" (female dancers wearing rust-and-gold bloomer outfits). And these are the adult dancers. A number of child dancers also took part in the Rose Adagio stage action!

In Aurora's Act I solo, Zakharova was mechanical and lacked a "breathing" quality, although I must record that the audience on opening night went bonkers after her solo. Diana Vishneva was just-right in her blend of technique and artistry. Unlike Zakharova, she progressed in the backwards diagonal from single-pirouette, to a double, then a triple, then a triple-and-half (cheated the fourth turn).

The rest of Act I was fairly conventional-Aurora pricks her hand with the needle, Lilac puts the court to sleep, garden becomes overgrown with ivy, etc.

Act II:

A forest glade with a river in the background The Hunt Scene includes all of the characters indicated in the original libretto. Prince Desire shoots an arrow & hits a bull's eye...thanks to a little stage trickery, of course! The entourage of noblewomen-led by the tall, dark-haired Alexandra Gronskaya-play Blind Man's Bluff with Galifron & perform the "Dance of the Duchesses." This is followed by the Farandole for a large group of peasants, with nobles joining in. This is a major restoration, as the Farandole was danced by a peasant couple in the Soviet productions.

The Lilac Fairy arrives in a mother of pearl boat, with four little lilac cherubs in tow. Here, Lilac is wearing the famous corseted dress, lilac-topped helmet, long staff, and heeled slippers - this is the image that we most associate with Marie Petipa. The hourglass-figured Veronika Part does it justice!

The costumes for this scene are especially lovely, including Aurora's white tutu & "sunburst tiara." The Nymphs wear bright aquamarine/blue-green tutus and pearl choker necklaces. The lemon-yellow gold ringlets from the Soviet production are replaced by more elegant and mature coifs.

Lilac shows the Prince a vision of Aurora - not standing up as in most Western versions, but lying down, asleep in a grotto that rolls on & off the stage! Many choreographic details of the following Nymphs scene resemble the Royal ballet version. Gone is the pas de deux adagio from the Soviet version, with only Aurora & Desire dancing. Aurora's Act II solo is danced to the music that Tchaikovsky wrote for the Gold Fairy, with a series of high developes; this solo was danced in Act III by the Lilac Fairy in Soviet versions. Zakharova's sky-high extensions in this solo brought gasps from the appreciative audience. [I do miss Ashton's lovely choreography, to the real Aurora Act II solo music, in this spot! It's not 1890, however, and would be wrong here.]

On tour, only a few bars of the Panorama music are played, as there is no Panorama stage setting to be seen. You will need to book your Aeroflot ticket to St. Petersburg to see that. Instead, as cited above, the Met audience heard the violin entr'acte, sublimely played by the Kirov's concertmaster, Alexander Vasiliev, as our eyes focused on the front-curtain (vase of lilacs on a balustrade).

The Awakening scene in Aurora's bedchamber takes place in yet another luxurious and complete stage setting. (In most productions, this is usually treated as a throw-away scene staged before a bare-bones set...just a prelude for the Wedding, which immediately follows. Not so here!) Another rarity is the use of every measure of music written by Tchaikovsky for this scene, continuing for several minutes after the kiss. However, I must say that I was disappointed with the omission of a very important detail cited by many contemporaries who attended the original production at the Mariinsky, in the 1890s: immediately after Desire kisses Aurora, there should be a burst of flames in the fireplace and atop the candlesticks. Alexander Benois, Serge Diaghilev and so many other mention the bright flames, that I kept waiting for them, to no avail. To me, this music is so Wagnerian in its power & orchestration, it practically screams out for Brunhilde & Siegfried's "Magic Fire Music"!

So ends Act II...11 p.m. and the third intermission begins.

Act III:

An opulent & very sunny Louis XIV garden setting, with a palace atop stepped terraces in the background (somewhat akin to Peterhof, the Summer Palace of the Tsars). The act begins with the seldom-heard March in its entirety against which a corps of sixteen "Quadrille Couples" enter, along with the four jewel fairies, the King & Queen, and Aurora & Desire. The young couple are dressed in full regalia, including a replica of the Russian Imperial Coronet (as designed for Catherine the Great) atop Aurora's head, instead of the design worn by Carlotta Brianza in 1890.

The Polonaise which follows is one of the most spectacular numbers in this production, as it involves many Perrault fairy-tale characters - not just the ones who perform in the ensuing divertissement. The costumes are ultra-luxurious. Many of the characters are carried onto the stage on special platforms or chaise-longues (not just the White Cat, as in most Western productions of the ballet). Most memorable are the Canari Fairy in a huge golden cage, the Lilac Fairy in a blossoming chaise, and even Carabosse is there, in a rat-shaped platform.

The Diamond Quartet is exactly as we know it from Soviet productions - this being one of the pieces that Konstantin Sergeyev did not alter in 1952. It begins with a sparkling trio for the Fairies Silver (Yulia Kasenkova), Sapphire (Tatiana Nekipelova) and Gold (Yelena Koziakova). Maestro Noseda took this number at a breakneck pace and, to their credit, the three dancers kept it together, dancing quickly and crisply...with Nekipelova's high entrechats particularly admirable. Beautiful redheaded dancer, Elvira Tarassova, was simply magnificent as the Diamond Fairy on both evenings, dancing as brilliantly as a multi-faceted diamond. Like Vishneva, Tarassova is a dancer who radiates warmth and good feelings in everything I've seen her dance. In short, she's a born Aurora and, one would hope, will someday dance the leading role.

Xenia Ostreikovskaya & Yuri Fateyev are two of the most expressive Cats I've ever seen. Their rendition of the Petipa choreography for this piece showed that the 1890 original was extra-flirty and playful....and has no lifting of the girl onto the male cat's shoulders at the end.

The Bluebird pas de deux was problematic on both nights. On opening night, it was dark-haired Daria Pavlenko (the 2nd-cast Lilac) with Anton Korsakov, a light-as-a-feather jumper who graduated from the Vaganova Academy just last year. Pavlenko's powerful attack and stage personality was all-wrong for Florine and she seemed to struggle to keep pace with the music. (The phrasing of the 1890 version is VERY different from what we are used to seeing - similar steps, but at different points in the music. Everybody in the audience thought that Pavlenko fluffed her steps, which wasn't true. She was off, though.) The second night's pair reversed the light-and-heavy configuration-a light and delicate Florine (Svetlana Ivanova - reed-thin among the thin) and a thundering Bluebird (Vasily Sherbakov, who hit the stage like a ton of bricks). I would have loved to see Ivanova with Korsakov.

Red Riding Hood was a pleasant interlude with delicate blonde Yelena Vasiukovich pursued by Nikolai Zubkovsky II's Wolf. (This dancer is the grandson of Inna Zubkovskaya & Nikolai Zubkovsky I, both superstars of the Kirov from the 1940s to the early 60s.)

The rarely-seen character dance for Cunderella and Prince Fortune (Polina Rassadina & Maxim Khrbetov) is next. It is interesting in that Cinders maneuvers a small bellows, squirting air in a flirtateous manner at Fortune, as he tries to place the missing slipper on her foot.

The final episode before the Grand Pas de Deux is a funny dance for Tom Thumb and his five brothers, danced by male students. The boys try to outwit a knife-wielding Cannibal.

Finally the Grand Pas de Deux. Aurora & Desire have changed into their pale-lilac dancing garb - a classical tutu for the princess & an odd Spanish-looking outfit, complete with bolero, for the prince. Perfect but aseptic rendering of the dance by Zakharova & Zelensky; pure joy and artistry by Vishneva & Fadeev. As almost all of you know, the 1890 version contained no fishdives; there is one swan dive at the end of the adagio. Vishneva was delicious and carefree in the pizzicato solo - totally in synch with the music, her steel pointes seeming to giggle through the diagonal!

A joyful Mazurka is followed by the grand finale: the spectacular Apotheosis of the Fairies and Gods. The garden-cascade backdrop rises to reveal a multi-tiered tableau-vivant among the clouds,topped by Apollo on a chariot. The Lilac Fairy is directly beneath him. The other Prologue Fairies are to her right (audience-left), while Carabosse is audience-right, chased by spear-wielding gods! Many cherubs in lilac populate the scene plucking harps and flutes. Many, many garlands of roses are lowered from the ceiling before the curtain closes.

The perfect ballet - the perfect extravagana. Heartfelt thanks to Mariinsky Theater director Valeri Gergiev, Kirov Ballet director Makhar Vasiyev, and (especially) to Kirov notation-interpreter & soloist, Sergei Vikharev, for kissing this BEAUTY back to life. May she never sleep again!