Nuriyev Festival-2016: gypsy girl, kind hunchback and evil monk
On 11 May, the International Festival of Classical Ballet named after Rudolf Nuriyev started on the stage of the Tatar Musa Jalil State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. At the opening night, there was the premiere of the ballet by Cesare Pugni and Riccardo Drigo 'La Esmeralda'. The correspondent of Realnoe Vremya watched the tragic story of the beautiful gypsy girl loved by the hunchback Quasimodo.
It is not a matter of Kschessinska
The tradition of giving the premiere at the opening night of the festivals – of Chaliapin, as well as of Nuriyev – justifies itself and gives a special charm to the openings of the fests. So it was yesterday: the crowded hall of the Opera Theatre was waiting for the premiere of La Esmeralda — the ballet, which took place in Kazan long time ago, so long ago that even the inveterate theatre-goers don't remember it.
This time, La Esmeralda by Cesare Pugni and Riccardo Drigo is in Kazan choreographed and staged by Andrey Petrov, the head of the Kremlin ballet, who also is the author of the libretto. This is the second referral of Petrov to the ballet La Esmeralda, he performed La Esmeralda with his troupe in 2006.
It is a pity that a beautiful romantic ballet, the libretto of which is based on the novel by Victor Hugo 'Notre Dame de Paris', now is associated with 'not ballet' stories at all. For example, with Mathilde Kschessinska, who played the role of Esmeralda, a mistress of the last Russian Emperor (Nicholas II – editor's note).
Or with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced the divorce with his wife during the intermission of this ballet. Paraphrasing a famous phrase of Leo Tolstoy, we can say that it is not a matter of Kschessinska or Putin but life and death. Life, love and death of the heroes of Hugo, which embodied on the theatrical stage.
The famous and majestic cathedral, staying still on the Île de la Cité, in some unknown way, like sends us a hello from the person with the name of whom the Kazan ballet fest is called. If you stand facing the facade of Notre Dame, behind will be the quay Voltaire, 21 – the last apartment of Rudolf Nuriyev. And if you mentally draw a straight line from the Cathedral's altar, it will run into the Grand Opera – the theatre, on the stage on which the Rudolph used to dance, and then was a director.
The story of the gypsy girl and the bell-ringer
Kazan 'La Esmeralda' is a romantic ballet in the classical sense of the phrase. With colourful costumes, a magnificent playing of the orchestra (respect to the music director and the chief conductor of the Theatre Renat Salavatov), with carefully recreated fragments of choreography by Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa and Agrippina Vaganova, shaded by the modern choreography by Andrey Petrov. And, of course, with images of romantic heroes of Victor Hugo's novel.
In fact, the work of three performers of the titular parties – Kristina Andreyeva, Mikhail Timaev and Nurlan Konetov — turned out to be deserved the benefit. Somehow it turned out that the love story between Esmeralda and Phoebus (Anton Polodyuk) is perceived not as acute as the love of the hunchback Quasimodo (Mikhail Timaev) to Esmeralda (Kristina Andreyeva).
Phoebus is just a beautiful dream, unattainable and unfulfilled, passion that will result in disappointment, at the same time, the love of Quasimodo is sacrificial, unselfish, and sublime.
Mikhail Timaev, Quasimodo, is, perhaps one of the successes of the dancer in recent times. The character is accurate on the psychology, as well as on the plastic, Timaev works on the verge of the grotesque. The dancer is not afraid to be ridiculous, absurd, but behind this external unattractiveness comes the tender love and generosity. The last scene when he brings dead Esmeralda gave the opportunity to the artist to show the tragic faces of talent that we still have not seen of Timaev.
The image of Claude Frollo (Nurlan Kanetov) turned out to be very convex. In fact, he is a villain with the appearance of a romantic hero. Black monk robes give the figure of Frollo a certain graphic quality. Kanetov in this play is harsh, impetuous, intense. He is a compressed spring that if going to straighten. He is restless and unhappy in his sinful passion and evil deeds.
Kristina Andreyeva, a prima ballerina of the Kazan Opera, — gentle, timid, but strong Esmeralda. The play that deserves all praises. Andreyeva, who always, from the outset, was a very technical ballet dancer, in the role of Esmeralda demonstrated that she grew up in a very good dramatic actress.
She works in the midtones, all the time she was like hiding something, she is inwardly filled, but do not allow to escape feelings over the edge. Her Esmeralda is pure and chaste, she begins to see and sees beyond the outer ugliness of Quasimodo his soul. Esmeralda, in a long white shirt, worn by an executor, is like the poor Shakespeare's Ophelia, also a victim of absurd circumstances.
Today La Esmeralda will be shown again at the festival. The main roles will be performed by the soloists of the Kremlin ballet.