A short talk with Alexandru Tcacenco - Demi Soloist, Vienna State Ballet: Creative processes, Mar 22nd, 2017

Vienna:  March 22nd, 2017

A short talk with Alexandru Tcacenco (Demi Soloist, Vienna State Ballet)

RL – Good evening, Sascha! First many thanks for finding the time for an exchange of thoughts about Gremin. Your “reading” of this character was full of revelations for me – I’ll tell you about that later. How do you create your characters?

AT – You’re welcome. You see, I always try to research the “history” (not only the “story”) of the characters: who are you? Where do come from? How are you? Your social status? And what if you are Prince and also in the military? Who are you?

RL – I see… I really see it. Your reading was very different from some “cliché-like” interpretations which I have seen all over the years. Earnest and extremely “commanding”, in full control of the situation. Emotionally, he dominated her. That may be the reason why Tatjana stays faithful to him… 

AT – In Gremin’s very own special case it was not easy to research. There is not much written about this character. Just interpretations. But a prince in Russia – had his duties…

RL – One thing that was extremely important for me: at last I could “build a bridge” between you – the Prince, the military man, the commander – and Tatjana. She was all the time “lost” during the first and the second acts… haunted but also dreamy, romantic. In the third act she COMMANDS Onegin to leave her Boudoir…

AT – And?

RL – That is why I could only understand TODAY that she had learnt this from Gremin… It was not an automatic, spontaneous reaction. She had been “bred” by him and commanding turned out to be a natural thing to her! At last I could understand what John Cranko meant – he was so sensitive about character building. I have always wondered why Gremin was such a “superficial” man.  He was not. The interpretations were. You made that very clear to the audience today. Thank you!

 Ricardo Leitner / Attitude-devant