Onegin revisited: Vienna State Ballet, Dec. 23rd, 2021

Dec 27

Dec 27 Onegin revisited: Vienna State Ballet, Dec. 23rd, 2021

Audiences seem to be dying for some live entertainment and therefore willing, more than ever, to forgive some faults on stage. A natural reflection of the times we are going through. More to that later.

Fact is: There's nothing better than a good Story, especially when it is well told. And last night's audience was prepared to enjoy the performance and a story.

To be quite honest, I was also willing to oversee some facts and the liberties that John Cranko took with the original – for (very effective) dramaturgic purposes – like Onegin's letter to Tatjana, which she, according to the original, does not want to give back to him and does not tear apart (as he did with hers) because she had burned it.

Reid Anderson was prevented from coming to Vienna to personally supervise the staging of the present „revival". A fact that I regret. Once more, even though the whole production was „cleaned and polished" personally by Mr Anderson less than two years ago, there is again an immense need for more precise coaching than „Zoom conferences" can give. Why? Because of too many changes in the company, too many new dancers, lack of experience.

If you don't exactly know what I am talking about, and perhaps think I am being too high-browed, just think of the grandeur of the partial and apparent simplicity in Cranko's choreography, his „solutions" (be them for pas-de-deux, solos or the Corps) that are always very effective: They are combined with precision, extreme precision – and yes, I am talking about heads, arms, very exact effacées. Everything is millimetrically, strictly choreographed. When I just think of the last pose after the Third Act's Mazurka. I can only remember arms in every single position and height possible.

Rebecca Horner gives a good portrayal of the mother although I question her being cast in this role because of her height. She reminded me somehow of the actor who played beside Barbra Streisand in „On a clear day you can see forever", causing, especially while standing among shorter Dancers from the Corps, more of a humorous, witty effect than intended to.

Copyright: Ashley Taylor / Vienna State Ballet

Very special praise to Denys Cherevychko, in magnificent form, whose „Lensky" I have witnessed many times before, not only for his portrayal – he never „repeats" a performance and seem to be always in search of new details, tiny little ones, to either enhance the character or add a personal note according to the day and his biorhythm – but because his casting beside Aleksandra Lianshenko was not the happiest one. Her being cast in this role is the question. Nothing came through. Even after Lensky's Death, there was only her body on the floor, just waiting for the lights to go down to finish the act. No emotional projection. The role of Olga can be easily stereotyped – when it is played as Olga. It is therefore impossible for this critic to write about Miss Liashenko's performance since it had not in the slightest, absolutely anything to do with the character.

Some people commented (My ears are always quite open during intermissions) on the „big surprise" of Igor Milos' portrayal of Gremin. For me, it was not a surprise. Having followed Mr Milos' career for many years, I knew that he would not let the audience down. Remembering an interview with him, quite a few years ago, it is curious to think that he once said that he prefers abstract roles instead of narratory ones. For this fact it was even more interesting to witness him telling this „story". And how well he told it. The story of a more subtle, human, reachable Gremin than he is often portrayed (I mean the cold, hard militarist). His "finesse" combined with his unique presence and skills (a great partner) made his interpretation an „eye-catcher". which the audience could relate to.

Miss Hyo-Jung Kang, an experienced „Cranko interpreter" for many years at the „Stuttgarter Ballet" - gave us a very musical, fragile, and correct Tatjana. Her arms are very special. Her use of them is filled with a very clever, thought of, effect fluidness. Unfortunately, my attention was diverted to her not well-distributed energy in the area over the diaphragm. Emotions, Depth... everything is there but this uneven fluidness causes her to keep continuously and constantly opening her mouth – a kind of emotional strangulation (turned physical) as if the energy was somehow obstructed, being turned into just tension – a fact that was extremely obvious especially during the first act.

Mr Jason Reilly, a Onegin who I have always wanted to see. His interpretation yesterday took a „place d'honneur" in my line of „preferred" Evgeny Onegins (like Evan McKie and long before him, the unforgettable Richard Cragun). Although I was disappointed by the fact that Roman Lazik could not dance yesterday, I was also delighted by the chance of watching Mr Reilly's performance. I could not have been more delighted. His self-centred, ironic, angry, arrogant portrayal is something that sets quite a scale for others to follow. The only, at the moment available Dancer from the Vienna State Opera dancing the title role (Mr Lazik is injured and Marcos Menha has not yet had his début; Onegin being surely his ordeal of fire as of he is a Principal or not) is Eno Peçi and he surely does great justice to this interesting character. He gives him a constant intelligent reading. Apart from all the character lines mention above, Onegin has also to have that certain carriage (that cannot be „peasant-like"; surely a reason why Reid Anderson refused this role to an ex-Dancer who wanted to dance „Onegin" on his farewell performance) and Mr Reilly personifies exactly the single elegance, sophistication required for this role. A brilliant Dancer, not only what abilities such as jumps, turns are concerned but a dancer with an exciting presence on stage. He tells many stories.

As I have written at the beginning of this review: Audiences seem to be dying for some live entertainment and it was quite interesting to hear comments during the intermissions like „Isn't it lovely to see a ballet like this again?", „So good to see such beautiful costumes on stage again", „It had been such a long time" (This made me think of the last première on Nov. 14th and the audience's gasp when the curtain opened and the diagonal with dancers in tutús was formed for „Symphony in C". It had been so long since they had seen something similar (even tutús) on the stage of the Opera that they seemed to have forgotten it. This made me think during the way home, of the Opera's occupancy and how it is going to be when there's no excuse, financially speaking, because of Covid-19 to the bad occupancy. When it is at last clear that a repertoire house, supported by tax-payers money should invest in the kind of repertoire that attracts the public to the House, in the kind of repertoire that audience's want to see – which does not mean that any artistic concessions should be made and no new projects should be restrained from reaching the public – there is but a need of a better „balance" (so incredibly needed and important in Dance itself) between being creative, artistical and being economically oriented. I'll leave you with that today.