Swan Lake, revisited: Vienna State Ballet (Wiener Staatsballett), June 14th, 2024.

Jun 17

Jun 17 Swan Lake, revisited: Vienna State Ballet (Wiener Staatsballett), June 14th, 2024.

Swan Lake: A sad and uncoordinated affair.

Not for the first time have I left a performance and had a single word in my mind that managed to describe what I had just witnessed. Just one. Unfortunately, this time the only word that sticks to my mind regarding yesterday's „Swan Lake" is „Incoordination".

Copyright: Ricardo Leitner / a t t i t u d e

To be very honest, nothing could bring me more joy than reviewing positively a show at the Vienna State Opera but this hasn't happened for quite a long time and it looks as if I will have to wait for the new Ballet directrice, Miss Alessandra Ferri, to start her work here in September 2025. The present director does not have much interest anymore in the company and has left the burden of casting, rehearsals, planning etc. to his assistant, who, as it seems does not have the proper experience to lead a company. But that is another story completely and has nothing to do with this critique.

Incoordination in British English is defined as a „Lack of coordination or organization" or (pathologically) „a lack of muscular control when making a voluntary movement". Think about that.

The scene opened with no one less than Igor Millos, the kind of dancer (as I have mentioned many times before) you can rely on. A dedicated member of the Corps de Ballet who has danced quite a significant number of solo roles led us to the Beginning of the Story. He not only has a presence on stage but stands out because of his presentness. He is right there on stage. Present not only physically but emotionally.

How I wish the level of expectation after those few bars had been kept to such a high standard. But yesterday's Performance was in many points once more a big deception and disappointment.

One fully realizes that there were not enough rehearsals – isn't this a bit of irresponsibility? Apart from that, the fact is that the rehearsal team should be sent to a „refresher course". At least Miss Necsea, Mr Gaudernak, and Mr Lesage have had experience with Nureyev's choreographies. I don't think Miss Rachedi has ever danced this Swan Lake version: Some points, and emphasis were musically completely wrong. The Nureyev Foundation could be of great help as the in-house resources don't seem to cope with the exactness and accuracy of the staging anymore.

I wrote some time ago that the company is „in trouble". This „Swan Lake" just proved my point. The Corps de Ballet and some soloists and principals are far from being in shape. Heads, Arms, Épaulements, Effacés, Croisés, and hands. HANDS! - all this is more than extremely important in “Lac”, a real necessity, “conditio sine qua non” to wrap the performance in the cellophane of exactitude! These components were not present and visible, not in the right way. But I don't blame the Dancers for that.

Lack of proper training and coordination within the Ballet Masters? Yes, I suppose so. Once more “Incoordination”. This is the reason why so many injuries have happened in the past months. Even with 6 extra dancers from the Junior Company and 3 other ones from the Volksopera on stage, there was a need to reduce 4 Swans in the fourth Act because so many dancers were injured – or (as I was told) „won't dance the performances" even if they are not on sick leave. I have never heard of such a thing. Also, this “reduction” on stage is something unheard of (except for the drastic actions taken during Covid times).

Copyright: Vienna State Ballet / Ashley Taylor

Many, very good members of the Corps were present (Céline Janou Weder, Laura Nistor, Gala Jovanovic, Marie Breuilles, Anita Manolova, Sveva Gargiulo, Trevor Hayden, Zsolt Török, Kristian Pokorný, Francois-Eloi Lavinac to mention some) but it is quite a task to be on stage with so many young, inexperienced dancers (or some who were brought into this repertoire company and have not a real connection to Classical Ballet). A hard task which once more „underlines" the term „Incoordination"!

I feel sad to have to write this – very sad indeed, but are all dancers, in these present circumstances, happy to go on stage? Are they enjoying what they are doing and how they are doing it? Think of that...

The „Pas de Cinq" in the first act went well. Timor Afshar and Arne Vandervelde were well coordinated and in unison. Aleksandra Liashenko (who danced bravely the most difficult variation of the whole pas de cinq) and Alice Firenze (who was not so „fiery" as I am used to experiencing her on stage) did a good job although the arms lacked a bit of – the word again – coordination.

Eno Peçi had the ungrateful task to once more play Rothbart, who strangely enough is called in the program „The Magician Rothbart" (Who is responsible for such written nonsense?) Mr Peçi commands the interpretation of Rothbart. Only a good Danseur is capable of saving this role, which was created this way by Nureyev to enhance “his” Prince Siegfried as the main character.

The little Swans (Alice Firenze, Sveva Gargiulo, Aleksandra Liashenko, and Anita Manolova) need more rehearsal – a general fact, by the way – due to a strong Lack of coordination: Incoordination.

The Spanish Dancers were in trouble. Iulia Tcaciuc was not in unison with Gala Jovanovic and did in every single movement „more" than her counterpart. Embarrassing: Higher legs, deeper cambrés. Uncoordination. Andrey Teterin did an average job but looked very good when compared to Calogero Failla, who was miscast. Another case of Incoordination.

The Polish Dance also went reasonably well, with Isabella Knights, Trevor Hayden, Céline Janou Weder, and Kristián Pkorný, even if a pair „stood out" (negatively) of the whole picture: Helena Thordas Christensen, who is obviously not a classical dancer and her partner Tomoaki Nakanome – another severe case of miscasting.

The Hungarian Dance left the audience cold. Perhaps because of the exaggerated attitude of Géraud Wielick towards the end of the number – isn't there anybody anymore to give proper corrections? Mr. Wielick used the same „trick" on „La dame aux Camélias", overdoing things to an extreme and leaving audiences cold, ignoring this inappropriate display of exaggeration.

With the passing of the years, many dancers performing the main roles of „the classics", begin to have here and there certain problems with the “bravura” side of Dancing. Most of them instinctively begin to work even more strongly on the emotional side of the „story-telling". Think of Fonteyn, think of Haydée, think of Plissetskaya. Liudmila Konovalova, on the contrary, gave us a totally emotionless picture of Odette/Odile. According to the libretto, from her first entrance, in which she is supposed to be afraid of the „Hunter" (The Prince) to her final goodbye to Siegfried, she ran the whole gamut of expressions from A to B. A motionless blank face. Liudmila Konovalova is no Swan.

She is but a capable dancer who is, erroneously, tending more and more to rely on her „abilities". I cannot call this „technique " because the real technique also includes the mastering of styles, knowing how to hold your head, neck, hands, and arms, move your upper body, and, most of all, knowing how to use Artistry in the story-telling process, reaching to the audience and convincing it either from your happiness or despair. Miss Konovalova, who once had a very fruitful period under the guidance of Manuel Legris, who made her a principal dancer, seems now to concentrate her energy on useless over-extensions (I know that tastes are not to be discussed but I consider them utterly vulgar) and on her natural „abilities". Manuel Legris knew how to obtain a sensitive (and sensible) performance out of her. Under his wing, she gave her finest performances. Presently her Dancing seems mechanic, reduced to the use of her legs – no upper-body „modulations", no heads, short arms, and even 26 Fouéttes (she did some doubles - I counted them carefully, breaking one of my own rules!) with a loose foot of the upper leg. Strangely, an occasional quite questionable and distracting shudder, which she repeated many times, was present in her interpretation. Was that supposed to look like a „frisson" and give us the feeling of a thrill? It did not work this way.

Naturally, audiences with a lesser knowledge of technique, style, etc. won't realize that, although the emotion could not be projected into the auditorium. One has to have a trained eye to see such details! There was also no real difference in the movement vocabulary of Odette and Odile. Odette is supposed to be softer, her movements are more „round", and tender – she normally gains the audience’s sympathy - and she never stops moving. NEVER. Most famously during the pas de deux of the second act. In this most poetic of pieces, Miss Konovalova moved from pose to pose. And sometimes terribly unmusically. Odile is quicker and sharper. The way she looks is suspicious and treacherous. But this did not happen yesterday on stage. Both characters seemed uncoordinated. I am sure that with the proper coaching, Miss Konovalova would return to her old self. She showed us already many times how her work can be. She is just being badly guided – or misguided – by the present team.

But, saving the best for the last, I have left the real good, mentionable things for the end of this very short review.

Paul Connelly conducted the Orchestra magnificently. Most of all (that is what counts for me during a ballet performance) with extreme care, accuracy, prudence, and adaptation skills, to suit the dancers, on what „tempi" are concerned. He accompanied and caressed the dancers with his music. All the „Bravo screams" that he received onstage while bowing after the performance was over, were more than deserved.

The bright and real Star of the Evening is Masayu Kimoto. I have been following the career of this most versatile of dancers for many, many years. It is a blessing to see, after perhaps 15 years, that he is still getting better with every performance. His work is not beautiful but sets quite a scale and example for others to follow. Such command, such virtuosity, such control. Everything is „en place". Perfect “placement”, positioning to every single movement. His precise masculinity on the surface makes him a careful, reliable, strong partner. It has been quite some time since I have seen such a precise performance.

To add some „icing to the cake", I still must comment on his „story-telling qualities" and the way he constructed Siegfried's character. In the first act, Siegfried is played in a nearly „boyish and dreamy" way, in the second act he matures as he falls in love in the dream-like atmosphere of the lake, in the third act deception makes him turn into a man, who will conclude his story sadly dying in despair in the fourth (as Odette just “bourrés” away?). Astonishingly effect full and effective.

It is no secret that Nureyev purposedly manipulated the story-telling and diverted much of the attention from Odette/Odile to Siegfried, a fact that is extremely criticized by Ballet-goers (except in Vienna, where people, unfortunately, do not even remember seeing another – better – version of this ballet), making me sometimes joke about it, calling it „Siegfried's Lake". Well, Rudolph, you would be proud of Mr Kimoto, you would have liked his performance. Because he turned yesterday's performance into HIS Lake. Bravo!

Ricardo Leitner

June, 15th, 2024.