Swan lake, revisited: Vienna State Ballet (Wiener Staatsballett), June 20th 2024

Jun 24

Jun 24 Swan lake, revisited: Vienna State Ballet (Wiener Staatsballett), June 20th 2024

Swan Lake – revisited, Vienna State Ballet (Wiener Staatsballett), June 20th, 2024

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

Quite informally, I want to start this review, by recommending my critique from June 14th, in which I extensively reported on the present condition of the Corps de Ballet due to the level of „coaching" and the deficit in proper training that has caused so many injuries in the company during the last months (and the subsequent necessary casting of members of the Junior Company and Volksopera – a company, which I consider everyday more and more the Operetta & Musical kind of company, not a repertoire company as the Vienna State Ballet – at the Vienna State Opera - should be). For this kind of information, please consult my last review, as mentioned before, by clicking the link below. There is no point in being repetitious and writing the long oration again as nothing has changed in the last six days:

Critique from June 14th, 2024

The only addition worth mentioning is the diagonal exit of the whole Corps de Ballet nearly at the End of the first act: The dancers were in real trouble, musically, and the whole, normally very effective exit was so muddled in its execution with the wrong tempo and lack of synchronization within the couples that it resembled more of a "wedding cake" than an elegant "exit", as originally conceived choreographically.

There were quite a few débuts some more mentionable than others.

Even though Céline Janou Weder and Lourenço Ferreira were not mentioned in the programme (my last critique referred to “incoordination”), they gave, what I consider the best Corps de Ballet début of the evening in the "Waltz" from the first act: precision and the right style in unison.

Natalya Butchko did a very good job as one of the Prince's comrades and Marie Breuilles and Alexandra Inculet combined temperament, good stage presence and personality as the Spanish Dancers.

Unfortunately, Giogio Fourés, a very talented dancer who also debuted as one the Prince's comrades (a part in which he was very pin-pointed and precise), gave a poor, wrong impersonation of the Hungarian Dancer, accompanied by Sveva Gargiulo (she is also one of the incoordinated little Swans in the second and fourth act, unfortunately a "notch above" her present pouvoir), who is also completely mistaken in the way she treats character Dance. Another Coaching problem? Too little time for rehearsals? Or simply wrong casting?

Copyright: Vienna State Ballet / Michael Pöhn

The most awaited début of the evening was Timor Afshar as Prince Siegfried. Mr Afshar, who joined the company this season had his first Siegfried yesterday. A difficult task that was surely combined with first-night willies and extreme concentration, as always required when entering new "terrain". Having been slowly built during the last months he had his first „Début" in Heinz Spoerli's long, boring and very outdated „Goldberg Variations" and just recently as Armand in Neumeier's „La Dame aux Camélias" and in the Pas-de-Cinq in this very „Swan Lake", just last June 14th. In both Ballets, he gave us an extremely competent, promising interpretation, not only technically precise but also, in the case of Armand, a (whole) character filled with enormous depth, and who could „pass" the details of the Story to the Audience – and you all know how I admire a good „Story-Telling". For me, there is nothing better than to have a story beautifully told. My résumé: One should invest more time in Mr Afshar’s future. A talented, intelligent and very gifted Dancer.

Because Jakob Feyferlik (Principal Munich State Ballet, ex-Principal at The Vienna State Ballet and HET) injured himself and had to cancel his planned performances in Vienna, Mr Afshar had to jump in (His début as Siegfried was planned for October). This meant just two weeks of rehearsals and no Stage rehearsal. Hardly the best conditions for a début in such a complex, difficult, tricky and long role. His Siegfried was fabulous. Of course, there were here and there some flaws, especially in partnering, that were hardly noticeable to the general public. He not only mastered the (quite exhausting) role technically but gave an intelligent "reading" of the character in his plenitude. His innocence in the first act, followed by his wide-eyed behaviour in the second contrasted very well with his joy and deception in the third and made us sad while he was facing his death on the fourth. He played the gamut of emotions very well, giving consistency and depth to "his" Siegfried.

Andrey Teterin played Rothbart in a key I had not seen before. He also makes the best out of this most ungrateful of roles. His presentness is amazing; strong, powerful, masculine and intentionally wickedly erotic. All this gives another dimension to a role that is usually played with (just) meanness of character. Mr Teterin went beyond that and gave Rothbart a "story", a "motive". One that we can always interpret in different ways. But a motive. A clever, intelligent reading of the character. Very perceptive and astute work. I like that! Mr Teterin always very good on stage.

But before I continue this review, I would like to give you something to think about, a kind of "kick-off", something that describes precisely what we have witnessed on stage: The prince in Ferenc Mólnar’s last soliloquy in his play "The Swan" (I would rather call it a soliloquy, not a monologue):

Prince Albert: Your father used to call you his swan, or at least so I am told. I think that's a good thing to remember. Think what it means to be a swan. Glide like a dream on the smooth surface of the lake, and never go on the shore. On dry land, where ordinary people walk, the swan is awkward, even ridiculous. When she waddles up the bank she painfully resembles a different kind of bird, n'est-ce-pas?

Princess Alexandra: A goose.

Prince Albert: I'm afraid so. And there she must stay, out on the lake; silent, white, majestic. Be a bird, but never fly; know one song but never sing it until the moment of her death. And so it must be for you, Alexandra. And high, cool indifference to the staring crowds along the bank. And the song? Never.

Think of that!

Even though Nureyev forcefully turned the Prince into the main role in his "Swan Lake" version, Olga Esina "reverted the playing cards" and turned Odette/Odile definitely into the starring roles of the evening who are "supported" by the prince. A difficult task that has solely to do with an essential thing called: personality. Know-how, Intelligence, and Sensibility (or, should I only say, "Star quality"?) has lots to do with it.

She finished the Season for many of the constant Ballet-goers (who won’t go to the Nureyev Gala because of the absence of international guests) at the Vienna State Opera with a magnificent performance of pure consistency which they can keep on their minds during this Summer. They could go home relaxed and happy because this time there was a Swan on Stage. And this is (definitely) a good thing to remember.

About yesterday's performance, I want to start with just a mention of how refreshing and reassuring it was to witness a Swan on stage again: Olga Esina masters this role and the „mood" of what it is to be a Swan with such certainty and love for details. Her majestic upper-body use, framed by her beautiful arms, hands, neck and head and her brilliant way of acting reminded me of the use of the 88 keys on a Grand Piano - all keys were present in her interpretation. A Swan in full consistency from A to Z: From delicacy to sharpness, from fear to love, from submission to dominance, from doubt to malignancy, from servitude to triumphalism, and from despair to fatalism... It was all there. "Her" Odette was pure, dignified, honest, tender – a princess through and through who conquered our sympathy immediately. On the other hand "her" Odile was sharp, mischievous, distrustful, bad – and one could feel all this by just looking at the way she held her head, not straight and erect as Odette but slightly inclined, so that her way of looking at things was filled with deceit, falsehood and (on top of it all) all this "framed" by that glamorous Cheshire cat's smile. One can see and feel that her way of constructing the characters is dense, very well thought out, complete and not just the result of a singular rehearsal. There are lots of thoughts, questions, "homework" and considerations involved in her creation. Fascinating.

I must add that her concept of the duality represented in both characters has "matured" with time. Again I must use the word "fascinating" but it is the only one that represents faithfully the state of mind to which she led us with her Artistry. It is also incredible to realize how she continuously changed her interpretation during the last few years. Maturity has everything to do with it and with such a sensitive embodiment of the characters. Balance. Her Odette is fragile and endearing and her Odille a dangerous, opportunistic femme-fatale. All this added to the natural beauty of Miss Esina. Some may criticize me and say that this is not "relevant" for a ballet critique – but let us be honest, isn't it so much more pleasant, and enjoyable to look at such beautiful classical features?

I won't mention her technique (the way people nowadays superficially think of technique, just thinking of the bravura aspects and not of what "technique" really means) except to say that her performance was exquisite and her perfect 32 fouéttes were effective and striking. Single fouéttes impress much more than "doubles". This for sure.

Miss Esina brought down the house. Her husband, another unforgettable retired dancer, Mr Kyrill Kourlaev was sitting just a few seats away from me. Once I got a glimpse of his face and I could “read” in it how delighted, surprised and excited he was with such a display of emotions. The audience roared with delight. It had been a long time since I had heard such enthusiasm, such applause. Such a long time since I had witnessed so much love being sent from the audience to an Artist. A moment to treasure, a rare moment that is not an everyday "thing" at an Opera House. Unforgettably complete.

And all this because a Swan was again on stage.

A Swan.

Ricardo Leitner

a t t i t u d e

Vienna, June 21st, 2024

P.S. It would be so “nice” to have at last another version of “Lac” here in Vienna. Nureyev’s egocentrism is not justifiable any more. That’s a fact.