Anna Karenina by Mariinsky Ballet
July 11-14, 2011
Metropolitan Opera, New York
Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet
It is difficult to imagine an artistic legacy closer to the heart of the classical ballet tradition than that of the Mariinsky Ballet, which has reclaimed that tsarist title after decades of being known by its Soviet name, the Kirov. In its 250 years of performing first on St. Petersburg stages and then around the world, the Mariinsky has given the world some of the greatest dancers and choreographers in the history of the art. Lincoln Center Festival and the Metropolitan Opera have joined forces in this return of the Mariinsky Ballet for these dazzling performances, their first Festival appearances in nearly a decade.
Artistic director Valery Gergiev, the dramatically imaginative musical interpreter who conducts many of these performances, is a passionate supporter of Russian music, especially the colorful orchestrations of Rodion Shchedrin. That love is eminently evident in this series, which includes Shchedrin’s full-length ballets Anna Karenina and The Little Humpbacked Horse, both choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, artist in residence at the American Ballet Theatre and a former director of the Bolshoi Ballet.
The acclaimed dancer Diana Vishneva, who The Washington Post recently called “as profoundly moving as I’ve ever seen,” takes center stage. Appearances by other dancers like the up-and-coming stars Yekaterina Kondaurova and Alina Somova and the majestic, glamorous Ulyana Lopatkina (who has “phrasing like an unhurried angel” —Financial Times) make this a not-to-be-missed balletic experience.
Anna Karenina is a sweeping two-act ballet that plumbs the psychological underpinnings of Tolstoy’s celebrated novel, telling that story with striking, minimalistic staging, dramatically intense dancing, and Shchedrin’s penetrating score.
Composer Rodion Shchedrin
Choreography Alexei Ratmansky
After the novel by Leo Tolstoy
Principal dancers
July 11 Diana Vishneva, Konstantin Zverev
July 13 Ulyana Lopatkina, Yuri Smekalov
July 14 Yekaterina Kondaurova, Andrei Yermakov
Co-presented by Lincoln Center Festival and the Metropolitan Opera
Sberbank is the primary sponsor of the Mariinsky Ballet’s performances at the Metropolitan Opera House. VTB Bank, Sberbank, Yoko Ceschina and Gazprom are the principal partners of the Mariinsky Theatre. White Nights Foundation of America is the North American Sponsor of the Mariinsky Theatre. Additional support provided by Aeroflot.
Venue: Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
Lincoln Center
New York, New York 10023
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