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TELEGRAAF: ‘BEAUTIFULLY LYRICAL BAYADèRE’
The revival of the dazzling production of La Bayadère started last weekend in the Muziektheater in Amsterdam. Renowned ex-ballerina Natalia Makarova’s version of the exotic Romantic work from 1877 looks even better now than two and a half years ago, when the Dutch National Ballet first included the production in its repertoire.
The story tells of the love of the Indian temple dancer Nikiya for the noble warrior Solor who is, however, destined to marry a princess. So Nikiya is killed, but she haunts Solor’s mind as a shade. The couple are only reunited in death, after the furious gods destroy the temple during the wedding ceremony.
The typically nineteenth-century vision of India led to an exotic fairytale book filled with entertaining dances, alongside some beautiful Romantic ballet scenes, in which the original choreography by Marius Petipa has been preserved in part. The expressive arm movements are particularly representative of the St. Petersburg where Makarova trained and where she developed into one of the most important ballerinas of the twentieth century.
This style can look rather mannered if the movements are not infused with inner passion. In this regard, Makarova and her team have been even more successful this time in inspiring unity in everyone involved. The corps de ballet dance the famous scene in the Kingdom of Shades with exceptional uniformity, as the 24 dancers come on stage one by one in an enchanting symphony of arabesques.
Unearthly
Another improvement is the expressive and truly passionate interpretation of Anna Tsygankova, especially in the unearthly beauty of the apparition. It is remarkable how even when moving at top speed, she retains a precision that never detracts from her lyrical expression. She is well supported by Casey Herd who, though initially appearing rather lost in the role of Solor, gradually relaxes into his best performance to date. There is some strong acting from Vera Tsyganova as Princess Gamzatti. Though her performance is not yet technically brilliant, it shows great promise.
The ensemble, including a whole array of demi-soloists, are also shown off to good advantage in the virtuoso dances at the garden party where, by the way, the drum dance has been taken out.
Holland Symfonia, conducted by Ermanno Florio, also make their contribution to the success of the performance by playing Minkus’ effective score with verve. In short, this is the Dutch National Ballet at its best in a wonderful production that can remain as a gem of the repertoire for many years to come.
Eddie Vetter
12 october
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