The Gala Opening of the Mariinsky II on ARTE: Ah, Those Mariinsky Ballerinas!

As part of its Christmas programming, the ARTE television channel last night brought us the opening gala concert of the Mariinsky Theater Second Stage, which took place on 2 May this year.

The concert, which featured such mega stars as Plácido Domingo, Rene Pape and Anna Netrebko, and of course the host Valery Gergiev, was a stunning display of music and dance on the highest level.

However, the ones who made the evening truly memorable, at least for this "reviewer", were the Mariinsky ballerinas. To me, they are the essence and the beauty of the Mariinsky tradition:

Yekaterina Kondarouva

Yekaterina Kondarouva

The Mariinsky Children's Chorus was another of the evening's highlights:

 

And, of course, Boris Godunov in all his splendour:

Evgeny Nikitin

 

Still another highlight: The Song of the Volga Boatmen

 

Bass Mikhail Petrenko and the Mariinsky Chorus

The 300th Anniversary Gala of the Paris Opera Ballet School on ARTE

The Paris Opera Ballet School has for three hundred years carried on its mission: to pass on its traditions to future dancers. The French-German television channel ARTE last night broadcast the spectacular 300th Anniversary Gala from the Palais Garnier  in Paris.

It was Ludvig XVI, the Sun King, who founded the ballet school 300 years ago.

The evening began with a new creation, "D'ores et déjà", by choreographers Béatrice Massin und Nicolaus Paul, which combined baroque and modern style. The piece was set to music by Jean-Philippe Rameau:

A extract from Gounod's Faust was one of the other highlights of this wonderful evening of superior dancing:

Television director François Roussillon should also be congratulated. He and his team did a marvelous job in bringing the action to the living rooms of - hopefully - millions of viewers. 

The Beauty of the Mariinsky Ballerinas

The other day I watched the 2007 Mariinsky Theater version of Tchaikovsky´s Swan Lake. What a wonderful performance!

The star of the evening is of course the great Ulyana Lopatkina, who together with the other stunningly beautiful Mariinsky ballerinas makes this an unforgettable performance.

The Madonna of the Mariinsky

The Grand Re-Opening of the Bolshoi Theatre

The grand re-opening of the Bolshoi Theatre - broadcast live on Arte last night - was one of those programmes one will never forget. It was a wonderful evening with music and dance on the highest level in the gorgeous setting of the beautifully renovated theatre. At least for this viewer the highlight was Svetlana Zakharova (dancing together with Andrei Uvarov) in the White Adagio from the Swan Lake.

The unforgettable Svetlana Zakharova together with Andrei Uvarov 

After six years of renovation both the exterior and the interior look great

 Hopefully Arte will soon rebroadcast the re-opening gala for those who missed it last night!