Swan Lake: "Valse bluette" and "Un poco di Chopin" (reconciliation) pas de deux
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- The main Tchaikovsky pieces with delightful orchestration by Riccardo Drigo from the last act of the ballet, shown here in mime-free versions. Performed by Ekateria Kondaurova as Odette, Anastasia Nikitina and Oksana Skorik as the waltz soloists, Timur Askerov as Siegfried and Andrey Ermakov as Rothbart. I'm afraid the phenomenal Mariinsky corps stole the show from the leading soloists in yet another 'Swan Lake', but what else is new? I do think Kondaurova is a beautiful Odette though (at least in this excerpt, I'd have to rewatch her Act II) and I love her phrasing here.
You can watch the Royal Ballet version with mime here: • Ballet mime: Odette an...
You can watch the version with mime here: ua-cam.com/video/EbfUqsAivj0/v-deo.html
The set and lighting are beyond exquisite. It's like it's not even real it's so beautiful, the hues, the illuminations. I don't have the words. And I absolutely love the un-mime version. The black and white swans together, incredible. I think every corps member could be a principle. It's just that a certain few are lucky enough to get a ballerina trajectory and status. Russian ballet dancers are sublime.
Her Odette is so different from her Odile. I almost didn't recognise Kondaurova... She's so good, I can't even. I love her so much. She's my Queen, I swear.
The MOST charismatic corps de ballet in all the world. How DO they make that waltz end so beautifully and so expressively? It’s aurally and visually arresting.
Speaking as an old codger now, I have to say, the Maryinsky corps de ballet were even tighter and even more expressive, if that’s possible, during Oleg Vinogradov’s day, with Nina Ukhova as coach and demanding taskmaster for the corps de ballet. She’s featured at the beginning of your other welcome upload, “Backstage at the Kirov.” I was lucky enough to see the results of her work when the then-Kirov toured Los Angeles in the mid-80s. The corps’ expressive power and unerring unison in everything they did was astonishing!
Twenty years later, the now-Maryinsky blew into town again with their Swan Lake, this time led by Uliana Lopatkina. The corps were still wonderful, but they didn’t possess the same electrically charged expressiveness that their much earlier visit did.
Very very interesting. Thank you.
If done well, this for me is the saddest part of the whole ballet.
I agree. Then they ruin it all by giving us that embarrassing and giggle-inducing feather fight between Siegfried and Von Rothbart. The music cries out for a tragic ending, so today’s Russians should choreograph one.
me as well! i’ve cried to this
UN POCO DI CHOPIN 9:27
Flawless Oksana, beautiful Kondaurova (did not like the other girl though). Who is this part of the music from? In what year was this filmed?
You mean the waltz? It's the 'Valse bluette', and the pas de deux is danced to the music of a piece called 'Un poco di Chopin' -- both are by Tchaikovsky with orchestration by Riccardo Drigo.
Arlene Croce once wrote that Tchaikovsky had written too much music for Act One, and not enough for Act Four. These two pieces are certainly wonderful and worthy additions to the latter. I could watch and listen to these two musical sections alone for hours.
Who is the dancer in minute 1:18?
It's in the video's description - Oksana Skorik.
thesleepingsoter thank you! I wasn’t sure who was who😅
She's absolutely exquisite!!
Where can I find the full ballet on video? Where did you get this footage?