FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Spartacus, Kate the Shrew on the way

Spartacus, Kate the Shrew on the way

A stream of great ballet productions will be part of this autumn's Festival of Dance and Music

Spartacus, Kate the Shrew on the way

IN ITS 19th year, Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance and Music again brings an eclectic collection of performances, from classical ballet to Broadway musicals, spread over five and a half weeks in September and October and with more than a thousand artists taking part.
Ballet – to be presented at the Thailand Cultural Centre – this year comes in for a great deal of attention. Giving audiences their fix of this art form will be the Ekaterinburg Ballet & Opera Theatre and Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre from Russia, the Malandain Ballet Biarritz from France and the Stuttgart Ballet from Germany.
The Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theatre is one of the oldest opera and ballet theatres in Russia. In April it won the Golden Mask in Moscow, recognising it as its home country’s best ballet company.

 

Spartacus, Kate the Shrew on the way


The company is presenting two classical works – the two-act “Katya & the Prince of Siam” on September 11 and a three-act “Cinderella” on September 13.
The new production of the romantic “Katya & the Prince of Siam” will see its world premiere in Bangkok. With a libretto by Yana Temiz and music by Pavel Ovsyannikov, this is the tale of Prince Chakrabongse and his romance with a beautiful Russian girl, Katya.
The young prince has been sent by his father the King of Siam, to the elite Page Corps in Russia, a move meant to cement diplomatic ties between the countries. Once there, the handsome prince is invited to social balls, and at one he meets Katya. They fall in love and the rest is history.
The ballet incorporates elements of Thai classical dance and is choreographed by Vasily Medvedev of the Bolshoi Theatre, an Honoured Artist of Estonia. Conducting the orchestra will be Mikhail Granovski, also of the Bolshoi.
Sergei Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” is one of his most popular compositions. Created between 1940 and 1944, it has inspired choreographers from the very first performance.

 

Spartacus, Kate the Shrew on the way


The full-scale production coming to Bangkok is choreographed by Vladimir Vasiliev, former principal dancer of the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet. It is the most magical and impressive staging of the ballet ever, with dazzling costumes, spectacular sets and a stage designed by award-winning Vyacheslav Okunev from St Petersburg, an honoured People’s Artist of Russia.
Also from Russia comes the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the original home company of the great Rudolf Nureyev. The theatre’s creative principles and traditions found reflection in Nureyev’s art – and the same principles and traditions guide the theatre even today, finding reflection in all their productions.
In Bangkok, the troupe will present the three-act “Spartacus” on September 15 and a three-act “Le Corsaire” on September 17. Both are choreographed and staged by the esteemed Yuri Grigorovich, who’s been the |recipient of numerous awards and titles.
Designed by award-winning Simon Virsaladze, a People’s Artist of the USSR and laureate of the Lenin Prize and the State Awards of the USSR, the ballet is based on the novel “Spartacus” by Raffaello Giovagnoli. The dramatic and volatile score by Aram Khachaturian is one of the best-known works of the Russian ballet tradition.

 

Spartacus, Kate the Shrew on the way


The story follows the exploits of the leader of Thracian king, Spartacus, enslaved by the Roman consul Crassus. Spartacus leads a slave uprising against the Romans to rescue his wife Phrygia and other Thracian women.
“Le Corsaire” is based on the poem by Lord Byron. With music by Adolphe Adam, it was first performed at the Paris Grand Opera in 1856. The Bangkok production is choreographed and staged by Grigorovich.
The story follows Conrad, chief of the pirates, and Medora, the young Greek woman he loves. The action moves from the town of Andrianople, where he buys her, to the pirates’ lair and a pasha’s palace on the island of Cos. Medora is sold on to the pasha by Conrad’s right-hand-man. Conrad rescues her but is captured and sentenced to death.
These four Russian productions also mark the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Russia.
The next ballet offering comes from France – “Beauty and the Beast” by Malandain Ballet Biarritz, set for October 2.
One of the most important companies on the French choreographic landscape, Malandain Ballet Biarritz, under the direction of Thierry Malandain, is recognised for its take on contemporary ballet.

 

Spartacus, Kate the Shrew on the way


Malandain looks at “Beauty and the Beast” not as the stereotypical fairytale romance but as dark coming-of-age story, an allegorical tale focusing on the portrayal of the artist’s inner demons through the Beast’s duality.
“Belle embodies the human soul and the Beast is its life force and instincts,” Malandain explains. Portraying the “lost” unity of human nature, accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s symphonic works, this version of the Beast, freed from his inner demons, marries Belle under a blazing sun.
The sets by Jorge Gallardo are inventive and the Louis XIV-era costumes with bell-skirted dresses and frock coats in muted gold are truly fantastic.
“Taming of the Shrew” by the Stuttgart Ballet on October 18 and 19, one of its hallmark productions, rounds off the ballet offerings this year.
John Cranko’s ballet, in two acts, is based on the classic William Shakespeare tale. Set to the music of Kurt-Heinz Stolze (after Domenico Scarlatti), this is one of the greatest ballet comedies of the 20th century. George Balanchine declared it “just as amusing to see in dance form as it is in the spoken theatre”.
A determined Petruchio is out to subdue the quick-tempered Katherine and make her an obedient wife. The comedy unfolds as Katherine lets her defences down and realises that Petruchio loves her for herself.
The cheerful music by Domenico Scarlatti, orchestrated by Kurt-Heinz Stolze, and the colourful costumes and sets by Elisabeth Dalton, evoke the sunlit streets of Padua, Italy, making it a delightful ballet perfect for the entire family.
The programme is not easy to pull off but for the support and sponsorship of the Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, BMW Thailand, B Grimm Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Ministry of Culture, Nation Group, PTT, Singha Corp, Thai Airways International and Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Classics on Top

- Seats are on sale at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com |and (02) 262 3191.
- Find out more at www.BangkokFestivals.com.

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