He Ballet of the Teatro Colónhelmed by Mario Galizzi, it kicked off its 2023 season with an arch-classic and hugely popular title: Swan Lakeoriginally created by choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov on a pre-existing score by Piotr I. Tchaikovsky.
From the successful one before 1895 in St. Petersburg to the present day, there have been countless performances of the opera with also countless adaptations, changes of point of view (in John Cranko’s revision, for example, the axis of the story is the prince Siegfried and not the swan woman), as well as modifications and deletions.
This Swan Lakewhich was integrated into the repertoire of the Ballet del Colón in its current and certainly definitive form in 2019, was created by the current director Mario Galizzi.
An “archicclassical” work.
At the beginning of this note the term “archicclassico” appears and it would be appropriate to broaden its meaning a little. On one side, Swan Lake It is a masterpiece of classical ballet – also called academic – with all or almost all the characteristics of that historical period of scenic dance.
On the other hand, it is also clear that, due to its persistence over time and the predilection that audiences from all over the world and from all eras have reserved for it, it has become what is called Un Clásico.
But if we refer to its form and style, we can verify that in the two white acts (they are known this way because the protagonist and the corps de ballet are dressed in white and generally embody beings from another world), their creator Lev Ivanov – Petipa’s assistant- not only recovered the characteristics of the French romantic ballet, a previous stage, but also anticipated the future thanks to his wonderful totally abstract choreographic designs.
Mario Galizzi, in his revival of this ballet, has made a welcome synthesis: it united the first act with the second and the third with the fourth, thus giving a reasonable duration to the work and supporting the plot more strongly.
Before
In the first performance, the prima ballerina Ayelen Sanchez she played the double role of Odette (the white swan, pure love object of Prince Siegfried) and Odile (the black swan, whom the prince mistakes for Odette thanks to a ruse by the witch Von Rothbart).
It is a tremendous challenge for any prima ballerina to embody these two contrasting roles, and Ayelén Sánchez has done it with lots of control and expressiveness, most notably in the role of the black swan. Federico Fernández, like Siegfried, was a solid partner and a very appropriate figure for his role as prince.
He Slowly from the second act, when Siegfried and Odette – who every night recovers her human form – meet and fall in love, is one of the most sublime moments in the history of dance, with the ineffable music of Tchaikovsky.
He pass to two of Odile and Siegfried in the third act, thus contrasting with the SlowlyAND another amazing scene.
the corps de ballet
It is very common to dwell on the protagonists of a classical ballet because the architecture of the work seems to be based on them, its scenes more powerful, or more lyrical or more emotional.
However, the structure is built on an absolutely fundamental element which is made up of the corps de ballet and the soloists.
In this Swan Lake the performance by the corps de ballet and soloists was outstanding, very well directed, coherent and beautiful.
Surely it is not correct to prevail on some soloists over others, but it is inevitable to quote Natalia Pelayo and Beatriz Boos in the “pas de trois” (completed with Federico Fernández) of the first act, bubbly and deliciously danced.
Very good and very convincing the sorcerer Von Rothbart by Alejo Cano Maldonado, in a role more acted than danced, by Analía Sosa Guerrero in the role of the queen mother.
All the typical dances of the third act are beautiful and the entire corps de ballet is extremely firm and expressive, like the swans of the two white acts.
This relatively short cycle of performances, in which there will be other interpreters of the Teatro Colón in the main roles, will be closes on 22nd and 23rd April with the participation of the Argentine superstar of the Royal Ballet Marianela Núñez accompanied by a leading figure of the Kirov Ballet: the Korean Kimin Kim.
Data sheet
Swan Lake
Choreography: Mario Galizzi after the original by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Music: PI Tchaikovsky
Ballet of the Teatro Colóndirector Mario Galizzi
Until April 23 Teatro Colón, Libertad 612
Qualification: excellent
Source: Clarin
