Podcasts about mariinsky theatre

“Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey and  Gene Schiavone. In this episode of  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey,  join host Joanne Carey as she chats with Special Guest: Dance Photographer Gene Schiavone  about his  career which grew out of a hobby. You will meet this humble man behind the lens who captures moments in time thus memorializing history. Gene shares how he savors the relationships he has made and the individuals he has met, summing up his career by his treasured box of thank you notes, saying in his own words, "You measure your life, in some way,  by how many thank you notes you got."   Gene Schiavone became interested in photography as a child.  With no formal training, he went on to become a sought after Dance Photographer. What began as a childhood curiosity became a budding career,  photographing some of the worlds best ballet dancers. Gene attributes his introduction to the world of ballet to his wife through her involvement with ABT (American Ballet Theater). His informal conversation with renowned ballerina, Julie Kent, piqued his interest in the art form and then began to attend more ballet performances. Around that same time, Gene was given permission to photograph performances of ABT's studio company and after two years was invited to photograph the main company, which led to other requests for similar work. Gene's work and images includes Boston Ballet, Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Washington Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and The Radio City Rockettes among others. His images have appeared New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and all the major dance publications both here and abroad. In March 2020, Gene retired from studio photography and is currently working on his first book in collaboration with retired ballerina and dance writer, Gavin Larsen. Gene continues to acknowledge his gratitude for all the dancers he has worked with over the years and for the hundreds of pairs of signed shoes and photos he remembers them by.  Follow on Instagram @geneschiavoneofficial Find out more ⁠https://www.geneschiavone.com/ Follow Joanne Carey on Instagram @westfieldschoolofdance And follow  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey wherever you listen to your podcasts. Tune in. Follow. Like us. And Share. Please leave us review about our podcast  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey "Where the Dance World Connects, the Conversations Inspire, and Where We Are Keeping Them Real."

Synopsis On this day in 1934, an excited crowd of locals and visitors had gathered in Hartford, Connecticut, for the premiere performance of a new opera entitled Four Saints in Three Acts. The fact that the opera featured 16 saints, not 4, and was divided into 4 acts, not 3, was taken by the audience in stride, as the libretto was by the expatriate American writer, Gertrude Stein, notorious for her surreal poetry and prose. The music, performed by players from the Philadelphia Orchestra and sung by an all-black cast, was by the 37-year old American composer, Virgil Thomson, who matched Stein's surreal sentences with witty musical allusions to hymn tunes and parodies of solemn, resolutely tonal music. Among the locals in attendance was the full-time insurance executive and part-time poet, Wallace Stevens, who called the new opera (quote): "An elaborate bit of perversity in every respect: text, settings, choreography, [but] Most agreeable musically… If one excludes aesthetic self-consciousness, the opera immediately becomes a delicate and joyous work all around." The opera was a smashing success, and soon opened on Broadway, where everyone from Toscanini and Gershwin to Dorothy Parker and the Rockefellers paid a whopping $3.30 for the best seats—a lot of money during one of the worst winters of the Great Depression. Music Played in Today's Program Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) Four Saints in Three Acts Orchestra of Our Time; Joel Thome, conductor. Nonesuch 79035 On This Day Births 1741 - Belgian-born French composer André Grétry, in Liège; 1932 - American composer and conductor John Williams, in New York City; Deaths 1709 - Italian composer Giuseppe Torelli, age 50, in Bologna; 1909 - Polish composer Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, age 32, near Zakopane, Tatra Mountains; Premieres 1874 - Mussorgsky: opera “Boris Godunov”, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, with bass Ivan Melnikov in the title role, and Eduard Napravnik conducting; This was the composer's own revised, nine-scene version of the opera, which originally consisted of just seven scenes (Julian date: Jan.27); 1897 - Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 1 (Gregorian date: Feb. 20); 1904 - Sibelius: Violin Concerto (first version), in Helsinki, by the Helsingsfors Philharmonic conducted by the composer, with Victor Novácek as soloist; The revised and final version of this concerto premiered in Berlin on October 19, 1905, conducted by Richard Strauss and with Karl Halir the soloist; 1907 - Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in Vienna, with the Rosé Quartet and members of the Vienna Philharmonic; 1908 - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in St. Petersburg, with the composer conducting (Julian date: Jan. 26); 1909 - Liadov: “Enchanted Lake” (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1910 - Webern: Five Movements, Op. 5, for string quartet, in Vienna; 1925 - Cowell: "Ensemble" (original version for strings and 3 "thunder-sticks"), at a concert sponsored by the International Composers' Guild at Aeolian Hall in New York, by an ensemble led by Vladimir Shavitch that featured the composer and two colleagues on "thunder-sticks" (an American Indian instrument also known as the "bull-roarer"); Also on program was the premiere of William Grant Still's "From the Land of Dreams" for three voices and chamber orchestra (his first concert work, now lost, dedicated to his teacher, Edgard Varèse); 1925 - Miaskovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7, in Moscow; 1934 - Virgil Thomson: opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" (libretto by Gertrude Stein), in Hartford, Conn.; 1942 - Stravinsky: "Danses concertantes," by the Werner Janssen Orchestra of Los Angeles, with the composer conducting; 1946 - Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 (completed by Tibor Serly after the composer's death), by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting and György Sándor as the soloist; 1959 - Elie Siegmeister: Symphony No. 3, in Oklahoma City; 1963 - Benjamin Lees: Violin Concerto, by the Boston Symphony, with Erich Leinsdorf conducting and Henryk Szeryng the soloist; 1966 - Lou Harrison: "Symphony on G" (revised version), at the Cabrillo Music Festival by the Oakland Symphony, Gerhard Samuel condicting; 1973 - Crumb: "Makrokosmos I" for amplified piano, in New York; 1985 - Earle Brown: "Tracer," for six instruments and four-track tape, in Berlin; 1986 - Daniel Pinkham: Symphony No. 3, by the Plymouth (Mass.) Philharmonic, Rudolf Schlegel conducting; 2001 - Sierra: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting; Others 1875 - American composer Edward MacDowell admitted to the Paris Conservatory; 1877 - German-born (and later American) composer Charles Martin Loeffler admitted to the Paris Conservatory; 1880 - German opera composer Richard Wagner writes a letter to his American dentist, Dr. Newell Still Jenkins, stating "I do no regard it as impossible that I decide to emigrate forever to America with my latest work ["Parsifal"] and my entire family" if the Americans would subsidize him to the tune of one million dollars. Links and Resources On Virgil Thomson More on Thomson

Synopsis In 1916, Imperial Russia was still using the old Julian calendar.  In Russia, as Hamlet might have put it, “time was out of joint,” lagging 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used everywhere else. Well, Saint Petersburg's January 16th  might have Paris's January 29th, but on that date Russia's Mariinsky Theatre premiered a wild, decidedly forward-looking orchestral work with its composer, Sergei Prokofiev, conducting.The music had been commissioned in 1914 by another Russian, the Paris-based ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, who had asked Prokofiev for “a ballet on a Russian fairy tale or a primitive prehistoric theme,” hoping for something along the lines of Igor Stravinsky's colorful Firebird or scandalous Rite of Spring, both earlier Diaghilev commissions. Thinking of those two successful ballets perhaps, Prokofiev set to work on one set in ancient Russia about a forest princess rescued from an evil ogre by a Scythian prince, with a big orgy of evil spirits tossed in as well just to spice things up.  But Diaghilev nixed the ballet even before Prokofiev had finished it, so its composer reworked the music into a wild concert hall score he titled Scythian Suite. Even today it remains – for some – a strongly spiced cup of Russian tea! Music Played in Today's Program Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) — Scythian Suite, Op. 20 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, conductor.) DG 447 419

Composed in the Romantic style, the score received good reviews although responses to the ballet itself were mostly negative. The fortunes of the ballet only turned around with a new staging in New York in ...

Synopsis On today's date in 1888, Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiered his new Overture-Fantasy Hamlet. He had been asked to write an overture for a gala charity benefit staging of Act III of Shakespeare's famous play at the Mariinsky Theatre. Alas, the charity was, as Hamlet might say, “not to be.” But Tchaikovsky so liked the idea of a piece inspired by the mood and characters of Hamlet that wrote the overture anyway. As Hamlet said, “the time is out of joint,” and we fast forward our story almost 100 years to 1982 and another Tchaikovsky – André Tchaikovsky (no relation to Peter Ilyich). André Tchaikovsky was a Polish composer who was also a virtuoso pianist of some note and a wanna-be actor to boot. When André Tchaikovsky died in 1982, he'd asked that his skull be donated to the Royal Shakespeare Company, hoping it would be used for the skull of Yorick in their productions of Hamlet. André Tchaikovsky got his wish in 2008, when his skull was finally held aloft by David Tennant in a series of performances of Hamlet in Stratford-upon-Avon, a production that proved so famous that an image of Tennant as Hamlet holding Tchaikovsky's skull ended up on a British postage stamp. Music Played in Today's Program Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): Hamlet-Fantasy Overture, Op. 67 –Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein, cond. (DG 477670)

In today's episode, Conductor Alice Farnham will share her journey to the podium with us.Farnham started her career as a church musician playing organ and trumpet. She was an Organ Scholar at St. Hugh's College, Oxford University and trained for three years with the legendary pedagogue Ilya Musin in St. Petersburg. Alice is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Women Conductors with the Royal Philharmonic Society.  She is listed in the Classic FM Today's Ten Best Women Conductors and in the BBC Woman's Hour Music Power List. Recent conducting engagements include the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Opera House, Mariinsky Theatre, Calgary Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, and English Touring Opera.  Upcoming engagements include productions with Welsh National Opera, Belfast Ensemble, Opéra de Rouen, to name a few. She has been a Guest Conductor with the Royal Ballet Covent Garden, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Danish Royal Ballet.

“Every holiday season, throughout the land, Mirlitons, Candy Canes, and other treats bounce briskly through The Nutcracker's Kingdom of the Sweets.” (_The Ballet Companion_ p.158) “The Nutcracker” ballet is such an epic part of Christmastime, and though I can't possibly provide an exhaustive account of such a dancing phenomenon, I'd like to share some of the history and my own fascination with the music, dancing, costumes, and magical story. Hopefully it sparks a bit of your own childlike wonder, dreams, and fantasies as well as your grown-up appreciation of music, storytelling, and the art of dance. “The Nutcracker is a Christmas holiday favorite and the most popular ballet in America. There are more than 2,000 performances of it every year around the country. You will probably have a chance to see it someday–and maybe even dance in it yourself, since it has a lot of roles for young dancers.” (_A Child's Introduction to Ballet_ p.47) I share insights from George Balanchine on "The Nutcracker," the literature origins of the story, authors ETA Hoffmann and Alexandre Dumas, The Dance Channel's "History of the Nutcracker Ballet" video on YouTube, psychological elements in Barishnikov's "Nutcracker," themes of vengeance, Matthew Donnell's _The Boy with the Patch_ children's book about Drosselmeier's story, the ballet's debut in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre, Petipa and Ivanov, Tchaikovsky, Sadler's Wells, Ballet Russe, San Francisco Ballet, NYCB... Here are some music favorites, and those I use in creative dance interpretations of the story are included in the'Nutcracker' Story for Creative Dance playlist on Spotify: Scene 1: Overture, Party Scene, Children's Dance Scene 2: Godfather Drosselmeier's arrival, Dolls dance Scene 3: All go to bed, Battle Scene, Marie/Clara's role in winning Scene 4: Snowy Forest, Waltz of the Snowflakes Scene 5: Kingdom of the Sweets, Sugarplum Fairy/Pas de Deux, Waltz of the Flowers, Arabian, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Mirlitons/Marzipan, Mother Ginger/Polichinelles/Candy Canes divertissements. Scene 6: Marie's return home, Finale For a full ballet or dance class, I have arranged tracks from the ballet in my “Nutcracker” Ballet Class playlist Questions for reflection: What versions of “The Nutcracker” have you seen? Which is your favorite? Have you performed in “The Nutcracker” ballet or other wintertime productions? What holiday traditions will you enjoy this year? What music fills you with the spirit of the season? More resources will linked in the blog :) Thanks for listening and happy holidays! Blythe Stephens, MFA she/her or they/them A Blythe Coach: ablythecoach.com @ablythecoach move through life with balance, grace, & power

Julie Kent became the Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet in July 2016. She is the longest-serving ballerina in American Ballet Theatre's 79-year history. She began her dance training with Hortensia Fonseca at the Academy of the Maryland Youth Ballet in Bethesda, MD and attended summer sessions at American Ballet Theatre II and the School of American Ballet before joining American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in 1985. In that same year, Kent won first place in the regional finals of the National Society of Arts and Letters at the Kennedy Center. In 1986, she was the only American to win a medal at the Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition, and she became a member of ABT's corps de ballet.Kent starred in the Herbert Ross film “Dancers” in 1987 opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov. She was appointed a Soloist with ABT in 1990 and a Principal Dancer in 1993, the year in which she became the first American to win the Erik Bruhn Prize in Toronto and was named one of People Magazine's “50 Most Beautiful People.” In April 2000, Kent achieved another triumph, becoming the first American to win the “Prix Benois de la Danse.” Later that year, Kent starred in the motion picture “Center Stage” directed by Nicholas Hytner. In 2012, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as well as a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Dance Magazine. Since 2014, she has been the Brand Ambassador for HANIA New York, a luxury line of hand-knit cashmere in NYC.During Kent's long performing career, she has acquired a vast repertoire dancing over 100 ballets, including all of the major classical, dramatic and neo-classical roles in works by Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, John Cranko, Anthony Tudor, Michel Fokine, Agnes DeMille, Merce Cunningham, Jose Limon, Jiri Kylian, Ronald Hynd, Ben Stevenson and Christopher Wheeldon. As well, she has had roles created on her by John Neumeier, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, Nacho Duato, Stanton Welch, James Kudelka, Jorma Elo, David Parsons, Jessica Lang, and Natalie Weir. Her appearances as a guest include invitations from the Mariinsky Theatre, Teatro alla Scala, New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Berlin Staatsballett, Australian Ballet, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Teatro Colon, Ballet de Santiago, and others. In August of 2015, after a 30-year performing career, Kent was named Artistic Director of ABT's Summer Intensive, a comprehensive summer dance program for 1,400 students at five campuses across the US.Since Kent arrived at The Washington Ballet, she has brought important classical and contemporary masterworks into the repertoire, including her and Victor Barbee's own critically acclaimed staging of The Sleeping Beauty, described by New York Times former chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay as “one of the world's finer Sleeping Beauties.” Kent's steadfast commitment to the development of artists, rising choreographers, and the creation of arts education initiatives that benefit the community of our Nation's Capital, showcase her dedication to creativity, expression, and to propelling ballet forward into the 21st century.Kent is married to The Washington Ballet's Associate Artistic Director Victor Barbee, and, as a mother of two children, she has helped redefine the image of the American Ballerina.

The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre on November 17 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodor Avé-Lallemant.Purchase the music (without talk) at:http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p1398/Tchaikovsky%3A_Symphony_No._5_in_E_minor%2C_Op.64.htmlYour purchase helps to support our show! Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by La Musica International Chamber Music Festival and Uber. @khedgecock#ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive#LaMusicaFestival #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans#CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain#ClassicalMusicLivesOn#Uber Please consider supporting our show, thank you!http://www.classicalsavings.com/donate.html staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.com

In 1911, when Vaslav Nijinsky returned from Paris to dance at the Mariinsky, his revealing costume raised eyebrows in the Tsar's box...

A young dancer from Perth Jasmine Henry has just graduated from the the Vaganova Academy and she became the first Australian to join the historical Mariinsky Theatre. SBS Russian talked to Jasmine. - Австралийка Жаcмин Хенри стала первой балериной из Австралии, которую приняли на работу в легендарный Мариинский театр в Петербурге. Родом из Перта – Жаcмин уехала в Россию в 15 лет, поступив в Академию русского балета им. Вагановой. SBS Russian пообщались с Жасмин после ее выпускного бала и незадолго до начала работы в Мариинском.

Kim's  career has taken her from Broadway to the West End to the international concert stage, resulting in a most unusual career path unmatched by any other singer. She continues to specialize in musical theatre, bringing the classic American songbook to leading music venues across the world, both in symphony settings and recital.  She has sung at La Scala in Milan, La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Opéra Comique in Paris, Concertgebauw in Amsterdam, Carnegie (Weill) Recital Hall in New York, the Musikverein, Konzerthaus and Volksoper in Vienna, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, the Snape Maltings Concert Hall in Aldeburgh, and the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, not to mention multiple appearances in London at the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Rooms, Cadogan Hall, and the Linbury Studios at the Royal Opera House, and elsewhere, from Reykjavik, Helsinki, Leipzig and Kaiserslautern, to Athens, Essen, Gothenburg and Bremen, to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Malta, Montpellier, and Moscow, giving her a unique platform among interpreters of the musical theatre repertoire.She has had the pleasure of singing with many of the world's greatest symphony orchestras, ranging from the Berlin Philharmonic and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, with whom she has recorded Leonard Bernstein's Wonderful Town in a version that then was repeated as a BBC Proms concert, and as the New Year's Eve Gala in Berlin, to the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia and London Sinfonietta, the Liverpool Philharmonic, the Northern Sinfonia, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Orchestre de Picardie, the Orchestra della Toscana, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Toronto and Winnipeg Symphonies, and many, many more. Kim has formed several lasting musical partnerships over the years, leading to both concert and recording opportunities. Conductor/music historian John McGlinn brought her to EMI Classics, which led to several recordings and a personal recording contract, as well as many symphony concerts across America and Europe. With conductor John Wilson, she has explored the world of film music across the UK in concert, including the very popular MGM and Rodgers and Hammerstein Proms concerts, and several solo evenings. Her ongoing recital partnership with conductor/pianist Wayne Marshall has taken the pair to many of the great concert venues in Europe, both as recitalists and in full symphony settings.  Other conductors she has appeared with include Kristjan Jarvi, , Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Yutaka Sado, Keith Lockhart, Ulf Schirmer, John Axelrod, Kevin Farrell, Carl Davis and Richard Hickox, to name a few.Critically acclaimed for playing “Annie Oakley” in Annie Get Your Gun at London's Prince of Wales Theatre, for which she earned a Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, and for her role as “The Old Lady” in Robert Carsen's productions of Candide at La Scala and the Théâtre du Châtelet, she has also won a Helen Hayes Award for her work in Side by Side by Sondheim. She also starred as “Sally Adams” in Call Me Madam at the Goodspeed Opera House, singing the role of “The Old Lady” in Candide at Chicago's Ravinia Festival, and co-starring with Joseph Fiennes and Charles Edwards in Happy Days in the Art World at NYU's Skirball Center in New York.Kim's Broadway credits include starring as “Lucy”, opposite Sting, in the 3 Penny Opera directed by John Dexter, and appearing in the original Broadway cast of 1982 Best Musical Tony winner Nine, first as Francesca, then taking over the leading role of Claudia. Other Broadway original cast credits include The First, Baby and Star

The Queen of Spades or Pique Dame, Op. 68 is an opera in three acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on the 1834 novella of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, but with a dramatically altered plot. The premiere took place in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia Purchase the music (without talk) at: http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p1333/Tchaikovsky%3A_The_Queen_of_Spades.html Your purchase helps to support our show! Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by La Musica International Chamber Music Festival and Uber. @khedgecock #ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive #LaMusicaFestival #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans #CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain #ClassicalMusicLivesOn #Uber Please consider supporting our show, thank you! http://www.classicalsavings.com/donate.html staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.com

Welcome to Episode Three in our series on Perseverance. In this episode, we explore 'Persevere with Performance'. I know that the performing arts have been woefully under-represented on this podcast as they aren't, in the traditional sense, 'entrepreneurial'. But in fact, I think that we have a great deal to learn from those who dedicate themselves to performance especially in a pandemic. Our guest is Xander Parish. He is the first Western Principal Ballet Dancer at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. Xander's commitment to his art form is extraordinary. His worth ethic and singularity of purpose is more than inspiring. It is a call to action. His story would be well told by Peter Morgan - from his early years in Yorkshire to life at the Royal Ballet School in London and now in Russia, talent and perseverance shine through. That and a love of cricket! We find out about the boy ballerina, embracing adventure in Russia, what performance means to him, the role his faith plays, remaining positive during lockdown and how we can all persevere to see opportunities in these strange strange times.

 In today's episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Xander Parish, a principal dancer with one of the most prestigious and historic ballet companies in the world: the Mariinsky Theatre. Join me as we discuss Xander's career, his move to Russia, and his accomplishment of being awarded as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Along with how his life has looked throughout this pandemic, and how he sees our current situation in the arts world as an opportunity to try and do new things in regards to performing our art. Please enjoy.

On the 18th December 1892, Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker received its première performance at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. ...

Swan Lake, Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular of all ballets. The scenario, initially in two acts, was fashioned from Russian and/or German folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger. The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings both choreographically and musically on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on 15 January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo. Purchase the music (without talk) for only $2.99 at: http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p758/Tchaikovsky%3A_Swan_Lake_-_complete_%28digital_download%29.html Your purchase helps to support our show! Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by La Musica International Chamber Music Festival and Uber. @khedgecock #ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive #LaMusicaFestival #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans #CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain #ClassicalMusicLivesOn #Uber Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4186107 staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.com

I'm pleased to welcome Margy Kinmonth onto this week's podcast to discuss Russian stage costume. Margy is a BAFTA-winning film director and producer with particular expertise in Russian culture. Her theatrical feature films include; Revolution – New Art for a New World, marking the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Hermitage Revealed, a behind the scenes tour of the remarkable museum and the Mariinsky Theatre, Nutcracker Story which examined Tchaikovsky's ballet for ITV. Margy is an exceptional story-teller, well-known for unearthing hidden secrets behind sometimes overlooked subjects. I'm very much looking forward to finding out more about the inspiring ballet costumes that have graced The Mariinsky Theatre's famous stage in St Petersburg and to learn about the avant-garde style of the Ballet Russes.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Elena Vostrotina, principal dancer at the Zurich Ballet. Since 2003, Elena has been internationally performing for some of the world’s most esteemed dance companies and choreographers. Having been formally trained at the famous Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, Elena went on to achieve her dream of dancing at the Mariinsky Ballet, as well as the Semperoper Ballett Dresden and, currently, the Zurich Ballet. Elena knows that flexibility is key for international ballet — both of the mind and of the body. It goes without saying that physical flexibility is necessary for ballet, but when travelling internationally, mental and emotional flexibility are critical for adjusting to new cultures and accepting new ideas. On the podcast, Elena, who is no stranger to living outside her “comfort zone,” walks through her dance journey and shares advice on taking on new cultures, ideas, and even languages with poise and grace.   Moving Quotes: “If you decide to make a change, you have to keep your eyes wide open. Listen a lot. Be open to the change… Don’t build things the same way that you’re used to." “Many things can be challenging in our profession… Performing seems like moving a mountain, often… I think we have to work on those fears and just go out there and do it." “When you feel that you can’t do something, you have to master yourself. You must know how to deal with yourself to make things work the way you want them to.” “[When traveling,] take care of your body as much as you possibly can."   Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed: 3:41: Elena describes her current role as principal dancer for the Zurich Ballet and how she came to join the company. 7:27: Elena, who has performed across the globe, discusses the challenges of adjusting to different cultures. 10:34: Elena shares some tips for listeners who ever find themselves having to adapt to new cultures. 13:37: Vostrotina discusses some of her favorite pieces that she’s currently involved in, along with some of her favorite choreographers she’s worked with in the past. 17:08: Elena retells her history with ballet and how she ultimately became an international ballet dancer. 20:45: Vostrotina describes her days as a student at the famous Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Saint Petersburg. 26:19: Vostrotina describes her experience dancing at the renown Mariinsky Theatre and how dancing for this company was a dream come true. 28:42: Elena, who has extensive experience travelling internationally, shares some tips on how to keep your body in peak shape when traveling across time zones. 31:08: Elena speaks on the necessity of “mastering yourself” and overcoming fear when in a performing arts career. 34:28: Elena describes “what’s next” for her and discusses her desire for the world to return to normal so that others can resume sharing their art.   Bullet List of Resources –  Elena Vostrotina Instagram LinkedIn

As the first British dancer to join the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Xander Parish is living proof that hard work and determination really pay back in dividends. Think courage, desire and a love for what he does. Xander tells us the story of his leap of faith, arriving at the airport on a tourist visa and discuss his journey to Principal and his award of OBE for UK/Russia cultural relations.

Surely ballet is one of the first things you think of when it comes to St Petersburg. Hear a brief history, beginning with the 'twelve little girls' invited in 1738 by the Empress Anna to join the city's first ballet school, held in the Winter Palace attic. Find out more about the 19th and early 20th centuries, when many of the great Russian ballets were first seen and dancers like Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova graced the stage. Hear too what happened to ballet in the Soviet era and how Rudolf Nureyev brought such exciting new techniques from Leningrad to the west, then find out what it's like to see a ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in the city today. http://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

Hear about some of St Petersburg's many musical connections, with potted biographies of composers from Glinka, often known as the father of Russian music, to Shostakovich, via, of course, Tchaikovsky. And not forgetting Rubinstein, whose Russian Musical Society did so much to put St Petersburg on the musical map or Stravinsky, whose 'Rite of Spring' delighted and outraged audiences in equal measure. Find out too about some of the city's best-known musical and theatrical venues, from the jewel-like little theatres built for the Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great to the ever-popular Mariinsky Theatre and the Shostakovich Philharmonia Halls. Learn which museums and cemeteries have most to tell you about the city's musical heritage. http://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

Alex moves on to St Petersburg...Day 1St. Petersburg is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for 2 centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city's iconic “Bronze Horseman” statue. It remains Russia's cultural center, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works.Highlights of the day include:The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. Wikipedia                                            The State Russian Museum, formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, located on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest museums in the country. WikipediaNevsky Prospect (Russian: Не́вский проспе́кт, tr. Nevsky Prospekt, IPA: [ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj prɐˈspʲɛkt]) is the main street in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia, named after the 13th-century Russian prince Alexander Nevsky. Planned by Peter the Great as the beginning of the road to Novgorod and Moscow, the avenue runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station and, after making a turn at Vosstaniya Square, to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.The chief sights include the Rastrelliesque Stroganov Palace, the huge neoclassical Kazan Cathedral, the Art Nouveau Bookhouse, Elisseeff Emporium, half a dozen 18th-century churches, a monument to Catherine the Great, an enormous 18th-century shopping mall, a mid-19th-century department store, the Russian National Library, the Anichkov Bridge with its horse statues, and the Singer House. WikipediaSubscribe, rate and review Travel First at any good podcatcher app, including ApplePodcasts (formerly iTunes) (featured in New & Noteworthy), Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, Podbean, CastBox.fm and more.Email: travelfirst@bitesz.comFor more, follow Travel First on Facebook, twitter, Google+ and Instagram:Facebook:  @travelfirstpodcasttwitter:   @biteszHQtravelInstagram:  www.instagram.com/biteszhqtravelGoogle+:      https://plus.google.com/u/2/collection/wi0YaB If you're enjoying Travel First, please share and tell your friends. Thank you... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Another chilly, but jam packed day in St Petersburg Russia...Day 2  St. Petersburg is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for 2 centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city's iconic “Bronze Horseman” statue. It remains Russia's cultural center, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works. - Google For more visit: www.discoveryrussia.com.au                         www.petersburgcard.com Subscribe, rate and review Travel First at any good podcatcher app, including ApplePodcasts (formerly iTunes) (featured in New & Noteworthy), Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, Podbean, CastBox.fm and more. Email: travelfirst@bitesz.com For more, follow Travel First on Facebook, twitter, Google+ and Instagram: Facebook: @travelfirstpodcast twitter: @biteszHQtravel Instagram: www.instagram.com/biteszhqtravel Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/2/collection/wi0YaB If you're enjoying Travel First, please share and tell your friends. Thank you... #travel #StPetersbury #Russia #Europe #holiday #podcast #travelfirst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Day 3 in St Petersburg, Russia and even more historic (and beautiful) buildings...  St. Petersburg is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for 2 centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city's iconic “Bronze Horseman” statue. It remains Russia's cultural center, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works. - Google For more visit: www.discoveryrussia.com.au                         www.petersburgcard.com Subscribe, rate and review Travel First at any good podcatcher app, including ApplePodcasts (formerly iTunes) (featured in New & Noteworthy), audioBoom, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, Podbean, CastBox.fm and more. Email: travelfirst@bitesz.com For more, follow Travel First on Facebook, twitter, Google+ and Instagram: Facebook: @travelfirstpodcast twitter: @biteszHQtravel Instagram: www.instagram.com/biteszhqtravel Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/2/collection/wi0YaB If you're enjoying Travel First, please share and tell your friends. Thank you... #travel #stpetersburg #russia #Europe #holiday #podcast #travelfirst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alex’s travels continue as he moves to St Petersburg,  Russia...Day 1  St. Petersburg is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for 2 centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city's iconic “Bronze Horseman” statue. It remains Russia's cultural center, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works. - Google For more visit: www.discoveryrussia.com.au                        www.hermitagemuseum.org Subscribe, rate and review Travel First at any good podcatcher app, including ApplePodcasts (formerly iTunes) (featured in New & Noteworthy), audioBoom, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, Podbean, CastBox.fm and more. Email: travelfirst@bitesz.com For more, follow Travel First on Facebook, twitter, Google+ and Instagram: Facebook: @travelfirstpodcast twitter: @biteszHQtravel Instagram: www.instagram.com/biteszhqtravel Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/2/collection/wi0YaB If you're enjoying Travel First, please share and tell your friends. Thank you... #travel #stpetersburg #Russia #Europe #holiday #podcast #travelfirst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor in Europe and the United States. Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884, by Emperor Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension. The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre on November 17 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final completed symphony, written between February and the end of August 1893. The composer entitled the work "The Passionate Symphony", employing a Russian word, Pateticheskaya, meaning "passionate" or "emotional", that was then mistranslated into French as pathetique, "evoking pity", yet the mistranslation survived subsequent productions in every country but Russia. - Wikipedia

Today's episode will be centered around Opera Works & Songs from our classical collection. We have 4 pieces for you today, and we will end with a piece from our featured release, "Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor." Nicolai Ghiaurov, Sesto Bruscantini, Alfredo Kraus, Gundula Janowitz, Sena Jurinac, Walter Monachesi, Dimitri Petkov, Olivera Miliakovic "Don Giovanni" (mp3) from "Mozart: Don Giovanni" (Opera d'Oro) Buy at Napster Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Rhapsody Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This AlbumSteven Kimbrough, Wolfgang Schmid, Andreas Kreisel "Kommt wieder aus der finst'ren Gruft" (mp3) from "Geistliche Lieder - Sacred Songs of Bach (from the 1736 Songbook of Georg Schemelli)" (Arabesque Recordings) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This AlbumInessa Galante, Vladimir Choclov, Janis Bulvas "A idise mame" (mp3) from "Goldins: Jewish Folk Songs - Rachmaninov: Romantic Songs" (Campion) Buy at Napster Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This AlbumValery Gergiev, Natalie Dessay, Sergei Skorokhodov, Ilya Bannik, Vladislav Sulimsky, Mariinsky Chorus, Mariinsky Orchestra from "Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor" (Mariinsky) More On This AlbumThe Mariinsky label’s opera recordings have garnered acclaim and awards from around the world, most recently for Valery Gergiev’s recording of Parsifal released in 2010. For the label’s fifth opera, Gergiev conducts Donizetti’s masterpiece with a magnificent cast led by Natalie Dessay. Donizetti’s tragic opera in three acts depicts a family feud set in the Lammermuir hills of Scotland. The opera was premiered on 26 September 1835 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, with the coloratura soprano Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani, and a revised version in French followed suit in 1839. Inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor, the central character of Lucia Ashton (Dessay) is in love with Edgardo di Ravenswood, her brother Enrico’s sworn enemy. With his fortune waning, Lord Enrico plots to force Lucia to marry Lord Arturo Bucklaw, in order to guarantee his continued power. Torn between her family and true love, Lucia submits to her brother’s desires but in turn loses her mind. Lucia’s delicate disposition is tested and results in the famous ‘mad scene’ where Lucia kills her new bridegroom Arturo. Natalie Dessay is one of the world’s most sought-after sopranos and an admired interpreter of lyric heroines. She is particularly renowned for her interpretation of the role of Lucia, which she has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House and the Mariinsky Theatre. Future engagements include Verdi’s La Traviata with the LSO at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in July and at the Wiener Staatsoper in October. Piotr Beczala is rapidly establishing a reputation as one of today’s leading lyric tenors. He has recently sung Edgardo with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and on tour in Japan, and this summer will perform at the Bayerische Staatsoper and Salzburg Festival. Valery Gergiev recently won the Disc of the Year Award from BBC Music Magazine for his LSO Live recording of Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet. In July, Gergiev will conduct the Mariinsky Ballet at New York Metropolitan Opera and in August he conducts at the Edinburgh Festival and BBC Proms with the Mariinsky Orchestra before opening the LSO’s 2011-12 concert season. In October he embarks on a major tour of the USA and Canada with the Mariinsky Orchestra, including residencies at Carnegie Hall and Berkeley. Forthcoming releases include the final instalment in his Mahler cycle on LSO Live featuring Symphony No 9 and the Mariinsky label’s first DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs. Natalie Dessay appears courtesy of Virgin Classics.