VILNIUS: The Lituanian National Ballet is celebrating its 85 years jubilee, with a new productin of the famouse ballet Coppelia, Premiere: 21 May 2010, to the delicious music by Léo Delibes. In an updated version with reneved choreography by the russian choreographer Kirill Simonov, and a good scenography and costumes by Michail Chemiakin and lightning by Levas Kleinas. In the leading roles Olga Konosenko and Martynas Rimeikis, photo.

Conducted by Robertas Servenikas.

Simonov is updating “modernising” the dance language to a good, renewed, combination of great classical moments and with a classical background, but in combination with cotemporary moving, and in the upper part of the body, sometimes breakdance, but based on classical legs. Very interesting. – But too much swinging the ballerinas around the body of their partners. It didn´t function well all the time. And it became like Simononv has got lost of renewing ideas.

Permit me to refer and to quote Eglé Uliene for her explanation in the program: This newest production of Coppelia brobably will not remind us of any other Lithuanian versions of this ballet. (And not of anyone seen be this critic). The libretto was newly rewritten bo choreographer Kiril Simonkov (Russia) and designer Michail Chemiakinn (USA), who is also a passionate researcher of E:T:A: Hoffmann´s works. According to the will of these two artists, the ballet turns into the story of The Sandman, told in tune with L.Delibes´score which also enhanced with excerpts from Sylvia (For exempel the solo for Klara in the first act) – this additional music is used to bring forth the dramatic characters of the story. Seeing naive romantic jokes is unlikely in this production. This ballet, just as Hoffmann´s legacy, invites us to step into the world of mysticism, suspicion, surrealism and fantasy. (by Eglé Eliene).

However, Still that I am missing some of the scenes, which coopes with the music. The result has been good, and is giving many possibilityes to many of the outstading soloists in the company headed by Olga Konosenko is wonderful in the titelrole, but in this version called Olimpia, and Martynas Rimeikis, as Natanaelis (Franz). Their solos and pas de deux are well composed, and are ending so the audience knows when to applaud.  Rimeikis is being better and better for every time I see him on stage in more and more demanding roles, and will soon be one of the companys male no 1 dancers.

Inga Cibulskyte is doing a good job as Klara, but the choreography is unfortunately not giving her all the best posibilityes to show how wonderful a dancer she is. In addition the choreography is not allways letting her finish a good solo with a virtuose finale, so that when she is leaving stage, she dont allways get the applause that she in deed deserves. Aleksandras Molodovas is forming his role as Kopelijus very well, and are having good hand and fingerdetails, which some times is telling more than words.

The leading dancers, allready mentioned, are followed well up by Klaras friends, Nailia Adigamova, Kristna Gudziunaité, Antanina Maksimovic and Vaida Sniureviciuté. And by Natanaelis friends Kipras Chlebinsas, Igoris Zaripovas, Voicechas Zuromskas and Tomas Ceizaris. This male group of dancers were otstanding in their virtuose and brilliant performances. It seems that the choreographer has the best ideas for making the male dance perfect, but sometimes are having it more difficult with the wimens.  However. All the big ensembles with some of the most wellknown Coppelia music, such as the famouse Scene and Waltz of the Doll (Coppelia), the Mazurka and Czardas, the Waltz of the Hours, and the March with the Bells are being formed and danced brilliant by all the company, and the new choreographic ideas are fitting well in to it. Even that it some times looses some of the “old fashion” grandiosity and I am missing the old history which is related to the original music played. We have moved many years forward from the first production in 1870.

The wellknown music was very good performed by the Lithuanian National Opera Orchestra conducted by Robertas Servenikas. We noticed us with great pleasure the wonderful violinsolo in the first act, and several other solos from other strings later in the performance.

Coppélia is a sentimental comic ballet with original choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon to a ballet libretto by Saint-Léon and Charles Nuitterand music by Léo Delibes. It was based upon two macabre stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann (The Sandman), and Die Puppe(The Doll). The ballet premiered on 25 May 1870 at the Théâtre Impérial de l´Opéra, with the 16-year-old Giuseppina Bozzacchi in the principal role of Swanhilde. Its first flush of success was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War and the siege of Paris – which also led to the early death of Giuseppina Bozzacchi, on her 17th birthday – but eventually it became the most-performed ballet at the Opera Garnier.

A variation of the Coppelia story is contained in Jacques Offenbach‘s opera, The Tales of Hoffmann, a fictional work about the same Hoffmann who wrote the story that inspired Coppelia. The opera consists of a prologue, three fantastic tales in which Hoffmann is a participant, and an epilogue. In the first story, based on Der Sandmann, Hoffmann falls in love with a mechanical doll, Olympia, but in this case, the story takes on a melancholy tinge as the doll breaks apart.

Kirill Simonov is telling him self about his version of the history: It is a production about the loneliness of an unhappy man. It is about a sensitive, vulnerable soul of one man – our man hero Nathanael, who can be overtaken by such enbelievable passions! He falls in love with a puppet, he even agrees to marry her… It is a story about a strange man who, however, has a very pure soul. It is a pitty that he ends up badly, but this is how it usually ends. Our production is closer to Hoffmann – the aciton is set in Germany, thus the whole colouring of human relationships is different. These people do not play with mannerisms, they are more robust, simple, in some ways closer to the country. The Czardas remains as one of the hits of ballet music, but it doesn´t necessarily need to be performed by the Hungarians – here puppets, mannequins and others dance instead of them. (by Kirill Simonov).

Choreographed by

	Arthur Saint-Léon
Composed by	Léo Delibes
Based on	Der Sandmann by E. T. A. Hoffmann
Date of premiere	25 May 1870
Place of premiere	Théâtre Impérial de l´Opéra, Paris
Characters	Doctor Coppélius Swanhilda Frantz
Genre	Romantic
Type	comic ballet

Léo Delibes COPPÉLIA, in Vilnius named KOPELIJA.

a ballet in 3 acts
85th anniversary of the Lithuanian ballet
Music Director and Conductor: Robertas Šervenikas

Cast: Olga Konošenko, Martynas Rimeikis, Inga Cibulskytė, Aleksandras Molodovas, Tomas Ceizaris,
Antanina Maksimovič, Vaida Šniurevičiūtė, Nailia Adigamova, Kipras Chlebinskas, Igoris Zaripovas,
Voicechas Žuromskas, Valerijus Fadejevas, Aurelijus Daraškevičius, Živilė Baikštytė,
Kristina Gudžiūnaitė

Choreography by Kirill Simonov (Russia)
Scenography and Costume Designer: Mihail Chemiakin (USA)
Lighting Designer: Levas Kleinas

Premiere: 21 May 2010