Coq d’Or, titelrole danced by Pavel Okounev, photo by Valeria Komissarova

PARIS:  Les Saisons Russes XXI Century “did it again”. Their initiative to present historically productions from the famouse Dhiaghilev/Nijinsky periode 100 years ago is outstanding.

Review by Henning Høholt

This year perhaps the biggest lift – financially -, as they are presenting not only a ballet, or an opera, but they are presenting an opera/ballet with double cast, 9 opera and 9 ballet soloists, so to understand that all the leading roles are being danced by great ballet soloists, and they are being sung by outstanding operasingers.

In addition large choire, corps des ballet, and not to forget a large orchestra to play Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakovs demanding and beautiful music. We noticed many good soloparts in the orchestra and enjoyed very much the wooden blowers. Which has importent parts following or answering the coloratura sopranos. Extraordinary well.

It is  Musically, Playfull, Charming “Le Coq d´Or” opera/ballet premiere at Théâtre des Champs Elysées with Les Ballets Russes XXI Century. Music by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Performances also to day and tomorrow 12. July.

COQ D’OR. In the center tsar Dodon – Oleg Formine, and on the floor general Polkan – Dmitriy Krouglov, photo by Valeria Komissarova

Ballets Russes is in 2013 presenting the opera/ballet by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov Coq d´Or, Brilliant conducted by Alevtina IOFFE at Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris. The new production was premiered in Moscow in March,  Les Saisons Russes XXI Century.

It is an amusing little fairytaile history, with aot of very good music, and some famouse and well known parts, inclusive the famouse colorature aria, “Hymn to the Sun”  in act two, and all that demanding scene, by the Queen Chemakha, wonderful sung by the lyric dramatic colorature soprano  Olesya Titenko. With great and beautiful placed top tunes. This role was beautifully danced by the young Daria Liakicheva.  The leading role is Tsar Dodon, which warmly and with “a heart of gold” performed and sung by the wonderful baryton Alexandre Tsilinko. And in the ballet his role was danced with charm, elegance  and humor by Oleg Fomine, who was the center f the performance. The titelrole The Golden Cockerel was very virtuosely danced by Pavel Okonuev, who was more flying, – as he is suppose to be a bird – everywhere in all his difficult and demanding jumps, piruettes. Precisely followed by his voice the very good dramatic colerature soprano Zarina Samadova.

COQ D’OR. Left Oleg Formine as tsar Dodon, and Dmitry Krouglov as general Polkan, photo by Valeria Komissarova

The two sons of tsar Dodon, tsarévitch Gvidon and tsarévitch  Aphron was very well sung by the young tenor Serguey Pétrischev  and the young barytone Denis Boldov (?)

. And their two roles was well danced with “male” choreography by the two female dancers Ékatérina Blachik and Ékatérina Zâytseva, they did a good job, but honestly, I would have prefered that they have been danced by young male soloists. As the Astrologue we enjoyed the great high dramatic tenor Dmitry Trounov (?) and the role was expressive danced by Maxime Podchivalenko. The role as general Polkan was danced by Dmitriy Krouglov, and sung by the great baryton Pyotr Sokolov (?). The “house mother” was humoristic danced by Héléna Mouzyka,  and sung by the alto Olga Balachova.

In addition to all the many leading roles, we enjoyed a good male/ female choir app. 35 singers, and a large corps des ballet with a lot of interesting characters, and for the female very good accuratese in the group works
.

The staging done by Andris Liepa and with choreography by  Gali ABAIDULOV, I have not found out how much is left over from the original choreography from the 1914 premiere at Palais Garnier by Michael Fokine.

The fairytale scenography and costume based on the original scetches for the 1914 production by Natalia Gontchareva. Made by Viatcheslav Okounev.

NAMES of SINGERS: I must appologice, if some of the names for the singers are being wrong. As it existed absolutely no cast list, so we have had to guess who is singing out from the photos in the program, and for the singers where there more or less are three casts, it is difficult to recognize from the photos, as all the portrait photos are not all updated.  – This detail, could have been prepared with a cast list, put up discretely as a poster. Seriouse to the audience and of course for the artists, which all of them did a very good job.

COQ D’OR photo by Valeria Komissarova

Andris Liepa, foto Henning Høholt

The version was premiered in Moscow 26. Avril 2013 in a version Opéra-Ballet by the Orchestra, the Choire, the Ballet and the Soloistes from Théâtre National “Natalia Sats” de Moscou. In the programme is mentioned that it is a world premiere, i find it a bit uncorrect, since the world premiere was in 1914 at Palais Garnier in Paris with Serge Dhiaghilevs Ballets Russes.

Original choreography by Michael Fokine. renewed by Gali ABAIDULOV. Folcloristic scenography and costumes by Natalia Gontchareva. Leading dancing soloist:  Pavel OKUNEV.

Artistic management: Andris LIEPA and George ISAAKYAN.