From The Three Musketeers with The Estonian National Ballet
. Left: Sergei Upkin as D´Artagnan

VILNIUS: Sergei Upkin and Eve Andre excellent in Three Muscheteers.

Review by Henning Høholt. Photos: Hanne Rospu.

David Nixon has choreographed a brilliant production of Three Musketeers based on Alexandre Dumas d.y. novel. The music is an arrangement of Malcolm Arnolds film music, done by John Longstaff, which is giving the performance atmospahaere, some times very hign acting tempo, but during the way also fantastic romantic pas de deux between the two young lovers in the history,  D´Artagnan and Constance, brilliantly and very beautiful danced by Sergej Upkin and Eve Andre.

From Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis.

The speed is high in the fencing scenes, and we were happy to see that it functioned very well, and it looked real. The music is following it all up with very high tempi, which does it exciting to enjoy. Then when the dancers are so well trained, and so safe in their job it is a pleasure

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Of course, I rememberAbout Louis XIII, Viktor Jelissejev, and his Queen Anne of Austria, Nanae Maruyama, and their loveless marriage. Cardinal Richelieu, Sergei Fedosejev, and a love affair between the Queen and the Duke of Buckingham, Anatoll Arkhangelski, the history who is the basic for this history about the Three Musketeers. Athos, Jegor Zdor, Porthos, Aleksandr Prigorovski and Aramis, Andrei Mihnevits, – Shortly told, the Queen receives as a gift from the King a magnificent diamond necklase as they are celebrating their wedding anniversary. In turn she later gives the necklase to the Duke of Buckingham as a love token
.  – In the meantime D´ Artagnan, Sergej Upkin, has met Constance, Eve Andre, who is dressmaker for the Queen for the first time
.  And they express the first awakening of love. The King and Queen prepare a new ballet, watched by Richelieu. Milady de Winter, Marika Muiste, brings news – Buckingham has fled to England with the Queens necklase. Cardinal Richelieu seize his chance to ruin the Queen, and he offers to hold a Ball to show of her necklase. In complete panic the Queen turns to Constance, who helps her write a letter requesting Buckingham retunr the necklase she gave him at once.

From The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketers and D´Artagnan, who now has been their friend desides to help the Queen to get back the necklase, and through a lot of complications, fights, fencing scenes they succeedes in the very last second to retunr the necklase to the Queen, so when she is asked at the Ball, she has it on again. And every one is happy, and D´Artagnan are being member of the Musketeers corps.

During the way we enjoyed many good dancing details, and some really expressive and virtuose details in solo an ensemble parts. I noticed specially the Jester – Maquis de Sink-Mar, virtuosely danced by Jonathan Hanks

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Good functioning scenography by Charles Cusick Smith, the choreographer David Nixon is in addition responsible for the costumes, made with the original French inspiration from the time. The Estonian opera and ballet orchestra was well conducted with great musicality and excellent tempis by Mikhail Gerts, and good solos, one of them a brilliant and virtuose flute solo by Heili Rosin.