ROYAL BALLET, THE FIREBIRD, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, FEBRUARY, 1993 |
| From: THE GUARDIAN, February 19, 1993
Dance Review by Mary Clarke THE FIREBIRDONE of the symptoms, and the pleasures of balletomania, is the discovery and then the experience of finding that no two performances of any ballet are exactly the same. The Firebird, revived last week by the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden - also March 10 and 16 - save for the magnificence of Fiona Chadwick in the title role, was a very dull affair. Yet by the second performance it looked new - minted; weaknesses, yes, in much of the ensemble dancing, but all the characters now given vivid life so that Fokine’s ballet could be savoured as the masterpiece it is. This performance marked the debut of Nina Ananiashvili from the Bolshoi in the ballerina role and she was, quite simply, glorious. She misses, perhaps, the cruel streak that Tamara Karsavina (its creator) always insisted was a crucial element of the firebird’s nature, but the sheer beauty of her dancing, her terror in captivity, her radiance when released, and her domination of the action as she so confidently, almost happily, overpowers Kostchei’s kingdom to free Ivan Tsarevich, and fulfilI her promise to come to his aid, were irresistible... It was a remarkable first account of an incredibly demanding role but it owed much to her colleagues, to Stuart Cassidy, a stalwart Ivan; to Genesia Rosato, a noble Tsarevna; and to Derek Rencher, who relishes not only the make - up but also the machinations of Kostchei. «This is not the performance you reviewed last week», a friend reproved. No, it wasn’t! |