| William Forsythe staged the play at the Mariinsky Theater The curtain is open, but the lights in the hall are not turned off, the grandmothers are hissing menacingly, demanding tickets, the grandmothers seating the audience, someone is talking on a mobile phone (and forgets to turn it off - the sponsors of the Mariinsky should give the Mariinsky a jammer!), and a young man is already present on the stage. In complete silence he makes several movements, turns around, and goes to the back. (The stage is empty, the background is dark, only in the background there is a white rectangle with several black lines.) The audience becomes silent, trying to understand what is happening.
The premiere of William Forsythe's ballets takes place. An American who studied at the Joffrey Ballet school, more than thirty years ago moved to Europe (then he danced in Stuttgart), in 1984 he became artistic director of the Frankfurt Ballet, and in 1987 was included by European critics in the short list of living geniuses, he is finally in Russia . The Mariinsky Theater, of course, wanted a specially made production - but the master suggested first transferring his old works so that the troupe could master the style. Forsythe's assistants - Aaron Watkin, Noah D. Gelber and Catherine Bennetts - learned with the St. Petersburgers the Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, made twenty years ago for the Italian Aterbaletto, eight years ago (the premiere was in Frankfurt) and composed for the Paris Opera In the middle, somewhat elevated (1987). The title of the first ballet, made to the music of Bach (fragments from the Chaconne), was left without translation; the second (the finale of Schubert’s Ninth Symphony) was labeled “A dizzying rapture of precision”; the third, traditionally translated in Russia as “In the Middle, Slightly on an Elevation” (the music was composed by Tom Willems in collaboration with Leslie Stuck), the choreographer suddenly suggested calling it “Where the Golden Cherries Hang.” Forsyth himself arrived on the eve of the premiere, reviewed the results of the rehearsals and approved the performers.
Ulyana Lopatkina was not in the lineup - the perfectionist herself refused to work, deciding that something was not working out for her. There is no Diana Vishneva either. The premiere fell under the responsibility of the next two generations of Mariinsky dancers (five years in ballet is already a generation, and Daria Pavlenko, Igor Kolb, Andrian Fadeev, Leonid Sarafanov stood the test of Forsythe). And they coped with the task quite well. Moreover: the first two worked as if they were born in the Frankfurt ballet.
The word “problem” here can be used in a mathematical sense. Forsythe's ballets are purely intellectual constructions, they are cold, like a textbook, and adventurous, like the run of thought of a genius. They begin ineffectively—just as the approach of a quiet man to a blackboard with chalk in his hands is ineffective; end in a stunningly unexpected way - as if a seemingly random stroke proves a previously unprovable theorem. Everything is built on antitheses, everything in the composition is balanced (despite the fact that it is in plastic that Forsyth often plays with balance), everything is thought out to the smallest detail.
Antithesis “plane-volume”. Forsythe's solos splash space, the performers' legs and arms are thrown out at incredible angles, and around each person there is a hum of disturbed air. Duets are pressed into an invisible vertical plane (especially in “Cherry”), the ballerina’s and dancer’s hands are clasped, their bodies are moved away.
The antithesis of “spontaneity-calculation”. In his troupe, Forsyth trusts selected artists to improvise on stage - within the framework of a given style. This is not provided for in Mariinsky performances - since the style was previously completely unfamiliar. (Two years ago, Artifact II, shown at the Mariinsky Festival by German guests, was a shock for St. Petersburg residents - both artists and spectators.) But sometimes an extremely calculated mathematical ballet wants to let in a little humanity - a flickering smile, a random exchange of glances. When meeting on stage, the couple looks at each other (a second of tension... passed in different directions); the dancer approaches the ballerina - she briefly shakes her head - he turns to another girl; and it’s all so natural that you won’t even understand: the exhausted ballerina casts a tired glance upward - this is a question (like: well, are you happy now?) or something moved on the grate, and the girl raised her head reflexively.
The antithesis of “familiar - new”, normal knowledge of the laws of human perception. He works in the construction of ensembles (the shimmering trace of Balanchine is visible) and in the construction of the evening. Having stunned with the unique, porous, like space, Steptext (explosions of galaxies and black holes of pauses), having planned to finish off the audience with virtuoso “Cherry”, in the middle you can put “The dizzying rapture of precision” - an homage to “Mr. B”, where no one walks around and doesn’t look at each other, everyone is just dancing - and besides, the girls are wearing tutus (even if they are flat), and not the branded Forsyte tights.
The antithesis of “density - sparseness”: Forsyth stages a mass of movements per unit of time, his ballets are the heaviest in the world repertoire, but periods of inhuman activity of the dancers are replaced by periods of their calm walks across the stage. Density arises from rarefaction: this is especially evident in “Cherry,” when a busily but calmly walking line scatters into several ranks, instantly beginning to oscillate, like atoms in a crystal lattice. In Steptext, in one corner of the stage two dancers flutter, making small movements, while in the other they almost waddle, at least with an everyday gait. This is not just a game with the attention of the audience - it is also a visible image of the ballet theater. Exactly the one where something great is happening on stage, and in the wings they are discussing the progress of a football match. And here it becomes clear that the celestial Forsythe is a completely theatrical person. That with all his passion for extreme sports (he has recently been producing performances in a former tram depot), he is not at all a stranger to the old, dusty, brilliant imperial theater. Which today opens it with the performance of the IV Mariinsky Festival. Anna GORDEEVA, St. Petersburg |
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