Editor's Choice
By Marina Sinitsyna
Photo by Mikhail Logvinov, Bolshoi Theatre
Joaquin Cortes
This is a chance to see in the flesh the dancer whose talent has earned him such high-profile fans as Jennifer Lopez, Sting, Giorgio Armani. Above all, it is a chance to experience the fiery rhythms of flamenco which Joaquin Cortes mixes together with the pensiveness of jazz and the vivacity of Cuban melodies. Of gypsy origin, he was born in Cordoba in 1969 and at the age of twelve moved to Madrid. There, encouraged by his uncle Cristobal Reyes, he started dancing classes and soon joined the Spanish National Ballet. World recognition came to him with his show Pacion Gitana (Gipsy Passion) that he took on international tour in 1995. Since then he has created three more shows, Soul, Live and Mi Soledad (the latter to be now presented in Moscow); he had his debut as an actor in Pedro Almodovar’s La flor de mi secreto, played in Flamenco, directed by Carlos Saura; he has broken countless numbers of female hearts. Joaquin Cortes is sometimes accused of trading artistry for fame and success but what artist didn’t dream of sharing his passion for the dance with a mass audience?
State Kremlin Palace, February 6, 19:00 |
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Neue Vocalisten Stuttgart
Few would argue that the first Biennale of Contemporary Art did not have an immense influence on the cultural scene of the Russian capital. For one month in 2005 art was everywhere in Moscow – its galleries, streets, and even the metro. Nevertheless, performing arts were not given the same attention; hence the 2nd Biennale, to be launched in March of this year, is destined to correct that, via the First Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Performing Arts. This festival hinges on two main ideas – the multi-dimensionality of today’s art which is often a transfusion of genres and techniques; and its correlation with the avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century. Neue Vocalsolisten will open the Biennale with works by contemporary European composers – George Aperghis, Salvatore Sciarrino, Lucia Ronchetti, Nadir Vassena, Manuel Hidalgo and Carola Bauckholt. These “discoverers, adventurers and idealists”, as they call themselves, never cease searching for new sounds, new techniques, new forms of expression and are as much researchers as they are artists.
Moscow International Performing Arts Centre, February 28, 19:00 |
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Vienna Philarmonic Orchestra
Founded in 1842, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra remains one of the finest of its kind in the world and is part of the national heritage of Austria. It is unique both in its sound and its history. Since the time of its foundation, it has maintained an exceptional relationship with the Vienna State Opera and, in order to be elected as an Orchestra member, a musician has to prove his capability in the Opera for not less than three years minimum. Since 1933, the Orchestra has refused the idea of having a principal conductor and from that time on continues to work with the most significant international conductors. Guest conductors have included Richard Strauss, Arturo Toscanini, Karl Boehm, Leonard Bernstein and Valery Gergiev. The history of the orchestra is also inseparable from such composers as Wagner, Verdi, Brahms, Liszt, and Gustav Malher who was conducting the orchestra during its first performance abroad at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900.
Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Mozart Concerto N 27 for piano and orchestra Wagner Overtures to the operas, February 22, 19:00
Great Hall of the Conservatory, Mozart Concerto N 27 for piano and orchestra Bruckner Symphony N 7, February 23, 19:00 |
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A Little Bit of the Bolshoi
For three nights in February the Bolshoi Theatre will step away from its productions of grand scale to treat its audience to three one-act ballets – Serenade staged by George Balanchine to music by Tchaikovsky, a new ballet by Christopher Wheeldon set to the music of Arvo Part and a highly-acclaimed ballet by Twyla Tharp, In the Upper Room. Despite belonging to different eras and being very different in style, these non-narrative ballets all bear the mark of spontaneity and encourage the audience to become a co-author. Serenade itself can be viewed as a collection of accidents that happened during its rehearsals. A girl absent-mindedly forgot to step out with the others – Balanchine left it in the ballet as it was; and while the corps de ballet was leaving the stage, one ballerina stumbled and fell, then burst into tears – Balanchine included this episode as well.
New Stage of the Bolshoi, February 13, 14 and 15, 19:00 |
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Jason Webley and Deti Picasso
He is sometimes called “Tiger Lilies in the Hat of Tom Waits” with the frenetic energy of the former and the husky ballads of the latter. Every performance of his turns into a bizarre carnival; he burns enormous beets made of paper, invites his audience to kill time with the tomatoes that they throw into the gigantic clock installed right in the club, and generally electrifies the air around him with the sounds of his loyal accordion. Meanwhile, Deti Picasso are the most elegant of the current rock bands in Russia. Piercing in its purity, the voice of Gaya Arutyunova and the haunting sounds of the drums never fail to leave the audience enchanted. A joint project of the two is the most unexpected and the most awaited event of the New Year.
Club on Brestskaya, February 9, 22:00 |
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