Tuesday, 15 July 2014

'Les Saisons Russes' at The ENO


I have always been attracted to the traditional Russian clothing and architecture and fortunately this show featured this greatly. The set designs were rather playful, at times similar to a pantomime backdrop but executed with more precision and the glittering, vibrant costumes were a feast for the eyes. The Russian dancers lived up to their immaculate, disciplined reputation and delighted us with a variety of dance styles and moods. 
What was also a first for me was seeing a female conductor. From behind I could see Alevtina Ioffe’s glittering hair clip and vigorous arm movements, which at times mimicked a ballerinas. The way such wildness and ferocity was kept controlled was startling to behold.
  But my favourite part of the show was the final piece ‘Polovtsian Dances’ by Borodin. This piece from Prince Igor is incredible but when the singers appeared in the boxes and started singing it really did give me shivers. With the dancing on stage and the singers so close to us, the entire piece was unbelievably passionate, tribal, frenzied and powerful!!!

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