Latest news with #MariinskyTheatre
Free Malaysia Today
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Russian ballet patriarch Yuri Grigorovich dies at 98
Yuri Grigorovich presided over various ballet competitions, including the French Benоis de la Danse. (EPA Images pic) MOSCOW : Legendary Russian ballet figure Yuri Grigorovich, who was for three decades the lead choreographer at Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theatre, has died aged 98. Born in the Soviet city of Leningrad to a ballet family, Grigorovich's career – as a dancer then choreographer – spanned 80 years. For much of it, he was the artistic powerhouse behind the Bolshoi, which he was said to have run with an iron fist. 'Yuri Grigorovich, one of the key figures in the world of ballet in the second half of the 20th century, has died,' the Bolshoi said on social media. 'An entire era has come to an end,' St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, where he started his career, posted online. Grigorovich made his name staging classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Stone Flower. The latter was his most famous piece, based on a series of folk tales from the Urals accompanied by composer Sergei Prokofiev's music. Top choreographer Boris Akimov, 78, told AFP he was 'proud to have been Grigorovich's student'. He 'especially revitalised male dance, introducing male roles into ballet, which had previously been dominated by female roles', Akimov said, also defending his strict leadership style. 'He was criticised for authoritarianism and was even called a dictator – but to lead a team, one has to be rigid,' Akimov said. Grigorovich was the choreographer for performances at Moscow's 1980 summer Olympics opening ceremony and presided over various ballet competitions, including the French Benоis de la Danse, known as the 'ballet Oscars'. In 1995, the ballet patriarch had to part ways with the Bolshoi over allegations the theatre had become artistically stagnant during the last decade of his 30-year tenure. He returned in 2008 to serve as a choreographer, and insiders and ballet critics said his presence over Russia's most famed stage remained formidable. 'It is an era without which much would not have happened. It is a greatness that cannot be overcome. It was a life that will be remembered… Genius,' Russian-Georgian ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze wrote on social media.
LeMonde
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Russian ballet legend Yuri Grigorovich dies at 98
Legendary Russian ballet figure Yuri Grigorovich, who was for three decades the lead choreographer at Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theatre, has died on Monday, May 19, at the age of 98. Born in the Soviet city of Leningrad to a ballet family, Grigorovich's career – as a dancer then choreographer – spanned 80 years. For much of it, he was the artistic powerhouse behind the Bolshoi, which he was said to have run with an iron fist. "Yuri Grigorovich, one of the key figures in the world of ballet in the second half of the 20th century, has died," the Bolshoi said on social media. "An entire era has come to an end," Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, where he started his career, posted online. Grigorovich made his name staging classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Stone Flower. The latter was his most famous piece, based on a series of folk tales from the Urals accompanied by composer Sergei Prokofiev's music. Top choreographer Boris Akimov, 78, told Agence France-Presse he was "proud to have been Grigorovich's student." He "especially revitalised male dance, introducing male roles into ballet, which had previously been dominated by female roles," Akimov said, also defending his strict leadership style. "He was criticised for authoritarianism and was even called a dictator – but to lead a team, one has to be rigid," Akimov said. Grigorovich was the choreographer for performances at Moscow's 1980 summer Olympics opening ceremony and presided over various ballet competitions, including the French Benois de la Danse, known as the "ballet Oscars." In 1995, the ballet patriarch had to part ways with the Bolshoi over allegations the theater had become artistically stagnant during the last decade of his 30-year tenure. He returned in 2008 to serve as a choreographer, and insiders and ballet critics said his presence over Russia's most famed stage remained formidable. "It is an era without which much would not have happened. It is a greatness that cannot be overcome. It was a life that will be remembered... Genius," Russian-Georgian ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze wrote on social media.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Russian ballet patriarch Yuri Grigorovich dies at 98
Legendary Russian ballet figure Yuri Grigorovich, who was for three decades the lead choreographer at Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theatre, has died aged 98. Born in the Soviet city of Leningrad to a ballet family, Grigorovich's career -- as a dancer then choreographer -- spanned 80 years. For much of it, he was the artistic powerhouse behind the Bolshoi, which he was said to have run with an iron fist. "Yuri Grigorovich, one of the key figurs in the world of ballet in the second half of the 20th century, has died," the Bolshoi said on social media. "An entire era has come to an end," Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, where he started his career, posted online. Grigorovich made his name staging classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Stone Flower. The latter was his most famous piece, based on the composer Sergei Prokofiev's music. "He was able to see in artists what we ourselves did not notice. He helped us unleash (ourselves) on stage, making us feel and experience every moment," Bolshoi's principal dancer Denis Rodkin told the TASS state news agency. Grigorovich was also the choreographer for performances at Moscow's 1980 summer Olympics opening ceremony and presided over various ballet competitions, including the French Benоis de la Danse, known as the "ballet Oscars". In 1995, the ballet patriarch had to part ways with the Bolshoi over allegations the theatre had became artistically stagnant during the last decade of his 30-year tenure. He returned in 2008 to serve as a choreographer, and insiders and ballet critics said his presence over Russia's most famed stage remained formidable. "It is an era without which much would not have happened. It is a greatness that cannot be overcome. It was a life that will be remembered... Genius," Russian-Georgian ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze wrote on social media. bur/gil
France 24
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Russian ballet patriarch Yuri Grigorovich dies at 98
Born in the Soviet city of Leningrad to a ballet family, Grigorovich's career -- as a dancer then choreographer -- spanned 80 years. For much of it, he was the artistic powerhouse behind the Bolshoi, which he was said to have run with an iron fist. "Yuri Grigorovich, one of the key figurs in the world of ballet in the second half of the 20th century, has died," the Bolshoi said on social media. "An entire era has come to an end," Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, where he started his career, posted online. Grigorovich made his name staging classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Stone Flower. The latter was his most famous piece, based on the composer Sergei Prokofiev's music. "He was able to see in artists what we ourselves did not notice. He helped us unleash (ourselves) on stage, making us feel and experience every moment," Bolshoi's principal dancer Denis Rodkin told the TASS state news agency. Grigorovich was also the choreographer for performances at Moscow's 1980 summer Olympics opening ceremony and presided over various ballet competitions, including the French Benоis de la Danse, known as the "ballet Oscars". In 1995, the ballet patriarch had to part ways with the Bolshoi over allegations the theatre had became artistically stagnant during the last decade of his 30-year tenure. He returned in 2008 to serve as a choreographer, and insiders and ballet critics said his presence over Russia's most famed stage remained formidable. "It is an era without which much would not have happened. It is a greatness that cannot be overcome. It was a life that will be remembered... Genius," Russian-Georgian ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze wrote on social media.
L'Orient-Le Jour
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Alexander Sladkovski celebrates Tchaikovsky at Monnot: 'In short, he was a genius'
Who among us does not know Swan Lake, the 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker or Piano Concerto No. 1? Filled with iconic melodies, the works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky will echo in Beirut on Wednesday, May 7, as the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra performs under the baton of Alexander Sladkovski. The event marks the famed Russian composer's 185th birthday. The concert, held at Saint Joseph Church in Monnot, features Sergei Slovachevsky, principal cellist of the prestigious Mariinsky Theatre and a respected coach and teacher. It is organized under the patronage of Russian Ambassador Alexander Rudakov and Hiba Kawas, interim director of Lebanon's National Higher Conservatory of Music. Sladkovski's early path to greatness Born to a piano teacher, Sladkovski 'spoke music before he spoke words.' At age 13, he met legendary conductor Yuri Temirkanov during an educational program — an encounter that shaped his destiny. Sladkovski earned a gold medal at the Moscow Conservatory and later graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory, where he launched his career and eventually became chief conductor of the school's opera and ballet theater. He now leads the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra in Kazan, gaining recognition from international labels such as Medici and Mezzo, which have recorded many of his performances. His accolades include the 2016 title of 'People's Artist of the Russian Federation,' 'People's Artist of Tatarstan' in 2020, a win at the III Prokofiev International Competition in 1999, and the International Rachmaninoff Prize in 2019. A date rich in symbolism The May 7 performance pays tribute not only to Tchaikovsky's birth, but also to the historical significance of May 9 — known as Victory Day — which commemorates the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany and the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet Union, which lost an estimated 20 million people during what it calls the Great Patriotic War, bore a heavy toll. 'What better way to celebrate the battle between good and evil,' said Sladkovski, 'than through the legacy of a Russian and international icon?' The program includes selections such as Slavonic March, Waltz of the Flowers, and the 1812 Overture. The latter, portraying Russia's victory over Napoleon's invading forces, famously opens with the Marseillaise and ends in a thunderous crescendo of cannon fire, timpani and brass. May 7 also carries personal meaning for Sladkovski — it is the birthday of his mother, who first introduced him to music. The program is devoted entirely to the works of Tchaikovsky, whose vast and varied output mirrors the breadth of his homeland. A colossus of Russian music Though best known for his three ballets — Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker — Tchaikovsky's output was enormous. He composed six symphonies, 11 operas (including Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades), four orchestral suites, four string quartets, three piano concertos, dozens of overtures, waltzes, concertos for various instruments, sacred music, romances, and a vast body of chamber and solo piano works. 'All three of his ballets are essential to any company's repertoire,' Sladkovski noted. The Russian Beethoven To Sladkovski, Tchaikovsky is 'a genius — the greatest melodist, a master of structure and polyphony.' He was the first student to earn a gold medal at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory under the mentorship of Anton Rubinstein. Just as German influence shaped Russia's early musical tradition — and French and Italian schools informed its ballet — Tchaikovsky drew on composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Bruckner and Wagner, whose use of thematic melody, or leitmotif, deeply inspired him. 'In symphonic form, he is our Beethoven; in melody, he is our Wagner,' Sladkovski said. Voice of the Russian soul Tchaikovsky's work is marked by emotional depth, narrative strength and rich orchestration. 'He raised the bar when it came to expressing emotions,' Sladkovski told L'Orient-Le Jour. 'He was one of the masters of the Romantic era, after the Germans had dominated the scene.' His music, though molded by Western traditions, draws heavily on Russian folk themes. While not the first to do so — Mikhail Glinka paved the way — Tchaikovsky helped reintroduce Russian folk melodies to domestic and global audiences. His lyrical, passionate and often tragic works helped define what would become known as russkaya dusha — the Russian soul. Because the soul of classical music transcends borders, Sladkovski hopes to build cultural bridges between Russia and Lebanon — specifically between Kazan and Beirut. During his first visit to Lebanon, he invited Kawas to participate in the international music festival he directs in Kazan. 'This is also our mission as musicians,' he said.
