Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sergei Diaghilev graduated from the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1892, but he
abandoned his dream of becoming a composer when his professor, Nikolai Rimsky-
Korsakov, told him he had no talent for music. Instead he turned his attention to
dance, and his Ballets Russes took Europe by storm. The Petipa-inspired choreo-
graphy was daring and dynamic, and the stage decor was painted by artists such as
Alexander Benois, Mikhail Larionov, Natalya Goncharova and Leon Bakst. The over-
all effect was an artistic, awe-inducing display unlike anything taking place elsewhere
in Europe.
Under the Soviets, ballet was treated as a natural resource. It enjoyed highly priv-
ileged status, which allowed schools such as Vaganova and companies such as the
Kirov to maintain a level of lavish production and no-expense-spared star-searches.
Still, the story of 20th-century Russian ballet is connected with the West, to where so
many of its brightest stars emigrated or defected. Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky,
Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, George Balanchine, Natalya Makarova, Math-
ilda Kshesinskaya, to name a few, all found fame in Western Europe or America, and
most of them ended up living there.
The Kirov, now known by its pre-revolutionary name, the Mariinsky, has its home
at the Mariinsky Theatre ( CLICK HERE ) and has been rejuvenated under the fervent
directorship of artistic director Valery Gergiev. The Mariinsky's calling card has al-
ways been its flawless classical ballet, but in recent years names such as William For-
sythe and John Neumeier have brought modern choreography to this establishment.
The Mariinsky's credibility on the world stage is set to soar further in 2012 on com-
pletion of the Mariinksy Second Stage, being built adjacent to the old one on the Kry-
ukov Canal (see the boxed text, CLICK HERE ).
Of the huge range of productions it's possible to see at the Mariinsky
Theatre, Prokofiev's thoroughly modernist ballet Romeo and Juliet is per-
haps one of the most enjoyable. It premiered on this very stage in 1940
and has changed little since - a true classic.
MUSIC
St Petersburg has a rich musical legacy, dating back to the days when the Group of
Five and Pyotr Tchaikovsky composed here. Opera and classical music continue to
draw crowds, and the Mariinsky and Philharmonia regularly sell out their perform-
 
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