Swan Lake at Istana Budaya was beautifully executed, yet something was missing
LIKE a beautifully executed pirouette, the staging of Swan Lake at the Istana Budaya by travelling troupe, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, recently looked beautiful - at first glance.
Swan Lake is a childhood dream. Not the ballet at first, but the haunting musical masterpieces by renowned Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Having been sent for piano lessons at the tender age of 4 or 5, developing a love for classical pieces is only natural.
However of all the great classics ever to have been composed, the genius that was Tchaikovsky trumped the rest.
From the pieces in Swan Lake to the Nutcracker Suite, it has always been a dream to witness the staging of his pieces, accompanied by the magical ballet performance.
The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, featuring its prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova, is no stranger to travelling around the world, bringing classical ballet acts nearer to its fans.
It may not be the Bolshoi or the Mariinsky, however its dancers are well-trained and Kolesnikova manages to stand out, despite the apparent rigidity of the entire performance.
It was not all mesmerising, as the need for applause was taken a bit too far, particularly by its principals as they constantly make it to the edge of the stage in between acts and scenes and dance sequences to illicit applause.
Indeed their movements and pirouettes as well as choreography were the result of immense training and everyone carried out their roles well.
However, there was an apparent lack of soul on stage which was surprising since Swan Lake is a ballet that’s more than 100 years old.
Or perhaps the lack of soul could be attributed to the fact that the scores were not performed live as is usually the case for ballet performances like these.
Without an orchestra, the music from Swan Lake was prerecorded and that took away a significant portion of how the ballet is supposed to be experienced.
For those who are classical music lovers, this would be rather disappointing. But the performance is not considered a total loss as the focus is then given almost 100 per cent to the technique and movements of the ballet itself.
The various dancers did justice to the classical choreography though. The technique that St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is known to adopt since its inception in 1994 was also well reflected in its execution by the troupe.
As for Kolesnikova, who is a regular at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, her masterfully-executed technique as Odette and Odile in Swan Lake did not disappoint ballet lovers, young and old.
There were many young faces in the crowd on the opening night of Swan Lake recently, most likely children who are attending ballet classes and her presence on stage perhaps helped to inspire many that night to continue pursuing their dreams to become a prima ballerina someday.
And that to me is a thing of beauty, the ability to ignite passion in young minds to keep working hard to achieve their dreams. Kolesnikova truly did not disappoint in that respect.
The only major disappointment for me that night was that there was no real orchestra to lend grandeur to the genius of Tchaikovsky.
Classical masterpieces are best enjoyed live, the way they are meant to be, no exceptions.
Ballet lovers are in for a treat this year as another classic work, Sleeping Beauty, with music also by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa, will be staged at the Plenary Hall of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Oct 11 and 12.
For those who missed the Swan Lake, you can still catch a magnificent ballet performance later by the St Petersburg Theatre Russian Ballet troupe.
