“The most eagerly anticipated of the season”

Such was The New York Times columnist’s response to yesterday’s London evening performance of a programme of one-act ballets including Michel Fokine’s The Firebird, Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand and Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH.

“Sold-out houses, lines of people waiting for returned tickets, and palpable audience buzz,” commented the journalist of The New York Times on the atmosphere prior to the performances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, stating that “Why this program, and the Balanchine double bill that preceded it, were only offered for two or three performances is a mystery, since it suggested that they were among the most eagerly anticipated of the season. That’s partly because mixed bills offer a number of opportunities to showcase principal roles and the Mariinsky has plenty of stars to show off.”
The New York critic named Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH the highlight of the programme. Familiar with the choreography of the production since its premiere with the New York City Ballet, the reviewer asked somewhat rhetorically “Is Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH the best ballet to date of the 21^st century?” And, inspired by the performance by Mariinsky Ballet dancers, she answered her own question: “It certainly felt like the most exhilarating one.” The New York Times wrote how the “Russianness of the work – its evocation of Soviet optimism in its bounding athletes, its simultaneous comedy and pathos – feels touchingly alive.” “But the Mariinsky dancers were more than equal to its demands, with blazingly good performances from Kimin Kim, Filipp Stepin and Nadezhda Batoeva as the opening trio, and Viktoria Tereshkina and Mr Yermakov as the principal pair. The commentator of the Financial Times noted the countless cries of “Bravo!” to which “Nadezhda Batoeva  relished her saucy pas de trois, flanked by Filipp Stepin and Korean boy wonder Kimin Kim, who played in the air like a starling.” According to The Telegraph, Ratmansky’s ballet “shows off the Mariinsky’s sharp strength in depth.” The performance, an impression of which the correspondent of The Telegraph compared to feelings about the last day of summer, filled with joy but also reminding one of impending autumn, also centred around the powerful technique and beautiful shapes of Viktoria Tereshkina and the ideal partnering qualities of Andrei Yermakov, “one of the discoveries of this London visit.”
“Best of all was the unexpected pleasure of Andrei Yermakov’s Tsarevich hero” in The Firebird, commented the internet portal The Arts Desk. Meanwhile, the Financial Times praised Andrei Yermakov for his combination of “elegant technique and manly manners with the looks of a young Steve McQueen.”
Praising the Mariinsky Ballet’s performance of The Firebird, the reviewer for The Guardian commented that “I must have seen dozens of Firebirds, and few match this for fairytale shock and awe. Even more powerful, though, is the playing of the Mariinsky Orchestra, who render Stravinsky’s score in magisterial Technicolor, and the dancers themselves, who bring an ardent storytelling energy to Michel Fokine's choreography.”
The Russian dancers’ performance of Frederick Ashton’s ballet drew well-expected interest among British audiences. The correspondent of The New York Times stated that “Diana Vishneva is perfect for the role” ... “and Ms Vishneva is certainly a ballerina to make the most of wild love, a tragic death and gorgeous dresses by Cecil Beaton.”
“The beauteous Vishneva looked sumptuous in Cecil Beaton’s dresses, giving the slender  choreographic fabric the full prima swish,” noted The Arts Desk.
The respected ballet critic of The Telegraph Sarah Crompton, paying due tribute to every appearance by Ulyana Lopatkina in the performances, wrote that she “conveyed the profoundest emotion through the tiniest details as Marguerite The moment when she first sees him, and unfolds towards him in a kind of hazy slow motion, was utterly lovely. At 40, this may be her last appearance on a British stage – if so, it was a fitting farewell
Sarah Crompton’s opinion matches that of famous British critic Judith Mackrell, who wrote in The Guardian that “Uliana Lopatkina is a revelation. Her grand classical line makes Marguerite unquestionably queen of her own court, yet her body looks hollowed by illness, her happiness a fragile puff. Both exquisite and ravaged, this performance opens up fascinating views of Lopatkina's artistry in this late phase of her career.”