BALLETOMANIA

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 34, 10 February 1939, Page 9

BALLETOMANIA

NEW GENERATION. DELIGHTS IN' PROGRAMME. CLASSICTSM AND AMERICANA! Auckland has balletomania! -The 'scedf.'plan'tcjl',. by Pavlova back iifttha't. .'delightfully ;reiYi('inhered season.;of'., 1926, .germinated with the enthusiasm--,- that' ..■welcomed' tlio'.Monte':. Gn"i;lq. Ballet.'oyer .-ten. and' iii tho present teciri--son of .l']ie;Cb.vcfit'"Garden Russian-Ballet, .it;.'.; has,r', bipdiued/: to- a. .realisation. ■.' of ;beailty,;in '■<lie crowded; houses''■ that.havo: ill el i | i b it Hi .Majesty's Theatre have been'many,".who i i ii i n ii II r I i ii, 0 I .'eoiiiitrics—bufcf.iii-'.'' the majority'it is a new generation enthusing in' discovery. 'If,,.'''as "it'.i;is'.'claimed,';-■■.tho. future;"of'■ .tjj'oj ballet'i ;}ies ; with . the English-speaking people, , tlio .present company has achieved' a. gre.it';'deal -during'■'this'.' 1 visit to/Auckland. Any future company of equal ability:'caii; be assmditjof.ia...warm ;.'■;.; ■'■':;'.'.''.}'':"'"'■ '■-.','■'"■:".;■.■ ;■■:' ; ;'-'-. ; . '•■'.'?'.■ ~<. inn , jji [ail Hi'ie. In its third i me, presented for 't]io:;iirSt'; tiiho.pla's.tVJnigJi'ty ;;the ; -iiomjiiuiy; offered,; brilliantly, two of, the ■best known and n jmlar, ballets,, "l^cs Sylph ides":;. . .'and; ';..-'l;es. : '~; Presages,"; together.. '; : witli;; : ,a,;;;i)allet',. of. .modern; composition 'ami nmwuil design; tho; American; "IJiiion ;l , ii(;i(i(;.'''ilntrjnsie: ally'beautiful, in relation, to.tho first two,-,Vand interesting . in;'-.regard;'.to .the , third". item; : - added -a ttra'ci'.ibhtbyr'the"; first', appearance in Auckland of Dayid.Lichi'iie;' whb, ; i'.bpth; as, a dancer' is expected .to achieve..considerable.; influence: on tho ballet, of .■thbvfnturej■.V;■'■"■'v<i '.''*.'■■.

Lichiiic's .(iehut liere, ; a' , uil:'tho , ''fire/;pf:: tlio ballet itself, tho outstanding event:/of the flight, heralding thatit "will he one of ;tlib ; most popular, items: of '/the. season;'. ;■ :As/;'"ilie. iioro" : ill this, Imllct, .'Lichhie/hnd, a romantio rolo admirably suited;,'to; li.im,and tho attack with 'which : he;]mmlled ; it■ left:an indelible:.memory..."Les-; Presages" (Destiny), based;,"oil/Tschaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, ;is/one/ of Massine's greiitest -successes,--/thoughit.-lias ; •been tlio subject of a. good .denl:of.Ccdii, trovcrsy.r,.: .Tho . question : /whether -a symphony, complete iii itself, lends, it'self to illustration can'.:safely':b.e;left;,tpNtlio purists. It remains that''iii.t.liis/.ease"the ballet, with its subject the struggle of Man with his Destiny, is niqst. satisfy.-; ing. It is effective in drama, and/it was : magnificently presented. ■;■ ■'■'■">' '>\-',.1.'.■-';,.,.'

!' No ballet, in the present/repprtoiro'Vpf the company' displays;Abetter•itlio'icaj)abilities of the artists. 'It'/was'iir .Shis' that Baroriova.'at tho age ■of/thirteen,, first won acclaim, and eho is now a iar greater dancer than shp : .,was -tlie.ii./.Eoi' Tamara Grigoriova, as ' Action;/liHhad; power and individuality:;.;.-for -Tatinn.-i.. Riabouehinska it bad ~ tho;-.- -perfectly suited rolo of -Frivolity; and-tor Roman .Tasinsky, an . interpretative';'■:.role." ,-iil "Fate" tlmt^..pn'eo^ , n l (^in■X■impre^scttV; : possibilities ,- of . this ..,young..;Ulaiicpr,; Giigorlova'siintroductpiy diincc-wiifl ill' sfinrt with'lier imisicality,.'and;-lt ; nindo a glowing, impression. , , ' Chopin In Reverie! ■ '■ Similar controversy. to;:.that : ;-,W'hieli; ac-; conipanicd.-'."fx!S ■■rresiiges" ha6:/. ; wagc<b about "Los Sylphidcs," .wlqclu-first, nipdeits- appearance undei tlie ■nanio'-'CliopiiJ- , iana," ■ but it has ■ been, 'the Mos- 'coustwiUy dancod of all ballets jn--tlio.past thirty"years. Taking he:imißhial/moods'] from a scries, of discbhucctcd Cliopin dances— and ;Valses—it lis 1 / ■■ truly;'.: '• deligh'tful romantioisin, witli . oonsidotabld" -lntoipvetativo domands on tlio'danoers; Tljcio is no note, .in/it ...that'' ;,is/ n'ot/plensihg,; and jtfi presentation./by/llaroiibra,-■Kia-houchiuska, .Anna Volkqva and Ant/in Dolin was deliabtful. ■ 'J'he/"lh-elude'.' 2S.Nb. 7).' by Riabpuch'inska'; jarid the 'Valsc" (Op. 04, No. 2), by Barbnbya and Dolin were pntrancingly/bpautifiil;'';

Something off-that -I atmosphere; of. beauty was destroyed by,,the presentation of "Union Pacific" as last itcm.;ort the programme. Clever though it .undoubtedly is, find interesting.as a:';.ba,l-. lptip presentation -of, the . American scene, in ISfiP, when,:,tlie .first transqniitinontnl railroad -.was comploted, it bad inoro in it of./.mclodraina /and comedy tban of poetry, of motion—aijd one would rather have left.the theatre under the beautiful spell of "Sylphidcs'' or "PrpsngPS." There was, however, coh-~ siderable 'attraction in" 'tlio.- appearance, of Somo Osato as "Lady day"—a role ill, whicli Baronoya, herself,-Ims shown skill as an actress, ■ The/young JapaneseAmerioan lias considerable stage presence, and showed development of -the promise she has given in ..her work/in other ballets. Jasinsky : and Petrpff demonstrated tboir versatility '.as .tlie rival surveyors. Yura Lazovsky was admirable in his presentation of, the. Barnian's.dance—probably the major item of the ballet. ' -'' '

A<»ain ,M. Antal Dorati was,applauded for F his conductorsiiip. Component part ps it is of the ballet, the* music was splendidly panelled by the orchestra, find it whs well deserving of a tribute. The same programme will be pre? scntcd to-night and to-morrow afternoon and evening. David Licliine will again appear as "the hero" in "Les Presages." Details regarding the final performances are announced,