The Stuttgart Ballet presents OneginThe Stuttgart Ballet presents OneginWhile no one has ever explained to me the criteria involved, the fact is that St. Louis and Stuttgart -in the German state of Württenberg - are sister cities. The visit of the Stuttgart Ballet to this Fox this past weekend (Januay 28-29, 2000) demonstrates that, at least as far as dance companies go - Stuttgart is the wealthier of the two siblings.
Founded in 1609, the Stuttgart Ballet attained prominence in this century under the leadership of the renowned South African choreographer John Cranko. For their appearance in St. Louis, the company presented Cranko's 1965 ballet Onegin, based on the verse novel Eugene Onegin by Pushkin about a self-involved aristocrat who brings misery to those around him and heartbreak to himself, and set to the music of Tchaikovsky - but not to the music the Russian master composed for his opera Eugene Onegin. Cranko was determined to avoid confusion between the two pieces, so the ballet uses mostly lesser-known Tchaikovsky and - in the last scene - the final moments of the tone poem Francesca da Rimini.
Stuttgart Ballet's current artistic director Reid Anderson describes Onegin as "a good ballet for people who don't normally go to the ballet", and he's right. Cranko's choreography has a clean narrative line and is very theatrically savvy. Even in large ensemble scenes like the birthday ball in Act I, he fills the stage with individual characters, not just members of the corps de ballet. There are times when this threatens to blur the dramatic focus, but on the whole it makes for a wonderfully rich experience.
"Rich" is also a good description of the lavish costumes and elaborate sets, which range from the extreme realism of an estate garden to the slightly creepy forced perspective of Titania's bedroom and boudoir.
The dancers of the Stuttgart Ballet appeared, at least to my less-than-sophisticated eye, to be top notch. In the title role of Onegin, Ivan Cavallari simply radiated bored self-indulgence. Within minutes of his languorous first appearance, we know everything about this character and his callous indifference to all around him. Elena Tentshikova was convincing both as the young Titania moping after Onegin in the first act and as the self-assured wife of Prince Gremin in the final act. Other fine performances came from Alexander Zaitsev as the doomed poet Lensky and Ludmilla Bogart as the family nurse.
Many thanks for Dance St. Louis and the Fox for bringing the Stuttgart Ballet to town. Next up on the Dance St. Louis season: the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago company on February 25th and 26th. Call 534-1111 for ticket information.