DON QUIXOTE

Non stop dazzle from St Petersburg ballet production. (Review by Lynne Goodman)

The St Petersburg production of Don Quixote which I saw at Cinema Nouveau offers a rare chance to see this grandiose ballet and on the way, gives a new gloss to the word spectacular.

Although the Don Quixote Grand Pas de Deux is a popular staple in any programme of excerpts, the full-length version of this ballet is rarely seen on the local stage. It demands technical expertise from a huge cast, not to mention complicated scene changes during its four acts featuring gipsies, puppets, duels and fiestas - all of which requirements are brilliantly met in this film.

The Cervantes masterpiece about the wanna-be knight who tilts with windmills has spawned many dance versions from that of Marius Petipa, first staged in Moscow in 1869 to Rudolf Nureyev’s production for the Australian Ballet that was made into a film in 1972. It would be interesting to compare it with this one, which features Alexander Gorsky’s adaptation of the Petipa original.

It uses the adventures of the poor gentleman from La Mancha as a peg on which to hang a glorious array of dance variations from the characters he and his trusty Sancho Panza meet during their travels. Main focus is on the innkeeper’s daughter Kitri, performed over the years by such greats as Pavlova and Karsavina, and Basil the barber who courts her (they of the Grand Pas de Deux fame). The roles are taken by Olesia Novikova and Leonid Sarafanov with such virtuosity that their lifts and leaps seem to stop in mid air. They not only dance to perfection but underline the strength of this ballet in combining strict classical technique with character feeling. Basil is particularly vivid in his comic miming, which adds to a most joyous presentation.

The crowd scenes are full of verve and intricate details, including a splendid white horse that carries the hero on and off the stage. The sets feature flamboyant reds and russets, matched by an array of stunning costumes - and of course there’s the endlessly jovial music of Minkus.

It is such non stop dazzle that you almost end up feeling: if I never see another fouette or fish dive it will be too soon. How lucky can you get!

Coincidentally this film comes hard on the heels of the musical version with the Man of La Mancha dreaming the impossible dream at the Catalina Theatre - which demonstrates just how many different interpretations have been inspired by this classic. – Lynne Goodman