Swan Lake in Vinius. Photo: Lithuanian National Ballet

It is like a fairytale to enjoy the Lithuanian National Ballet in Vilnius. The young balletcompany are having many good dancers, and with pleasure I observe many new young talents in the Company. The Company stars are great, and at the Friday evenings Swan Lake, it was again a great pleasure to enjoy one of the Companys famous Primaballerinas OLGA KONOSENKO in the very demanding double role as Odette/Odile.

Olga Konosenko has the extraodinar stage appearance, from the first secnd she enters she is a center of the performance, and she has the absolutely first class quality of a primaballerina, which gives the audience an unique possibility to dream away in the fairytale about the Swanprinces that the Prince Siegfried is falling in love with, and who he want to bring back to her human life, from before Rothbart was bringing her out to the Swans, he is keeping around the beautiful lake in the deep forests around the fairytale castle
. Olga Knosenko has the calm and patience in the two white acts, her pas de deux in the secnd act with Prince Siegfried, Sergej Neiksin, was very beautiful done, and her performance of her opposite figur Odile, the Black Swan in the third Act was brilliant, inclusive the 32 pirouettes

. The applause break after these pirouettes was however too long, before the Prince continues the scene with his part
. This is a piece of music, not supposed to be split up so long time in the middle. Only a short applause for the Odile, and the it shall continue with thePrince solo part. – To my oppinnion.

As Prince Siegfried we enjoyed SERGEJ NEIKSIN from Riga, A very good cavaler for Olga Konosenko, who also in his stage appearance and own few solos performed with good quality. But nothing extra ordinary. AURELIJUS DARASKEVEICIUS is a safe card as Rothbart, danced with good stage appearance, he is one of the very best demonic dancers in this role, that I have seen for a long time. The Joker is performed by ANDRIUS ZUZZALKINAS, with good jumps and pirouettes. But too many on flat foot. Voldemaras Chlebinskas is perfect as the Prince adviser and as the Master of Ceremony at the ball.

The Choreography based on the old traditions by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, revised version by Konstantin Sergeyev, are well performed
. The lines in the corps des ballets girls in the 2nd and 4th act are brilliant. And together with the mens in 1st and 3rd act very good danced. It tells about a very good rehersing team behind stage
. It is a pleasure to enjoy that new good young talents are entering the corps des ballet, and also to see them in different solo parts. This tells about a good future for ballet in Lithuania.

The scenography by Viatcheslav Okunev, with the Swans on the lake, the moon partly hidden, and the moonshine on the lake. the Gothic details in the interior, the castle and the costumes are wonderfully made. Good old fashion handwork by the factories at the National Ballet and Opera House in Vilnius ( I suppose?).

The orchestra played the wonderful and famous music by Piotr Tchaikovsky very good conducted by ROBERTAS SERVENIKAS. I enjoyed very much the beautiful violinsolos in the second, third and fourth act. The orchestra has a concertmaste which can do his job. The harp solo was brilliant in second act. A great pleasure.

As I have seen the Swan Lake very many times as international critic, member of the Norwegian Critic Association since 1997, member of the PMI – Press Musical International in Paris, and the Delegate to Norway for Unesco Council International de la Danse CID. I am too reading seriously the programmes, and of course too regarding the little list handed out for free.

Unfortunately that list s not good enough for an international opera and ballett house like the one in Vilnius. Out of a seriosity towards the audience, and on the other side for the artist. Some thing is missing in that. There are no information about who the leading dancers in the roles are, as in this case The Swann Princess Odette/Odile, Prince Siegfried and Rotbbart, the Conductor, a small CV is of each of them needed.

Furtherone. All the soloists in the second act – The four small and the two big swans, and in the third act, the soloists in the national dances and of the six princesses are missing. That is not good enough. – I noticed that the three soloists in the Pas de trois in the first act was mentioned, but that is only one third part of the job. In addition the violin and cello soloists in the orchestra could have been mentioned at the listing, when they are playing these outstanding solos.

Internationally, all over the world, and for me who is continuously travelling all of Europe to write critic. The Vilnius Opera and Ballet House is the only one doing such a bad work. I hope seriously that the management will take care of improving that little jo. For the local and more and more international audience, this is of great importance, and for the participant artists it is a must. However the programme is beautifully done, elegant ad informative, – but this essential information is missing. Another thing is that on the small list its should be staying, if there is one, or eventually more breaks in the performance, how long the breaks are, and when the performance is planed to finish.

It is only to copy the hand outs from for exempel the Opera in Paris, Copenhagen or Oslo. Where they have learned to do their information job long tima ago! The program is beautiful made with good introductions, delicious design and information, but not every body have money to buy it. At the internet is standing: Approx. running time: 2h 35 min. But not every body look after this information at the internet before leaving home. It should be on the hand outs.

The ballet chief through many years is Tatjana Sedunova, she is doing a good job.

Piotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

SWAN LAKE

Ballet in 2 acts
Choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov

Revised version by Konstantin Sergeyev
Designer Viatcheslav Okunev (Russia)
Staging consultants Liubov Kunakova, Ninella Kurgapkina,
Liudmila Kovaliova, Henrieta Melnikova (Russia)