Schenectady, NY- Proctors announces the presentation of the The “Bolshoi In Cinema” Series at the GE Theatre. Now being presented in High Definition film format, the three ballets being presented as part of this unique film series will be Bolt on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 2pm and Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 5pm; The Pharaoh’s Daughter on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 2pm and Saturday, August 23, 2008 at 5pm; and Mediterranea on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 2pm and Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 5pm.
This unique ballet experience will be presented on the GE Theatre’s massive screen that is 50 feet high and 37 feet wide, the same screen used for Proctors iwerks films. With this giant screen, along with the surround sound audio system, audiences will be able to feel as if they are at these prestigious theatres.
The GE Theatre is acoustically tunable with moveable draperies along the rear and sidewalls. When drawn across the walls, they
deaden the reflection of the sound off of the walls, as is required for motion picture presentation.
Founded in 1776, The Bolshoi Theatre is widely considered the most famous ballet company. The Bolshoi has been the site of many historic premieres including Tchaikovsky's Voyevoda and Mazeppa, and Rachmaninoff's Aleko and Francesca da Rimini.
Bolshoi Theatre is the national theatre of Russia, the quintessence of the Russian musical tradition and the international center of the music culture. Its goal is to place the classical heritage into the context of changing cultural demand of the Russian society, and to advance and develop the music theatre in Russia.
The schedule for The “Bolshoi In Cinema” Series will be as follows.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 2pm: Bolt
Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 5pm: Bolt
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 2pm: The Pharaoh’s Daughter
Saturday, August 23, 2008 at 5pm: The Pharaoh’s Daughter
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 2pm: Mediterranea
Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 5pm: Mediterranea
BOLT
A factory puts a large new machine into operation. Shortly afterward, a hard-drinking loafer is fired from the factory workforce. He takes revenge by persuading a naive young boy to sabotage the machine by throwing a bolt into its works. Ultimately, the loafer is unmasked as the real culprit and arrested, the machine is repaired and the boy sinks into a dream.
Dimitri Shostakovich's second ballet, Bolt, brings serious and popular music and dance all together including Komsomol routines, Red Army marches, circus acrobatics, and vaudeville antics. Its first and last performance at the Leningrad State Academy Theatre of Opera and Ballet was in 1931. Critics argued that, while the ballet's storyline was topical – addressing the threat of industrial sabotage and the promise of Soviet industrialization – the music and dance were extremely superficial.
The world premiere of the ballet at the Bolshoi was in 2006, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Shostakovich’s birth. The choreography, sets, costumes and, above all, Shostakovich’s masterful score have revitalized Bolt, making it a theatrical event capable of making even the most cynical viewer stand up and cheer.
“... Once again, Ratmansky, choreographer, shows an ability to deal with large-scale scenes involving the corps de ballet. He also proves to be a master of droll comedy”. (The Moscow Times Context)
This performance will be presented in 2 acts, with a total running time on 105 minutes.
THE PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER
The ballet tells the story of Lord Wilson, an Englishman, who falls asleep after smoking opium with merchants in a pyramid, where he has taken refuge from a storm. He dreams that he is an ancient Egyptian in love with Aspicia, a Pharaoh’s daughter who has been promised to the King of Nubia. She throws herself into the Nile to avoid the marriage, where she is welcomed by the God of the River Nile. All is resolved and Aspici is finally united with her love.
The Pharaoh’s Daughter was created by Marius Petipa in 1862 for the Bolshoi Theatre in St. Petersburg. The ballet was immensely popular with the public and adored by the ballerinas. After the composer, Pugni, in a fit of anger, destroyed the piano score, Petipa began to stage the ballet without music; the music was added later. Petipa, who addressed the members of the corps-de-ballet as “ma belle”, was convinced that music existed just for dancing and dancing, for ballerinas. Pierre Lacotte, in his restoration for the Bolshoi Theatre Company in Moscow, recreated all the dances, giving highly complex variations and adagios to both ballerinas and male dancers.
Petipa’s choreography was reconstructed by Pierre Lacotte for this lavish production into which the Bolshoi threw all its resources; lavish ancient Egyptian scenery and costumes, brilliant performances by the corps de ballet and the orchestra, and above all spectacular performances by the leading dancers Svetlana Zakharova and Servei Filin. (Washington Post)
This performance will be shown in 3 acts, with a total running time of 102 minutes.
MEDITERRANEA
For the fifteenth anniversary of the show (created for the Balletto di Toscana in 1993), Mauro Bigonzetti will give the La Scala artists not only a revival but also a true choreographic adaptation. With them and "on" them he will renew the production Mediterranea while maintaining its strength and colors, and the sense of travel through the musical cultures of the countries that face each other on the mare nostrum.
Mediterranea, which does not indulge in the folklore but varies the musical genres that range from popular Turkish music to Ligeti and Mozart to archaic Grecian melodies, focuses on the gestures and the moves in a refined balance between lyricism and pure energy.
“A hit with the public, Mediterranea was acclaimed by critics for its power…”(Dance Magazine)
This performance will be presented in 1 act, with a total running time of 70 minutes.
Tickets for all performances of The “Bolshoi In Cinema” Series at the GE Theatre will be $15. Tickets are available at Proctors Box Office, (518) 346-6204, or online at proctors.org. There is limited seating.