If you happen to be in Milan, you still have a final chance to see tomorrow a different kind of "cinematic" black swan from Darren Aronofsky’s.
After eleven years (it was first staged at La Scala in 1990) –Tchaikovsky’s best-loved ballet, “Swan Lake”, with choreographies by Rudolf Nureyev, is indeed back at La Scala.
Performances were directed by Daniel Barenboim in December, but tomorrow’s show will be under the musical direction of Julien Salemkour.
Though the centre point of the ballet is romantic Prince Siegfried, this version of the seminal ballet has also got an interesting focus on the dubiously sinister figure of Wolfgang/Rothbart and on Odette, the moving and gentle swan queen, and her evil doppelgänger Odile (at selected performances of this production, Alina Somova - etoile at St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre - danced in the twin roles).
The interesting connection between this production and cinema is represented by the costumes, designed by Franca Squarciapino.
An early collaborator of theatre director Giorgio Strehler and of Roland Petit and Rudolf Nureyev and a recipient of numerous costume awards (among them also an Oscar for Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s Cyrano de Bergerac, 1990, and the Goya Award for La femme de chambre du Titanic by Bigas Lunas, 1997), Squarciapino is famous for her use of colours, harmonious silhouettes, choice of elegant fabrics matched with innovative and unconventional materials and great attention to details.
The costume designer opted for a rather traditional look for the tutus, but when it came to wicked Rothbart as an enormous bird of prey she created a voluminously ample and scary feathery black cape.
This costume makes the dancer look like a very evil version of Irma Vep (Musidora)/Marfa Koutiloff (Stacia Napierkowska) in “Les Vampires”, and makes him dance like a dark and gothic version of Loïe Fuller (check out the video uploaded on La Scala’s home page – unfortunately it can’t be embedded).
There aren’t any white tutus oozing blood à la Aronofsky’s Black Swan in this production (I must admit that, despite my passion for ballet, there has been so much talk about this film and fashion that I'm getting sick and violently tired about all these comparisons between ballerinas and catwalk shows - I feel a bit like Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who complaining of having seen too many productions of the “Swan Lake”, once told to ballerina Maya Plisetskaya: "At night, I dream of white tutus and tanks all mixed up together"...), but I can assure you it offers some haunting moments, beautiful costumes and the chance to see really talented dancers.
Ballet, opera and La Scala fans will also be happy to hear that Shiseido recently did a 3-year partnership deal with Milan’s theatre.
Actors, dancers and singers will use products from Shiseido Make Up line and Haute Beauté products for the body and hair from the Carita line.
Apparently the make up company will also launch a series of events at La Scala in future.
When I heard about this sponsorship last December I wasn’t at all surprised since it kind of fits in with Shiseido's passion for art and beauty.
Yet the thing I really liked about it is the advertising campaign featuring a collage of two images taken from La Scala's archives and portraying Maria Callas (View this photo) and Shirley Verrett (View this photo) having their make up done.
I found this campaign beautiful since, while indirectly paying homage to the passion for photography of Shinzo and Roso Fukuhara (the sophisticated sons of Shiseido’s founder Arinobu Fukuhara), it is also a wonderful tribute to two great singers and to art and opera.
It was particularly refreshing to see Verrett - who died last November and who fought in her career against the racism she encountered as a black person in the American classical music world - portrayed in the ad. Well-done!
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