Search - Khachaturian - Spartacus / Lisa Pavane, Australian Ballet on DVD

On the contrary, the choreography (and everything else) is j

Madbeppo | Dallas, Texas | 04/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first reviewer of this DVD, Hawkeye, essentially criticizes and condemns this Australian Ballet production of Spartacus for not being the Bolshoi production with choreography by Yuri Grigorovich. It uses, instead, a version created by Laszlo Seregi in 1968, which is interesting in part precisely because it is so different from the familiar Grigorovich. The Bolshoi version, like the Australian one, is based on a fictionalized account (the Bolshoi, on a novel by Rafaello Giovagnoli, the Australian on one by Howard Fast). However, the Bolshoi version makes the story somewhat abstract; the four principal characters dance monologues, and duets (Spartacus with Phrygia, Crassus with Aegina); otherwise, they are contrasted with groups, that they encourage, lead into battle (or lead in orgies), reluctantly dance with, or lose control of, but do not interact with. In addition, I would venture to say that the Bolshoi version by itself does not make important story elements very clear; you need to read the playnotes for that. The Australian-Seregi version, on the other hand, almost never allows Spartacus or Crassus to be alone; they are always interacting, Spartacus with his fellow rebel leaders and with Flavia, Crassus with his companions. (The story is also much clearer and, I would say, more engagingly conveyed.) At the same time, the Australian dancers do fine jobs as actors--whereas in the Russian version the acting tends to be a bit...one-toned...--and so the overall effect of the Australian performance is a dance version of the story that I personally find more compelling and dramatic. --The reviewer mentioned above reproaches the Australian-Seregi version for not incuding the climactic hand-to-hand between Spartacus and Crassus. Isn't that like reproaching, say, the Latin language (or the Russian) for not having articles? That (very unhistorical) duel is not in the Seregi version, because it is not supposed to be; it's not part of that version of the story. However, if it is dance-fights you want, the first act is full of them, in the scenes that take place at the gladiator training school, and they are mighty fine, say I."