Mikhail Baryshnikov, Margot Fonteyn - A Curious Partnership for ‘Le Spectre de la Rose’

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Mikhail Baryshnikov, Margot Fonteyn - A Curious Partnership for ‘Le Spectre de la Rose’

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Күн бұрын

This is film of a performance of ‘Le Spectre de la Rose’.
The ballet as we all probably know was choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to Hector Berlioz's 1841 orchestration of Carl Maria von Weber's piano music ‘Afforderung zum Tanz’ (‘Invitation to the Dance’) and realised a verse of the French poet Théophile Gautier:
"Open up your sleeping eyes
that are brushed lightly by a virginal dream
I am the spectre of a rose
you wore last night at a ball"
The sets and costumes were designed by Léon Bakst.
The ballet premiered at the Opera House in Monte Carlo on the 19th April 1911, with Vaslav Nijinsky as The Rose and Tamara Karsavina as The Young Girl just returned from the ball.
The footage is curious, at least for me, in that Margot Fonteyn was coached in the role of The Young Girl by Karsavina herself and that the British ballerina is here so improbably partnered very late in her career with one of the greatest Russian male dancers of his generation, Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Enjoy!

Пікірлер: 147

@42abyz Жыл бұрын

For me, Baryshnikov's portrayal is astonishing in terms of his movement quality and interpretation. And Dame Margot Fonteyn's characterization is unlike any that I have seen. At first, she dances in a dream state, then she awakens and realizes the man with whom she dances is the spirit of the rose. The expression on her face when she realizes this tells the story.

@JohnRaymondHall Жыл бұрын

yes, she gives a very interesting interpretation

@silcorradi9219 4 жыл бұрын

Barysnikov is the best at all .I love him,!!

@agnesszilagyi4911 2 жыл бұрын

Könnyed, légies, túlcsordul a szíved, ahogy nézed őket . Baryshnikov legjobb táncos a világon 🥰❤️

@nancydionisi9346 5 жыл бұрын

Wonderful video John!, many thanks for sharing it!

@JohnRaymondHall 4 жыл бұрын

thanks Nancy - appreciated

@davidsands789 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for putting this up. Fascinating to watch. Although her career is almost over she still seems to have stage presence. I never saw her, but I did Misha a couple of times, also Nureyev.

@JohnRaymondHall 6 жыл бұрын

yes, a curiosity but i agree, Fonteyn still inhabits the character of the girl after the ball so truly. i saw her many times - mostly in London as a kid. i saw Misha and Makarova and Rudi and Makarova - so interesting to see the same schooling together

@linhiril664 5 жыл бұрын

I saw Rudolf and Dame Margot do this ballet in NYC.

@ballet701 10 жыл бұрын

A little gem. Thanks for sharing

@JohnRaymondHall 10 жыл бұрын

hi Jacqui yes, a unique partnering - one that is so unexpected given the stage of Fonteyn's career. there is so much acting and atmosphere for the ballerina to create and not great dancing demands so it kind of works.

@Bzcenci812 4 жыл бұрын

Lovely and unforgettable Margot! She could be a young girl even at the end of her career, but that bonnet doesn’t favour her.

@mithrilmoon1 9 жыл бұрын

Fonteyn I will always love and admire. Misha - oh, Misha! So beautiful and supremely gifted. Sigh, sigh, sigh xx

@JohnRaymondHall 9 жыл бұрын

Paula cunningham shennan i love and admire both these legendary dancers - i wonder what a partnership would have developed were they the same age?

@alainspiteri502 6 жыл бұрын

John Hall yes Fonteyn is a legend ( only in your imagination ! ) J Hall

@rosinevivet1634 2 жыл бұрын

Pmpp

@sana11sana19 2 жыл бұрын

Фонтейн очаровывает партнёра и сама очарована каждый раз!!!!!!!!!а нас зрителей они не щадят!💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖😅😅😅😅🥰🥰🥰🥰🙏🙏🙏🙏

@casteretpollux 2 жыл бұрын

They say that Sarah Bernhardt could move one to tears playing a young man's role when old and with one leg . Art is art. Really like this Rose although not usually a Baryshnikov fan.

@JohnRaymondHall 2 жыл бұрын

yes, an apt comparison with Bernhardt

@JohnRaymondHall 10 жыл бұрын

hi numberonefilmfan - yes, it comes from that documentary but i didn't want to mention it by name (only that it came from a doco) for fear of having it removed by the copyright police! i am probably being over-cautious here but had a Maria Tallchief video from 1960 removed recently. this 'Spectre' seems no where else on YT so worth putting up even though these are far from the ideal performances of these two roles, especially of Fonteyn who was so very close to the very end of her career..

@user-od1vi5bv7f 2 жыл бұрын

вместо воздушного и бестелесного образа Розы -вполне телесный мужчина встал на подоконник, спрыгнул с него чуть ли не как спортсмен и дальше мне уже неинтересно. Эх, Миша, Миша!!)) Фонтейн - прелесть!

@alainspiteri502 6 жыл бұрын

Je préfère la version Noureev avec Jackson : Noureev avait une présence des l'apparition du Spectre , acteur il allait au delà des pas , musical il retransmettait la musique oui R Noureev a été le plus grand Danseur du vingtième siècle. Barychnikov danse avec sa technique mais il est froid : ici comme dans Giselle le Lac il n'y a de l'émotion avec Baryschnikov à la fin d'une variation ou il déploie toute sa virtuosité et évidemment les ovations de la salle sont immédiates ! le Spectre de la Rose avec Nourev a une toute autre dimension

@JohnRaymondHall 6 жыл бұрын

Je préfère Manuel Legris - sa porte de bras est comme les vrilles de l'Art Nouveau - la Rose de la nature

@nataliedelagrandiere4022 5 жыл бұрын

@@JohnRaymondHall "son port de bras"

@JohnRaymondHall 4 жыл бұрын

@@nataliedelagrandiere4022 thanks - corrected :)

@nataliedelagrandiere4022 5 жыл бұрын

She is wonderful as always.

@jayneforryan4830 2 жыл бұрын

This is unusual pairing .of course they are both great dancers but I did not quite smell the rose .still lovely to watch.

@BytomGirl Жыл бұрын

That rose reminds me more of fakir trying to get a snake to dance. See this ballet with Nikolai Tsiskaridze, now, that was a dreamy rose

@kaythomas8521 Жыл бұрын

i recognize all these familiar ballet steps ,,, but the way its choreographed in this particular number,,,,,,Margot and Mikhail do a marvelous job with it.......did Rudi ever do this with Margot??? LOve Margot's costume,,,especially the bonnet

@user-pz4tr4sl9y Ай бұрын

Rudy didn't just do that to her.

@lfzmk1929 5 жыл бұрын

Like you, I was lucky enough to see Fonteyn and Nureyev many, many times (all the Rpyal Ballet innumerable times), and Misha too. But I never warmed to Misha in the same way. Fonteyn does look a bit odd with the bonnet...on a young girl it works but here it looks more like a nightcap which ages her...it is basically the only example of where Fonteyn doesn't look as fresh as a young woman (as she did in everything from Romeo and Juliet to Sleeping Beauty. I just watched your clip of Fonteyn and Nureyev with Ashton and the dress rehearsal for Birthday Offerings. Rudi is still so solicitous and protective of Fonteyn. Both he and Ashton want to make her comfortable and as perfect as possible. I felt Misha doesn't have a connection with Fonteyn. That chemistry is missing between them; and his style is just to mannerist for me. Maybe it's just a prejudice because a great dancer (Barishnikov) and a genius (Nureyev) are not the same. Wrong or right in his attitudes or the way he handled his career I doubt anyone cared about the art of ballet as extremely as did Nureyev- Thank you for posting all the gems you have been able to find and salvage. I never tire of watching your offerings.

@oxundina1 5 жыл бұрын

You..right ONLY. Nikolay Chechirdze...but unfortunately no well know in the west...( covent..Paris.Metropolitan )...what a waste...

@isabeldiezlangre9411 2 жыл бұрын

He visto bailar a Nureyev este ballet y me gustó más. Movia los brazos de forma ondulante y encantadora. También me pareció más romántico que Misha. Me hubiera gustado verle bailar con Margot. Recuerdo cuando Rudolf llegó a Londres quería bailar El expectro de la Rosa con ella, pero ella no quiso porque estaba comprometida con David Blair. El cabo de los años, al final de las actuaciones de Margot, lo bailaron juntos pero no he podido encontrar ese vídeo. Misha es buenísimo bailarín, ambos fueron alumnos del mismo.maestro Alexander Ivanovich Pushkin y se nota. Margot, a pesar de su edad, su presencia siempre deja huella, fue una bailarina extraordinaria.

@memphisflashfan1 2 жыл бұрын

Love Misha. But they didn’t stage that final leap out the window very well for him. We know how high he can leap. But there is something in the camera angle that captures his coming down from the leap. That wasn’t his fault- he can’t totally defy that laws of gravity. It was the camera angle.

@user-fd1vq3rz4g 2 жыл бұрын

!!!!!!!!+++ Большое спасибо за видео !!!

@JohnRaymondHall 2 жыл бұрын

удовольствие :)

@Feliandyx16 4 жыл бұрын

No sabía que Fonteyn salió del retiro en varias ocasiones para mantener a su esposo aun siendo un diplomático su estado de salud era grave pues estaba parapléjico...

@TheBallet1 10 жыл бұрын

astonishing footage! Margot has artistry but fails to convince as a young, rosy-cheeked girl after her first ball. Misha is neat but i can't smell the rose :) thanks Alex, this curio is priceless.

@pediatrapaola 10 жыл бұрын

smelling the rose is very difficult .try with paolo bortoluzzi and yuri soloviev .

@JohnRaymondHall 10 жыл бұрын

hi TheBallet1 - i agree totally - hence the 'Curious Partnership’ title. Fonteyn's characterisation is not specific to The Young Girl - it strikes me as another of her characters and i can't quite put my finger on which, or maybe generic young girl in a dream. and Misha - i was hoping for more - he writes so eloquently about preparing and dancing this role in 'Baryshnikov at Work'. he doesn't produce the delicate first era pre-WW1 Ballets Russes perfume required of this role. but it was something that i thought should be out there in YT.

@pediatrapaola 10 жыл бұрын

John Hall danny will ramonize you LOL

@JohnRaymondHall 10 жыл бұрын

pediatrapaola hi Enrico - yes, lots of scent there! those two Roses are different but both interesting in their ways - i like it when there are alternative ways of approaching a role.

@passionballettopfru 10 жыл бұрын

John Hall Yes, he writes ..... They all could do it ... Baryshnikov, Nuriyev - the greatest....

@mithrilmoon1 9 жыл бұрын

I believe the music is by Carl Maria Von Weber, orchestrated by Berlioz? I love it. And I love Margot (of course). Sleep was good, but Misha was/is a ballet god! Thank you so much.

@JohnRaymondHall 9 жыл бұрын

hi Paula yes in fact it's Hector Berlioz's 1841 orchestration of Carl Maria von Weber's piano music ‘Afforderung zum Tanz’ (‘Invitation to the Dance’) yes, it's such a pity that Margot and Misha (M and M!) were not contemporaries - now that would have been a partnership.

@TheBallet1 10 жыл бұрын

Margot's décolletage is more Marguerite than young dreamy girl after her first ball!

@JohnRaymondHall 10 жыл бұрын

actually that's an excellent point you make - i didn't think about the suitability of costume to character curiously the décolletage of Tamara Karsavina in 'Le Spectre de la Rose', as photographed by Emil Otto ('E.O.') Hoppé's 1912 photogravure ... www.google.com.au/search?q=tamara+karsavina+spectre&espv=2&biw=1707&bih=838&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=CN4eVOr8HIOm8AWy1YGAAg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=1.5#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=Y-JOt4JOp10JRM%253A%3Bj_y4N7-ZlEodGM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages.npg.org.uk%252F800_800%252F7%252F5%252Fmw200075.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.npg.org.uk%252Fcollections%252Fsearch%252Fportrait%252Fmw200075%252FTamara-Karsavina-in-Le-Spectre-de-la-Rose%3B572%3B800 ... shows a costume similar to Margot's here and, given that Fonteyn had rehearsed the ballet with Karsavina, again in a similar décolletage (see the image i added to the beginning of the video) i'm wondering if Fonteyn's costume was not modelled on the original? Theophile Gaultier's poem of Le Spectre de la rose' was published in 1837 (before the restrictive high Victorian era) and ball gowns could have a low décolletage: www.google.com.au/search?q=ball+gown+girl+1837&espv=2&biw=1707&bih=838&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=COIeVJHwC43z8QWN84LIAw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=young+girl%27s+ball+gown+1837&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=dyUrGAoToh_1MM%253A%3Bk5vb4zXHSpw2IM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-lnmAve_U4g4%252FUTdnWo2egvI%252FAAAAAAAAA9c%252FJbXpcL8fysE%252Fs1600%252FScreen%252Bshot%252B2011-03-09%252Bat%252B9.23.45%252BAM.png%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffrolickingfrocks.blogspot.com%252F2013_03_01_archive.html%3B445%3B642 your point about the unsuitability of the costume would have been the error of Léon Bakst - with the error being that it was unsuitable for a young girls of the period rather than a woman. in the 1830s Queen Victoria danced much of the night at a ball and wore low cut gowns ... www.google.com.au/search?q=queen+victoria+at+a+ball+1830s&espv=2&biw=1707&bih=838&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=I-QeVKWtG8aB8QWDnYGgBg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=1FGJZYMgiGxXeM%253A%3Bkn85Qo6ZLAIIpM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.splittree.org%252Fwaltz%252Fimages%252FVictAlbertWaltz.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.splittree.org%252Fmisc_pages%252Fovphotos.htm%3B503%3B660 it was only later that all that changed and became more conservative thanks for this comment - thinking about it has been very interesting! cheers

@TheBallet1 10 жыл бұрын

John Hall Mme Karsavina looks chaste. i like Margot in lots of other roles, including Aurora and Juliet :)

@JohnRaymondHall 10 жыл бұрын

TheBallet1 i agree - from the photographs i believe Karsavina as the girl just returned from her first ball. i used to see Margot in 'Swan Lake' and the second act was extraordinarily beautiful and expressive - particularly the moment when she is drawn unstoppably away by von Rothbart at the end of the act while in the same moment trying to reach out to Siegfried.

@kabardinka1 9 жыл бұрын

+John Hall Then there's the version (on YT) with Lilian Gish (over 90) appearing with Patrick Dupond. Okay, she doesn't dance but it's actually kind of poignant... her memory and dream of herself as a young girl. And Gish (like Judy Dench) always had a kind of girlishness no matter what age she was. For what it was, I though it was moving and worked. I suppose Margot wasn't quite ready to go that route.

@JohnRaymondHall 8 жыл бұрын

+kabardinka1 yes, i agree - when i first saw the title of the video i thought it was a very interesting choice of ballerina - i imagined she would be able very poignantly to bring out the qualities of the girl returning from the ball.

@ciaconnaify 3 жыл бұрын

You both are gorgeous

@BytomGirl 5 жыл бұрын

Not a ballet for Misha, he is too athletic in it, I am sure Vaslav didn't jump like that and his hands are too chaotic looking like hands of fakir coaxing snake out of the box. I love Misha but not here. This ballet should be more delicate, after all it is a woman's dream about a rose, rose that came to life and macho athletic rose just doesn't do it for me.

@KSfan4ever 4 жыл бұрын

Definitely agree! The perfect dancer for this role was Nicolai Tsiskaridze, whose gorgeous, beautiful, exquisite characterization was mesmerizing.

@mgkos 4 жыл бұрын

Nup Васлав Нижинский ( Nijinsky) had superb lift in his jumps. Here’s a short doco wth photos 👇🏼 And yes no one is like our Nikolai Tseskaridzhe who has never betrayed the Russian Ballet for money & fame in the West. (Not that Ballets Russes did, that was like for many of us, exile after the revolution in 1917). Original costume of Nijinsky’s is in Pushkin Museum & Art Gallery Moscow, still beautiful along wth Ernst Bakst’s other costumes & art. Enjoy kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pNmWe6iD1LK-cYE.html

@BytomGirl 4 жыл бұрын

Nobody was in this role like Nikolai, he was perfect

@marineljenkings553 3 жыл бұрын

@@KSfan4ever I think Nureyev did a splendid job as well.

@rednight3507 3 жыл бұрын

@@marineljenkings553 I can't agree more. That's a sensual, gorgeous performance in 1981 with Denise Jackson. I like Misha very much, but feel he doesn't fit this role.

@wrennmyere939 6 жыл бұрын

So enjoyable to watch ....

@JohnRaymondHall 5 жыл бұрын

absolutely - i think their only performance together

@Feliandyx16 10 жыл бұрын

Amazing ¡¡¡¡¡¡ Thank for this, but what is the year of this ?? tHANKS Man

@JohnRaymondHall 10 жыл бұрын

hi Feliandyx16 if i recall it was 1976 - i'll check a bit and get back to you if i find differently. yes, two dancers of such different generations together. cheers!

@daisyabey6161 2 жыл бұрын

I saw this ballet at the Bradford’s Alhambra circa 1967

@rolfeerictikkala5643 3 ай бұрын

A CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE WAS SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE CLOSE TO THE FRONT WHEN SUDDENLY BARYSHNIKOV COMES BOUNDING OVER THE FRONT SEATS AND SUBSEQUENTLY DEFECTED IN TORONTO.

@JohnRaymondHall 3 ай бұрын

wow - so close to that historic event!

@nicojam7191 2 жыл бұрын

💖💖💖💖💖 …. Heaven on earth

@chesterz1 Жыл бұрын

This is probably the closest to the original you'll see. Karsavina coached Fonteyn in the role personally.

@JohnRaymondHall Жыл бұрын

i agree - i have seen the photos of Karsavina coaching Fonteyn. curiously the other day i was looking a photo of her coaching the ballerina and John Gilpin in the ballet - which may originally have come from you.

@JohnRaymondHall Жыл бұрын

i think in the late 70's or early 80s Michele Ellis

@sana11sana19 2 жыл бұрын

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

@numberonefilmfan 10 жыл бұрын

actually the footage i suspect is from the series that she narrated called The Magic of Dance; it's a kind of curiosity and very carefully done and edited -

@ibikongol4465 Ай бұрын

Just the Russian dancers can fly when they jump

@rubyparrondo6139 7 жыл бұрын

Very awkward and odd partnership. Not surprising that Baryshnikov, when not executing dazzling feats of athleticism, has nothing truly expressive to bring to a role such as this.

@JohnRaymondHall 7 жыл бұрын

yes, i think the pairing - and the fact that the ballet was performed by the BR in that theatre in Monte Carlo - was publicity driven. interestingly Baryshnikov talks about the technical and expressive difficulties of his role in his book 'Baryshnikov at Work'

@BytomGirl 5 жыл бұрын

I agree Ruby, this should be more delicate, it is a rose that came to life in lonely woman's dream, not a macho man doll. II can't picture Nijinsky dancing it like this. And Misha's hands are more like hands of fakir. This is a favorite of mine from Saisons Russes kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bJpzpJyD27q0iYk.html

@KSfan4ever 4 жыл бұрын

@@BytomGirl Yes, Nicolai Tsiskaridze is captivating in this role! Of course, he was stunning in any role he danced!

@Qwerty-db1js Жыл бұрын

@@BytomGirl Thanks for sharing. I know nothing about Nikolai T. but he is a great fragrant Rose 😍