Review: Swan Lake in 3D from the Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky Ballet in Russia made history on June 6th, 2013 by presenting their first 3D ballet broadcast across 50 countries in 1200 cinemas. The brain child of conductor Valery Gergiev and Cameron Pace Group, the company behind Hugo, Avatar, and Life of Pi. The ballet was Swan Lake, one of the most essential works in the repertoire. The performance was recorded live in the famous Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, simulcast to the New Mariinsky Theatre in 3D, and subsequently transmitted to cinemas around the world in 3D with time delays.

The ballet itself was absolutely amazing. Maestro Gergiev led the orchestra, and featured soloists included Yekaterina Kondaurova as Odette-Odile, Timur Askerov as Prince Siegfried, and Andrei Yermakov as von Rothbart. All three were absolutely flawless. The entire company was thrilling to watch. I give props to the quartet of swans in Act 2 who performed together as one. Not an easy task, but executed so well. The choreography was from the 1895 Ivanov/Petipa revival and revised by Konstanin Sergeyev in 1950. Amazing how great works can stand the test of time. The sets were beautiful and breathtaking. If you look at the makeup for von Rothbart, you will be terrified by how good it is. The 3d was a great addition, bringing a new depth to the average viewer and drawing people in.

All that being said, I was not pleased with the overall production of the cinema presentation. The picture quality, compared to The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD, was equal to that of a late 1990s videocassette. You would think that James Cameron would be able to bring high definition cameras to Russia. Lets hope that a blu ray release comes in the future that will make up for it. Second, there was something wrong with the configuration of the 3D. I had to wear my 3D glasses upside down. The graphics of the credits and name cards were probably from the 90s as far as I could tell. The time spent in between acts, while enjoying the interviews with the artists, could have also been spent showing behind the scenes segments. 

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the ballet. I would always suggest a great Tchaikovsky ballet to anyone who has never seen one before. Remember to go out and support your local company.