Even with his second full-length, very historical choreography, state opera ballet director Manuel Legris was able to captivate the public in Vienna at the Staatsoper last night. The premiere of „Sylvia“ after the original choreography by Louis Merante became a triumph not only for the soloists of the State Opera Ballet – and brought the Swede Nikisha Fogo in the end the survey in the state of Prima Ballerina by Opera Director Dominique Meyer.
Leo Delibes‘ music, which thanks to the pizzicato polka and a jam advertisement has also impressed the general public, became the instinct for a great, successful evening. The stage, designed by Louisa Spinatelli, led deep into the Guckkastentradition and designed a love confusion in a setting that was permeated with allusions to the great old masters Poussin and Lorrain.
In his choreography, Legris first and foremost relies on precise figure guidance in the mass scenes, in which much work is done with counter-rotating movements.
In the course of the evening, especially the soloist Fogo (as Sylvia) and the men Denys Cherevykov (as Aminta), Davide Dato (as Orion) and Mikhail Sosovschi (as Eros) set their dancing accents. The audience thanked it at the premiere with strong ovations.
But also the interpretation of the State Opera Orchestra under Kevin Rhodes, who was able to work out the great qualities of the musical model, was rewarded. Delibes ballet music stands out with the echoes of Wagner, but also the love of arabesques and thematic variations from the offers for the stages of his time clearly out.
