Tragedy has attracted artists since time immemorial, and Yuri Possokhov’s “Francesca da Rimini” is no exception.
The brief but tumultuous piece is the second part of San Francisco Ballet’s Program 7 mixed bill, and its ultimate highlight.
Based on the tale of Paolo and Francesca – lovers immortalized in Dante Alighieri’s 14th century poem “The Divine Comedy – “Francesca” is, essentially, a condensed “Romeo and Juliet.”
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A magnificent dance production, San Francisco Ballet's "Onegin" also exemplifies romantic poetry and theater of the first order. Thursday’s opening performance of the woefully short one-week run was thrilling in every way.
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San Francisco Ballet’s Program Four is perfect for those who think they don’t like ballet.
Works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon and Alexei Ratmansky make a lively mixed bill; Wheeldon’s “Within the Golden Hour” fired up the house enough to get an unusual standing ovation mid-program on Friday’s opening at the War Memorial Opera House.
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Although British choreographer Wayne McGregor’s “Borderlands” made its world premiere at the War Memorial Opera House on Tuesday night, the piece looks rather familiar.
The finale to San Francisco Ballet’s Program 1, “Borderlands” feels like a B-side to McGregor’s 2006 work “Chroma” – which SFB performed just last year. The works share similar sets, costumes, lighting and staging but use different music.
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A live horse onstage usually steals the show. So does a donkey. But San Francisco Ballet's “Don Quixote” is so entertaining from start to finish, concertgoers Saturday almost overlooked a joint appearance by the animals.
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San Francisco Ballet's new revival of Helgi Tomasson's classical and restrained 1994 "Romeo and Juliet" is fresh and vivid, even to fans who are familiar with the often-presented piece. Through the years, performances of the full-length dance have picked up speed, cohesion and passion. On Tuesday’s opening night at the War Memorial Opera House, dancers in the title roles set the pace, complemented by a wonderful group of soloists and the outstanding corps de ballet.
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The characters all go to hell, the work lives on.
That is the case in the fifth canto of "Inferno" in Dante's "Divine Comedy" and Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini," as well as in Yuri Possokhov's new "Francesca da Rimini,” which the San Francisco Ballet premiered on Thursday’s Program No. 3.
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San Francisco Ballet has opened its 2012 season with a brilliant U.S. premiere of John Cranko's revised 1967 "Onegin."
It’s exceptional in that it even surpasses the company's recent all-around excellence.
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URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/topics/maria-kochetkova
