New Year's Concert (Vienna) 2024, January 1st: Vienna State Ballet (Wiener Staatsballett)

Jan 8

Jan 8 New Year's Concert (Vienna) 2024, January 1st: Vienna State Ballet (Wiener Staatsballett)

Broadcasted worldwide in over 100 countries, this particular Concert could be considered as „a postcard“ of Vienna and Austria that is supposed to attract attention and tourists, which will bring (with their purchasing power) quite a bit of „movement“ to this little country's economy. The motto or the Headline of it should be therefore „Austria“. Think of that!

After watching the Concert on January 1st, I have watched it twice more in „reprises".

No question that the musical selection this year, brilliantly surpassed the last ones, making January 1st at home a splendid joy.

Having been filmed in Bad-Ischl, the ballet sequences presented well-established Principals and Soloists from the Manuel Legris era (Olga Esina, Ketevan Papava, Masayu Kimoto, Ioanna Avraam and Eno Peçi), who, knowing their business and with more camera experience, carried the show. Special praise to Half-Soloist Zsolt Török and „Newcomer“ in the company: Giorgio Fourés, a promising young dancer, whose “Hylarion” I have seen a few months ago.

Others did not seem to have a real rapport with the camera. Photogeny has nothing to do with Beauty. And definitely nothing with Dance. But it is a fact that must be respected for a TV Performance. I had always believed that Brendan Saye would be a good partner for Olga Esina, but the chemistry does not seem to work, at least for the camera. This is one of the big mysteries of “Film making”.

The ORF „eye“ (camera) and cutting are, as usual, quite weak and boring in what Dancing is concerned. They do not contribute the least to a dynamic which could catch much more of the public's eye and attention. Too conventional and formal.

The choreography by Davide Bombana is what I can only describe as „neat".

It is correct, has all the “ingredients” but at the very end, one can only feel that it is dull. One sees everything that one has already seen before. Nothing new was added. Tame.

Strangely enough, in the first Ballet sequence, „Sissi“ (Ketevan Papava), before going into an interlude with Franz Joseph (Eno Peçi) on the grass (which was strangely inappropriate, inelegant and surely quite demanding for both dancers), takes off her crown (Perhaps to „free“ herself from her duties and enjoy freedom with her Franz „in the nature“?. This gesture reminded me of a piece of „shard“ already used for the Queen by the dramaturgy department in „Sleeping Beauty“. Repetitiously unnecessary. But are we now stuck with it?

Probably because of a lack of advice, research and consulting, Susanne Bisovsky, also repetitiously insists on her costumes and in „March, Waltz, Polka". These are supposed to look „Slavic" (and are therefore a part of the Austrian Hungarian Monarchy), but resemble more, because of the erroneous use of patterns, the Mexican „Tiernos de Yucatán" and bring a „scent" of Frida Kahlo. Slavic peasant costume material, even if flowery, has more of a plain surface on the background. The “flowery effect” are embroidered details. The men's costumes of Miss Bisovsly are once more dull and average although much better than in the above-mentioned, in part, pantomime.

But either Slavic or Mexican: what does this have to do with Bad Ischl, The Monarchy, Austria and, most importantly, with the „postcard" or „visit card" of Austria that is sent worldwide on January 1st? I’ll leave you with that.

Ricardo Leitner

January 7th, 2024