The Art of Roberto Bolle
rec. 2005-15 Picture Formats: 1080i – High Definition – 16.9 – All Regions
Sound formats: PCM Stereo/DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Booklets in English, French and German
OPUS ARTE Blu-ray OABD7224 [3 discs: 369 mins]
Roberto Bolle was born in Casale Monferrato in the Piedmont region of Italy. He began ballet studies at seven in a local school and was accepted at La Scala Theatre Ballet School in Milan at the age of twelve. In 1990, aged only fifteen, he impressed the legend that was Rudolf Nureyev. It was the last time that Nureyev appeared at La Scala to stage his production of Nutcracker. He noticed Bolle in the studio and asked the deeply moved fifteen-year-old boy to do some exercises at the bar. Later, Nureyev chose him to perform Tadzio in Death in Venice. This meeting left a deep impression on the young Bolle and was to influence his professional life forever.
Roberto Bolle graduated into the La Scala Ballet Company and was promoted to principal in 1996, aged 21. In 2004 he was made an étoile. He danced regularly as a guest artist with the world’s leading companies, including the Mariinsky, the Bolshoi and Paris Opera Ballet, and in 2009 was made a principal of the American Ballet Theater in addition to his position with La Scala. Since 2000 he has given regular gala performances as part of Roberto Bolle and Friends, across Italy and around the world. He also danced in a gala performance at Buckingham Palace in celebration of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. He was awarded Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2009 and appointed Cavaliere dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana in 2012. In 2019 he retired from the American Ballet Theater with an outstanding performance as Des Grieux in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon. He has been the subject of documentary films, photography books and the face for well-known fashion houses. In 1999 he was elected UNICEF good will ambassador and, as part of this work, he visited Sudan in 2006 to raise funds and awareness for children whose lives have been affected by violence.
Now, at 46 years of age, he remains a household name and a superstar ballet dancer. He still performs as part of his “Roberto Bolle and Friends”, as well as continuing his other work for UNICEF, supporting young people in Italy and all over the world.
Roberto Bolle danced for many years, as guest artist, with the Royal Ballet in countless leading roles, galas and on tour with the company. His partnership with Britain’s Darcey Bussell was extremely successful and is well documented. It is therefore fitting that the first ballet in this tribute of three Blu-ray discs to Bolle’s artistry is Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia, choreographed to a wonderful score by Léo Délibes (1836-1891). Bolle stars as Aminta alongside Bussell’s Sylvia. It was recorded live at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden on 1st and 5th December 2005. If you’ve never seen it, you’re in for a treat. It is a lavish production, with beautiful costumes and spectacular settings, superbly danced. Darcey Bussell is undeniably the star of the show and positively shines as Sylvia but Roberto Bolle is her equal every step of the way. His perfect classic line pirouettes and jumps are breath-taking. The range of emotions he expresses is outstanding. His grace and elegance of movement the stuff of legend and his gorgeous, magnetic stage presence simply impossible to ignore. If Darcey does shine, Bolle glows by her side and lights up the stage with brilliance during his solos. The other cast members all rise to the occasion and give glittering performances, especially Martin Harvey as Eros and Brazilian Thiago Soares as Orion who exudes menace in his desire for Sylvia. The corps de ballet is magnificent. Interesting to spot young Lauren Cuthbertson and Sarah Lamb – later to eventually promote to principals – here very effective as Sylvia’s attendants. The orchestra of the Royal Opera House, conducted by Graham Bond, delivers a very fine performance of Délibes’s beautiful score. A joy from beginning to end and a disc, I think, I will frequently return to.
The second ballet in this set is Roland Petit’s Notre-Dame de Paris, based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name with an original score by French composer Maurice Jarre. Very different to Sylvia musically and choreographically, it was especially created by Petit in 1965 for the ballet of the Palais Garnier Opéra de Paris. Although Jarre’s music does not appeal to me, I must say that it merges admirably with the choreography, forming a perfect fusion of music and movement. Roland Petit’s choreography is not an easy one and fifty-six years later, it still feels fresh, revolutionary and unconventional just as it must have been at the premiere. It gives the dancers an outstanding opportunity to showcase their artistic and technical skills. The plot, just like Hugo’s famous novel, is powerful and poignant with the meaningful message that beauty comes from within.
Petit’s ballet is a virtuoso star vehicle for its lead dancers. Here Roberto Bolle as the Hunchback Quasimodo and Natalia Osipova as the gipsy Esmeralda are simply magnificent. Bolle especially gives an almost outlandish, astonishing performance. All his agility, flexibility, technical prowess and dramatic expression find a splendid vessel in the character of Quasimodo. Petit’s choreography for Quasimodo is extraordinary and Bolle’s depiction of the character’s deformity phenomenal. Quasimodo’s deformed back is given exclusively through movement. There is no hump in the suit or make-up to create an illusion. It is effectively and very convincingly pictured through the immobility of Bolle’s right arm, at a 90 degree angle to the floor, and slightly heaved right shoulder, creating asymmetry and unbalance that make certain pirouettes and jumps more strenuous and difficult than they naturally are. Bolle’s characterisation and expression of Quasimodo’s conflicting emotions are nothing short of admirable. Torn between his loyalty to the man who looked after him – archdeacon Frollo – and his love for Esmeralda, as well as his realisation that Frollo is not the man he thought him to be, Quasimodo changes from love to hatred, from fear to bravery, from turmoil to peace in a split second. It isn’t easy to express all this while your right arm doesn’t move, you progress across the stage in awkward steps, need to dance on your own, with the corps the ballet or the ballerina and cleverly hint at all the feelings passing through your mind. But Bolle is simply splendid. Eventually, I must say I forgot I was watching gorgeous, elegant Roberto and seeing only Quasimodo’s agonising pain, deformed body but beautiful soul in front of me. Exquisite. Astonishing. Incredible.
Natalia Osipova, as Esmeralda, partners Bolle’s Quasimodo superbly. Her graceful presence and outstanding technical skill positively shine. Her performance is flawless and she manages to exude a powerful sensuality, making Frollo’s obsession with Esmeralda believable, but simultaneously demonstrate the character’s vulnerability. The duet between Quasimodo and Esmeralda in the cathedral after he saves her under the rule of sanctuary is a thing of beauty. Petit’s choreography is delicate and poignant in one. The two leads give a virtuoso, stirring rendition that is both tender and heart-breaking. I must admit I was deeply moved, sensing a tear or two in the corner of my eyes. The rest of the cast – Mick Zeni as Frollo and Eris Nezha as Phoebus – are exceptionally good, especially Zeni whose Frollo is both despicable and pitiful, expressing his obsession with the lovely Esmeralda with almost authentic intensity.
The production is colourful though not through the settings or lighting, which are minimalistic but effective, designed respectively by René Allio and Jean-Michel Désiré. Colour is given through brilliant, bright, vivid, at times almost flashy and flamboyant, costumes by non-other than Yves Saint-Laurent. The tones are vibrant throughout and a joy to the eye. They effectively contrast with Quasimodo’s dull, humble costume and Frollo’s austere black. This opulent splash of intense colours in the crowd scenes change in the second half of Act II to black, effectively enhancing the darkness and tragedy of the story – as Quasimodo kills Frollo and disappears into the cathedral with the body of Esmeralda.
As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t particularly enjoy Maurice Jarre’s music but the orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala gives a worthy, very fine performance of the score under the baton of Paul Connelly, an acclaimed conductor who specialises in ballet.
Additionally, there is a short bonus film (15 minutes) with interesting interviews with Osipova and Bolle where the difficulties they faced with the choreography become apparent, especially for Bolle who says he had never danced anything like this. Normally he plays romantic heroes and charming princes who must look good, attractive and elegant on stage while Quasimodo is the opposite and was a uniquely challenging but rewarding experience for him.
The final offering of this trio of Blu-rays dedicated to the artistic ability and accomplishments of Roberto Bolle is a so-called Gala des Étoiles, recorded live at the Teatro alla Scala on 30th October 2015. This gala is an eclectic, extensive programme. Bolle is not the only superstar but, and it should come as no surprise, his two appearances are thrilling, exciting and beautiful. In the first, he dances the pas de deux of Roland Petit’s Carmen with Russian ballerina Polina Semionova. Petit created this ballet in 1949 for Zizi Jeanmaire who in 1954 became his wife. As ever, Petit’s choreography is remarkably distinctive. Carmen is a striking combination of classical ballet, Spanish-style movement and freshly original dramatic dance moments. It is fabulously sexy and when first performed, was considered a bit scandalous. Roberto Bolle is a believable and attractive Don José who also clearly reveals the edge, the dark side of the character. His gestures are exquisitely graceful and elegant but exude menace, resembling a matador in front of the bull. His passion and ultimately obsession with Carmen are apparent, in fact the sensuality is palpable and there is undeniable chemistry between the two dancers. Polina Semionova is outstanding as Carmen and matches Bolle’s both chilling and tenderly passionate Don José with style. Long legged and dressed in a tight black corset she is appealing, alluring and dangerous. The pas de deux is superbly performed by Bolle and Semionova and one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. I’d go as far as stating that I preferred and thought their interpretation superior to that of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Zizi Jeanmaire in 1980 with the Ballet National de Marseille. I hope fans of these two marvellous dancers will not be upset but it is my honest opinion.
Bolle’s second appearance is in a slightly odd piece, a solo entitled Prototype with choreography by Italy’s Massimiliano Volpini. The concept appears to be that of fabricating a prototype of the perfect dancer. It starts with an electronically generated skeleton that gradually evolves into a bronze man, a perfect high performance athlete, who then peels off into Bolle. He starts by performing at considerable speed a sequence of ballet’s basic positions, figures and steps while the video screen behind him shows the name of what he is just executing – for example, arabesque, pirouette, etc. – and lines that appear connected to his body. The images behind Bolle change and take him on a journey where he dances the solo of the prince in Sleeping Beauty, then becomes Romeo and fights his doppelgänger on the screen. He continues to dance through this array of video images that cleverly intertwine with his movements on stage as if he were actually partnering the pictures. Finally, Bolle changes into an “every day” young man in jeans and dances with a troupe of his own clones, meaning various virtual Bolles on the screen behind him. It is at times bizarre but it is also magnetic and impossible to ignore. Bolle’s dancing is supreme and he arguably creates the most memorable moment of this gala at La Scala.
Beside Roberto Bolle’s performances there is much to enjoy in this Blu-ray. From a few modern pieces to pillars of the ballet repertoire such as the grand pas de deux from Act III of Don Quixote, brilliantly danced by Nicoletta Manni and a splendidly acrobatic Ivan Vasiliev or the romantic pas de deux from Scene 6 of Romeo and Juliet, the beautiful Spartacus pas de deux or the spectacular one from Le Corsaire, there is something for everyone and every taste. They are all radiantly performed by the greatest stars of the Teatro alla Scala at the time the gala was recorded. Worthy of a special mention is Svetlana Zakharova’s The Dying Swan, which Mikhail Fokine created in 1905 for Anna Pavlova. I’ve seen many celebrated ballerinas dance this little gem but Zakharova’s performance was out of this world. Her body sways gracefully, her arms are like wings in the water floating in its gentle waves. It is exquisite, moving, delicate and terribly sad all at the same time. Alongside Bolle’s appearances, undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night.
The gala ends in a suitably joyous performance to the music of Ponchielli’s
Dance of the Hours, with all the participant star dancers appearing
on stage to execute brief solos and dance as an ensemble in a cheerful,
charming choreography. It is a perfect, extremely entertaining
end to a marvellous evening of dance.
This Blu-ray set does indeed showcase the art of Roberto Bolle, as the title indicates, in performances where he was at his best. There is something for everyone. From the purity of line and classicism of Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia where Bolle memorably partnered Darcey Bussell at the height of her powers, to the modernity and difficulty of Roland Petit’s Notre-Dame de Paris, alongside the splendid Natalia Osipova, passing through the exuberance of the stars of the gala at the Teatro alla Scala, these three discs are well worth having. They demonstrate the extraordinary quality of Roberto Bolle’s dancing as well as that of the leading ballerinas he partnered with. I enjoyed every minute of it and intend to watch these Blu-rays repeatedly, especially when in need of cheering up or of a break from the horrors of the world.
Margarida Mota-Bull
(Margarida writes more than just reviews, check it online at https://www.flowingprose.com/)
Contents (casts, productions, technical details):
Sylvia (ballet in three acts)
Music – Léo Délibes
Choreography – Frederick Ashton
Production – Christopher Newton
Designs – Robin and Christopher Ironside
Additional designs – Peter Farmer
Lighting – Mark Jonathan
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Graham Bond
TV director – Ross MacGibbon
Producer – Ferenc van Damme
CAST:
Sylvia – Darcey Bussell
Aminta – Roberto Bolle
Orion – Thiago Soares
Eros – Martin Harvey
Diana – Mara Galeazzi
Artists of The Royal Ballet
Notre-Dame de Paris (ballet in two acts after the novel by Victor Hugo)
Music – Maurice Jarre
Choreography and libretto – Roland Petit
Choreography supervision – Luigi Bonino
Assistant to the choreography – Gillian Whittingham
Set design – René Allio
Costume Design – Yves Saint-Laurent
Lighting – Jean-Michel Désiré
Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala / Paul Connelly
Screen director – Patrizia Carmine
CAST:
Esmeralda – Natalia Osipova
Quasimodo – Roberto Bolle
Frollo – Mick Zeni
Phoebus – Eris Nezha
Ballet Company of Teatro alla Scala
Gala des Étoiles (opening night at Teatro alla Scala)
Screen direction – Lorena Sardi
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala / David Coleman
Three Preludes
Choreography – Ben Stevenson
Music – Sergey Rachmaninov
Solo piano – Roberto Cominati
Dancers – Lucia Lacarra, Marlon Dino
L’Histoire de Manon (Act 1, Scene 2)
Choreography – Kenneth MacMillan
Music – Jules Massenet
Dancers – Melissa Hamilton, Claudio Coviello
La rose malade
Ballet by Roland Petit
Music – Gustav Mahler
Dancers – Maria Eichwald, Mick Zeni
Grand Pas Classique
Choreography – Victor Gsovsky
Music – Daniel-François Auber
Dancers – Alina Somova, Leonid Sarafanov
Carmen (Pas de Deux)
Ballet by Roland Petit
Music – Georges Bizet
Dancers – Polina Semionova, Roberto Bolle
The Dying Swan
Choreography – Mikhail Fokine
Music – Camille Saint-Saëns
Dancer – Svetlana Zakharova
Don Quixote (Grand Pas de Deux from Act III)
Choreography – Marius Petipa
Music – Ludwig Minkus
Dancers – Nicoletta Manni, Ivan Vasiliev
Light Rain (Pas de Deux)
Choreography – Gerald Arpino
Music (recorded score) – Douglas Adams, Russ Gauthier
Dancers – Lucia Lacarra, Marlon Dino
Romeo and Juliet (Pas de Deux, Act I, Scene 6)
Choreography – Kenneth MacMillan
Music – Sergey Prokofiev
Dancers – Maria Eichwald, Massimo Murru
Spartacus (Pas de Deux)
Choreography – Yury Grigorovich
Music – Aram Khachaturian
Dancers – Maria Vinogradova, Ivan Vasiliev
Prototype
Concept and Choreography – Massimiliano Volpini
Original music (recorded score) – Piero Salvatori
Music Production – Fausto Dasè
Visual Effects and Video Editing – Avantgarde Numerique and Xchanges Vfx Design
Dancer – Roberto Bolle
Le Corsaire (Pas de Deux)
Choreography – Marius Petipa
Music – Riccardo Drigo
Dancers – Svetlana Zakharova, Leonid Sarafanov
Dance of the Hours
Choreography – Stefania Ballone
Music – Amilcare Ponchielli
Dancers – all of the above
