In act two, Dark ventures onto the stage, her atmospheric vocals intensifying in deftly calibrated gradations. On opening night, Jacqueline Dark (who alternates with Dimity Shepherd) maintains a subtle side-stage presence, delivering finely detailed vocals that are sumptuous yet never distracting. Pye’s elegant costumes are a picture of understated elegance, with a clear highlight being the striking black ball wear, under which the women had vivid jewel-toned skirts seen in tantalising glimpses of colour as part of the choreography.Īdding an additional form of artistry beyond dancers and musicians, Demutsky and librettist Valerly Pecheykin give voice to Anna’s inner longings with the presence of a mezzo-soprano singer, a device all the more effective for its sparing use.

One could almost imagine the same sets and costumes used for an opera season of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Best of all, the resulting design is on a grand scale, filling the mighty State Theatre stage with impactful flair.įar removed from a fairytale Russian ballet, the initial cinematic style dissolves to more closely resemble an opera. The visual splendour of Pye’s work is inseparable from David Finn’s lighting design and Finn Ross’ projection design, with each of these artists sympathetically and elegantly complementing Demutsky’s music and Possokhov’s compelling storytelling. A hallmark of the new work is the clear collaboration of creative artists. The smoke billows, of course, from steam trains, one of which shortly takes the life of an elderly man, planting a tragic kernel of an idea in the mind of our tortured Tolstoy heroine, Anna Karenina.Ĭontributing both sets and costumes, designer Tom Pye deftly balances striking spectacle with elegant understatement. In a decidedly cinematic beginning, atmospheric clouds plumes of grey smoke billow ominously, as Orchestra Victoria gently begins the soundtrack-likes strains of Demutsky’s plaintive score. The closest comparison would be the work of John Neumeier, with both choreographers enriching the depth of their work with a psychological focus on the emotional heart of their characters and stories.Ī co-production with Joffrey Ballet, Anna Karenina features an evocative score by Ilya Demutsky. There is not so much as a single wasted step in Yuri Possokhov’s ingenious and painstakingly conceived choreography, the divertissement-free full length work unfolding in fascinating style.

Anna Karenina instal the new for mac