US Newspaper Reviews
Page 7 of 9

Touring with the Moscow Festival Ballet
In Phoenix, AZ 1997
The Arizona Republic Review

Page 1 - Swan Lake 1997 Cincinnati Ballet	Page 2 - Swan Lake 1997 Cinncinnati Ballet	Page 3 - Giselle Moscow Festival Ballet in New York, NY	Page 4 - Giselle Moscow Festival Ballet in Charleston, SC	Page 5 - Giselle Moscow Festival Ballet in Los Angeles, CA
Page 6 - Giselle Moscow Festival Ballet in Naples, FL	Page 7 - Giselle Moscow Festival Ballet in Phoenix, AZ	Page 8 - La Fille Mal Gardee Ballet Tech Ohio	Page 9 - La Fille Mal Gardee Ballet Tech Ohio

Kenneth LaFave
The Arizona Republic
1997

The Giselle seen Sunday night at Symphony Hall was "the original" a restoration of classical dance's touchstone tragedy. So promised Sergei Radchecnko, artistic director, of the sleek young Russian company Moscow Festival Ballet.

But which original? The first, 1841 Giselle, choreographed by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli at Paris Open? Or Marius Petipa's redo from the 1880s, upon which most of today's Giselles are based?

.. Such historical fuss, while, intriguing, is ultimately beside the point, since the original of anything is never as important as what's in front of us. And what was in front of the capacity audience Sunday was primarily a star vehicle for two spectacularly gifted young dancers, Anna Reznik as Giselle and Alexei Kremnev Albrecht.

Reznik and Kremnev excelled in the second act in conveying expression through technique. The choreography frequently sent both dancers to the air in steps illustrating the title character's ghostly state and her erstwhile lover's pending denouement; Reznik and Kremnev gained maximum height without apparent effort.

Other things about this production were attractive, but less profiled. Maya Fedchenko was an aptly spooky Myrthe, queen of the Wilis. Vyacheslav Akseno's Hilarion had nicely dark undertones. The corps de ballet dance with shapely grace in smooth ensemble. The Wilis of the second act moved as if stimulated by one mystical impulse.

Adolphe Adam's score was provided on tape rather than live. Even so, It was apparently a tape made especially for this production; tempo fluctuations matched the nuances of the choreography. In any case, it was a performance tape: You could hear the conductor turning the pages of the score.