Bolle in Lady of the Camelias

(ANSA) - Milan, December 18 - A heartbreaking and lavish performance of The Lady of the Camelias opened the Teatro alla Scala's dance season on Sunday, under the direction of Frédéric Olivieri in the production by the Royal Theatre of Copenhagen.
    The Scala production stars Roberto Bolle as Armand, a role he danced 10 years ago with Alessandra Ferri in her farewell to the Scala.
    At that time Bolle was 32, and the past decade has enriched his performance with improved acting and expressive abilities for this role, resulting in a crescendo of refined acrobatics and perfectionism that makes the desperation of Armand, who believes he has been betrayed, all the more intense.
    ​ He painfully discovers how strong his love was for Marguerite, danced by Svetlana Zakharova, in her debut in the role at the Scala.
    Both Bolle and Zakharova received applause for their performances, as did the corps de ballet.
    ​ For this narration en pointe, one of the most important living choreographers, John Neumeier, was inspired by the 1848 novel by Alexandre Dumas fil.
    He quickly wrote the story just months after the death of famed French courtesan and mistress Marie Duplessis, whose life story also inspired Verdi's Violetta in La Traviata.
    ​ In the story, Marguerite Gautier ​dies and the contents of her luxurious home are put up for auction.
    The stage is set with Viscontian refinement, including three divans - upon one of which rests a portrait of Marguerite - a mirror, a piano, and a few other objects that were precious to her.
    ​In the foreground, there's a music stand with the announcement "Vende" written on it and the date of the sale, 16 mars 1847.
    Among the visitors, the curious, the buyers and Marguerite's friends, comes also the old Monsieur Duval, and shortly after, Armand Duval (Bolle) has a desperate outburst, ​falling to the ground and losing consciousnes.
    ​From that point forward, the story of the Lady of the Camelias takes place in flashbacks: the first meetings between Armand and Marguerite (the charming Svetlana Zakharova, a 37-year-old Ukrainian ballerina)​; the courtesan's torment in sacrificing herself and her love at the request of Armand's father; the quiet desperation of the young man when he is rejected.
    In three acts spanning two hours, 50 minutes, Neumeier uses choreography to psychologically craft the feelings of his characters.
    Sensual scenes with seductive pas de deux show the two lovers as they move from radiant passion to indifference, pain, and finally, death.
    ​ Sumptuous dance frescoes ​fill the stage and create an atmosphere that was considered rather immoral for the time.
    Armand sits slumped in a corner of the stage in torment, like a young hopeful lover who is then rejected at his beloved's door.
    The production also marks the Scala debut of conductor Theodor Guschlbauer, who directed the Strasbourg Philharmonic for over a decade.