‘Anna Karenina’
When: Feb. 13-24
Where: Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive
Tickets: $35-$199 at 312-3868905 and www.joffrey.org dramatic roles. (Christine Rocas and Amanda Assucena will also dance the part in alternating casts.)
The main storyline is that of Anna, a married woman who falls in love with a dashing, young military man, Alexei Vronsky. The complicated series of events, which unfolds as Anna weighs the consequences of passion and love with those of fidelity and morality, is supported by two of the book’s other main characters, Kitty and Levin, and a young dancer portraying Anna’s son.
“It’s a tragic, but beautiful story,” said Lopez, who thinks you needn’t have read the book to relate to the plot. The ballet’s libretto cuts out many of the book’s extraneous characters; it’s “a massive book distilled down to its essence,” as Wheater describes it.
The ballet stays consistent with the plot, some of Tolstoy’s literary tactics and the opulent setting at the height of Russian imperialism, and some of the greater themes surrounding Anna’s story, which touch on sociopolitical, economic and gender disparities; religion, free will and social mores, are infused into the movement and music.
Confronted with a lose-lose scenario, Anna must decide whether to leave her husband or remain with her family. It’s a debacle in which the “right” answer is up for debate and the consequences of Anna’s decision are grave.
“[Anna]’s a woman with complicated feelings,” said Jaiani. “I, Victoria, am not Anna. I don’t identify directly with Anna. I feel like I understand her, and I can understand that passion, but I feel lucky that in real life I have that passion with my husband. In my opinion, she loves her husband, but she discovers passion — the one you can’t control.”
The piece de resistance of the project is an original, full-length orchestral score, the first in Joffrey’s 63-year history. The score is composed by Ilya Demutsky, who at age 35 has already earned a Golden Mask, the highest honor for theatrical artists in Russia.
“I get the feeling that [Demutsky] is absolutely channeling that Imperial Russian style, and the music of Tchaikovsky, and especially Prokofiev. That’s a really familiar idiom for our dancers and choreographer,” said music director Scott Speck, who will lead the Chicago Philharmonic for performances of “Anna Karenina.”
The choice to commission new music is a risky, expensive one. “It’s definitely special for the Joffrey,” said Speck. “Most ballet companies never do it. It’s a huge undertaking.” Though the score was completed in November 2017, the dancers, creative team, musicians and Demutsky himself will only hear it fully realized just two days before opening night, at the first of four orchestra rehearsals.
Original costumes and sets are being created by decorated opera and theater designer Tom Pye, enhanced by David Finn’s lighting. The trappings are relatively pared down to make it possible to tour the work, with the opulence of “Anna Karenina’s” time period mainly addressed by the costumes and music, and through the use of projections by video designer Finn Ross.
Everyone I talked to said, despite the size and scale of the project, it’s come together quite smoothly. “To work with this company, it’s — I don’t want to say easy — but it’s such an organic way to work,” said Possokhov. Noting that only few ballet companies in the world can take on works of this magnitude, he said, “You have to be very proud to have a city and a company who can make this.”
“To have a brand new everything, including the score, that takes a lot of people,” said Lopez. “Even a year ago this would not have gone as smoothly. We’re all excited about this; it’s a labor of love for everybody.”
“… And at the caliber that this is going to be,” she added, “it’s going to be stunning.”