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| Wednesday, 16 June 2004 |
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The brilliance of Medusa by Gwen Herat Outside Vienna, very few people would have seen Medusa live or for that matter, even on tape or video. But many would have seen Christl Zimmerl who danced the title role of Medusa. Her brilliant interpretation of this role won her unanimous praise of the Central European press. She scored a resounding triumph, especially during her solo dance. Zimmerl who was born in Vienna on February 27, 1939, died on March 19, 1970 when she was only 31 years old, bringing down the curtain on one of Vienna's talented and beautiful dancers. This Austrian dancer who studied at Vienna State Opera Ballet School, joined its company in 1953 and became its soloist in 1957. She became its principal dancer in 1965 giving the ballet company a fresh breath of air with her technically perfect and precise movements. Hanka choreographed her in Moor of Venice in 1955 and Medusa in 1957, Milloss Deserts in 1965 and Orpheus Loses Earydice in 1966. Zimmerl's personality best suited the mythological fables and she executed them with the timeless spirit wrought in them. Zimmerl married Gerhard Brunner who was the company's music and dance critic and later its ballet director. Magical quality However, it was only when Wazlaw Orlikowsky choreographed Medusa later that the magical quality and avant-garde lyrical style in Zimmerl came to the fore. She was a hit overnight because of the brilliance through which she translated this mythological and tragic role. Vienna had never seen anything like this before and the media went frantic over her. It also boosted the stature of Vienna State Opera as well as the Vienna Ballet Company. Bombing They have made great progress since the Opera House was rebuilt after the war time bombing. The handsome interior of the theatre as well as rehearsal, dressing rooms, and the backstage are elaborately equipped where dancers feel its impact each time they perform or rehearse. The Vienna Ballet Company is a large one and entirely state supported. What they lacked in the past has been technically perfect choreography and regular performance. Now, the dancers enjoy a well developed system to focus on their ballet abilities. It is from such a background that super stars like Karl Musil and Christle Zimmerl emerged to delight Vienna and Europe. What is interesting is not what Medusa did for ballet in Vienna but what Zimmerl and Musil did for Medusa. Hitherto unknown as a ballet, it debuted as a spectacular full-length. This English classic let alone turned into 'dumb' movements which is ballet, could explode into high volatile dialogue. But with a singular and talented dancer like Zimmerl, it looked simple and alluring. Karl Musil This blond handsome giant from the Vienna State Opera Ballet first came to London to dance with the Festival Ballet and partnered Beryl Grey. After this, he returned from time to time to dance regularly with Festival Ballet. Apart from being a good classical dancer, he is a good actor too. He danced in almost all the fairy tales and fantasies with the Vienna Staatsoper Ballet Company before switching on to classics. For a man over six feet in height, Musil never found it a problem. On the contrary he would pick up his partners as though they were dolls, making ballet more beautiful and bewitching. Born in Vienna on 3rd November 1939, this Austrian dancer studied at Vienna State Opera Ballet School. In 1953, he joined the State Opera Ballet and was appointed soloist in 1958. Thereafter his big break came when he was made the principal dancer in 1965. Like his partner Zimmerl, Musil rose quickly to the top. Unlike Zimmerl, Musil travelled abroad often, especially to the London Festival ballet, Royal Ballet, and Charrat Ballet Company. He also toured with Fonteyn and Beriosova. George Parlic, Walter, Milloss, Orikowsky, Adams and Charret were some of the high profile choreographers who choreographed him in very successful ballets. He married ballerina Irina Borowska. **** Back **** |
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