Rudolf Nureyev as conductor
The World of Arts by Gwen Herat
BALLET: Yet another virtuosity in Rudolf Nureyev that many
people may not have known or was rather overshadowed was his
extraordinary dancing.
He was the greatest dancer the world ever knew. A star from the
moment he defected at the Paris airport, he was the first ballet dancer
to have become a sex symbol around the world. He was typical a
Stalinist-Russian opting to keep his private life strictly obscure from
the media glare.
The epic figure stood like a colossus. His homosexual life was no
secret, especially his stormy affair with Eric Braun. Nureyev also had a
fling with his dancing partner, Margot Fonteyn who became pregnant by
him when they were in Australia, when Fonteyns was 45 Nureyev was hardly
25.
It was a highly guarded secret because Fonteyn was married to
Panamian diplomat/politician who was shot by an assassin. She was
compelled to abort and this was only known among their few trusted
friends who leaked it after his death in 1993.
From his endless dedication to his fabled cult that permitted him to
dance late into his illness, Nureyev strode the international stage as
the brilliant colossus he was. Nureyev could not sneeze twice without
making headlines. The young and the old adored him. All the girls and
the boys at the Royal Ballet were in love with him.
Magnetic personality
And along with his breathtaking, spectacular dancing and magnetic
personality Nureyev had no time to score though he was such a gifted
musician. He could read and play any score by the Masters with such
excellence, he could have been another Mozart or Beethoven.
Nureyev could play Bach backwards with such ease, it amazed many a
modern conductor. Bach was one of his favourite composers. His house was
littered with scores. Nureyev maintained a magnificent pipe organ,
several violins and a couple of grand pianos all of which he played when
he found the time.
Not being satisfied after reaching dizzy height with nothing more to
achieve in ballet, he focused on his gifted musicality. Arranging,
rearranging the Masters who mainly featured in most of his ballets that
included among many Mozart, Bach, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Handel.
It was said that Nureyev could dance to any sound from far, far away;
to the singing of birds, croaking of frogs, roars of the tiger from the
woods and thumping of the elephant.
He revelled in the sounds the that the four seasons produced;
winter-blowing, autumn's cold breeze, spring's crackling of seed from
below the soil and the summer's glorious showers. Nureyev had the
ability to turn any sound to music and dance upon it.
His was the phenomenon of sounds he placed upon many instrument,
especially on strings. For such a gifted dancer, the lure of music could
not be contained.
Gifted organist
And he decided to raise the baton. He evoked every mood and character
in the music of Masters he conducted, turning sensitive on Bach, charged
with emotion. A gifted organist, Nureyev's exalted spirit and technical
genius arose from years of dancing experiences upon the Masters.
He was able to conduct Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, the art of fugue
and Colberg Variations. For hours Nureyev would practise at nights the
amazing full-sounding suites for solo as well as Violin Sonatas weeks
before he faced the audience.
World of dance
As much as the musical world has never ceased to be inspired, so was
the world of dance by Nureyev. Neither did Nureyev forget his
countryman, Tchaikovsky to whose music he danced a lifetime. He enjoyed
conducting the passionate and fiery music of Tchaikovsky as opposed to
the gentle strains of Bach.
Unfortunately for Nureyev, he took up to conducting too late in life
when his health was deteriorating.
Had he done it ten years earlier, he would have been a highly
recognised one, almost in par with his sizzling dancing career but then
dance was his whole life.
And when he died, he was lowered to the grave to the strains of
GISELLE, at his request. |
