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Testimonies
& Critics
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Marquis Jorge de Cuevas
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The De Cuevas stages
Wladimir Skouratoff was engaged in the late’s 1951 by the famous Dance benefactor the Marquis Jorge de Cuevas, immediately after seing him dance the role of Albrecht in Giselle at the Palais de Chaillot with Ivette Chauvire.
Through the long period Skouratoff was a danseur étoile at this Company, several choreographers created or re-created for him many ballets, amongst them:
LA REVANCHE
A choreographic work by Ruth Page, upon the libretto and music of Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore. It was presented on october 16th, 1951, with Jacqueline Moreau, Sonia Arova and Wladimir Skouratoff at the Théâtre de l’Empire.
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Skouratoff and Moreau
(Photo: Serge Lido)
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PIEGE DE LUMIERE
Music by J.M.Damase, choreography by John Taras, it was presented on december 23rd, 1952 with Rosella Hightower, Serge Golovine et Wladimir Skouratoff, at the Théâtre de l’Empire.
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Skouratoff and Hightower
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LE PRISIONNIER DU CAUCASE
An excellent coreography by Georges Skibine, upon Katchaturian’s Gayaneh, it was presented on december 4th, 1951, with Georges Skibine, Marjorie Tallchief and Wladimir Skouratoff.
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Prisionnier du Caucase (Photo: Lido)
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DOÑA INES DE CASTRO
Music by Serre, choreography by Ana Ricarda, it was presented on May 6th, 1952 at the Palais de Chaillot with Rosella Hightower, Georges Skibine and Wladimir Skouratoff.
COUP DE FEU
Music by G.Auric, coreography by Aurel Milloss, it was presented on May 1952 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elyssées with Rosella Hightower and Wladimir Skouratoff.
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Skouratoff and Hightower (Photo: Lido)
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TERTULIA
Music by Manuel Infante, choreography by Ana Ricarda upon a libretto by Irene Lidova, it was presented on December 11th, 1952 with Ana Ricarda, Jacqueline Moreau and Wladimir Skouratoff.
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Skouratoff and Moreau (Photo: Lido)
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IDYLLE
Music by F.Serrette, choreography by Georges Skibine, it was presented on January 2nd., 1954 at the Théâtre de l’Empire, with Skibine, Tallchief and Skouratoff.
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In “Idylle” with Skibine and Tallchief
(Photo Lido)
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BOLERO
Bronislawa Nijinska made a new version of this work, music by Ravel, for Skouratoff and Marjorie Tallchief, in 1954.
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"Bolero", with Marjorie Tallchief
(Photo: Lido)
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PETROUCHKA
Also a new version of this ballet (Stravinsky-Fokine), made by Nijinska for Serge Golovine and Skouratoff, in 1954.
ACHILLE
Music by Rochefoucauld, coreography by Georges Skibine, it was presented on May 18th, 1955 at the Carré Amsterdam with Wladimir Skouratoff and Genia Melikowa.
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In "Achille"
(Photo Lido)
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ROMEO ET JULIETTE
Music by Hector Berlioz, the coreography was shared between John Taras, Georges Skibine, Serge Golovine and Skouratoff, and it was presented on June 28th, 1955 at the Louvre’s Cour-Carré.
LE PONT
Music by Starbuck, coreography by Marks, with Rosella Hightower, Andrea Karlsen and Skouratoff, date unknown.
LA CORRIDA
Music by Scarlatti, choreography by David Lichine, date of presentation unknown.
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In "La corrida", dressed as a torero
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DÚO
Music by Scriabin. Choreography by Gouvet, a pas de deux created for Skouratoff and J.Moreau, for the Cuevas company.
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In "Dúo" with J.Moreau (Photo Lido)
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SAETA
This choreography was created by Ana Ricarda for Skouratoff and herself, within the frame of De Cuevas’ company.
During the De Cuevas stages, Skouratoff was requested by the Marquis himself to make two choreographical works: “Scarlattiana”, music by Casella upon Scarlatti, with the characters of the Italian “Commedia dell Arte” ; and “Perlimplinade”, upon musical themes by Montpou-Montsalvatge, this last performed for the first time at the Teatro del Liceo, Barcelona, on May 8th, 1956. It was based on an XVIII century’s fable and with a libretto by Xavier Coll based on a romance by F.García Lorca.
The seasons of the De Cuevas company
in Buenos Aires in 1954-1956
The Marquis de Cuevas’ Great Ballet Company appeared on two seasons in Buenos Aires. The first one in 1954 at the Metropolitan Theatre and the second in 1956 at the Great Opera Theatre.We refer in particular to the last, being the fact that the main responsability of the performances falled upon Wladimir Skouratoff, Jacqueline Moreau and George Zorith – due to the reason that the Company had to travel without Hightower, Skibine, Tallchief and Golovine.
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Programme from the 1956 season
at the Grand Opera Theatre
in Buenos Aires
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We transcribe here an excerpt of the critic by our Fernando Emery at the magazine Lyra of those times: “Amongst a repertory which goes from Perrot to Balanchine, the Marquis De Cuevas’ Great Ballet revealed eight choreographies: “Constancia”, “Scarlattiana”, “The pont”, “Pastoral”, “Le moulin enchanté”, “Perlimplinade”, “Duo” and “Del amor y de la muerte”. In spite of the absence of his most famous stars, the cast had three magnificent artists worthy of Diaghilev’times: Jacqueline Moreau, splendid in “Giselle” – mainly at the second act – and in “Piège de lumière”, whose arms deserve “des long poèmes” ; Wladimir Skouratoff, an extraordinaire “demi-caractère”, whose dazzling personality excelled in “Le moulin enchanté”, one of the tournée’successes, and in “Prince Igor”, maybe the best we’ve ever seen since Adolphe Bolm; and George Zorith, who on the vast extent going from “Les Sylphides” to “Doña Inés de Castro” showed a quality where the elegance, the spiritual understanding and the technique are harmoniously matched.”
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From Buenos Aires’ journal La Nación, 30.9.56
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On this season, Skouratoff danced:
Giselle con Jacqueline Moreau
y Genia Melikowa
Lac des cygnes con Jacqueline Moreau
Black swan con Jacqueline Moreau
Le moulin enchanté con Jacqueline
Moreau
Constancia con Jacqueline Moreau y Genia
Melikowa
Piège de lumière con Jacqueline
Moreau y Georges Golovine
Le beau Danube con Jacqueline Moreau y
Andrea Karlsen
Boléro con Jacqueline Moreau
Duo con Jacqueline Moreau
Danzas Polovtsianas del Príncipe Igor
con Andrea Karlsen y Solange Golovina
Les sylphides con Jacqueline Moreau, Genia
Melikowa e Ivonne Meyer
Grand Pas classique con Jacqueline Moreau
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With J. Moreau In “Piège de lumière”
(during the performance
at the
Great Opera Theatre)
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As a funny anecdote, we must say that on the opening night of the season, october 25th, 1956, the costumes and decors had not yet arrived from Brasil, so it was decided to give a première on rehearsal clothes and without any decors, repeating this function on normal circumstances at the end of the season. As a testimony of this, we have a photo taken during the final bow of the Polovtsian Dances, showing Skouratoff backwards, with Beatriz Consuelo and Andrea Karlsen, all in rehearsal clothes, which didn’t prevent the public’s upstanding ovation.
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On rehearsal clothes, with
Karlsen and Consuelo.
At
left, the Marquis De Cuevas
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