FANTASTIC : KIROV BALLET

Just who does Martin Bernheimer think he is, God?

He must think so, because it would take someone as perfect as God to find any fault with the magnificent performance put on by the Kirov Ballet at the Shrine Auditorium May 21 (“Kirov ‘Swan Lake’ Returns After 21 Years,” May 23).

Bernheimer refered to principal ballerina Galina Mezentseva as “scrawny in line, brittle in phrasing and monochromatic in emotional projection.” In addition, he called me, and the other 6,599 members of the audience, “clap-happy.”

I offer the 15-some-odd curtain calls and the final 10-minute standing ovation by the entire 6,600-member audience as proof positive that Bernheimer is, once again, totally out of touch with reality.

We Los Angeles ballet lovers are not “clap-happy,” Mr. Bernheimer. We simply know perfection when we see if--and know how to show our utter delight and appreciation to those who give us such.

ALLEN DRUCKER

Los Angeles