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Mayerling - and Spring public booking


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I start work at 9.30 so wanted to be in for 9am so I could book before work. I arrived later than intended only to find the back door code had been changed and had to wait ages for someone to let me in. Then my computer wasn't connected properly and I had to plug wires in. Then the internet egg timed away. When I reached the ROH site (at 9.30!) I went to the Jewels performance I wanted to buy only to find the site wasn't accepting my password! So I phoned my husband at home and guided him through the booking (my password is saved there) and got the ticket I'd selected. Then tonight went back onto the website and found the ticket I'd like to have bought this morning! Emailed the ROH and asked if they could exchange if it's still there when they see the email tomorrow. The performance had better be good! I think the problem with booking early on opening day is so many people put tickets in their basket and then decide so there may be fewer tickets then than later.

 

I can see the reasoning behind releasing tickets at 10am but if you're working you can't wait for that. it is always this problem with Tuesday booking. Why couldn't they have it on a Saturday when more people won't be at work?

 

Re the Osipova/Watson Mayerling a friend who is a ROH Friend bought me a ticket a few weeks ago and I'm glad she did given the paucity of all but very poor slips being available. Even that was at the end of a row about halfway back. I can understand the ROH not wanting to programme many performances as it must be very demanding on the principles, especially Rudolf. However, given the interest in Yanowsky, Watson and Osipova I think it's unforgivable they didn't schedule it for broadcast. The dvd is dated 2010 so that's 7 years ago; hardly recent. Given the broadcast of Fille in 2012 and 2015 (again probably mainly because of the interest in Osipova) there is a definite precedent so there is no excuse.

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I have a question which I will add on here, rather than starting a new topic.

 

Regarding the casting for Jewels, how do I work out who is in which ballet?  I can't remember how many dancers are in each ballet!

 

The first four (two couples) are Emeralds, the last couple is diamonds, making the ones in between rubies. I think. :)

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I start work at 9.30 so wanted to be in for 9am so I could book before work. I arrived later than intended only to find the back door code had been changed and had to wait ages for someone to let me in. Then my computer wasn't connected properly and I had to plug wires in. Then the internet egg timed away. When I reached the ROH site (at 9.30!) I went to the Jewels performance I wanted to buy only to find the site wasn't accepting my password! So I phoned my husband at home and guided him through the booking (my password is saved there) and got the ticket I'd selected. Then tonight went back onto the website and found the ticket I'd like to have bought this morning! Emailed the ROH and asked if they could exchange if it's still there when they see the email tomorrow. The performance had better be good! I think the problem with booking early on opening day is so many people put tickets in their basket and then decide so there may be fewer tickets then than later.

 

I can see the reasoning behind releasing tickets at 10am but if you're working you can't wait for that. it is always this problem with Tuesday booking. Why couldn't they have it on a Saturday when more people won't be at work?

 

Re the Osipova/Watson Mayerling a friend who is a ROH Friend bought me a ticket a few weeks ago and I'm glad she did given the paucity of all but very poor slips being available. Even that was at the end of a row about halfway back. I can understand the ROH not wanting to programme many performances as it must be very demanding on the principles, especially Rudolf. However, given the interest in Yanowsky, Watson and Osipova I think it's unforgivable they didn't schedule it for broadcast. The dvd is dated 2010 so that's 7 years ago; hardly recent. Given the broadcast of Fille in 2012 and 2015 (again probably mainly because of the interest in Osipova) there is a definite precedent so there is no excuse.

I so agree.  Is there a Watson version recorded?

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I so agree.  Is there a Watson version recorded?

There are two fine recordings, both by Opus Arte. The more recent one has Edward Watson paired with Mara Galeazzi, available on both blu-ray and DVD; the older from 1994 on DVD only with Irek Mukhamedov, paired with Viviana Durante, Darcey Bussell and Lesley Collier. 

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I'm a bit surprised that I just received an mail from See tickets (an agency) about ROH ballet tickets for the spring season available through them (not the ROH). They have added on a hefty premium for buying through them of about 10% (from a cursory glance), but seem to have some availablity for the difficult to find tickets. Buy why through them and not the ROH ? 

 

http://www.seetickets.com/tour/mayerling/calendar/2

 

 

 

http://www.seetickets.com/tour/jewels

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I'm a bit surprised that I just received an mail from See tickets (an agency) about ROH ballet tickets for the spring season available through them (not the ROH). They have added on a hefty premium for buying through them of about 10% (from a cursory glance), but seem to have some availablity for the difficult to find tickets. Buy why through them and not the ROH ? 

 

http://www.seetickets.com/tour/mayerling/calendar/2

 

 

 

http://www.seetickets.com/tour/jewels

Unbelievable.  And what a mark-up.  I see they don't have any of the expensive tickets.  Are to assume that all the Priority people suddenly decided they must see Mayerling and scooped up all the Watson/Osipova tickets?

Edited by penelopesimpson
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There are two fine recordings, both by Opus Arte. The more recent one has Edward Watson paired with Mara Galeazzi, available on both blu-ray and DVD; the older from 1994 on DVD only with Irek Mukhamedov, paired with Viviana Durante, Darcey Bussell and Lesley Collier. 

Thanks for that David.  I've got the Mukhamedov one but didn't realise there was one with Ed Watson.  I saw that pairing and it was fabulous so shall get DVD.

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I'm a bit surprised that I just received an mail from See tickets (an agency) about ROH ballet tickets for the spring season available through them (not the ROH). They have added on a hefty premium for buying through them of about 10% (from a cursory glance), but seem to have some availablity for the difficult to find tickets. Buy why through them and not the ROH ? 

 

A question I have asked many times.  But they are one of the authorised vendors: http://www.roh.org.uk/visit/tickets#authorized-ticket-vendors

I still don't understand why on earth the ROH needs to sell tickets via agencies anyway, at least not when sales are brisk, but in these days of ever-decreasing funding I find it galling to see someone making a profit on ticket sales which I'd far rather see going to fund the ROH directly.  And then the ROH complain about the increasing problem of counterfeit tickets, which must surely be more difficult to deal with if tickets are coming in multiple formats rather than all being on ROH ticket stock.

 

 

And I still don't see how the handful of seats down the amphi slips but no other tickets anywhere in the house can be available bang on the start of public booking when 20% of the theatre is supposed to be held back ...

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There are two fine recordings, both by Opus Arte. The more recent one has Edward Watson paired with Mara Galeazzi, available on both blu-ray and DVD; the older from 1994 on DVD only with Irek Mukhamedov, paired with Viviana Durante, Darcey Bussell and Lesley Collier. 

 

Thanks for that David.  I've got the Mukhamedov one but didn't realise there was one with Ed Watson.  I saw that pairing and it was fabulous so shall get DVD.

 

 

I read an interesting blog recently which compared the performances in the two videos ..... I assume it's ok to post the link here ..... 

 

http://poisonivywalloftext.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/mayerling-comparison.html 

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I'm a bit surprised that I just received an mail from See tickets (an agency) about ROH ballet tickets for the spring season available through them (not the ROH). They have added on a hefty premium for buying through them of about 10% (from a cursory glance), but seem to have some availablity for the difficult to find tickets. Buy why through them and not the ROH ?

 

http://www.seetickets.com/tour/mayerling/calendar/2

 

http://www.seetickets.com/tour/jewels

This is a new site to me. Over the years I have sometimes used agencies to get tickets for the opera or ballet (never in the UK though): in such situations I accept the mark up, as it usually reflects effort in obtaining the tickets (in some places agencies employ young people to start queuing in the middle of the night before tickets go on sale). But this particular site is intriguing: playing around I found performances where it would sell me two seats but told me a single ticket was not available. Edited by Geoff
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A question I have asked many times.  But they are one of the authorised vendors: http://www.roh.org.uk/visit/tickets#authorized-ticket-vendors

I still don't understand why on earth the ROH needs to sell tickets via agencies anyway, at least not when sales are brisk, but in these days of ever-decreasing funding I find it galling to see someone making a profit on ticket sales which I'd far rather see going to fund the ROH directly.  And then the ROH complain about the increasing problem of counterfeit tickets, which must surely be more difficult to deal with if tickets are coming in multiple formats rather than all being on ROH ticket stock.

 

 

And I still don't see how the handful of seats down the amphi slips but no other tickets anywhere in the house can be available bang on the start of public booking when 20% of the theatre is supposed to be held back ...

This is the question I would like answered.  I was on the site promptly at 09.00 and there were only a few less expensive seats and standing left, and virtually nothing at the more expensive end.  How can this be?

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Could it be that the entire centre amphi being placed on reserve for students on 2.5.17 was lumped into the 20 per cent sequence. The 'general booking' for students only opened the day previous .. and I would assume they are generally classified as 'general public'

Edited by Bruce Wall
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Probably the hottest ticket for ballet at the ROH since Fonteyn and Nureyev!

 

It would be wonderful if it results in a cinema relay, or the BBC perhaps showing it, they made a last minute decision to film the Kirov at Islington when Natalia Makarova made her return to the company.

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I can't understand why ROH isn't cinema screening one of the Watson/Osipova/Yanowsky Mayerlings especially as it's probably the last time anyone will see Watson and Yanowsky in Mayerling as retirements loom. I'd rather this was relayed than Jewels. Suppose it's too late to lobby ROH for this? Think it's a bit of a marketing mistake not do Mayerling.

 

Great Idea.

 

I have written to the ROH and asked why they are not filming / broadcasting the performance. Perhaps if a few more of us do the same......

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On a related note, does anyone know if there is a fixed formula for how long it is between public booking opening and the ROH putting those loose Balcony seats onsale once they know how many wheelchair spaces are needed?  A friend of a friend missed out on booking opening the other day (for opera tickets) and I recommended this as a good way of getting mid-priced tickets for a sold-out performance...

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I wrote to the ROH to ask why they were not filming the Osipova/Watson Mayerling and have received the following reply.

 

"We are sorry to disappoint but sadly Mayerling is not scheduled to be filmed this Season. The Company would love to be able to relay more performances naturally but is limited by resource.

We choose a variety of full-length and one-act ballets to be filmed across the classics, heritage and new work to reflect the range of our repertory. Anastasia was selected as the MacMillan ballet on this occasion, not having been seen at Covent Garden for many years.

We do appreciate the desire to see favourite works and casts – and realise that although Edward Watson was in a DVD recording of Mayerling, it was eight years ago! Natalia Osipova features in Anastasia which will be released on DVD later in the year and Zenaida Yanowsky will dance in Marguerite and Armand at the live cinema relay on 7th June.

 

It’s very useful to receive this feedback as we do want to provide DVD recordings that an audience will want to see.

 

If you know anyone who wasn't able to book tickets for this cast's performances, please let them know that there's still the possibility of doing so through Friday Rush and to continue to check with the Box Office and the website for any returns.

 

I hope you will have a wonderful time when attending the performances."

 

I don't think this actually covered the points I made and have already replied. I did not request a live screening, simply that the performance be recorded for a DVD. If I am not alone in wishing for this, perhaps others also need to write to the ROH.....they have been known to bow to public pressure! 

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I don't think this actually covered the points I made and have already replied. I did not request a live screening, simply that the performance be recorded for a DVD. If I am not alone in wishing for this, perhaps others also need to write to the ROH.....they have been known to bow to public pressure!

 

Agree, especially when it comes to Osipova! I'm sure her many fans would buy a DVD of her in Mayerling and make it financially worthwhile.

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We tend to understand that in the very early days of sound recording that it was the universally acknowledged greatest exponents of the art of opera singing whose voices were recorded for posterity. That knowledge, I think, continued to influence the way in which opera recordings were received well into the 1970's. It took a long time for opera enthusiasts to appreciate that some singer's performances owed far more to the ability of engineers to edit and improve a performance than they did to the innate abilities of the singer concerned and that recordings did not always have much of a connection with what you might hear from the same artist in a live performance.

 

 I have the feeling that  many people who buy DVDs of ballet performances still believe that when a company issues a recording of a ballet that it is not merely a snapshot in time of a specific group of dancers' performance but that it is an official endorsement by the company concerned of the performance's quality and its integrity as the most authentic performance of the work as far as style,characterisation and casting are concerned and thus truly representative of the way in which the ballet in question should be performed.

 

As far as recording this or any other ballet performance involving Osipova is concerned while I am sure that  it would appeal to a lot of her fans don't you think that there is a danger of people coming to believe that the DVD is not simply a record of a specific performance by a well known and highly regarded dancer but that it shows how the ballet should be performed and that Osipova's performance of her allocated role would be assumed by her fans to be  acknowledged as an outstanding assumption of the role in question ?

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As far as recording this or any other ballet performance involving Osipova is concerned while I am sure that  it would appeal to a lot of her fans don't you think that there is a danger of people coming to believe that the DVD is not simply a record of a specific performance by a well known and highly regarded dancer but that it shows how the ballet should be performed and that Osipova's performance of her allocated role would be assumed by her fans to be  acknowledged as an outstanding assumption of the role in question ?

 

 

That sounds like a passive aggressive attack on Osipova. Is that fair considering that we have yet to see her perform the role?

 

I don’t agree with your suggestions that there is an objective measure by which a performance can be judged “the most authentic”. The wonderful thing about art is that people see different things in the same piece. Whilst you may not enjoy a certain performance others will. I’m not sure that any of us have the authority to tell those we disagree with that they are wrong. 

 

Anyway, I suspect that the calls for a recording are more about Watson than Osipova. The fact that he happens to be cast alongside six other principles is a bonus. That would seem to me an “endorsement by the company” of the dancers’ ability to perform the role. 

Edited by Saodan
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We tend to understand that in the very early days of sound recording that it was the universally acknowledged greatest exponents of the art of opera singing whose voices were recorded for posterity. That knowledge, I think, continued to influence the way in which opera recordings were received well into the 1970's. It took a long time for opera enthusiasts to appreciate that some singer's performances owed far more to the ability of engineers to edit and improve a performance than they did to the innate abilities of the singer concerned and that recordings did not always have much of a connection with what you might hear from the same artist in a live performance.

 

 I have the feeling that  many people who buy DVDs of ballet performances still believe that when a company issues a recording of a ballet that it is not merely a snapshot in time of a specific group of dancers' performance but that it is an official endorsement by the company concerned of the performance's quality and its integrity as the most authentic performance of the work as far as style,characterisation and casting are concerned and thus truly representative of the way in which the ballet in question should be performed.

 

As far as recording this or any other ballet performance involving Osipova is concerned while I am sure that  it would appeal to a lot of her fans don't you think that there is a danger of people coming to believe that the DVD is not simply a record of a specific performance by a well known and highly regarded dancer but that it shows how the ballet should be performed and that Osipova's performance of her allocated role would be assumed by her fans to be  acknowledged as an outstanding assumption of the role in question ?

 

 

 

Floss has made a very good point in general about filmed performances.  I remember David Morse giving a talk to Friends of BRB when he was the video archivist with the Company.  He stressed that while filmed performances are very useful there is always a risk that that particular interpretation is then taken as gospel even if there are mistakes within the performance (or perhaps an interpretation that differs from the choreographer's intention).

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FLOSS' comments do apply equally to any other dancer, of course.  Personally, I doubt I'd buy a Mayerling DVD based on who was dancing Mary Vetsera (although I recall Sky Arts promoting the recording as "Mayerling starring Darcey Bussell", despite the fact that she was dancing Mitzi Caspar, who only appears in one scene :) )

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I still don't understand why on earth the ROH needs to sell tickets via agencies anyway, at least not when sales are brisk, but in these days of ever-decreasing funding I find it galling to see someone making a profit on ticket sales which I'd far rather see going to fund the ROH directly.  And then the ROH complain about the increasing problem of counterfeit tickets, which must surely be more difficult to deal with if tickets are coming in multiple formats rather than all being on ROH ticket stock.

 

 

 

If I'm not mistaken, the opera house (or any venue using a ticket agency) is paid the face value (and the agency makes money on the booking fees), they're not making any less money than if they sold the tickets themselves (and their accountants might even consider they are making more as someone else is selling them, they'll have to assign smaller costs against the revenue).

I'm trying to find out if the tickets are bought by the agent first and what happens if they remain unsold, in which case here again the opera would see all the tickets bought quicker than if they were sold individually, beneficial for their cash flow. It seems after all that the tickets offered to the agencies are the slowest selling ones.

 

It is also likely part of the ROH's strategy to reach a larger audience, Seeticket is one of the biggest ticket agencies and will reach people going to the theatre or concerts regularly who might then be tempted to give opera or ballet a try, especially if the tickets offered there are roughly the same price range as other theatres.

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We tend to understand that in the very early days of sound recording that it was the universally acknowledged greatest exponents of the art of opera singing whose voices were recorded for posterity. That knowledge, I think, continued to influence the way in which opera recordings were received well into the 1970's. It took a long time for opera enthusiasts to appreciate that some singer's performances owed far more to the ability of engineers to edit and improve a performance than they did to the innate abilities of the singer concerned and that recordings did not always have much of a connection with what you might hear from the same artist in a live performance.

 

 I have the feeling that  many people who buy DVDs of ballet performances still believe that when a company issues a recording of a ballet that it is not merely a snapshot in time of a specific group of dancers' performance but that it is an official endorsement by the company concerned of the performance's quality and its integrity as the most authentic performance of the work as far as style,characterisation and casting are concerned and thus truly representative of the way in which the ballet in question should be performed.

 

As far as recording this or any other ballet performance involving Osipova is concerned while I am sure that  it would appeal to a lot of her fans don't you think that there is a danger of people coming to believe that the DVD is not simply a record of a specific performance by a well known and highly regarded dancer but that it shows how the ballet should be performed and that Osipova's performance of her allocated role would be assumed by her fans to be  acknowledged as an outstanding assumption of the role in question ?

 

It’s an interesting comparison Floss but really you know we were not so naive as you might think. Playing the old 78s at different speeds we quickly learnt that keys could be manipulated up and down with the very timbre of the voice lightened or darkened accordingly. As did the recording companies and the artists themselves! To take the most well known example - Caruso in his famous and only recording of Che Gelida Manina on cylinder in 1906 deliberately transposed it down a semi-tone to C major because at that stage he was uncomfortable with his top C. By the time the recording came to be re-mastered onto the early 78s the engineers were already manipulating the speed back to D-flat major to give an apparent top C in the over-arching final section. The truth is that most if not all of the early recordings on cylinder and into the LP era were extensively re-mastered by the engineers of the time. It was not until the late 70s that certain sound engineers, notably Keith Hardwick who did so much to restore the EMI Historical Recordings, concentrated on trying to restore the old recordings to their original state with all their flaws.

 

My point is that those of us who grew up with the changing generations of singers were under no illusions regarding their recordings and we were quite able to differentiate between those recordings and the reality of their voices when we were lucky enough to hear them in the flesh. We still loved them. Present generations sadly are wholly dependant on the recordings to form an assessment of the great artists of the past. That they are able to do so is entirely due to the wealth of recordings created in those early days and despite their limitations we are eternally indebted to those who created them.

 

I grieve that the amount of recorded material of early ballet performances is so sadly limited. I have memories of fine dancers, performances and interpretations but my children and grandchildren are wholly dependant on recordings. It wasn’t until the 80s and 90s when video popularity was at its height that we began to get a record of performances including new choreography. Where recordings don’t exist, there is no opportunity for assessment. An obvious example is Sylvie Guillem who never bothered to record her classical roles; already up and coming generations must be wondering what all the fuss was about!

 

Over the past decade and increasingly with the introduction of blu-ray, we are getting more and more recordings of performances of new and old works by a wide range of our favourite dancers. OK, we know that the recordings are manipulated by the engineers but are we really worried? Already we have reached the point where we can begin to check current performances and styles against those of earlier dancers. Thanks to the BBC and ICA Classics we can compare Osipova’s interpretation of Ashton’s choreography in Fille for example against that of Nerina and in due course of up-coming and future generations of dancers! Meanwhile this is Osipova’s time. It will be short-lived but I for one am delighted that, unlike Guillem (whose dancing incidentally often drove a cart and horses through the original intentions of the choreographers concerned!), future generations will be able to make their own assessments and hopefully understand why some of us find her so exciting.

 

Here is the UK we are blessed with the unique BBC archive and the ROH/Opus Arte link which give us far and away more recordings of the RB from its earliest days to the present day than any other Ballet Company in the world. We can compare modern recordings of Giselle performances by Cojocaru, Osipova and soon to be released Nuñez, against those of earlier generations. No other country in the world is so fortunate. And I’m sure that in times to come those who care about such things will be able to make their own judgments about dancers and changes in choreography as we did in our time about the great singers of the past. 

Edited by David
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 I have the feeling that  many people who buy DVDs of ballet performances still believe that when a company issues a recording of a ballet that it is not merely a snapshot in time of a specific group of dancers' performance but that it is an official endorsement by the company concerned of the performance's quality and its integrity as the most authentic performance of the work as far as style,characterisation and casting are concerned and thus truly representative of the way in which the ballet in question should be performed.

 

As far as recording this or any other ballet performance involving Osipova is concerned while I am sure that  it would appeal to a lot of her fans don't you think that there is a danger of people coming to believe that the DVD is not simply a record of a specific performance by a well known and highly regarded dancer but that it shows how the ballet should be performed and that Osipova's performance of her allocated role would be assumed by her fans to be  acknowledged as an outstanding assumption of the role in question ?

 

I don't agree - maybe with the exception of well known ballets like Swan Lake, or stories that are well known like Cinderella, I suspect many people who buy DVDs of ballet performances are already ballet fans who know something about ballet and understand that there are many interpretations. Mayerling is a relatively obscure and difficult and subject matter with a complex and uncheery story. I seem to remember when I first came to ballet that it didn't rank very highly on my list of DVDs to try before I had worked my way through the tutu ballets. Moreover there are already two DVDs available and more footage online on youtube, where I think a lot of people will find free selections of performances and have other artists to compare to.

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