Geoff

Just now, MAB said:

As Lucia is based on The Bride of Lammermore by Walter Scott, clearly Scottish literature wasn't part of the syllabus.

To be fair, the book is pretty different from the opera. Apart the rest, the baddie in the book is - and no doubt Katie wouldn’t like this - Lucia’s mother. 

31 minutes ago, Timmie said:

 

Interesting comments Geoff, they probably sum up where I am in my operatic appreciation journey and why I enjoy Katie Mitchell’s productions 😄. I am happy though that this has got me into opera. (My first Carmen tonight and Lucia next week).

Oh any way is good Timmie. I was riffing off @MAB discovering with experience that she now increasingly enjoys concert performances of opera, ie where there is next to no “production” or “staging” and it’s all about the music.
 

Iris Murdoch wrote in one of her novels, “I don’t know anything about music, I just like the noise it makes” and that’s a great start! Just keep experiencing all kinds of shows, I am sure you’ll get a lot from Carmen, have a good time. 

22 minutes ago, MAB said:

Sorry. but what kind of mind comes up with this stuff?

Katie Mitchell was, one understands, seen as brilliant while an undergraduate (Who's Who shows Magdalen College, University of Oxford). The record however states she studied English literature and language, rather than music, so it is perfectly possible she belongs to that category of director who believes staging opera is all about "the text". But opera is a musical form, which leaves many of those working these days adrift. 

Being able to read a score is not an absolute requirement. One of the most successful opera directors of the 20th century (no names, no names) could not read music and resisted any attempt to learn. But strong theatrical imagination linked to inherent musicality produced production after production which found great favour with audiences and critics alike, and which lasted decades in the repertoire. 

Katie Mitchell - but perhaps I do her a disservice - appears to have a bias to "action", "drama", "words"...i.e. the "text" - so presumably thinks what the orchestra is doing is merely an accompaniment to the important activity on the stage. This, I submit, is a misunderstanding of the particular art form.

By way of example, here are two moments from the current Lucia when Mitchell stages tone deaf interventions. The most famous section in the show is the "mad scene" and the second most famous is the glorious sextet, a masterpiece of condensed emotion, packed with meaning. But at the start of both of these most important sections of music, what happens on stage? Donizetti writes introductory music inviting us to settle and concentrate on what the orchestra and singers are doing, while Mitchell has ghosts climb clumsily in through windows at the side of the stage, as if we were in a comic production of "When Bel Canto Goes Wrong".

So in answer to your question, not someone who knows how to listen to music and respond to it intelligently.

On 20/04/2024 at 10:20, Geoff said:

 

The design of the ROH means there are many useful "listening seats", which might be a good option for those who want to heed the company's printed warning of "blood and gore throughout". 

I went back last night and thoroughly enjoyed my evening in the middle of Upper Slips DD. Sitting on the right hand side of the auditorium I was forced to miss the vomiting, most of the miscarriage and the long soak in the bath of blood. On the other hand I could see all the principals clearly for at least an aria each.

Sierra missed more than on Friday but the men seemed if anything even stronger. And the band shows no sign of slowing down, which is just great, at last idiomatic Italian conducting again at the ROH. 

2 hours ago, DVDfan said:

Over several years of reading this forum I have come to realise that people have different expectations of a ballet performance. For some, technical excellence is of paramount importance. For others, it is the emotional experience that matters. For many, it is the visual impact of a visual art that counts, but for a few, the music is paramount. Others want a good night out at the theatre, and so on, and so on.

Thus a performance that moves one audience member to tears by its dramatic impact may attract quite a bit of technical criticism from another. Yet another viewer may feel that the plot is peculiar or costumes distracting to the  point of failure etc, etc...

Wonderfully - and succinctly - put @DVDfan (to use a superlative). Thank you!

7 hours ago, Buru said:

I see that most posts on the forum are written in superlatives which is fine but makes it a bit one sided.

Yes one function of this site is as an outlet for fanboys/girls, relatives and friends as well as enthusiastic newbies, to show their appreciation, and this is all well and good.
 

But that might get a little boring if this was all there was to read so thankfully you will also find objective criticism by experts and those with long experience, up to and including comments by dancers, choreographers, critics and others with professional experience, and even some academic scholarship. So please, keep watching keenly and sharing your opinions, negative as well as positive. For example I for one do not share the general view, sometimes expressed, that dancers these days are so much better than they used to be, or that all the RB does is wonderful.

With very sad timing, just this Friday a revival of the opera Lucia di Lammermoor opened at ROH. The programme has a full page thanking the Rausings for their help. Let’s hope he continues to support in her memory. RIP

15 hours ago, alison said:

Just read the scenario for possibly the first time ever for this production(!)

Speaking personally, and after seeing this gorgeous-looking production a large number of times, I am of course very sorry for what happened in real life but could care less about what Liam Scarlett thought about Swan Lake. The sooner a better crafted version of the show overtakes his “ideas” the better.
 

The signs are good: Morera’s work this run has resulted in a less fussy and stronger show. Let’s hope this work continues to develop. 

14 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

Personally I find being there in person with unamplified music you get a completely different type of sound: it's a full-body thing, compared to recorded or amplified music, which only really "hits" my ears, unless it's overamplified in which case it's just unpleasant. I will compromise on a lot and spend a lot more money to get the former.

Spot on. The right music, performed right and experienced live has often shaken me to my core. More than once left me sobbing, shaking and wet faced. But that has never happened listening to a recording. 
 

Acoustics help in more than one way so I am usually at the front of the amphi or up in the slips. The ROH orchestra can be good but no one would claim they are reliably great (I often travel between the Vienna Philharmonic and the ROH and my ears tend to take a while to settle back to our band). But sitting in the right seats and hearing the orchestra conducted as they were on Friday (so much better than at the dress incidentally) is a worthy alternative. 

13 minutes ago, MAB said:

 

A reason why so many opera goers I know are refusing to go.  Opera directors!  Put them in Room 101.

The design of the ROH means there are many useful "listening seats", which might be a good option for those who want to heed the company's printed warning of "blood and gore throughout". 

Just out after the excellent first night. The crowd cheered: they definitely liked the show a lot, particularly Nadine Sierra, the tenor, the chorus and (dare one suggest) Donizetti energetically conducted. The production is no worse, actually better as simpler (though the interpolated miscarriage is still realistically bloody and extended). 
 

There were murmurs from cognoscenti that Sierra was a little slow and a little shrill in places, but she is admirably full voiced, particularly in comparison to the less experienced but spot on precise Liv Redpath, who I also enjoyed a lot at the dress rehearsal. To my great sadness I never had the chance to see Joan Sutherland in the role but was able to catch the supernatural voice of Gruberova as Lucia half a dozen times in her long career. For those who don’t know, put that name into YouTube and prepare to be amazed. 
 

23 hours ago, FionaM said:

Given the comments in n this thread about the filming of Different Drummer being sub-optimal vs the live experience, would others agree it’s time to replace Ross MacGibbon? 

What about the other comments which said people here preferred the filmed version of DD to the live show? 

On 13/04/2024 at 13:53, Jake said:

As aspects of the ending seem so universally disliked, is there any chance that it could be revised one day, or is the choreographer’s ‘vision’ sacrosanct?
With whom would the ‘copyright’ lie, I wonder? Liam Scarlett’s heirs, or the RB which commissioned the version?

Good question Jake. If I might be allowed to refer back to some comments I made a few weeks ago, perhaps this is relevant:

https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/29265-royal-ballet-swan-lake-2024/?do=findComment&comment=437074

More news about the Arts Council and the Wigmore Hall, to quote from the current issue of Private Eye:

>>"The regime at ACE is horrific: an Orwellian culture of ideological zealotry that everyone wants to speak out against but daren't because there's too much to lose. ACE isn't interested in music, excellence, quality... only social engineering. In return for its money it burdens us with unfeasible amounts of reporting about diversity targets, inclusion goals, the number of trans people in the audience... all wrapped up in meaningless language." The Wigmore spent a third of its ACE grant on reporting. And though the grant is for offstage community work, ACE had used it to dictate matters on stage, triggering a relationship breakdown. 
 

Currently the company is not selling tickets in the Balcony (the highest/cheapest tier) for every performance, so cheaper seats are only available on some dates.
 

That said this policy may not be driven by casting but other considerations. I agree with those who say it would be good to know more. 

2 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Cira Robinson, Alejandro Virelles, Joseph Taylor and Alina Cojocaru all in the same company (albeit Alina as a guest in London only)?!! I'm blinking because it doesn't feel real- feels like Vail Festival or some gala! 

Not to be silly but given that Alina just withdrew from her BRB Sleeping Beauty dates at Sadlers Wells (which were set for not long after) do we have confirmation of her participation in this important season? 

Russian ballet teachers:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5OW_USIvr-/

3 hours ago, JohnS said:

If it’s not going to cause you too much grief, I think it would be very good to let Customer Services know what happened. As @Sim says, they will be able to identify who bought the tickets behind you. Other people may also have complained, either about last night’s experiences or at other times. My understanding is that the ROH have on occasions taken action to exclude audience members. And there may be some useful lessons for Front of House staff.

I agree with this advice. Also, as has been discussed in other places on the Forum, although many of the Front of House staff are good, there are increasing reports of what one might call sloppy practices (eg off the top of my head, the staff prioritising having fun with each other over serving audience members; giving cheeky but pointless responses to serious requests; bullying people into not checking what’s in the programmes; and - as happened to me - being happy to lie to try and stop me complaining about something, which I escalated).

If management don’t know that their team isn’t doing their jobs properly, how can they help things improve? 

This Sunday Times link may help get behind the paywall for today‘s article:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/46b379aa-464e-45dc-a955-18f3ac34c467?shareToken=28ea91777cc969a02967119b12f40360

1 hour ago, Sim said:

Well that's a bit inconsistent to me:  14+ for Manon and 16+ for DD??  I also think that Manon is much more graphic and disturbing than DD.  Women get slapped around and raped, someone gets shot with blood spurting all over the place, old men get beaten up and robbed....much worse than DD, IMHO.

Indeed. And if I may say so, the advisory message appears to have been drafted by the same illiterate ROH team as have been responsible for (for example) the muddled lines about under 5s:

>> 'some content suitable for 16+'
 

Although this phrase has been praised here, surely it is hardly helpful? It tries to say something about what is *unsuitable* but in fact says nothing about that, only that older people may find “some” of the show “suitable”. My old English teacher would have put a big red ring around that. 

6 hours ago, AYSHEL said:

The comment actually came a balletomane who happens to be a legal professional.

Dunno who you mean but let me say this. I have been professionally preoccupied with libel and defamation for decades but would never rely on the opinions of the average “legal professional”. Libel is a v tricky and specialised area of law and sensible lawyers do not pretend to know about it unless they actually practice it. 
 

6 hours ago, Roberta said:

It's a murky business altogether. Even responding to these letters and claims takes time and money. 

 
Well said @Roberta Yes our moderators have a horrible time and it is good to be reminded of that. We all need to remember that sadly the world is getting too keen on using lawyers to waste time expressing hurt feelings even though they would fail in court. 
 

>>respectful it MUST be

Are we really so sure that “respect“ is the best test? Or is the word something of a weasel, easy to pay lip service to but slippery nonetheless? Take an example a few years ago when I was riled up by an awful new show on the ROH stage, Acosta‘s one-act Carmen (pretty robustly criticised on this Forum). Who exactly am I supposed to “respect”? Acosta for his past career as an international star? Presumably yes, respect for that. The dancers for doing their best with dreadful material? Yes again, respect.
 

But Acosta’s failing (imho) early stage attempts at choreography? Respect for what exactly? His “effort”, for his “being so brave”, for “trying so hard”, as if he is a primary school child in an all-shall-have-prizes smiley culture without discrimination, judgement, taste? 
 

And what about Kevin? We here discussed at the time whether he should have let that work go on to being performed in front of the public, rather than hold it back until hopefully something better emerged? Is that “respectful” towards him? What does that even mean? Or is “respect” not quite the right optic, given the balance of Kevin’s responsibilities as head of the company? 
 

15 hours ago, Tufty said:

Realised that Different Drummer is not recommended for under sixteens so planning to take my daughter for dinner during that hour and 45 mins. 

You don‘t say how old your daughter is Tufty, and you know her best of course, so I am sure you have made a wise decision. But in general your comment raises an important issue. 
 

ROH has put a 16+ age limit on this show, obviously because of the MacMillan. One can argue about whether this is one of his finest works or not, whether he was starting to try and shock for the sake of shocking or was sincerely responding to his source material, and so on. But objectively speaking, what are we presented with that is quite so problematic?
 

As has been discussed earlier in this thread, the story of Woyzeck is a classic. Perhaps no longer as familiar as say Faust or Romeo&Juliet or Carmen (all pretty shocking stories when taken seriously, eg devil worship, suicide, erotomania) Is it the content or the images on stage (adopts Molly Sugden voice “didn’t think it was very naice”) or somehow both, particularly when set to disturbingly gorgeous music?
 

Lots of people didn’t like this ballet, for a variety of reasons, ranging (if one reads through all the comments) from thoughtless philistinism to epicurean disappointment at MacMillan not hitting the spot. Good to warn audiences that this isn’t the sort of holiday tutu fare some people identify with “ballet”, but at what point does a refusal to engage with aspects of the troubles of the 20th century shade into over-protectiveness? 
 

I have no answers (thinking back I would have judged the best age for seeing this show differently for each of my children) but the conversation has been interesting. 

The General rehearsal was last night. We don't review rehearsals but I think it is worth noting for those who are still undecided as to whether to get a ticket, there is no gorilla in the new production by Damiano Michieletto.

In fact this show feels almost like a companion piece to the same director's Cav and Pag. As Amazon might say, if you liked that, you may like this one. 

8 hours ago, CCL said:

Looking forward to seeing this in July

Those of us with memories of the RB production may feel differently…

1 minute ago, Roberta said:

It has only just begun now!  https://iumusiclive.music.indiana.edu/#/

Thank you, got it now!