The Royal Ballet: Bernstein Centenary triple bill, March 2018

[RuthE]

Don't shoot me but I actually really liked the Corybantic Games costumes, other than those fussy bits of black ribbon.  I'm not usually a fan of underwear-style ballet costumes, but those structured two-pieces with the "high rise shorts"-style pants, straight cut across the groin, remind me of 1950s swimsuits and I think they create great (though admittedly not leg-lengthening) lines when worn by lean, compact ballet-bodies.

[jmhopton]

For me, seeing it at the cinema, the mixed bill was a mixed bag. I quite liked the Macgregor though the rather Buddhist like costumes were a slight distraction but the music and choreography were quite lyrical. Dancers like Francesca were underused; you'd hardly know she was there, but it was quite watchable though quite short. Felt I'd need to see it again to really appreciate it. Sets and costumes for Age of Anxiety were wonderful, especially the finale where Tristram Dyer was walking towards the New York skyline in sunrise. Dancing was splendid; Campbell, Gartside, Lamb and Dyer all brilliant. Good to see Tristram in a bigger role; haven't seen him in many solo roles. But I thought the Wheeldon totally dreadful; didn't like sets, costumes, music or choreography. Also it went on for far too long (though I realise that was more to do with the choice of music than Wheeldon's choice). I found the much discussed costumes really off-putting; white tights for both sexes and a sort of white bra for the ladies (though I quite liked the long skirts worn by some of the ladies) but it was the really ugly broad black straps they both had on their upper bodies I really hated; looked like very thick strips of black elastic which I found very distracting. However fashionable this designer is it didn't do anything for me. I thought I might appreciate the ballet more if they just danced it in the practice costumes we saw at the rehearsal. At least they wouldn't be a distraction. Also as they had their hair flattened it was difficult to tell who was who so I spent time trying to sort out who was dancing (trying to distract myself from the ugly costumes), then spent the rest of the time going thorough which Ashton ballets I'd rather be seeing (answer; any of them!) Debated about walking out but it seemed a bit wimpish for a ballet lover so reluctantly stuck it out. Hope if it is ever staged again it is last then I will walk out. However, the chances of me paying to see this ballet again are zero (unless it's staged with 2 Ashton ballets)

[Ian Macmillan]

Let joy be unconfined - not just undies, footwear too:

 

http://footwearnews.com/2018/fashion/news/erdem-24-sevres-royal-inspired-perfect-meghan-markle-princess-lvmh-1202543384/

 

... brought to you thanks to a single mention of "ballet."

[Minxette]

11 hours ago, Sim said:

I don't particularly want to watch dancers in underwear, whether it's trendy or fashionable or not.

 

Come on Sim, depends on who's wearing them surely?!!! LOL.

[Sim]

Well they all have fab bodies but I don't want to be reminded of my grandmother's underwear when I am watching a ballet!  😂

[Sharon]

I've been thinking about the cinema relay since Tuesday and I've decided that the best thing about the evening were the dancers. They were

ALL  fantastic especially Calvin Richardson & Joseph Sisson. All the cast of Age of Anxiety.  & Sarah Lamb was really good - while watching her, was I did hope that in the future cinema relays another principal has the main role as Lamb has been featured in the last couple (Nutcracker & Winter's Tale). I hated the costumes in both the MacGregor & Wheeldon piece. I also wondered why they were wearing pointe shoes in Yugen, it was definitely a piece that wouldn't of missed them and again, I found myself wondering why such a contemporary dance choreographer is the Resident Choreographer of a classical company? I thought Age of Anxiety was entertaining, I had never seen it before, but it did remind me of the dance section from a 50's musical. It definitely wasn't as bad as described. There was a lot going on in Corybantic Games, those 3 pdd at the same time annoyed me. But all the cast were wonderful. Those silly costumes though 🙄! Although all the dancers we're absolutely amazing - the RB is so very lucky to have so much talent throughout the ranks - I felt my eye lids drooping, I was sleepy, and that Never happens when I'm watching ballet normally....

[Scheherezade]

On 29/03/2018 at 07:55, bangorballetboy said:

I'm beginning to feel a bit like Father Ted stuck in the lingerie department...  

 

The #metoo brigade would have a field day with that comment, BBB. Very Richard Madeley, I might add.

[Scheherezade]

Interestingly, on Tuesday night the biggest cheers from the front/side amphitheatre were for Age of Anxiety, which also drew lots of chuckles during the performance.

 

Of the three, Yumen remains the one I prefer. Very beautiful in parts and, yet again, the music added so much. And, again, I started to fidget before the end of Corybantic Games which, to me, would benefit from being half as long.

[capybara]

Interestingly, I liked this bill more in the cinema than live. Somehow, perhaps because everything was jumbo-sized, I was able to appreciate the movement, sets and lighting more in Yugen and Corybantic Games than I had at the ROH. And I could 'read' the characterisation more in Age of Anxiety as well.

 

Richardson, Sissens, Lamb, Gartside, Ball, Bracewell, Naghdi, Stix-Brunell and Heap were especially impressive within outstanding casts.

 

Plus........ and I know that this is really something for another thread, Ore Oduba was fine on his own. The interviewees were allowed to answer the questions without interruption - for once.

[JohnS]

I too very much enjoyed the cinema encore, including all the interviews with choreographers (Liam Scarlett was particularly articulate and persuasive), designers, Kevin O'Hare and, as others have commented above, the telling contributions from Humphrey Burton.  Ore Oduba did a very good job as the single presenter.

 

I liked Yugen - music, choreography, design, costumes all worked well together and I will look forward to future performances.

 

I was impressed with Age of Anxiety and how the characters came alive, with fabulous performances from all dancers.  It worked well in the cinema.

 

I was not as taken with Corybantic Games where I'm afraid I found some of the choreography dull, particularly for some of the women.  As many have said , the costumes are off putting, particularly the black ribbons and slicked hair.  Christopher Wheeldon had I thought made a good point about the ribbon on the hem of the skirts but it rather begged the question what the audience is supposed to make of the flapping ribbon on the upper body.  I wish the skirts had been retained for the whole ballet, or better still as far as I'm concerned, use the Yugen costumes.  The set was not in the same league as for Yugen.  But I enjoyed the opening and 3rd sections, and much of the 4th section, although for me the performance highlight was Sergey Levitin 's ravishing solo violin.

 

I'd decided to try the cinema first and will see if returns turn up for the final performances - currently sold out but there have been a trickle of returns.

 

 

[Jane S]

For interest, here is an article about the costumes for the McGregor and Wheeldon pieces, from a site called Mode & Motion which looks at "the synergy between dance and fashion".

 

(I'm linking to partly because it's interesting to read another point of view and partly because it talks about Shirin Guild, whose name has not been mentioned once in the 100+ entries in this topic - it's not often I can look in my own wardrobe* and find some of the work of an RB designer!)

 

* secondhand section

[Balletfanp]

Rather belated (it's been a busy week!) but my impressions on the cinema broadcast.....

 

I can't compare this with seeing it live as I haven't managed to make it to this one at the ROH - but on the whole I enjoyed it very much. I'm not normally a Wayne McGregor fan (although he has his moments), but I really liked Yugen, to which impression the wonderful music contributed hugely. I thought the costumes were simple and flattering to all (loved the colours) and thought the set and lighting was very effective. Beautiful dancing from all concerned, especially Sarah Lamb and Calvin Richardson, and I find that Joseph Sissens is really beginning to stand out for me.

 

Having seen some of the less than enthusiastic comments about Age of Anxiety, I didn't have high hopes for this one, but to my surprise I enjoyed it very much. It does have a cinematic, film-like quality that I imagine probably comes across better on the big screen as opposed to in an auditorium, where I imagine some of its subtleties may be lost. In any case, all the individual performances were excellent (it was very much Sarah Lamb's night!) and Tristan Dyer was especially good, especially at the end.

 

I usually enjoy Wheeldon's ballets (Strapless aside!), and I thought Corybantic Games started off well, but after ten minutes or so I found my mind wandering and thinking about what I was going to have for tomorrow's dinner.....not a good sign! I didn't hate it, but it didn't grab me, apart from Tierney Heap (who jerked me out of my daydreams towards the end!) and the all too brief duet of Sambe and Magri.

 

I liked the skirts (and Wheeldon's comment about the black pencil line in space on the sheer material was spot on). Didn't mind the women's "underwear" too much, but all those flapping black ribbons up top just looked messy and superfluous to me and detracted from the simplicity of the rest. I hated the men's costumes more - that sheer, flesh-coloured material they wore on top looked like wrinkly skin whenever they leaned or bent! Either put them in something more substantial on top, or don't have anything at all.....

 

Edited to add that my comments about the costumes are not meant in any way to reflect on the dancers, who were all superb! 😉

Edited April 2, 2018 by Balletfanp
Addition.

[JohnS]

The ROH website shows the following:

 

6 April cast for Yugen Dancaïro Olivia Cowley;

 

9 April cast for Yugen Dancaïro Tristan Dyer.

 

All other performers are listed as Dancers.

 

What is a Dancaïro - I've tried Google but struggle to answer the question?  I don't see a Dancaïro listed for 3 April or previous performances.  Is it really a specified role in Yugen to be performed by Olivia then Tristan?

 

I'd be very grateful for any help.

[John Mallinson]

The website is an almighty mess at the moment and just doesn't seem able to handle triple bills. See ROH website thread.

 

[alison]

We finally have full casting: all in one place, and therefore comparable (compareable?)!  Now all we need is for the font size to be reduced to something a little less glaringly large, so that all 3 performances can be seen at the same time.  Oh, and it would be so helpful if whoever puts in the casting were introduced to the concept of the semi-colon, then we could have sets of casting for each ballet, rather than having to work out which dancers it is who are appearing in more than one piece

 

Edit: Oops, forgot the link! http://www.roh.org.uk/mixed-programmes/bernstein-centenary

[bangorballetboy]

6 minutes ago, alison said:

We finally have full casting: all in one place, and therefore comparable (compareable?)! 

 

So, the same casts for all performances of Yegen and Corybantic Games.  How dull.

[alison]

Yes, I was going to say I noted that Calvin Richardson's name wasn't showing up in the casting any more.  It does look to be approximately the same, unless there are alternatives concealed by the refusal to duplicate names.

[bridiem]

Just to say that for me, this bill didn't improve on live viewing (as opposed to live screening) tonight. In fact without the benefit of novelty (in 2 cases) it deteriorated., which was rather disappointing.

 

I still quite liked Yugen, but the higher viewpoint (Amphi) as opposed to the filmed eye-level viewpoint didn't, as I had hoped it might, clarify its shapes and relationships. In fact it just emphasized the fact that there was rather a lot of milling around going on. There was one lovely section towards the end, ending with the woman carried off by two men, reminiscent (as others have said) of both Requiem and Serenade. And there were some other nice moments. But not enough, and I didn't feel that there was a real response to the (sensational!) music going on. A lot of it seemed to be generic turning, twisting etc to no particular purpose and with no particular originality. But the music (and of course the quality of the dancing) did at least make it worth seeing.

 

I have now lost patience with The Age of Anxiety. I have no idea why we are supposed to be interested in these people, since we don't know who they are or why they behave as they do or why they suddenly have great transports of emotion for no apparent reason. The choreography tells us nothing about them. The sets are spectacular, but to no purpose. There are huge dramatic musical climaxes which are in no way reflected in what is happening on stage. (Why is the appearance of the woman's apartment, and the lowering of the lamp, set to hugely dramatic music? Was it a very expensive lamp?? I suspect the answer might be the appearance of the New York skyline through her window; but actually that's not particularly visible and makes no real impact at that stage, so the whole episode just seems daftly overblown.) Even at the end: why does (tonight) James Hay suddenly burst into that ecstatic solo? They all seem to have had a thoroughly miserable and confusing evening, and he's just chucked away the card given to him by the older man so is presumably not happy to have been kissed by him; so why the sudden mood switch? Yes, it's beautifully danced and quite touching, and the NY skyline is lovely; but it doesn't mean anything! (To quote from The Sound of Music. Now THAT would be a ballet worth seeing...).

 

As for Corybantic Games: since I was prepared for the costumes, I could notice the choreography more tonight. And I wished I hadn't. I found it slick, superficial and expressive of nothing. I also thought it was quite an achievement (back to the costumes) to make the men look both chunky (physically) and wet (metaphorically) since they are all clearly neither. Superb dancing again was no compensation.

 

To my surprise, Yugen got a very lukewarm reception whereas the other two seemed to go down very well. No accounting for taste (including mine, no doubt!).

 

 

Bridie Macmahon

 

 

[BMC]

bridiem - this is bordering on spooky as I had exactly the same reaction to you. Having loved Yugen at the cinema, the impact seeing it live was somehow less rather than more. I thought Benjamin Ella was excellent, as were all the dancers but the audience reaction was very muted and certainly didn't move me the way it had on screen.  As many others have said, The Age of Anxiety came across much better in the cinema when you can see the facial expressions and nuances much better and I'm sorry to say I not only drifted off but actually fell asleep.  As for Corybantic Games, it does seem a lot of activity with no (for me at least) discernible outcome in that I don't feel any of the usual emotions I have at the ballet: being moved, excited, transported, interested in the movement, engaged with what is happening on stage etc - sadly just indifference. Much as I love the cinema screenings, I find it rather weird that I had a much better experience there than at the theatre.  

 

Rather relieved to be turning to Manon later this week.

[JohnS]

Many thanks bridiem and BMC.  I'm still toying with seeing if I can make the last performance having only seen the cinema encore and your posts mean I'll continue toying.  

 

As regards Age of Anxiety, is there a general point about what prior knowledge we have of the subject matter, even if limited to a note in the cast sheet?  I found Liam Scarlett's comments about Age of Anxiety very illuminating which helped enormously in seeing the ballet in the cinema.  But without that introduction would I have been as impressed?  I do take the point that characterisation has to be presented through the choreography.

[Mary]

bridiem, I really enjoyed your review - fascinating thoughts, and I do agree about Age of Anxiety, my anxiety when I saw it being restricted to whether I'd manage to get into the bar queue soon enough-

- but please don't suggest to anyone at RB the 'Sound of Music' idea-argh!

[alison]

Actually, I can understand the cinema experience being superior in some contexts, particularly when you're getting reasonably close-up views of something you wouldn't otherwise manage to see properly.

[bridiem]

3 minutes ago, Mary said:

- but please don't suggest to anyone at RB the 'Sound of Music' idea-argh!

 

You don't like that idea?!  Just doing some fantasy casting in my head. Maria: Anna Rose O'Sullivan; Captain von Trapp: Ryoichi Hirano; Revd Mother: Zenaida Yanowsky (back as guest); the Baroness: Tierney Heap; Liesl: Natalia Osipova... Sorry, sorry, I'll stop now.

[nycitybird]

I find that I generally get more into it when I can see the facial expressions, so the cinema screenings are great for me!

[JennyTaylor]

I went last night and I'm afraid I was bored. I found nothing in which I could engage emotionally. I'm sure there was nothing wrong with the dancing, I just didn't like the content. I should stick to my principles and not book for modern triple bills. Not to my taste.  The rest of the audience seemed happy enough though. 

[Sim]

My boss also went last night.  His partner left after Yugen, and he left after Age.  It was their first evening at the ballet for ages, and he said that didn't make them want to go again for a long time.  I need to sit him down and tell him about Manon, SL, the M&A triple, plus everything else on offer here both from the RB and others!

[ninamargaret]

I tend to agree with Sim''s boss about this. I thoroughly enjoyed the McGregor though, but one very short ballet does not make a good triple bill! Always good to watch the wonderful RB dancers, but I wish the ballets included had been more interesting. Never mind, M and A etc next week - and I know I may be in a minority but I love M and A - it's all that Liszt music that does it!

[Jillykins]

Much to my surprise I enjoyed Yugen, I am not a McGregor fan but it really worked for me. Costumes worked well and added to the swirl of movement. The ending with Ben Ella for some obscure reason brought tears to my eye. I shall watch out for this young man! It was a few nights ago so some memories dimmed a bit, wasn’t up to writing straight after performance. Age of Anxiety felt very long, no criticism of dancers but not something I will rush to see again. Corybantic Games had its moments, I quite enjoyed something new. I agree with many posters costumes a bit strange, I liked the skirts, men’s leg wear rather unflattering in some cases and very irritating black ribbons. Why does Wheeldon make dancers slide around,I always think they are going to fall. His signature I suppose like McGregor head bony roll? As always I had a good evening and benefitted from the wonderful Access programme. Looking forward to Saturday Dress Rehearsal. 

[ninamargaret]

28 minutes ago, Jillykins said:

The ending with Ben Ella for some obscure reason brought tears to my eye. I shall watch out for this young man!

I see that he is appearing in Obsidian Tear with Joseph Sissens. Very pleased that I am seeing them in it. 

[Duck]

I saw an Encore viewing of this triple bill yesterday morning – they come with some delay following the live cinema relay over here.

Loved Yugen with its movements that spoke to me of yearning and experiencing, of the interaction between individuals and groups. The costumes, the scenography, the atmospheric lighting, the choreography and the music worked extremely well together imo. The tall vitrines, the lighting with its soft edges against a dark background and the costumes in shades of red really made it look like being in a sacral environment. The loose-fitting costumes nicely matched the smooth movements. I much enjoyed seeing Calvin Richardson in this. If there is one thing I’d change … I’d go for a choreography for the complete Chichester Psalms. Yugen was definitely the highlight of the triple bill for me.

Age of Anxiety – I actually enjoyed this when it was premiered a few years ago. It depicts the isolation of the individual and the yearning for togetherness, and that all attempts to establish contact with others and strike up relationships, however, are awkward and ultimately unsuccessful. The protagonists in the bar are on their own initially. They then observe/judge each other and interact in a variety of ways, and yet, ultimately they are all left on their own, disappointed. While the new day offers new possibilities, will things work out as expected? I love the music, in particular the piano play while the four dancers are in Rosetta’s apartment and the related dance sequence. Maybe adding other characters to the events in the bar and/ or adding other venues so as to illustrate the isolation of the four also in relation to others would make the observing/ judging part a little more varied.

Corybantic Games. I’ve been struggling with this part a little, including after reading about the inspiration for Bernstein’s Serenade. Groups and individuals interact, there is support and embracing. Groups of dancers form sculptural poses … that are maybe inspired by actual Greek sculptures? The costumes though look anything but Ancient Greek to me unfortunately.

I enjoyed Ore Oduba’s presentation and interviews, he came across as lively, interactive and spontaneous, even if he will have actually read some of it from autocue. Last but not least, great to see Humphrey Burton sharing his first-hand experiences of the time and his wealth of knowledge.

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by Duck
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[JohnS]

28 minutes ago, Duck said:

I’d go for a choreography for the complete Chichester Psalms. Yugen was definitely the highlight of the triple bill for me.

 

I very much enjoyed your post Duck but am not sure what you're suggesting here - I thought the Bernstein Chichester Psalms was given a complete performance for Yugen?

[Duck]

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

 

I very much enjoyed your post Duck but am not sure what you're suggesting here - I thought the Bernstein Chichester Psalms was given a complete performance for Yugen?

 

Many thanks, JohnS, for spotting and highlighting this.

 

I just checked on the CD that I have here... the complete Chichester Psalms are performed for Yugen already. Ups, I think I mixed this up with Rachmaninov's Vespers. Apologies for the  confusion, I'll better check next time before I post  :-(   

 

[toursenlair]

Here in Toronto, we only just saw the cinema broadcast of this program yesterday.

Just wondering.... has no one commented on the highly anachronistic Maple Leaf flag "flash" on the Canadian airman's bomber jacket sleeve? Canada didn't adopt that flag until 1965. Obviously it's more visible and screams "Canadian", although I'm not sure the character's Canadianness is crucial (he does also have "CANADA" on his shirt sleeve), though I know it's mentioned in the poem. All the same, it's a bit startling for a Canadian audience member.