Something less tragic?

[Guest]

On 29/05/2018 at 07:19, Springbourne3 said:

Ashton’s ‘Cinderella’ - hoping the RB will bring this ballet into a future season.  

Another Ashton is the joyous ‘Voices of Spring’ PDD and does anyone remember Nijinska’s ‘Les Biches’ which I think was in the RB’s rep back in the 60s (!) - think it was Beriosova who then danced the elegant hostess with the cigarette holder - would love to see this performed again.  

No tragedy in any of the above!

I think a lot of us on this forum would like to see Cinderella and Les Biches again very soon. Those with a ticket for the Spring Gala on 30th May were lucky enough to see Voices of Spring.  Another funny piece from Ashton was La Chatte Metamorphosée en femme - would love to see that again too.

[ninamargaret]

Ashton''s Jazz Calendar was always fun, as was Cranko's Card Game. But I wonder if they were of their time, and might look a bit less enjoyable now. 

[Fonty]

I don't think I know anything about Jazz Calendar. 

 

Looking at the details, it had a wonderful cast when it was first staged, and as far as I am concerned, it would be worth going to see it just to get a marvellous line up of the current RB dancers.  

[ninamargaret]

59 minutes ago, Fonty said:

I don't think I know anything about Jazz Calendar. 

 

Looking at the details, it had a wonderful cast when it was first staged, and as far as I am concerned, it would be worth going to see it just to get a marvellous line up of the current RB dancers.  

Yes, the current company would really shine in it. And it's very different from most of the Ashton ballets.

[Pas de Quatre]

Jazz Calendar would get my vote too!

[Sharon]

I would love to see The Dream again - soon! But this time with Yasmine Nagdhi as Titania and either Matthew Ball or Muntagirov as Oberon.... actually with both now I'm thinking it. What a cast that would be!

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Sharon said:

I would love to see The Dream again - soon! But this time with Yasmine Nagdhi as Titania and either Matthew Ball or Muntagirov as Oberon.... actually with both now I'm thinking it. What a cast that would be!

Sharon, I love it too, but would much rather see a whole list of other Ashton ballets first before seeing The Dream again. It seems to be one of the most performed Ashton pieces at the ROH.

[loveclassics]

It seems to me that most modern pieces we see at the ROH are all rather serious (and/or pretentious?), at least they all seem to need lengthy programme notes explaining what the choreographer is trying to say.  But it's not so long ago that new one-acters were allowed to be funny.  I remember Matthew Hart's 'Cry Baby Kreisler' which was hilarious, also Forsythe's 'Hermann Schmermann' and other similar pieces often featured as part of the RB's Dance Bites programmes. 

 

There were others whose names I can't recall but it wasn't unknown to hear plenty of laughter - I miss those evenings now.  Yes we get Fille and the Dream is entertaining but most of it is pretty hard going.

 

Can't we start a movement towards more lighthearted features?   Or am I too flippant to be a true ballet lover?

 

Linda

 

 

[ninamargaret]

12 hours ago, loveclassics said:

Can't we start a movement towards more lighthearted features?   Or am I too flippant to be a true ballet lover?

Definitely not! When something like The Concert is performed there are always gales of laughter and I am sure most ballet goers would welcome a varied diet. Of course, many ballets, even the more serious ones, have their lighter moments, but still good to have  programmes that include something a bit joyous. 

 

[Lizbie1]

13 hours ago, loveclassics said:

Can't we start a movement towards more lighthearted features?   Or am I too flippant to be a true ballet lover?

 

I sometimes wonder whether it's more difficult to choreograph "happy" successfully than it is to set a tragedy or a dark theme.

[Angela]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I sometimes wonder whether it's more difficult to choreograph "happy" successfully than it is to set a tragedy or a dark theme.

 

Not for Alexei Ratmansky - I think his funny ballets like Bright Stream and Little Humpbacked Horse are SO much better than the tragic ones (Anna Karenina or Lost Illusions for example, which tend to become rather boring). But maybe for many other choreographers.

[Fonty]

I suppose it is the idea that something tragic or serious is much more meaningful and "artistic" than something funny.

 

After all, when was the last time someone won a best actor award for a comedy role?  And yet, I would argue that it takes greater skill to make people smile or laugh than to make people cry.  

[penelopesimpson]

9 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I sometimes wonder whether it's more difficult to choreograph "happy" successfully than it is to set a tragedy or a dark theme.

Drama is always based on conflict.

[Bruce Wall]

Thought this extended trailer for Ratmansky's tempting take on Harlequinade for ABT delightful.  Understand it won't be for all tastes ... but then the brothel scene in Mayerling surely isn't either in the age of #Metoo.  Just relax, leave your mind to wander outside the perimeters and enjoy it a la Fellini which was I suspect Ratmansky's intent.  Made me smile at any rate   ... Now back to work!

 

 

Edited June 7, 2018 by Bruce Wall

[Buddy]

On 25/05/2018 at 03:38, Richard LH said:

This year, I have been very fortunate to experience great live productions of Giselle, The Winter's Tale, Manon and Swan Lake, and also seen, at the cinema, the Bernstein celebration and Bourne's Cinderella (the latter being the only one I haven't really enjoyed).  All these have a common thread -  largely serious in content with little if any light relief, and  (in the main) being tales of loss, death and separation.  

 

Most classic ballets seem to be that way inclined, and being pretty unfamiliar with many other works, I was wondering what is out there  in terms of  lighter, even comic, themes.

 

 

Richard, as somewhat of an aside, could I suggest something. All ballets that I’ve seen can be interpreted differently. For instance, the Mariinsky’s Swan Lake has a happy ending for Odette and the Prince anyway. Rothbart’s ending not so, though. I watch something else during that part, which is also how I handle certain sections of otherwise very beautiful works such as Giselle. I try to go for the loveliness of many works if the rest will allow this. You aren’t bound to the ’script’ especially in an art form such as ballet.

 

Also I’ve seen artists put their own uplifting interpretations on things. Maria Alexandrova, for one, performed what I considered to be a delightful Odile (Black Swan). Svetlana Zakharova, I believe, in an interview said that the Bolshoi tries to play down the heaviness of the Odile character. Many other artists that I’ve seen have done the same with other works. And things can get subtle as well. Many artistic interpretations of ‘heavy’ characters have been multidimensional and even sympathetic.