The Royal Ballet: New Swan Lake Production, Summer 2018

[Ian Macmillan]

OK folks, a thread for discussion of what you've all been waiting for.

[alison]

I'm looking forward to the piccies :)

[Mary]

It was good! Well done to all. Nunez and Muntagirov beyond praise. Poise. Elegance. Understatement. Deep emotion. 

Beautiful costumes..Odile's tutu especially. Ballroom set gorgeous..those flickering chandeliers.... very effective.. marvellous !  

 

 

[Lizbie1]

I thought Act 3 had the best looking designs (sets and costumes) I have ever seen.

 

And I am so, so glad I bought that ticket yesterday

[Bruce Wall]

No time to write a review - sadly. ... Loved the design (both scenic and costumes) throughout .... (what I could see that is .... some of the back perspective is not entirely visible from the back of the Amphi) .... So gloriously tasteful .... and ripely entertaining.  Whatever it cost ... it's worth it.  Muntagirov out dazzled himself .... Those third act variations were worthy of Bujones at his best and I know of no higher compliment.  Stunning; simply stunning. 

 

Campbell, Hayward and Takada all shone in the PDT (x 2 ... as it shows up as more of the enticing same as Act 3's adroit opener).  Wasn't I fear so taken with the last act.  I missed the Russian rounds ... Scarlett is largely square.  I fear that aspect wasn't much to my taste - but I'm sure it will be for many others here.  Still I did enjoy much else ... and, yes, those frocks.  .... THOSE FROCKS!!!!   T'was the first von Rothbart I'd seen (wonderful Gartside) who was out to depose the Queen!!! .... or was it simply a matter of his desire for at least an element of cross-dressing? ....  Never can tell nowadays ....  ... Perhaps a combination of the two!!!!   

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by Bruce Wall

[Lizbie1]

4 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said:

THOSE FROCKS!!!! 

 

They were sensational - and I loved how the princesses got both full length evening dresses and tutus in Act 3, like entrants in a beauty contest!

[Lizbie1]

8 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said:

Muntagirov out dazzled himself .... Those third act variations were worthy of Bujones at his best and I know of no higher compliment.  Stunning; simply stunning. 

 

Agreed again: he won't have meant to but IMO he managed to upstage his Odile!

[Mary]

He was STUNNING and brought the house down.

[aliceinwoolfland]

Will write more tomorrow, but just wanted to say that Muntagirov was absolutely exquisite, especially in Act 3. Nuñez was technically perfect but sadly I didn’t get much of an emotional connection. I loved the lavish sets and costumes, and a special mention to Bennet Gartside and the lovely Akane Takada. 

[zxDaveM]

Here are some photos:

 

Vadim Muntagirov
© Dave Morgan. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

 

Vadim Muntagirov, Marianela Nunez, Bennet Gartside, and artists of the company
©  Dave Morgan. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

See more... 

Set from DanceTabs: RB - Swan Lake 2018
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

By kind Permission of The Royal Opera House

[Richard LH]

An absolute triumph....so pleased for Liam Scarlett. Stage filled with flowers after the elusive Standing Ovation..brilliant staging, lighting, costumes, music.....and sublime dancing.... need to calm down now!

[SusanR]

Fabulous photos, Dave! Can't wait to see it.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by John Mallinson
Photos from 2 posts above removed for space reasons.

[bridiem]

Absolutely beautiful, and magnificent performances from Muntagirov, Nunez, Gartside, Campbell and every dancer on the stage. Real dramatic coherence in the involvement of Rothbart, who is like a sinister and positively repulsive Rasputin figure - this Swan Lake is as much about the lust for power as the power of love. And the bigger role for Benno (Campbell) worked superbly (and was superbly danced). Hayward and Takada as Siegfried's sisters also feature prominently which works really well. Dazzling designs. Thrilling climax to Act 3, when black swans pour onto the stage. And I really liked Act 4 - the swans were like tears flowing back and forth across the stage. I found the ending more downbeat than that of the previous production (no reunion of Odette and Siegfried after death - Siegfried is left to mourn alone); but evil is still destroyed by the sacrifice of a human life, which is what Swan Lake is about for me.

 

Muntagirov was so brilliant I felt positively sorry for anyone else who has to dance Siegfried! Too tired to write more, but very much looking forward to further performances.

[Sim]

I loved this production....it got better and better as it went along.  Gorgeous designs, lovely choreography, sensitive use of the reinstated music, narrative sense, lighting that for a change meant we could see everything, beautiful dancing all round....wow!  My daughter and I also thought that Vadim rather stole the show....he was simply superb.  More tomorrow....but I will say that I was one of the doubters when this mammoth task was given to Liam.  So young, and then there was Frankenstein (for which I totally forgive him now!).  I am thrilled to stand corrected, and congratulate him and John MacFarlane for doing such a wonderful job. This production is well worthy of, and stands up to,  the burden of history that this ballet carries.

[MRR]

Scarlett's production is a keeper: modern yet feels very traditional.   Even with some tinkering of the plot, the integrity of Petipa and Ivanov is maintained and mercifully most of the score is kept intact.*  The MacFarlane designs are sumptuous and a real feast for the eyes in Act III.  There are obvious inspirations drawn from the Royal Danish and Bolshoi productions as well as the old Royal version, but this Swan Lake stands on its own.  

 

Nunez and Muntagirov have grown their partnership since I last saw their cinemacast of Sleeping Beauty.  Swan Lake isn't necessarily Nunez's signature ballet, and I found her Odette a bit slow to warm to in Act II, with her extension and back flexibility a fraction diminished from years prior.  However, it was uphill from there: her Odile was beguiling and her Act IV poignant and tragic.  Technically she was conservative for her standards: the balance in Black Swan wasn't held for extraordinary length, and the fouettes "only" contained singles with doubles in a sequence.  Nonetheless her presence in both swans was engaging with her Odile especially developed from when I last saw it seven years ago. Seemingly she is the dancer you can pluck into any ballet on any night with any partner, and she'll never put in a bad performance.  Thoroughly enjoyed her Swan Queen even if Kitri is IMO her best role.

 

Muntagirov delivered a master class.  His solo work in Act III was like caviar: consecutive rebounding double tours landed in tight fifth with diamond plie, strong a la seconde turns pulling in for a quad, all the while maintaining impeccable line and class.  I've been far less convinced of Muntagirov's dramatic abilities, particularly when seeing his technically brilliant but remote Siegfried with ABT in 2012.  However, tonight from his entrance he was invested in the character, regal and noble in demeanor but also vulnerable in realizing his love for Odette and betrayal from Odile.  In Act IV, his running out onstage in search of Odette was perhaps one of the most riveting moments in Swan Lake I've ever seen, worth the price of admission as much as any double tour.

 

Swan corps, Cygnets, and Big Swans all excellent in Act II with more need of fine-tuning in Act IV.   Akane Takada with her great amplitude and serenity was the standout of the Act I pas de trois: I look forward to her Odette/Odile on Saturday.  Francesca Hayward has fleeting footwork and wonderful soft hands, but lacked the warmth (and ballon) of Takada.  Campbell's variation was very similar in choreography in the Grigorovich version with the consecutive double tours down the diagonal, executed to a fast tempo with no room for error.  Even with the additional stage time, Benno is still a thankless role, constantly being scolded by Rothbart and the Queen in Act III was Siegfried initially fails to show.  Other standouts were Mayara Magri in Two Swans, Tierney Heap's Spanish, William Bracewell's dramatic Mazurka, and Meaghan Grace Hinkis and Marcelino Sambe in Neapolitan who danced practically at the speed of light.  And Elizabeth McGorian is magisterial, could watch her in just about any character role.  

 

A worthy performance of a very worthy production.   The audience certainly loved it, with flowers showering the stage for numerous curtain calls. 

 

*Off the top of my head, the dance in Act I of the Dowell version with the tutor and two girls is cut.   In Act IV, "Un poco di Chopin" is also cut.

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by MRR

[CHazell2]

Is the mime intact? Does Odette still have her mime scene?

[zxDaveM]

3 hours ago, CHazell2 said:

Is the mime intact? Does Odette still have her mime scene?

 

 

yes

[Lizbie1]

I hope this works: scroll down for a lovely picture of the corps.

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/news-in-pictures-friday-may-18-2018-vvkhr7v53?shareToken=77530bab9b7b7442b8673bda6c59b75d

 

[penelopesimpson]

Thanks for all this everybody.  Roll on Saturday.

[Angela]

Alexander Jones, a class mate of Liam Scarlett at the RBS, then principal at Stuttgart and now at Zurich, posted this - looks like he is rehearsing Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House?

 

[Lizbie1]

4 minutes ago, Angela said:

Alexander Jones, a class mate of Liam Scarlett at the RBS, then principal at Stuttgart and now at Zurich, posted this - looks like he is rehearsing Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House?

 

He's appearing in the forthcoming gala, dancing Christian Spuck's Grand pdd with Lauren Cuthbertson: http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/spring-gala. That might account for it.

[annamk]

9 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

 Wasn't I fear so taken with the last act.  I missed the Russian rounds ... Scarlett is largely square.  I fear that aspect wasn't much to my taste - but I'm sure it will be for many others here. 

 

 

I also share all the extremely positive comments & like Sim I was a Scarlett doubter but he & Macfarlane have made a marvellous production. I look forward to seeing other casts but the memory of that Muntagirov variation will linger long. There were many xcellent performances but my particular standouts were Takada, Magri's big swan and Kaneko (in the same role at the rehearsal). The national dances in Act 3 were so refreshing since over the years these have become something to get through while waiting for the main event. 

 

The only less than enthusiastic response I had was to Act 4 where I share Bruce's reservation. it may just be that it gets a while to get used to different choreography - I think I'm correct in saying that this act is the most changed musically and choreographically ? Is anyone very familiar with the score who can tell me what was dropped and what added - this new version is more true to the original Tchaikovsky? 

[Angela]

33 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

He's appearing in the forthcoming gala, dancing Christian Spuck's Grand pdd with Lauren Cuthbertson

They were scheduled to dance that pdd at at Gala tomorrow at Karlsruhe, Germany, too, and Cuthbertson cancelled due to injury. He is now dancing with Elisa Badenes from Stuttgart. Back to Swan Lake, sorry.

[Mary]

8 hours ago, bridiem said:

Thrilling climax to Act 3, when black swans pour onto the stage. 

 

.

 

Wasn't that a brilliant moment- the staging of all the big scenes was really excellent, -really using that huge stage, with the spiral staircase adding depth and drama...and the use of cygnets there worked so well, (so much better than evil gnomes) .

 

But the  tutus. They were just utterly ravishing. I wish some of the costume department could have come on stage to take a bow. I'd like to say- your work is absoutely marvellous, well done!

 

 

[Sim]

I think that after only one viewing I too prefer Dowell's Act 4;  at least, the last 10 minutes (I love Liam's pdd and the reinstated music, and what he has done with the corps).  For the ending, to me, the music indicates some kind of apotheosis, or some kind of uplifting spiritual resolution.  That second when the music stops then goes really slowly, building up to the final crescendo, and all the swan maidens, on pointe, arms outstretched to the side,  turn to face Odette and Siegfried as they go off to swan heaven.....that is an image in ballet that always makes me choke up and get goosebumps.  I don't think this new Act 4's ending will have the same effect....but it's a good one anyway, and I love that the ghost of Odette still remains.  Poor old Siegfried....I much prefer it when he dies too, then at least he and Odette are together for eternity.....!

[Geoff]

51 minutes ago, annamk said:

The only less than enthusiastic response I had was to Act 4 where I share Bruce's reservation. it may just be that it gets a while to get used to different choreography - I think I'm correct in saying that this act is the most changed musically and choreographically ? Is anyone very familiar with the score who can tell me what was dropped and what added - this new version is more true to the original Tchaikovsky? 

 

I feel there are some detail issues with storytelling and stagecraft in the opening and Act 1 (but suspect things will settle down soon enough). Like annamk I would be interested in expert comment on what was dropped and what has been added, in Act 1 as well?

[Lizbie1]

1 minute ago, Geoff said:

 

I feel there are some detail issues with storytelling and stagecraft in the opening and Act 1 (but suspect things will settle down soon enough). Like annamk I would be interested in expert comment on what was dropped and what has been added, in Act 1 as well?

 

When you say "opening" do you mean the Prologue? Because I thought that very well done, and literally spine-tingling. In fact I decided the whole enterprise would be a winner at that moment!

[Mary]

5 minutes ago, Sim said:

I think that after only one viewing I too prefer Dowell's Act 4, especially the last 10 minutes.  To me, the music indicates some kind of apotheosis, or some kind of uplifting spiritual resolution.  That second when the music stops then goes really slowly, building up to the final crescendo, and all the swan maidens, on pointe, arms outstretched to the side,  turn to face Odette and Siegfried as they go off to swan heaven.....that is an image in ballet that always makes me choke up and get goosebumps.  I don't think this new Act 4's ending will have the same effect....but it's a good one anyway, and I love that the ghost of Odette still remains.  Poor old Siegfried....I much prefer it when he dies too, then at least he and Odette are together for eternity.....!

I agree Sim. Of course in the music it's an apotheosis. This new ending is a little too bleak. The rest of the production listens to the music and follows it, so well, up until that moment.

[Sim]

32 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

When you say "opening" do you mean the Prologue? Because I thought that very well done, and literally spine-tingling. In fact I decided the whole enterprise would be a winner at that moment!

So did I;  this (and the ending), is completely in keeping with Scarlett's seeming fascination with the Gothic and works very well.

[bridiem]

17 minutes ago, Sim said:

I think that after only one viewing I too prefer Dowell's Act 4, especially the last 10 minutes.  To me, the music indicates some kind of apotheosis, or some kind of uplifting spiritual resolution.  That second when the music stops then goes really slowly, building up to the final crescendo, and all the swan maidens, on pointe, arms outstretched to the side,  turn to face Odette and Siegfried as they go off to swan heaven.....that is an image in ballet that always makes me choke up and get goosebumps.  I don't think this new Act 4's ending will have the same effect....but it's a good one anyway, and I love that the ghost of Odette still remains.  Poor old Siegfried....I much prefer it when he dies too, then at least he and Odette are together for eternity.....!

 

I completely agree with this, Sim. I'm happy with the choreography of the new Act 4, and dramatically it all works very well, but the denouement is not cathartic and uplifting and I think that the music dictates that it should be. So I have to push myself to find what should be there by right. Thanks to the magnificent performances and production, I can do that; but I would prefer it to be less effort!

[bangorballetboy]

Of course, it is uplifting that the evil spirit has been defeated and the curse has been lifted from the other 26 ladies!

[Sim]

Yep....but we want happiness all round!!   

[bridiem]

1 minute ago, bangorballetboy said:

Of course, it is uplifting that the evil spirit has been defeated and the curse has been lifted from the other 26 ladies!

 

Yes, that's the saving grace! (Literally.)

 

Poor old Muntagirov. I haven't recovered yet from seeing him cradling his dead Manon. (Or his dead Giselle for that matter.)