The Royal Ballet: New Swan Lake Production, Summer 2018

[Xandra Newman]

I am still in recovery mode from what was a truly remarkable debut by Yasmine Naghdi as Odette/Odile, the youngest Principal dancing the role in this run.

Besides her steely, precise and controlled technic she has all the abilities to portray the character differences between Odette and Odile. She was so seductive and controlling as Odile, vulnerable and sweet as Odette. Her (38) fouttees (yes I counted them , sorry ) were beautifully executed. Her unique physique enables her to dance the role of Odette/Odile superbly and I have no doubt this will become her signature role in the future. I feel Yasmine Naghdi has taken this Swan Lake production into the 21st Century. She reminds me a lot of some of the glorious Russian Odette/Odiles I have seen in the past but she truly is a product of her English training. 

 

Nehemiah Kish was a caring partner but she totally outshone him. Benjamin Ella was impressive as Benno and received deserved applause. I was also delighted to see Gary Avis as Von Rothbart but I felt he really didn't have his (whole) heart in it (having seen him in the previous production he was always a top Rothbart!).  Of the "Younger Sisters" (danced by Heap and Gasparini)  it was Gasparini who really stood out for me. I felt this was not really a role for Heap, her performance strengths lay elsewhere. 

 

Lots of flowers for Yasmine and some standing ovation pockets, a debut to treasure forever.

[Myddle]

I booked to see Swan Lake this afternoon because I wanted to see Yasmine Naghdi dance Odette/Odile and I thought her dancing thrilling - unlike the production, which left me feeling rather underwhelmed. I thought about why I was unmoved by this Swan Lake (which usually elicits the exact opposite emotion from me) on my cycle ride home and I put it down to two things - the relative absence of the Prince as a character and the utter lack of catharsis at the end. I don't quite understand the need for the Prologue - it explains the "how" but not the "why" Rothbart turns her into a swan (unless I've missed something and if so I am ready to be enlightened!). I don't understand the enlarged role for Benno - although I thought Benjamin Ella was superb. Why didn't the Prince dance with his sisters in Act I and III and through his dancing convey his loneliness/sense of being trapped in his courtly role/unwillingness to wed etc. By deflecting the attention from him to Benno the Prince became less well drawn/less known to the audience and thus less able to elicit sympathy - he became a cypher rather than a character. I don't understand Rothbart's role (again I may well have missed something and if so please enlighten me!). Why does deceiving the Prince vis a vis Odette/Odile mean he can usurp the crown? Why expose his deceit to the Prince when he could have simply married Odile to the Prince and wielded power through her? Rothbart may have condemned Odette, but when the dust had settled why wouldn't the Queen have demanded her crown back? Why wouldn't the Prince have said "oy, give the crown back?" On reflection the story now seems somehow confused, which is surprising as the actual production initially appeared to be rather clear and seemed to move along at a crisp pace. The other reason for my sense of disappointment is the lack of catharsis at the end. The music is literally screaming "resolution - it can be happy or sad - but there is a resolution going on here" as it moves from the minor to the major. The music suits a "they kill Rothbart and live happily ever after" resolution or, and I think more satisfying, a "they both die and are joined together eternally in death" resolution. Instead we were left with onstage action that failed to match the heights denoted by the music which was wonderfully played. I left the ROH feeling rather cheated - I did not identify, there was no cleansing or purging of my emotions - in short there was no catharsis. So, all in all an enjoyable enough afternoon, but one that could have been so much more expansive if the inherent tragedy of Swan Lake had been fully realised. 

[RuthE]

I’ve found the PDT casting a bit odd in the 2 performances I’ve seen so far. Like Blossom, I didn’t think Tierney Heap was quite right somehow, and I felt the same about Calvert last Tuesday; I see from others’ posts that Mendizabal is down for this evening, and I can’t see that working for me either; I like all three dancers as “big swans” and in so many other things, but somehow just want soubrettes in the PDT.

 

I was right about the music in the Mazurka, though at today’s matinee I think I worked out that the B section has a cut at the start and picks up at a later point, which is why the oboe figure appears immediately.

 

Loved Naghdi’s debut. Thought I’d prefer her Odette (oh, those ARMS...) to her Odile but it was the other way round. A wobble in the fouettés was expertly rescued, and she creates such presence.

[Blossom]

12 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said:

Her (38) fouttees (yes I counted them , sorry ) were beautifully executed. 

 

I got well over 32 and figured I had miscounted! Thanks for your beautiful summary of Naghdi’s outstanding debut. I can’t really find the words to describe how perfect she was in this role. Lovely to see that she posted on Instagram pics which include her debut performance a a cygnet and a reference to appearing in the Darcey Bussell Swan Lake documentary when she was 14.

[Rob S]

21 minutes ago, Myddle said:

 I don't quite understand the need for the Prologue - it explains the "how" but not the "why" Rothbart turns her into a swan (unless I've missed something and if so I am ready to be enlightened!).

Maybe it needs a three part prequel to tell that story😂

[Sim]

I notice that VR removes the crown from her head, like he does to the Queen in Act 3.  Clearly has a power complex!

[Rob S]

13 minutes ago, Sim said:

I notice that VR removes the crown from her head, like he does to the Queen in Act 3.  Clearly has a power complex!

 

VR is clearly the inspiration for James Bond's foes, it's the thrill of the plan for domination that's far more satisfying than just doing the simplest thing and killing the hero at the earliest opportunity.

End Seigfried's family's line of succession  by making him too heartbroken to want to marry anyone because he's feeling responsible for the death of the only woman he's ever loved.....or killed himself by throwing himself in to the lake.

[Fonteyn Fan]

On 18/05/2018 at 14:33, Mary said:

Remiss of me not to say how good Alexander Campbell was, thanks for reminding me Lindsay.

Very exposing indeed, as you say, and he was fully in control- as we have come to expect from him. Bravo.

 

I must say though, that on a night when the costumes actually made me gasp,  then grin like a madwoman with joy..I wasn't so keen on Benno's- the lilac one in act 1 I thought didn't quite go with the rest of the set and seemed  a bit ...weedy? and then he seemed to have borrowed the suit from the Nutcracker in that scarlet tunic, which I found distracting.  Probably just me.

 

No not just you.

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Fonteyn Fan and welcome to the Forum!

[Lizbie1]

Agree that Naghdi was very good indeed, but (don't all hate me!) I thought the fouettes the weakest point of an otherwise excellent debut: had a wobble in the middle, travelled quite a long way to her left (everyone travels, I know, but it's relative) and to me didn't seem fully in control after she recovered.  But her Act 2 pdd was something else: the most moving I've seen this run.

 

Tentative is indeed the word for Kish's Act 3 variation (I guess this might be related to his previous injuries) but I'd like to say that Naghdi couldn't have hoped for a more helpful and supportive partner, and his pirouettes a la seconde in the Act 3 coda were excellent.

 

I didn't think the pdt suited Tierney Heap either and was very surprised to see it on the cast sheet, but she was back to her best in this evening's Spanish Dance.

 

Oh and a shout out for Romany Pajdak: my favourite Neapolitan girl so far.

[Lizbie1]

And let me be the first to report here that this evening Osipova gave us a scintillating manege of pique turns instead of fouettes.

[capybara]

Quite a day but I can't go to bed without recording a big shout for Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball. Fantastic debuts from them both - unfortunately not in the same show!

[Xandra Newman]

29 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

I thought the fouettes the weakest point of an otherwise excellent debut: had a wobble in the middle, travelled quite a long way to her left (everyone travels, I know, but it's relative) and to me didn't seem fully in control after she recovered.  But her Act 2 pdd was something else: the most moving I've seen this run.

 

I am not trying to contradict you at all Lizbie, it's just interesting to note how we all see and feel things differently: yes there was a tiny, minor wobble in the middle but I felt she expertly - and at a fraction of a second - recovered and she was in full control again accomplishing her 38 fouettes (the "norm" is 32). Her Act2 pas de deux was very moving indeed. 

[Lizbie1]

27 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said:

 

I am not trying to contradict you at all Lizbie, it's just interesting to note how we all see and feel things differently.

 

I wonder how much where you are sitting affects this: the lady next to me shared the same thoughts as well as the same view.

[Xandra Newman]

I do think where one sits affects how the audience see things Lizbie because we were in a group of four (Orchestra Stalls) and we all agreed about how fast she recovered from that minor wobble. Anyhow I don't think all of this really matters, it's just a detail;  after all it was a truly lovely and very moving debut.

[bridiem]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

And let me be the first to report here that this evening Osipova gave us a scintillating manege of pique turns instead of fouettes.

 

And they were absolutely thrilling! And seemed more creative somehow than the usual fouettés - it was as if she was spinning her web of evil round Siegfried at a ferocious speed.

[Jam Dancer]

I miss not being able to contribute to the discussion but I am  enjoying the reports and opinions on the performances.

 

I must admit that I might be the only person who gets bored with the fouettés. The cult like reverence accorded to this part of the performance (by some) has always put me off. Although I realise (and appreciate) the skill required to do 32 of these thingies,   I am yawning by the 10th and wishing the dancer would mix it up a bit.

 

Happy to hear Osipova mixed it up a bit - I would’ve enjoyed that! Girl after my own heart ....😍

[alison]

5 hours ago, Myddle said:

I booked to see Swan Lake this afternoon because I wanted to see Yasmine Naghdi dance Odette/Odile and I thought her dancing thrilling - unlike the production, which left me feeling rather underwhelmed. I thought about why I was unmoved by this Swan Lake (which usually elicits the exact opposite emotion from me) on my cycle ride home and I put it down to two things - the relative absence of the Prince as a character and the utter lack of catharsis at the end. I don't quite understand the need for the Prologue - it explains the "how" but not the "why" Rothbart turns her into a swan (unless I've missed something and if so I am ready to be enlightened!). I don't understand the enlarged role for Benno - although I thought Benjamin Ella was superb. Why didn't the Prince dance with his sisters in Act I and III and through his dancing convey his loneliness/sense of being trapped in his courtly role/unwillingness to wed etc. By deflecting the attention from him to Benno the Prince became less well drawn/less known to the audience and thus less able to elicit sympathy - he became a cypher rather than a character. I don't understand Rothbart's role (again I may well have missed something and if so please enlighten me!). Why does deceiving the Prince vis a vis Odette/Odile mean he can usurp the crown? Why expose his deceit to the Prince when he could have simply married Odile to the Prince and wielded power through her? Rothbart may have condemned Odette, but when the dust had settled why wouldn't the Queen have demanded her crown back? Why wouldn't the Prince have said "oy, give the crown back?" On reflection the story now seems somehow confused, which is surprising as the actual production initially appeared to be rather clear and seemed to move along at a crisp pace. The other reason for my sense of disappointment is the lack of catharsis at the end. The music is literally screaming "resolution - it can be happy or sad - but there is a resolution going on here" as it moves from the minor to the major. The music suits a "they kill Rothbart and live happily ever after" resolution or, and I think more satisfying, a "they both die and are joined together eternally in death" resolution. Instead we were left with onstage action that failed to match the heights denoted by the music which was wonderfully played. I left the ROH feeling rather cheated - I did not identify, there was no cleansing or purging of my emotions - in short there was no catharsis. So, all in all an enjoyable enough afternoon, but one that could have been so much more expansive if the inherent tragedy of Swan Lake had been fully realised. 

 

I think I'm with you on this one, Myddle: nearly 3 viewings, and I'm still remaining resolutely unengaged by this production somehow - I don't know whether that is down to the dancers or to the production itself.  I still intend to reserve judgment until I've seen it from above, but at the moment I'm thinking the role of Benno has been enlarged so much that it does detract from Siegfried himself, and also one thing I've become very aware of in this production is that the second sister is very much playing gooseberry to her sister and Benno.  I suppose it must always have been thus, in the pas de trois, although possibly the impression is exacerbated by the fact that there's a repeat performance in Act III.

[Jan McNulty]

6 hours ago, Jam Dancer said:

 

 

I must admit that I might be the only person who gets bored with the fouettés. The cult like reverence accorded to this part of the performance (by some) has always put me off. Although I realise (and appreciate) the skill required to do 32 of these thingies,   I am yawning by the 10th and wishing the dancer would mix it up a bit.

 

 

You’re not the only one!

[Blossom]

Do we assume that the pique turns were a statement of solidarity after the Copeland furore or just mixing it up a little?

[fashionista]

12 hours ago, Myddle said:

I booked to see Swan Lake this afternoon because I wanted to see Yasmine Naghdi dance Odette/Odile and I thought her dancing thrilling - unlike the production, which left me feeling rather underwhelmed. I thought about why I was unmoved by this Swan Lake (which usually elicits the exact opposite emotion from me) on my cycle ride home and I put it down to two things - the relative absence of the Prince as a character and the utter lack of catharsis at the end. I don't quite understand the need for the Prologue - it explains the "how" but not the "why" Rothbart turns her into a swan (unless I've missed something and if so I am ready to be enlightened!). I don't understand the enlarged role for Benno - although I thought Benjamin Ella was superb. Why didn't the Prince dance with his sisters in Act I and III and through his dancing convey his loneliness/sense of being trapped in his courtly role/unwillingness to wed etc. By deflecting the attention from him to Benno the Prince became less well drawn/less known to the audience and thus less able to elicit sympathy - he became a cypher rather than a character. I don't understand Rothbart's role (again I may well have missed something and if so please enlighten me!). Why does deceiving the Prince vis a vis Odette/Odile mean he can usurp the crown? Why expose his deceit to the Prince when he could have simply married Odile to the Prince and wielded power through her? Rothbart may have condemned Odette, but when the dust had settled why wouldn't the Queen have demanded her crown back? Why wouldn't the Prince have said "oy, give the crown back?" On reflection the story now seems somehow confused, which is surprising as the actual production initially appeared to be rather clear and seemed to move along at a crisp pace. The other reason for my sense of disappointment is the lack of catharsis at the end. The music is literally screaming "resolution - it can be happy or sad - but there is a resolution going on here" as it moves from the minor to the major. The music suits a "they kill Rothbart and live happily ever after" resolution or, and I think more satisfying, a "they both die and are joined together eternally in death" resolution. Instead we were left with onstage action that failed to match the heights denoted by the music which was wonderfully played. I left the ROH feeling rather cheated - I did not identify, there was no cleansing or purging of my emotions - in short there was no catharsis. So, all in all an enjoyable enough afternoon, but one that could have been so much more expansive if the inherent tragedy of Swan Lake had been fully realised. 

Dear Myddle, I could not agree more.  My first viewing of the new production yesterday afternoon.  Thrilled by the wonderfully talented Yasmine Naghdi, but totally disappointed by the production, for many of the reasons you cite.  I will be writing a more lengthy insight into my thoughts on this production.  

[bangorballetboy]

25 minutes ago, Blossom said:

Do we assume that the pique turns were a statement of solidarity after the Copeland furore or just mixing it up a little?

 

IMHO neither.  My thoughts were that, as the rest of Osipova's performance in that pd2 had been rather out-of-control and not her best, she didn't feel comfortable in doing the fouetté turns.

[BeauxArts]

I had the impression that Osipova had "adapted" some of the middle section of the preceding solo - I am wondering if this is a preventative/protective  measure on her part. However, in all other aspects she was - as ever - technically assured. I do not think it is possible to compare her pique turns with the Copeland debacle... Osipova's were fast and on the music and she was in full control. 

 

As with Alison and Myddle above, I am really not engaged by this production. I am afraid that I really do not find the Scarlett additions enhance the drama. My reaction to quite a lot of it is that there is a lot of  pastiche, and I do agree with  Mark Monahan that a dramaturg would have helped.  Swan Lake is an unforgiving ballet in terms of classical technique and exposes dancers like no other work.  Whereas the RB was able to present a line-up of excellent casts in depth in Manon, the same cannot be said I feel about Swan Lake. I think that it has happened at the wrong time in the season, when the corps may be fatigued.  I have been very underwhelmed by the two Princes I have seen -Bonelli and Ball: partly not their fault as although Scarlett gives the Prince more stage time, he does not actually give him anything to do, so for me it is a rather vapid role.  I think Ball looks the part but - and perhaps nerves got the better of him - in the Black Act he did not, for me, deliver technically. I have found the Act 2 Odiles of Takada and Osipova the best part of the two performances I have seen. 

 

The designs are handsome but do not really mitigate the other issues that exist for me with this production. I have, however, been really impressed by James Hay as Benno: a true classicist.  He deserves a Solor, in my opinion. 

 

 

[bridiem]

12 hours ago, Myddle said:

I booked to see Swan Lake this afternoon because I wanted to see Yasmine Naghdi dance Odette/Odile and I thought her dancing thrilling - unlike the production, which left me feeling rather underwhelmed. I thought about why I was unmoved by this Swan Lake (which usually elicits the exact opposite emotion from me) on my cycle ride home and I put it down to two things - the relative absence of the Prince as a character and the utter lack of catharsis at the end. I don't quite understand the need for the Prologue - it explains the "how" but not the "why" Rothbart turns her into a swan (unless I've missed something and if so I am ready to be enlightened!). I don't understand the enlarged role for Benno - although I thought Benjamin Ella was superb. Why didn't the Prince dance with his sisters in Act I and III and through his dancing convey his loneliness/sense of being trapped in his courtly role/unwillingness to wed etc. By deflecting the attention from him to Benno the Prince became less well drawn/less known to the audience and thus less able to elicit sympathy - he became a cypher rather than a character. I don't understand Rothbart's role (again I may well have missed something and if so please enlighten me!). Why does deceiving the Prince vis a vis Odette/Odile mean he can usurp the crown? Why expose his deceit to the Prince when he could have simply married Odile to the Prince and wielded power through her? Rothbart may have condemned Odette, but when the dust had settled why wouldn't the Queen have demanded her crown back? Why wouldn't the Prince have said "oy, give the crown back?" On reflection the story now seems somehow confused, which is surprising as the actual production initially appeared to be rather clear and seemed to move along at a crisp pace. The other reason for my sense of disappointment is the lack of catharsis at the end. The music is literally screaming "resolution - it can be happy or sad - but there is a resolution going on here" as it moves from the minor to the major. The music suits a "they kill Rothbart and live happily ever after" resolution or, and I think more satisfying, a "they both die and are joined together eternally in death" resolution. Instead we were left with onstage action that failed to match the heights denoted by the music which was wonderfully played. I left the ROH feeling rather cheated - I did not identify, there was no cleansing or purging of my emotions - in short there was no catharsis. So, all in all an enjoyable enough afternoon, but one that could have been so much more expansive if the inherent tragedy of Swan Lake had been fully realised. 

 

I like the enlarged role for Benno, but I think the fact that on opening night Muntagirov was Siegfried meant that I didn't feel his role was diminished - Muntagirov is so compelling and danced so brilliantly that he commanded automatic attention. But in subsequent performances I have found it to be a problem. Benno is far more prominent than Siegfried in Act 1, which must be a bit confusing for newcomers to the ballet and does mean that Siegfried takes ages to come into any sort of prominence.

 

I don't find the role of Rothbart problematic. I think that by deceiving Siegfried, and his mother, Rothbart has been confirmed in his evil power and so his hold over the court, and is now in a position to grab the crown. (In spite of the more realistic elements, this is still a fairy tale after all.) I find the end of Act 3 absolutely thrilling.

 

I completely agree about the end - beautifully expressed. This production is never going to be as moving as it should be without the resolution dictated by the music.

 

[bridiem]

I was very frustrated by the matinée performance yesterday, because I thought that Naghdi danced beautifully but from Kish I got nothing at all. I found him bland, pallid, unconvincing and technically underpowered, and there was absolutely no chemistry between them. So Naghdi was effectively performing in a vacuum, which was a terrible shame. She gave it her all (and in the fouettés almost more than her all! Though the ambition was admirable). Gary Avis was a compelling Rothbart. I thought as others have commented that the pas de troix dancers were poorly matched. Ella and Gasparini are so much shorter than Heap that it did none of them any favours.

 

The evening performance was stunning, with Osipova on full throttle right from the outset - tremendously expressive and exciting. I thought that Matthew Ball danced beautifully and seemed to be stunned by what he was experiencing/witnessing (with good reason!). I hope that in future performances he will develop a more detailed characterisation, in so far as this production allows. Avis again an evil and charismatic Rothbart. And Campbell superb as Benno (I kept wondering why on earth this beautiful dancer hasn't been cast as Siegfried).

[Geoff]

8 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

And they were absolutely thrilling! And seemed more creative somehow than the usual fouettés - it was as if she was spinning her web of evil round Siegfried at a ferocious speed.

 

Something like this, perhaps (about 25 minutes in)?

 

https://youtu.be/TtrHojRfHkA

 

Osipova was - if that's possible - even more dramatic, circling the stage again and again. 

[Ian Macmillan]

Not your average review .... and not without a ring of truth?

 

https://twitter.com/BoyAndPen/status/1001143132090699776

 

 

[Geoff]

50 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

My thoughts were that, as the rest of Osipova's performance in that pd2 had been rather out-of-control and not her best, she didn't feel comfortable in doing the fouetté turns.

 

You could be right about her occasional lack of control last night BBB, but I can't see how one could characterise what she chose to do at the end as somehow *easier* than fouettés?!

 

In any case, Osipova's artistry was so abundantly on display throughout, investing what can so often seem just generic school steps with feeling and specific narrative meaning, that I'll happily trade the many gains for whatever occasional imperfections we also saw.

 

Edited May 29, 2018 by Geoff

[JohnS]

Quick thoughts on yesterday's hugely enjoyed double Swan Lake.

 

Loved Yasmine's debut and look forward to seeing how she develops the role over the years and with other partners.  Wonderfully contrasting Odette/Odile: I found her portrayal in the Act 4 PDD very moving, her slow shakes of the head ‘Nos’ were haunting.  A wonderful balance in Act 3 held for what seemed an age but no surprise given her Sleeping Beauty debut.  I thought her first Act 3 appearance showed a shade too much effort at being voluptuous but was delighted with how colourful and sexy the rest of the Act was.  In the fouettés I was more concerned with the travelling and am quite sure Yasmine will deliver stronger performances to delight and captivate audiences for many years.

 

I thought Gary Avis’s Von Rothbart tremendous - controlling, purposeful, contained rather than over the top, and not Putinesque, proving less is more, in this case substantially more.  And Gary repeated the performance in the evening.

 

I also very much enjoyed Benjamin Ella’s Benno.  

 

I thought some of the ensemble dancing not as strong as earlier performances.  It’s so exposed when everything has to be perfectly matched and when it's not, it does stand out.

 

For the evening, I thought the overall performance a real triumph, much stronger for the whole cast and corps.  

 

I do so enjoy Natalia’s performances and the vitality she brings to ballet.  So refreshing to have those astonishing turns rather than the fouettés.  I mentioned Yasmine’s balance and Act 4 PDD where she was so moving and Yasmine certainly had the edge on those aspects.  But Natalia and Matthew were much more a partnership than the matinee and I thought Matthew’s debut astonishing.  Alex Campbell gave another brilliant Benno.

 

A train journey home so chance to think a little more about yesterday.

 

[balletyas]

10 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

And let me be the first to report here that this evening Osipova gave us a scintillating manege of pique turns instead of fouettes.

I know the fouettés are just a circus trick to many  but I was very disappointed not to see them at all... 

[penelopesimpson]

Well, this was a strange one.  I had a great night out and I really think this new production is a 'tremendous show.'  It feels fresh and smart and the sets and costumes are absolutely terrific.  Some wonderful dancing and a stunning performance from Osipova and thrilling dance from Mr. Campbell who just seems to get better and better, but...

 

I am not a fan of Swan Lake and have probably only seen it a handful of times.  I think this production is a keeper but I have reservations.  Coming home on the train last night I was trying to work out what it was that wasn't gelling for me and my immediate focus was on Matthew Ball whom I felt was barely there.  He was clearly nervous at the beginning but settled down once Osipova came on but I just got nothing from him.  For me Matthew is one of those dancers who usually conveys emotion in every line of his body so it my reaction was a surprise.  Part of it was because Osipova is such a blazing presence that he is totally overshadowed and I didn't get any connection between them.  It was almost as if a sophisticated woman was having a brief flirtation with a toy-boy rather than any great love affair.

 

Not the least of Osipova's astonishing attributes is her ability to make the audience feel they are in safe hands.  I never doubted for a moment that she would pull off all her twists and turns whereas with Matthew I was constantly on edge.

 

Then I read Ballet Forum comments and realised that so much of what I was thinking was because of the way the role of Siegfried has been written.  The prince now seems to me to be a side act to Benno and a lot of his dancing is little more than standing and gesturing.   Whether a stronger presence like Macrae could have injected more personality into the role, I don't know.  From what others have said, Muntagirov seems to have been sublime, so what is it about his performance that elevates the bland Siegfried?  I am also going to go out on a limb here and say I really don't think the Osipova/Ball partnership is anything special.

 

Stix-Brunell was excellent but I didn't think Itziar Mendizabal was at her best.  Like others, I also found the height differences in some of the set pieces totally distracting.  There is one young lady who really seems exceptionally tiny, but don't know who it is.  I noticed her in Mayerling last year when she was one of Princess Stephanie's attendants.  Makes the line look ragged.

 

So, a lovely night out and lots to love but room for improvement.

Edited May 29, 2018 by penelopesimpson

[balletyas]

6 minutes ago, penelopesimpson said:

Well, this was a strange one.  I had a great night out and I really think this new production is a 'tremendous show.'  It feels fresh and smart and the sets and costumes are absolutely terrific.  Some wonderful dancing and a stunning performance from Osipova and thrilling dance from Mr. Campbell who just seems to get better and better, but...

 

I am not a fan of Swan Lake and have probably only seen it a handful of times.  I think this production is a keeper but I have reservations.  Coming home on the train last night I was trying to work out what it was that wasn't gelling for me and my immediate focus was on Matthew Ball whom I felt was barely there.  He was clearly nervous at the beginning but settled down once Osipova came on but I just got nothing from him.  For me Matthew is one of those dancers who usually conveys emotion in every line of his body so it my reaction was a surprise.  Part of it was because Osipova is such a blazing presence that he is totally overshadowed and I didn't get any connection between them.  It was almost as if a sophisticated woman was having a brief flirtation with a toy-boy rather than any great love affair.

 

Not the least of Osipova's astonishing attributes is her ability to make the audience feel they are in safe hands.  I never doubted for a moment that she would pull off all her twists and turns whereas with Matthew I was constantly on edge.

 

Then I read Ballet Forum comments and realised that so much of what I was thinking was because of the way the role of Siegfried has been written.  The prince now seems to me to be a side act to Benno and a lot of his dancing is little more than standing and gesturing.   Whether a stronger presence like Macrae could have injected more personality into the role, I don't know.  From what others have said, Muntagirov seems to have been sublime, so what is it about his performance that elevates the bland Siegfried?  I am also going to go out on a limb here and say I really don't think the Osipova/Ball partnership is anything special.

 

Stix-Brunell was excellent but I didn't think Itziar Mendizabal was at her best.  Like others, I also found the height differences in some of the set pieces totally distracting.  There is one young lady who really seems exceptionally tiny, but don't know who it is.  I noticed her in Mayerling last year when she was one of Princess Stephanie's attendants.  Makes the line look ragged.

 

So, a lovely night out and lots to love but room for improvement.

So well put re Matthew Ball - he was dwarfed by Osipova - she is just way too experienced for him. Much better that he had been cast with Nagdhi with whom he assumes a stronger more protective quality. In Giselle, perhaps because her role is so fragile the Osi/ball combo worked but here, perhaps because of the Odile grandstanding he didn’t stand a chance. 

[penelopesimpson]

12 minutes ago, balletyas said:

So well put re Matthew Ball - he was dwarfed by Osipova - she is just way too experienced for him. Much better that he had been cast with Nagdhi with whom he assumes a stronger more protective quality. In Giselle, perhaps because her role is so fragile the Osi/ball combo worked but here, perhaps because of the Odile grandstanding he didn’t stand a chance. 

Glad it wasn't just me!  He just seemed like a lost little boy rather than a Prince.  Osipova exudes vitality and sophistication (and I wouldn't have it any other way) but I think KOH should match her with partners with a strong stage presence.  Physically, I also don't think they are well matched; it's not height, just that the proportions of their bodies aren't aligned.  Poor Siegfried; commanded by his mother, overshadowed by Benno and absolutely dwarfed by Osipova!