English National Ballet, Swan Lake 2018-19

[Lizbie1]

Thank you Irmgard!

 

The funny thing is: watching Act I this afternoon I hadn't checked this thread to see what (if any) of it was Ashton's and what Deane had come up with and was trying to guess, based on whether it looked as if it had been adapted from an "in the round" production.  I had the pas de douze down as Deane's, but with three main thoughts about it: that it was being danced without much style; that Deane must be a better choreographer than I had thought; and that he had learned a trick or two from Ashton. And I like to think that I wasn't so far off after all!

[Coated]

Shale Wagman danced a very nice neapolitan this evening - at least I think it was him, since Ken Surahashi was listed as doing the Pd3, but we had McCormick instead. He was very elegant, and combined zest with beautifully controlled landings. The ENB really has some beautiful young dancers coming up

[LinMM]

Thanks Coated! 

I haven't booked to see anything in January .....had no weekends free for a number of reasons while they were here and the Swan Lake was sold out anyway but will definitely catch up with the Company again in the Spring. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Irmgard said:

Yes, it is Ashton's Act IV from his 1963 production for the Royal Ballet.  As well as the Neapolitan and  the Pas de Douze (waltz in Act I), I believe the Spanish dance and possibly the Fiancees' are also his.  The Prince's Act I solo is sometimes attributed to Ashton but it was actually introduced by Nureyev in 1965.  The company also used to do Ashton's pas de quatre in Deane's proscenium version but this was cut some time ago.

Thank you, Irmgard. 

[Blossom]

24 minutes ago, Coated said:

Shale Wagman danced a very nice neapolitan this evening - at least I think it was him, since Ken Surahashi was listed as doing the Pd3, but we had McCormick instead. He was very elegant, and combined zest with beautifully controlled landings. The ENB really has some beautiful young dancers coming up

 

If it hadn’t been for internet issues making it impossible to order an Uber, I wouldn’t have seen the cast changes on the wall by the box office. Not surprised to see Saruhashi replaced - he seemed to be struggling a bit at the rehearsal and wondered if he might be injured. Shale Wagman did indeed dance the Neapolitan and did so with flair and seemingly without breaking a sweat! Definitely one to watch.

 

I am really pleased I was able to see Rina Kanehara as Odette/Odile - I have enjoyed watching her at the Emerging Dancer competitions in 2016 and 2017 and her performance during the deliberation in 2018. A lovely, innocence to her Odette and wondered if she would be able to carry off Odile’s more feisty personality and she did not disappoint!  Joseph Caley was a thoroughly charming Siegfried too. 

 

People’s Choice vote for Emerging Dancer awards is covered on the back of the cast list and it is quite a difficult one this year - enjoyed Kanehara, McCormick and also Alison McWhinney who was delightful in the pas de trois this evening, then appeared as a lead swan and then a princess in act 3.  Will have to wait until Manon is over at least to make a decision.

 

A really beautiful, traditional production of Swan Lake, aided of course by Tchaikovsky’s fabulous score. Wonderfully uniform swans, lovely character dancing in Act 3 and beautiful dancing throughout. 

[Irmgard]

9 hours ago, Irmgard said:

Yes, it is Ashton's Act IV from his 1963 production for the Royal Ballet.  As well as the Neapolitan and  the Pas de Douze (waltz in Act I), I believe the Spanish dance and possibly the Fiancees' are also his.  The Prince's Act I solo is sometimes attributed to Ashton but it was actually introduced by Nureyev in 1965.  The company also used to do Ashton's pas de quatre in Deane's proscenium version but this was cut some time ago.

Slight error!  The Prince's Act 1 solo was actually first introduced by Nureyev in 1962 but was fully incorporated into Ashton's 1965 reworking of the production.

[Lizbie1]

On 04/12/2018 at 22:43, Irmgard said:

I also noticed typing errors in dancers’ names which I find unforgivable. 

 

On 04/12/2018 at 23:10, alison said:

 

That, unfortunately, has been going on for many years.  Surely it is not beyond the capabilities of whatever department produces the cast sheets to put all the dancers' names into the spellchecker and then make sure it is run on each cast sheet?

 

Yesterday afternoon under the heading "Pas de douze, Polonaise" were listed six couples, but I'm pretty certain that the two had different dancers: different costumes, seven couples for the Polonaise not six, and (in this case) no distinctive blond head of Skyler Martin - who was listed - in the Polonaise. Was this a one off?

[RuthE]

I was at today's matinee with Jurgita Dronina and Isaac Hernandez in the lead roles.  Having come in a bit under budget on tickets in 2018, and stalked the website over the last few days for a return worth me splashing out on, I ended up with a wonderful seat towards the centre of row C Stalls.

 

ENB's production remains, I think, my favourite of this ballet.  I think it's beautiful and unfussy, with very clear storytelling.  I was glad to find that it still stands up in my estimation, given the fact that several of the things I like about it originated out of being in contrast to the things that used to annoy me about the Dowell RB production (the (RB's lack of) prologue, the corps tutus, the version of Act 4) which have all been fixed now in Liam Scarlett's new production (not that that doesn't introduce some new annoyances)!

 

I adored Dronina's Odile.  From so close up she was so magnetic and alluring both physically and facially.  I took longer to warm to her Odette - found her a little blank in Act 2, but by Act 4 she had me hooked, with a look of such anguish at the final pose of the last PDD that I found myself murmuring "you STUPID man"... (even though if I'd been Prince Siegfried I would absolutely have fallen for Odile as well!)

 

Though Hernandez didn't always have the same depth, there was one little moment I loved.  After Odette throws herself in the lake, and before Siegfried follows her, he faced the audience and did a little "right then let's do this" steadying out-breath.  It really brought the character to life at the very last moment.

 

In the waltz/pas de douze, my eye was immediately, and continuously, drawn to an absolutely beautiful dancer in the ensemble who I didn't recognise.  In the interval I looked at the cast list and, by process of elimination, worked out that it was Emma Hawes.  Looks like I might not be able to resist giving her Manon a go (even though it will require booking an afternoon off work).

 

Other dancers who kept catching my eye in the ensembles were Francesca Velicu (Cygnets (replacing Adela Ramirez) and Princesses) - she projects so powerfully from the eyes - and Precious Adams (Pas de Douze, Leading Swans, Princesses) whose arms as a Leading Swan are just fabulous.

 

Another random trivial thing that kept catching my eye was Katja Khaniukova's feet.  She was wearing some kind of convertible or footless tights which only covered part of the front of her foot, so there was an expanse of skin visible between the tights and the shoe.  From a seat where the feet were right at my eye level, I couldn't unsee this, and found it looked especially odd during Cygnets (she was also in the pas de trois with Crystal Costa and Shale Wagman) when everyone else in the ensemble had a seamless line from groin to toe.  Anyone got any ideas why a dancer would make this choice?

 

Another question which struck me part-way through Act 2 was the following.  I'm sure the act begins with 24 corps swans, of which 4 then leave the larger ensemble to become Cygnets and 2 to become Leading Swans.  But only 16 then remain in the corps for the rest of the act.  So what happens to the other two, as the two extra uncredited Leading Swans don't participate until Act 4?  Do they literally just put their swan tutus on, dance one number and then return to the subs bench for the rest of Act 2?

 

Even though I've seen the production a couple of times before, I obviously didn't have a clear memory of every detail, and I'm mainly used to Odile entering for her fouettes from stage left in other productions, so when Odile went off stage right at the end of her variation and the conductor (Gerry Cornelius replacing Gavin Sutherland) IMMEDIATELY started the coda music, and I thought "wait, there's no way she's got time to get backstage left for her next entry in approx. 40 seconds... oh wait there she is coming back on stage right"!

 

I was sitting behind a family of three children who were mostly very into it and quite well-behaved, though they got fidgety and restless during the National dances (to be fair, so do I ;)) - they were there with their mother and grandmother, and had had the plot explained in detail though they were all confused by the fact that there was a second interval.  I explained that the dancers all had to have enough time to put their swan costumes back on!

Edited January 7, 2019 by RuthE

[Sim]

Alina came on for her fouettés from stage left.  

[RuthE]

A couple of other tiny gripes in this production which I love...

 

Inconsistent Cygnet heads.  One's timing wasn't quite synchronised, while another was perfectly in time but never quite ended up at the same angle as the others.

 

Overuse of the "dance" mime (hands rotated above the head).  That is to say, characters seem to have few subjects of conversation other than "How about a dance now?"

[Irmgard]

As I was not able to see their performance in Bristol, I was extremely pleased to be at the Coliseum debut of the partnership of Erina Takahashi and Francesco Gabriele Frola on Saturday afternoon (5^th).  Takahashi’s Odette/Odile is always something special, with her beautiful fragility as Odette and breathtaking fireworks as Odile, and she was perfectly matched by the passion and elegance of Frola.  I have been a fan of his since his unforgettable performance in “No Man’s Land” when he first joined the company in September.  Here is a dancer who is able to convey a wealth of emotions through his whole body, which made his Act I solo particularly soulful with his beautiful sense of line and ports de bras, and his musicality at one with the gorgeous playing of the orchestra under the baton of maestro Gavin Sutherland. Before that, he engaged well with the villagers and courtiers in celebrating his birthday and I liked the affectionate mother-son relationship with the radiant and regal Queen of Sarah Kundi who thus seemed surprised and hurt rather than annoyed when he tells her he is not ready to consider marriage. At the lakeside, Frola’s Siegfried was instantly attracted to the captivating Odette of Takahashi as she used beautifully clear and elegant mime to tell her story and he responded with equally eloquent mime.  The ensuing pas de deux was sublime, as was Takahashi’s delicate solo with her hallmark exquisite footwork and beautifully sustained balances, perfectly matching the musical line.   In Act III, her Odile was electrifying and, in the entrée of the pas de deux, her astonishing balance in arabesque was probably the longest I have seen any Odile make without one wobble but, instead of just being a party trick, Takahashi imbued it with a sense of triumph over the Prince so that it breathed instead of just being static, and of course her series of single and double fouetté turnsin the Coda were immaculate!  Frola was equally impressive, especially in his joyous solo, and so all the fabulous turns he pulled off in the Coda expressed his ecstasy at finding the girl he loved and therefore made his heartbreak palpable when the deception is revealed.  Act IV was simply sublime from all concerned.  Apart from a sparkling Neapolitan from Katja Khaniukova and Victor Prigent and the always watchable Jung ah Choi in various dances, I felt most of the dancing in Acts I and III was not particularly distinguished but I did notice a refinement to the Czardas and Mazurka which had been missing at the performances I saw in Bristol, and I also felt that the ensemble dancing of the swans in Act II had gained in style and precision.  Since I was sitting a few seats away from Derek Deane, no doubt the company has had the benefit of his guiding hand for the London performances!

 

For the performance on 6 January, Gerry Cornelius stepped in for the indisposed Gavin Sutherland to conduct with great sensitivity and drawing ravishing sounds from the orchestra as befitted the utterly sublime Odette/Odile of Jurgita Dronina.  Before trying to describe her mesmerising performance, I would like to commend the whole company for a quality performance.  Although some of the ladies still lack the Ashton style of the Pas de Douze, there was excellent dancing and partnering from the gentlemen.  The villagers were led by the effervescent Barry Drummond and Anjuli Hudson and, as has happened each time I have seen her this season, my eye was drawn to the lovely style of Emily Suzuki.  The pas de trois at this performance was exquisitely danced by Crystal Costa, Katja Khaniukova and Shale Wagman.  Costa seems to have been born dancing en pointe, such is the quality of everything she does, with beautiful line and footwork and a ballon as uplifting as her dazzling smile. She gave a masterclass of Petipa style in her delightful solo. Khaniukova shone in the second solo, with a charming flirtatiousness and lovely, delicate footwork.  Shale Wagman danced with great zest and virtuosity and my one criticism of him would be that he should try not to lose his sunny expression on the big jumps.  In Act II, I was even more impressed by the improvement in style, musicality and precision of the corps de ballet of swans than I was on Saturday and this performance benefitted from the elegance and grace of Alison McWhinney and Precious Adams as Lead Swans and a quartet of cygnets (Crystal Costa, Katja Khaniukova, Adriana Lizardi and, replacing the indisposed Adela Ramirez, Francesca Velicu) who, while not quite reaching the flawlessness of their original quartet I saw in Bristol, came extremely close to it.  Lizardi replaced Ramirez in the Neapolitan dance, giving a charming performance with Rhys Antoni Yeomans, and another highlight of Act III was a sizzling Spanish dance with particularly sensual dancing from Emily Suzuki and Stina Quagebeur to which Erik Woolhouse and Fernando Coloma responded with great panache. Isaac Hernandez was Siegfried.  I understand there was a lot of criticism in the press of his opening night performance and I myself was disappointed in his performance I saw in Bristol.  However, it seems he may have taken on board some of the criticisms and I was pleased to see an improvement in his engagement with others onstage and an effort to imbue his dancing with a more emotional quality but there is some way to go before he reaches the artistic levels of his colleagues in the role or to even begin to reach the stratospheric level of Dronina.  What I will always praise him for is his excellent partnering of her and I thought there was an extra degree of tenderness to this at Sunday’s matinee.  Having already used so many superlatives for Dronina’s performance in Bristol, I can only state that they applied even more to this performance where she reached such levels of beauty in her dancing that my breath was continually taken away! She even made her first appearance during the overture into a thing of rare beauty and I loved the look of terror on her face as she sensed the approach of Von Rothbart (a very sinister James Streeter) before she saw him, something she repeated when he separated her from Siegfried in Act II.  At this performance I noticed even more use of her head and neck with her lovely eyes continually seeking reassurance from Siegfried that his love for her was real.  During the pas de deux she was so meltingly soft and hauntingly vulnerable that it brought tears to my eyes and the one image that stays in my mind was the most gorgeous developpé just before the first series of petits battements serré into the single supported pirouette.  She unfolded her leg with such beauty of movement, ending perfectly on the last note of that phrase of music. Her solo was exquisite and reinforced my previous thoughts that she is the most feminine of Odettes with a softness to every movement which she keeps for her Odile while throwing off all the expected fireworks, including beautiful fouetté turns, so that it makes perfect sense that Siegfried would mistake her for Odette.  Hernandez seemed galvanised by her and added some virtuosic jumps that I do not remember seeing in Bristol, so that they both received prolonged applause by the end of the Coda.  If Act II took my breath away, Act IV tugged at the heartstrings, especially the opening when the swans emerge from the swirling mists.  Again, I congratulate them all on a sublime performance of this mini masterpiece by Ashton (so much more rewarding than the latest or the previous Act IV by the Royal Ballet).  Once again, Dronina’s mime was heartbreaking but this time there was an urgency as she ran towards the lake and, as she was stopped by the other swans, she appeared to collapse over them and there was a most wonderful, utterly defeated droop to her body and neck as they led her back to their protection.  I was also touched by the way she haltingly folded herself into the ‘dying swan’ position before Siegfried ran on to find her, again showing the hopelessness of her situation, as did her drooping body as he held her in supported attitude derrière.  The battle with Von Rothbart was especially exciting as she appeared to kick at him as she was carried aloft by Siegfried in the supported jetés.    I love the fact that the loyal swans are the focal point of the final moments of the ballet as they bow to the spirits of their queen and her prince united in death so that the ending is as sublime as the music. 

 

Deservedly, the performances this week are sold out but it is always worth telephoning the box office for returns or for the occasional unsold box seats which you have to ask for specifically as they are not sold on the website. 

[Jan McNulty]

8 minutes ago, Irmgard said:

As I was not able to see their performance in Bristol, I was extremely pleased to be at the Coliseum debut of the partnership of Erina Takahashi and Francesco Gabriele Frola on Saturday afternoon (5^th). 

 

I love reading your erudite, articulate reviews Irmgard.  I feel as though I have seen the performances you are describing.  Thank you.

[alison]

Hang on, it's just struck me: surely this production at one time contained the Ashton pas de quatre?  I'm sure I remember Adela Ramirez in it.

 

Thanks very much for the long and detailed review, Irmgard: it makes me even more disappointed that I had to miss the Takahashi performance  

[Lizbie1]

6 hours ago, alison said:

Hang on, it's just struck me: surely this production at one time contained the Ashton pas de quatre?  I'm sure I remember Adela Ramirez in it.

 

 

On 05/01/2019 at 22:40, Irmgard said:

 The company also used to do Ashton's pas de quatre in Deane's proscenium version but this was cut some time ago.

 

 

Question anticipated by Irmgard

[Irmgard]

9 hours ago, alison said:

Hang on, it's just struck me: surely this production at one time contained the Ashton pas de quatre?  I'm sure I remember Adela Ramirez in it.

 

Thanks very much for the long and detailed review, Irmgard: it makes me even more disappointed that I had to miss the Takahashi performance  

Takahashi has another performance on 11 Jan and it really is worth ringing the box office to see if there are any returns or unsold box seats.  Plus, I have been informed that they may be selling standing passes!

[Bruce Wall]

1 minute ago, Irmgard said:

 Plus, I have been informed that they may be selling standing passes!

 

That's brilliant, Irmgard.  Did your source say when they might commence such.  The woman at the box office when I went in especially to get such was quite emphatic that there would be 'NO STANDING FOR SWAN LAKE'.  As I said in my note further up in this strand she went out of her way to say it twice.   

[alison]

3 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

 

Question anticipated by Irmgard

 

Oops, sorry, I missed that!

[Irmgard]

5 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

 

That's brilliant, Irmgard.  Did your source say when they might commence such.  The woman at the box office when I went in especially to get such was quite emphatic that there would be 'NO STANDING FOR SWAN LAKE'.  As I said in my note further up in this strand she went out of her way to say it twice.   

I'm not sure but if enough people pester them, it would be in their interests to do so!

[Bruce Wall]

Just to say I have just now taken my seat for this evening's performance of ENB's SWAN LAKE and was told once again at the Coliseum Box Office that there was and would be NO STANDING ROOM FOR SWAN LAKE. The gentleman asked me where I had heard that there might be and I mentioned this BcoF strand. With a wry smile he said: 'It was obviously fake news'. As the prisoners I'm privileged to work with might have it ... jajaja!!!

Edited January 8, 2019 by Bruce Wall

[bridiem]

33 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said:

Just to say I have just now taken my seat for this evening's performance of ENB's SWAN LAKE and was told once again at the Coliseum Box Office that there was and would be NO STANDING ROOM FOR SWAN LAKE. The gentleman asked me where I had heard that there might be and I mentioned this BcoF strand. With a wry smile he said: 'It was obviously fake news'. As the prisoners I'm privileged to work with might have it ... jajaja!!!

 

It would be helpful if they would supply consistent information about their performances/tickets rather than shooting the messenger. And the website still says 'limited availability' where in fact none, etc. Very irritating!

 

Hope you enjoy the performance, Bruce! 

[now voyager]

3 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

It would be helpful if they would supply consistent information about their performances/tickets rather than shooting the messenger. And the website still says 'limited availability' where in fact none, etc. Very irritating!

 

 

The Coliseum website seems to go both ways--I just found a few seats for a performance listed as "sold out," so for people who, like me, are looking for last-minute tickets, I would suggest checking each desired performance individually, rather than relying on the summary page.

[RuthE]

Indeed. There were some decent Swan Lake seats, as well as a handful of very good seats for those performances of Manon for which the Stalls were previously sold out, earlier today.

[Richard LH]

I enjoyed Swan lake at the  ENB last night, particularly the exemplary dancing of Alina Cojocaru and the skills of Jeffrey Cirio (who, for example, runs on for his Act 4 

entrance with a breathtaking leap - I think the RB Siegfrieds just run on).

 

However overall the ENB version  does not match the new RB production, for me, and I thought I would try to identify a few of the reasons why (irrespective on the actual dancing performances of the main characters, or the corps, because I am probably unfairly biased in favour of the RB in that respect - if only due to greater familiarity, and having my favourites!)

 

ENB'S  Rothbart, with his huge wings,  is fun, but he comes across as rather  more of a caricature than a character, and his permitted entrance to the court  in Act 3 is less logical than for the RB's  Rothbart who is already part of the court.

 

I don’t like the concept  of the ugly, evil  Rothbart taking front centre stage and directing the swans – that seems effectively giving him the credit for their beautiful dancing. I like  to think of these girls forming their own sisterhood/swanhood and moving gracefully as one flock, as far as they can, as a sort of antidote to, and in resistance to, the evil spell they are under. 

 

In RB’s version the depiction of Rothbart’s  Act 3 triumph is filled out more, and  seems more logical and convincing.

 

The RB's staging and costumes are much better (no doubt helped by being “in house” rather than touring, and by having a larger budget).

 

I  prefer  RB’s  entrance of Odette on her own, and  seeing her, after crossing the stage, being surprised by encountering  Siegfried close by, rather than the ENB's version of her  appearing amidst a group of her swans and then seeing him at the other side of the stage.

 

There is a  rather excessive use of the "let's all dance" mime in the ENB version, which someone has pointed out previously. I am pleased, though, that  both versions retain the Act 2 Odette/Siegfried mime.

 

The ENB  have a strange 5 min gap, with house lights up,  between Act 1 and 2, where the audience are unprepared for the music recommencing half-way through,  and end up talking over it (the talking  just gets  louder as the music volume increases ! ) and/or checking their smart phones.

 

I do enjoy the ENB’s extra dance for Siegfried at the end of Act 1.

 

I prefer RB’s use of Benno as Siegfried’s friend/mentor, rather than ENB’s tubby tutor.

 

I prefer RB’s expanded roles for the Pas de Trois girls, as  Siegfried’s sisters.

 

I prefer the RB concept of 4 different  identifiable princesses in Act 3 rather than 6 indistinguishable ones.

 

The ENB's opening of Act 4 includes a long section of the music played pre-curtain up, thus missing out  some of the lovely swan dancing that is seen in the RB version.

 

ENB's  Act 4 seems a bit short, and I thought the ending rather too much of a  cliché  and a cop-out, with the recent departees conveniently  ascending heavenwards, as if on a fairground ride, whereas the RB has a  more poignant depiction of real sacrifice, as Siegfried is just left cradling the body of the restored, but drowned, Princess Odette.

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by Richard LH

[Richard LH]

18 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

NO STANDING ROOM FOR SWAN LAKE

 

Bruce this seems crazy given the large amount of standing space that could be made available, for example at the rear of the Dress Circle alone. 

[alison]

You said it, Richard.  So did I.  So did quite a few other people.  Oh well, I guess the full houses will offset any loss they make on Manon anyway  

[alison]

In fact, I'm shocked: there have just been a significant number of Upper Circle seats released for tomorrow night, yet even the penultimate row is £45!!!  Whatever happened to the idea of prices being transitional from front to back?!  So there's more or less nothing between that and the top price in the Balcony?

[Richard LH]

Oh yes, something else that I meant to mention about this Swan Lake performance...there was only a very brief curtain call session, no "calls" for any of the individual leads, and no flowers, not even for the splendid Cojocaru. So rather a flat feeling at the end!  Is that sort of ending typical for the ENB or the Coliseum?

[Lizbie1]

6 hours ago, Richard LH said:

I enjoyed Swan lake at the  ENB last night, particularly the exemplary dancing of Alina Cojocaru and the skills of Jeffrey Cirio (who, for example, runs on for his Act 4 

entrance with a breathtaking leap - I think the RB Siegfrieds just run on).

 

However overall the ENB version  does not match the new RB production, for me, and I thought I would try to identify a few of the reasons why (irrespective on the actual dancing performances of the main characters, or the corps, because I am probably unfairly biased in favour of the RB in that respect - if only due to greater familiarity, and having my favourites!)

 

ENB'S  Rothbart, with his huge wings,  is fun, but he comes across as rather  more of a caricature than a character, and his permitted entrance to the court  in Act 3 is less logical than for the RB's  Rothbart who is already part of the court.

 

I don’t like the concept  of the ugly, evil  Rothbart taking front centre stage and directing the swans – that seems effectively giving him the credit for their beautiful dancing. I like  to think of these girls forming their own sisterhood/swanhood and moving gracefully as one flock, as far as they can, as a sort of antidote to, and in resistance to, the evil spell they are under. 

 

In RB’s version the depiction of Rothbart’s  Act 3 triumph is filled out more, and  seems more logical and convincing.

 

The RB's staging and costumes are much better (no doubt helped by being “in house” rather than touring, and by having a larger budget).

 

I  prefer  RB’s  entrance of Odette on her own, and  seeing her, after crossing the stage, being surprised by encountering  Siegfried close by, rather than the ENB's version of her  appearing amidst a group of her swans and then seeing him at the other side of the stage.

 

There is a  rather excessive use of the "let's all dance" mime in the ENB version, which someone has pointed out previously. I am pleased, though, that  both versions retain the Act 2 Odette/Siegfried mime.

 

The ENB  have a strange 5 min gap, with house lights up,  between Act 1 and 2, where the audience are unprepared for the music recommencing half-way through,  and end up talking over it (the talking  just gets  louder as the music volume increases ! ) and/or checking their smart phones.

 

I do enjoy the ENB’s extra dance for Siegfried at the end of Act 1.

 

I prefer RB’s use of Benno as Siegfried’s friend/mentor, rather than ENB’s tubby tutor.

 

I prefer RB’s expanded roles for the Pas de Trois girls, as  Siegfried’s sisters.

 

I prefer the RB concept of 4 different  identifiable princesses in Act 3 rather than 6 indistinguishable ones.

 

The ENB's opening of Act 4 includes a long section of the music played pre-curtain up, thus missing out  some of the lovely swan dancing that is seen in the RB version.

 

ENB's  Act 4 seems a bit short, and I thought the ending rather too much of a  cliché  and a cop-out, with the recent departees conveniently  ascending heavenwards, as if on a fairground ride, whereas the RB has a  more poignant depiction of real sacrifice, as Siegfried is just left cradling the body of the restored, but drowned, Princess Odette.

 

 

But what did you think of the choreography?

[Richard LH]

58 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

But what did you think of the choreography?

Overall I prefer the RB's,  as you might deduce from the above! Beyond  that, whilst I know both productions have similarities, having only ever seen this one ENB performance  I can't justify my opinion with  the sort of detailed critical comparison of specific sections that maybe other posters could provide, Lizbie. 

Edited January 9, 2019 by Richard LH

[annamk]

I am love love loving this run of Swan Lakes  

 

I think the production is sublime : from the score, to the absence of the annoying Benno and his annoying friends, to the ending as it should be, and to exquisite choreography, particularly in Act 4 - I am stunned by the beauty of the corps forming what looks like a giant flower petal before Siegfried runs on distraught. 

 

I saw two casts so far and there is plenty to admire at all levels of the company. 

 

I knew Cirio was an excellent dancer but given his height and having seen him recently as a very mean Lescaut I had wondered whether his Siegfried would be princely enough. I need not have worried, what he lacks in height he more than makes up for in everything else: beauty of line (funny how this isn't actually the preserve of the taller dancer), elegance, precise dancing, light landings, charm and tons of commitment. A terrific performance and his control in the Act 1 adagio solo sent me straight home to buy a ticket for his Des Grieux. I wasn't quite so bowled over by Cojocaru's Odette/Odile, there was nothing wrong, it was a lovely performance but I wasn't moved and I wanted to be but it didn't happen. Maybe it was me, maybe it was where I was sitting. Notable also in that performance was McCormick in the pd3, Arrieta in the Spanish, Costa & Drummond in the Neapolitan. The ensemble and corps dancing all looked well coached and tidy, and both nights the Cygnets were properly co-ordinated. I don't know if it's me but the orchestra does seem to take some sections at great pace which is a positive as far as I'm concerned. 

 

Yesterday evening saw the partnership of Hawes/Arrieta. I haven't seen her in principal role before and I was surprised how tall she was, although I think a taller dancer has an inherent majesty that works for me as a Swan Queen. I wasn't sure about Hawes in Act 2, nothing wrong just nothing outstanding either.  Her Odile though was terrific - okay she didn't quite make 32 fouettés but everything else was commendable. In Act 4 I found her incredibly moving with some moments of real poetry in her dancing. I always book for Arrieta's performances, for me he's one of those dancers who has everything: he's tall, elegant with a fine line, he dances beautifully, he partners well and he has a charming presence. He ticked all these boxes last night and his account of the black act variation with his tidily landed tours would put many more senior dancers to shame. Hawes/Arrieta had great chemistry, displaying heartfelt tenderness towards each other in Act 4 and Arrieta rivals my memories of Bonelli, the absolute master, in the last desperate run of Siegfried on stage in Act 4 (although sadly the new RB version has toned that down). The pd3 was beautifully danced with great charm by Kanehara, Khaniukova and Woolhouse, never stepping over into unnecessary showiness. 

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your detailed review Annamk. Talking of fouettes, did Cojocaru get through hers? The few times I have seen her, she petered out, although I haven't seen her fouetteing recently. 

[annamk]

8 hours ago, Darlex said:

Thanks for your detailed review Annamk. Talking of fouettes, did Cojocaru get through hers? The few times I have seen her, she petered out, although I haven't seen her fouetteing recently. 

 

Cojocaru delivered 32 neat singles, no problem. I assume it was 32 although I don't actually count but she finished on the music so I kind of presumed it was. 

[RuthE]

9 hours ago, Darlex said:

Thanks for your detailed review Annamk. Talking of fouettes, did Cojocaru get through hers? The few times I have seen her, she petered out, although I haven't seen her fouetteing recently. 

 

I've written here before about seeing some of her last Royal Ballet O/Os (having never seen her in earlier runs with the company) and being disappointed.  I vividly recall in particular the conductor being made to speed up the coda music enormously for her, with her fouettes looking like she would rather have been doing practically anything else.

 

The next time I saw her dance the role, at ENB in the last Coliseum run, there was nothing wrong with them whatsoever.