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The Royal Ballet: Swan Lake, February 2015


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Tremendous performances pretty much all round at Saturday’s matinee. Act 1 and Act 2 were all good but things really stepped up a level in Act 3. Nunez is so wicked as Odile it was just so grin inducing all the way through the black swan grand pas de deux. One moment of note was that the instant Odile stalked out for her first solo, with silence all around, there came the loud cries of a baby from, I guess, one of the boxes at the right of the house. The audience did a soft, collective gasp but no hesitation from Marianela, and the baby was silenced (evicted?) a split second before the music started. A very definite added frisson to a stunning solo piece.

 

A brief, almost cameo-like appearance from Yuhui Choe in the Neapolitan dance was an absolute joy.

 

After the excitement and thrills of Act 3, Nunez’s mime and dance in Act 4 contained such pathos and the contrast was so profound it was hard to keep a dry eye. So pleased to have finally seen Nunez/Soares in Swan Lake.

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Obraztsova was marvellous last night. I found her acting through dance some of the best I have ever seen in an Odette. It was very affecting, especially at those key moments,moments which are at the heart of why this ballet goes on being so emotionally powerful, when in Act 2 she is pulled back by Rothbart and turns back into a swan, and in Act  4 when she tells Siegfried it is hopeless, the enchantment must claim her.

Tears.

McRae was superb. His Act 1 solo shone like a beacon on the crowded stage. If only the production gave the Prince more to do ( as in ENB or Bolshoi)

It does seem a waste to have  a McRae on the stage, wound up like a coiled spring, ready to go, and then all he has to do is walk around!

His Act 3 solo was precisely perfect.

The pas de trois was not the best in this run, I would judge. Sambe is super though, he has tremendous jumps.

 

I like some aspects of this production but I agree with so many who say it is messy in Act 1.The Act 3 is starting to look very dated.

 

I hope a new production finds a way of managing the pause between Acts 1 and 2- at present I dread it every time because as soon as the lights go down hundreds of phones come on, everyone starts talking, some people try to go out not remembering it's a pause, etc etc  and the atmosphere, so arduously built  up, is lost..just when you need it most.

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Obraztsova was marvellous last night. I found her acting through dance some of the best I have ever seen in an Odette. It was very affecting, especially at those key moments,moments which are at the heart of why this ballet goes on being so emotionally powerful, when in Act 2 she is pulled back by Rothbart and turns back into a swan, and in Act  4 when she tells Siegfried it is hopeless, the enchantment must claim her.

Tears.

McRae was superb. His Act 1 solo shone like a beacon on the crowded stage. If only the production gave the Prince more to do ( as in ENB or Bolshoi)

It does seem a waste to have  a McRae on the stage, wound up like a coiled spring, ready to go, and then all he has to do is walk around!

His Act 3 solo was precisely perfect.

The pas de trois was not the best in this run, I would judge. Sambe is super though, he has tremendous jumps.

 

I like some aspects of this production but I agree with so many who say it is messy in Act 1.The Act 3 is starting to look very dated.

 

I would echo most of this 

 

I hope a new production finds a way of managing the pause between Acts 1 and 2- at present I dread it every time because as soon as the lights go down hundreds of phones come on, everyone starts talking, some people try to go out not remembering it's a pause, etc etc  and the atmosphere, so arduously built  up, is lost..just when you need it most.

 

I was less concerned by the behaviour in the pause between Acts 1 & 2 than by the absolutely coughtastic audience in the Amphi (where I was) who seemed to time their fits with the most intense parts of the drama.

 

I thought McRae was outstanding and commented to my neighbour it was such a shame he didn't have anything to do in Act 1.

 

Sambe was fantatstic, but I agree the Act 1 pas de trois was a bit of a mess.

 

My son was one of the pages/minions (Acts 1 & 3 respectively) and he was totally starstruck by being so close to McRae on stage.

 

I had to leave at the end of Act 3 so can't comment on the last.

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Sorry, Aileen, falling down on the job:

Pas de trois on 16th-Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Mayara Magri, Marcelino Sambe.

 

Neil, my sympathies, I was near the coughing too- I felt sorry for someone who was clearly very ill; perhaps more sorry for their nearest neighbours, who must have had the performance ruined. It was an appalling noise.

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Sambe is super though, he has tremendous jumps.

He does indeed. But he still needs more experience in other areas.

 

"I hope a new production finds a way of managing the pause between Acts 1 and 2- at present I dread it every time because as soon as the lights go down hundreds of phones come on, everyone starts talking, some people try to go out not remembering it's a pause, etc etc  and the atmosphere, so arduously built  up, is lost..just when you need it most."

 

Well, actually, I was thinking what a marked improvement it was on ENB's. They probably brought the house lights up to half for the duration, lowered them again and most people automatically fell silent. Just a shame someone in one of the Grand Tier boxes decided to carry on consulting their mobile phone after Act II began.(And there was someone in the front side amphi who got her phone out, I think it was partway through the Black Swan pdd :rolleyes:)

 

I was less concerned by the behaviour in the pause between Acts 1 & 2 than by the absolutely coughtastic audience in the Amphi (where I was) who seemed to time their fits with the most intense parts of the drama.

That's weird: I didn't register that at all, so I guess it must have been in a different part. I'm so sorry for anyone who was affected.

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I really enjoyed last night, I brought a friend who had never been to a ballet before and she was in love with it afterwards. I noted the coughing during the first and second act, and I was in the lower slips left near the stage  it must have been ridiculously distracting in the amphitheatre.  I am very much looking forward to seeing McRae with Salenko on Saturday.

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I loved Obraztsova's interpretation of this role last night.  She was obviously nervous as it was her debut in a version she has never danced before, and this manifested in some slightly tentative dancing and a few small wobbles, but it didn't detract one iota from the fact that she FELT this role, in all of its incarnations, from start to finish.  Her mime was clear and deeply felt (she must have had good coaching from Leslie Collier; the Russians don't do mime but she looked as if she had done this one many times before on a stage).  Her performance was interesting because it had elements of a Russian style but fitting in with the Royal Ballet's very different version.  So...she took the Act 2 pdd very slowly indeed.  Normally this gets on my nerves but with her, I was so very glad to be able to watch every move she made, every small nuance, in slow motion.  I wouldn't have wanted to miss one dreamy, languorous moment.  When it came to the fouettees she did them as singles, as many of the Russians do;  not even one double.  I could also see Russian when, in Act 4, she was reminding Siegfried that he promised to marry her,  she pointed to her right hand ring finger, as that is where Russians wear their wedding rings!  I loved the look of joy on her face as she was doing her variation in Act 2;  the fact that her saviour had come was a cause of happiness...however, most Odettes still look sad and serious at this point.  This one was full of the joys of spring with the possibility that she was going to go back to what she once was.  And it wasn't just a smile;  gosh, those eyes,  sparkling with anticipation and with love and with dreams;  the contrast in Act 4 when they were almost as watery as the lake into which she was about to throw herself made me shiver.  As Odile she let her body do the seducing;  no red lipstick for her, actually, hardly any makeup at all.  I liked the way she was totally in control of the whole situation.  When Siegfried manages to sneak a couple of unexpected touches she looks furious and snaps her head away, as if to say 'hey, don't even think about it.... I decide when you can touch me and when you can't'.  Her cruel laughter at the moment that the deception is revealed also made me shiver, but of course for different reasons!   I have a bad cold so was going to leave after Act 3, but I was so drawn to this performance that I decided to see it out until the end, and am very glad I did.  Her abject sadness in Act 4 was so emotionally conveyed by every move she made, by the mime and, again, by those oh so expressive eyes.  Having seen her Aurora, and her Juliet with the RB (in which she was a total revelation), this dancer defies with every fibre of her being the adage that the Russians can't act. 

 

Steven McRae was in great form and was a truly worthy Siegfried for Obraztsova.  Such an attentive partner, so careful with this fragile being.  The way he held her, the way he looked at her, was a combination of awe, of love and of wanting to protect her.  We could totally understand why he was so seduced in Act 3;  it would never have occurred to him that anything evil could be associated with this ethereal creature with whom he was so smitten from the start.  The moment when he finds her by the lake in Act 4 and sinks to his knees in supplication for her forgiveness is just heartbreaking;  the way he hangs his head, the way she so tenderly raises it to look him in the eye and tell him that he is indeed forgiven, that music....ahhh I am so glad I didn't go home! 

 

As was said above, I do hope that the new production gives both Siegfried and Von Rothbart more to do.   Bennet Gartside was very good with not much to do, and even if they just reinstate Siegfried's "melancholy solo" at the end of Act 1 that would be an improvement. 

 

I thought that the pdt was underpowered, but look forward to seeing it next time now that debut night is out of the way.  Sambe was good, but he does need some practice in the partnering department. 

 

Lovely 'big swans' from Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani and Claire Calvert, and the national dances were all well performed.  The corps de ballet were, as always, just beautiful and enhanced a very special performance.  I am already looking forward to the next performance on the 25th.

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Seconded! Lovely review, Sim, and from all. I wanted to write my thoughts too but I think everyone has covered everything! So glad I got to go. I was standing in stalls circle so had a nice 'close-up' of moments, including some of those wobbles!! What a lovely Odette she was.

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Absolutely.!

So despite a very late night  last night I am tempted to venture out to see Osipova Golding tonight in the live screening if there is a ticket still left....it would be so interesting to compare Osipova's interpretation with Obraztsova's, which we all seem to agree was outstanding...while it's fresh in the mind..

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Thank you all.  I was also stalls circle standing so am very glad I missed all the coughing upstairs.  You'd think they'd leave if they were making that much noise!  I would, and watch on the screen outside. 

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I was also stalls circle standing so am very glad I missed all the coughing upstairs.  You'd think they'd leave if they were making that much noise!  I would, and watch on the screen outside.

Something I *have* actually done in the past :) The reactions from people on those various occasions have varied from "thank you" to "you didn't really need to - you weren't coughing that loudly"! But then it's easier said than done from some seats: if you're mid-row, you're going to cause perhaps more disruption by trying to get out than by remaining where you are. 

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Great review from Sim, above, everything I felt put into words; in the right order. I was in row D in the orchestra stalls and could clearly hear the coughing behind us. I too thought that Obraztsova looked a little tentative but she blossomed as the night went on. I did notice a couple of slips from the "swans" but, having said that, how so many fly around the stage without knocking each other over is amazing. This has whetted my appetite to venture out tonight to see Natalia at my local cinema so another dose of SL is coming up.

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Just home from the screening...What a pleasure to see Johnny Cope in the live streaming tonight. He's so natural on screen he should really be doing the whole presentation.

 

It was good to hear Osipova's respectful coments about his performances and see a short clip of him coaching her and Golding.  Also interesting to see Anthony Dowell. Otherwise I was  unimpressed by the presentation and interviews. There wasn't enough information for a complete newcomer,( e.g. the history or even the plot of the ballet beyond  a very broad sketch) or, on the other hand, enough to engage ballet lovers. I have every respect for Darcey Bussell and many fond memories of her dancing, but this role  is not her forte.

 

A marvellous evening though  in which the corps and all the artists of the RB really showed themselves at their best I thought. Gary Avis even managed to act effectively from under the several kilos of mouldy sheepskin of the Rothbart costume.  Wasn't the  pas de trois  excellent -!  So much better than last night. The national dances were also all very good. I shall really miss them when this production goes!

 

I am not convinced by Osipova. To me, she is a miraculously gifted dancer who overdoes everything. But that might be my funny  taste. She and Golding seemed to come from a different production, excellent as they were, techically. It was very unusual.

 

What a pleasure to sit in a quiet,though full, cinema, so much quieter than the opera house was last night...(and what a pleasure instead of the late night train, to be able to cycle home..I was doing swan arm signals)

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just back from the cinema to see Natalia Osipova. This was my first experience of the live streaming, and I was pleasantly surprised - quite immersive after adjusting to the larger than life figures and I definitely wanted to clap! I agree that this production is looking a bit tired, but there are aspects I am fond of - the corps works well for me. Natalia was her usual pent up ball of energy; I got the sense she couldn't wait for the fouettés to let off steam and she ripped through them so fast that the orchestra seemed to me at least to be playing at a faster tempo for her; they probably worked up more of a sweat than she did! I loved the glimpse backstage at the end, when she ran past triumphantly waving her toy swan in the air. She's becoming a national treasure - we should annexe her.

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I just got back from tonight's performance. Just some quick thoughts.

Osipova should be made a national treasure and not be allowed to leave :) her character transformation from Odette to Odile was completely mesmerising. Those fouettés were astonishing. Golding was really excellent in the solos and disappeared in the PDDs.

 

I'm not crazy about the production though, some of it (the end of masked ball) was very Phantom of the opera. I dislike the brown dresses and some of the other costumes. I preferred the Mariinsky version and their corps too.

 

Quintas - I posted my thoughts before reading yours, it seems we both think she's a national treasure!

Edited by Mousem40
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As Mary says, a lovely evening and well-appreciated in my local cinema (Canary Wharf) though sadly only a third full.  But the small audience really appreciated it - one man even clapping!   I thought the pas de trois superb and every company member gave a really full on performance.  I suspect Osipova is an acquired taste in the classics.  I was unsure about her Giselle and tonight, while mesmerising as Odile, she was less believable as Odette.  But Matthew Golding is much improved and shows real promise.

 

Nice to see the interviews with Anthony Dowell, Cynthia Harvey and Jonny Cope but I must agree that Darcey still comes across as forced and uncomfortable in front of the camera.  Funny after all those Strictly programmes - you think she'd be more relaxed by now.

 

The mood was unmistakeably nostalgic about this nearly 30 year-old production (hence the interviews with the original first cast) and I think I may even miss it when the new one comes along.  All it really needs is a bit less 'business' and a re-design though oddly enough the costumes look much better close up than in the theatre.

 

My overall impression was of a very special evening in the opera house with a tangible atmosphere that came across in the screening.  Oh and I think we should start a campaign for the charming Mr Cope to be given more presenting opportunities.    I'd much rather watch him than Jeremy Clarkson! :)

Edited by loveclassics
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I've just got back from tonight's cinema broadcast also. I thought it was a triumph, not only from wonderful, mesmerising performances from the 2 leads (though I did have the occasional fleeting thought as to how it would have worked out if Natalia had been partnered by Vadim)but a great enjoyment of the production also. This production does seem to divide everyone (apart from the critics who all seem to dislike it)but I like the Imperial Russian setting and the layered swan dresses. It really works for me though Swan Lake isn't a favourite ballet and not one I'd normally go out of my way to see. That said I also enjoyed the pas de trois though it seems a shame that Choe is doing the same as when the Marianella/Carlos version was filmed (2010?)I thought Alexander was excellent and good to see Francesca very busy in both the pas de trois and the cygnets. Was she in the corps as well? As others have said it would be good to have a production where the prince and Rothbart have more to do but I enjoyed my evening (as did the 4 ladies I took) and look forward to seeing it again at the encore performance on Sunday.

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Tonight I saw the RB for the second night running, never done that before. Natalia tonight totally knocked me over. In one way Obraztsova's tempi in the white swan second act, much slower I thought than Natalia, showed a different side to Odette, more frightened and uncertain than I remember and that resonated with me and was very beautiful. The black swan was totally Natalia, what a performance with a great back up from Matthew, these two are building something special. Hope they do Mayerling next season. But, for me, the stars are the Corps and all those just below the principals. Tonight I saw Meaghan, Olivia, Francesca and many others on the stage for a second night running performing at the highest standard in what seems to me, very difficult traffic. Total respect to all those.

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Just back from seeing it in Cambridge - full house in the biggest screen.  Miss Osipova is undoubtedly very capable but I have yet to learn to love her and, seeing it again, I really don't care for the production.  (Why does that otherwise eminently sensible Queen not summon the constabulary when her Ball is interrupted by an obvious weirdo and his even weirder retinue?)

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Sim I preferred Obraztsova, even if I am in a minority of one!

 

You're not, Mary!!!!

 

That makes three of us - or, assuming that Sim is of the same mind, should that be four? I didn't book to see Osipova for this run as she didn't remotely convince me last time round, a major disappointment as I loved her Giselle, but maybe she has grown into the role, or perhaps it has something to do with the chemistry with Matthew Golding. I did, however, adore Obraztsova's interpretation on Monday. She and Steven McRae produced something magical. Her Odette was vulnerable, believable and totally compelling and, for once, I found it easy to believe that Siegfried could have mistaken Odile for Odette - there were enough overlapping points of reference for this to make sense. I do hope that she and McRae are able to reprieve their partnership on the 25th.

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