aileen Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I love Sleeping Beauty personally, but I found the last RB run rather disappointing. I understand that it's a very important ballet in the company's repertory for historic reasons but, with a few exceptions, I didn't feel that the dancers danced it with much joy and enthusiasm last season. It's probably wise that it's not being brought back next season. I too wonder about the wisdom of single choreographer programmes. I'm slightly disappointed that no outside choreographers are going to be brought in as I wonder whether McGregor has anything new to say and feel that Scarlett has rather lost his way (let's hope that a dramaturg is brought in for Frankenstein). It all feels a bit repetitive to me, with a new, presumably abstract, piece from Wheeldon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 If that is the extent of the programme I wonder what they'll choose for the cinema broadcasts? Joan, barton mentions the cinema broadcasts in post no. 77. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 No Dances at a Gathering back, either 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 No Dances at a Gathering back, either Agree, very disappointing! And where are Sylvia, Ondine, Bayadere....?? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleaden94 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Agree, very disappointing! And where are Sylvia, Ondine, Bayadere....?? I agree! Would love to see Sylvia, Bayadere and Cinderella to return! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 Not sure who you'd cast as Ondine at the moment, though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Not sure who you'd cast as Ondine at the moment, though? Choe of course! :-) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Having said that, I'm not keen on Ondine, Sylvia or Bayadere myself. I'd like to see Cinderella, but this production, well the first act, looks very odd to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Frankenstein has a new score from Lieberman. The Salonen is being used by McGregor (and the season guide says Salonen will conduct some of the performances). And there I was, steeling my girdle needlessly..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Choe of course! :-) And I would also give Francesca Hayward a crack at it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Having said that, I'm not keen on Ondine, Sylvia or Bayadere myself. I'd like to see Cinderella, but this production, well the first act, looks very odd to me. They aren't my favourite ballets either (although I do like Bayadere; I didn't used to like it at all, but the more I've seen it, the more I like it. I saw the perfect production in St. Petersburg in February and that has enhanced my liking for it no end!), but the reason I mention them is because they were all revived a few years ago at great expense and with great effort to get them as historically accurate as possible, and they just seem to have slipped off the RB radar altogether. Strange.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) they just seem to have slipped off the RB radar altogether. As far as I'm concerned, too many wonderful possibilities seem to have slipped off the radar in favour of a preponderance of new or newish works. Edited April 14, 2015 by capybara 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) They aren't my favourite ballets either (although I do like Bayadere; I didn't used to like it at all, but the more I've seen it, the more I like it. I saw the perfect production in St. Petersburg in February and that has enhanced my liking for it no end!), but the reason I mention them is because they were all revived a few years ago at great expense and with great effort to get them as historically accurate as possible, and they just seem to have slipped off the RB radar altogether. Strange.... I think I went the other way. There was a lot I love about Bayadere. But the last time I saw it (the Bolshoi I think), I took a relative newcomer with me. He was so repelled by the temple dancing at the start (and generally the ballet's cheesiness), I've been a bit put off it myself ever since. Edited April 14, 2015 by Sunrise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Royal Ballet 2015/16 Season - Repertoire All the information below is presented earlier in this thread, but it was not all together. The info was originally taken from an ROH Magazine that arrived in a reader's (barton22) snail mail in the normal way. Under is the info all copy and pasted together. But do note this is all in good faith, good faith in the magazine and good faith in transcribing - and things can change anyway. Romeo and Juliet - around 18 performances Connectome/Raven Girl - 7 performances Viscera/Afternoon of a Faun (Robbins)/Tchaikovsky pdd/Carmen (Acosta's) - 8 performances Monotones I and II/Two Pigeons - 7 performances The Nutcracker - around 25 performances Will Tuckett's Elizabeth in the Linbury Rhapsody/Two Pigeons (again) - 7 performances After the Rain/New Wheeldon/Within the Golden Hour (all Wheeldon programme) Giselle - 16 performances The Winter's Tale - 15 performances Frankenstein (Scarlett) - 10 performances (co-production with San Francisco Ballet with new Lowell Liebermann score) New McGregor (to Esa-Pekka Salonen's Nyx)/The Invitation/Within the Golden Hour (again) - 6 performances Live cinema broadcasts seem to be R&J (Sept 22), the Viscera mixed bill (Nov 12), Nut (Dec 16), Rhapsody/2Ps (jan 26), Giselle (Apr 6) and Frankenstein (May 18). There are Insight Evenings on Two Pigeons, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet as well as several "Royal Ballet in Rehearsal" evenings. There is even a session in the Clore with David Pickering where you can "Dance with The Royal Ballet" and learn some of the Romeo and Juliet choreography. There is no casting announced at this stage. Finally (from BM) I was trying to find more information re Will Tuckett's Elizabeth in the Linbury and a Google search threw up this page/pdf on the ROH site: http://static.roh.org.uk/support/pdfs/elizabeth-27-november-2013.pdf Note it was an ROH Foundation event in 2013 (not cheap, but good cause etc) and featured Zenaida Yanowsky and Carlos Acosta (and others) in "An evening of song, dance, drama and music, charting the life of Elizabeth I in her own words, and those of the men who loved her." How it relates to the Linbury shows is not known. Tomorrow (15 April) the season is officially unveiled and more information should be available. Links to posts used to pull the above togther: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9077-royal-ballet-season-2015-2016/?p=126575 http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9077-royal-ballet-season-2015-2016/?p=126591 http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9077-royal-ballet-season-2015-2016/?p=126623 http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9077-royal-ballet-season-2015-2016/?p=126624 http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9077-royal-ballet-season-2015-2016/?p=126637 http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9077-royal-ballet-season-2015-2016/?p=126687 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I think it looks a cracking season with all those new works by Scarlett, McGregor, Wheeldon, Tuckett and Acosta. Hallmark of a vibrant art. Lots of work from the past - it just doesn't dominate so much as it did and I'm thankful for that. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 As a relative novice in all this, please can someone tell me a bit more about Two Pigeons and what to expect? It's a ballet I know nothing about beyond the fact that it's an Ashton one (I think?) I envy people seeing Two Pigeons for the first time. I have seen it many times since my first viewing at Sadler's Wells in January 1990. (Kevin O'Hare was my first "Young Man" BTW.) It has never failed to weave its magic on me and I have seen, for me, some truly outstanding performances; the most tear inducing was a Saturday matinee in Birmingham some years ago with Nao Sakuma and Robert Parker. I think its magic is because Sir Frederick Ashton makes characters that you really care about. You want the young lovers to get back together. The final, reconciliation, duet is so beautiful almost because the choreography is so understated. You can usually tell when the audience dissolves into bits because it is when the harp comes in... Enjoy folks!!! (I do hope I will be able to get to one of the performances, especially if a certain Mr Campbell is cast!) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Winters Tale - wasn't ALL gloom! I'll go to lts of those I'll stick up for Connectome - thought it was magnificent! Raven Girl - final pdd glorious, some of the other parts interesting - what we could SEE! R&J - zzzzz (except the balcony/bedroom pdds). That'll save me some cash, unless there is some interesting casting Nutcrackers - lovely, but perhaps too many (I'll still go to too many for the comfort of my wallet) Another McGregor - yay! if Infra or Carbon Life like, boo if Limen or Tetractys like Yay! for Wheeldon triple - love his stuff Mixed bills look interesting - though as said, not so keen on repeats within a season Frankenstein - who knows!?!? Giselle - I'll go to the lot if I can.. Going to be an expensive season for me, by the looks of it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 It's going to be a cheap season for me, which will be good for my bank balance. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) Having seen this season yesterday - and now on reflection - it is, I think, a well balanced one, offering - as Bruce suggests - a healthy balance of new work which is so vital to the future. I think too this is a season well scoped for a company the size of the RB. I'm sure the repetition of major works (i.e., Song of Earth, Two Pigeons, even Within the Golden Hour) is well sourced in that it will help to grow them into the RB dancers' DNA. I would love if in the future he might do the same with Ashton's Symphonic Variations. I think the idea of co-productions with companies the size of National Ballet of Canada and SFB are brilliant as they are all companies of a relative size. In ALL of this outline I feel O'Hare is showing himself to be prudent on our behalf and I'm sure this planned season will help him in his determined goal towards being able to continue to build the company from the bottom up. That philosophy has already paid major dividends. Edited April 14, 2015 by Bruce Wall 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 and I'm sure this planned season will help him in his determined goal towards being able to continue to build the company from the bottom up. I really do hope so but I am not convinced at the moment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barton22 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) Note it was an ROH Foundation event in 2013 (not cheap, but good cause etc) and featured Zenaida Yanowsky and Carlos Acosta (and others) in "An evening of song, dance, drama and music, charting the life of Elizabeth I in her own words, and those of the men who loved her." How it relates to the Linbury shows is not known. Thanks for pulling this all together, Bruce. The Elizabeth is the one that the link you found relates to. The season guide states that. Edited April 14, 2015 by barton22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Spannerandpony I think that there is a very simple explanation for the Song of the Earth appearing in two mixed bills not that far apart.The company is taking Don Q to the US this summer but it is not taking it to New York a very wise decision in my opinion. I expect that the official reason is that the New York audience gets to see a lot of ballet and might appreciate more interesting fare than a ballet that is an ABT staple. I don't suppose that it has anything to do with the weaknesses in casting or the defects in costume design and staging that so many commented on when Don Q was being performed a couple of months ago. New York is getting two mixed bills one of recent works by McGregor, Wheeldon and Scarlett (the Age of Anxiety) the ballets on the second mixed bill are the Dream and the Song of the Earth.Before the run began I joked to a friend that perhaps we should treat this run of performances of Song as an extended period of open rehearsals.On the basis of the performances of Song that I have seen that is what they are and the cast needs all the rehearsal that they can get.The first cast does not seem to catch the mood of the piece and some sections look decidedly rough;the section where the men turn the girl in cartwheels over their shoulders looks so awkward that you would think that Choe was a last minute substitute which she clearly is not.Again there is no surprise when the Messenger carries her off because you can see her preparing to be carried off whereas in the past, as it was less obviously prepared for, it came as the surprise that it is intended to be.I read somewhere that Nunez has been longing to dance in this ballet. On the basis of her performances so far the role does not suit her.It is not a question of technique because the two greatest exponents of the role that I have seen were as different technically as chalk and cheese but both brought something very special to the work.The originator of the role Marcia Haydee had a beautiful bouree and there is a lot of boureeing in it.The bouree is really only a linking step but both Ashton and MacMillan used it to create mood and depict character.The bourees must be beautiful and nuanced Haydee's were and so were Mason's. Both dancers performed the role with a deep understanding of the music and the text.They danced with real feeling projecting anguish,loss,resignation and hope to such an extent that they were one with the music so far Nunez has danced it with little insight. The programme for 2015-2016 is at first glance a strange mixture and the responses to it have been both revealing and entertaining. At first I thought that all those Nutcrackers was a bit excessive even for the holiday period but it helps to pay the bills and may be needed after the Connectomes progranne.It is something that the non fanatic ballet goer might want to attend with grandchildren in tow. If it helps create and develop the next generation of ballet goer then that's fine by me. As some have already said it should give some of the younger dancers a chance to perform and I suspect that is also one of the reasons why the Two Pigeons has been scheduled.The timing suggests that the two programmes of Pigeons may be intended for those who consider themselves too grown up to go and see Nutcracker and who are not old enough to appreciate the glorious score and the bits of Ivanov choreography that Sir Peter Wright includes in ballet.The long run of Nutcrackers followed by sixteen performances of Giselles may be intended to enable a good number of the younger dancers with potential to work with Sir Peter who will be ninety in 2016. I suspect that the choice of ballets to accompany Pigeons has got little to do with with appeasing "Ashton fanatics" and quite a lot to do with getting the Ashton repertory right.It would be lovely to think that the management were that concerned with appeasing the "fanatics" and keeping the repertory of one of the twentieth century's greatest choreographers alive.The number of performances of Pigeons should ensure that the performance that is seen in the cinema looks right.The management does not have the luxury of a large number of dancers in the company who have already performed in Pigeons at the School's matinee so they will be starting from scratch. Two Pigeons was made for young dancers and I hope that it will be used to let a significant number of the young talented dancers in the lower tiers of the company gain experience of dancing the roles of Young Girl, Young Man, Gypsy Girl and Gypsy Man each of which is a test of stamina and artistry.It would be a lost developmental opportunity if it is only the big names that are cast in it.The ballet provides a real test for the dancer but it does not come loaded with the pressures that a nineteenth century classic does, with memories of great performances of the past real and half imagined.Those who are old enough to have seen it danced by the company rather than as part of the ballet school's Covent Garden matinee will be so grateful to see it that they will not want to make comparisons with past casts. For dancers like Nagdhi,Hay,Hayward,O'Sullivan and Ball there will be an audience brimming over with good will and pleasure.I wonder whether the Ashton Foundation has put in a word for its revival as there are still several notable interpreters of the roles who were coached by Ashton whose insights they will wish to record for posterity.I hope that both Seymour and Anderton are called in to coach as they created the roles of the Young Girl and the Gypsy Girl. Some dissatisfaction has been expressed that both Monotones are to be revived. I am pleased that they are being revived because I thought that both parts were work in progress at the end of the run rather than the finished article. I did wonder whether my memory had perhaps exaggerated the smooth flowing movement that I recalled as an integral part of Monotones II but then I came across a recording of a cast that would not have been considered anywhere near the equal of the original but whose performance would now be highly regarded. The dancers were used to Ashton's Cecchetti based choreography and danced it idiomatically; all three seemed to be in continuous movement without any of the little stops and starts that have crept into its performances recently.Monotones is a subtle ballet and neither part that was recorded was danced perfectly. The white section was the least effective because it was not not danced with the flowing shifts of weight and direction which made the original cast seem almost weightless.I know a lot of people who will be happy to see both parts again. I do not normally agree with ballet evenings being programmed for particular sections and demographics of the ballet audience.In the case of the Two Pigeons I find it hard to think of anything else other than Rhapsody and Monotones that the company has scheduled that would be suitable with Pigeons. That programme may have written itself. I am sure that those who failed to find Raven Girl a work of genius will be grateful that it is on the same bill as Connectomes rather than something more compelling. Romeo and Juliet is not my favourite ballet but I have the feeling that once the casting is announced Imay feel compelled to see several performances.It is ballets like this that make it clear that rather than having too few principal dancers the company has too many. The company has seven permanent female principal dancers.Six of them have the ballet in their repertoire if each principal expects to dance three performances of it there will be no opportunity for new casts and the development of younger dancers who are the company's future. I for one hope that O'Hare makes some tough decisions, skips a generation and gives some of the younger dancers a chance to perform in this work rather than casting some of the more established dancers whose careers have appeared to stall. It is good to see that the Winter's Tale is being revived. I hope that the dancers who actually appeared as the second cast in its first season are allowed to repeat their performances as they were at least as good as the first cast and in some cases surpassed them.A full evening of Wheeldon may be interesting but I wonder whether there is sufficient difference between them to make a really interesting mixed bill. I think that Scarlett is a very talented choreographer who shows considerable maturity. I hope that he makes a break through this year with his new work and that it is clearly his work rather than an example of trying on someone else's choreography. I felt that Sweet Violets in particular was a case of dressing up as MacMillan. At least it is likely to have more substance than Eagling's Frankenstein did.I seem to recall that Eagling's work work was over dependent on a spectacular use of stage effects. The mixture of old and new may be more immediately pleasing to the dancers than to us but that does not mean that we won't enjoy the next season when it is fleshed out with casting.It may well be that this season is intended as a sort of declaration of independence from Lady MacMillan who some have felt has wielded too much power over the company since her husband's death.Perhaps O'Hare will achieve his aim of refreshing the repertory with major new works. Time will tell. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Re the 25 Nutcrackers, that's pretty standard for North American companies, and indeed many do more. I believe Boston does 42 (at least they used to) and NYCB does something in that order too. It pays the bills for the rest of the season. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barton22 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) It pays the bills for the rest of the season. It does fill the house, but I always find this argument for a regular long run of Nut a bit odd at Covent Garden as most Royal Ballet full length programmes sell very well (and at comparable ticket prices to those charged for Nut) and it isn't as if they have a huge problem generating ticket revenue. Some of the mixed programmes have lower ticket prices attached, but runs of Beauty, Giselle, Lac, Don Q or many other ballets would surely do the financial trick just as well without the same six week block of the season being consumed by the same ballet most years. Edited April 14, 2015 by barton22 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Is 25 Nutcrackers that much more than usual? They usually start the run at the very beginning of December and have performances until mid-January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 barton 22 The company gets a quarter of its revenue from ticket sales and a quarter from Arts Council England. The ACE tends to want evidence that arts organisations are attracting new audiences and attracting them across the entire demographic. I think that the Nutcracker assists ticking some of the requisite boxes without too much effort.A block of performances at Christmas probably makes it easier to let people whose families live abroad go off to see their families. I seem to recall that the delay in announcing some of the replacement casting for Don Q was caused by the potential Kitri being in South America. I imagine that blocks of performances like the one at Christmas allows time to prepare other ballets. Of course I could be completely wrong and it could be a deep laid plan to top up Sir Peter's pension pot. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 barton 22 The company gets a quarter of its revenue from ticket sales and a quarter from Arts Council England. The ACE tends to want evidence that arts organisations are attracting new audiences and attracting them across the entire demographic. I think that the Nutcracker assists ticking some of the requisite boxes without too much effort.A block of performances at Christmas probably makes it easier to let people whose families live abroad go off to see their families. I seem to recall that the delay in announcing some of the replacement casting for Don Q was caused by the potential Kitri being in South America. I imagine that blocks of performances like the one at Christmas allows time to prepare other ballets. Of course I could be completely wrong and it could be a deep laid plan to top up Sir Peter's pension pot. Just to be clear, ticket sales account for a significantly larger portion of the ROH's income that a quarter (36% in 2012 and 33% in 2013). The breakdown between the constituent companies within the ROH is not information in the public domain (and the ACE money is provided to the ROH not either company). With a reduction in ACE funding after that time, the proportion of funds that comes form ticket sales will need to outstrip the ACE funding by a larger proportion. The points Floss makes remain valid but it's useful to have accurate figures. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmie Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 You should be in for a real treat with Two Pigeons Timmie. But don't forget to take box fulls of tissues with you! The reconciliation duet at the end is utterly sublime... I'm looking forward to it already Janet - it looks like both the mixed programmes with Two Pigeons will be good. And I'm a bloke, I won't need a box of tissues! (I find a couple of hankies to be perfectly adequate ). 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) As one possible precursor to potential RB 2015/16 casting (and I don't know if this has been otherwise mentioned here) but McRae will now be dancing/guesting with Osipova next month in Giselle at ABT. Edited April 14, 2015 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Logical, he has already danced it with her in Moscow. His 32 Entrechat Six bringing the house down. I was hoping one of our Odiles would have returned the complement al la Nadia Nerina all those years ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) As one possible precursor to potential RB 2015/16 casting (and I don't know if this has been otherwise mentioned here) but McRae will now be dancing/guesting with Osipova next month in Giselle at ABT. I hope not ! There's more to Albrecht than a bunch of entrechats six. I watched YT clips from the Bolshoi performance and found his Albrecht characterisation in Act 1 very strange. In my dream Sergei Polunin will be her partner. Edited April 15, 2015 by annamk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) I hope not ! There's more to Albrecht than a bunch of entrechats six. I watched YT clips from the Bolshoi performance and found his Albrecht characterisation in Act 1 very strange. In my dream Sergei Polunin will be her partner. Given that (i) Acosta is retiring from ballet/the RB at the end of the season and (ii) the universal 'they' may well want to market the DVD whilst they can I have a suspicion that this time around it will be Osipova with Acosta in Giselle. McRae may well follow anon. Edited April 15, 2015 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleaden94 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HQpyh1Uf9w Here is the trailer for 2015/2016 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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