Jump to content

Peter Schaufuss Ballet, Tchaikovsky Trilogy, London, July 2012


Recommended Posts

Can anyone kindly tell me more about Peter Schaufuss Ballet coming to the Coliseum in July with Swan Lake, Beauty, Nutcracker. Are these his own creations or the classic versions. Will be across the pond at that time and need to know how to spend my Pounds. The photos on the website look 'different'

Any thoughts appreciated

Eileen

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello, Eileen, and welcome. If you use the old Ballet.co search engine at http://www.ballet.co.uk/cgi/reviews_database_search/db_search.cgi, you'll find 1 review of the Nutcracker, lots of reviews of his other productions, and also a link to a review of the trilogy from 1998 which doesn't work, but might give you something to go on. It's from The Sunday Times, but I believe all their stuff from before they disappeared behind a firewall a year or two ago is supposed to be archived accessibly, so running a Google search on the information might come up with something. I'm not sure how things stand with the archiving of the old Ballet.co pages at the moment, otherwise I'd suggest you find the Links thread for that particular week, which ought at least to have a quote of some sort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both, Alison and Janet. But are these performances the classics or his version (truncated/his choreography)? Even if Irek is guesting in character roles, I'm not sure if this is what I want to see.

Thanks for your views and anything else you can suggest.

Eileen

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But are these performances the classics or his version (truncated/his choreography)? Even if Irek is guesting in character roles, I'm not sure if this is what I want to see.

Thanks for your views and anything else you can suggest.

Eileen

 

 

"Truncated" is a very good word to use for Nutcracker which I saw at Christmas, the running time was only about 1 hour 20 minutes I think, this is more like a Matthew Bourne production, only Clara danced on pointe and there was no grand pas de deux, the music was used as an epilogue for The Dreamer and a Woman in White, choreography was modern, do you get the picture? the audience at Christmas didn't :)

 

I'm sure the production will be boosted for the Coliseum, and Alban Lendorf is dancing in Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty , which I haven't seen, plus Irek Mukhamedov, I got the impression that the trilogy has pyschological understones about Tchaikovsky which also might be worth seeing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beryl - you've just sparked a memory! In the (traditional) production that PS did for ENB (or as it still was, LFB), Drosselmeyer was Tchaikovsky. There was a prologue of him sitting at a desk imagining the Nutcracker, which he was writing for his brother's children. Perhaps others may remember better but I believe there were psychological undertones mentioned. Christopher Bruce performed this role in the early days.

 

On a trip to Russia in 1986, we were taken to Tchaikovsky's dacha at Klim. Most of the very beautiful house had been inhabited by Tchaikovsky's brother's family and the man himself had one room that seemed to be almost a bedsit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

If any of the above don't suit, there is a Metro offer valid until 27 July: £25 off best seats. e.g. stalls £55 for £30. you book on the usual Coli website www.eno.org and the discount is applied on the pay screen using code METROPS .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From what I have read, anyone going to see this Swan Lake as an alternative to the forthcoming ENB and RB productions is in for a bit of a shock. And it's not one to take the children to either, to introduce them to the joys of classical ballet! A Certificate 15 Swan Lake! Has there ever been such a thing before?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone give a brief overview of the performance? I loved Ek's version of Swan Lake but was rather underwhelmed by Bourne's- how does this compare to those? Choreographically or storyline wise? Does it references any other works, or versions of Swan Lake? How are the performances?

Tempted to take advantage of one of the cheap ticket offers or get a student standby but not sure whether it is worth the trek into town, especially in this glorious heat (not so glorious on the tube!)

Any comments/ideas/reviews very welcomed and very much appreciated :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the third part of the Tchaikovsky Trilogy - Nutcracker at the Coliseum. The lighting was difficult as they had to avoid reflections in the perspex. I think the critics were a bit harsh. There was some beautiful dancing in all three ballets. A special mention for Stefan Wise who linked the Trilogy and Yoko Takahashi for the contrasting roles. Try and catch the three ballets all on the same afternoon/evening this Saturday

 

Peter+Schaufuss+Ballet+-+Nutcracker_jr_030_nut_christensen_oki_1000.jpg.small.jpg

 

Johan Christensen and Megumi Oki

 

 

Peter+Schaufuss+Ballet+-+Nutcracker_jr_143_nut_takahashi_wise_1000.jpg.small.jpg

 

Yoko Takahashi and Stefan Wise

 

More pictures at www.johnrossballetgallery.co.uk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't see the Swan Lake but was interested enough to go to Sleeping Beauty having only seen it danced by a touring company (Ballet Theatre UK I think) to a pre-recorded score. I was very disappointed that this, too, was danced to a recording (unlike the Romeo and Juliet he brought to the Coliseum last year). The first half was OK, dominated by lots of wheeling around a red bed where Beauty was conceived, born, then put to sleep by the wicked fairy. Although the dancers seemed to be very good, the choreography never gave them a chance to shine.

 

The second part was a massive improvement ,opening with an electric duet between the Prince (Lendorf) and what I took to be Tchaikovsky (Wise). Schaufuss said he wanted to explore Tchaikovsky's suppressed homosexuality and this really came out in Tchaikovsky's attempts to cover up the bare-chested Prince while clearly desiring him. There was more excellent dancing to OK choreography from Lendorf and Oki. By 9:15 it was all over, having started at 7:30 and including a 20 minute interval! That one duet really shone and I left reasonably satisfied but if I had paid full price I would have been disappointed.

 

There was no free cast list so I am going by the pictures above to identify who danced what and who the characters were meant to be.

Edited by Chris
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...