David

Amazon usually starts listing at the same price as the ROH but does occasionally drop the price, which the ROH shop never seems to do.

Over the past few years I have watched alternative DVD/Blu-ray retailers go broke or just drop out of the market one by one. The latest - Rakuten.com, formerly Play. com - has announced they are taking no further orders after the end of the month. For me they were the last alternative to Amazon when looking for the best price. Having devastated the competition Amazon now seems the only outlet for arts disks and their discounts are becoming less and less by the day.  One can still pick up an occasional bargain from US companies via eBay or the like but in the main, I suspect the days of discounts are behind us. Meanwhile the retail costs of the discs themselves continue to rise! If anyone out there knows a company that may be still offering discounts I'd be glad to know!!!!   

Her Twitter profile suggests that she'll be doing a DPhil in Soviet culture ....

"with two books in view." Splendid! They'll be on my list. 

Oh dear – I just wanted to say a quiet thank you to a writer who has entertained and informed me over many years but I seem to have opened the gates to some strong feelings. I really should have known better! One can neither praise nor impugn a critic with impunity.

I guess we all like to see ourselves as open-minded and fair but it’s probably a fact, though we may not like to admit it, that we respond most positively to those critics who reflect our own loyalties and preferences. A critic’s views can be seen by some as fair comment, by others as blatant prejudice. The fact that I enjoy a critic whom others excoriate probably says more about me, my loyalties, preferences, tastes, likes and dislikes – North, South, Russian, English, whatever - than any true assessment of that critic’s analysis. Mea Culpa.

If Ms Brown’s writings have engendered strong reaction and debate, both for and against, she has fulfilled her function and, like her writings or loathe them, we need critics like her.

I am surprised this item hasn’t drawn a wider response. Ms Brown has been a favourite of mine for many years – for her clarity, her insight and the quality of her writing. Unlike some other dance critics whose prejudices are barely concealed she has always seemed to be completely open-minded and always has something interesting to say. I shall miss her contributions very much.

And yes, Ms Brown, you have persuaded me to buy quite a few tickets over the years!

Interesting that she says she is off to Oxford to do some research. Let's hope it will result in a book!

This collection looks very exciting to me:

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/products/the-royal-ballet-a-collection-dvd-set

Many will have bought these individually over the years but for someone starting a collection it is indeed a brilliant offer with some of the RB's finest dancers at their best in what are for me much loved productions. I'm sure most of us would recommend it wholeheartedly.

just fast forward to the women's solos (Novikova is amazing) and poor Friedemann's 90-second variation in the grand pdd. What a waste of a good dancer. But that's just a general problem with Raymonda I think,not this production particularly

I might have written about this before, but the worst part of the La Scala DVD is that the screen is split into two at the 3rd act variation for Novikova and half of the screen shows the piano's keyboards. Horrible. (and I am not a fan of the production either, it is indeed dull) 

My thanks to you both. I shall pass on this one!

That Raymonda is a reissue.  Not that it is any less appealing for that, but it is currently available in its original packaging from its 2012 release.  The current price on Amazon is quite a bit lower for the upcoming reissue, though.

Thanks for the clarification barton22.

The reviews for the original release seem very mixed leaving me rather unsure about it. A reconstruction that could seem overlong and rather dull!

A long wait but so worth it. The disks will be up on Amazon soon and hopefully at a lower price. I seem to remember (it was a long time ago!) that Frankenstein was promised for October?

Also the Scala Raymonda with Olesia Novikova & Friedmann Vogel is scheduled for release on 9th Sept along with a re-issue of the Dutch National Ballet's Don Quichot with Anna Tsygankova &Matthew Golding, I'm hoping with the technical problems solved. Don't know anything about the Raymonda performance but the Don Quichot has had good reviews performance-wise.

Splendid. Thank you.

Hi, I don't know whether this is the right place to ask this but what are the programmes like, do they cover the whole season or just specific productions, Also how much are they?

 

The programme covers all the productions and cost £12!

Availability is often better at General Booking than Supporting Friends or Friends.

Ain't dat da Truth!

 (Why on earth is there absolutely no opera on for a good couple of weeks over Christmas/New Year?)

Given the quality of most operatic productions under the present regime, perhaps we should just be grateful!!!!!

Can anyone explain why Salenko is guesting ? Does McRae have the clout to cast his performances? He's good but not that good surely?

 

I am not sure why there are continual questions regarding Salenko? My understanding is that she was unable to accept a Principal's contract with the RB because her son is settled in school in Stuttgart and she with her husband was not prepared to move him. Is that not so? I think she and McRae are a good pairing and I always enjoy their performances together. I thought their performance together of Don Quixote was one of the highlights of that series.

Would it not be altogether more reasonable to regard her as a de facto, part-time Principal and welcome her?

Personally I don't have problems with guest artists providing it is only occasional - I think they can sometimes raise the bar and challenge in-house artists. One of the best of the Quixote's for me was in Jan 2015 when Anna Tsygankova replaced Natalia Osipova opposite Matthew Golding. He absolutely came to life dancing with her! I think she is a lovely dancer and as I can't get over to see her in situ I've been hoping against hope that Mr O'Hare will find an occasion to bring her back to dance with him again! 

I know many on the forum get around and about to see different companies with their dancers and I understand that this is not a popular view but it is all I can do to get down to London so I'm delighted if another dancer occasionally guests with the RB!

Bless you capybara. You've made my day!

Ditto!!!!

Is this info limited to the upper echelons? Someone help please!!!

OK. Thank you Floss.

...... Here is my initial contribution about Ashton's style it was given by Markova in a tribute programme broadcast at the time of his death.

Sorry Floss if I'm being stupid - is there a link to your initial contribution? I can't find it!

Something to look forward to, depending of course on which cinemas are taking part: three Australian Ballet productions will be broadcast to 500 cinemas worldwide in October. The ballets are Ratmansky's redesigned Cinderella, David McAllister's jaw-droppingly lavish Sleeping Beauty and Peggy van Praagh's much-loved Coppelia.

Thank you for the early advice re this. Much appreciated. The good news is that I have booked for Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella at my local Vue (first to book in each case!!!) - Coppelia isn't up yet! It looks as if its on across the Vue circuit!

Actually, are these across the board (i.e. all programmes)?  Sleeping Beauty is in Winter, isn't it?

Yep it includes the Sleeping Beauty performances falling within the autumn period and Nope, not even casting details for those!!!!

I'm in a state of total despair   as I've only now realised that I will miss the debuts of Naghdi, Calvert and Stix-Brunell as SPF in The Nutcracker... suddenly not feeling so smug for having locked in flights out of the UK on December 19th before casting details became available ....

I also have missed out on several performances in the Autumn Season that I would have attended because of the late receipt of casting details. Now I've just received the Winter House Magazine with the Winter Schedule and as I feared, once again there are no casting details tho it does show a hike in ticket prices! There isn't even the usual intro/apology from Kevin O'Hare and if he has said somewhere when the Winter casting lists will be made available I haven't been able to discover it. Have I missed it? Can anyone help please?     

Thanks for this Yaffa. I'm wondering if the BBC is planning any contribution?

I have pencilled in that, in the normal way of things, we could be receiving casting details for the Winter season in a couple of week's time, including of course the Xmas performances of Sleeping Beauty. However given the delays in casting announcements that seem to be becoming the norm, I fear that's probably overly optimistic? General Booking for the Autumn season doesn't open till the 19th July, so, although they overlap in December, I suppose any announcement re the Winter Season will await that and probably beyond!

Unfortunately unlike the Ballet World, the rest of the performing arts are now booking 12-18 months ahead and one can't afford to wait. One can only hope that with the recent promotions, Mr O'Hare et al now feel they know their dancers' strengths well enough to make earlier commitments  to the programme they have announced!

EDIT: My apologies for there not actually being any casting information in this thread as yet, but the Autumn thread was starting to run into Winter too, and I thought it better to start a separate thread.

Alison

There have, however, been extraordinarily perverse decisions been made, both in terms of those promoted and those overlooked, the latter of which have included a number of the finest Ashtonian dancers in the latter part of the twentieth century.

Quite a claim! Who were "the finest Ashtonian dancers in the latter part of the 20th century" who in your view were perversely overlooked please?

Floss, if you ever have the time or the inclination, I wonder if you could share your wisdom with this novice about the different requirements of an Ashton/Macmillan dancer.  I am not as familiar with the Ashton repertoire as I am with Macmillan and would love to hear it explained in words I can understand.

I think this is a very interesting suggestion - in fact I wonder if it might be possible to mount a discussion in a separate thread, broadening it out to consider the differing styles not just of choreographers but also of the various companies.

From time to time I hear people – for example Darcey Bussell and Tamara Rojo to name but two – referring in passing to the differences between the Bolshoi, the Mariinsky the Royal Ballet and various other Companies  but I have not heard any detailed attempt to define the different styles and requirements.

It’s a big Ask but I suspect there are many other "novices" like myself who would find such a discussion by the more knowledgeable members of this Forum really, really helpful!