Scheherezade

I agree. It shows that the audience has been caught up in the performance and the mood.

Hear, hear, and rather different from the situation in the front few rows of the side amphi on Thursday evening when, after the prologue and act 1, a young women moved into an empty seat in row A. Her phone flashed continually throughout act 2 distracting everyone sitting behind her and she leaned so far forward that the couple next to me couldn't see the stage at all. During the pause before act 4, more than one person sitting behind her asked her to switch off her phone and sit back and when she completely ignored them, my neighbours asked the usher to intervene. I was surprised, first of all, that the usher needed to be asked and even more surprised when, as the young woman ignored him too, he moved away and left her to it with the result that the couple next to me missed the whole of act 3 as well as act 2. My friend and I advised them to have a word with the management. I really hope that they did.

And each type of shoe could be directed towards a particular type of person.

Went through the RBS, was offered a place at the RB, had the technical ability and enjoyed the physical side.

Yes, but upwards of £62 so out of my price range.

ArucariaBallerina, please don't stop, I love seeing such spontaneous joy and enthusiasm.

I have had many illuminating chats with strangers in the amphitheatre and almost all of them enjoy, and are knowledgeable about, classical music. On the other hand, a friend who is ex-Royal Ballet readily admits that she can't stand classical music and would happily live without any music of any type and it drives her mad when her husband is home since he plays music pretty much non-stop.

As I'm going on Monday, I hope so too, SPD444, will be gutted if not!

My worst experience at the ROH involved the girl sitting next to me quite openly removing her old and very smelly trainers to reveal extremely whiffy feet. The trouble was she was so friendly I really couldn't say anything. And how do you say what you would like to say in those circumstances anyway?

That was always my impression too.

Wonderful opening night at the Adriana Lecouvreur revival and what joy to experience, at long last, a production as appealing to the eye as to the ear. It goes without saying, as I'm sure many already have, that Adriana is a role that sits perfectly on Angela Gheorghiu but, my goodness, how fabulous were Ksenia Dudnikova, bringing brittle glamour to the Princess de Bouillon, Brian Jagde, a vocal powerhouse as Maurizio, and on top of all that Gerald Finley, totally scene-stealing as a nuanced and heartrending Michonnet. More casting of this quality, please, and let's have more David McVicar instead of some of the appalling productions that have been foisted upon us in the recent past.

Taboo, mmm .... Definitely one for Liam Scarlett.

Yes indeed, Chase Johnsey could give anyone, male or female, a run for their money!

I am sure that most posters on this forum would agree with this, Floss, and that we would add our votes from an audience perspective as well as that of the development of the younger dancers but, regrettably, how likely is it that the the inevitable 'bums on seats' considerations will be ditched in favour of more imaginative scheduling?

Wasn't Cory Stearns part of a RB/ABT swap with (McRae?) or am I mixing this up with something else?

I'm pretty sure that Row B is much cheaper. And B has by far the worst sight lines. Perhaps A is as cheap as it is because of the (very) limited leg room

A heavy ballet weekend for me: Woolf Works on Saturday (evening), Giselle on Sunday, of which more elsewhere. I'll try to keep Woolf Works brief. I wondered whether it would stand a second viewing. Answer: absolutely yes! I came with four WW virgins ranging in age from 25-70, one of whom was a big Wayne McGregor fan, one most definitely wasn't and the other two fell somewhere in the middle. All four agreed with me. For myself, I was particularly pleased that the Mrs Dalloway piece, atypical McGregor, continued to impress. Why hasn't he done more works like this? Oh, and Francesca Hayward was lovely, as always. I wasn't surprised that the Orlando piece still worked for me as I generally enjoy his big, colourful works the most. Not surprised, either, at the audience reaction as this is a piece that connects. And it reminded me how fabulous Osipova and McRae are together. Why, oh why, isn't there a repetition of their awesome Rubies casting in the next run of Jewels? And although the third piece lacked the immediate impact of the other two, this felt both appropriate and deliberate and, as a result, it wrapped up the triptych in a moving and meaningful way.

I absolutely loved the Badenes/Corrales closing performance this afternoon. So did the two girls sitting behind me who had apparently seen every cast and excitedly remarked that this was the best of them all. Coated, I so agree with your observations following their debut. Corrales - what a star! I can't recall coming out on such a high since the Vasiliev/Osipova Don Q when they were still with the Bolshoi but what really astounded me was the emotional depth that Corrales brought to the role. Aristocratic, ardent, yet from the very first this Albrecht showed a touching concern for Giselle, a concern which sharpened and intensified during her mad scene (this was an impulsive Albrecht, not a milksop afraid to face up to his actions or a cad playing with her affections) so that his anguish at her death was convincing, overwhelming and utterly harrowing. And, yes, the chemistry with Elisa Badenes was there in spades and what a beautiful interpretation from her, too, moving from the girlish uncertainty of their first encounters through the flowering of first love and the distress of betrayed innocence to the selflessness and protectiveness that followed death. Sometimes Giselle's protectiveness is hard to fathom but Corrales painted Albrecht's feelings for her so vividly that in this case it made total sense. So on to those entrechats, and I have to agree with Geoff. Not only were they thrillingly executed but they also made narrative sense. And, Bill Boyd, only the slightest interruption from clapping. I think everyone was too caught up in the moment. Alison McWhinney delivered again as Myrthe although perhaps without the steely control that Laurretta Summerscales brought to the role, and Rina Kanehara continued to impress. Finally, a big shout out to the consistently wonderful corps and orchestra. This company goes from strength to strength!

My thoughts entirely, Mary.

Searcys' staff were terrific. Fast, accurate. They greeted you with a smile, a kind word or seven, such as: 'lovely to see you here again tonight' and relaxed conversation. The current lot are better in the amphi bar than the Paul Hamlyn Hall where the staff, for the most part, are indifferent, grumpy or downright unhelpful. On one occasion, when someone else had helped themselves to the drinks that my friends and I had ordered, we asked three ambulant members of staff for help and they all declined and pointed us in the direction of the three-deep queue at the bar. I caught the attention of one of the staff, who said she would help then promptly turned away to serve four other customers. Finally I located the manager, who replaced our drinks just as the final bell was ringing, which meant all that we had time for was a sip then back to our seats

Thank you again, Irmgard, for adding clarity to what felt so right about the costumes which, along with the lighting and, for that matter, the rest of the production, I absolutely loved. I was there on Wednesday and can only echo everything that has already been said about Alina Cojocaru and Laurretta Summerscales, both of whom were, in their very different ways, utterly breathtaking. For myself, I found Hernandez a little bland, much as I did in the equally stunning Akram Khan production, and am looking forward to seeing what Corrales can bring to Albrecht in the closing performance. Bridiem, I do so agree with your comments about the cathartic effect of a curtain call which allows the audience to express its appreciation. When curtain calls are not allowed to run their natural course, it almost feels as though the performance has summarily been cut short.

I am so glad that you decided to post your article, Irmgard. The background information, fascinating in its own right, will greatly enhance my understanding and enjoyment of future performances.

One more: Best Wigmore debut: Rene Pape (and riveting Mussorgsky!)

Probably the most telling thing about this production is that after the regular turkeys served up over the last few seasons, this one felt comparatively like a classic. Fleming, never the best of actresses, can still deliver a better performance musically than Domingo's recent efforts although twenty years down the line who knows?. Octavian is always a difficult trouser role to pull off. Did anyone see Tara Erraught a couple of years back?

I agree with Mab and Geoff on so many levels but with slight tweaks as follows: Best production: Akhnaten - mesmerising, stunning and totally unforgettable; Runners up: Norma - Yoncheva unexpectedly impressive and the production better than expected with the exception of the misconceived Watership Down scene ; Suor Angelica - Jaho utterly heartbreaking; Worst production: Oreste - gratuitously nasty, sleazy and utterly offensive; Runners ups: Il Trovatore - cartoonish insult to the intelligence of the audience; Cosi - sadly disappointing, a lost opportunity; Only just gone and already lamented: The late, great Hoffman, particularly the ravishing, vampiric Venetian depiction; Most entertaining performer: The increasingly appealing Grigolo; Biggest spectacle: Joyce di Donato at the Barbican; Best of British: David Bates and La Nuova Musica; Not-opera but just have to mention: The incomparable Jordi Savall at the Sam Wanamaker in August