gingellgingell

All tickets now taken.

prs 59 - have PM'd you.

JG

Sat Feb 23 Don Quixote SCS D54 Sat Feb 23 evening 7.00 PM (Nuñez, Muntagirov) is still available.

I am offering the following 3 tickets for Saturday::
Sat Feb 23 Don Quixote SCS D1 Sat Feb 23 matinée 1.30 PM (Kaneko, Camargo)
Sat Feb 23 Don Quixote SCS D10 Sat Feb 23 evening 7.00 PM (Nuñez, Muntagirov)
Sat Feb 23 Don Quixote SCS D54 Sat Feb 23 evening 7.00 PM (Nuñez, Muntagirov)
Face value £10 each, all e-tickets. Please PM.
 

I loved this Winter's Tale. I thought choreography, music and design were all wonderful - but for me, the greatest accolade has to go to Talbot's stunning score, which rolls out a meticulously coloured carpet of evocative moods and a precise, pitch-perfect storyline, which can't fail to produce a convincing stage narrative.

We saw delicious bluebirds last night from Choe and Zuchetti. He had really done his bird-study - it's the first time I've seen a bluebird who convinced me he had wings!

I was happy, too, to hear Ovsyanikov setting danceable tempi - the last run was spoiled, for me, by Gruzin's unobservant conducting.

On the subject of applause: as I understand it, there are certain pieces, including the last act divertissements, where the bows from the performers are actually a set part of the production; they have to take the bow, regardless of applause or its absence.

There have been some comments here about tempi in the current Giselle production. I sit directly over the orchestra, and it is clear to see that Gruzin spends long periods with his gaze locked on the orchestra and not lookng at the dancers. He checks for obvious showpieces, like Albrecht's series of entrechats, but for many other important moments he does not look at the stage.

Well, I was lucky enough to see Marianela and Thiago dancing last night. What an emotional experience - I kept forgetting to breathe.

What he does offstage is up to him, but the problem when a dancer cuts rehearsal is that it's not only himself he's short-changing. He's also putting the confidence and fitness of whoever he partners on the line.

I would also prefer to have seen Kitri and Juliet danced by RB artists. I have been watching the RB avidly, even fervently, since the last couple of years of Mason's directorship. What riveted me was discovering  the exciting dynamics and artistic cohesion of a true company. Much as I admire Obratsova, I really don't want to see the RB become a background for "star" visitors. The whole interest for me is that the RB has been producing fabulously tight and thrilling drama, where the dancers of the smaller parts count as much as the leads and contribute as much to the ballet as the principals do. This is something that very rarely gels when a guest has a major part (though I must add that I thought Reilly's wonderful Onegin last season was an exception to this).

I don't sit down to book thinking "Oh dear, I'd really like to see some new stars..."  I sit down thinking "Wow! I wonder what the configuration of the company will be?"