patsomerset

I didn't see them together last time, but i've booked for them this time. Can't see them being well paired together, and I can't see Watson as a romantic lead, but i'm looking forward to seeing them, and hopefully being proved wrong. It's a shame she isn't dancing with her original Romeo, Rupert, as they have a lot of chemistry.

 

I wish i'd seen Rojo as Juliet as everyone raves about her in that role.

I saw Rojo & Acosta as R&J a few years ago and  it was the most moving performance I have seen.  I am going to try Nunez & Soares this season.  Dream cast?  I'm not sure yet

Looking at the casting for the Lowry, it doesn't look as if there are going to be any exciting debuts. I would have liked to see Momoko or Maureya as Aurora.

I saw Momoko as Aurora in Plymouth in March 2010 so she has made her debut.  Very lovely she was too

Oh MAB, I would second that!  I was very taken with Mr Lantratov on Saturday afternoon!

Me too!

I knew this production from the Blu-Ray and booked for the 3 performances to see different casts, which I did, though not always the one's I expected, I have noticed that Alexei Ratmansky has a wicked sense of humour seen in Bolt and Bright Stream, also the Court scene in particular in Flames has some wonderful sly humour, Denis Medvedev's cameo role of Louis 16th was a gem, he danced it every time although the first cast list said Ruslan Skvortsov(who danced the Marquis every time). Both the Amours were lovely, I preferred Chinara Alizade, (good to see all the dancers out of tutu's for a change) Artem Ovcharenko and Kristina Kretova were better at the droll acting in the Masque pdd, but both couples danced beautifully, imagine the girl's solo on pointe is very difficult.

 

I like the quiet pdd for Angeline and Jerome in act 2, but some of the Ratmansky choreography seems rather dull and clumsy, especially the first scene where Jeanne keeps getting thrown about, the booklet with the Blu-Ray itemises which is Vainonen, and which "after" him, the rest is Ratmansky.

 

The second act is much more exciting, and is what most people expect from the Bolshoi,  the pdd for the Actor/Actress is more Soviet in style and very thrilling, and then of course that pdd, you have to see Osipova and Vasiliev and then you don't really believe it!  Ivan did look a bit tired on Saturday night, can't blame him, he was generous in agreeing to dance two night's running and it didn't detract at all from his performance, Ekaterina Krysanova was almost as good as Osipova, some would say as good, she also has fast footwork and lightness and her fouettes were spectacular, they got faster and faster at the end but she did a perfect stop.  In comparison of course the matinee cast couldn't repeat O and V, but I got a lot of pleasure in watching Ekaterina Shipulina who I haven't seen a lot of, and liked Vladislav Lantratov's Philippe very much indeed, thought he showed an Errol Flynn like approach to the role and he has the most wonderful elegance and technique, he probably danced the correct Vainonen choreography too

 

Fantastic way to end the Season!!!

I enjoyed hearing from someone who saw all three performances and found a lot to enjoy in all three.  I liked your comparison of Lantratov to Errol Flynn.  He did indeed present a very elegant, glamorous figure right though to the curtain calls!

  More DVDs, especially of triple bills and I would say more exciting programming for cinemas like showing Jewels instead of the Nutcracker but seeing as there were three of us in the cinema for the Ashton Mixed Bill I'm not sure that's practical. 

 

   A small touring group of RB dancers would be nice, they could maybe do more modern pieces and maybe some pas de deuxs. 

 

   They used to have written bios on the website, at least for the principals. It'd be nice if they brought them back. 

  

     On a positive note the insight videos they have been posting are fantastic.

My local cinema was similarly under occupied for the Ashton mixed bill but I think that was more down to the time of year, the hot weather and the lack of publicity.  Some would not know what an Ashton mixed bill was composed of whereas they might have known one or more of the individual items. Normally the screen is full for ballet now and I am hoping it will continue in the Autumn.  I am with you about Jewels instead of Nutcracker.  I have never quite got to grips with Jewels and am reluctant to pay full whack to see it again but I would give it another go in the cinema

'Flames' is one of those ballets where one's appreciation seems to benefit from more than one viewing. I, for one, hope that the Bolshoi will bring it back in two years' time.

OK then, I might try again!

I was standing on the extreme left of row D in the Stalls Circle. I was with two friends who dont normally go to the ballet but we didn't go out for the interval and were mostly talking about the ballet and ROH atmosphere etc.

Inspite of Flames not being overwhelming as a ballet we still enjoyed it....they probably more so than myself as had not much other ballet experience to compare it with. Glad you enjoyed to inspite of itself!!

Yes, in spite of not being over the moon, I did enjoy it.  Ideally I like to come away excited and/or moved and it was only partially successful in those respects.  I'm probably a bit of an old stick in the mud but so far only Giselle, R&J and Don Q really do either one or the other for me, so far anyway!

I'm at the matinee too Pat!  I'm towards the side of row C in the stalls.

I didn't see you Janet but I hope you enjoyed it!

Oh well here goes again but won't be as "live" so to speak as the original now lost post....the spirit of the moment so to speak!

 

Meunier I share your obvious love of Osipova and Vasiliev and now I know...as you say...the ballet was created around them this explains a lot. I didn't buy a programme yesterday (at £12 just a bit too much) but sort of got the plot without it.

I thought Lantratov was excellent yesterday and my eye was drawn to him when he was on the stage but as you say does not have that dangerous edge that Vasiliev has who.....although he may not have the cleanest technique more than makes up for it with the stunning vibrancy of his performances. All the Bolshoi ballerinas have their own particular quality and Shipulina is a fine dancer but for example there are some hops on pointe across the stage which are similar to ones in Don Q .Shipulina did them very well yesterday of course but did not have me literally on the edge of my seat (which I did have for that perf) when Osipova did this in Don Q.....another dancer who lives dangerously!!

I didnt have a problem with the dancers though so much as this ballet itself...really a sort of romp through the French Revolution!! i know the court entertainment bit in the first Act, showing the vapouries of the french court was needed as a contrast to the revolutinary zeal going on not that far away but it did go on a bit and couldnt wait to getbback to the real action! And then that infernal "roman scene" even found its way into the second act again....in ridiculous costumes this time as well(poor Denis Rodkin) This could have been an opportunity to have perhaps a dramatic and moving farewell pas de deux for Jeanne and Adeline instead of her rather abrupt almost perfunctory beheading with the then pathos of Jeanne rather lost...and Savin's talents....who is obviously a brilliant actor...the more so to get something across with all the general razzmatazz going on...rather wasted.

Though I did feel the final advance down the stage towards the audience was an effective ending but by that point had stopped taking this ballet seriously!

Regards the music yes I did recognise some well known French songs there including the Marseillaise but the OVERALL affect was not that memorable. And why the tinny recordings of the Marseillaise? The two non ballet going friends with me brought this up on their own account afterwards.....could not at least a live singer(or two) have delivered a stirring rendition of this at some point at least or the orchestra at least have played it! The recording detracted from the general musical experience. Although as I said before the second Act was better.

Well we all still enjoyed ourselves yesterday and....hey standing to see the Bolshoi for only £15 not a bad deal at all!!

It was lovely to see my friends reaction to the ROH too...they were well impressed and definitely want to repeat that experience at least!

So it's what to see next for them......have also promised to keep my eyes glued for any Osipova /Vasiliev performances....in any theatre.....as I think Ive inspired them that these are the must see couple so fingers crossed they will be dancing in UK together again this year at some point.

Thank you Lin for having another go!  I too was there yesterday afternoon and what you say just about reflects my own views of the performance.  I would have dearly loved to see O&V the evening before but it wasn't to be, so I have nothing with which to compare the matinee.  I have not seen this ballet before and to be honest it is not on my list of 'must see again'.  I thought the first act was very slow and seemed to be a hotch potch of ideas taken from just about every ballet you have ever seen with the court entertainment, that ridiculous Roman costume and so on.  I also thought the music way too loud; it seemed to overshadow the not really very exciting dancing.  The second act however was a different matter.  It came to life and produced some lively dancing and of course that beautiful pdd which was far too short as far as I was concerned.  I liked Lantratov and he did indeed draw one's eye when he was on stage.  Maybe they were conscious of being the 'second' cast, I don't know, but I felt they very much upped their game during the second half and deserved the reception they received.  It was my only Bolshoi performance this season and I felt I had chosen quite well.  I don't particularly want to see it again but given the rather predictable choice of repertoire this visit I was pleased I had chosen, this but don't feel the need to do it again

I didn't see the description of your outfit until I got home Lin, so I don't know whether I saw you or not!

I'm at the matinee too Pat!  I'm towards the side of row C in the stalls.

I am on the left hand side of the balcony, row A.  Shall we try to meet either before the performance or in the interval?  I am off early tomorrow morning to stay with a friend on the way so let me know asap whether and where

How charming.  We seem to have had a few reports of bad audience behaviour (and I mean bad, rather than just the usual run of inconsiderateness) over the last few weeks.

Reports on another forum that there was a fight in the lower slips at ROH one evening last week caused apparently by people leaning forward and blocking the view of others

I can't say how delighted I am to hear that the Bolshoi season seems to have taken off at last.  I have been very puzzled by the lack of enthusiasm on this forum compared to the enthusiasm, by and large of the critics, one of whom said this season must be regarded as a commercial success.  I take this to mean, "all the seats have been sold", whereas I get the impression that this had not been a vintage season as far as the dancing goes!  I have saved my one and only visit for the Saturday matinee of Flames of Paris, the only reason being is that it is a matinee and I can get there and back in a day, and it's a ballet I have never seen before.  I am hoping that they are saving the best to the last

I'm confused.  My TV guide says that this coming Saturday's Proms Extra programme features Bolero, but wasn't that last weekend (when Tamara was on - I missed about the first 15 minutes)?

Yes it was definitely last Saturday.  I did comment on it in Ballet in the Media.  As far as I know it is still on the i-Player.  Well worth watching; I thought is was fabulous.  I agree with Janet about Le Tricorne.  Too fast and too silly! 

She was indeed looking might fine, and saying some interesting things - eg lamenting dancers' limited possibilities for improvisation in classical ballet when compared to those open to musicians.  

She did indeed look good and she said some interesting things too.  The programme contained a clip from an impromptu speech made by Daniel Barenboim last week, congratulating the promenaders on what they brought to the proms, namely 'silence'.  This echoes several recent comments on this forum about the inability of people to remain silent through the overture and sometimes even through the ballet itself.  I once had two women behind me at ROH who persisted in talking about their recent handbag purchase throughout the overture.  Tamara also remarked on how wonderful a few seconds of silence is at the end of a performance while the dancers revert to being themselves rather than being say Juliet, before the curtain calls.  We have also had a discussion on how immediate applause, whistles, shouts of bravo etc etc break the spell after a particularly moving performance.  Interesting to have a view from the other side of the curtain so to speak

Incidentally I thought the clip they showed from Bolero was knockout.  It is well worth looking at the complete performance on I-player while it is still there

The Ashton Bill was fabulous on the big screen - i found it better than the live theatre as you could see the dancers so much better than miles away on the Balcony/Amphi at ROH.  Marguerite & Armand was beautiful and it was great to see Tamara's last performance at ROH and the flower throw was a real treat.  Leanne Benjamin and Valery Hristov were great in Thais and Alexander Campbell and Yuhui Choe were fab in Voices of Spring.  Monotones 1 and 2 were good and I preferred 1 on screen.  The only ballet that did not translate well to the screen was La Valse - as with the stage too many dancers and it looked a bit messy - it was hard to see the men as they were wearing black against black scenery - it was nice but but not clear enough.  I can't wait for the DVD to come out it will be well worth having - the little interviews were wonderful as well and I would hope they will be on the DVD too.

I was about to comment on this and wondering if anyone else had been, so good to hear from you Don Q Fan!  My local Odeon was only a third full which is very unusual these days for ballet performances, they are usually sold out. I do not usually like mixed bills and hardly ever book to see them in the theatre.  Nor am I over familiar with the work of Frederick Ashton so this was a change for me, and a delightful one.  A wholly Ashton bill brought home to me his unique and very different style which I had not appreciated before and I could see why people say it is difficult to dance.  I agree with Don Q Fan mostly.  I thought the camera work in La Valse was ill judged.  Far too close in so you could not always see the patterns the dancers were creating so that it just looked messy.  My personal favourite was Voices of Spring.  Five minutes of pure delight and charm and of course Margeurite and Armand which was so beautiful and touching.  The icing on the cake was being able to see the curtain calls, the flower throw etc.  A wonderful evening.  I was sad that it was not well attended

Final thought; I think this could be the DVD, if you see what I mean

Did anyone see Tempus in the flesh? It didn't seem to translate well to television but that may have been because of some unsympathetic camera angles.

I too thought it was disappointing on the television but the music put me off before they started dancing.  I hope  it was better 'live'

Has everyone had their final confirmation email? Just trying to get through to the box office as I haven't had mine for Nunez/Acosta DQ and all those performances are showing sold out now. Panicking!

Mine came almost immediately although I had been warned it might take an hour or so! I hope your booking is OK

Wow!  Tickets were going fast for R&J on 7 Dec with Osipova an Acosta.  Not much time to browse for seats.  Nevertheless, I managed to get a seat - not great, but I got a seat.

 

Now I need to arrange transportation..... 

I get the impression that seats are going fast for everything, but I had a really good experience on the website.  I was in and out in the time it took me to make up my mind, and the e-mail came almost immediately.  I decided that my one visit this season would be to something which is not being transmitted live ie R&J and I have chosen Thiago & Marianella dancing together.  I managed to get a good seat although not a cheap one.  If I am only going once I don't want the tallest man in London to end up sitting in front of me.  Perhaps I should be more adventurous but it's difficult if you live out of London and may need to spend the night as well.  I guess I am not alone in this! This is not a sob story.  I am lucky to be able to go at all

Woohoo I got it booked at my local Vue Cinema along with Fille!!!  So glad you will get to see it too it was beautiful back in February but I can't wait to see it large on the big screen too and I hope there will be interviews in between too!  Hope you enjoy the show!

I am glad you got it booked.  I am sure I shall enjoy it!  You too I hope

Ooh thank you I will check it out!!  Fingers x'd.

I hope it is being shown near you.  I am chuffed to bits as I did not get to ROH to see this

Is the RB Ashton Bill not being shown widely in July?  Seems such a shame that it seems to be on limited release especially as it was trailered at the start of Alice.

It seems that a recording of the  Ashton mixed bill is now being screened quite widely at Odeon cinemas.  Monday 15 July at 8.30.  Booking has already opened at my local Odeon

Thanks Ian.  No sign of a repeat at the Odeon chain

I was interested that you thought there were some odd things and yes, definite touches of Spartacus .  I found it very odd that the friar picked Juliet up and danced a step or two with her.  A very strange touch

Did anyone else see this this afternoon?

My local Odeon was packed once again with a very well behaved audience with the exception of several people who arrived late.  Other than that, no popcorn, no coming and going and no conversations once it had started

I had never seen this version before and I was initially rather underwhelmed.  Wonderful costumes, wonderful colours but minimalist scenery, no balcony for the 'balcony' scene etc.  All in all a rather flat feeling.  R&J's first meeting in the ballroom seemed very underplayed, no hesitation, no beating hearts and I thought Juliet seemed quite grown up already, no running back to nurse for reassurance, and dressed in a scarlet dress, surely not what a young girl would have worn for her first dance?   

The second act was quite different. Definitely not underplayed. The market place came alive and all the men, including Romeo gave magnificent performances full of drama and emotion.  Anna Nukulina as Juliet is a lovely dancer with wonderful long legs who really came into her own playing out the tragic scenes at the end of the ballet.  The final scene was so emotional that the applause which started almost immediately, seemed intrusive, but we have been there before on this forum  

Apart from one very brief sound glitch the transmission was unbroken but we did think that the long distance camera was out of focus, so it was difficult to read the dancers faces except in close up.  There were some wonderful overhead shots during some of the crowd scenes and the usual virtuoso performance from the presenter Katerina Novikova who changed effortlessly from French to English to Russian

I'm hoping the quality will be a lot better than the 3D Giselle.

I'm with you there.  I thought the Giselle was a bit of a disaster.  I took friends new to ballet and felt very uncomfortable all the way through

I thought it was to be based on the Petipa choreography.  Carlos Acosta has mounted shows before so he is not entirely without experience and Don Q must surely be in his blood given his Cuban background.

 

I've never seen O & V live but I have watched the GPD on You Tube.  I can imagine the excitement they must generate but my own personal preference would be for more restrained fireworks.

Normally I would agree with you about the fireworks Janet ie I usually hate what I call showing off and all that pausing for applause but I could not  help but be seduced by the Don Quixote of these two.  They just seem to love dancing, enjoy dancing together and charming the audience.  It's hard to resist!