Irmgard

I found the film of Russell Maliphant’s “Echoes” to be hypnotically beautiful. If “Shadowplay” had not already been used as the title for a ballet, I would have suggested it for this piece, showcasing as it does the beautifully choreographed lighting effects on the dancers’ bodies. As Fernanda Oliveira says in the excellent accompanying mini-documentary, the continuously flowing movement reminds one of the ocean and, for me, it was like watching the reflections of moonbeams dappling the water in which, certainly in the opening section, the dancers appear to be floating. The sublime partnership of husband-and-wife team Fabian Reimair and Fernanda Oliveira, in a duet of stunning sensuality and innate tenderness, form the heart of this piece. For me, they are two of the best dramatic artists in the company and Maliphant not only showcases this but also Reimair’s superb partnering skills and Oliveira’s ability to fill out every millisecond of a musical phrase so that it appears they are moving in perfectly synchronised, slow motion. So natural and effortless do they make this look that I was surprised to hear Oliveira say in the documentary how difficult they had found Maliphant’s movement style. To continue the water imagery, there is a breathtaking moment towards the end of the duet when Reimair holds Oliveira overhead in a backbend with the lighting creating a whirlpool effect on the floor and they gradually disappear into the darkness as if they are being drawn into its vortex. They are then joined by Giorgio Garrett, Anjuli Hudson, Isabelle Brouwers, Eileen Evrard and Junor Souza as the tempo of the soundscape by Dana Fouras picks up, in the same endless, flowing style of movement in which the simple but effective costumes also reflect this gorgeous fluidity. It is wonderful to catch glimpses of the supremely talented (and certainly under-used last season) Souza, especially at the end when he appears to dissolve into a moonbeam on the water. All credit to film-makers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt for capturing this intriguing work so perfectly.

“Laid in Earth” is another extraordinary film by the very talented Thomas James with some spectacular special effects, not least by the make-up team led by Natasha Lawes. Unfortunately, I found the choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui much less interesting, being quite limited in its vocabulary. A glistening Precious Adams is best served by it, with her sinuous, seamless movement. It certainly does not exploit or challenge the formidable talents of Lead Principals Erina Takahashi and Jeffrey Cirio. Takahashi’s husband, James Streeter, completes the quartet so that it is possible to include a brief pas de deux. The title is taken from a line in the haunting lament sung by Dido as she dies of a broken heart, having been abandoned by Aeneas, in Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, and the whole aria and recitative is used amid the otherwise electronic soundscape. It is exquisitely played in an arrangement by Gavin Sutherland for piano, violin and cello, and sung by Flora McIntosh, although I found her tone somewhat harsh for what is possibly the most beautiful aria ever written by Purcell. Stripping away all the special effects which would not be possible in a theatre, I could not see this piece working as a live performance but, as a film, its depiction of mouldering bodies is intriguing although not something I would want to watch too often. I have to say I was amused by the accompanying documentary, not by anything happening in the studio but by the resident in the apartment block opposite obviously enjoying the ringside seat on her balcony!

English National Ballet’s second digital release, “Senseless Kindness” by Yuri Possokhov is very different from Stina Quagebeur’s “Take Five Blues”. Whereas Quagebeur’s piece was an explosion of pure joy from start to finish, Possokov’s is an expression of melancholy and yearning. What connects both pieces is their celebration of the sheer beauty and versatility of classical ballet technique and, of course, the uniformly high calibre of the dancing. Watching “Senseless Kindness” for the first time, I was struck by what a beautiful film Thomas James has created, even if the choreography sometimes plays second fiddle to the filming itself. Shot in black and white, with increasingly breathtaking lighting effects (curiously, there is no lighting designer credited), this has a haunting quality, reminiscent of a 1940s film noir. James allows the camera to linger lovingly on Alison McWhinney, whose dancing is as photogenic as her looks. If the other female in the piece, the equally lovely Emma Hawes, appears to spend most of her time in the background, I imagine she would be more visible when we finally have the pleasure of seeing this piece in the theatre. McWhinney is tenderly and sensitively partnered by Isaac Hernandez in some exquisite pas de deux work. He is well matched by the always impressive Francesco Gabriele Frola, who partners Hawes, and both men have some intriguing duets together and solo work. The choice of Shostakovitch’s Piano Trio No.1 (written in 1923 when he was seventeen!) is ideal for this snapshot of relationships inspired by Vasily Grossman’s novel about family life in Russia during World War II, “Life and Fate”, and is soulfully played by Julia Richter (piano), Matthew Scrivener (violin) and Gary Stevens (cello) under the direction of Maestro Gavin Sutherland. I do find the title slightly odd (is kindness ever senseless?) but perhaps it is taken from the novel and became slightly lost in translation! That aside, this is a piece which I find even more mesmerising on each viewing, and I will certainly be renewing my rental, as I have done with Quagebeur’s piece.

I thought it was like the other 'on demand' ballets ('Corsaire' etc.) they are currently offering, that you can renew the licence every three days. As these have been specifically made for hire, there doesn't seem to be a cut-off date listed, unlike the archive films shown earlier in the year which copyright holders agreed could be shown for free for a very limited time period. I hope I am correct about this.

What an exhilarating celebration of dance to witness on a grey Monday (and Tuesday!) morning! Most of the dancers have not set foot on a stage since mid-January and their joy at finally performing again, albeit in a studio and with no audience, was almost palpable and certainly infectious. I was very pleased that ENB decided to launch its digital season of new dance works with a piece by their associate choreographer and winner of the NDA emerging talent award this year, Stina Quagebeur. I started following her choreographic career about eleven years ago and the vitality of this new work reminded me very much of a piece she created back then to American boogie-woogie music. Quagebeur also designed the stylish costumes – simple but elegant tunics for the ladies, in a bright blue, and tank tops in the same blue for the gentlemen with darker trousers (which brings me to my only slight gripe about the film, with the lighting sometimes being a bit too dark to showcase the amazingly athletic leaps of the men, but then I was watching it on a small computer screen). Musically, Quagebeur turned to Nigel Kennedy’s ‘take’ on Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (and I wonder if anyone else remembers an early Bintley piece to the original for Lyn Seymour and Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet in 1978?) and on a movement from one of Bach’s string concertos, otherwise known to ballet fans as “Concerto Barocco”. Hence, the title of the piece – “Take Five Blues”. Casting could not have been more perfect. As Katja Khaniukova said in the brief accompanying documentary, Quagebeur knows all her dancers and their personalities and strengths, and she takes full advantage of this, allowing eight dancers (three ladies and five gentlemen) to shine in her seamless, life-affirming and wonderfully musical choreography for them. Due to all the Covid restrictions, only two couples are allowed any physical contact, but Quagebeur presents a range of imaginative contactless mini-duets in varying combinations, starting with Matthew Astley and Khaniukova. There are two wonderful pas de deux of complete abandon for Angela Wood and Rentaro Nakaaki. Nakaaki’s burgeoning talent was evidenced at the 2019 Emerging Dancer competition and here Quagebeur showcases his excellent partnering skills. I have long admired the quiet beauty and elegance of Wood’s dancing since I saw her in one of the beautiful pas de deux from “No Man’s Land” about five years ago, so it was lovely to see her featured here in a pas de deux of a very different dynamic. I thought Khaniukova and Shiori Kase were ideally matched as Gulnare and Medora in ‘Corsaire’ last season and it was a pleasure to see them dancing together again. To my mind, they are the best female turners in the company and proved this again in the Bach section with their lightning fast châiné turns, Kase also demonstrating her firecracker fouetté turns with Khaniukova and Wood spinning round her, both at breakneck speed. I admired the power of Fernando Coloma’s dancing when he first appeared as the Nutcracker about three seasons ago and Quagebeur captures this beautifully, either when he is dancing alone or in the thrilling contact duet with the always watchable Henry Dowden. Coloma also provides a great foil for Aitor Arrieta, usually the most noble of princes, as they circle each other at the beginning, eyeing each other up, each displaying a delicious machismo as they start to compete. These are only my initial thoughts but Quagebeur obviously has huge love and respect for her dancers, and they have repaid her with a performance rich in memorable moments, from Khaniukova’s sensuality of movement in the jazz section, to Wood’s assured confidence in the seemingly reckless lifts, from Kase’s flawless technique to the sheer exuberance of the male dancing, which merits repeated viewings to discover even more delights, and hopefully there will be performances for an audience later in the season. I had to laugh at the ending, with the men lying exhausted on the floor, and the ladies coolly standing by, as if they could easily do it all again. Girl power rules!

As she has now publicly announced it on her Instagram page, I can confirm that Jurgita Dronina is seven months' pregnant, so she would not have been able to participate in this season until the spring,. However, I know she is hoping to return as a guest artist at the first opportunity.

Just to inform people that Estonian National Ballet will be showing a rehearsal on their Facebook page tomorrow at 8.30am our time. This is a rehearsal of Act I of Mary Skeaping's "Giselle" which was recorded last week as the company has placing calls onstage tomorrow so cannot participate 'live' in World Ballet Day. Their Facebook page is Rahvusooper Estonia.

I have to say that I booked on the afternoon of 3 September and had no problems whatsoever getting my ticket for the Saturday morning or making a donation - and I am neither a Friend nor a Patron so perhaps I was just extremely lucky! At half an hour, it is rather a short event but worth it just to be inside a theatre again!

With regard to Sergeyev staging the classics for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, I had a delightful conversation with Julia Farron a few years ago. She was in the company at the time and she remembered these rehearsals. She said that Sergeyev was rather unmusical when it came to teaching variations etc. so, unbeknownst to Sergeyev, when he had left the rehearsal room for the day, De Valois would keep the dancers back and ‘clean them up’ musically.

I am rather surprised that the press release only mentions the years given to the company by Maria José Sales and Fernando Bufalá since their return to ENB round about 2014. Both dancers took a break from ENB for around five years but, previous to that, they both gave many years of wonderful service to the company, with Bufalá dancing a number of principal roles. Sales was definitely in the company in 1998 so has clocked up at least sixteen years with the company! Having worked on Mary Skeaping’s “Giselle” with all those who have left, including Joshua McSherry-Gray and the lovely Crystal Costa, I feel I am losing cherished members of my family! While I applaud ENB for commissioning new works for their digital season, I do hope they will also film a few classical excerpts to balance things out and take advantage of the wonderful talent so evident in the performances of “Le Corsaire” last season.

These performances so far are only advertised on the DistDancing Instagram page and can happen on Saturdays or Sundays. The organisers hope to keep them going until October. On the information page, attendees are asked to socially distance, wear masks and not to block the pathway for passers-by but obviously there is no-one to police this so one hopes that all will behave responsibly. The Instagram page also contains films of some of the performances and it is interesting to see that, as well as Japanese television, shared by Naomi above, Brazilian and Italian television have also reported on the performances!

The film was based on Maurice Maeterlinck's play, "The Blue Bird of Happiness" (1908). I remember seeing this film on its release, mainly because it featured Nadezhda Pavlova (then tipped for great stardom) and other members of the Kirov Ballet (as it was then called). It had an all-star cast, including Elizabeth Taylor as the mother and, in one of her first screen appearances, a very young Patsy Kensit as Myltyl. I do remember Cicely Tyson being a deliciously wicked cat! There was an earlier version, made in 1940, which was on television a few years ago. It starred Shirley Temple as Myltyl and was enchanting.

Zizi Jeanmaire, inoubliable interprète de « Mon truc en plumes », est morte Muse du chorégraphe Roland Petit, Zizi Jeanmaire a bouleversé les frontières traditionnelles de la danse, de la chanson et du music-hall. Elle est morte à 96 ans. Le Monde avec AFP Publié aujourd’hui à 11h27, mis à jour à 14h40 Temps deLecture 4 min. Partage Partager sur Facebook Envoyer par e-mail Partager sur Messenger Plus d’options

I expect the version on Youtube is the Dutch National Ballet production by Wheeldon which was adapted (and enlarged!) for the Royal Albert Hall. ENB performed Wheeldon's proscenium version at the start of their autumn (2019) tour.

I see from the date given in the credits at the end of the recording of Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella-in-the-round that it was filmed during the dress rehearsal on 5 June 2019. I was at this dress rehearsal and I vaguely remember cameras being dotted about the vast auditorium. This was surely the most challenging ballet to film and edit to capture all the action. I remember being disappointed at the rehearsal and subsequent performances by the standard of the choreography, especially in comparison with the company’s previous productions and, of course, the Ashton masterpiece, which very rarely matched the magnificence or emotional depths of Prokofiev’s score, here caught in all its glory thanks to the ENB Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Gavin Sutherland and the wonderful acoustics of the fabulous Royal Albert Hall. I also found much of the humour crass and tasteless (and was glad to be able to fast-forward through some of these scenes on subsequent viewings). However, there was so much to enjoy amongst individual performances and the exuberance of the corps de ballet in their many costume changes (I loved the blue outfits for the ballroom scene and thought these filmed particularly well, especially from above). Cinderella herself is a rather under-developed role in this production, having little to do except waft prettily throughout, and the choreography for her is rather underwhelming. Alina Cojocaru was ideally cast as the waif-like heroine and danced prettily but she seemed to find difficulty making the choreography seem like anything other than a series of steps, some of them very awkward. In fact, having seen all the casts throughout this run and the following autumn tour, I found that Shiori Kase made the most sense of the choreography, managing to connect the steps and imbue them with real emotion. In this performance, she was relegated to the soloist in the Spring section of the Seasons interlude and was, for the most part, obscured by the surrounding ensemble. Interestingly, I felt that Tamara Rojo as the monstrous stepmother did not come across as well on film as she did in the auditorium, especially in her drunken pas de deux with her long-suffering husband, danced throughout this run by Fabian Reimair. Isaac Hernandez, as the Prince, was in his element with the energetic and exuberant choreography, especially in his duets with his friend Ben, here danced with great style by the always elegant Jeffrey Cirio. For me, the best pas de deux for the Prince and Cinderella was at the very end of the ballet when they circled the arena in a series of very simple but beautiful lifts. As I felt at this rehearsal and all through the performances I saw, the most touching and heart-warming relationship was between Ben and the clumsy, bespectacled stepsister Clementine, here given a very appealing interpretation by Katja Khaniukova who, right from the start, shows her as bullied and humiliated by her mother and sister and manipulated into participating in the particularly mean behaviour of her sister. I was very pleased that the film captured perfectly the moment when, after their duet in the ballroom, Edwina (given an excellently unsympathetic portrayal by Emma Hawes), who has been increasingly frustrated by Clementine’s greater dancing talent, knocks her to the ground and she lies there in a crumpled, humiliating heap until lifted up by Ben and there is a lovely moment of stillness between them when he straightens up her glasses that speaks volumes. After that, their developing love story gives the ballet the magic it needs. The film also captures very well my other favourite moments, which are the beautiful Stina Quagebeur, as Cinderella’s mother, floating like an angel above the child Cinderella (a very sensitive portrayal by Bonnie Bradfield) and, of course, the spectacular tour of the arena by Cinderella’s ‘coach’ pulled by the Fates transformed into horses, with Cinderella being held aloft and her train billowing behind her. This was real theatrical magic! The streaming is available until 7pm tonight and is well worth a viewing. I note that this streaming was in collaboration with the Royal Albert Hall and donations were requested for this national treasure as well as ENB’s Future Fund. It is to be hoped that the Chancellor’s package for arts venues and institutions will benefit both these organisations, neither of which we can afford to lose. I realise I did not post anything last week about ENB’s streaming of “La Sylphide”. Despite Frank Andersen’s production not coming close to the company’s previous sublime production by Peter Schaufuss in 1979 (luckily the television film of this is available on Youtube) and being lumbered with some very unflattering costumes in Act I, this was a wonderful record of Isaac Hernandez dancing exceptionally well as James (excellent footwork and elevation in all the Bournonville beaten steps) and creating real chemistry with the other-worldly Sylph of Jurgita Dronina who was captivating from start to finish, showing an innate understanding of the Romantic style along with her instinctive musicality, and who must surely have one of the most beautifully expressive faces onstage today!

In total, I saw twelve performances of “Manon” during the 2018/2019 season and I remember being underwhelmed by Alina Cojocaru and Joseph Caley in the leading roles, just as I was when watching this streaming on Wednesday evening. Compared with almost all the other casts, I found their performance a bit too careful, lacking in spontaneity and missing the rapturous abandon in the first two pas de deux which was so thrilling in performances by the other casts. Of course, Caley’s dancing is beautiful but I did not feel it was infused with emotion in the same way as the dancing of others taking on the role of Des Grieux during the season. However, apart from some annoyingly pantomimic acting from some of the beggars in Act I and drunken harlots in Act II, there was a huge amount to enjoy in this film of the season première, not least the spotlight finally being shone on Katja Khaniukova in this series of streamings. She received two Critics Circle nominations this year, one for best female classical dancer and, watching her elegant and exquisite dancing as Lescaut’s Mistress, it was obvious why she received the nomination. She won the award for outstanding female performance (classical) for her interpretation of Frida Kahlo in “Broken Wings” and, again, it was easy to see what an exceptional dance actress she is, as she made the Mistress, a role which can very often seem two-dimensional, a real person with completely natural reactions and emotions, making her spirited, vivacious and, above all, feminine. There was a wonderful chemistry with her Lescaut, the sublime Jeffrey Cirio, who brought his flawless technique to the challenging solos, especially the drunken one, and gave us a great portrait of a darkly manipulative rogue, who could be utterly charming, even when drunk, but with a definite cruel streak, in complete contrast to his Des Grieux which was memorable for the innate tenderness in all his dancing with Manon and, of course, his beautiful adagio dancing of the solos, infused with real emotion. It was also wonderful to see two other exceptional artists, Crystal Costa and Adela Ramirez, as Courtesans, delicious in the Act I duo and hilarious in their warring duo in Act II. It is sad that we will no longer have the pleasure of seeing the effervescent Costa dance with ENB as she left the company earlier this year after several months’ sabbatical following what was essentially her farewell performance as Khan’s Giselle. Her radiant stage presence and effortless technique will be sorely missed. With so many wonderful individual performances, not least the ravishing interpretation of the score by Gavin Sutherland and the ENB Philharmonic, I will definitely be watching a few more times before this disappears at 7pm on Friday!

Pleasure!

Unfortunately I had no idea, as Khan's version is far removed from Mary Skeaping's production which I look after. However, I have asked my good friend Stina Quagebeur, who created the role of Myrtha in the Khan version, and she said Khan wanted them to have weapons as they seek revenge and he thought that holding them in the mouth made them belong to another world, not the real world. Of course, the need for them to have weapons is completely contrary to the original legend of the Wilis, who were meant to ensnare their victims with their beauty (which is why in the Skeaping production designed by David Walker the Wilis look beautiful and feminine). Personally, I am not at all fond of the ladies having to hold bamboo poles in their mouths as it cannot be good for their teeth!

Just to let you know that Tosca is actually the lead character's surname! Her name is Floria Tosca but, of course, being a famous opera singer, she is referred to simply by her surname, even by her lover Cavaradossi! So, you were quite entitled to call your male cat by that name! ☺️ My current cats are Mimi (from La boheme) and Rudi (after Nureyev because he had such amazing cheekbones as a kitten!).

For those unable to attend summer schools this year or who are just looking for lessons to keep technique in shape until studios are allowed to reopen, this is to let you know of a new platform for online private ballet classes which is being hosted by dancers and ballet masters in the USA but has an international roster of teachers available. The website is www.mysensei.me. Amongst the teachers offering private lessons are Audrey Klemm, ballet teacher at the Paris Opera, and Yannick Boquin, freelance teacher who has been guest teacher at the Bolshoi amongst other companies. I can personally recommend Jurgita Dronina, Lead Principal with English National Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada, as I have been doing her online classes since lockdown began, after not having done anything since I stopped teaching twenty years ago, and I have been very impressed with her method of training (good for all ‘schools’ such as RAD, Cecchetti and Vaganova) and her excellent corrections. Likewise, Pedro Lapetra of English National Ballet (a fabulous technician), has recently graduated from the Royal Ballet School teacher training course for professional dancers and is also offering private lessons. Both of them can be contacted via the website or via their own profiles on Facebook and Instagram and I know they will both tailor their lessons to your level and may also consider semi-private classes. Hopefully this post does not breach any BCF rules but I feel it is important to let students, parents and professional dancers know what is available during these challenging times. I have no association with the above website, apart from enjoying the classes they have offered on their other platform, worldwide ballet class, which has generously offered free classes throughout. Irmgard Berry

Contractual agreements with choreographers/estates etc. usually only allow for one complete recording of a ballet to be made for archive purposes with only very short extracts from it being allowed to be used for publicity purposes. To record a complete ballet for any other purpose requires a separate negotiation, which is why ENB (and presumably other companies) have had to contact copyright holders to ask permission to show the complete ballets during these challenging times.

It seems churlish to make any criticism of ENB’s streaming of “Song of the Earth”, especially as I believe this may have been the first telecast ever of the whole ballet in the UK, only the Sixth Song having been shown in Darcey Bussell’s farewell performance, and the fact this film was only ever intended to be for archive purposes. However, I did find the close-ups particularly irritating, honing in arbitrarily on a particular dancer (usually Tamara Rojo) when there were other things happening onstage. This is such an ensemble piece that we should see all of the action all of the time, as McMillan intended and I really hated losing any tiny piece of this masterpiece! I also felt it was a shame that the opening night had been filmed, as the piece grew in profundity with each performance. I was surprised to find Rojo rather cold and expressionless compared with the other ballerinas who took on the role of the Woman (and I saw six performances throughout the run, seeing all casts). Likewise, I found Joseph Caley did not really give the Man much character at this performance, especially compared to the warmth and elegance of Aitor Arrieta (here dancing in the ensemble) as the Man, who had such wonderful chemistry with both Fernanda Oliveira and Jurgita Dronina as the Woman. Jeffrey Cirio’s superb technique was often obscured because no concession had been made to the lighting for the filming so that too often his lower half, in black tights, melted into the black backdrop. Therefore, for me, the highlight was the delightful Senri Kou in the Third Song, along with the joyous dancing of the ensemble. My criticisms aside, it was still wonderful to marvel at the beauty of the choreography, lovingly performed, and the stirring rendition of the score given by Gavin Sutherland and the English National Ballet Philharmonic and to have the chance to watch it as often as I could during the 48 hours it was available.

This online gala was a real treat and, being streamed via Vimeo, the sound and picture quality were excellent. The organisers even thoughtfully supplied a PDF of the programme along with the password to access the event. Sadly, David Motta Soares of the Bolshoi did not appear but otherwise there was a wonderful array of Brazilian talent, many of whom are principal dancers in companies all over the world. I marvelled at the enterprise of the dancers in finding spaces in which to dance. Most amazing was Mayara Magri, along with her partner Matthew Ball, of the Royal Ballet, who had found a (currently deserted) piazza in a business centre (100 Liverpool Street in the City of London) complete with balcony and staircase in which to dance the balcony pas de deux from McMillan’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Some dancers were lucky enough to be in ballet studios. Otherwise, there was an assortment of parks, playgrounds, roof terraces and living rooms. Most ingenious was the ‘solo’ (“L’Homme”) performed by twins Vitor and Guilherme Menezes in Denmark, where the camera cut seamlessly from one of them dancing in a multistorey car park to the other dancing in a park. Most amusing was the living room setting of Paulo Arrais and Derek Dunn of Boston Ballet, performing a duet to the White Swan pas de deux while their cat, sitting on the window sill, studiously ignored them except for one brief glance before returning to staring out of the window! Other UK-based dancers taking part included ENB’s lovely Fernanda Oliveira in Nikiya’s Act I solo and Ballet Black’s Isabela Coracy in a solo she choreographed for herself. The gala lasts two hours and fifteen minutes and, if anyone is interested in having a look at this very enjoyable event, it is available until 30 June 2020 for a minimum donation of approx. £3, with 100% of your donation going to Brazilian charities. I know I will certainly be revisiting it several times to watch my favourite moments again.

I thoroughly enjoyed last night’s streaming from the Royal Opera House. I had no problems logging in via the emailed receipt from ROH, and both picture and sound quality were excellent on my computer. I last saw Ashton’s “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” danced by Ivan Putrov in his “Against the Stream” gala in April 2019 and I remember thinking he lacked the line and quality of Anthony Dowell (whose original performance of it at the Coliseum in 1978 I am sure I saw). There were no such misgivings about Vadim Muntagirov who was sublime in every way and demonstrated so perfectly why Ashton is a master choreographer. I last attended a recital by Sarah Connolly in Oxford in 2018 and I was delighted that her voice has lost none of its burnished beauty. As someone who makes every word of the German, and its meaning, crystal clear, she was the perfect choice for Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde” and I marvelled, as always, at the effortlessness of her vocal line. I did feel that David Butt Philip pushed his voice at times, which was not necessary as the reduced orchestration (by Schoenberg) was being used, and the (extremely welcome!!) orchestra was behind him, not in front. Having taken advantage of English National Ballet’s streaming to watch McMillan’s masterpiece three times before Friday evening, I had images of his breathtaking choreography in my mind last night, especially during the final song. Is there any McMillan fan who can hear the final, repeated “ewig” without seeing those slow-motion walks downstage at the end of the ballet? Staying up for the highly entertaining online Gala from Brazil afterwards, this was a very good day!

I have just received further information from the organisers and this gala will be available to view (via Vimeo) until 30 June so no more worries about staying awake tomorrow to watch the whole thing in one go! You can also donate until 30 June and get access to it once your donation has been received.