penelopesimpson

Lamb just doesn't do it for me. She was good in Manon, but I just can't imagine her as Juliet (she's too sophisticated). Of all the full length ballets R&J is (for me) the one in which both leads need to be equally convincing otherwise the performance is a let down. In Swan Lake, Beauty, Don Q it's all about the beauty of the dancing and the drama of the set pieces (eg swan corps, Rose Adagio) but R&J is all about the central relationship. I love Vadim's dancing and I'd love to see him as Romeo again but I just don't feel much enthusiasm for the performance which I have booked for and wonder whether I should spend that fifty odd quid on something else. R&J will be back again soon enough.

Telegraph review confirms all my worst fears about Lamb as Juliet  I am seeing Salenko and Macrae on Thursday but am going to return my ticket for the Lamb Muntagirov production on October 1.  I mean no disrespect to Sarah Lamb who has a strong following, but we each have our personal favourites and she has never moved me as a dancer.  As the reviewer identifies, she is the wrong choice for Juliet, IMPO.  I wish Mr. O'Hare had given Osipovas performances to Hayward and Cuthbertson who both convey the emotion that I look for.

This means, of course, that a fearsome responsibility hangs on the slender shoulders of anyone who tackles the role. And on Saturday night – the first of the Royal Ballet’s autumn season – that fine dancer Sarah Lamb served up a Juliet of physical grace, lightness and technical polish, but also of disappointing emotional distance and chill.

There is little about her here to suggest an Italian, in the first flush of womanhood, ecstatically engulfed by the flames of true love. On initially encountering Steven McRae’s quicksilver Romeo, her Juliet reacts with same sort of mild-mannered happiness with which she earlier greets her intended, Ryoichi Hirano’s gallant Paris.

and several very talented soloists too to help take up the slack.

'taking up the slack' is hardly a motivating marketing ploy!  Ticket prices are now terribly high and people expect star appeal.  That may not be right but it is a fact.  I attend regularly but made a point of booking for Osipova as well as Salenko and Macrae.  Maybe I'm being picky, but I am now left with a ticket for Sarah Lamb which is not what I wanted.

I'd rather see the RB bringing on some of the younger dancers who are actual RB dancers than going out and getting another international superstar ballerina in her mid-30s who dances with several companies already. If the company is a bit thin on female principals at the moment, it does at least have some very good first soloists to help take up the slack.

In principal I agree with you but I am a ballet lover and open to new experiences.  That said, however, ticket prices are now so high that audiences expect a sprinkling of stars and however good the existing Principals and however promising the youngsters, there really is only Osipova in the top category. That is too much weight for one person, particularly somebody who has more than their fair share of injuries.  By all means move people through the ranks - and I look forward to Francesca Hayward as a Principal - but in the meantime I would like to see somebody of the calibre of Alina Cojocaru return.  I was devastated when she left and still believe there was no good reason for it to happen.

Think they might have been better using Hayward rather than Lamb re Juliet...

That would have been a great choice.  Has anyone seen Lamb's Juliet as I will now be watching her rather than Osipova?  I know she well liked but she never does it for me .

With Osipova out, again, the female Principals at ROH are looking thin on the ground.  How about a call to the much missed Alina who should never have left.

Even before I got this news it had crossed my mind that she was spreading herself rather thin.  I wish her all the best.

Was so pleased to have got R&J tickets to see her.  Wish I had gone for Naghdi and Ball now.  And to cap it all, Sarah Lamb is my least favourite Principal.  

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/what-to-see/Francesca-Hayward-royal-ballet-as-Juliet/

 

Here is today's article on Francesca Hayward in the Telegraph.

 

It says that she is rehearsing R&J with Muntagirov because Matthew Golding is having visa problems. Imagine rehearsing for a role debut and not actually getting to practise with your intended partner?

Isn't it a bit weird having a Principal Dancer who has visa problems?

So, do you (or management for that matter) seriously believe that many people have booked the Hayward/Golding cast in order to see Golding?

 

Everyone on here, my personal friends and people encountered in the context of ballet performances have booked for Frankie with an air of resignation (at best) about her Romeo. There would be dancing in the streets if O'Hare announced a change to Campbell or Watson for her.

No. Love Hayward but Golding leaves me cold.  So often the pairings at the moment seem to be one front ranker and another not so loved.  Annoying when one considers the cost of seats.  

I love, love, love Alina. Johan Kobborg is so lucky! (So is Alina though). It was a very sad day for me when they left the Royal Ballet.

I was there on their last night and couldn't stop crying at the end.  I still have no idea why they went and why RB seemed to make little effort to keep them.  Osipova is fab as is Ed Watson and Steven Macrae but there is no couple at RB anywhere near their standard.

 Ed has been dancing Romeo since circa 2003 when he debuted with Lauren Cuthbertson. There was a (sort of) documentary made at the time with Jonathan Cope coaching them both - his first foray into being a repetiteur, I believe, Since then, I have seen Ed as Romeo with various partners. Maybe management now feels that others should have a turn?

Thanks for the info.  I just don't get much from Matthew Golding.  Why is Ed Watson dancing so little this season when he has been in superlative form?

I suspect that we may be thinking of the same people. Wish we could advise KO'H!!!

Do tell us who?

I would have booked for Hayward's R&J but Matthew Golding doesn't do it for me.  She was wonderful with Edward Watson in Manon but I don't think he dances Romeo

Well, Marquez seems to have been pushed out by Salenko and, previously, Obrazova. Can the RB justify paying for guest dancers when there are suitable company dancers available? I won't be donating any money to the RB (I can't stand those carefully crafted letters 'signed' by an individual dancer) whilst it has so much spare money that it can afford to pay for unnecessary guest dancers and excessively elaborate sets. Have ticket prices for next season gone up? The most expensive seats in the stalls and grand tier are now at least £100 for some performances and the seats at the front of the amphitheatre are £59 (for those performances). Rant over.

Well, Marquez seems to have been pushed out by Salenko and, previously, Obrazova. Can the RB justify paying for guest dancers when there are suitable company dancers available? I won't be donating any money to the RB (I can't stand those carefully crafted letters 'signed' by an individual dancer) whilst it has so much spare money that it can afford to pay for unnecessary guest dancers and excessively elaborate sets. Have ticket prices for next season gone up? The most expensive seats in the stalls and grand tier are now at least £100 for some performances and the seats at the front of the amphitheatre are £59 (for those performances). Rant over.

You make a good point.  I've just paid £127 for a Grand Tier seat.

I agree, Penelope.  Raven Girl seems to be universally disliked, and we all say 'but the final pdd is lovely', which indeed it is. However, I will never sit through an hour of that ballet again just to wait for the one good bit at the end.  Maybe McGregor could take this pdd and put it another ballet sometime.  Because of Raven Girl, I had to be dragged to Woolf Works almost kicking and screaming because I dreaded another narrative ballet from WM.  However....I loved it on the whole, and was glad I got to see both casts. 

 

Having had to almost remortgage my house to pay for all the R&J tickets I got, the decision to skip the Raven Girl bill was a very easy one.  I will be interested to hear what WM has done to improve it, and I really hope it works.

I am with you there.  It is frightening how much I spent yesterday so Raven Girl was not even a consideration.  I loved Woolf Works and would happily see it again.  Come on RB, time to bid Raven goodnight and thank-you.

Anybody else noticed how little Watson is dancing this coming season?  I am heartbroken.

What is Connectome (to be paired with Raven Girl) like? I spent a fortune on tickets yesterday and so I'm thankful that there's one programme that I'm happy to miss (I'm not a Watson fan - generally too febrile and physically overwrought for my taste). I have seen Raven Girl twice and despite the impressive (and no doubt hugely expensive) staging suspect that it is probably fatally flawed as a piece. No doubt people will report back in due course. If reports are good and there's a very good offer on tickets I might risk it.

Oh dear, rare to meet a non-Watson fan.  For me he is sublime.  But so agree with you about Raven Girl.  Surely they should cut their losses and quietly can this one?

Nagdhi/Ball recommended 

Thanks for that I will.  Has anyone seen Salenko and Macrae together?  Las year saw Watson and Hayward in Manon and it was a wonderful combination.  I do hope they will bring back Mayerling whilst EW is still at the height of his powers.  His first night is still one of the great experiences of my life.

Never underestimate the Kaufmann effect! Not even J.K. could tempt me back to yet another run of this rather pedestrian Carmen although I did succumb to the wonderful Anna Caterina Antonacci last time round. Did you get your Kaufmann tickets, Penelope?

Yes, I got one.  I have never seen him before so decided it was a must-buy!  Have you seen him?

Did you see Edward Watson in Wayne McGregors Woolf Works?

Yes, he was wonderful.  I loved.  And in Song of the Earth

So, I feel now how I feel every time the general booking opens for the next season. Usually nervous, sometimes frustrated and always a bit sick!

 

I have managed to get some tickets for R and J and Cheri this morning, but I wish it weren't like this. I hope you managed to get your tickets, Alison.

 

I'm afraid the ROH booking system also makes me horribly aware of the class system in this country that I usually don't have to confront. I know they hold some seats back, but I can't help but feel that by the time the booking has been opened to friends, special friends, extra special friends and friend of friends (you know what I mean), that as one of the general public we have to be happy with the floor sweepings. I know the answer would be to become a friend, but I can hardly afford the visits I make as it is. I have nothing against the friends themselves,they are obviously very important to the ROH. It just makes me, who comes 120 miles many times a year, and gets the last coach home at midnight, feel not as important to the ROH as an acquaintance of mine who is a friend, but never comes.

 

Briliiant post.  I felt like that this morning.  So little choice left, it was like crumbs and very expensive crumbs.  Like you visiting ROH is real excursion.  Three hours on the train each way, then going home I have to change trains because nothing runs to the depths of Dorset after 21.30 so I get home after 03.00.  Okay, my choice, but it is a hell of a schlep and I wish I didn't feel like one of the peasants when I go to hand over my dosh.  I think the Friends booking period is far too long.  They should have a maximum of 7 days.  

I got online surprisingly easily this morning (Chrome) but was amazed how little was left.  I pounced on one Osipova/Muntagirov R&J and am now dithering over Salenko and Macrae or Yagdhi and Ball.  Does the Friends booking date get earlier each season?  (Was also booking opera and the two performances Jonas Kaufmann is giving were gone in about ten minutes flat!

Disappointed to see so few appearances for Edward Watson in the forthcoming season.  Whilst it is pleasing to have the return of Winter's Tale and I have just managed to get a ticket for Osipova in Romeo and Juliet, I don't want to see Raven Girl (once was more than enough) and Flight of a Faun left me cold last time.

Poor Edward.

Decided to start posting here again (I tend to just lurk!)...

 

I saw the matinee last Saturday. It was my first time seeing Afternoon of a Faun & In the Night, but my second viewing of Song of the Earth.

 

I actually preferred these mix of ballets compared to the last 2 that accompanied Song. I found this time it didn't drag at all; it seemed like a more logical mix, to me anyway. So I felt it was a great way to end the season even if it was bittersweet to think I'm not seeing anything until October (!).

 

The last Song I saw looked a little under rehearsed; this time I was blown away. I think the overall performance flowed better. Ed Watson was truly amazing as the messenger of death. Really powerful & moving. It's definitely grown on me - on my first viewing I wasn't so sure. There's so much to take in & I wasn't even sure what to expect first time around. I still find it very long. There are a few sections towards the end where I start losing interest slightly, especially if I'm in an uncomfortable seat, but then that final section comes along & I'm fully absorbed again. I suppose I can't help but draw comparisons between the two casts I've seen in this ballet and I definitely favoured Marianela Nunez as the female lead. I still liked Laura Morera, & it was nice to finally see her perform, but I felt her portrayal wasn't as emotional. Also nice to finally see Nehemiah Kish dance, even if this particular role doesn't leave a lasting impression on me until the finale.

 

In the Night was perfect for me, if only for the music. I liked the backdrop & costumes, but really the music was the main attraction, & I thought it was beautifully played (makes me want to start practising again). I agree that it was nice to see Hikaru Koboyashi back, but nobody really stood out in this for me. I wouldn't necessarily rush back again to see it.

 

Afternoon of a Faun was entirely the reason I booked this ballet. Not that long ago there was a documentary about Tanaquil Le Clercq on TV (sky arts maybe?). It showed a good snippet of her performing this ballet with Jacques D'Amboise, & it was just so mesmerising. I have to say, perhaps it's just a case of sitting further away, but I didn't particularly like Melissa Hamilton, and perhaps to a lesser extent Vadim Muntagirov, in this. It was still very mysterious feeling but something just seemed off for me. I can't really put my finger on what I felt was lacking performance wise. Just the intensity in the recording I saw I suppose.

 

Anyway I hope this wasn't all a rambling mess.  I'm definitely rusty at writing up my thoughts on ballets. 

Not rambling, really interesting.  I only wish I could have enjoyed my evening as much as you did.  I am afraid Faun does nothing for me and Melissa Hamilton (in this) even less.  In the Night was just flat.  Okay, Song I did enjoy but overall the evening was a big rien.

I went last night and felt the audience response was a little underwhelming in comparison to the quality of the ballet we saw.  I particularly liked Roberta Marquez and Rupert Pennefather "In the Night" - they had fun and brought energy to the proceedings. I find "Song of the Earth" incredibly moving and all dancers contributed beautifully last night.  Carlos, Marianela and Thiago were sublime and  the final movement was stunning. The music and the dance combine to produce this emotional conclusion.

Oh dear.  'Wrong kind of audience, again?!'

While the pianist was hidden from view in order to preserve the darkness of In the Night, people in the stalls were using their phones to light up their cast sheets. Unacceptable.

Could see some lights from my seat

Song is a long and demanding ballet to finish a programme on (I didn't stay for it when it was performed in the recent triple bill). I think that the programme needed a far greater contrast in mood between the first and second halves. Faun has an enigmatic feel to it and Night doesn't lift the mood; I don't know how I would describe it: slightly melancholic and wistful perhaps. I think that something much more upbeat would have worked better. As others have said, there was a bit of an end of term feel to the programme as Song has already appeared in a very recent programme and Faun is returning next year.

Song is a long and demanding ballet to finish a programme on (I didn't stay for it when it was performed in the recent triple bill). I think that the programme needed a far greater contrast in mood between the first and second halves. Faun has an enigmatic feel to it and Night doesn't lift the mood; I don't know how I would describe it: slightly melancholic and wistful perhaps. I think that something much more upbeat would have worked better. As others have said, there was a bit of an end of term feel to the programme as Song has already appeared in a very recent programme and Faun is returning next year.

Surprised they're bringing Faun back so soon.  I will give it a miss.

Awful problem last night with woman videoing performance.  I was in Row A Stalls Circle and she kept her phone light right the way three the first act.  Then she used the camera immediately the performance finished.

ROH need to get on top of this.  Their announcement that photography is forbidden is not enough.  They should state 'PHONES AND CAMERAS MUST NOT BE USED OR TURNED ON  AT ANY TIME IN THE AUDITORIUM.