Two Pigeons

Me too!!!

My initial view is consistent with so many similar events on the BBC. If you want to do well don't bother with purely classical ballet. It just isn't what the judges want. Overall, the basic idea is spread far too thinly amongst the competing disciplines.

In the mid 80s the then SWRB performed Peter and the Wolf (Frank Staff as I remember) and Gable acted as the narrator. The company had a tea party for their Friends. I can still remember him walking into the room. Talk about star quality on legs! The room just lit up when he smiled.

P.s. there is a DVD available with the wonderful Miyako Yoshida leading the cast.

Scenes de Ballet is an utter Ashton masterpiece and I have been really fortunate to have heard Antoinette Sibley just rave about the work and her joy at dancing it. Lesley Collier, another very fine exponent of the central role, commented that Ashton changed/adapted many of his works but not Scenes de Ballet. She said she felt it was a work he was particularly proud of. I envy you having the chance to see it.

I saw Altynai as 'the baddie' too with Zhanna Ayupova as 'the goody' playing her harp. That was Ulanova's role originally I believe. Creaky ballet but absolutely cracking dancing. I think that may have been 1995, in which case we went from the Coli to the Opera House for Lesley Collier and Irek Mukhamedov in her final performance as Giselle. Gosh, what an utterly unforgettable day that was and all in a Summer heatwave!

Yes, but what sort of ballets will he wish to present?

I hope you have a terrific time Mary. Please tell us all about it after the event.

Were I planning to go to see this production, which I am not, I have to say that some of the casting would not inspire me that much. I am not a fan of Hirata, not least as I would have been hoping for Celine Gittens and Tyrone Singleton as the first cast. Having said that, Brandon Lawrence would be a highly acceptable substitute.

Hear, hear!

I have a totally legit DVD of this film. Also it does turn up on Talking Pictures TV from time to time. It is well worth watching.

Personally I feel one of the biggest attractions of 'modern dance' for administrators is that much of the time you don't need a full size orchestra and so can save a lot of money. I also feel that the drive for 'inclusivity' can be hugely over optimistic.

Hear, hear!

Excellent point Lizbie 1.

As I have said before, very well said Sheila, I am in total agreement with you. In my disappointment with the current direction of BRB and the way my concerns were completely ignored when I emailed the company I have decided to pretty much sever all links. One thing which does interest me slightly is are there any plans for the reinstatement of the old midscale tours? They had a lot of advantages in that they covered areas of the UK previously poorly served. They also gave the chance to present smaller scale ballets, such as Pineapple Poll or Facade. I saw the Shakespeare linked mixed bill in Shrewsbury a few years ago and it was an absolutely cracking afternoon. If these continue to be dropped the company will be the poorer for their absence.

I was very impressed with it

You need to appreciate that the successes and achievements of BRB have been recently reappraised. Nothing of any value happened before Carlos assumed the reins of the company.

His openly published dislike of Sir Peter and his productions bordered on the totally vicious at times. He wrote a diatribe about his Nutcracker for BRB in its very early days which was so wide of the mark I wrote to the FT to complain.

This rather confirms the view that the only place where Ashton's work is really safe is Sarasota. As has been said previously they dance Ashton from and with love, the Royal Ballet more from duty. Regrettably BRB appear to have abandoned it entirely.

I remember when LFB/ENB mounted Apparitions in the late 80s with Peter Schaufuss and Natalya Makarova. Despite being a huge Ashtonphile I distinctly remember being underwhelmed by it and thinking it very long. Despite all the best intentions the revival was not regarded as a success, especially by the critics. I do remember hearing Jean Bedells saying that she had been involved in the revival but was so unhappy with the result that she demanded her name was removed from the credits. She was mounting Job for BRB at the time. Job went very much better.

Great snippet but completely wrong music.

For me Bracewell has always been the natural heir to Dowell.

I would love to hear what he really thought when Diana ditched them in favour of ENB. I had a friend in London City and she said Diana let them go to the wall when she could have saved them by hosting one fundraising lunch. The company did some really valuable work and visited smaller venues.

Please, please, please will someone have the foresight to interview and film Lynn Seymour talking about her memories of working with Ashton while we still have the opportunity. She is so fearsomely intelligent and she clearly adored him but I feel her contribution to British (and world) ballet is getting so overlooked these days. I found her explanation about the original cast of Birthday Offering so enlightening and delivered with the authority of someone who was there in the mid to late 50s and knew all these ballerinas I just wanted her to carry on talking. If only we had the chance to hear her expand on creating the Young Girl in Two Pigeons, Natalya in Month in the Country and, most of all, Isadora Duncan in the Five Brahms Waltzes which told you far more about Duncan as a dancer and personality than the later full length ballet ever did.

Thank you Lizbie. I am very glad I gave you a chuckle.