Geoff

Thank you Fonty. As has been said before, if only someone would find where the (previously easily available) clip is hiding of the great Beryl Grey dancing this variation in the 1950s.

Decades ago I was told that most ROH mysteries can be explained by its proximity to Freemasons' Hall. At the time I thought this was nonsense but some subsequent events have given me pause. The orchestra, for example, is an interesting case.

This is the sort of stupid design fault that needs correcting asap. Might you perhaps send a note to ROH Customer Services to explain? I know there was a period in the last year when it became clear ROH staff were monitoring this site but no idea if they are still doing so.

You might be amused to learn that exactly this point was made to the (then) Chair of ENB, at the time Caesar Corrales was still in that company. No idea what was done by way of response.

Luckily we can all see at least one version, as a complete recording of her performance from the Bolshoi has been on YouTube for some time (it may be against the rules of the Forum to link to this here but it is easy to find). Many other pleasures on the way, not least Lopatin and the tempi at which the Marzurka and the Czardas are taken (which may be a hint as to why the national dances are not quite hitting the spot in the current ROH run).

Of course not Lizbie1 and thank you for pointing that out. But a quick check shows the ROH account to be UK heavy: whoever decided to send the campaign out will have been entirely aware of the analytics (the ROH has access to the figures). The ROH knows, to a level of detail not available to us, exactly where they are sending their messages to - and plenty is headed no further than the UK. That is the point, as much as this campaign having also gone overseas where, some might argue, it is less controversial.

Indeed. A day - and several hundred Twitter comments later (nearly all of them opposed) - what do we know? It seems the "Great" campaign was never intended for the local, ie British, market, but to sell "Britain" around the world. This explains the apparent contradiction between those who say this has been running for years, and those (like me) who only came across it yesterday. So to that extent it seems this campaign is a bit like those Hollywood stars who make a big fuss about "never" doing commercials, while at the same time Japan, for example, is saturated with their guest appearances in Japanese adverts. People believe they can serve something up to "foreigners" which they would never do "at home". However this does not explain the decision of the ROH to send this out to their followers in the UK. There is an own goal here and one can speculate who or what is to blame. In any case, even if they don't read this discussion or the one at Slipped Disc, they will undoubtedly be aware of the Twitter response.

More here: https://slippedisc.com/2020/01/royal-opera-jumps-on-boriss-brexit-bandwaggon/

Just seen the government ad campaign that has the Royal Ballet endorsing the barely grammatical slogan “Creativity is Great Britain and Northern Ireland” - or perhaps, how droll, “Creativity is Great (Britain and Northern Ireland)”. Nice pics but a pretty dodgy campaign imho:

Indeed. Although there was a nasty episode when Jaho was trying to make music and Plácido Domingo made horrid noises at the same time. Whatever sins Domingo may or may not have committed in other areas, this should have been enough to get him banned from the stage. I didn’t book anything this run as the various Violettas haven’t set my heart racing, although in one or two cases the names are new to me so perhaps one should make the effort (after all, this is traditionally a part when new voices break through). Does anyone have tips?

This story on the BBC website might be of interest:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50831698

Thanks for explaining Sim. Must have been awful for everyone.

So what happened (I wasn’t there)? What was the screaming about?

I would have done so if there was time but it all happened in the last moments before curtain up and I would have had to push past a whole row to get out. In the second interval all I could have said was to report something which had happened, rather than what was happening (I wasn’t to know they and others would return - again at the last minute - with yet more drinks). Plenty of people saw and were near the door so could have said something but maybe there wasn’t an usher around that entrance, I didn’t see anyone (as a result my ticket wasn’t scanned).

A Royal Opera House premiere for me last night: at the end of the first interval two young ladies returned to their seats (Upper Slips) with a large glass of red wine each, along with a plastic cup of water each. They got refills in the second interval, by which time the fashion was spreading. Couldn’t see the whole row but any number of drinks were being taken, from all manner of glasses and containers. Given the drop from the lower row of the Upper Slips - which is where these thirsty patrons were sitting - this seems not only against the rules and discourteous to others but positively dangerous. A glass dropped from that height could do real damage.