Geoff

Here's a link:- http://www.odeon.co.uk/eventcinema/

So has someone got the definitive answer, Yudes or Vincenzo?

Did anyone notice who danced the 'spinning' revolutionary (well enough to deserve a credit in the programme but sadly not given)? Someone on Twitter said he and Osipova's Act 3 were what the evening was about.

How was this? Worth digging out from Iplayer?

Oh, just to say, how nice to see Viviana Durante on the Covent Garden stage again (at the curtain call). She looked great, got a hug from Osipova - and her own bouquet.

Agree, agree, agree. All I can add is that the costumes really are special. So much careful - and individual - detail work. But it is a sad day when one goes to the Royal Ballet and concentrates on the costumes, as I found myself doing in Act 2. But then I never liked this ballet (the three acter, I mean, was there on opening night but never saw it before as one act) Does anyone know what if anything was revised in Act 3 when MacMillan added Acts 1 and 2?

Yes, this has probably the best Nicholas Brothers routine ever (as well as other significant musical numbers, although the brothers don't do more than the one amazing number) However even within the limited range of that sort of musical, it's otherwise a pretty awful film. Imho.

Agreed! Let me add my thanks to the Forum, and particularly Mary for this thread and John for the link, without which I would have missed the Brixton show today. There are still plenty of chances to see this - Bruce has listed them - so if you can go, please do!

Just a quick note to say I caught the ENO Don Giovanni tonight and enjoyed it far more than expected. In fact if you are wavering - as I have been - you should definitely try and go, there are another couple of chances to see it in this run. Interesting to compare with the recent ROH Cosi: this Wigglesworth Don Giovanni is as speedy as the Bychkov Cosi was slow; the staging clear and illuminating where Cosi was fussy, obscure, uncertain and confused; and there are more good singers who are acting their hearts out. Of course there are things to criticise but all in all, a hit.

Just to say that Irina Shostakovich, the composer's widow, was brought on to the stage of the Bolshoi for a live interview during the interval of The Golden Age cinema transmission. She spoke well about Shostakovich's difficulties following an article called “Ballet Falsehood” that appeared in Pravda in early 1936 (she was only born in 1935 and didn't marry him till the 1960s but is still a first hand witness to the lifelong impact of the attack).

Reverting briefly to The Golden Age screening, it was notable in part for a live interview during the interval with Irina Shostakovich, brought on stage and worth noting here I think.

An event on Monday 10th October:- https://www.jw3.org.uk/event/sir-ralph-kohn-scientists-career-world-music#.V-45k3h4WrU

Janet, from what you say I am sure you did what you could to reduce the sound. Tonight's person did not.

Just out of Cosi at Covent Garden. Outstanding was Daniel Behle holding us spellbound with 'Un aura amorosa': a rather lively young crowd fell completely silent as (at last) there was some really great singing (no need to take my word for it, see other comments here: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/your-reaction-what-did-you-think-of-mozarts-cosi-fan-tutte ) Just at this point a woman in the amphitheatre started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. From the sound of it she made no attempt to muffle the sound (perhaps she couldn't leave the auditorium but surely she could at least have put her face in her sleeve or something?) She stopped, eventually, just around the point he stopped singing the aria. The whole thing was spoiled. The reason I am posting is not because of her and her coughing (maybe she was new to the opera house, new to opera, new to music, retarded or in the throws of something maddeningly painful): I am posting because I want to know why those around her did nothing to help. A shush could have made her think; the offer of a scarf to cough into might actually have deadend the sound; thumping her with a programme would probably have been illegal but possibly effective. In any case the musical highlight was ruined. Bravo Behle (as someone shouted at the end), particularly for not losing focus against an appalling distraction.

Just out of Cosi at Covent Garden. Outstanding was Daniel Behle holding us spellbound with 'Un aura amorosa': a rather lively young crowd fell completely silent as (at last) there was some really great singing (no need to take my word for it, see other comments here: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/your-reaction-what-did-you-think-of-mozarts-cosi-fan-tutte) Just at this point a woman in the amphitheatre started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. From the sound of it she made no attempt to muffle the sound (perhaps she couldn't leave the auditorium but surely she could at least have put her face in her sleeve or something?) She stopped, eventually, just around the point he stopped singing the aria. The whole thing was spoiled. The reason I am posting is not because of her and her coughing (maybe she was new to the opera house, new to opera, new to music, retarded or in the throws of something maddeningly painful): I am posting because I want to know why those around her did nothing to help. A shush could have made her think; the offer of a scarf to cough into might actually have deadend the sound; thumping her with a programme would probably have been illegal but possibly effective. In any case the musical highlight was ruined. Bravo Behle (as someone shouted at the end), particularly for not losing focus against an appalling distraction.

This is interesting. Wonder why she doesn't.

And if you missed it live the event is available to watch in full here:-

And it's Liesl (not Leisel). RIP.

Apropos snacks, this just popped into my in-box:- http://todaytix.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c96bfb5fef8cc4ae6c852c093&id=eb03350672&e=fc77e96ec9

Having read this and other posts by FLOSS and others, I went looking for clips on YouTube and found Vishneva dancing what is labelled "ABT Ratmansky SB Rose Adagio/ Variation". This clip seems to have some fairly dramatic distortions of tempi (exactly as highlighted by FLOSS and seen so often by us in the UK) so what am I missing here? Did ABT do this differently in Paris? Fascinating discussion, in any case, and I am really sorry not to have found a way to see this yet.

Today's general rehearsal of Norma at Covent Garden was initially marred for me by a young woman sitting close by in the stalls. She had a mobile phone which seemed far more interesting to her than the opera (she clearly was not staff or involved with the production in any way, otherwise it is just possible that she might I suppose have been sending messages backstage). Eventually, seeing others raising eyebrows with growing discontent and urgency, and as I found myself distracted again by the light of her phone screen, watching her wavering over which was the best emoticon to add to yet another text message (the little jumping rabbit perhaps or maybe the exploding star) inspiration struck me. I leaned over, chose my moment and whispered, "Some of us are trying to work in here" - and she immediately complied, muttered an apology, switched everything off and sat obediently and quietly for the rest of the show. The line - which I "borrowed" from (name drop coming up, please forgive me) Shelley Winters when she was bothered by little noises during a rehearsal at the Actor's Studio in New York - was clearly effective but afterwards made me sad. Why should asking someone not to disturb work in progress be more effective than saying, you are disrespecting the performers, or annoying an audience that is trying to enjoy this undisturbed, or whatever. The Protestant work ethic trumping all, perhaps? Anyway, feel free to use this in the future, it may work for you too.

Just come out of the dress rehearsal for Norma at Covent Garden. I won't say anything until after the first night (Monday) but if people are wavering, hope they pick up one of the few remaining tickets or at least try and get to the live transmission.

Just published in the Spectator:- http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/09/peter-wright-and-the-bitchy-world-of-ballet/

Just to add a couple of points to the above. First, just in case it was not obvious from what I wrote before, every single number (indeed once or twice even a single verse) was enthusiastically applauded. And - here is a direct comparison with sounds made by some audiences at the ballet - when a number was particularly well liked, the audience signalled its exceptional approval with loud, all-together-now rhythmic clapping (which the performers took as a command to perform another encore). This clapping is similar to a British audience saying we're-bored-that-nothing-is-happening-please-start, although much faster. The same sound appears sometimes at the ballet, particularly with Russian audiences towards the end of favoured variations.

There are occasional comments on the Forum about applause styles (for example at Russian galas or the recent Bolshoi season). These discussions came to mind as I watched an unusual dvd copy of the operetta “Czardasfuerstin” from 1963 (by Kalman and also known variously as The Riviera Girl, The Gipsy Princess and Silva). I am unreasonably fond of this work and so did not mind that it was a recording of a live performance from Budapest conducted entirely in Hungarian (which I do not speak), transmitted I assume on Hungarian tv during the Soviet era. This historical record from over 50 years ago has many points of interest in relation to performance style and also the (enthusiastic and very frequent) audience responses. Most entrances of most cast members were applauded, as were many exits, some laugh lines and several not always exceptional bits of business. Just the milking of the encores alone would provide enough material for a theatre studies dissertation. Different countries have different traditions, which can be deeply imbedded and last for many years. In fact I have seen mittel-European operetta productions within the last 5 years which adhered, if only somewhat, to similar conventions. Such conventions would however be as alien to a London audience as, say, the rituals of a pantomime at the Sunderland Empire would be to habitués of standing places at the Vienna opera. In any case, the dvd was an eye-opener: the behaviour was so different to what one is used to now in Britain. Perhaps others have local examples from decades ago by way of comparison?