Geoff

Thank you for the suggestion! Here is a link (I too had rather a lot of my Friday taken up with watching this, most illuminating and enjoyable):- http://youtu.be/H8L3l9KM9_0

Reading through some of the comments, it seems I may not have been clear enough about ticket sales. At the risk of labouring the point, there were plenty of tickets available for PW's Insight evening from when they went on sale until the day of the event. By way of comparison the next season of Insights is currently going on sale to various categories of Friend, and all sold out before normal Friends got a chance, although a few more seats may be released in due course. By the way, I got the feeling that some students were given tickets at the last minute, which may explain the difference between sales and how the room looked during the evening. If true, this was a gracious gesture towards PW and MM (as well as good for the students) but I am still puzzling on how / why the "regulars" missed this unique occasion.

Last night, just before the event started, there were still tickets available for the Insight conversation between Monica Mason and (89 years old, still working) Peter Wright. Why? ROH Insight events are usually sold out months before, so shame on us. Anyway it was a lovely evening. Some fascinating stories and, yes, insights. Sadly the recording won't get much of an airing: the Covent Garden tv people were filming but just with a single and unmanned camera, taping only for (presumably) archival purposes (when the powers that be like an Insight event, there are always at least three manned cameras and then a video gets put online). Hope someone was taking notes and can post more here. By the way we are celebrating 25 years of Peter Wright's BRB Nutcracker:- http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/11205-birmingham-royal-ballet-the-nutcracker-birmingham-november-2015

Just back from the dress rehearsal for the new ROH production of Cav and Pag. No review or comments on the singing, but wanted quickly to post a note of reassurance. The reason is that the director is the same person (Michieletto) who did the controversial / booed / etc William Tell at ROH earlier in the year. This show is in a completely different league in terms of competence, stagecraft, invention, taste and so on. In other words, if you have been holding back from getting a ticket because of William Tell, don't worry: just go!

For those who may not have seen this news:- http://slippedisc.com/2015/11/just-in-opera-giant-is-dead-at-67/

What a great quote, thank you! Most effective. Do you happen to have more from wherever this appeared, the source etc?

Sorry to quote myself but, oh how embarrassing: just realised that it's Diana Damrau singing (for the April perfromances) so yes, you want to go to this, whatever the production.

Just saw ENO Force of Destiny (Forza del Destino) and was forceably reminded of the fuss around the ROH William Tell earlier in the year. Leaving aside the general merits - or otherwise - of the two productions I just want to post my feelings about one particular scene. There is a scene on the stage of the ENO of ultraviolence, during which heavily pregnant women are forced to miscarry (with attendant blood and general misery). This is all, like the equivalent scene in Tell, set "ironically" to "jolly" dance music "to show the horror of war" (etc etc etc) but unlike in Tell, everything is shown explicitly at the front of the stage. So, directly comparable to Tell but even more shocking. Yet there has been not a word in the press (yes the scene has been mentioned in reviews but there has not been a general outcry, booing, complaints, story after story in the papers including tracking down the actresses involved, championing "victims" in the audience who said they were traumatised by what they saw) as there was with Tell before the summer. Why this disparity? Both are modern productions of 19th century operas by well-known composers, playing to major opera houses in the West End, by directors not known for traditional stagings. Still the reaction has been completely different. In one case it's the ENO, with its history of radical productions and (possibly) a slightly different audience; the ENO hired the better known quantity Bieito - and it's not "Rossini at the Royal Opera House", which probably sounds like something to take the grandchildren to. The distasteful scene - which added nothing to my appreciation of the opera nor told me anything I didn't know - is now seered into my memory and certainly reason enough to warn people off giving the ENO their money. I wish I hadn't seen this. Shame, as the conducting and some of the singing is worth hearing. Maybe it will be on Radio 3, which would be ok.

Just to say, I know something about arranging book signings and also a bit about dyslexia, and although no doubt pretty ugly/sloppy this may have been a tactful solution to an awkward situation. I am not this dancer's greatest fan but on this point, maybe we should give her a break?

Re wobbles, having been to see the same M1,2 casts at the general the day before, I was somewhat on the look out during the first night. From where I was sitting (side amphi, so looking down and slightly at an angle) I saw wobbles. But these were of a kind which may not have been so obvious from front on, ie stalls. By the way a good example of how M2 can go (though a murky video) is on YouTube:- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C1iFPJdnFSo

Anyone see this? I was there on Saturday but paradoxically found the supervisual production, though perfectly suited to the work, rather hard to take after a while. One might think such busy projections a great fit for the cinema screen but actually it seemed to me that this would have been more exciting in the theatre. But then it is a hard work, so maybe my reaction was a reflection of that.

Lucia is such a wonderful score, the first question is whether they can sing it or not. Sadly she is not someone I have already heard so can't comment but you might find reviews of other performances online.

Sometimes I think I am the only person who found Kasper Holten's production a revelation, the first staging I have ever seen (and I have been going to productions of this work around Europe for nearly 50 years) which deals with at least two major, and very different, dramatic questions:- i) From the very opening notes the score is nostalgic, even sad - yet the drama starts upbeat, youthful and optimistic ii) To sing this work in a major house (not as the composer intended but as we tend to get it) one has to have singers of a certain stature and seniority - yet the characters start very young, teenagers even. My wife votes with the majority view and won't be going back. I however can't wait to see and hear this beautiful show at least another couple of times. I used to love the Gyldebourne production: when they revived it recently I went full of excitement - but kept wishing I was watching something as intelligent and sensitive to the music as Holten's production. A minority view I know, but I post it here in the hope of getting people to give this show a chance, or even a second chance!

There is more to Luke Jennings' review today than comments about Vadim. A couple of points chime with what I thought and felt but had not yet found a way of putting into words.

...apart perhaps from speed (again): as it happens we were able to compare the timngs of this year's Fille with the old BBC recording, and the difference was pretty striking. Perhaps conductors these days just don't think to go faster? In any case, a magnificent and most illuminating post FLOSS: thank you!

Around 15 years ago Pete Long’s "Echoes of Ellington" toured with ENB doing Ellington’s Nutcracker. They had a few performances in Sunderland and were told by the Arts Council to keep their losses under £100.000 I think it was (those were the days). They sent a ballerina and a pianist into every primary school in the area over a period of two months and then covered the town with posters showing, if I remember right, a ballerina hugging a tradesman. The message was along the lines of "Come to the ballet, it’s only ten quid, why not try it?" Every performance was packed and they made £101,000, so just in the black.

If this is true - and although I have no evidence I fear you may be right - it is a disgrace. This will also be v damaging long-term to the reputation of the RB, as Ashton is something we are known for around the world, and we have yet to grow a choreographer of equal stature for the 21st century. Does anyone know how strong the voice of the Ashton estate is at the RB? I mean as opposed to the power exercised by Macmillan's widow (a complicating factor when it comes to Kevin O'Hare's planning but this may not be the place to discuss that)? Yes, count me in. Who is the right person to lead a petition, who will organise it - and where can I sign?!

Anyone been to this (and indeed the Insight evening)? We have been amusing ourselves finding online comment, here are just a few:- http://seenandheard-international.com/2015/11/haass-morgen-und-abend-is-a-new-existential-opera-exploring-life-and-death/ https://bachtrack.com/review-morgen-und-abend-haas-royal-opera-london-november-2015 https://operabritanniauk.wordpress.com/2015/11/15/haas-morgen-und-abend-royal-opera-house-november-13th-2015/ http://www.musicomh.com/classical/reviews-classical/morgen-und-abend-royal-opera-house-london http://classical-iconoclast.blogspot.nl/2015/11/invisible-theatre-made-visible-morgen.html?m=1 An exceptionally interesting collection of comments, certainly more fun to read than another piece of typing about another Traviata (although a great Traviata can be a wonderful thing - my friends who were at the unexpected Ekaterina Bakanova debut in July said that was one such night)

In fact - please correct me if I have this muddled - I seem to remember that the planning for the redevelopment of the box office etc area led to an official ROH announcement some weeks ago (ie before Paris) saying that bags were no longer being accepted in the cloakroom. Perhaps this hasn't yet come into force though, can't remember.

There are many audiences for London but we've only really mentioned two till now (those who know more about ballet and those who know less). Let me suggest at least one other division: people who book in advance and people who decide later, even up to the last minute. I don't know much about the "science" of marketing but understand that even the most untalented marketeers know to segment their audiences into numerous categories, and chase each in ways appropriate. All research shows that London audiences are making up their minds as to what to see later and later these days (so much choice, not enough money or time) so RB may well be factoring this in. As just one example of how tricky things can get, I can think of ROH shows that sold hardly at all until first night and then sold out. One stunt I hope they don't get into (the ENO are or at least were far too guilty of this): putting up prices in the hope of selling some tickets at premium rates, then discounting to get the rest of the audience in, thus making a bit more in total then if the prices started at the final level. A little too "dynamic" for most of us, I think (at the ENO one got used to waiting for the inevitable and often substantial discounts). How well the RB people involved are playing the hand they've got, that's a different matter and I am not competent to judge. But I'm going to the Pigeons General tomorrow, the first night and then at least twice more, so am doing my bit!

Gosh yes, anyone remember that Fire Exercise ballet, where the "backdrop" video was so sensational (all meanings) I for one missed the dancing completely the first time I saw the piece and went back, shielding my eyes so as to be able to concentrate! Yolanda might of course have argued that it was "visually blind" to try and mix live dancing with such imagary but I was amazed and excited by what I was seeing.

I've heard talk of an Acosta fest coming to the BBC...let's see!

Is that a typo for Bolshoi (or Sadler's Wells) or am I missing something?

Oh dear, I owe Yolanda a great deal. A thousand years ago, when I was just starting out in the creative world, she tutored me for a while. I will never forget her generous inspiration and guidance - and the visual overload of her home. RIP

Just out, Ismene Brown's review of Carmen (and Connectome / Raven Girl) in The Spectator, based on several viewings, as befits a name critic:- http://new.spectator.co.uk/2015/11/carlos-acostas-incoherent-carmen-is-a-disaster/ Actually, have any of the professional critics given Carmen a good review? I haven't found one yet.