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bridiem

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Posts posted by bridiem

  1. In spite of the programme, I was so excited at the prospect of seeing NYCB again. And my lovely sister bought us front stalls seats as an early birthday present for me, which made it even more exciting. After the performance: I am still so excited at having seen NYCB again, but (sadly) still in spite of rather than because of the programme. With one big, huge, ginormous exception: Duo Concertant. It gripped from the first moment to the last, was thrillingly danced by Fairchild and Huxley, and just filled me with joy (or actually, in the second section, nearly made me cry - the slowly linked hands, the gentle kiss, the courtly obeisance - absolutely heartrending). So clever, so musical, so quick, so quirky. And wonderful music, wonderfully played. Ballet heaven.

     

    I didn't really dislike Rotunda, but I just found it a bit pointless (and the costumes were just horrible) though the dancers did their best to give it interest. I think that Gustave le Grey suffered for me by coming immediately after Duo Concertant - I hadn't yet come down from the heights, and there was another piece in front of me with the piano on stage but all in a very different style. I thought the costumes were actually quite beautiful, but the constriction of the feet/legs by having the fabric joined to the ankles really bothered me. The choreography was very stark and quite striking, but when they started moving the piano across the stage I just wanted to laugh. (Maybe that was what was intended? Don't know; they all looked terribly serious.) The dancers' steps had no real individuality so in that sense it didn't really matter who was dancing (which is a big pity - and the dancers were very good). But I wouldn't object to seeing this again (though I do wish they'd leave the blessed piano alone).

     

    I would, however, object to seeing Love Letter (on shuffle) again. I see it premièred at a fashion gala, and you can tell (and that's where it should have stayed). Appalling costumes, and the sort of pointless choreography that any dancers in the world could have performed. Why give NYCB dancers this to do??! All those years of training... I also hated the music. And it went on and on and on... The whole thing was a triumph of (apparent) style over (a complete dearth of real) substance. I actually thought it was quite tragic. I found myself thinking: how have we come from Balanchine, to this? How has NYCB come from Balanchine, to this? A profoundly depressing (to me) reflection of current tastes and trends. And of the thinking of NYCB management - why on earth would they think this is something to bring to show the company off to London? Is this really what NYCB is now?!

     

    Anyway, in spite of my gripes I AM still thrilled to have seen the company again after so many years. And I hope they come back again very soon, but with a very different rep. I note that it says in the programme that 'A NYCB tour that does not include Balanchine is almost unthinkable.' Well it should be completely unthinkable; and it should not mean only one short, small-scale Balanchine work, no matter how brilliant that work is. That's paying lip service to Mr B, and that is unacceptable.

     

     

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  2. 8 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

    The ROH have done another tweet about the MacMillan triple bill but I'm not sure it's that helpful in terms of information about the pieces given the text is fairly vague. I suppose at least it's some publicity (I'm not sure if the comments about a lack of social media posts are somewhere on this thread or the booking one).

     

    Not very helpful at all. They seem to think that as long as they show a few photos of Hayward or Sambé that's job done. Really feeble.

    • Like 4
  3. 36 minutes ago, LinMM said:

    Just wondering what people think of this. 
    When advertising tickets for sale on the Forum should it be said if the ticket is restricted view? 
    There’s been one advertised this week which is very annoying to sit in because although view from seat is only partially restricted so many people along the line ahead have to lean forward to see so in the end makes it much more restricted than it may appear. 
    The seat is still over £100 so a bit of a cheek really for ROH to charge that anyway but  people may assume it’s a normal view if nothing is said when advertising it. 

     

    I think if the ROH describes a ticket as restricted view it should be advertised here as such.

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  4. I got the tickets I wanted (though without the Ashton casting who knows if those are actually the tickets I wanted!) but it was quite stressful. I don't remember before having to queue simply to sign in. And then when waiting for the first seat map to load it suddenly chucked me out and said 'Your basket is empty'. Well, yes - that's because I haven't put anything in it yet... Also I found it confusing that when selecting a particular date on the calendar, it then brings up all the dates for that production; so I initially booked a wrong date at first because I'd assumed it had brought up the performance for the date I'd selected whereas in fact it was the first date of that bill. Anyway I was so tense by the time I wanted to check out that I completely forgot to use up the credit on my account and paid for it all by card. Oops... Honestly. It's worse than going to the dentist. 

    • Like 5
  5. I would echo all the comments above about this cast. What a performance. I think that both Hamilton and Richardson have a kind of classic Hollywood glamour about them, which works very well in Manon. Hamilton's Manon absolutely revelled in her riches, and her power to gain those riches, and although she loved Des Grieux she had no intention of letting him spoil her plans. And Richardson's Des Grieux was a true innocent, who loved innocently and couldn't understand why Manon behaved as she did. In Act II, he walked slowly round the stage not in despair or anguish but in sheer disbelief. He was like Manon's conscience, their joint conscience, showing himself to her and waiting for her to respond. But she couldn't; not yet. And by the time she could, it was too late. Both of them danced so brilliantly; Hamilton in complete control and able to play with both the choreography and the character, Richardson utterly beautiful in the expressiveness and expansiveness of his line without sacrificing strength or precision. This was indeed the gentlest Des Grieux, and the most romantic. There were audible gasps around me at some of the lifts and throws in Act III. I found the death of this Manon particularly shocking, because she had been so vivid, so confident that she could have everything; and in the end she had lost everything, including her life. A superb performance by both of them, and all of them.

    • Like 28
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  6. 7 minutes ago, Fonty said:

    I think the one thing we can say with complete assurance is that two out of the three ballets will not exactly be a bunch of laughs.  I am assuming that Dances Concertantes will be the first of the triple, which will lure those unfamiliar with the other works into thinking this will be a feel good evening.  

     

    I'm not sure that anyone is going to expect a ballet called 'Requiem' to be a bunch of laughs... but I find it upliftingly beautiful, which is perhaps even better.

    • Like 7
  7. 3 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

    Well that was a strange night for me....all going fine until just before the first Act PDD when I succumbed to one of my occasional migraines which (apart from the headache and sick feeling) affects my vision for a while. I stayed in situ trying to watch, and could sense I was missing out proper enjoyment of a really  wonderful performance by Alex and Frankie!

    Fortunately I also have tickets for Friday,  and all being well I should be OK for that.

    I had meant to try and meet  other Members in the interval but didn't feel up to it... so my best wishes in absentia to those who were there.  

     

    I'm so sorry RichardLH! I hope you're OK for Friday's performance. 

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  8. I've booked, I'm signed up for offers (though I never signed up myself, not knowing that these options even existed) and I haven't received the email. I can't recall ever having received an offer email in fact. (A few years ago I stopped receiving even the usual Friends emails, and when I contacted them they said I must have opted out of them. Which of course I hadn't.) So it doesn't seem to make much difference whether or not you're signed up for offers. 

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  9. 1 hour ago, PeterS said:

    Well, all that was missing from this afternoon’s performance was a flower throw. It had all the hallmarks of final performances (of Manon) by Sarah Lamb & Ryo Hirano. Extended red run and acknowledgment of the standing ovation from an audience who knew it had seen something special. 

     

    Yes - really, really special. I didn't register until the curtain calls that this could be Sarah Lamb's last Manon (and possibly Hirano's too). She looked very emotional, after a superlative performance by both of them.  @Dawnstar has already written so evocatively about this cast that there's not a lot else I can say; but there was something that I'd never seen (or perhaps just never noticed) before, in the third act: at one point when Manon and Des Grieux are in their agonised writhings at the front of the stage, Sarah Lamb knelt up and looked out into the auditorium for a very long time - a really piercing, reproachful, agonised stare - as if Manon was holding us, all of us, in some way complicit in her tragedy. It was chilling, and incredibly powerful. And the end came, with her tiny body wracked with pain and grief, and Des Grieux in the depths of despair as she died in his arms. 

     

    What really strikes me is the trust that dancers must have to produce performances like this. The level of trust in each other, in the rest of the cast, in the stage team, and in the audience - to make themselves so vulnerable, to take such physical and emotional risks, is just stratospheric. What a privilege to witness such trust, and such courage.

    • Like 27
  10. 2 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

    Extremely relieved to report that I managed to get the tickets I wanted: 8th March for me & my mother plus 5th March for me. I've been so stressed about it that it took me several attempts to put in the right card number, I nearly started crying when I finally got the confirmation screen, & I'm still shaking!

     

    Yay!!

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  11. 17 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

    I am dreading tomorrow's rush. For ages, long before Campbell's retirement was announced, I'd been hoping to get tickets for 5th &8th. Now the 8th is going to be a nightmare to try to get a ticket for & I'm worried that while I'm trying to get 8th then all the tickets for 5th will also go & I'll be left with nothing.

     

    Good luck, @Dawnstar! I hope you do get tickets.

    • Like 5
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  12. 9 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

    See that ALL the NYCB performances (short of the Thursday matinee which has 'limited availability) are SOLD OUT.  Spalding obvously clearly knew what he needed to do to appeal to his dedicated UK audience.  Well done him.  Credit where credit is due.  

     

    Or, in my case at least, I'm going simply because it's NYCB and more in spite of rather than because of the programme. 

    • Like 8
  13. 3 minutes ago, LinMM said:

    Well unfortunately another triumph it looks like I will be missing. I seem doomed to have a winter without any ballet ( either watching or doing!) 
    Having not had a sign of a cold for over a year…. I’ve now got a really bad cough and cold which has come on over the weekend!! I can’t see it improving enough in time for me to come up to London tomorrow and not cough consistently throughout the performance 😬 so looks like sadly I will be missing tomorrows Manon. 

     

    So sorry to hear this, LinMM! I hope you can get to the 7th and/or 8th performances.

    • Like 3
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