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bridiem

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Everything posted by bridiem

  1. bridiem
    I agree that Onegin feels 'light', in that it is flowing and lyrical and fast and poetic; it is, after all, based on poetry. But for me it's lightness is a joy and something of a relief; a texture more Ashtonian than MacMillanesque (if there's such a word). And in no way renders it 'lightweight'; I think it deals with serious themes, seriously. (And I love the duel scene; the grim horizontal scene at the back, and the whirling, desperate dancing of the girls at the front. Very visually exciting.)
  2. bridiem
    It is strange, and interesting; but I also have found that I have reacted differently to some dancers over time. I never really took to Nunez, for years - I avoided booking deliberately for her because I just didn't particularly warm to her. I think it was only when she started dancing with Muntagirov, for whom I did book deliberately, that I began to appreciate her, and in the last few years I have really 'got' her and think she's amazing. I'm sure I've changed over the years; perhaps she has. But she's certainly been a thrilling addition to my roster of brilliant dancers in recent years.
  3. bridiem
    Perhaps Kobborg could interest a major company in the production, so that it can effectively be subsidised and so seen by more people and at an affordable cost.
  4. bridiem
    Oops, yes, Gary Avis was wonderful too! Is there nothing he can't do??!
  5. bridiem
    This ballet has everything: a dramatic and emotional but also nuanced and intelligent plot, lovely music, gorgeous costumes and sets, and choreography that tells the story with lightness, clarity and verve. And a rare opportunity to witness the portrayal of someone consumed by passion but NOT allowing it to destroy their life. I thought Nunez was incredibly moving tonight - she was completely credible as the young, initially reserved Tatiana absolutely swept away by the tall, dark, brooding Onegin, devastated and incomprehending when he rejects her so cruelly, and finally in full possession of her life and her self with her loving and loved husband, so that even the return of Onegin, now literally prostrate before her, and the overwhelming love she still feels for him, cannot fully derail her. But she pays a heavy and agonising price for her decision, and her final howl of anguish poured out into the auditorium as if she had vocalised it. A brilliant performance. I thought Reece Clarke was excellent as Onegin. His initial arrogance and awkwardness were well expressed by his slightly artificial, overpointed feet, and an almost stylised element to his movement. I completely understood why Tatiana fell for him - not just his looks, but the fascination of someone so different, so apart, so challenging. Too challenging, as it turned out... And then his transformation in Act 3 into someone whose façade has finally come down and who simply cannot believe his past stupidity and blindness. Hayward and Ball were heartbreaking as Olga and Lensky; what a terrible waste of a young life. The duel scene was unbearable and brilliantly performed by all the dancers. Looking forward very much to seeing some other casts in this terrific work.
  6. bridiem
    You'd think the box office person could have explained this to Amelia, wouldn't you?
  7. bridiem
    Well it seems to be a sort of philanthropic/crowdfunding 'competition' - see https://www.fedora-platform.com/competition/prizes but it does seem strange (to me) for a potential new RB/ABT work (and some other big companies here too) to be publicly floated in this way. I wasn't aware that this was a (potential) fundraising method they would use. I haven't investigated the voting procedure yet!
  8. bridiem
    Well she's still listed for Saturday evening, so it seems so.
  9. bridiem
    Or, according to the website, she's replaced by Juliano Nunes... Should be interesting.
  10. bridiem
    Thanks, Irmgard. That makes my decision for me! (i.e., way too expensive.)
  11. bridiem
    Oh, I get it! 😊
  12. bridiem
    ?? Florence isn't (or wasn't) that unusual surely? (It was my mother's second name (and she became a nurse!)). I don't know Raymonda sufficiently to judge how this might work, but it does sound intriguing.
  13. bridiem
    Great post, Geoff! Apart from the Fonteyn one I haven't been to a gala for years because I got very jaded about them (too often underwhelming and overpriced); but you've now made me very glad that for some reason I decided to book for the 20th May at the ROH.
  14. bridiem
    If you can join a queue early that would obviously (and unbeknownst to them) disadvantage those who only log on to book at the stated opening time of booking. So I would be interested to know the answer to JohnS's question.
  15. bridiem
    The ROH has tweeted: Tonight at 7.30pm - tune in to our YouTube channel to learn more about The Cellist, @CathyRMarston's first Main Stage work for The Royal Ballet The event will feature @LondonBallerina, @MarcelinoSambe, Marston and others Watch here: http://youtu.be/UfkrqEa5nls #ROHcellistmixedpic.twitter.com/BsgFoFvbH7
  16. bridiem
    I don't think so - I didn't log in.
  17. bridiem
    I think that might be Shen Yun. I've been offered leaflets for them many times outside Sadler's Wells at any rate, and was offered one outside the ROH recently. I took one the first time offered but could see I would have no interest in them so I don't take them now. (And I had also assumed they were Chinese, not unreasonably I think given the name. But any negativity about such 'dancers' is clearly related to what they do, not to where they come from.)
  18. bridiem
    I didn't have time to watch the Calvert/Porter clips when you posted them, Fonty, but I have now done so (in fact I've watched all the 1978 fairy variations, with great pleasure). The difference between Porter and Calvert, and between all the fairies then and now, is enormous. My eye has of course adjusted over the years, and I am full of admiration for the skill, strength and artistry of today's dancers. But they train differently, and so they look different and dance differently. It's difficult to be as physically strong as dancers are nowadays and also look ethereal. But my problem with Storm-Jensen wasn't her physique, which could have been used to great effect; it was her lack of dramatic skills.
  19. bridiem
    I don't think you are wrong. The UK Cards Association website says that 'Retailers are required to give you a receipt for card payments in a shop, and you can request a receipt for contactless payments'. (I'm sure the Coliseum would count as a shop.) (And I used to work in a library where we took card payments, and we always gave receipts for chip and PIN payments - where the receipt was generated automatically - and always offered them for contactless.)
  20. bridiem
    She did on Friday night. I don't know about Saturday night. To be honest, I would have thought that she should have done this after each performance even if some of the content may have been a bit different (various 'luminaries' came on stage on Friday night who may not have been at all the performances).
  21. bridiem
    Anastasia Act III was in fact on a bill with Land (Christopher Bruce) in 1989 (finishing with Etudes!). (And the next week: Onegin!).
  22. bridiem
    A thrilling and moving evening, constructed and delivered with real intelligence and panache. I loved the integration of the film and photos with the 'live action', and found the filmed contributions of Beryl Grey especially moving. What an achievement to have kept this company going, and going from strength to strength in often adverse circumstances, for 70 years!
  23. bridiem
    How awful for her!
  24. bridiem
    That was the performance not just of a principal but of a star. No wonder her prince was smitten. I just wish they had been matched by a more credible Lilac Fairy. I did think that Gina Storm Jensen danced the variation a lot better than when I've seen her before; but in a company chock full of wonderful dramatic dancers, it is really noticeable when someone isn't expressive especially in such a crucial role. A casting decision I really don't understand. Naghdi and Ball sensational. McNally a wonderful Carabosse. And Elizabeth McGorian the most gracious and beautiful Queen you could possibly imagine.
  25. bridiem
    Yes, he also did it last Thursday - it worked really well.
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