bridiem

Agree with all the comments above! A magnificent, supremely authoritative performance from Nunez and Muntagirov and the most beautiful, luminous Lilac Fairy from Kaneko. The company as a whole on great form, and a hugely involved and responsive audience; I've never before heard such an audible gasp go round the auditorium when the King decreed that the women with the needles should lose their heads! So the audience became part of the drama - an essential element of a great performance.

13 minutes ago, capybara said:

I did not want to become caught up in this discussion and certainly not on a thread which should be celebrating Reece Clarke's promotion - which I think is terrific.

However, since this matter is simmering in two places on the forum.....................

I happen to know that Vadim Muntagirov was not 'withdrawn' by the Cranko people or the RB. He is talking to The London Ballet Circle on the 20th January and it was necessary (yesterday) to ask him if he was prepared to say anything about this particular issue as it might otherwise be  "the elephant in the room". He gave me an explanation and said that he would be happy to answer the same question in that semi-public forum.

I don't feel that I should be reporting what he said to me as it is better that it comes direct from him.

I do, however, wish that the ROH announcement could have provided some detail.

Thank you, capybara; that's very reassuring. My primary 100% concern is for dancers (though audiences are also not unimportant) and I think that the ROH announcement did, perhaps unnecessarily, raise some legitimate questions on behalf of both.

And yes, I am very much looking forward to seeing Reece Clarke in Onegin, and apologies for my part in this thread getting diverted.

I'm really pleased they're bringing this SB - it's a rare (for me at least) opportunity to see the Nureyev production and as Bruce says it will give a really good picture of the strength of the company.

5 minutes ago, RuthE said:

I think bridiem's reference to the Spring casting thread may have been related to her statement about the Heritage programme, not NBC's visit.

Ah, I see! Yes, it was about the Heritage programme.

There's an advert for the NBC performances in the ROH magazine but I don't know if they're shown on the ROH website yet. The season is presented by Victor Hochhauser and information is apparently on that website though I haven't looked. (I don't quite understand Don Q Fan's post I'm afraid.)

5 minutes ago, alison said:

In that case - or any other - the standard "casting is subject to change" statement applies.

Yes, but it's disingenuous if the casting is known to be provisional from the outset, which doesn't apply to most casting. Would a big opera star be withdrawn with no explanation? (Btw I'm sorry this discussion is happening on the Reece Clarke promotion thread - his promotion is entirely welcome and deserved whatever the reason that prompted it!).

50 minutes ago, FLOSS said:

I am not at all put out by the revised casting. Casting according to type has its advantages and its disadvantages as does casting against type which does not always pay of.Much as I admire Muntagirov as a dancer the announcement that he was to appear as Onegin intrigued me but also left me feeling that with his boyish charm it was unlikely to prove to be an inspired decision to cast against type which might give new insights into Onegin's character and was much more likely to turn out to be a serious miscalculation which would not work in performance.

Well we won't know now, will we? Having seen him in Winter Dreams, I think he's a lot more versatile and mature in his acting than he's sometimes given credit for. And the biggest issue is that he was announced as performing the role and then the casting changed with no explanation very shortly before his début. I know casting is always subject to change, but once announced it should really only be changed for injury/illness/unavailability. If it might be changed for some other reason that we don't know about but the company does, the casting should be shown as provisional/to be confirmed from the outset.

Yes - ENB tweeted a few days ago:

• On Mon 13 Jan 7.30pm, Emma Hawes replaces Rina Kanehara in the role of Gulnare
• Ken Saruhashi is replaced by Aitor Arrieta in the role of Lankendem on Fri 10 Jan 7.30pm and Tue 14 Jan 2pm. He is replaced in the role of Ali by Daniel McCormick on Thu 9 Jan 2pm
• In the role of Birbanto, Fernando Bufalá is replaced by Miguel Angel Maidana on Fri 10 Jan 7.30pm, and Henry Dowden on Tue 14 Jan 2pm
• On Wed 8 Jan 7.30pm due to illness, Erina Takahashi and Francesco Gabriele Frola replace Alina Cojocaru and Isaac Hernández in the roles of Medora and Conrad

I didn't realise this info hadn't been posted here.

That sounds like a really good initiative, Blossom. I don't know what primary school assemblies are like nowadays, but I personally think that the information about any music chosen should generally be kept to a minimum so that the children can respond to it and think about it in their own way/s. And I think that the regular use of reflective music would be good, as a counter to the no doubt endless 'stimulation' that will follow during the day, although more upbeat music could be used too. And music that you might not expect to be appropriate; at my (Catholic) primary school in London in the late 1960s, music (chosen by the headmistress, a nun who was very cultured and musical) was played every day as we filed into the assembly hall, and a regular choice was the Sea Interludes from Britten's Peter Grimes. I had no idea what is was or what the context was, but it was hauntingly beautiful and it stayed with me into adulthood and for the rest of my life. So in general I would choose for the music rather than the context.

8 hours ago, Candleque said:

Great pictures, thanks MJW. And interesting indeed.

The shots of Reece Clarke and Natalia Osipova in rehearsal for Onegin were taken on December 12, 2019. Yet the Royal Ballet didn't tell ticket holders — and new buyers — about the cast change until today. Why the lag?

Am a big fan, so psyched to see Reece in this, and delighted at his well deserved promotion. He is a beautiful dancer. But like many others I originally booked for Vadim Muntagirov, so wish RB were more upfront about 'planned in advance' cast changes. 

Maybe Clarke was cover and so also rehearsing?

3 minutes ago, ninamargaret said:

don't tell me about it! I had to return my ticket because I have the mother and father of all coughs because of a chest infection and couldn't inflict this on the audience. So I've missed out on Coppelia.

I'm so sorry, ninamargaret! I hope you feel better soon (and that Coppélia comes back soon!).

I first saw them at the Lyric, Hammersmith in the early 1980s and loved the company. I'm also grateful to him for later on giving Bryony Brind an opportunity that she was not given at the RB - to dance Juliet. RIP.

46 minutes ago, Saodan said:

Just stumbled across this.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-17436349/airdrie-born-ballet-student-reece-clarke-scoops-dance-title

 

Really interesting! And amazing that all 4 boys went to the RBS. I wonder if any of the others became professional dancers.

I have to say that he looks both ridiculously tall and ridiculously good-looking in these photos. I hope Osipova has good eyesight (for both reasons).

So much to look forward to! Especially Dances at a Gathering, Khan's Creature, Alina Cojocaru at SW, débuts in Swan Lake, Dante Project (mixture of excitement and trepidation about that one) and now National Ballet of Canada (I hope the tickets aren't ridiculously expensive for them).

13 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

 

For Main Stage ROH ballet at least,  an extended "Autumn" ends 16 January, with the last performance  of The Sleeping Beauty.

"Winter"  has yet to arrive...it manages to  hold off until 18 January (Onegin)  and  then extends to 16 May, the last night of Swan Lake!

Meanwhile "Spring" encroaches  into  "Winter" by starting with the Triple Bill on 02 April,  ending  01 June (last Dante Project).

 

No wonder the website has given up with Seasons.... 

 

Perhaps it's all to do with climate change?

3 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

Thank you for sharing the programme information- very interesting.

Is there anything about the Gala in the magazine?

Only what Richard LH has posted in the new thread about it. Plus mentions a few opera stars (Gheorghiu, Beczala and Keenlyside).

1 minute ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

May I ask where this info comes from?

The ROH Magazine, which I received today.

1 minute ago, Bruce Wall said:

Hope we might catch a glimpse of Lunkina in this then

 

Richard, I understand details of the Heritage Programme are laid out in the Summer Magazine.  For those who aren't privileged with such a copy might you lay those out for us??? 

 

Seems an expiring mind would like to know

I've just put the details in the Spring Season Casting thread (though no casting yet). (No idea about which season is which any more I'm afraid!).

16 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

Cast changes for Onegin on website today

 

18 Jan (m), 22 & 29 Feb  Mendizabal replaces Cuthbertson (Tatiana)

18 Jan (e), 7 & 12 Feb: Clarke replaces Muntagirov (Onegin)

21 Jan, 8 & 27 Feb: Bjørneboe Brǽndsrød replaces Clarke (Gremin)

 

Very disappointed about Muntagirov (perhaps needless to say...). I don't know the ballet well enough to have a general view about casting though. Still looking forward to seeing it (also needless to say!).

Delighted to see that the National Ballet of Canada are coming to the ROH (28 July-1 Aug 2020) with Nureyev's production of The Sleeping Beauty!

6 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

The following description for the Heritage bill now appears on the website:

 

"The Royal Ballet celebrates its unique heritage through works and choreographers who have shaped the Company's history. Heritage brings alive the legacy of these choreographers, presenting works by Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan performed in the intimacy of the Linbury Theatre by The Royal Ballet and guest companies. The Royal Ballet celebrate the rich British contribution to the international ballet repertory. These performances are complemented by a programme of insights and film screenings."

Not sure if this is new info (apologies if not), but the bill consists of Solos from Job  (RB), Dante Sonata (BRB), Sea of Troubles (Yorke Dance Project) and Valses nobles et sentimentales (RB). I imagine it will be very difficult to get tickets for this since it's in the Linbury and there are only a few performances. But it sounds exciting!

8 minutes ago, Sim said:

I watched this again last night, and it does indeed look gorgeous.  The young dancers are beautiful in all ways, and the realism puts a different slant on the ballet.  However, my main gripe (bearing in mind that this is not for us, but probably for people who aren't familiar with the ballet or with ballet in general) is that it is all too rushed.  I know that about half an hour has been cut from the actual dancing, but this is to the detriment of the narrative. 

I agree with this, and I think there's some illogicality in the way the film has been presented. I read/heard various puffs for it that described it as 'the story that everyone knows'. Presumably on that basis, there was no synopsis or introduction of the characters at all. And yet it was also presumably aimed at newcomers to ballet who will not have understood balletic conventions and how they may make the story potentially less clear (to a newcomer) unless you DO have a synopsis and keep your wits about you, especially in a truncated version of the work. And unless they've studied it at school I doubt very much that 'everyone' does know the detail of the story anyway, other than that the 'star cross'd lovers' both die in the end. I think that knowing who was who would have been very challenging for a newcomer. And in particular, I felt as if the big plot weakness of MacMillan's R&J, i.e. the fact that we don't know why Romeo doesn't know that Juliet isn't dead, was amplified in this version because of the speed of it all; in fact, without a familiarity with balletic storytelling and given the absence of a synopsis I'm not sure how viewers themselves were supposed to know for sure (if they didn't already know) that Juliet wasn't dead.

Anyway, as I said further up I really enjoyed the film; but I don't think I was the target market. It would be very interesting to hear the reactions of newcomers to ballet and/or to the play. I think the only review I've seen was by a ballet critic, which doesn't really help!

19 minutes ago, alison said:

It still doesn't say that he's actually retiring, though - just that these are his last performances with the RB.  Or have I missed something?

Well the Royal Ballet used the word 'retire' when they announced last year that he would be leaving.

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Same here certainly not more than five mins anyway.

As it happened last Saturday afternoon I was so busy contacting friends after the performance etc that when I went to collect my things it had closed already!  

The staff were winding me up saying I'd have to wait another two hours etc before they opened up again!! Or ....had they gone to lost property ... Which would be a VERY complicated procedure! 

Anyway they opened up for me but I think they aim to empty and close the cloakrooms in 20 mins after performances ...though it doesn't usually take this long of course. 

Lovely to see you on Saturday Don Q sorry not more time etc.

I would have assumed the cloakroom was Opened Up all the time the building is open. (I never use it myself.) Anyway I'm glad they re-opened it for you!