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bridiem

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  1. bridiem
    I'd never seen this partnership in Manon before last night, and I'm very glad I have now seen them. Morera's Manon is very different from the others I've seen; she does look a lot older, and more mature, and she knows (or thinks she knows) exactly what she's doing. She's not Lescaut's pawn, she's his equal partner and co-conspirator, with some of his arrogance too. At first I found that a bit difficult to absorb, but once I accepted her on her own terms it became not just acceptable but fascinating. This Manon has seen too much to allow her unexpected love for Des Grieux to derail the possibility of riches. Bonelli's Des Grieux really is an innocent - he sees the good at the heart of Manon, falls for it, and will never let it go. So whilst she plays her dangerous and ultimately fatal game, he is like her conscience - always there, reminding her, pleading with her, wanting her to turn to the light. But by the time she does, it's too late. Morera's Act 3 is somehow even more shocking than usual, because this Manon has been so confident, so elegant, so apparently in control; and now she is wrecked and broken and lost. Beautifully danced, beautifully acted, and horribly tragic. I really liked Luca Acri's Lescaut - I found him very believable as a cocky, unprincipled but charming chancer, and he danced strongly. I was less convinced by Meaghan Grace Hinkis as his Mistress; she didn't seem to me to have the sensuality the character needs. Gary Avis was once more a distressingly evil Gaoler, and James Hay was an excellent beggar chief, the only issue being that when he and Luca Acri are near each other they look like identical twins... which was a bit distracting. But another great performance of this great ballet.
  2. bridiem
    I suspect they haven't replied because there's nothing sensible they can say. They've messed up big time, and been rumbled.
  3. bridiem
    As Cilla might have said, that's a lorra lorra flowers!!
  4. bridiem
    Yes, though I know from experience that that sort of set-up is not great for family life.
  5. bridiem
    Thanks Jan, but I was only building on YOUR very helpful description!
  6. bridiem
    That's not what I call an 'easy' trip if it's to be done (presumably) on a moreorless daily basis when the company's not on the road. David Bintley clearly found it necessary/desirable to live in Birmingham.
  7. bridiem
    I've just seen a photo online of Hayward in Manon Act 3 last year, and her dress was still raggedy but knee-length (it's a Facebook photo and I don't know how to post it here or if it would be OK to do so). So the dress has obviously been considerably shortened for this run. I wonder if that was for 'dramatic' effect or for practical reasons?
  8. bridiem
    I saw this bill at Sadler's Wells tonight. I very much enjoyed A Brief Nostalgia. I thought the music was rather lush and old-fashioned - a bit like the accompaniment to a black and white film (which I mean as a compliment), only this score accompanied a black and white ballet. Or rather black, grey and white. The dancers' silhouettes on the screens were cleverly and beautifully used, and the constant changes of lighting and dancers and their regular contact with the screens/walls produced a restless, claustrophobic and anxious atmosphere that was very effective. The steps were often interesting and expressive too, and Delia Mathews in particular had really beautiful steps to dance and danced them with enormous expressiveness. I'd like to see the piece again because there was too much to take in at one viewing. I also really enjoyed The Suit. A sad and ultimately heartbreaking tale told in a quirky, interesting and sometimes witty way, but also generating a real sense of the tragedy at its centre. Brilliant performances from Cira Robinson and José Alves in the lead roles, and the 'chorus' were used very effectively, watching, participating, assisting, suffering; this is not just a personal disaster but one that affects all with whom the couple have contact, and the whole of society. No man is an island... I had thought that Nine Sinatra Songs would be a fun end to the evening; unfortunately it didn't work out that way for me. Obviously there are some great songs involved; but I'm always surprised when I hear Sinatra at how bland his singing seems. He has a pleasant voice but I don't find it at all expressive. But, there are the songs... The choreography, however, I found unutterably tedious after the first few minutes. It added nothing at all to the songs and towards the end I started closing my eyes so that I just heard the music. The dancers, of course, performed very well, but to me it all fell completely flat. But: two hits out of three is not bad going!
  9. bridiem
    I didn't often book for Bussell, because I didn't find her very interesting or deep from a dramatic point of view. Now, and especially after I'd watched her final Song of the Earth performance (recorded from the TV), I regret that very much. Her dancing really was glorious, and in the right role/s she could be profoundly beautiful.
  10. bridiem
    Yes - it did rather make it sound as being director of BRB will be just one amongst his many activities. I hope that's not indicative of the amount of time he will be able to devote to it (especially since he now lives in Somerset, which is quite a long way from Birmingham).
  11. bridiem
    I really don't understand this 'exclusivity' with Osipova and Hallberg. Unless/until the partnering issues improve I would have thought it would be pretty stressful (and so unsatisfying) dancing with him (as it can be stressful, and so unsatisfying, for the audience watching them at times). And there's a danger of becoming artistically complacent by only being willing to dance with one partner in the big roles. I'd have no objection to work being created on Hallberg if a choreographer wished to do so, but he's very much a classicist and I think would look completely out of place and misused in McGregor choreography. (Mind you, I think that about most of the RB dancers most of the time in McGregor work.)
  12. bridiem
    Yes, me too. Less really is more.
  13. bridiem
    I can't say I mind at all, given that he's kind enough to share them with us! (The only time I was sitting in the stalls and tried to take a photo, I was so excited that the result was a blur of unrecognisable dancers. )
  14. bridiem
    I thought the performance this evening got off to a partly shaky start, but then improved, and ended with a great flourish. I was very surprised at how ragged much of Concerto was; it's one of my desert island ballets and I was so looking forward to it, but a lot of the dancers really seemed to be struggling with the speed and the lines were often not as they should have been. Hayward was absolutely superb - like a tiny exotic butterfly flitting and turning, and apparently enjoying herself hugely; Corrales was very good when he could just turn or jump, and he has a strong stage presence, but he seemed to struggle with the precision needed to co-ordinate with Hayward or others and his arms and hands were a bit indisciplined. And I think of him as being not very tall, but for some reason he looked huge next to Hayward tonight. The second movement was perfectly well danced by Hamilton ably supported by Braendsrod, but it didn't move me as it normally does. Calvert led the third movement strongly, but I still felt the dancers were generally not comfortable. I don't really understand it since they're so technically gifted. Perhaps they haven't had quite enough rehearsal time on this piece. But what a wonderful ballet it is, to the most exciting music. Enigma Variations was beautifully danced and performed, with Gary Avis a deeply touching Elgar and Christina Arestis a lovely Lady Elgar. I also particularly liked Edmonds and Kaneko in their very sweet hammock pas de deux, Campbell as a whirring, precise Troyte, and Calvert as the mysterious Lady Mary Lygon floating deliciously around the stage (and coping very well with a minor costume malfunction when one of her 'wings' got detached from her wrist). I see that the work might seem a bit obscure without a degree of background knowledge, but in the end I don't think that matters; the relationships and feelings portrayed are so human and so sympathetically drawn and brilliantly choreographed that the end result is profoundly moving. I find Raymonda dazzling and I thought Cuthbertson and Bonelli were wonderful. What a stylish dancer he is, and she really turned on the exotic panache the role needs. The variations were danced by Kaneko, Hinkis, Calvert and Stix-Brunell, and I thought they did very well (though Hinkis had a bit of a stumble). The four men (Edmonds, Ella, Hay and Richardson) were also impressive and got a great response from the audience. The finale is so thrilling that it just fills me with joy. A real spectacle for the eye, the ear and the heart.
  15. bridiem
    I'm in a quandary because I'd love to see all the Prodigal Son casts (esp Sambé/Heap and Campbell/Calvert), but have no wish to see the other two works again at all. I know that as problems go it's not up there; but it's a teeny bit galling. I'm also in a state of confusion. I have a note of a 'Heritage' programme in the Linbury with BRB 14-19 May 2020. Is it not now happening or are my dates wrong?
  16. bridiem
    That implies that all critics and everyone on social media have the same tastes. I had no preconceptions about this film so I don't know what people were expecting. But I'm happy to wait until it opens before panning it (or not, as the case may be).
  17. bridiem
    In recent years I've always emailed - I was told I could do that some years ago (having previously only ever been able to return tickets in person or by post, so it was a big advance). I assume they want/need written evidence that you're not going to use the ticket. So as far as I know it's not a new policy.
  18. bridiem
    Sounds good! Is it fair that she can sing too???!
  19. bridiem
    Well if you're interested in a particular dancer and following their career, you want to both support them and see how they deal with the opportunity/challenge. Almost as if they're a friend or family member!
  20. bridiem
    I actually think 9 tickets per performance is bonkers. Why on earth should people be allowed to buy that many tickets (unless they think the tickets are going to be hard to shift for some reason)? Someone above suggested that being a Friend should allow you to bring one person with you, as with some gallery memberships etc - maybe stretch that to 4 to be generous, but 9??
  21. bridiem
    I'm fortunate (in this way at least) to live in London, so I only have to consider other commitments. I would always go to a world première if possible - there's a great thrill in knowing that a work is being performed for the very first time. If it's an existing work, I would always choose to see the début of a dancer I like if possible - again it's really exciting seeing someone take on a big new role for the first time. If it's not a début, it's just a question of which of their performances fits in with other things I'm doing - I wouldn't deliberately wait for a later performance in the run.
  22. bridiem
    Your use of the word 'worst' amused me, Dawnstar! But I know exactly what you mean...
  23. bridiem
    I'm still hoping it's going to be on TV over Christmas so I haven't booked it at all!
  24. bridiem
    And there's now a big item on the Telegraph website (with the editor of Opera magazine weighing in too). They clearly think that even if 'hundreds' of tickets have been held back for sale tomorrow (about which there are conflicting reports, as we know) that's not good enough: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/23/royal-opera-house-ticket-row-every-single-seat-next-years-must/ And an associated article by Rupert Christiansen (Premium, so I can only see the start of it) contrasting the ROH's 'Open Up' strategy with what has happened here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/23/royal-opera-house-supposed-open-now-looks-like-closed-club/
  25. bridiem
    The discussion about marketing and ticket prices last year also got into the papers (and Twitter) and no-one was banned. This problem is entirely of the ROH's own making.
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