JohnS

A fabulous double Swan Lake on Saturday. I very much enjoyed Sarah Lamb’s matinee and am delighted to have seen her final performance this run. There was palpable tension in the theatre when Lamb slipped in Act 2. I’d always assumed Odette’s hops across the stage partnered by Siegfried were relatively innocuous. Quite unexpected but Lamb quickly recovered her poise and if anything the slip emphasised Odette’s vulnerability and Siegfried’s affection, Reece Clarke ever more attentive during the rest of the performance. Sarah Lamb came out all guns blazing for Act 3, a very impressive Odile, and I found Act 4 particularly affecting. A rapturous reception for all and especially Sarah Lamb - whilst I’m hoping there’ll be further opportunities to see her in future Swan Lake runs, her last Odette/Odile this run certainly gave me a great sense of satisfaction. I fully agree with all the plaudits for the evening performance with Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov so well matched and in such sparkling form. I’ve never seen an Odile so ensnare Siegfried, then seemingly reel him in centre stage for his denouement. And the pyrotechnics have never felt so much a part of Odile’s character. Simply sensational. As was Muntagirov’s Siegfried. Kaneko’s Odette was achingly exquisite making maximum use of the tempo whilst maintaining the pulse. I can see why @Scheherezade said earlier she found it impossible to choose between Odette and Odile as they were both so strong. I’m more often impressed by Odettes with the Odiles being less convincing (although that might be down to Von Rothbart’s questionable magic) so for me it was Kaneko’s Odile perfectly complementing her Odette that made this performance so special, with Muntagirov the consummate Siegfried. Finally enormous thanks to the Corps, many of whom must have been dancing Friday’s Winter’s Tale General Rehearsal and opening night as well as Saturday’s double Swan Lake. Wonderful to see their artistry and such astonishing dedication.

I’m very sorry to hear the news but how gratifying to read all the tributes. And how very fitting to have that dedication on the cast sheet, with Fumi and Vadim dancing Swan Lake and Fumi’s Instagram post. Linda told me she had been agitating for flowers to be presented to male dancers for more than 20 years and was delighted when Vadim received audience flowers after his Rudolf in November 2022: she thought it so apt that Vadim as Rudolf was the first male dancer to be presented with audience flowers on stage after so many years. Linda was very keen to promote further equality when flowers are presented believing it would be much better if the principal ballerina and her partner received their bouquets at the same time. That would facilitate exchanges of flowers as she would often arrange for her bouquets to have one or two easily removal flowers for principals to give their partners. I like to think Fumi and Vadim had this in mind during their curtain call celebrations captured in Fumi’s Instagram post. Perhaps we should make a further effort to see if the two lead principals might receive their bouquets at the same time? Linda was also very concerned about spiralling ticket prices and what seemed the inevitable corollary of excessive discounting when sales didn’t materialise. Ever vigilant in calling for fairness, she would regularly write to Alex Beard about pricing and set out the advantages of more targeted, modest discounting to encourage audience members to attend additional performances when ticket sales were slow.

I’m sorry to hear that @Vanartus - very disappointing for non UK audiences after the MacMillan triple bill UK only screening. I do hope these performances are quickly made available on the streaming service.

I very much enjoyed the opening night’s cast and a real bonus seeing the cinema cast in the General Rehearsal - I’m sure the cinema relay (and encore) will be well worth catching. And two other ‘must see’ casts to come. As regards the back cloths, I rather like the bear but am less taken with the sea/ship cloths which seem too literal and prolong action/storm/flight/pursuit without adding greatly to the drama. That said the change of sail for Polixenes works well but I do rather think action for action’s sake dissipates the tension at the end of Act 2 and the bag over Perdita’s captor verges on the ludicrous, all a bit too Captain Pugwash. The opening night’s cast were very strong. Great to see Cesar Corrales on stage and his deeply disturbing Leontes. I was very taken with Lauren Cuthbertson’s Hermione and Melissa Hamilton really impressed as Paulina, fittingly drawing the threads together at the end. I very much enjoyed Francesca Hayward’s vivacious Perdita and Marcelino Sambe’s Florizel - I think they’ll be even greater fluidity in partnering in later performances. Calvin Richardson was a compelling Polixenes. I liked Meaghan Grace Hinkis’ Shepherdess and Marco Masciari’s Brother Clown. I did wonder if he were a shade overstated and I think they’ll be a number of Brother Clowns who’ll catch the eye this run. As a footnote, I’d brought my old programme to London as it’s been a long time since I last saw Winter’s Tale. I was rather pleased to find a cast sheet for a 2016 matinee including Hayward and Hay as Perdita/Florizel, and Sambe as Brother Clown, with Takada as the Shepherdess. Soares, Calvert, Arestis and Hirano were the other principal characters.

I’m afraid without the seat maps @Dawnstar, it’s not possible to give an answer. I don’t recall the ROH giving separate columns for Stalls Circle and Stalls Circle Sides so it will be illuminating to find out what seats are actually available in the Stalls Circles Sides column. If they’re the same seats for ballet and opera, then ballet seats are a little less expensive than for opera. But we’ll have to see the detail. The Box Office agreed the Fidelio front Amphitheatre price looked an error. I was told seats maps should be published well before booking opens so hopefully before the end of the month. Apologies - in setting up this thread I hadn’t appreciated there were already a number of pricing comments on the 2024-25 season thread: if I have chance (depending on train IT and my limited skills), I’ll try and move across all the pricing comments to this thread.

Good to see Autumn 2024-25 pricing information published but the seat maps are not on the web and those are needed for any detailed analysis. There are several seat maps and areas of the house are divided in different ways. For example in the Stalls different productions have 3, 4 or 5 prices. And it looks highly likely to me that there are errors in the grid. Fidelio has £152 as the most expensive Amphitheatre seat but other operas with the same top price (£245) show £101 as the most expensive Amphitheatre seat. Almost certainly the £152 is an error and should have been included as the lowest price in the Stalls which would then be in line with other operas with the same top price. But I’m afraid such errors don’t inspire much confidence. I think it would make a much easier read if operas had been grouped together: Hoffman £300 top price; Onegin, Tosca, Boheme all £270 top price; Figaro, Traviata, Fidelio all £245 top price; and Hansel & Gretel £175 top price. So four sets of prices rather than 8 rows which doubles the risk of transposition errors (which I’m sure has happened for Fidelio). For the four ballets, three groups would be better: Alice and Cinderella both £190 top price; Maddaddam £145 top price; and Encounters £75 top price. I’ll make some enquiries as to when we’ll see seat maps and the errors in the grid before looking in detail at prices but I think there may well be concerns as to Amphitheatre prices for ballet compared to opera: top price £114 for Alice and Cinderella which is more than for all operas bar Hoffman (assuming Fidelio is incorrectly shown). But I think Stalls Circle sides look more sympathetically priced compared to opera: top price £73 for Alice and Cinderella compared to more than £80 for all operas bar Hansel & Gretel although we need the seat maps to be definitive. I’m hoping the pricing grid is uploaded below. Royal Ballet & Opera pricing Autumn 2024-25.pdf

Many thanks @Dawnstar. It’s always difficult trying to check prices for sold out performances when the seatmap isn’t readily accessible.

I think this was one of a number of ‘missteps’ during the early phases of experimental pricing which has been corrected for later phases - not that it helps with Winter’s Tale prices. But I think there remain a number of missteps which ought to be addressed for 2024-25, particularly stalls circle bench seats for ballet which are more expensive than for opera and, if I recall correctly, the Pappano Gala.

In the Friends magazine Huffman seems to be referring to the formal dances at the end of each Act - there’s no suggestion of dancer doubles @Dawnstar.

Many thanks @MildConcern. I’m afraid I didn’t know much about Ted Huffman but I have now read the Magazine article and his approach to Onegin seems promising: not a period piece as he’s ‘interested in the emotional story, rather than the social or historical one.’ And he goes on to say: ‘we really will have dance with a capital D in the show. I really love dance in opera.’ I rather like it that we’re having Eugene Onegin and Onegin in the 2024-25 season.

Apologies I don’t think I can list the big voices - the full details should be published tomorrow. Just picking up one comment, Eugene Onegin is a new production, Ted Huffman directing. The blurb says he directed 4:48: Psychosis and ‘… brings his unique vision … that blurs the boundaries between memory, longing and desire.’ There’s a feature on Huffman in the Autumn Booking Magazine.

There’s no information about pricing and nothing from Alex Beard about lessons from this year’s pricing. I’ll make some enquiries.

A new name - ‘Royal Ballet & Opera’ Main operas: Figaro Traviata Eugene Onegin Fidelio Tales of Hoffman Tosca Boheme Hansel & Gretel Jenufa Aida Festen - Turnage World Premiere Trovatore Turandot Carmen Walkure - Pappano conducting Faust Semele There are a number of Linbury opera performances in the Linbury Theatre.

A new name - ‘Royal Ballet & Opera’ Main operas: Figaro Traviata Eugene Onegin Fidelio Tales of Hoffman Tosca Boheme Hansel & Gretel Jenufa Aida Festen - Turnage World Premiere Trovatore Turandot Carmen Walkure - Pappano conducting Faust Semele There are a number of Linbury opera performances in the Linbury Theatre. Note - I posted this on the Not Dance/Opera & Music page should anyone wish to comment about the opera programme.

When the Prologue works well it can be very effective with Hayward outstanding last run but as @Rob S says, the lighting this run seems to be set further back so the character changes are far too visible.

Very much looking forward to their Hamlet and Ophelia albeit a short work.

I found last night’s Swan Lake hugely satisfying and a pleasure to see Francesca Hayward’s audacious Odile alongside her heart-rending Odette. I’ve always been impressed with her Odette and I thought last night she gave a performance to cherish - wonderfully sustained throughout the two White Acts and making the most of the slow tempo. The lighting didn’t quite work as well in the Prelude as I remember from the previous run (as I think has been the case in a number of performances this run). But I found Odette’s vulnerability aching in Act 2 and she was utterly broken in Act 4 before girding herself for her redemptive self sacrifice. Act 3 has always been a challenge for Hayward with the bravura set pieces and there are dancers who certainly have more panache. But last night there was no doubting in my mind that Hayward’s Odile would deliver. And I do find her Odile alluringly seductive, shades of her recent Marie and Manon. Will Bracewell was a fabulous Siegfried, wonderful dancing throughout, and showing his contempt for Von Rothbart through movement rather than muttering. I thought he and Hayward made a convincing partnership and, as in the previous run, I’m sure Bracewell gave tremendous support. It was good to see them at the Stage Door and they both seemed pleased with the performance. Looking forward very much to their second performance in a couple of weeks and with other casts to see before then.

A fabulous Act 4 with Marci desperately trying to prevent Mayara leaping to her death. I thought this one of the best Act 4s I’ve seen.

I saw the cinema relay live in Keswick and there was much applause when Kevin O’Hare referred to Keswick and a letter he’d received from a lady who goes to all the Sunday encores. Hopefully she’ll be there this Sunday. I was going to book for Sunday’s encore in Rheged on the way home from London but surprisingly Rheged aren’t doing an encore. Fortunately for me they were screening a delayed ‘live’ relay on Thursday so I managed to catch that instead. Still the same sound issues but very good to see Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball on Rheged’s massive screen. I’d seen their first performance in the ROH this run and I probably preferred that - and not just for the exquisite long held balance in Act 3. On Wednesday I thought Ball rather overdid the Von Rothbart contemptuous mutterings and couldn’t help wondering if Siegfried had seen too much of Woyzeck’s Captain but on second viewing I wasn’t as concerned. I thought the rest of the cast stronger in the cinema than their first performance and was particularly impressed by Annette Buvoli and Joonhyuk Jun. I do agree with the applause comments being over intrusive. In the theatre the fabulous Naghdi balance had been met with a smattering of applause which I’m pleased to say didn’t ignite. Quite a contrast to opening night when the Nunez aficionados ensured a cacophony of applause and whooping, fortunately no rattles, all highlighting the Nunez performance. I’m afraid throughout the opening night for me the applause undermined the sense of character for Odette, Odile and Siegfried and despite Marinella Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov’s undoubted talents where there’s so much to admire, I’m finding other Swan Lakes more satisfying. On that note I’m very much looking forward to today’s double Swan Lake. I enjoyed Mayara Magri and Marcelino Sambe’s earlier performance, albeit rather overshadowed by his astonishing Woyzeck performances, so it will be good to see their final performance. And when I saw the casting, I was delighted to see Francesca Hayward and Will Bracewell were again paired. I think in her brief moments in the Prelude Hayward conveys more of Odette’s vulnerability and anguish than I get from some Odettes in their White Acts and I was also taken with much of her Odile. I’m hoping this run Hayward is fully fit as she was struggling in her debut run. Bracewell is such a supportive partner and it was very touching when Hayward presented him with a bouquet during his curtain call after their final performance last run. Here’s hoping for a fabulous Saturday.

Website has: ‘GUIDANCE Suitable for ages 16+’ Cast sheet: ‘This production contains explicit depictions of miscarriage, murder and suicide. There is blood and gore throughout.’

Was it the same conductor and did Katherine Baker, principal flute, take a curtain call bow - she did at the General Rehearsal?

Just catching up - do hope your journey was problem free.

A truly memorable weekend with Swan Lake and International Draft Works before the final MacMillan Triple Bill albeit not all for the best reasons with Ryoichi Hirano’s injury, other cast illnesses, and the audience problems. For the final Triple Bill performance I was delighted to be sitting in a favourite seat (Stalls H4) above the gangway so unrestricted views of the stage. I’m very sorry Reece Clarke was poorly necessitating the cast change for the lead dancers but it was a privilege to have seen Marcelino Sambe and Francesca Hayward from such a fabulous seat. Saturday’s Different Drummer was unbearably raw, utterly draining, and Sambe, Hayward and Serrano gave an astonishing performance which will live long in the memory. The audience problems with shouting up in the slips were clearly audible in the stalls but for me they didn't detract from the spellbinding performance on stage. Requiem was proving the perfect complement but Ryoichi Hirano pulled up suddenly (though as others have said he hadn’t looked entirely comfortable before) and left the stage part way through Libera Me. It left rather a gap as Luca Acri didn’t have anyone doing the ‘heavy lifting’ so the improvisation was rather earthbound. For In Paradisum enormous congratulations to Matthew Ball who held Sarah Lamb in a high one legged lift albeit not standing on his shoulder - not even Ball could lift Lamb and place her to stand on his shoulder. He then walked backwards to the back of the stage with Sarah Lamb, transcendent, facing the audience looking to the beyond. I guess many of the audience wouldn’t have known things had gone awry. I saw Kevin O’Hare at the Stage Door so could offer congratulations and many thanks to him for devising such a tremendous Triple Bill. I said I hoped there’d be another challenging Triple Bill next year. As regards the dancers, I spoke to Teo Dubreuil who was the Different Drummer Christ figure and in Requiem. He hadn’t heard the audience shouting so perhaps other dancers hadn’t as the disturbance was news to him. Isabella Gasperini was also in Requiem after her sixth Danses Concertantes lead so it was very good to congratulate her. Luca Acri was pleased they’d managed to improvise after Ryo’s injury. Matthew Ball was with Mayara Magri. They’d danced in International Draft Works in the Linbury that afternoon which I’d seen and I thought Matt’s ‘To & Fro’ one of the best - very polished and certainly made me smile. I hadn’t gone to the Stage Door the previous evening so it was good to chat to Mayara and I’m certainly looking forward to her and Marcelino Sambe’s next Swan Lake when I’m sure I’ll be more Swan Lake centred. Matthew Ball impresses me more and more and with ‘To & Fro’ and the remarkable Requiem improvisation, quite a day for him. Ryoichi Hirano came out on crutches and wearing a protective boot. He was very happy to chat to all and have photos/sign programmes etc. Sarah Lamb was last out - I was about to go as the other well wishers had just gone and I’m very pleased I had chance to have a few words. She brings a very special quality to ballet and I’ve been very taken with the serene aura she projects in Requiem. On the way home on Sunday, I called in Rheged for the cinema encore and was hugely impressed. I’m delighted we have such a good recording of Different Drummer and Requiem although I think I have a marginal preference for Matthew Ball rather than Will Bracewell in the role. I found the cinema encore of Requiem particularly moving despite my third viewing, I guess in part because the previous evening’s performance had been affected by Ryoichi Hirano’s injury and it was so good to see such a wonderfully strong, collective performance. I do very much hope we won’t have to wait as long as we did this time before having chance to see these ballets in the theatre again. Hopefully we’ll have a stream or DVD recording but there’s nothing to beat live performance in the theatre for such intense ballets.

A hugely enjoyable evening and many congratulations to Yasmine Naghdi, Matthew Ball, and the corps. I thought their performance irresistible and with a bit more precision in some supporting roles, I think we’re in for a cinema relay treat. It was very good to see Yasmine and Matt at the stage door and with dancers ever striving for perfection there was talk of further polishing/refinement from them. For my part, I’d happily settle for a repeat performance. What really impressed me was that they both seemed absolutely in time with the music and convincing in the roles. I know there’s been a fair bit of criticism of Siegfried’s role in Act 4 but I wonder if there’s a bit of exaggeration? Siegfried is knocked out by Von Rothbart at exactly the same time as Odette’s fatal leap so it’s too late for him to save Odette. But he has resisted Von Rothbart up to the time of Odette’s sacrifice. I accept it’s very much Swan power that overcomes Von Rothbart but I’m more than happy with that. And I’ve always been touched by Odette’s spirit offering protection/solace to Siegfried in the closing moments: even if Siegfried isn’t conscious of Odette’s spirit, the audience (albeit those who can see Odette’s spirit) can think that in time Siegfried will appreciate and ultimately accept Odette’s blessing.

I enjoyed today’s General Rehearsal despite a false alarm going off during Act 1 and a ten minute delay with the audience remaining in the theatre. Some hugely impressive singing, I noticed some changes to the production which I rather liked, and fabulous flute playing. I’m certainly looking forward to a full performance on 10th May so can say more then.