JohnS

I was going to say it might be a long wait if dancers are three line whipped into attending a party but having read capybara’s and bridem’s posts perhaps not?

Isn't this toursenloir’s post above?

Many thanks Mary - given your past experience I’ll contact the Box Office and pass on what happened and the seat numbers.

Back home from yesterday’s Nutcracker and a few thoughts. I very much enjoyed the evening - Gary Avis really is the consummate Drosselmeyer. Anna-Rose O’Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe were excellently matched and I’m looking forward immensely to their Romeo and Juliet in the Spring. The ending last night was brilliantly timed - it had been a bit rushed in the cinema relay if I recall. I find Laura Morera a wonderful dancer, bringing such intelligence and depth to all her roles, combined with a fabulous technique. This run I’d only seen the cinema relay so I’m not really able to comment but I like to think there’s something very fitting in having Laura close such runs, saving the finest wine till last as with Mayerling. William Bracewell, replacing Federico Bonelli, was a fine Prince and I’m sure he’ll be able to relax a shade more in the final performance next week. There’d been a few cast changes and one or two pairings looked a little mismatched to me - the supported jumps in the Chinese Dance. Fumi Kaneko stood out for me as a Leading Flower and I do like David Yudes as Drosselmeyer’s Apprentice. Koen Kessels set a cracking pace and beautifully shaped the score - one brass fortissimo apart, I really enjoyed the music, the first opportunity to see and listen to Nutcracker since Radio 3’s ‘The Listening Service: Nutcracker - Strange Enchantments’ with its fascinating insights into the original intentions and composition. Well worth a listen. I’d managed to get an excellent central Row A Grand Tier return ticket - a fabulous view giving a wonderful perspective of the entire stage. Having read comments about people’s experiences at the Coliseum, I’m afraid I was very surprised by some local disruption. Astonishingly a couple two to my right insisted in giving a running commentary ‘it’s the Arabian dance etc’ and the man even started whistling the ‘tunes’ he knew. Extraordinary. Had I been next to them I’d like to think I’d have asked them to desist. But this wasn’t going to mar a very enjoyable evening, my icing on the Kingdom of Sweets cake (and cherries) being able to thank Laura and Anna-Rose at the Stage Door, and one or two others, including Koen Kessels. Laura’s Masha was unforgettable, particularly poignant for me, and Anna-Rose has made so much of her opportunities throughout the last year in such a range of ballets so thanks also to Bloomsbury Flowers for adding to the occasion.

András Schiff has given many masterclasses on Schubert/Beethoven piano sonatas and his class on Opus 111 is well worth repeated viewing - on You Tube.

Many thanks Bluebird - that’s fascinating. I’d simply assumed the shifting of some seats to higher price categories covered both ballet and opera.

Thanks LinMM - have you seen Sylvie Guillem dance Mats Ek’s Bye to Beethoven’s last piano sonata, Op 111?

I sat in B86 for the Triple Bill 2 January and found some things were out of view, particularly in the Concert where there was much laughter from the audience at large but those near me were having to guess what was going on - the husband with his dagger, some of the corps misalignments. That said, I think it’s a pretty good seat and relatively close to the stage, excellent for much of Winter Dreams.

A rather different and very pleasing cast change experience for me tonight. I was just about to take a photo of the cast change notice at the desk in the main foyer and was offered a cast change slip. I don’t think the offer was because I was struggling as I’d only just got my iPhone out and I was the only person about at the time so there was plenty of space etc. I was extremely grateful to take the slip. I said I thought the slips had gone and was told they continued to hold a few but didn’t put them out for people to help themselves. I rather got the impression that in the past many cast change slips were simply discarded and left in the theatre at the end of the performance. I very much enjoyed tonight’s performance and will post some thoughts later.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001yfp Schubert’s final piano sonata No, 21 in B-flat major, D960 - today’s Radio 4 ‘Soul Music’. I wouldn’t normally choose to listen to people’s voices over music but this really is a gem of a programme. It helps that the speakers are so eloquent and a number are pianists - Imogen Cooper, Steven Osborne and James Lisney. I listened whilst driving to the station and just had to hear to the end when I’d got to the car park.

Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake this Christmas Day and still on iPlayer for a couple of weeks - a treat in store if you’ve missed it northstar. There have been quite a few comments about the broadcast on the Swan Lake link.

I’m not sure if you saw the programme Fonty but Darcey Bussell’s ‘Dancing to Happiness’ really was wonderful, shown I think in early December. No longer on iPlayer but I’m sure will be repeated. It showed how dance can help those with dementia and Parkinson's, the old and lonely, and young people struggling with mental illnesses. A remarkable tribute to dance and its health and life enhancing powers and those gifted facilitators who use dance so effectively to help people discover themselves, their memories and hidden strengths. Excellent programmes are still being made.

Congratulations jmhompton! I thought the name looked familiar when looking through Radio Times today.

There was some discussion a few days ago about casting information being updated on the web after performances - there’d been some confusion about who was dancing Clara in the Paul Hamlyn performance. Over the weekend I saw there’d been some favourable Twitter comment about the Royal Opera House displaying cast change notices about Bennet Gartside replacing Alastair Marriott as Drosselmeyer for Saturday’s performance and how this was respectful to artists and audiences. The website is still showing Alastair Marriott. Whilst I accept updating the website for past performances is not the highest priority (and it was of course a weekend), I do think updating should be done in a reasonable timescale. As this is a known example of a casting change for a principal role published on the web, I shall take an occasional look at the website information over the next few days. I thought I’d wait a week before contacting the Royal Opera House if the information hasn’t been updated - I’m very much hoping I’ll not need to other than to say how much I appreciate the website having been updated.

I don’t think the ROH marketed the Triple Bill as a family show at all. The description seems absolutely spot on to me: “Joyous then intense, serious then comically absurd - this is a programme with variety and seasonal celebration very much in mind. Les Patineurs is Ashton's witty and imaginative re-creation of ice skaters enjoying themselves - spinning impressively or falling over. A different wintery landscape takes over in MacMillan's character study drawn from Chekhov's Three Sisters - technically impressive and emotionally absorbing. But the mood for the finale turns to outright comedy in the funniest of all ballets, Robbins's The Concert, which pokes hilarious fun at the very idea of performance itself.” I thought it a fabulous evening and very much enjoyed the contrasts.

Or swans off?

I’d welcome the ending to be less rushed and one or two nuances to be made explicit. But we have seen that wonderful Act 4 pdd which I think makes clear that Odette recognises what she has to do and where she says her farewells to Siegfried. Whilst Siegfried doesn’t make any acknowledgement of Odette’s spirit, the audience can see and I don’t think it’s too much of a leap to say that the audience can choose to see ‘for Siegfried’. I’m not sure having Odette and Siegfried united in death amounts to a ‘complete triumph’. I think Odette has said her farewells in the pdd and we now see her spirit - her sacrifice has ensured that good triumphs over evil. And I think it’s for audience members to read whatever they see fitting into the spirit or Richard LH’s ephemera. As regards more positive endings, I thought for a time in the Soviet Union there was almost a requirement for Odette and Siegfried to defeat Von Rothbart and ‘live happily ever after’.

I’ve managed to see Swan Lake without too many interruptions for coughing and I have to say the more I see the production, the more I like it. I’ll look forward to the video release and hopefully some extras. There are three major criticisms of the production which a number of people have voiced - too much Benno, too little of Siegfried in Act 1, and the ending. There has also been some questioning of VR’s double role, although not since the television broadcast, and comment that more dancing for the four princesses would have been welcomed. The minor points first. Could the four princesses have more to do when presiding over three ‘national’ dances? I’d certainly welcome more engagement. What’s good enough for Siegfried’s sisters should be good enough for the other princesses. I find Von Rothbart an impressive character, well drawn out and giving another significant role. I very much admire Liam Scarlett’s narrative grip in Swan Lake (but then I like a great deal of Frankenstein and Sweet Violets). The first two major criticisms are interrelated as Benno certainly is much more prominent than Siegfried in Act 1 but I thought it might be easier to say something about each in turn. I have to say I find Benno an attractive, substantial part and I like very much how Benno and Siegfried’s two sisters present such fabulous dancing in Acts 1 and 3. I’m delighted the cinema cast was so strong and it’s great that this cast has been recorded for posterity. As well as the two Pas de Trois Benno plays an important role as Siegfried’s friend and moves the action on, explaining the narrative etc. So I for one am very pleased with how Scarlett creates a stronger role for Benno than in some productions and do love the set piece PDTs. In Act 1 there is a lot of criticism that we see so little of Siegfried and rather than him being on stage all the time (as Scarlett suggested would be the case as it’s focus is very much Siegfried’s Swan Lake), he absents himself for quite some time. But I think it’s worth asking what do we learn about Siegfried before his solo which not only leads seamlessly from Act 1 to Act 2 but gives us the first full opportunity to understand his character and motivation. Up to that point we see him as a Prince, reluctant to assume his responsibilities, pushed by his mother to choose his princess but more interested in hunting and something other than the stultified life awaiting him at Court (which we later learn is love). But we also see him at ease in Court, knowing how to behave and interact with all, excelling in his dancing when he chooses to dance, but clearly not relishing the prospect of taking on the Crown Prince’s mantle at all. I don’t see how Siegfried’s melancholia and striving for that something beyond the Court’s stuffiness can be introduced earlier without it compromising the thrust of Act 1. There’d be too many changes of pace and dynamic, too much stop/start. I think Scarlett handles the dramatic pace really well and Siegfried’s solo linking Acts 1 and 2 to me gives every opportunity for the audience to understand Siegfried’s motivation and sets up Act 2 beautifully. Could it be a little longer? I’d be happy if it were but it works well in my opinion. As regards the ending, a number of posters very strongly express their views that they prefer Siegfried and Odette to be united in love beyond death. And bridiem posts most eloquently and persuasively about ENB’s Swan Lake and its apotheosis with Odette and Siegfried united in love beyond death. While I find Scarlett’s ending very moving and very much in line with his stated Siegfried focus, I recognise it’s very difficult to persuade those who take the traditional counter view that Swan Lake needs that apotheosis (like Tristan and Isolde). I can’t for one moment think Scarlett would radically change his ending but I’d suggest that Scarlett does give us an alternative ending which is profoundly moving if in a different way. My one observation is that the ending seems rushed and Odette’s spirit can be missed and indeed is not visible from certain parts of the theatre. The cinema relay almost missed Odette on high as the focus is on Siegfried distraught, tenderly carrying Odette’s body retrieved from the lake front stage. I wondered if in editing the television broadcast, there might have been opportunity to show Odette’s spirit for slightly longer but I didn’t think there was any appreciable change. We did see the wider angled view by which time Odette’s spirit was already visible and the camera then cut to close up. I think the wider angled view for longer would be more preferable. In the summer when there was much debate about the ending I rather liked the idea of Siegfried recognising Odette’s spirit in some way, at least drawing attention to her spirit but, quite understandably, his concern is with protecting her body. But (if we’re quick and our seats allow for an unobstructed view) we do see Odette’s spirit and we may think in time Siegfried will recognise that he too can ‘see’ Odette on high looking to him, caring that he remembers her and that he looks after the things she loved, most importantly himself. He can take on his Crown Prince responsibilities, including marrying a suitable princess who he will love. I find that reconciliation deeply satisfying and genuinely touching and for me more so than the ‘united in death’ apotheosis but I do appreciate that others will see things very differently. Does the music allow for such an interpretation? In Tristan, it seems to me the music demands Isolde’s death (as does the entire drama) and I’m not at all persuaded by some recent productions which provide a different or ambiguous ending. But in Swan Lake the music to me is life affirming, triumphal, good overcoming evil. Von Rothbart is defeated, the swans are returned to human form. I like to think Odette’s (and Siegfried’s) love triumphs but that allows for a number of interpretations - united in love and both living, united in love after death, or as Scarlett chooses, Odette dying but her spirit released and we trust offering Siegfried the solace that (in time) he will find enabling. We’ve already seen in Scarlett’s fabulous Act 4 PDD that Odette recognises that she has to die and I read it also as Odette giving Siegfried her blessing. So I find Scarlett’s Swan Lake profoundly moving and fully in tune with the music. Whilst also moved by other traditional endings, I’d just ask people to consider whether other interpretations can also be life affirming. I certainly found the run of Swan Lakes fabulous, a theatrical tour de force certainly putting me through the emotional wringer, and am delighted there will be a DVD.

You could try having a look at this. I’m told work is ongoing to update the performance information as there’s a gap from 2012-13. http://rohcollections.org.uk/performances.aspx

Closing date for posting your ROH Ballet or Opera highlights is today 4 January. https://www.roh.org.uk/news/what-was-your-royal-ballet-highlight-of-2018 https://www.roh.org.uk/news/what-was-your-royal-opera-highlight-of-2018 Currently there are a few more Opera highlights than Ballet although a number of the Opera highlights are actually Ballet, probably because the Opera webpage has prime position on News. The lucky winners get a pair of seats for Frankenstein or Faust. I hope no one suggests the runner up gets to see two Frankenstein performances.

I found the three dancers absolutely convincing as sisters. Kenneth MacMillan’s extraordinary choreography left me in no doubt whatsoever, with touching performances from all three, all very different characters with their own motivations and passions, but united as sisters.

I still think more use should be made of the website by ensuring cast details are correct post performance. Having set a gold standard with the full cast for the Nutcracker cinema relay on 3 December, is there any reason why such detail cannot be the norm? Also can I repeat a plea that the website provides a better synopsis? For Winter Dreams, the cast sheet gave no synopsis at all, although the cast list did very usefully include relationships. The synopsis on the website is very thin. Yes I bought a programme as I hadn’t seen Winter Dreams in the theatre but why not include a better synopsis on line? I’d be interested to know what the cast list contained by way of synopsis last time Winter Dreams was performed and whether that information is available on the web.

Thank you Royal Ballet for a fabulous Triple Bill. Having had to cancel a pre Christmas trip, I was delighted to get a return for tonight’s performance. I loved it. Les Patineurs and the Concert were fabulous, thoroughly enjoyable, (not sure of some of the changes for Les Patineurs and I’m afraid one small notice at the one desk in the main reception does not seem adequate to me) and David Yudes and Sarah Lamb were astonishingly good in leading the ballets. Winter Dreams was the substantial main course. Whilst I’m familiar with the DVD, this was the first time I’d seen it in the theatre and I found it absolutely compelling. It’s hard to understand why it’s only the 40th performance. The ballet manages to sketch so many strong characters in addition to the Masha/Vershinin/Kulygin triangle. And what a cast in all roles - Claire Calvert (Olga). Akane Takada (Irina), Tristan Dyer (Tusenbach), Tomas Mock (Solyony) and Gary Avis (Chebutykin) all really impressed. Turning to the main triangle, I never imagined Nehemiah Kish would demand such sympathy but I was very touched by his portrayal. Ryoichi Hirano was very much the dashing Vershinin. And Laura Morera again is the consummate artist, her Masha standing alongside her Mary and Anastasia, a heart-rending performance that had me in tears. As I said In looking back on 2018, having Laura back on stage was one of my highlights and her Masha tonight I’m sure will be one of my highlights for 2019. Wishing Laura and all dancers an injury free 2019.

Having been alerted to the Summer Magazine and the Margot Fonteyn centenary celebrations, I was also delighted to see Francesca Hayward on the front cover and a lovely article written by Sarah Crompton. Fascinating to read about the auditions for Cats, a fabulous once in a lifetime opportunity, if outside the ‘comfort zone’ (if there can be such a place in Ballet). Looking forward very much to May and Francesca’s Juliet.

Similar points were made on yesterday’s Nutcracker radio programme which Aluson flagged in the Christmas/New Year dance on television and radio. Well worth a listen as northstar says. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001ss8