Lizbie1

They won't publish the Ashton pricing till next year. Don Q pricing is (no seat maps!): Stalls: £150, £125, £104 SC far sides: £52, £36, £26, £14 SC: £150, £125, £104, £83, £67, £52, £36, £26 Grand Tier: £150 GT boxes: £150, £104, £67 Balcony: £125, £104, £83, £52, £26 Balcony boxes: £52 Slips: £26, £14 Amphi: £104, £83, £67, £52, £36, £26, £14 (Copied manually so there may be the odd error!)

I've finally read the review. I don't know how many here are familiar with RC's opera criticism, but I felt this was in the same vein: constructive criticism. Art needs reviewers to be critical friends, not cheerleaders. I feel like I'm his repeat defender on this forum, but while I often disagree with his opinions I would not question his right or qualifications to have them. My view of him is that he's a thoughtful reviewer, always striving to see things with the fresh eyes of an average punter and taxpayer (more so than most reviewers IMO). Underpinning this is decades of watching ballet both at his own expense and as a professional reviewer. And as has been pointed out above, he's writing in the Spectator, which has/had the reputation of paying peanuts but allowing its writers latitude to say what they really think. Also: he was there; most of those criticising him here were not.

I'm glad I don't have my heart set on seeing Rheingold!

My reading of the word "troubled" in the quote provided above is that it was meant ironically.

IIRC they did not impress this forum first time around.

I agree with a lot of this, but the SF programmes were all new works and still sold slowly - and I don't see a Balanchine-focussed NYCB visit struggling. I don't know enough about Spalding to judge and I've never seen him criticised but I don't think that the amount of influence he has (not just his SW "tastemaker" status but routinely sitting on appointment committees and so on) is healthy.

I know others feel differently, but I do find it frustrating that when prominent companies tour to SW they often prefer to bring their newer repertoire rather than the things they're best known for. (I don't know if that's partly a SW preference as well.) I can understand that they want to show off new works and different dimensions but...! The Alvin Ailey visit feels like an outlier in this respect.

7th to 10th March - it's up on the SW website (weird URL though!). https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/__trashed/

It's a funny thing about ENB that they have all these ranks but often seem to give quite important parts and even first nights to people lower down the pecking order. I'm thinking particularly of James Streeter as Albrecht in the Akram Khan version, but there are some favourite dancers who regularly dance lead roles and aren't Principals. I rather like this about ENB, but it does raise questions about why some have not been promoted.

I don't see why not. When Minotaur was put on last year it was the same three (contemporary) dancers throughout. If Ball and Cojocaru were only to appear in the new piece, which is admittedly unclear, it wouldn't be a long evening for them.

And more Brandstrup news here.

Quite a coup for the Theatre Royal here: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/event/metamorphoses/ For those who don't know it, the Ustinov is the small theatre - all seats have a good view as far as I know but there aren't many of them.

He's also doing the choreography for the upcoming Wozzeck at ROH.

I didn't expect to enjoy the concert so I didn't watch it. I didn't mind it not really having much in it for my tastes because my cup ran over during the service itself. I did a lot of this sort of singing back in the day and I couldn't have hoped for better from Saturday - and what a thrill to hear I was glad and Zadok in context at last.* The new commissions were a bit of a mixed bag (they always are) but there were a couple of real winners IMO and Bryn Terfel was astonishing in the Welsh Kyrie. Apart from the quality of musicianship - very high from everyone - I was most impressed with the technical execution: the perfect synchronicity between Pappano (have we ever seen him look so smart?) and Nethsingha; and the sound recording, which I don't always think the BBC gets right at these events. *I've sometimes wanted to start a campaign to reserve them for coronations alone, to maintain their specialness, but I shouldn't have worried.

I've absolutely no interest in her politics one way or another but I'd like to see most people try to carry that sword like that for nearly two hours with only a short respite!

Any particular reason?

Though we have film of previous ballet greats, I don't think we can ever capture what so enthralled earlier generations. Nureyev, Fonteyn and Pavlova may to us look pretty tame on film but so many people whose opinion I trust have spoken of them in such terms that we know that film can never be a true representation of what it was like to be in that theatre. (Personally I'm all about live performance - just a completely different level of experience IMO - so I'm perhaps easier to persuade than most.) All this talk reminds me of a conversation about Maria Callas on Radio 3's Record Review a few years ago. They got onto the subject of whether Callas is/was overrated and (I think) Iain Burnside said something like "I can understand why some people feel that way, but they're wrong." And he was right - with Callas, as with Shakespeare or Bach or Petipa, the question is above anyone's personal taste. When the settled opinion of people who really know what they're talking about is that Callas was the most important female opera singer of the twentieth century, it's better to concede that it's not them, it's you.

Have you alerted the Box Office? It sounds like they might want to push out an email to attendees.

I think we sometimes short-change Ashton himself on this forum by unintentionally suggesting that some of his works are only effective when given truly idiomatic performances. Obviously we'd all like that to to be the norm and it's preferable for his original intentions and nuance to be brought out, but Ashton found something interesting in dancers with a wide variety of backgrounds, and in turn I've seen dancers of various backgrounds delight audiences in Ashton.

Yes - different shaped crown, which would not be easy to patch in, unlike the initials and numerals.

Thank you for this - it told me more than the average newspaper review!

It does exactly what it was meant to do - make a big impression. I don't think it's "ridiculous" within the context of monarchy and a coronation.

Undoubtedly more comfortable too, but I think we can make allowances for a carriage that's over 250 years old.

I asked via the website: I've had a reply to say there will be matinees on "both of the Saturdays" (I asked about all matinees, so I wouldn't count on there being a weekday one) and "tickets will go on sale later this month".

So envious!