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Lizbie1

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  1. Lizbie1
    Thank you Bruce - I've taken your advice and booked myself in as you suggest for Balanchine & Robbins I and II*, and Balanchine & Ratmansky I. I might add on a 20th Century programme if other gadding about permits. I took out a subscription: slightly more expensive than buying three single tickets but should work out slightly cheaper if I add another. I changed the automatically assigned seats, which weren't the best available IMO. *It was slim pickings for II so I'm trying the 1st Ring sides for that.
  2. Lizbie1
    I'll be going to New York City myself for the first time in a couple of months (the first week of May, roughly speaking) and remembered this most useful thread. If there are any NYC locals or regulars reading: has anything changed about, for example, choosing NYCB tickets? I'm planning to see several performances. Any other advice is welcome too!
  3. Lizbie1
    The Skeaping Giselle was top of my wish list - and good to have Swan Lake back at the Albert Hall at last. I'll be seeing the Autumn mixed bill as well.
  4. Lizbie1
    Just recalled this old thread about the The Four Seasons. I would really love to see the Bournonville too - I hope my diary permits!
  5. Lizbie1
    As the introduction says, it's the Letter Scene from the opera Eugene Onegin. The "vocals" are integral to the music. The introduction also explains why it was chosen.
  6. Lizbie1
    The article I quoted above mentions that whereas previously it would be quite easy to blame such things on a younger generation, that doesn't really seem the case with the current "trend". I've just been to the ENO Rhinegold: the audience (in the Balcony, plenty of impeccably behaved young people) were on the whole very attentive, but of the several people near me tucking not very quietly into a snack half way through, all but one were of an older generation. I'd also hazard a guess that this was far from their first visit to the opera. It does seem plausible that a small but conspicuous minority have simply forgotten how to behave in public.
  7. Lizbie1
    From an article in the Sunday Times (paywalled): 'Liz Wyse, etiquette adviser at Debrett’s, agrees with me, which is extremely polite of her. “In the pandemic, we were very isolated,” she says. “It was a very peculiar situation, and that has definitely changed us. People now seem to be very un-self-aware when they are in a public place. And when you can’t project what impact your behaviour has on other people, well, that’s the cornerstone of good manners.” '
  8. Lizbie1
    But it's not their responsibility, is it? They might let people into a box but that's at their discretion and out of good will. They state clearly that latecomers will not be admitted. I must be very lucky, but out of hundreds of opera and ballet performances, with a full time job and mostly travelling from outside London, I've been late exactly once: my train was very delayed by flooding and I got to the relevant door about 90 seconds past the start. It actually pleased me that a) they'd already started (ROH is regrettably unpunctual in its starts IMO) and b) I wasn't allowed to sneak in. I'm a strong believer in learned behaviour - once people see others being let in late or performances routinely starting five minutes past the appointed time, they will adjust their own routine. It's not just down to luck, though: the shortest possible journey time from my station to ROH is 2 hours; I *always* allow an extra hour at least, and more if it's important to me not to miss the start. Cutting it fine is something you do at your own risk. With specific reference to the ROH Ring: I don't remember anyone arriving late for any of the last Ring that I attended. Most people had booked a year ahead - there were special booking dates - and weren't going to chance it. (I wouldn't blame anyone for giving Siegfried a miss, though.)
  9. Lizbie1
    I've not been to Bayreuth but I imagine anyone who's gone to the not inconsiderable trouble of getting a ticket there will take extra care to be punctual. As should be expected from most opera (or ballet) audiences, frankly!
  10. Lizbie1
    It's not the director - it's Wagner himself. I can't think of a production of Rheingold where there's been a pause or an interval, and the music doesn't allow for it. There would be many complaints!
  11. Lizbie1
    Helpfully for out-of-towners, you can do all four Alvin Ailey programmes in a weekend (Friday 8th evening to Sunday 10th matinee).
  12. Lizbie1
    Well - all I can say is that next to this, the Adolphe Binder saga at Wuppertal and the revelations about Igor Zelensky and Putin's daughter, the British dance scene seems very tame!
  13. Lizbie1
    Is "safe environment" the magic phrase these days? I don't understand its application here!
  14. Lizbie1
    Agree: it sounds like there are issues with that particular critic, but a performer writing off criticism - even just negative criticism! - as worthless strikes me as intellectually lazy.
  15. Lizbie1
    So it's her own fault she had dog excrement smeared on her face?
  16. Lizbie1
    Both. As far as I can deduce they tend to use the Garnier for pre-romantic (and some modern) operas but I'm sure there are exceptions. I like visiting Paris for both opera and ballet but I do wonder if they receive too much subsidy, or at least if they spend it wisely. In an average season there's probably slightly more opera I'd like to catch in Paris than in London, whereas little of the recent Paris ballet programming takes my fancy. (Having said that, I'll be heading over to see the Balanchine in a couple of weeks.) At my end of the price range, I'd say ticket prices are roughly comparable. They seem to top out lower for opera, though.
  17. Lizbie1
    Lucky Hamburg, getting Jane Eyre!
  18. Lizbie1
    The way it's going, I wonder if we'll end up with Saturday matinees being sold at a premium - they're certainly very popular.
  19. Lizbie1
    Just checked the Hippodrome website and it's selling very strongly.
  20. Lizbie1
    I'm not happy about the increase but the ROH is between a rock and a hard place and 10.9% isn't far off being in line with inflation. My own level of membership (Friends+) is going up by just over 13% but at the end of the day it's my decision as to whether it continues to provide sufficient value to me - it helps that my renewal is timed for after the season announcement. It's difficult to see what room there is to strip anything from "basic" friends membership.
  21. Lizbie1
    I'm not at all opposed to the idea but I don't exaggerate when I say that my first instinct was to ask myself whether it is April 1st today!
  22. Lizbie1
    Sorry, another question: I've just noticed that start times for performances are apparently invisible (are they considered vulgar, perhaps?). Should I assume a 7pm start?
  23. Lizbie1
    I don't know about ROH but when some country house opera companies do this it's basically a tax wheeze: they can get gift aid for the "donation" bit. If you want to buy a ticket without the donation element they normally make you email or phone the box office, I suppose counting on most who'd otherwise leave it out to be too embarrassed or too worried about grabbing the ticket in time.
  24. Lizbie1
    Thank you - helpful as always!
  25. Lizbie1
    Sorry for resurrecting this from last year, but is there any more clarity about when emailed orders are processed? Specifically, if I've requested tickets for mid-July, when might I expect to hear about them? This is not just me being impatient, I'm trying to work out whether I should hold off on booking flights (while watching the prices rise) or take a chance now.
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