Lizbie1

I've only seen it once - with Oropesa, who was indeed sensational - and I thought it made sense as a concept. It might have helped that I could hardly see it (I was Lower Slips extreme side and as usual KM didn't concern herself with audience sightlines). Having said that the bathroom was giving me interior decoration ideas so I must have been able to see something!

I believe some of the staging was toned down from the first run, when IIRC Damrau got mixed reviews (my view of her in general is that she's competent but it's not a beautiful noise, unlike Oropesa - so I'm not sure Lucia as good a fit as all that for her). I wouldn't read anything into Oropesa not returning as she's in great demand everywhere and aggressively building her repertoire so doesn't seem to be repeating roles much anywhere.

If you're seeing Nadine Sierra it should be worth it for her alone, or so I'm led to believe. I don't know anything about Liv Redpath.

14 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I think we should have this system here as well! 1) To encourage patrons to use more ecofriendly methods of transport, 2) to reduce congestion from cars and taxis around theatres and encourage people who can walk to be more healthy, 3) encourage those who live far away from theatres to try going. 

I agree it's a nice idea - and I've taken advantage of it in Germany - but I it would cost a lot of money and change very few people's minds about how to get to performances in London.  IME people who drive or are driven in central London - where there are strong disincentives to driving - do so because it is a necessity or their strong preference, and a tube ticket worth a few quid will make little difference; for the rest of the audience it would be a nice-to-have but not a decider. It might make more sense in other cities, as it does in Germany.

There are many things public money can be spent on so there must be priorities.

As for people who live "far away" - the German schemes I've seen only apply to the metropolitan area.

1 hour ago, Roberta said:

 

The critics at the time these ballets were new also had misgivings.  MacMillan was criticised for his handling of crowd scenes.  As I said in a post above, the constraints of choreographing for a large company are many and when you can't knock up a  garland dance, and require something more earthy, you have to fill the time / music and give the company something to dance.

But why must he keep returning to harlots/prostitutes/courtesans for these scenes? A casual observer might be forgiven for wondering if this was simply the first role to come into his mind when he considered women.

Most reasonably educated people are well aware that the 18th century had its seamier side* and many here have seen the defences from the MacMillan camp before. That doesn't stop a significant minority of viewers finding such scenes gratuitous and, yes, crass. (And I'd add, not always that well choreographed.)

*Edited to add that IMO far from being subversive such depictions verge on cliché.

3 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I couldn’t see Marguerite and Armand for years after that as it felt so

much “their” ballet. 
 

I've never been fussed about it until seeing this episode - what a difference the original cast makes!

Others' mileage will vary IMO Ashton was right to retire it.

38 minutes ago, CHazell2 said:

I wonder why Cojocaru didn't like the production? Maybe it was too different to the Royal Ballet version.

 

 

I'd be surprised if that's it - as I commented above Peter Wright had a similar experience. 🤷‍♀️

1 hour ago, PeterS said:

That said, even though the tickets were reasonably priced at full face value, they didn’t sell quickly. Even with generous discounts of up to 50% it has been a struggle to shift 100s of seats until recent days. I think the blanket advertising on public transport plus 4 star reviews have really helped this week. Perhaps there’s been some papering, perhaps not.

My impression is that it has sold better than the 2017 run, when I was able to buy up a balcony seat for Cojocaru on a Saturday night at short notice.

2 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Not sure if it's right to start a new thread or use existing ones and if it should be here or Performances but mods please move if necessary.

 

Just received my Friends summer magazine and turned immediately to the programme at the back. Just to clarify, Sarasota are doing 3 programmes

 

Programme 1 Valses nobles et sentimentales

                        Dante Sonata

                        Sinfonietta

                        4/5 June 7.45, 8th June 2pm

 

Programme 2  Valses nobles et sentimentales

                         Diverts

                         Facade

                         6, 7 June 7.45, 9th June 2pm

 

Programme 3  Valses nobles et sentimentales

                         Varii Capricci

                         Facade

                         8th June 7.45

 

All in the Linbury and all last approx 2 hours with 2 intervals. No mention of a Gala evening.  2 different programmes on the 8th June including programme 3 which only seems to be being performed once.

 

Royal Ballet are doing 2 programmes

 

Programme 1 Les Rendezvous, The Dream, Rhapsody

                      General rehearsal 6th June 12.30

                      6, 10, 19 June at 7.30.  15th June 1pm and 7pm

 

Programme 2 The Dream, diverts (5 waltzes, Walk to Paradise Garden (Sarasota), Hamlet and Ophelia) and Rhapsody

                        General Rehearsal 7th June 12.30

                        7, 18, 21 June 7.30. 22 Jun 1pm and 7pm

 

So sadly there is overlap between the Sarasota and RB programmes on 6th and 7th pm though those coming from a distance can see all Sarasota programmes on the 8/9 June.

 

No prices given for Sarasota in Linbury. Prices given for RB in main house. I'll just give a few areas.

 

Stalls £110, £104, £96

Stalls circle far sides £39, £29, £16, £9

Stalls circle £110, £104, £96, £87, 

                    £67, £50, £39, £22, £9

Grand Tier £110

Amphi £67, £50, £39, £29, £22, £16, £9, £4

 

Prices don't seem too bad really, even given mixed bills are cheaper. Hope I've got everything correct. Please feel free to amend any mistakes!

 

I've emailed Kevin saying how thrilled I am with the programmes and also asked about the Gala, when we might expect casting, are any programmes going to be streamed given the disappointing lack of a cinema broadcast, and (yet another) plea for Fille next season!

                        

 

Thank you so much for this - it helps tremendously with my planning: everything I need to know bar casting and whether I'll get tickets for the Linbury.

7 hours ago, Irmgard said:

Sadly, Cojocaru did not embrace the Skeaping production.

It's interesting that Peter Wright had a similar tale.

10 minutes ago, Jamesrhblack said:

and then again in 2017 when I was so flummoxed by an unexpectedly disappointing performance from a highly regarded dancer that my memory is of that rather than anything else.

I doubt that we're talking about the same dancer but you've reminded me that I was meaning to be brave about this after I'd seen the production again.

This all comes with the caveat that I only saw her once in Giselle and it was in this ENB 2017 run. I don't know how representative this is of her Giselle in general, or in this production or in the later part of her career, but I didn't love Cojocaru in the role.

I should make clear that this had nothing to do with technique but was down to characterisation. One thing in particular sticks with me: while the peasant pas de deux was going on Cojocaru made a circuit of the onlookers, to show them her new necklace. I thought this wasn't just bad stage manners - quite distracting for the audience - but would have been bad manners in Giselle the character. For me it tipped Giselle over into the wrong kind of childish (over-indulged and perhaps simple-minded) and coloured the whole thing for me.

I'm bringing it up on this thread because people have mentioned her above as an exemplary Giselle and I'd like to know if seeing her earlier would have shown me something else - those who've seen her throughout her career might have an interesting perspective. Also, I like to see minority opinions aired so I shouldn't just leave it to others to be brave.

I should probably delete my account now!

6 minutes ago, Sim said:

This is true.  The ROH Board has a lot of bearing on what is shown onstage in that it is their responsibility to ensure a) bums on seats for ticket sales and income;  b) that the criteria stipulated by ACE is adhered to in order to ensure continued grants from them.  These two things alone mean that very different repertoire is required to satisfy each one. 

Since the last ACE funding announcement I've wondered if the point will one day be reached where fulfilling the latter is no longer worth the lost revenue from the former.

ROH - though the headline figure is large, partly because in effect it covers three institutions - is in percentage terms less dependent on ACE funding than most of its peers. Perhaps the board should consider the impact of cutting the umbilical cord.

Just now, Fonty said:

 

@alison I was upstairs, and could barely see Hilarion at any time when he was on stage.  I could see his legs, but not his face.  I have never had the best eyesight in the world, but my niece, in her 30s, has 20/20 vision and she was struggling.  It could be whether people are in the front or to the side, perhaps?  

 

 

I was quite far to the side and could see OK from the balcony, if that makes any difference.

1 hour ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

It's nice that you offer. But in general, tourists shouldn't expect random passers by to immediately acquiesce to their photography requests.

I've been asked quite a few times and the requests have always been courteous. Most recently it was for a group of visitors from Africa who wanted a photograph in front of Charles Wesley's statue. I'd have felt very churlish refusing, but that's not because they'd have set out to make me feel that way.

It's good to be in a position to do something nice for people, especially strangers!

Just a few thoughts from me on yesterday's matinee: first and foremost, thanks are due to Irmgard for her loving care of this production. It is a thing of great beauty (definitely my favourite Giselle), and I'm very pleased that she has resisted the entrechats six and the Bolshoi lift. Lee and Haw were very affecting yesterday - this is the first time I've seen them at any length and I'm very pleased both are now at ENB.

Aside from the dancing: I was in the Balcony, albeit near the front, and my eyesight is not the best, but I thought that the lighting was the right side of "atmospheric". The audience - and I'm judging many were not regulars - were well behaved. I sat next to a first-timer couple who were not from the usual demographic and they enjoyed it a lot. I just wish that ACE could be bothered to understand that classical ballet, done well, transcends age, race and politics.

There are relatively few ballets set to Handel's music, I think. Has anyone used the Fireworks Music?

3 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

Madness to take out the Ashton.    I've no idea why there was this desire to "go back to the original" when there is such an exquisite addition.  I seem to remember going to an event and the Garland Dance being mentioned.  There was talk that nobody could remember exactly how it went nowadays.  Surely it must have been notated?  

IMO the current Garland Dance is the most disappointing part of the production.

44 minutes ago, alison said:

 

Absolutely.  But as far as I can gather, it's pretty much only Ratmansky who does this, and I think he's rather busy as it is

He's also very busy (!) but IMO Forsythe does, or at least can do, this too.

It might be that the scenery etc. is reaching the end of its life. It's been through a lot of performances!

(I'm one of those who don't like the current production.)

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

I read the words "the Royal Ballet with be performing a new 3 act ballet" and I get all excited.

I can't remember the last time I had that reaction!

Is there anything formally known or understood on good authority about the rank at which RB dancers are excused corps work? I've seen a number of versions asserted with confidence on various threads, another being that first soloists would only be pressed into the corps in extremis (and possibly only with their consent).

Not sure I've ever seen anyone vote for Isadora before!

I'm a stuck record on this but we are definitely overdue for Symphonic Variations, which should be a cornerstone of the RB rep, danced every season if I had my way. I wonder if the rights holder being the same as that of Cinderella has something to do with its absence since 2017.

I thought this was an interesting but bleak thread about ACE's attitude to classical music. I wonder if it might also apply to ballet.

11 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

I would find this very disappointing.  Was there no other dancer who could fulfil the role correctly?

I would really like to see brisés instead for a change!

One trend in straight theatre that we have occasionally seen copied in ballet (I'm thinking of the recent ENB Raymonda) and opera is for the original "happy ending" of Miss X marrying Mr Y being subverted by the director/producer in the name of feminism. Call me unsophisticated but I hope this fashion passes - it's so preachy!

1 hour ago, Sophoife said:

 

Nina needs a Nanny.

People sometimes find this hard to accept, but growing up my siblings and I didn't have bedtimes and simply turned in when we were tired. We were quite well behaved  - it's just that bedtimes were never a thing so nobody got into stand-offs about them. I don't know about 11.30 but I certainly stayed up to watch the 10 o'clock news on occasion when really quite young. If I had been tired I'd have put myself to bed by then.

I'm not saying this would work for everyone but it did for us - we weren't yawning our way through school the next day.

(By no stretch of the imagination would my parents have considered themselves "progressive", though as both worked full time and there were four children - and no nanny - I suppose benign neglect became their style of parenting by default.)

Coming late to this it seems, but I was mostly confused by the "tap" description because it doesn't look like that is what's going on - even if you didn't know what a ronde de jambe is I can't see how a gargouillade can have that appearance unless it's being done very badly!