Jump to content

loveclassics

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    658

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by loveclassics

  1. loveclassics
    Re Kobborg's exit, I believe he had been retained by the ROH management to choregraph a new opera production. Then, rather abruptly, a different choreographer was taken on for the opera and Kobborg was no longer mentioned in connection with it. No public explanation was given and his departure from the RB followed shortly afterwards. Linda
  2. loveclassics
    I remember the Stretton year quite well and it featured strongly on the old forum. I'm carefully choosing my words but as far as I can remember, at lot of the ballet.co members were not very happy with his choice of repertoire: Bayley's Beyond Bach, Tudor's The Leaves are Falling and a rather threadbare version of DQ (maybe the Nureyev version?) were not very popular. A lot of people took issue with his casting choices too: as mentioned before, Cojocaru was first cast in practically everything and Sarah Wildor was ignored despite being one of the best interpreters of Ashton at that time. In a public masterclass, Kobborg bluntly stated that the company either needed to hire more dancers or reduce the number of different styles of choreography that was expected of them. The regular dance critics were equally unhappy with what they saw onstage. In the end he was taken out to lunch, never to return. It was, IMHO, an undeserved exit when the fault really lay with the ROH selection committee who simply chose an unsuitable person for the job, leaving him in an untenable position. Tragically he died of cancer a few years later and I wonder if the stress of working for the ROH contributed to his early death. Linda
  3. loveclassics
    Thank you Jan. I switched to Safari and up came the photos. Lovely shots and they helped me sort out who was who! Linda
  4. loveclassics
    I've tried but it makes no difference. I'm using Firefox on a MacBook Pro - should I be using a different browser? Linda
  5. loveclassics
    Sorry if I'm being thick but how do I see these? Is there a link/URL I can use? Linda
  6. loveclassics
    Does the site give the option to download the data as a .csv file? That type of file is quite easy to open within Excel and format the columns and rows the way you want them. But somehow I doubt that the ROH website provides something so useful. Linda
  7. loveclassics
    Having lived and worked in Italy during the summer, I feel very sorry for the dancers. It's one thing to sit in an arena on a hot summer's evening, enjoying the experience but it's quite another to dance a demanding role in a full-length ballet. It may be hot under the lights and in period costume but at least most opera houses have air conditioning. Linda
  8. loveclassics
    I don't understand this culture of secrecy - do TPTB think that knowing who is dancing Coppelia is so important that they have to suppress it? After all it's hardly going to affect the world situation. Why not release the information as soon as it's been arranged with the dancer(s) concerned. It's not easy for ballet enthusiasts having to plan so far ahead, why make it more difficult? Linda
  9. loveclassics
    It's a rehearsal of Birthday Offering and well worth watching as are many other film clips posted by the same person. I don't think I'm violating any of this forum's rules but if I am, I apologise to the moderators. Linda
  10. loveclassics
    I wish I'd remembered this in time to book a ticket, it sounds like a wonderful evening. I was surprised though, by the number of negative comments about the music for Ondine. I saw Fonteyn in this when I was about 12 and loved the music. I was searching on the web for the film of a performance (with Firebird) and came across this link:
  11. loveclassics
    Jonny Cope should have danced in The Firebird in February 2006 but was injured in a traffic accident just after the New Year so he made his official final appearance on the Covent Garden stage on crutches to a warmly appreciative audience. The entire company joined him onstage after the performance, even those who weren't dancing that evening - I remember Carlos Acosta wrapped up in a thick overcoat so it must have been a cold night! But he did dance with Leanne Benjamin in the Firebird at a gala at Hanover (or was it Frankfurt, I can't remember?) a few years later. The RB were on tour in Cuba that summer and he flew there afterwards, presumably to resume his role as a repetiteur, only to find that Rupert Pennefather had injured his back and Zenaida Yanowsky needed a partner for Month in the Country, so I guess that was his real last performance. It's all in the Ballet Boyz' highly entertaining documentary. Linda
  12. loveclassics
    There are a few interesting reader comments on the article. I noticed that she claims to have increased the ROH's income by £2 million but one mathematically minded reader points out that with such a huge team it works out to about £33K+ per head. Hardly covers the salaries/consultancy fees surely, (don't forget the employer's NI at 11% on top) not to mention the high cost of buying airtime, ads etc. Plus extra catering costs of running the bars for longer periods which have to be paid even though many visitors will bring in their own refreshments now they can. No-one has factored in the negative cost of alienating a large group of regular customers either. I'd love to see a cost/benefit analysis, assuming that the accountants have actually produced one. Linda
  13. loveclassics
    I think I've replied to everyone so far - if you haven't received a pm please let me know. I have found some books I forgot to include the first time so I've done an updated list showing what's left and the additional titles. Linda Ballet Books.docx
  14. loveclassics
    Thank you all for your messages - I'm thrilled to get so many responses. The only problem is that so many want the same books! I will try to sort it out and allocate them fairly tomorrow. Linda
  15. loveclassics
    I don't know as I didn't see the film. It might have been but I missed the start. I'll check when it's shown again. Linda
  16. loveclassics
    Thank you Alison, I'll try to attach the list now. Ballet Books.docx
  17. loveclassics
    I'm following the current trend of de-cluttering and have decided to give away many of my books on ballet. They range from dancers' biographies to more general reference books about the art to detailed accounts about specific ballets. I have a list I can email to anyone interested and since I live in inner London and have a freedom pass I can easily meet up at the ROH or any any station in Zones 1-6. I could give them to a charity, of course, but I'd prefer to pass them on to other ballet-lovers who will enjoy them as I did. Linda p.s. for those who live outside London I'm happy to send by post but that's a bit expensive for hardbacks.
  18. loveclassics
    For anyone who missed the Nureyev programme tonight it is being repeated on Monday at 12.30 a.m. I missed the start but it was worth watching and I don't think it has been shown before. Linda
  19. loveclassics
    That's a great idea but in the past people spent the interval talking to each other. These days everyone seems to be engrossed in checking phones, iPads & the like. Very anti-social IMHO. Linda
  20. loveclassics
    I'm sure Ballet forum contributors always met by the grand piano at the foot of the escalator to the amphi but that was way back, 15 or more years ago. Nowadays I sometimes see the regulars at a table on the amphi terrace but with so many people using the ROH just like any other bar in Covent Garden, there aren't that many spaces left for ticket holders. Alas eheu fugaces etc................ Linda
  21. loveclassics
    I suppose I'm part of this 'narrow demographic' because I buy a few expensive tickets each season. (I can't stand for an entire performance and can't see well enough to sit high up) but I come from an ordinary working-class background and developed a love for ballet after my parents took me to see the Festival Ballet at the old Davis theatre in Croydon. Each year, there would be a RB production on the BBC at Christmas which kept the memory alive - sadly there are few on mainstream TV now. Now I do my best to give family and friends a similar introduction to ballet. I took my niece to see a Swan Lake (Dowell and Makarova, I think) when she was a child and now I take her children for the occasional Nutcracker. I have taken friends and neighbours too and now we often watch the live transmissions in a local cinema as it is more affordable for pensioners and saves us booking months in advance. What these marketing types overlook is the trickle-down effect from everyone who sees ballet and loves it enough to spread the word. Aren't we bringing in the new audiences that they want? Linda
  22. loveclassics
    Repeated at 7.00 a.m. for those who missed it. Linda
  23. loveclassics
    There's nearly half a row left in the stalls for the final performance (June 11th). All top price unfortunately but since I've bought very few tickets this season I thought I'd treat myself.😃 Linda
  24. loveclassics
    I have a huge collection of ballet magazines, many of which were given to me by the late John Percival's widow. As I have to downsize (or buy a larger house!) I am currently sorting them out and if there's anything in particular that anyone wants, I am very happy to help. Just let me know the details and I'll look through and see if I have it. I have magazines dating from the 50s/60s so there's stacks of interesting stuff here and if you want to have a look for yourself, I'm only 10 minutes from the Bank ( near Canary Wharf). Linda
  25. loveclassics
    Thank you, Penelope & Mandy, for all the info. I shall mull it over and make a decision this weekend. Linda
×
×
  • Create New...