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Richard LH

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  1. Richard LH
    But just adding "if one prefers not to" simply constructs a truism, that you don't have to own a Player if you don't want to. The rationale for your point, however, as to there no longer being a need for a Player was contained in your full sentence which also states "these products are severely challenged by trending towards online streaming". I don't agree that to be the case at present, for the reasons I gave, and unless and until streaming covers everything one may wish to watch ballet-wise, that is otherwise on a disc, one will still "need" a Player.
  2. Richard LH
    The only thing I can find for "Netflix for Arts lovers" on a Google Search is a phrase describing Marquee.TV. Netflix itself does not seem to have recordings of staged ballets. Amazon Prime, Marquee.TV and other pay-for services (medici.tv is another) do have a choice of staged ballets but as yet that choice is fairly limited - certainly for RB lovers. There is, if you want the fullest choice of staged ballet recordings. Also the recorded quality of some of the streamed stuff is variable, and not all "smart" TVs are that good at high quality streaming. The reference earlier in this thread to Woolf Works being available online, only seems to refer to illegally obtained material. When WW is officially released next February I am assuming we are referring to a disc only, not streaming.
  3. Richard LH
    Interesting that Opus Arte, despite being "the Royal Opera House's multi-platform arts production and distribution company" provides "Purchase From" links to Amazon and Presto, but not to ROH's own shop !
  4. Richard LH
    Last night I noticed a poignant change to the narrative at the end of Act 1. Rather than the High Brahmin fussing over the prostrate dancer as the curtain falls, it is McRae/ Solor who runs back to cradle Takada/Nikiya. He is just too late, of course - she has just seen him being apparently rather indifferent about her being bitten, and about to leave with Gamzatti, which is why Nikiya chooses not to take the antidote, and dies. This was a clever and important variation, I thought, as it re-established Solor's love of Nikiya at this point (or at the very least established his sorrow for breaking his vows) and thus carried forward their relationship for the rest of the ballet. It made more sense of his distress at the beginning of Act II, and helped the continuing close connection between McRae and Takada throughout Act II and to the end. This is not an entirely new idea because it also happens in the 1992 Nureyev Paris Opera version, but I think it may be new for the Makarova version. Did McRae do this on their first night, and has it been done by Muntagirov, Hirano or Corrales this run?
  5. Richard LH
    Takada, Naghdi, McRae - such exemplary, expressive, classical dancing ! As Mary says, McRae put in some incredible turning leaps, the like of which I don't think I have seen before, and his characterisation was very assured and clear. He was a great support for the two ladies. You would not have thought it was only their second outing in these roles. I found Takada particularly exquisite in her poise and control. She is so graceful and gives Nikiya such a beautiful, poignant character. By the way all three got little ripples of applause at their entrances. And of course great applause for them at the end! Finally what a wonderful Act II, again, from the corps - so precise, so ethereal. Just lovely!
  6. Richard LH
    I was referring to the Lamb/Muntagirov streaming as the most likely source of any new Manon disc (more up-to-date than Rojo/Acosta).
  7. Richard LH
    Presumably from the Lamb/Muntagirov live cinema screening ?
  8. Richard LH
    Sounds like a plan....
  9. Richard LH
    No, please don't answer! I did not realise any illegality was involved.
  10. Richard LH
    What sites, please ?
  11. Richard LH
    So there is an adverse knock-on effect; all 6 of these triple bill performances are currently sold out, preventing any exchanges: anyone who particularly wanted to see Nagdhi in the Unknown Soldier will miss out, as things stand, unless they had also booked Hayward and Ball; also anyone who booked Hayward and Ball only, and would prefer to see O'Sullivan and Bracewell rather than Nagdhi and Ball, can't exchange either.
  12. Richard LH
    Crazy! Are they that desperate that they can't wait until the end of the performance to receive their due applause ?!
  13. Richard LH
    Not quite, as they have left out Bonelli and Kish. But this is not an announcement directly from the RB itself, so it is perhaps not wholly reliable - especially at this early stage.
  14. Richard LH
    I suppose it depends on the context and whether it interferes with the narrative. People want to express their pleasure at the entrance of a favourite, but it can be distracting and also embarrasing if it is a bit patchy, or (as appears to be the case here) done for some but not for others. How much worse, though, I found the applause sought by the cast (and happily given by the audience) when recently watching a recording of the Bolshoi's 2013 performance of La B. They have full curtain calls after Act 1, including for Zakharova as Nikiya despite having just "died", and in advance of her re-appearance in Act 2. I couldn't believe it ! Is this typical for the Bolshoi, and Russian ballet in general?
  15. Richard LH
    Thanks Bridiem.Can anyone confirm whether this has also been the case for other casts?
  16. Richard LH
    I sounds silly, but at the Dress Rehearsal, before she had even danced anything Nunez had captivated me just in her first entrance as Nikiya, in her veil: it was wonderfully timed and strangely moving. The wonder and admiration of the High Brahmin (Avis) did not require acting! I have yet to see a public performance (tomorrow evening will be the first) but I was wondering if the Nikiyas are getting applause from the audiences at this first entrance?
  17. Richard LH
    I hope it sells well, too, but the ROH itself is hardly a competitive sales outlet for recordings, when it charges £33.05 for this Blu-Ray, (£29.95 plus £3.10 standard delivery) whilst at the same time Amazon are selling it for £25.29 with their free delivery option (which I find usually arrives in a day or two despite Amazon allowing for a longer period). Even buying it at the ROH shop, with a 10% Friends' discount, it would be £26.95. Similarly with books - we recently bought "Ballet: The Definitive Illustrated Story" from the ROH shop at £22.50 after Friends' discount, only to find iit selling on Amazon for £16.82 with free delivery. The only plus is that we could ensure it was a nice copy and not battered by the delivery system.
  18. Richard LH
    Watson , Soares?
  19. Richard LH
    We saw the matinee and loved it! Such a joyful ballet and it was great to see so many children in the audience enjoying this bright experience.
  20. Richard LH
    Paws for thought....to tail you the truth I was feline sad 😿to lose Frankie fur a while, as they whisk 'er away (they don't pussyfoot around do they) but I shouldn't get in a flap. I'm not kitten - this could be a purrfect role 😻, subject to a suitable claws in the contract. 😸 Litter have some space for a while. 😽 etc. (well someone had to do this sooner or later)!😼
  21. Richard LH
    Thanks Timmie.....pleased to find that this lovely work was performed relatively recently by the RB. Hopefully it will be picked up again as the repertoire cycles....
  22. Richard LH
    Thanks Floss. So nothing to stop Serenade being danced by the RB ... but on checking their Collection online it seems whilst there have been more recent Russian stagings at the ROH, the last time the RB did it themselves was 1964!....Time for some lobbying?
  23. Richard LH
    Great review, thanks Alice. I love "The impossibly graceful Akane Takada".....
  24. Richard LH
    The BBC reports (Miaow! Royal Ballet star Francesca Hayward joins Cats movie) that she will play the kitten Victoria and will also perform a new song specially written for the movie by ALW, so this seems to answer my previous query about her singing ! Frankie now has an IMDb profile that states "Francesca Hayward is an actress, known for Cats (2019), The Sun Is God (2017) and Dancing the Nutcracker: Inside the Royal Ballet (2016)" !! 🙄 ?...😎 or 💃? Given that the film is being shot at Warner Bros. studios in Herts., I was wondering why it has to take up her whole time for the next few months, such that she can't even put in a single performance at the RB? After all, these dancers are used to practicising/performing multiple roles at once. Perhaps this is her taking an opportunity just to have a bit of a change of scene for a while - a sabbatical as Shya100 says - and it could both widen her own performance skills even further, and get some good wider publicity for RB/UK ballet in general. Anyway, these links give some indication of the role as performed by Phyllida Crowley Smith in the 1998 film version. Pretty sensuous stuff, I would say! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6Cerx38UZE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5YqfRdjFn8
  25. Richard LH
    Great to hear that O'Sullivan and Sambé did so well. Bruce thank you for your heartfelt review. Is there any prospect of seeing Serenade live in the UK or even a recorded version other than this beautiful, but fairly blurry, one?
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