maryrosesatonapin

I haven't seen a live performance of Don Q this season, but enjoyed the cinema relay last night.  I think Kitri is a natural role for Magri, whose warmth and vigour were infectious - although she did seem to be wearing an awful lot of rouge!  However unlike it seems almost everyone else on this forum I didn't think Ball was particularly good.  He is elegant and charming, but I wasn't otherwise impressed by his performance.  Avis' Don was really touching, and Hay was great as was Gasparini.  I thought the corps in the dream sequence didn't look as uniform as I would like (in height/appearance) although their dancing was great, which is the main thing.

It's interesting to note that Lukas BB is getting more prominent roles lately and I suspect he will be promoted again soon.

The orchestra and conductor were sparkling.  I do like this production although I prefer BRB's wonderful windmill.  What a shame that the cinema was mainly empty.

We are going on Thursday.  Having read the above reviews I feel relieved as I was worried the idea might not work - but it clearly did.  Above all, I applaud Carlos Acosta for reaching new audiences for ballet.  This is what's needed.  Maybe some of the audience will try going to see more dance now.  Acosta has done other experiments, some of which worked better than others, but overall I think he is breathing new life into an old artform.

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

very unconsumptive-looking sopranos supposedly dying of TB 

Ah yes, I've seen so many middle-aged plump Traviatas!  I know what you mean. But opera singers have become much fitter, and better actors, than they were when I first started watching opera half a century ago.

Having heard some ballerinas (such as Zakharova) speak about this, they say they are so constantly and extremely active that they actually find it difficult to put on weight; yet, the weight they do have is muscle, so they are actually heavier than they look. We have to think of their male partners too.

For dancers I care about, I am very glad to get glimpses into their off-stage lives.  I think what they put, or allow to be posted on their behalf, on Insta is a reflection of their personality.  Some of them are very 'glossy' and professional.  Some are family-oriented and I like to see that too.  For example - I am touched by the way that one of the greatest ballerinas of all, Zakharova, is so simple in her posts, maybe showing herself without makeup in a knitted bobble hat, or writing how she is celebrating a religious festival which she takes very seriously. It gives an added understanding of someone I admire from a distance.  And there is a gay male ballet dancer who is one of my favourites in Britain who is often quite wistful and poetic, and whose main love seems to be his doted-on dogs. I keep checking in the hope he has a partner who loves him as he deserves! For those who use the platform to make money, well good for them, it does no harm and is well deserved IMO. Only a very few are in a position to do this; in the RB not many dancers have a high enough profile with the public.

I've not noticed any of these scantily-clad poses though; I must be following the wrong dancers!  Tee hee. But I only look from time to time when I'm in the mood.  I don't check Instagram every day.

In answer to the question: it makes absolutely no difference to me how I view a performance after having read more about some particular dancer or other.  On stage they transform into someone else, someone super-human and removed from the mundane.

On 10/08/2023 at 15:07, Fonty said:

 

What?  Can someone enlighten me as to what Toonga has actually done?   I have seen only one of his works, I can't remember what the programme was, but I think I wrote a very scathing review of it on here.  Frankly, I thought it was ghastly.  The idea that he is "continuing" anything with the RB fills me with horror!

 

 

Same here.  When seeing him interviewed, he seemed a nice chap but completely out of his depth IMO.

On 08/08/2023 at 14:24, OnePigeon said:

Well hopefully we’ll at least get some Bournonville . 😉

Ha ha!  If only.

3 hours ago, Tiptoesmama said:

 £160 might be a push (especially if she falls asleep in the second act lol)

 

 

I would suggest the front row of the stalls circle, second most expensive price. All risk of having her sight blocked must be avoided.  Just imagine how disappointing it would be.  If your daughter is likely to fall asleep in the second act (which has some of the best bits!) maybe you shouldn't squeeze in a tour as well, which would be even more tiring.  However I do think the ENB Coliseum nutcracker is much, much better value.

Although your daughter is young, I bet this wonderful experience will be remembered for the whole of her life!

23 hours ago, Ondine said:

 

Actually Carmen Herrera's life / work background is very interesting, and I believe she was denied exhibitions simply because she was a woman (and Cuban).

 

I very much like her work, it is now in major collections.

 

I appreciate Wiki isn't the greatest of sources, but it's accessible and gives some indication of her history and the philosophy underpinning her paintings / sculptural works. Other sources are available, several have been posted here.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Herrera

 

Herrera was not broadly recognized or appreciated for decades, though she sold her first piece of art at age 19

 

I was going on the information in the programme, which suggests otherwise.

19 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

I liked the nod to Liam Scarlett - I don't pretend to know what happened and I will not judge, but his loss was both a human tragedy and one to the dancing world. He was very important to Laura and I am so pleased he was mentioned.

 

I was surprised and pleased to hear his name - after all, he really appreciated Laura and it must have been devastating for her when he died.  In an interview earlier this year she asked if his works would be performed again soon and the answer was 'no'.  A very sad loss.

The role that will stand forever in my memory is when Laura danced Giselle with Federico Bonelli.  Both were utterly moving and fabulous.  Tears come to my eyes as I think of it, and I will remember that performance til the day I die.

Last night, people sitting next to me had been unhappy with the first two works but after the third, they said 'Ah - that made it all worthwhile.'  

I didn't send her flowers last night as I thought she would have too many - I had sent her some previously.  But when she only got one big bunch I wished I had.  Then, suddenly, a veritable deluge of bouquets began to arrive, along with hugs and so much love for her that it was palpable.  So much talent and passion in such a tiny figure, her feet often dangling off the ground as she was embraced. What a privilege to have been able to watch her perform over the years.  She never disappointed.

I'm so glad I went to see Laura surrounded by genuine love from her colleagues and the audience. But when K O'H gave his speech I thought 'well if you appreciate her so much, why didn't you give her the parts she wanted and deserved?  She was even refused the ONE performance as Juliet that she requested. Shame on you!' 

I've not seen 'Untitled' before and will never see it again.  I wonder how much those costumes cost?  I overheard someone nearby mutter 'Blake's Seven'.   And I can understand why the artist who inspired the setting had to wait 80 years to sell a painting.  The overall effect suggested a touch of the emperor's new clothes IMO.

Corybantic Games I enjoyed and it was danced so beautifully by all.

Anastasia had moments where Laura could show her brilliance, moments which sparkled amidst a lot of non-dancing accompanied by weird noises.  As others have said, not MacMillan at his best.

A word for Bennet Gartside  though - he was rather wonderful!

And now to bed, hopefully not to dream of numbers one or three of the triple bill.

On 09/06/2023 at 21:24, capybara said:

 

While I am writing, can I just ask why it is that, in many McGregor and other modern pieces, the choreography seems to be disassociated with the music being played.

 Having just seen BRB's 'Interlinked' the opposite was true for that - one of the striking things about it.  I don't usually like 'modern' music.

We went to the Friday evening performance and thoroughly enjoyed it.  What a well-curated triple bill: all three complimented each other.  I hadn't seen the middle work, 'Interlinked', before, and expected to like it the least.  How wrong I was.  The theme of this abstract work was tolerance, respect, equality, working together - qualities so beautifully expressed as only dance could do.  The Giselle-like skirts worn by both men and women were dyed to individually match the diverse dancers' skin tones and I thought looked gorgeous.  The synergy between music (beautiful, by Australian composer Luke Howard) and movement was just perfect and both I and my companion felt truly and unexpectedly moved.

'Apollo' starred Mathias Dingman who looked suitably handsome and godlike, although his landings were a little noisy.  'Still Life' has aged well - having been somewhat avant-garde in its message in 1988 when we were less aware of the destruction of the rainforest and endangered species.  It manages to be fun and thought-provoking at the same time and was danced with aplomb.

Well done BRB for another fantastic evening, which was clearly enjoyed by the immensely responsive audience.

Don't sit right in the middle seats of stalls rows - I noticed that they seem to be fold-up seats, not proper ones, and looked very uncomfortable.  I usually try for the '1st loges de face'.

I went last night feeling disappointed to miss Osipova (and also anxious that she gets well again very soon), but was full of admiration for Naghdi's technique and musicality although she never 'does it for me' on the characterisation front.  I was further back than usual - front row middle of stalls circle rather than the stalls - so maybe those nearer the front were more persuaded that she was a sweet teenage princess.  Clarke attuned his lines with hers perfectly in the last act - it must have been a challenge for both of them but they certainly pulled it off.

Like others, I adored Choe and Jun as the bluebirds, and thought Mullova-Bailey successfully projected benevolence and power although her lovely fluid arms were better than her leg work IMO.  One of the other fairies stood out for me too but not having a cast list at the time I couldn't look her up.

I never get tired of the music, and the lush set and costumes were a delight as always.  Thank you Tchaikovsky, Petipa and RB!

6 hours ago, stucha said:

Irek appears dancing in this interview regarding Dante Project in Paris...

 

 

 How delightfully articulate Germain Louvet is (I would expect nothing less).  However this clip reminds me that the only saving grace of the Dante Project for me was Edward Watson's performance, in spite of the dreaded dressing-gown.  To see the once-great Mukhamedov, who still burns in my memory as Spartacus when both he and I were young, just makes me sad.

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

 

 

Christiansen in Spectator:

 

Only Olympian virtuosi should be allowed anywhere near a flamboyantly vulgar circus act such as the Diana and Actaeon duet: Beatrice Parma and Riku Ito aren’t yet of that gold standard and so the choreography looked merely banal.

 

I love a vulgar circus act in the right place with the right dancers as much as anyone, but you have have to be pretty outstanding to pull that one off and charge money for it.

 

 

I loved Parma and Ito's Diana and Acteaon - there was nothing banal in the performance I saw (the first night) and my front-row ticket cost only £16 so I would have forgiven more errors than I saw, given that we were expecting comparatively inexperienced dancers.  The whole evening was brilliant as I said in my original review. (I wasn't at Peterborough - what a pity the audience wasn't full.)

1 hour ago, Bluebird said:

I don't think this has been referred to elsewhere.  Yasmine Naghdi replaces Natalia Osipova for tonight's performance:

12 MAY 2023

FRIDAY, 7.30PM

MAIN STAGE

GUIDANCE: Content suitable for all, subject to House rules

 

SHOW LESS

Conducted by Jonathan Lo

CAST

CAST CHANGE

• PRINCESS AURORA
  Yasmine Naghdi replaces Natalia Osipova
• PRINCE FLORIMUND
  Reece Clarke
• CARABOSSE
  Elizabeth McGorian
• LILAC FAIRY
  Nadia Mullova-Barley
• CONCERT MASTER
  Robert Gibbs
• ORCHESTRA
  Royal Ballet Sinfonia

Oh no!  But many thanks for letting us know.  I kept checking the cast sheets but tonight's doesn't seem to be up now?  I'd rather know before going than getting a shock when I get there.  Very disappointed though as I love Osipova.

On another note, I don't know much about Nadia Mullova-Barley so did an Internet search and came up with a very amusing Twitter account from when she was still a student at the RB School - worth looking up   She sounds quite a character.

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Separating this from something more wide-ranging about last night that I would like to write later……

 

For me, orchestras sound more energised when Jonathan Lo is conducting and he usually feels more connected to stage (i.e. frequently glancing up at the dancers) than many other maestros.

 

I do agree that the music was a tad behind Akane’s finishing poses several times but I felt that she might have been coming out of the preceding sequences a little early. So perhaps we should call it a ‘draw’ in terms of any ‘blame’?

 

Jonathan is already ‘in Australia’ but has several conducting assignments in the UK over the next 12 months. Long may that arrangement continue.

 

(I note that the ROH’s own orchestra has the cinema relay.)

I wasn't there last night but whenever Jonathan Lo has conducted I have felt the same as you - he imbues energy, intelligence and empathy to the performance and will be sorely missed.  But think of the jet lag he must have!

This is sad news - I always counted her, and Christopher Harrison, as SB's best dancers and they will both be sorely missed.

On a lighter note, I came across this today which reminded me of this thread.

27 minutes ago, capybara said:

I would say more about yesterday's matinee but, to put it mildly, my last minute ticket had a somewhat restricted view. [Actually, I was able to stand alongside the seat and get a reasonably decent view of the stage, which I did for most of Act 2 - and I saw Cinderella's entrance down the steps.]

 

I thought that Akane danced beautifully, but maybe without the 'projection' we have had from other Cinderellas, and that Nicol was a suitably noble Prince who not only danced well but offered his partner good support.

Can you tell us your seat number, so it can be avoided by all in future please?

Really enjoyed Laura tonight - such understated artistry, such great projection of character!  Ashton himself would have adored her, I am sure. Was also pleased to see Mayara Magri as the Fairy Godmother - she replaced Gina Storm-Jensen, whom I do hope isn't injured.

Questions that came to mind: so was Cinderella's father twice widowed?  Once is unfortunate, but...  And why do they store things such as scarves, and a stool, right inside the lit fireplace?

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

No matter how many times I see the film “Some like it Hot” I never get tired of it especially the famous ending!! 
Ashton certainly understood how to create different kinds of magic. 
 

And don’t get me started on the demise of the M&S in Longacre such a busy little store and was SO useful 😥

I know it's not really relevant to this thread, but I so agree with you LinMM!  ''Some Like it Hot is my favourite too. I never tire of it. (And I mourn the demise of any M&S branch - particularly those in Paris.)

18 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I've merged them @LinMM.

Thank you!  I searched first and failed to find anything.....