myrtle

1 hour ago, Angela said:

 

This never happened to me. But Swiss people do speak many languages, maybe not perfectly, but they switch easily. Everyone who speaks Swiss German speaks "normal" German too, don't worry, and they switch because they know no one can understand them. Whatever normal German may be... I have heard from dancers at Stuttgart who came with well-prepared German words and then people here spoke Swabian and they were lost. We all have a common standard German that we try to use with strangers, but as soon as Swiss people or Saxonians or Bavarians are among themselves, the language gets imcomprehensible. It's like me hearing Scottish or Australian for the first time 🙂 

Ah, thank you.   Luckily thanks to the wise folks here I have more than just wikipedia to go on. 

9 hours ago, alison said:

Zurich is in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, so I'd think that logically German would be the language to go for, even if it's only a few words.  There's absolutely no point in trying for Swiss German, which apparently varies greatly across the country (Roger Federer's Basel dialect is pretty impenetrable).  And I gather the public perception of Swiss people being bilingual, or even trilingual, isn't very accurate - it's certainly not a given that a native German speaker will also speak good French, or vice versa.

Thank you for the insight.  

9 hours ago, alison said:

I suspect that, at this stage in her career, the chances of seeing her in a lead role are very low.  Plus of course she's now on maternity "leave" anyway, so won't be dancing for some time. 

I'm just dreaming, don't mind me.         

3 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Hoping that she will come back and that it coincides nicely with Fille coming back also- since we're told not likely to be 2024-25 season sp hopefully 2025-26? 

 

Thank you RobS,  I totally forgot (!!)  Symphonic Variations had been filmed - saw it on TV ages ago and she is great in it. Would recommend that recording to @myrtle as well: Myrtle, it is on the DVD of The Dream, Symphonic Variations, Marguerite and Armand (Yanowsky and Bolle). 

Thank you so much.

5 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

I think Yuhui's most notable appearance in dvd form is in Ashton's Symphonic Variations

 

Thank you for the insight.

On 07/04/2024 at 10:01, alison said:

I really don't think that 3 paltry performances can be regarded as saturation of any kind ☹️

You're right and I appreciate the correction.   I was mistaken about how many performances BRB is performing this season.

(BTW, thought I'd already posted this?   If my other post ended up in the wrong thread, please kindly remove the duplicate.  Thank you.)

On 07/04/2024 at 06:19, jmhopton said:

Unfortunately Myrtle, I don't think any performances of Choe were filmed of her either in Rhapsody or Fille. I'm don't think she's been filmed in any major roles (certainly not these) since the cinema broadcast started and so far they seem to be the major source of ballet streaming materials. There may be earlier recordings I'm not aware of that may find their way onto the stream but I suspect it's a long shot as any non current casts would have to have a certain audience pulling power, such as Bussell, Fonteyn or Dowell and Sibley and I don't think Choe is widely known outside ballet loving circles. I hope I'm wrong for your sake.

 

I suspect you're right about Fille. Even the few BRB performances at Sadlers Wells might deter Kevin so let's hope for better things in 2025/6. At least we know because of the Ashton celebrations, there will be some Ashton next year which is certainly not usually predictable. 

Thank you very much.   It makes me sad but I appreciate your wisdom.

On 07/04/2024 at 06:37, Emeralds said:

There won't be any additional recent  recordings of Fille and Rhapsody aside from the recent ones of Natalia Osipova with Steven McRae as those two ballets are generally not big sellers on the DVD market (it is likely that Osipova's performances were chosen as her international fame would help improve sales of both cinema relay seats as well as DVDs). Yuhui Choe and Valentino Zucchetti's performances in Fille were not filmed. As far as I can recall, Choe wasn't cast in the  Rhapsody lead.

 

Many of Choe's other performances were filmed-she can be seen in the Swan Lake DVD with Osipova and Matthew Golding in the lead roles (she dances in the Act 1 pas de trois) and the Concerto,/Judas Tree/Elite Syncopations DVD where she dances the 1st movement female lead with McRae. She's also one of the four visiting Princesses in Act 3 of the Nunez/Muntagirov Swan Lake DVD, but that's a small role compared to the ones on the other two DVDs.

 

Thank you.  Now I know I can stop hoping for that miracle stream.   Thank you for the suggestions, too.  I've bought most of those DVDs, and the princess outfit does not appeal to me because I love the fluidity of her arms.    

I don't know if Yuhui is even viewed as an Ashton dancer by the knowledgeable folks here, I just think she'd be too charming as Lise, so I'll hold on to that hope for the next Fille revival. 

On 07/04/2024 at 14:54, Sabine0308 said:

@Angela swiss German is not a language, it's a throat disease 😁

Need a smiley for giggles  :)

On 07/04/2024 at 09:07, Lizbie1 said:

 

This is my experience - a little German goes a long way. My German is very ropey these days so I often revert to English after an intial attempt and have never been made to feel bad about it. As long as you're polite about it and don't just assume everyone speaks English you'll be fine.

15 hours ago, Don Q Fan said:

In reply to @myrtle I have only sat in the middle of row seats at the Deutsche Oper. There's no middle aisle there to break up the seating. 

Many theatres offer a ballot system for subscribers where they offer tickets for sale earlier than I ternet booking but the seat choice is not yours you just get allocated a seat in your chosen price bracket as far as I know. 

Munich I found hard to get a decent seat with comfortable view. Of my 3 Onegins in January all my seats despite being front row tier 2 or 1 had an issue of one sort or another. The curse of U shaped theatres!!! 

Thank you for this.   I admire your cosmopolitan travels, and I'm very grateful for the valuable insights you're sharing.    

On 07/04/2024 at 09:07, Lizbie1 said:

 

This is my experience - a little German goes a long way. My German is very ropey these days so I often revert to English after an intial attempt and have never been made to feel bad about it. As long as you're polite about it and don't just assume everyone speaks English you'll be fine.

I'm sure you are being modest, but it is reassuring to hear that people are kind and generous when you speak German with them, even if you aren't as fluent as you'd like to be.

On 07/04/2024 at 05:03, Sabine0308 said:

The view from stalls in Deutsche Oper is good from any seat, as there is no restricted view. I would avoid seats on the side in Staatsoper and (when they are back in their renovated house) in Komische Oper Berlin. Staatsballett Berlin usually performs in 3 Opera Houses except during the renovation of Komische Oper. They might perform in the Schillertheater next year, it's the provisional house for Komische Oper.

 

Staff in German Opera Houses speaks German, if that is your question. And of course a lot of people in the audience, because either they learned it or are English/American etc and live/work here. Or tourists😉

Thank you for this valuable information.  

On 07/04/2024 at 08:50, Angela said:

 

You will always find someone who speaks English to help you, just ask the younger people. Not necessarily at the box office or with the ushers, but normally they know somebody they can ask to help you. Zurich is a very international town, so don't worry. And don't try to understand Swiss German, it's impossible 🥴

 

 

We know how hard it is to learn German, we don't laugh or get offended if anyone makes the effort. On the contrary, we admire you! Most websites of German theatres have an English version to help you with the basics.

Thank you and much gratitude to all the kind folks who overlook clumsy pronunciation like mine is sure to be. 

You mention Zurich being an international town.   Which of the many languages should I be trying to learn phrases in for Zurich?    I gather Swiss German is for the true connoisseur and not a klutz like me, but there must be so many other options?     

Should I just learn a wee bit of regular (high?) German because that's somewhat widely understood in Zurich?  

Google / wikipedia tells me Swiss German is used by 63% of the people, and since that's not to be attempted by amateurs, should I instead purchase a French phrase book?   Didn't I read somewhere that as soon as a French speaker joins a conversation in Zurich, everyone switches to speaking French, even if they had previously been speaking German (or Swiss German)?  

Thank you all for educating me and allowing me to dream about ballet tourism.

On 07/04/2024 at 03:22, Lizbie1 said:

 

It's probably best to quote their own website:

 

AT ANY TIME FROM PUBLICATION OF THE SCHEDULE

 

You can easily place binding orders in writing as of now using the online form on the online schedule.

 

Three months before the performance date, all orders will be processed and half of all available tickets will be allocated. If demand exceeds the available ticket contingent, tickets will be allocated at random. If we are unable to fulfill your ticket request, we will notify you in writing. Orders can only be cancelled as long as processing has not yet begun.

 

https://www.staatsoper.de/en/ticket-info

 

i.e. they choose the seat for you from the price band(s) you have specified.

 

The remaining half are made available online etc. from two months before.

 

It's been a while since I've been to Munich but some of what I've quoted above feels new: I don't remember their saying before that half of tickets are held back. I could be mistaken, however!

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain that.  The word ballot made me think of voting and I was so confused!   But you helped me to make sense of it, thank you again.  

On 04/04/2024 at 11:42, jmhopton said:

Well I had my Ashton query reply from Kevin today. Very prompt. Only a week since I emailed.  Apparently none of the Ashton is being streamed 'for various reasons'; the only explanation given. I'm not surprised as I thought it would have been announced by now if there were streaming plans and the seating plans would be marked for filming but still a bit of a blow that so many potential great programmes and performances aren't being recorded. We'll just have to hope for next season. I've my fingers crossed for Sylvia which hasn't been filmed since Darcey Bussell, as it unaccountably wasn't filmed at its last outing 2017?18? Vadim and Marianela were fabulous then so fingers crossed though I'm sure Fumi would be great too. Doesn't look like RB are staging Fille next season though I may be wrong.

Kevin said  'I have always had plans to bring Fille back into the repertoire but meanwhile it will be nice to see BRB perform it next season'. To me, that reads like RB aren't doing it next season but sometime after that (hopefully following season). Actually, this possibly suits me as if the rumours are right about Onegin returning next season I don't think I can afford my 2 favourite ballets in one season and all the new casts I want to see. Obviously nothing set in stone until the announcement at the end of the month so we'll have to wait and see. Anyway, many thanks to Kevin for replying so promptly.

 

Thank you very much for sharing that.  Much respect to Kevin also for his kind and very prompt reply.

It makes me sad that there won't be any filming of the Ashton programs, because that also puts an end to my hope that they will eventually be viewable on ROH stream.    But there is the encouraging news about Fille--thank you for that ray of sunshine.   

I do wonder if BRB putting on Fille will delay ROH doing it for fear of saturation (POB recently put on Fille as well).   That 'logic' would also delay Giselle, if National Ballet of Japan and ENB are doing Giselle in 2024-25?    Although fear of saturation certainly hasn't discouraged any company from staging Carmen, Swan Lake and Nutcracker, so perhaps Fille is coming very soon, after all.   *fingers crossed*

The other day I saw a photo of Yuhui Choe as Lise in the ROH production.  Is there any hope Yuhui's performances in Fille or Rhapsody in past years were filmed and might some day show up on the ROH stream?

If this is too off topic, please, moderators, kindly move my ramblings to a more appropriate thread.   Thank you. 

On 04/04/2024 at 15:41, Don Q Fan said:

The Deutsche Oper is probably the only theatre where I will book a stalls seat! Hope you get some good seats. 

Are the end of stalls (toward aisles) bad in Deutsche Oper?   In which theaters should non-central stalls be avoided, in your extensive experience?   

Also, do a lot of people in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and Zurich speak English?    Efforts will be made with phrasebooks, but my pronunciation is usually too horrid for anyone to figure out what I'm trying to say, so a city where the people will laugh rather than get offended, or better yet, answer me in English, would be most encouraging!   

Thank you all for the education. 

On 05/04/2024 at 07:53, Lizbie1 said:

 

I'm not so sure about the view from the circles at Munich - I was once pretty central but a couple of rows back and I had no view of some fairly crucial action going on at the sides in Kameliendame. Depending on degree, further round (with the possible exception of the front row) is, IMO, strictly for opera. The ballot system doesn't help, either.

Sorry what is the ballot system?   Is it a Munich only thing?   Thank you in advance

8 minutes ago, Silver Capricorn said:

Fille was already transmitted only in French cinemas on March 21, not on the POB stream platform.  Giselle on the Play Opera Paris platform is available in probably the best possible cast - Dorothée Gilbert and Mathieu Ganio.

Thank you very much!    But do I understand correctly that there won't be POB platform stream of the Giselle performances in May?   I have already watched and re-watched the POB platform Giselle with Ms. Gilbert and Mr. Ganio.   Indeed they were magnificent, but I would appreciate seeing these same dancers again in a different performance, or indeed any other of the POB's many stellar casts and was hoping that one of the upcoming performances would be on the platform just like the recent Don Q!  

On 30/03/2024 at 15:30, Emeralds said:

Yes.  the BRB Bintley & Samsova Giselle has a horse that Bathilde makes her entrance on!  The horse was still present when they performed Giselle at Sadler's Wells in Nov 2019. The horse seemed happy. I don't think we had salukis or other dogs. Maybe it depends on the dogs'/horse's availability and some runs will have neither. I understand that San Francisco Ballet's Giselle has dogs as well (just to illustrate that nothing strange about Ms Samsova and Mr Bintley's choice!) 

 

However I can also see @FionaM'a point that maybe the stage should just be for human performers. Rather like Cirque du Soleil. There are pros and cons to both views.  The main thing is to ensure no performer is or feels exploited or distressed, whether animal or human. 

I hope that no performer need ever feel exploited or distressed!

Due to the SF Ballet incident of the amorous brother and sister Borzoi from years ago, I understand in 2023 there was only one dog.    ABT's Borzoi(s) are featured prominently on their social media.  

This discussion is very intriguing for me and now I'm even more keen to see Fille!   Will there be a performance streamed on the POB stream platform?    Don Quixote was just added yesterday--dare I hope Fille and then Giselle will also be on the POB stream?   If it will be streamed, is it already known which cast will be on the stream for Fille and Giselle?   Thank you all very much.   

7 hours ago, Don Q Fan said:

@Myrtle

Deutsche Oper Berlin stalls are very good with reasonable rake and off set seats so usually you get a good view. The balconies are so far back and high that you are quite far from the stage so I go for stalls around rows 15-17 in the middle. 

At the Staatsoper u d Linden avoid the first couple of  seats on ends of rows on the tiers as there are high safety rails that interfere with views. The best seats are in the royal box (mitteloge)  if you can get it. Bang in the middle first tier I think. It's a U shape theatre so usual caveats apply. Think stalls are offset as well. I saw Onegin from the rear stalls and think it was ok. 

Thank you very much for this helpful information.   I especially appreciate hearing about the reasonable rake and offseat seats in the stalls.      

5 hours ago, Angela said:

 

 

Myrtle, I did not check for the Zurich casting so often, but as far as I remember, it comes rather short before the performance. Maybe you could check when they put it online for the next performances; right now, it's just for the next week.

 

The Zurich Opera House is lovely, next to the lake - but it has the worst sightlines I know for the highest prices. You're safe when you are in the orchestra level - the rake is not steep, but it is there, and I never had problems. If you can get the first row in the Parkett Galerie, that would be perfect, everything is near enough to the stage, as it is a rather small theatre. For every other seat in the house you have to sit in the middle part of the theatre if you want to see the whole stage - don't got further out than boxes 8 or 7, even there the second row is already bad. Never go in the third row of a box, it's standing room only, even if you have a seat (the fourth row are barstools - maybe you can see if you stand on them 🤪). In the second balcony, you see very well in the middle section (very steep rake) and maybe in the first three seats from the middle in the side sections, don't go further outside. They have seats with slightly restricted views behind columns, "slightly" means restricted, not slightly restricted. Getting a cheap seat with good sightlines at Zurich is really hard work! As it is so small, the acoustics are great, but what does that help if you don't see the dancers. A great house for opera...

My theatre with the best sightlines, by the way, is the Badisches Staatstheater at Karlsruhe, a modern and a little ugly building, but you can see the whole stage from literally every single seat in the house. And it has a huge stage, so much room for the dancers. 

 

 

 

 Thank you for this so helpful and humorous post!    Oh my.   This is definitely daunting, but armed with this valuable knowledge I may attempt a booking. 

These programs are intriguing but I'm a bit intimidated by the lack of any notation of 'obstructed' views on the seat maps at Berlin especially.    

Also, please comment on how far in advance Zurich releases casting information?    Is it not advisable to wait for casting?  

Is the rake good in the 'orchestra' level for either Zurich or Berlin?   Or should short people always sit in balcony or rings?  

Thank you.

2 hours ago, jmhopton said:

 

I wouldn't lay any great claim to diplomacy which is probably why I don't always get a reply! Though in farness Kevin usually does reply... eventually.

 

I know it's too late to do anything about the wig at this late stage. Perhaps as soon as it's announced next time may have greater effect, but I would love to see some of the performances streamed. I thought that's what the streaming service was all about. Not just for older established works but for new ventures that people would love to see again and probably won't be released as dvds. I feel especially strongly as 2 Macmillan works are being filmed for cinema but nothing for the launch of a 5 year Ashton celebration. I know there are problems with rights for Ashton works that you don't have with Macmillan because of the scattered ownership. However, during lockdown, Sarasota ballet streamed many Ashton works seemingly without any problems so why can't RB do the same?

I think Kevin must have regard for the fans who write balanced (not all gloom and anger) messages patiently time after time.   Even though Ashton has been scant on the stage at ROH for a long time, these fans acknowledge the difficult times British arts institutions are facing and help the administration brainstorm up solutions as well as continue to politely point out that Ashton is missed.   And kindly write to mention how much they appreciate class on stage, giving the administration an opportunity to share fan appreciation with all the hardworking staff and dancers, etc. 

That level of support is worth appreciating.    I for one am grateful someone who gives so much care and time to the ROH also finds the wigs a detraction, because my feelings have now a more persuasive voice than my own.  

6 minutes ago, JNC said:

I wholeheartedly agree with this! As someone who no longer lives in London the streams are something I’ve become increasingly interested in, whether that’s at the cinema or I probably wouldn’t pay for ROH’s monthly stream and get “locked in” to a monthly contract but I’d like to see the option to pay £x amount to see one-off performances via their streaming service. 

I am subscribing to the stream but would appreciate the option of one-off performances!   La Scala lets you 'rent' 3 day access for a fixed fee, so this model is not unknown.   I hope at some point ROH adopts this additional option.

It would be really helpful of ROH could expand the world wide scope of the cinema screenings too!   

17 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

Takada was certainly blond in the film with Steven.

I have just emailed Kevin thanking him for his efforts in promoting Ashton with this splendid celebration but also asking for the blond wig to be ditched, and if any of the performances could be filmed for streaming as they're not being filmed for cinema.  I've no great hope of getting a positive answer to either but thought at least I've asked.

Thank you for taking the time to write--I would so appreciate streaming of the Ashton programming and especially the ditching of the wigs, but I lack your gift for diplomacy!

6 minutes ago, Shade said:

Yes the Dream has lovely music- one reason that my husband will attend with me. husband chooses to attend for selected performances only, avoiding the challenge of the MacMillan triple bill for example.

But it hate the blonde wigs!

Spouses are truly necessary evils.   There's been a number of ballets that I've been warned I will be seeing alone in the future.   

25 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I wonder why the casting wasn't put up on the website yesterday? Given the Bank Holidays, I suppose it now may not get added until Tuesday. That's hardly going to encourage ticket sales, especially for more "casual" potential attendees who are unlikely to be able to find the information elsewhere. I agree the duplicate programming may not help either. If they want to do 2 triple bills with a substatial overlap then why not do one near the start of the season & one near the end? Like in 2018-19 when Symphony in C was performed in November and June.

 

 

Perhaps this is a special privilege granted to members and friends, not just any random member of the ticket buying public, who will (finally) be informed when the actual website gets updated later?     

I do so admire your skills with the spreadsheet and I think you helped many people with your share, including many lurkers who are facing the same dilemma and don't know how best to see their two or three most favorite casts given budgeting and other constraints, for example.    I also admire your very frank and engaging descriptions of shows you've seen.     Thank you for all you kindly contribute to this forum.

(I am also thankful to all the other members who contribute information, impressions, news and links and all the mods for their hard work, esp. all the people who kindly point me in the right direction, but this is a post about Dawnstar's awe-insipiring spreadsheet wizardry, lol).

4 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I am 90% certain blonde wig but didn't bring anything to photograph curtain calls that day, so can't be 100% sure. Osipova, Morera and Takada all wore the wig in previous runs too. 

 

(20 minutes later): Found photo by Tristram Kenton on DanceTabs of Hayward & Sambe at ROH- definitely blonde wig. 

Thank you so much.    I too found the photographic evidence too late after the editing window and didn't feel I should ask the busy mods to remove evidence of my gaffe.   

4 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

Can we start a petition, please, to ditch the blonde wig. And who decreed that Titania had to be blonde anyway?

 

Edited to add that I have half a recollection of seeing a non-blonde Titania but can't be sure and I don't think it was Hayward. Takada perhaps?

Gillian Murphy looks great with her red ringlets on ABT advertising that I've seen in the past. 

Dowell can't have been too adamantly opposed to *every* dancer wearing their natural hair, because there was also this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145668368604?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=145668368604&targetid=1529493983902&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9003534&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009014&rlsatarget=pla-1529493983902&abcId=9307249&merchantid=752519649&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI94HV0_iZhQM

If Takada had worn her natural hair color styled into ringlets on the ROH stream, it would not be so off-putting.

I have much more to say but this is not the place.   Suffice it to say that I love Hayward (and O'Sullivan and many other ROH dancers), I love Mendelsohn's music, I think it's great that unlike Balanchine, Ashton used the best music for Oberon and Titania to dance together, but I will only attend one (1) performance of this extravaganza, whereas I attended nearly every performance of Balanchine's Midsummer night's dream.

3 hours ago, Fairy said:

Casting looks great although I'm disappointed Anna-Rose isn't doing The Dream - she'd make a great Titania 

Anna Rose has the sparkle and spontaneity to really shine as Titania.   On top of her own innate qualities as a dancer, there is the bonus appeal that the wigs would actually look good on her, instead of out-of-place and absurd.

The wigs are the #1 reason I prefer Balanchine's version, although Titania and Oberon do not even dance together in it, lol.