Jamesrhblack

Fumi Kaneko’s debut as Odette/Odile opposite Federico Bonelli’s farewell as Siegfried 

Laura Morera as Giselle (so beautiful I went back for the second performance), again with Bonelli

Morera as Natalia Petrovna and Vadim Muntagirov as Beliaev

Alexander Campbell as Romeo

William Bracewell as Siegfried 

Claire Calvert’s debut as Odette/Odile opposite Nicol Edmonds, also en debut 

The gentlemen in Thieves / The Dante Project 

The ladies of the corps in Giselle and Swan Lake

Leticia Dias and Joseph Sissens were consistently and joyously eye-catching 

I remember Sergeant Martin in his top hat. I also remember having my first smoked salmon sandwiches in what is now the Crush Room before ascending what was then the left hand staircase with my mama go watch Swan Lake with Doreen Sells and David Wall,

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1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

 

Dream Team!😊

They certainly are in this. Absolutely magical 

Ah, of course. I’ll try to do joined up thinking in the future 

Is Kristen McNally injured? She gestured prominently in the Insights but it’s been Christina Arestis in the first two casts and now Annette Buvoli.

Just to flag up, we did have the National Anthem before today’s matinée. 

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

 

I didn't read capybara's question as a criticism, Jamesrhblack - more as genuine curiosity as to what you meant, which you have clarified very well here. So thank you.

And thank you Bridiem. If a moderator might correct my early morning writing errors (my macular thickening meant my eye wasn’t quite “in”), I’d be grateful.

Essentially, a rogue apostrophe after “writer” in line one and “having” not “being” in line four. Thanks in advance. JRHB 

16 hours ago, capybara said:

That’s great to know but don’t all reviews represent the honest position of their writers?

Perhaps my use of language wasn’t precise enough. I felt that the writer’ addressed the  position within the company of both Claire Calvert and Nicol Edmonds in a way that might usually have been glossed over. It was also good to see somebody being enough editorial space to write at length. I thought it a fine, evocative piece of writing and wanted to flag it up. I’m sorry if that is an issue for capybara. I notice with responses to other people’s posts that there is quite a lot of sniping on the forum at the moment, which makes one disinclined to contribute.

There’s a beautifully written, honest, perceptive and positive review of the Calvert / Edmonds Swan Lake by Gerald Dowler in the new Dancing Times. He really expresses why I, in common with many others I think, found this performance so affecting.

12 hours ago, capybara said:

 

It is indeed Matthew Golding - in my copy of The Times, at least 😊

My bad then. Blame macular thickening …

9 minutes ago, AnneL said:

Like many papers, the Times/ST headlines really go for the clickbait these days and don’t bear much resemblance to the article contents. The one on Natalia Osipova today is similar, focussing on a small aspect of the interview content.

And a picture of Carlos Acosta credited as Matthew Golding….

So pleased for William Bracewell and Reece Clarke: absolutely merited.
 

Promotions will be as hotly speculated as ever I think, especially because, as Bridiem points out, there’s a huge amount of talent in the lower ranks.

I agree that Joseph Sissens should be promoted to First Soloist, but I can’t see anybody else at Soloist level that quite merits that, meaning that the First Soloist level (minus Heap, Bracewell and Clarke) will be somewhat thin.

Perhaps there will be a double rank promotion: Leticia Dias and Leo Dixon have consistently caught my eye across a range of repertoire for starters…

Obviously, personal observation and all opinions my own…

12 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

I don't know if this is the correct place to mention this but during the Swan lake cinema broadcast interval Kevin O'Hare gave some details about the next cinema season.  It seemed to be back to full strength with at least 10 Opera and ballet broadcasts. He mentioned Mayerling specifically. The first performance is being livestreamed starring Ryio Hirano (no mention of who is playing Mary Vestera). Also Like Water for Chocolate is being shown at cinemas in January which surprised me as I assumed it would be being streamed. I think all the full length ballets are being broadcast, including, of course, Cinderella.

Indeed. Have a vested interest as two of my artists are sharing Katharina Schratt during this run. No mention of the Vetsera, or, indeed, of the Larisch. Wondering if Laura Morera will go sideways as Elisabeth and if we might get to see Romany Pajdak as Larisch…

8 minutes ago, alison said:

Interesting that bridiem used the words "profoundly moving", because that was pretty much what I felt, too.

I too found that I was “moved.” Quite apart from the technical excellence of both Claire Calvert and Nicol Edmonds, their emotional honesty and lack of histrionics made me re-engage with the narrative of Swan Lake in a way that I hadn’t felt for some time. 

I was actually moved by Black Swan. The interaction between the dancers made it a real Pas d’action not just a technical stunt. You can feel the support on stage for Claire Calvert and Nicol Edmonds from their colleagues too.

Possibly pipe-dreaming, but perhaps she could make a farewell run of performances as a glamorously malevolent Carabosse…

She was also glorious in DGV. One of those dancers I really enjoyed watching and who I think had very particular qualities of strength and, as somebody also cited, glamour that could have illuminated a wide variety of roles. Hers was the Odette/Odile that I had been hoping to see, snd she would have been dazzling as The Firebird in another debut lost to injury.

Interesting to think of Woolf Works on a third revival becoming a “repertoire” piece. There will inevitably be some new casting required, and I was imagining Laura Morera or Romany Pajdak re Alessandra Ferri, Reece Clarke re Federico Bonelli, Calvin Richardson re Edward Watson and Liam Boswell re Tristan Dyer in I now, I then for a start.

The Weathering and Solo Echo seem also to have given wider opportunities to a younger generation of dancers that may begin to bear interesting fruit in 2022 / 2023…

7 hours ago, alison said:

 

Yes, indeed.  That was the Bussell/Avis role originally, wasn't it?

I thought this had been altered at the General. Good to read that I was correct in that but, more importantly, that it has now been restored. Very sorry not to see this cast as I find Hannah Grenell and Nicol Edmonds really interesting and would think DGV something that would suit Melissa Hamilton well.

2 minutes ago, emmarose said:

Who are down for the cinema broadcast?

Lauren Cuthbertson and William Bracewell.

3 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Hello Florine and welcome to the Forum!

 

I absolutely agree re the fouettés - 30 seconds do not make or break a performance.

I agree with that Jan. My observation was just one of surprise that in two consecutive performances neither principal dancer was able to command that moment. If they are such a hurdle to the dancer, I’d much prefer the alternative DVD Fan suggests (which is what Osipova did when I saw her in 2018 and which Fonteyn did when I first saw Swan Lake back in the day) to being jerked out of story and moment by somebody struggling. My observation was also linked to what seemed to be perceptible problems for both dancers with the attitude pirouettes at the start of Odile’s Variation. 

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Some thoughts on a double show day. All opinions my own.

Massive kudos to the ladies of the corps, unflagging in commitment and poise. The Maestro and the Orchestra also acquitted themselves more than admirably. But why are the tempi in the Act 2 pas deux so slow? The sudden deceleration before the final coda in that Act at Odette’s entrance is also a really bad jolt.

Concentrated viewings bring home irritations with the production.

I really dislike the Prologue, which I suspect is only there for people who can’t “read” or haven’t researched the Act 2 Mime. It also undermines the thrill of the ballerina’s entrance in Act 2.

Rothbart’s dual aspect raises more questions than it answers. Does he never sleep? His transformation at the end of Act 1 seems motivated by Siegfried’s attitude? But why? If he is known at court, why is his daughter unknown? What is his motivation? If power, why abandon the court once he has snatched the crown from The Queen Mother?

Benno? I can understand that for the initial cinema / DVD release as many principals were needed as possible (remember Hayward and Takada as sisters…) However, if you choreograph for a virtuoso such as Alexander Campbell who performs full out, it pulls focus, if you have somebody less technically adroit it all looks intrusive. I do love the choreography for the Act 3 Pas de Treis coda though.

Why in Act 1 does Siegfried suddenly join the Ensemble for a few moments but then stop for no discernible reason (example, the entrechats six during the climax of the Waltz)?

Siegfried’s late arrival for Act 3 (having mislaid his birthday crossbow en route) is nonsensical. Even if he’s been out all night, the Ball is surely not until the evening.

Siegfried being stunned so he misses Odette’s suicide and lies inert seems a colossal blunder. I have no issues with the attempt at a tragic ending (which partly reflects the original scenario) but have the courage of conviction and don’t “sweeten” with a quasi apotheosis of Odette as Swan.

I absolutely accept that if professional and then personal tragedy had not intervened some of these issues might well have been resolved in a supervised revival.

Man of the Match (or day), William Bracewell, who absolutely upped his technical game in Act 3 to thrilling effect and whose emotional honesty and connection read with absolute conviction.

I was perplexed that two principal dancers of real Ashton accomplishment should find the demands of Odile’s variation turns en attitude so challenging. Francesca Hayward’s persistent re-siding of the choreography (also in her Act 2 solo) suggested a decided lack of ease, reinforced by 25 grimly determined travelling foutées that were unwontedly off the music. I’m sure that the memory of her debut mishap will have sat heavy on Anna-Rose O’Sullivan, who in fact began her Act 3 coda brilliantly, but stumbled after the first sequence and then began to travel, falling out to finish early and concluding with a sequence of backward piqué turns.

Both were considerably better suited to Odette, and I was surprised that O’Sullivan found a lyricism that I had not anticipated from her customary soubrette brightness, whilst Hayward’s trademark musicianship and melting eloquence were much in evidence.

Neither performance for me added up as a totality, which is not to say that there were not incidental pleasures, but also a conviction that I want to find out a great deal more about the intentions of the original 1877 production, as well as exploring as much as remains of the 1895 Petipa / Ivanov via the Ratmansky reconstruction.

I appreciate one cannot comment on Generals and am sure If I overstep the mark my remark will be deleted. However, feel I compelled to write that Joseph Sissens in full flight in DGV is a truly joyous sight to behold.

Also hoping that Akane Takada is ok as she didn’t make it back on stage for the Finale which William Bracewell completed on his own marking the partnering.

20 minutes ago, AnneL said:

Just home from today’s matinee and it was a wonderful performance. Great dancing from the principals and all the rest of the cast. As others have said, we had two Von Rothbarts! I am hoping Gartside will recover soon. I loved Magri’s Odile: she didn’t overdo the ‘evil’ side, instead appearing to be really charming until the deception was revealed, and then she was transformed. It really worked for me as an interpretation. 

I absolutely agree with you AnneL. I thought it was one of the most intelligent portrayals of Odile I have seen in recent years. I’d also agree with Sim that Act 4 was really moving and with Blossom that Joseph Sissens was a total delight. Ashley Dean caught my eye too, particularly in Act 1. 

The very interesting Leigh Witchel review mentions that after the suicide jump Osipova was seen no more until the bows. Does she cut the final apotheosis image (which I happen to dislike) or was it simply omitted as she’d not been feeling well at that performance.