Emeralds

Not quite related to Vadim or Bayadere, but sad to hear that Deniss' training mate and Stephane Lambiel's most high profile skater, Shoma Uno, has just announced his retirement, which is incredibly sad for those of us who still yearn for the artistry traditionally associated with the sport. In 2022 I must have replayed Uno's SP to Marcello's hauntingly beautiful Oboe Concerto hundreds of times. Perhaps he might be persuaded to make a comeback for next year for Milan-Cortina 2026.....

I bet it's the Amber Scott/Adam Bull/Leanne Stojmenov/Andrew Killian/Steven Heathcote/David McAllister performance. I have to be up early that week so might put it on for fun while getting ready. 😊 @jmhopton 👍 !

Have a look during mid mornings and afternoons, CCL- I've seen some £25 standing and £49 and £97 seats go back on sale. Also, tomorrow early afternoon and Thursday evening will probably see some returns go back before the 24 hour deadline on the website kicks in.

Excellent identification/detective work, @Rob S and @Silke H! Rebecca Stewart comes from Maryland, USA, and has travelled quite a lot to dance! She took part in the famous annual Radio City Music Hall Christmas show (a notable participant was Tiler Peck) and also danced at the Paris Opera this year with several other RBS students in Ashton's Rhapsody as part of their International Gala of Dance Schools. (Much easier to find the video clips and articles once fellow members have given me the name. 😊) How thrilling to have danced at ROH, Radio City Music Hall, and Palais Garnier while still a student!

@Dawnstar you did better than I - I got put into a queue for 9-10 minutes and didn't even get to see the rear amphi tickets at all! But I did manage to get a ticket (below £100!) before today, although I had logged in hoping to find a Friday Rush ticket for a friend who is also interested in going because of the cast changes. (She will try the Monday show instead.) There have been a few returns trickling in (there's a £25 standing ticket for Sunday at present) daily and I expect there might be a few more on Saturday morning and afternoon before the 24 hour cutoff. I'm guessing they priced it according to perceived demand and they were right- both ROH & Glyndebourne Carmens (both new productions) are selling and have sold very successfully.

Happy Birthday, @Nina99!

Ugh 😩.... my sympathies, Fonty. One downside of seeing very popular dancers is that you can get some extreme behaviour (or what might be tactfully described as "over enthusiastic") during the curtain calls, including picture taking in aisles or in front of the stairs. The culprits don't realise they're blocking other patrons as nobody appears to be sitting immediately behind them. They believe they're considerate as well as securing an unimpeded camera angle but unfortunately in a rounded seating configuration, they will be blocking patrons further away. The most effective and speedy solution in those situations is to leave your own seat quickly (if standing up still results in a blocked view) and move to somewhere else where you can see. There's simply not enough time to try to walk round to them to get their attention or to find an usher to ask them to help resolve it (you can, but the curtain calls/red runs will be finished by then). I've seen this happen in the Amphitheatre and the Stalls Circle quite often. Actually, nobody is supposed to stand on the top of the stairs like these folk did - they're blocking an emergency exit. In the past ushers would tell them either to leave or to return to their seats but not to remain there because it is a safety hazard. However, nowadays...... I've also experienced two instances when an usher was the one standing on the staircase (once at ROH, once at Sadler's Wells) when the overture was playing (!) and the curtain went up ...I did wonder if they were going to spend the entire Act standing there and blocking our view of the dancing! Luckily they both eventually moved after putting a few of us in our section through some stress (and tickets were not cheap either.....).

Thank you @Naomi M! I had a feeling it was National Ballet of Japan but didn't have time to check as I had another appointment to get to. It is a pleasure to see the clip and the beautiful designs and the excellent dancers again.

There are Sunday matinées for both opera and ballet from time to time at ROH (there's one for Carmen coming up this Sunday at 5pm, and they've done some at 12.30pm) - the timing varies. It's not a regular occurrence. Every now and again it seems to suit the schedules of all involved so it is put on. I suppose Bank Holiday Monday is similar with regards to travel or some services/things being shut and also that it precedes the work week. RB dance a good number of Bank Holiday Mondays (they've danced on Easter Monday for two consecutive years now, for example). The company (whether Royal Opera or Royal Ballet) generally won't perform on the Monday after a Sunday performance bur the other resident company can perform instead. Actually the one that's very exhausting for the company (especially the corps de ballet) and the orchestra is dancing Friday night, Saturday matinee and Saturday night- by 10pm on Saturday night they're shattered!. BRB, ENB, NB, Scottish Ballet do it routinely on tours and their home theatres as they don't share residency with another company like RB/RO do. At Sadler's Wells it depends on the company- eg NYCB sold out on their Sunday performance (I spotted Marianela Nunez among the crowd), other companies that offer Sundays might not.

I'm happy to see their Giselle- I actually have to remind myself it's next summer and not this summer though. Actually, the production I would most love to see (and would definitely buy more tickets for) is Ashton's Cinderella with the David Walker designs- whichever Japanese company (I'm not sure if it was National Ballet of Japan but it was certainly a Tokyo based company) has bought it, would love to see them tour it here. It looked stunning- their dancing as well as the designs- on YouTube. It was stunning in the 80s and 90s when RB danced it too.

I think voting is now online as they don't give out printed cast sheets for Sadler's Wells any more, LinMM, and I managed to do it online. It's on the website - I don't have the link, but managed to find it to vote with.

Hi Sebastian, I actually remembered your question and meant to make a comment but forgot (sorry) when I was typing my review as my contribution was so lengthy already. Lev Ivanov, from my copious reading (probably nothing as copious as the reading you've done though!) wasn't involved at all with Sleeping Beauty from what I know, and that's backed up by what you've found. However, in some passages of Act 2, where the corps de ballet dance some lyrical choreography in lieu of Florimund and Lilac Fairy travelling on the boat, some of the dancing is a little reminiscent of the Snowflakes and Swan scenes that Ivanov did for Nutcracker and the 1895 production of Swan Lake- not entire dances, but several bars of music and inspiration. I couldn't find any other passages, variations or dances that looked like they came out of Ivanov choreography. It's only a guess, because apart from it being a typing or copying error, that's the only plausible explanation I can think of. The only person who can answer the question is Sir Peter Wright of course....if you do feel up to writing to him soon via BRB, do let us know what the reply is. 🙂

Deniss is a very elegant skater- he'll make a good Solor on ice. The competition season starts around September, but if Deniss is skating in a few ice shows in summer he might debut the program before competitions to give it time to settle in. @jorge, I saw Muramoto and Takahashi's Bayadere FD in the 2021-22 season: they did really well; earned a Four Continents medal in their first season skating together while many of the other skaters were away at the Olympics. Had no idea Kana and Daisuke liked ballet so much (I know Marina Zoueva does though). A pity Muramoto and Takahashi didn't continue their partnership for longer though.

Forgot to add, @CCL- the ROH website says Adam will sing 3 dates : 12, 17, 20 May, so that's three chances to get decent ticket/s (12th and 17th are sold on this Friday's Friday Rush while Friday Rush for 20th will be sold on Friday 17th.) Plus a few decent returns might appear on other days too. Fingers crossed 😀 🤞 🍀

Yippee! Adam Smith is one of the best Cavaradossis I've ever seen and heard! (Someone who can really put the acting and the singing together in service of the story and isn't just "a voice".) At long, long. last- I've been saying Covent Garden should hire Adam ever since I heard him at the Proms and that ENO Tosca. If only it could have been planned and scheduled in advance instead of as an unexpected jump in. (But what a brilliant replacement!). And they're on the same dates as Andrii Kymach who was brilliant (singing the same aria, no less) when he won Cardiff Singer of the World in 2019 - another soloist whom I've been saying RO took too long to hire. @CCL, there is currently one £25 Upper Slips seat on Friday 17th. I'm going to check out what is available during Friday Rush for those 3 dates. Naturally, I wish Brandon Jovanovich a speedy recovery from whatever is keeping him off the stage for those 2 weeks.

Funnily enough, I saw that same production @Jan McNulty saw- same Siegfried too (we wanted to see Li Cunxin and Janie Parker after seeing them on tv in the International Ballet Competition in Mississippi) - but in a different city. That Swan Lake (Ben Stevenson's production- traditional, elegant and beautiful) covered a lot of miles! Sadly, that's over 3 decades ago....pity they didn't/don't visit more often. Carlos Acosta danced with them for some time.

No, she hasn't- Itziar Mendizabal and Claire Calvert are the only remaining company members who have danced the role.

I notice that along with various comings and goings, this run of Swan Lake also marked principal dancer Angelo Greco's farewell performance with SFB - his last show was 2 days ago, with Misa Kuranaga. He joins Houston Ballet as a principal dancer next. This is rather sad news across the pond as we enjoyed his brilliant dancing and artistry on SFB's last tour to Sadler's Wells and had been looking forward to seeing more of his performances when they next visit (whenever that is). Houston Ballet is a fine company with an amazing history (under Ben Stevenson and his successors) but sadly, don't usually visit London/UK. Still, wishing Angelo all the very best in the next part of his dancing journey.

Sorry to hear you were unwell and had to miss Fumi's Swan Lake last weekend, @Linnzi5! Glad to hear you managed to get a ticket for her Thursday show. Do get lots of rest and wishing you a speedy recovery [in time for Saturday]. In fact, wishing both you and William Bracewell a speedy recovery [from different things!] before Saturday!

(Sorry to reply late, mari. Your seat is in one of the best areas for watching The Winter's Tale because you are close to the dancers' acting and watching the drama! You will not need opera glasses or binoculars. Good choice! 👍)

That's wonderful, @mari- wishing you a lovely time. If you sitting quite far away (if you are behind row A of Amphitheatre, row B of Balcony or anywhere in the Upper Slips), I would recommend the use of opera glasses or binoculars. The ROH shop on the ground floor sells them, I think. Marianela is a legend and wonderful as Hermione, Matthew Ball is an excellent dance actor. Many of the cast are new to their roles tonight but they are very talented- it will be very exciting. Great to see that you have tickets to Swan Lake with Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov - that's a hot ticket and highly recommended performance! Since you have a lot of time, I would also recommend having your dinner now as the show will finish around 10.20pm, when many restaurants and cafes will be closing. Lots of cafes and restaurants near ROH offer Prix Fixe menus before 7pm which are a good price and great value too; the cafe you are in might have one. Have a great time! 👍

Quirky choice of article for The Times! (Am sure there aren't any slow news days this month though!) At first I wasn't sure what your thread was about, @RobR ....(i could still be unsure!). Seems like the duel (fought over alterations to Lifar's ballet Suite en Blanc without his agreement) was a bit one-sided, with de Cuevas being 72 and Lifar being 52, and a curiously large number of photographers and reporters being aware it was taking place and gathered to be front row audience (!!!)- I mean witnesses. ("All publicity is good publicity"?) 😉 Possibly the only duel ever to end in hugs and tears (from the participants, not the next of kin). The only injury was a nick on Lifar's forearm (antibiotics had been invented by then so he was pretty safe) and both participants lived on - de Cuevas died aged 76, Lifar aged 81. For more exciting (but harmless to the performers) duelling, Northern Ballet's Romeo and Juliet in Norwich next week beginning 14 May or Sadler's Wells from 28 May, Hamilton the musical at Victoria Palace Theatre (every day except Sundays; some ear plugs may be prudent), Onegin next season at ROH (both the ballet and the opera), and the Royal Ballet's Romeo and Juliet next season, are recommended. If members know of other ballets with duels being staged elsewhere do feel free to add to the list. 😀

I love that in this production, the Romeos can double as Lord Capulet at another performance and the Juliets can also portray Nurse or Lady Capulet at other performances. Great test of their versatility and extra chances for us to catch favourites in another role when they're not dancing Romeo or Juliet. I've booked two tickets but left a couple of dates free in case the casts I want are dancing on other dates. Also looking forward to seeing their orchestra!

Wishing William Bracewell a speedy recovery - hopefully in time for his next scheduled performance this Saturday. Disappointed for Yasmine Naghdi but looking forward to seeing her in her next performance. Toi toi toi to Viola Pantuso and Joseph Sissens on their earlier-than-expected debut!

All ticket holders should have been emailed too- I received the notification of the above cast changes by email from the Royal Albert Hall box office. They allow ticket exchanges in advance if you want to catch your preferred cast or avoid duplicate casts - provided there are tickets available on your new chosen date which are the same total price or higher total price. Just email them or ring them (contact details on their website). It's a local number- not a premium rate number like some theatres.