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Beryl H

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  1. Beryl H
    The synopsis for The Winter's Tale is on the ROH website under News, looks good.
  2. Beryl H
    I got a second look at this programme at the matinee yesterday, No Man's Land looked a different ballet, not in quality but just the way I remembered it from Thursday, the lighting seemed even duller yesterday and I couldn't really see the duets, they have to dance at the front of stage as the set takes up nearly the whole stage, but Tamara Rojo and Estaban Berlanga were very moving at the end. Firebird also seemed to be darker too, could hardly see, occasionally the dancers moved into lighted spots and I noticed Yonah Acosta but I could only recognise the other dancers at the curtain calls. Second Breath was my overall favourite, also very dark for the corps be ballet but the pdd is well lit, amazing hypnotic choreography for this, Tamarin Stott and Nathan Young wonderful. Although I disliked Dust on Thursday I found it much more impressive yesterday, I preferred Fernanda Oliveira and James Streeter in the pdd, who were very emotional, still didn't like the "grovelling on the floor" solo for Fabian Reimar (am with CC on this), but great music (I'm sure I've heard the first section before somewhere, not perhaps at the ballet) and powerful almost martial dancing for the girls, the last image of the man looking down into what I imagine as the trenches is very powerful.
  3. Beryl H
    Glad it's been announced, I'm happy to see Yuhui Choe for a second time tonight, but can now hand in Wednesday's ticket, I would have been reluctant before.
  4. Beryl H
    Well, the performance last night finished just a few minutes before 10.30, I was very lucky because my seat was not only on an aisle but had an exit door right behind, also the Upper Circle is level with the ground floor, so I was able to get a train going round the Circle (dithered a bit about which platform to go to) and the journey is 24 minutes to Victoria via Tower Hill. Although I easily got the 11.17 train it ran late and I had a 30 minute wait for a Night Bus! So lovely to sit in a modern theatre, comfortable seat, excellent sightlines, imagine most people get good views, and so much room to move about in the Barbican Centre itself. The stage is quite big too, although most of these ballets had scenery which took up room at the back, I'd like to see ENB dance there again. Wonderful casts last night, Alina Cojocaru danced with Zdenek Konvalina in No Man's Land and with Junor Souza in Second Breath, highlight of the evening for me was the pdd from this ballet which seemed to be in slow motion. Also remember the pdd from No Man's Land for Ksenia Ovsyanick and Laurent Liotardo which was danced to the same music as the final scene in Mayering (I think) different orchestration. In Firebird I was so pleased to see Begona Cao again, she looked lovely! The only slight disappointment, strangely enough, was Dust, just didn't like the music or the choreography as much as the other ballets, just personal preference, Tamara Rojo and Akram Khan very impressive. The audience was fairly quite during the music interlude which is very sad, also original singing from 1916 is included in Dust. Lighting and design was a very strong point in the 3 new ballets although there was an inevitable similarity, they were all dark and misty, evocative but of course the dancing is harder to see.
  5. Beryl H
    Thanks, I usually prefer to stay on one train and go via Tower and Embankment, as I don't like changing trains at King's Cross, I'll have to think about it, I'm going to the Barbican by bus, 11 then 4, which I like much better.
  6. Beryl H
    I remember that night, because the interval went on and on I had to leave as I knew I would never see the last act, the only time Manon had a happy ending, they had just met and rushed off in the carriage
  7. Beryl H
    Thanks for all this information about running order and times, I was thinking of leaving early tonight before Dust, but now I think that would be stupid, have never been to an evening show at the Barbican before and have to get to Victoria, need the Circle line to be running okay.
  8. Beryl H
    Darcey Bussell became famous because she was a beautiful dancer, she always had a youthful, fresh, expansive style of dancing, always gave 100 percent, and was catapulted into fame when Kenneth MacMillan chose her to dance the opening night of Prince of the Pagoda's at a very young age, she never looked back. It probably would have been better for her to have kept herself aloof from the media like the other dancers did, but her name became known by the general public and still is, I don't think it should be held against her.
  9. Beryl H
    Have just checked the casting for Manon and the cinema relay is Nunez/Bonelli so that's one I can cross off my list and see at considerably less cost!
  10. Beryl H
    There's an interesting article in The Times today about Woolf Works, sounds very complicated but exciting. The season is a real mix of good and bad for me, Onegin, Manon, the Ashton triple bill, new Brandstrup/Scarlett triple and the McGregor are great but too many Swan Lakes, Alice's and Song of the Earth's, I detest this ballet and it's on 2 triple bills!
  11. Beryl H
    This was the first Bolshoi relay I've seen in the cinema and thought it was a triumphant success, already had the old DVD of the Rome Ballet with Rudolf Nureyev so knew a bit what to expect, marvellous dancing especially from David Hallberg, top class technical aspects, really felt I was at the Bolshoi (I went there once). The intervals were full of interesting backstage footage and interviews too, great to see Pierre Lacotte and David Hallberg, please release a Blu-Ray soon!
  12. Beryl H
    Saw last night's and my general feeling is I don't like it as much as Kenneth MacMillan's, this feels watered down by comparison, although it's hard to take in a full length ballet at first, the best choreography was the 4 King solo's in act 1, the Salamander dances in act 2, and best of all, the final pdd, variations and general finale. The designs were very good although the low lighting made some scenes hard to see. I found the story uninteresting, missed the stronger sometimes sinister qualities of the MacMillan. It was a lovely chance to see the BRB dancers again though, especially Miki Mizutani, Mathias Dingman and Celine Gittens in the lead roles,after reading reviews I waited until the casting was announced to see these dancers and was very pleased I did!
  13. Beryl H
    After the Choe/Hirano debuts, another magical evening, very assured debut from Akane Takada, helped by sensitive partnering from Vadim Muntagirov, also his solo in the pdd was everything I expected, wonderful double tours, and a perfect finish in 5th after the manege! Also really liked Beatriz Stix-Brunell as the Lilac Fairy, not much authority but a gracious soft Fairy, I think she and Vadim in Winter's Tale will be very special, they looked good on stage together. Another chance to see Marcelino Sambe in the Bluebird pdd, dancing with a charming Yuhui Choe this time, she was down on the cast list to dance one of Florestan's sisters too but was replaced by Melissa Hamilton who I don't think is right for fast snappy solo's, also surely it was Alistair Marriott as Catalabutte? Liked Hayley Forskitt as Carabosse, suits her strong style.
  14. Beryl H
    I have the "Live at Wolf Trap" DVD (think the colour video above is that performance) and used to hate Vestris but when I booked for Men in Motion I looked it out again and began to like it more and more, thought Valentino Zuchetti was brilliant, especially his facial expressions, but on Wednesday it was easily the worst piece of the evening for me, Leonid Sarafanov looked really mis-cast. Roberto Bolle danced many times at the ROH with Darcey Bussell, also I think he partnered Zenaida Yanowsky, it was nice to see a face from the past, and he did say in an article that he would like to dance again in London, I believe I also read that he replaced David Hallberg in Kings of the Dance, who was too busy at the Bolshoi.
  15. Beryl H
    What a strange mix, Prologue and Act 1 of SB and Kings of the Dance, suppose SB was mostly all girls, and Kings all men Jann Parry hits the nail on the head when she says in her review that most of the audience will have gone to see the dancers not the choreography, certainly that was the thrilling part for me, that I saw 5 great male dancers in one evening, and 1 woman of course! Has anyone seen Roberto Bolle in Le Jeunne Homme ?
  16. Beryl H
    Yes, I loved it too, will be interesting to read the reviews, thought that the Petit was rightly placed in the middle for dramatic effect as I think Remanso was too whimsical for a centrepiece, for once I didn't mind the 35 minutes intervals, especially as the last 65 minute section was worth waiting for, in particular Roberto Bolle and Ivan Vasiliev's amazing solo's , the combination of power and sensitivity that all the dancers displayed during the evening was almost overwhelming, a very great evening of ballet!
  17. Beryl H
    I started at 10am and booked 2 Mariinsky and got the seats I wanted (£48 ones, my real favourites were £60) then decided it would be better to get the RB triple bill seats, which I did and got the ones I wanted at £20/£26, when I went back to the Mariinsky I couldn't always get the ones I wanted but still loads available from £48 upwards, not surprising, I did look at the £32 ones but I think some have been kept back for Public Booking. Couldn't help but compare the same seat, £20 for the RB triple bill and £48 for the Mariinsky including a triple bill, as usual it's the people in the mid to rear amphi who suffer the most.
  18. Beryl H
    Ryoichi Hirano replaces Rupert Pennefather in SB on 22 March and 8 April.
  19. Beryl H
    I've always been happy in the Upper Circle front row, near the middle, although the row behind looked okay as it's very steep. Does anyone know if the Gallery is okay, I don't mind being high up, just like a good unobstructed view. I would repeat what has already been said about leaving plenty of time if it's your first trip to the Barbican!
  20. Beryl H
    I'd like to see: Qualia, Four Temperaments, Agon, Daphnis and Chloe, Les Biches, Les Sylphides, Manon, Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun, Ashton's Les Illuminations, Anastasia, one-act Isadora, Sensorium, La Sylphide.
  21. Beryl H
    It looks as though I will have to pay £48 (yellow) then as I really want an aisle seat near the middle, maybe the triple bills and Cinderella will be slightly cheaper, hope so!
  22. Beryl H
    Many thanks Bruce, there's a seating plan on the ROH website but no prices, looking at the prices mentioned in the Friends brochure makes me think the amphi won't have many decent seats under £48, which makes casting all the more important.
  23. Beryl H
    There's a lovely photo in The Times today of Alina Somova and Timur Askerov in La Bayadere at Sunday's Gala, wished I had gone now!
  24. Beryl H
    I've found that watching these programmes a second time is even more satisfying, thought Dancing in the Blitz really interesting and was amazed at the colour rehearsal film for Symphonic Variations, perhaps my dream of seeing long lost colour film of Fonteyn and Somes in Sylvia and Daphnis and Chloe is not so far-fetched after all What a difference colour makes though, very hard to appreciate the SB extracts in black and white, I mostly noticed how lucky the RB were to have Michael Somes, the perfect danseur noble, also how the Lilac Fairy's variation has become easier over the years, it really looked tricky at the end, even for Lucette Aldous. Looking forward to tonight's, should see lots of ENB dancers!
  25. Beryl H
    Tonight's programme looks worth watching or recording, there's supposed to be colour rehearsal footage of the first cast Symphonic Variations, says the Dancing Times.
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