Bruce Wall

So much to enjoy in the Cecchetti Society Centenary Gala - It was lovely to see the petit allegro interweaved in the demonstrations -- knowing one is not getting an abundance otherwise in pieces on current ROH view. Then the main meal commenced - so many highlights, James Hay was SPECTACULAR in the Florestan/Florimund variation, Bracewell was oh, so brilliant in his two pieces - the second leading a wonderfully lyrical Hayward in the main Rhapsody adagio, then the blisteringly brilliant Nunes PDD for Brandon Lawrence and the ever glorious Tzu-Chao and Joe Sissens - surely now the cherry on top of everyone's current cake - was simply sizzling in the Bluebird PDD. NO INTERVAL TOO which made the overall impact all that much more potent. Bless the organisers for this gift.

3rd November there will be a TFL/tube strike. (Of course I have to have not one - but two performances at ROH on that day.) Other dates for national rail outlets - 5th and 8th November I believe.

Oh, lucky you, Anna. I so adore Reilly (not to take ANYTHING AT ALL away from the glorious Vogel). I will always remember that Oneign with Cojocaru at the RB, his oh, so witty Petruchio in Stuttgart and those entirely jaw dropping one-handed lifts he did in that programme honed by Polunin at the Coliseum which remain up there in my memory aside those stunning ones of Jose Manuel Carreno and Vladimir Vasiliev. Bless you for your full report. I can just imagine the glory you were able to witness.

A personal remembrance - MANY, many years ago I was on stage in one play in New York and - one day - found myself getting into a lift on an uppermost floor of what was then known as ICM (International Creative Management) in New York City. The lift went down just one floor and who should get in but Angela Lansbury. I sheepishly pushed myself into a far corner - not wanting to intrude on that grand artiste's space. She turned her head and flashed those huge eyes of hers in my direction and smiled then turned away. Fleeting moments passed. (It was - even from a Big Apple perspective - a TALL building). She then turned back and asked if I was - who I was. I stood shocked and then - stuttering - blurted 'Yes, I am.' She then said that she had seen a matinee of the play I was doing and she thought I was 'just terrific'. I'll never forget that moment - or my amazement. I replied that I had just seen her in a preview of the then-new (i.e., original production of) Sweeney Todd and had been totally bowled over. She laughed and said we were 'our own mutual admiration society'. We were indeed. May that great lady rest in peace. Heaven knows she deserves it.

I have found these 'opera glasses for the poor' as I call them - in my dotage - work well for me, and are wonderfully vivid and long-wearing (while not overly expensive - having bought several pairs on E-bay. I always keep one spare - just in case - and ... erm ... wouldn't leave home without them .... [well, at least to the ROH]. The Olivon 7×30 WP is designed to give a very light weight binocular coupled with exceptional clarity and brightness. The 7x magnification is the classic bird watching binocular but is also well suited for nature viewing or as a general purpose model. With high clarity, wide field of view and a natural well balanced image (true to life colour due to multi coated lenses). This model also features a close focus of approx. 2m making ideal for garden based bird watching. Fully Waterproof and Nitrogen filled. High Resolution BAK4 prisms ensure a brighter image throughout the range of magnifications by maximising light transmission. Efficient use of the light gathered is particularly important at high magnifications where images appear darker or for applications were colour identification is essential. The traditional porro prism designed gives higher quality images when compared to roof prism or compact (reverse) porro prism designs in the same price range. Long eye relief makes these binoculars ideal for spectacle wearers. It enables users wearing glasses to view the entire field of view as the binocular image is projected further out of the exit pupil.

A lovely interview by Ratmansky with Peter Boal, AD for PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet) just before the premiere of his first original creation after the Ukrainian invasion. He also talks about the Giselle here.

Thanks so for this, Sabine. Lovely to see that ENB's Gavin Sutherland will be conducting the production that day.

Thanks so for your kind advice, JNC. It is, I assure you, much appreciated - even if the 'fiddly' nature of the new ROH enterprise isn't entirely. So much for progress.

I've not had any problems with the queueing - as I have always got straight in this morning. What HAS troubled me is that wanting to book multiple dates for a couple of shows I find that after two for any one event it tells me that I have a conflict and if I want to go further my other bookings will be eliminated. This means that I have to complete that booking (i.e., pay) and then go back and book the next two for that event - and so on and so forth. They obviously don't want to encourage people in going to more than a couple of performances. It also makes it very easy to confuse or duplicate dates. NOT CLEAR ROH. Very frustrating. Has anyone else had this experience - or am I JUST DOING SOMETHING I SHOULDN'T??? An expiring mind would love to know.

As is generously noted, the tickets - at £220 - are 'SERIOUSLY UNDERPRICED' - The capitalisation and 'exact notation' is as per the authors.

Amazed that a Junior Soloist - and a new one at that - Lorenzo Trossello being given Seigfried ALREADY!! There are some fine artists - already proven with ENB - like McCormick or Durand - I would have thought might well have been in line for such.

Thought it was entirely sublime - I adored the sense of vivid community throughout - and how Ratmansky saw that it all came together as one. So appreciated the lack of any cardio concern for Giselle - as much as the additional adagio for her and Albrecht in the first act - which gratifyingly ensured that the mad scene - rendered here entirely by a romantically BROKEN heart - was visceral. Loved that fact that the score was played to tempi - (at so many locales this is not always the case) - and the choreography to the musical fugue was electric. Everything played through to a searing end which ensured that the collaborative lights which had already been lit in our hearts well and truly burst unto redemptive joy. A treat for ALL. Here is a clip of a Coliseum stage rehearsal from tonight's dedicated cast - https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/bombs-ballet-russian-choreographer-leads-ukraine-dancers-giselle-2022-09-14/

I stumbled across a song - The Diamond Song - from a project we did a some years back. The project was an initiative for British ex-offenders. The music here written is by my late musical director, Tim Williams - a true genius if there ever was one - I do so miss him - and the lyrics are by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Thought it might be apropos to this strand and that some hereabouts might enjoy it.

Sabine, I believe that Mr. Parish (sadly I don't know him so I don't feel I can rightly refer to him by his first name) is currently a dancer with the Norwegian Ballet. Perhaps that might be the best association under the circumstances to note - given that it at least appears to be current.

It has been confirmed for the evening of the 17th.

Thanks for that Lizbie1. The fact that really jumped out for me was that the Lowry’s TOTAL annual electricity bill was NOW 33 per cent higher than its TOTAL Arts Council funding!!!!! Frightening.

All good things must come to an end .... and this was truly AN EXCELLENT ONE for which HUGE THANKS to all involved. Your job has been consistently well done.

I think the selection is a very fine one. I can imagine that Alu would be magnificent.

It IS Sky Arts after all ... Sometimes they do nothing BUT ...

Just saw, front row of Balcony is £60 ... YIKES!!! ....

Really appreciated getting this today from NBoC - We are writing to let you know about a recent incident involving your personal information and a service provider that The National Ballet of Canada uses to keep you updated by email. What happened? The National Ballet of Canada uses a third-party service provider named WordFly to help us prepare and deliver various email communications. We understand that WordFly’s network was disrupted by a ransomware attack on their systems between July 10 - 14, 2022. WordFly has indicated that the attacker exported certain personal information from WordFly’s systems, including information belonging to National Ballet of Canada patrons. We sincerely apologize that this incident has affected you. What information was involved? WordFly has advised The National Ballet of Canada that some of your personal information was involved in this incident, specifically your name and email address and your patron ID. WordFly did not process any credit card, debit card or other financial information, and this information was consequently not involved in this incident. What are we doing? Upon learning of this incident, The National Ballet of Canada notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and we are notifying all affected patrons. We also continue to be in close contact with WordFly as they work with their cybersecurity team. WordFly has advised The National Ballet of Canada that upon learning of this incident, they immediately engaged cybersecurity professionals to assist in their investigation, and to securely restore WordFly’s systems. In addition, WordFly understands that, as of July 15, 2022, the stolen data was deleted and is no longer in the possession of the attacker. WordFly’s external cybersecurity experts also continue to monitor the Internet for any potential misuse of the data. The National Ballet of Canada will also be temporarily using Mailchimp, a leading email service provider, to ensure minimal disruption to our communications with you. What can you do? We encourage you to be cautious of unsolicited emails asking for personal information, and not to click links or open attachments from suspicious emails. Neither WordFly nor The National Ballet of Canada will ever ask you for your financial information via email. For more information Please be aware that several arts organizations across Ontario use WordFly as their email provider, so you may receive multiple emails on this topic if you are signed up with other companies that use them as well. We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern that this incident may have caused you. Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@national.ballet.ca or 416 (1 866) 345 9595 if you have any questions. We thank you for your ongoing support.

Thanks very much BBB for including the picture with binoculars from the ROH back Amphi. Quite agree the view is a happy one. Wonder though about your statement of the 'dismal view' for NYCB at the Koch with the $38 tickets. My subscription (a flex one with all $38 tickets) is on the 2nd Ring and I will show my seat view from there. I can vouch for it being an accurate picture. I do not here have a head in front of me. I realise this is not the optimum - but then neither is the price. Still, I must confess I have never thought of it as 'dismal'. I actually find it quite agreeable. Wonder too what others here might think in terms of relative value. I would be curious. Perhaps I just need to recalculate my determinations.

You could hear the music in the livestream, Janet.

Such a moving trailer ..... Who would have ever thought - given the World Histories that so devastated our forefathers - that we would ever see anything like this? ... Still I'm hugely excited by these artists of keen courage and prowess. Bring it ON!! https://cloudflarestream.com/564171df138fa4e77fb6ac7023b547d8/watch

Caught the rehearsal ... It was brilliant ... So enjoyed it. Glorious dancing from ALL.