Silver Capricorn

I return to a topic that was discussed here some time ago. I visited the Vienna State Opera on Saturday to see the ballet performance of The Lady with the Camellias by John Neumeier. As the weather was very cold, all the audience came in coats or winter jackets. In front of the entrance to the auditorium, all those who did not put their coats in the cloakroom were uncompromisingly detained by the auditorium staff and sent to the dressing room. No one was allowed to enter the auditorium wearing a coat. It should be noted that there is no charge for leaving clothes in the cloakroom, only voluntary. I really liked this procedure.

I visited Don Q performance at Opéra Bastille in Paris on Friday, April 12. It was my second visit to this performance. After the technically brilliant Paul Marque and Sea Eun Park, this time I saw my dream cast, Hannah O'Neill and Hugo Marchand. And I was definitely not disappointed. In ballet, besides the technique, the acting aspect is also important to me, which both actors fulfilled perfectly. Hugo Marchand with his incredible charisma stole the show for himself, commanding all the attention from the moment he entered the stage. Hannah O'Neill danced technically perfectly, but the attention of the audience, at least those around me, was focused on Basilio. It is true, however, that I usually go to the first rows of the ground floor for the ballet, and from there I can see details that cannot be seen from a great distance. And especially in the Bastille, the distances from the stage are huge. I had two girlfriends with me who are not ballet connoisseurs at all, and the performance made a huge impression on them, they were absolutely thrilled. Otherwise, I already wrote here somewhere that Nureyev's version of Don Q is for me much more engaging than Acosta's version. In particular, I prefer Nureyev's version of the scene in the gypsy camp and in the tavern where Kitri, Basilio, Espada and the two dancers dance instead of Acosta's weird stomping and jumping on the tables. In general, I am so excited about the performance that I bought another ticket and will fly to see this cast again, which I did not originally plan 😀

Maybe Berlin wasn't the right example, but the Vienna Opera certainly was. The emphasis on dress code applies to the largest classical theaters in Prague. And yes, I was also brought up to dress up for the theater. I regularly fly to London with only cabin luggage, and its main content is evening clothes for the theater, including shoes and a handbag. I can't get used to ski jackets and knitted sweaters with deers at my age😄

Exactly when I first visited the ROH, I was shocked by what the audience brought with them to the auditorium (winter coats, jackets, backpacks...). Here in Prague, at the National Theater and the State Opera, no one like that would be allowed into the auditorium, everything must be stored in the coat rooms. The same applies in other European theaters, in Vienna, Berlin, Munich. Spectators also (except tourists) wear formal clothes to the theater, there is no such thing as going to the theater in a sweater and jeans. The spectators themselves are trying to force their way so that inappropriately dressed people are not allowed into the auditorium. A visit to the theater is considered a social event here, and people show respect for the theater and the artists by dressing appropriately and behaving appropriately.

Giselle's May live stream has not yet been announced, so we'll see. Recordings of performances are usually included in the permanent offer of Opera Play Paris after some time, now in April it is, for example, an evening of choreography by Jiri Kilian.

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.

It is poorly described. The legal video with Vadim is on ROH Stream Swan Lake 2018, time approx. 1:38:00. Another dancer on the recording from 2022 jumps on single double tour en l'air, not in a series.

I think yes. It's via the ONP website stream, the same way the ROH website stream works. In the Czech Republic, I have a subscription to the streams of both theaters and it works.

I'm happy to read rave reviews of Fumi Kaneko's performance here. I can't wait for May to see her in my dream cast opposite Vadim Muntagirov.

I saw the opening night of Don Q in Opéra Bastille with Sae Eun Park as Kitri and Paul Marque as Basilio. They were both great, their performances were flawless, Florent Mélac was also excellent as Espada. Nureyev's version of this ballet is much closer to me than Acosta's choreography. It is a show full of color, joy and beautiful costumes. I'll see another performance next week, with Hannah O'Neil and Hugo Marchand. I look forward to.

Yes, at the Gala in Geneva Yasmine Naghdi and William Bracewell (black pdd Swan Lake) will perform in their place.

I think the story of Lady of the camellias is widely known and does not deviate much (except for the episode with Manon) from the opera La Traviata, which everyone probably knows. Some productions of La Traviata also start with an auction, I suspect Zeffirelli's version for example. The use of color for the costumes is iconic, and the two most famous pas de deux, often performed separately at galas, are referred to as the white and the black pas de deux.

Yes, some of the same Chopin's pieces are used in both ballets, for example the Grand Polonaise in E-Flat Major op.22.

For me, Die Kamiliendame is Neumeier's best work. And Chopin's music seems to me to be beautiful and perfectly in line with the story and the choreography. I know this ballet from various videos, and the Viennese performance made a big impression on me. I'm going to see him live at the Vienna Opera in May.

It is of great importance to me personally, because on 8.4. I will buy tickets to the ONP for the whole season, possibly to other theaters, and I won't have much space left for the ROH, where I reserve only certain dancers. Damage.

Oh my God, that is probably the latest deadline for announcing a new season of any theater company in Europe. The Paris Opera will be for subscribers on 8.4. pre-sale for the ENTIRE new season has started.

For an interesting from a review in a magazine Dance Europe about Don Q pdd: This shared joy was present inspades in the final item, the oldfavourite, Don Quixote. It wasgiven an electric performancefrom Natalia Osipova and GiorgiaPotskhishvili, Dutch NationalBallet's newest principal. Sheis an established favourite withThe Royal Ballet, and many inthe audience would have seenher dance the role of Kitri, butathis was a new interpretationthat saw her in buoyant mood, playing with the choreographylike a delighted child with a newatoy. Her solo saw her skimmingthe stage on pointe and whizzingthrough relevés at breakneckspeed. Her fouettés kept up thepace, with unorthodox armsand a wide smile. Potskhishvili,with a turbo-charged jump andthe ecstasy of a champion, tookto the air in truly spectacularajumps. They were obviouslyloving it and generously sharedtheir pleasure. The showcouldn't have had a betterclimax.

I saw this production of Giselle at ONP 2 years ago and for me it is the most beautiful Giselle I have seen.

Yes, Myriam Ould-Braham will retire as Giselle in May. I'm glad to see her as Giselle one last time. Marianela's guest appearance was already announced last year, and there was long speculation about her partner. Hugo Marchand has already confirmed his partnership on social networks. I am already looking forward to this performance, I think it will be something extraordinary.

That was beautiful. The problem is with guests in full-length ballets. Perhaps only Manon, Mayerling and The Dante Project have the same choreography in ONP and ROH. Classical ballets are all presented at ONP in Nureyev's choreography, which is very specific (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadére, Cinderella, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet). This makes hosting very problematic.

In my country, when we were completely dominated by the Soviet Union, only Soviet versions of Swan Lake were available, so anything other than a happy ending was out of the question. The breaking of the oath had no meaning at all, which was very significant for the time. It wasn't until Velvet Revolution that I saw a tragic ending for the first time, and honestly, I love it.

Evelina Godunova currently works in the ballet company of the National Theater in Warsaw.

I have a similar feeling. I much prefer Nureyev's version of The Lake, where Siegfried has beautiful variations in each act, actively fights Rothbart at the end, and the whole story is more about him than Odette/Odilie.

I am very pleased with Lacotte's La Sylphide and Neumeier's Illusion like Swan Lake.

Her Odetta/Odilia will definitely be amazing. I'm already looking forward to seeing her in partnership with Vadim in May in London and then in June in Rome.