annamk

Thursday 11/4 LG circle standing D28 Friday 12/4 LG circle standing D22 & D23 £5 each e-tickets message me.

On Thursday it was typical Sadlers Wells timing, it overran finishing at least 20 mins later than advertised.

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I went for the latter part of the Mariinsky festival and I also caught a couple of performances at the smaller Mikhailovsky Theatre. Peter Martins was in St Petersburg to coach this performance of Jewels which was danced on the vast stage of the vast auditorium that is Mariinsky 2. Emeralds felt slightly flat, as indeed it often does, but it was interesting to see some of the newer, younger dancers with whom I’m less familiar. I’ve found Rubies the ballet that sits most awkwardly on Russian companies but Philipp Stepin and Nadezhda Batoeva were superbly playful and technically exciting. I agree with Beaux Arts above about Maria Khoreva in Diamonds, I’d say this performance did not come close to those I’ve seen from the Bolshoi’s more experienced Smirnova and Chudin both live and on screen. Unfortunately I also thought the corps de ballet looked scrappy although my impression here may have been influenced negatively by being quite close to the stage. The use of mobile phones during the performance was extraordinary - recording and constant flash photography. A couple sitting close to us couldn’t have watched more than 5 minutes of the entire performance and even made a phone call. The following evening Don Quixote played to a full house in the historic theatre. From the off Vladimir Shklyarov and Elena Yevseyeva were determined to have a ball and their sensational performances deservedly brought the house down. It was the highlight of the week. Shklyarov has more charisma than the rest of the Mariinsky male principal roster put together and he danced as well as I’ve ever seen him do. He and Yevseyeva, a delightful, petite and elegant First Soloist, were ideally matched and no one who held on to their ticket after Osipova’s withdrawal could have reasonably felt short changed. Although Yevseyeva began her fouettes with a minor loss of control she quickly retrieved them and went on to finish with incredible insouciance holding the border of her tutu with one hand as if to issue a challenge to the detractors on the Russian forums. Alexander Sergeev was a remarkable Espada, he’s such a refined classical dancer I wish we’d seen more of him. The Mariinsky production is one of the best and I’m afraid for me it really served to highlight the shortcomings of the RB version, in particular the over cluttered stage and the Act 3 pdd. The following evening was the performance of Sleeping Beauty that Lauren Cuthbertson was sadly unable to dance due to illness. Her last minute replacement, Olesya Novikova, a quietly elegant dancer, inexplicably not a principal, turned in a beautiful performance. The story of Xander Parish’s ascent at the Mariinsky is a remarkable and well known one and he gave a good account of the Prince’s solos, his tours were well executed and well landed. May Nagahisa another non-vaganova trained, non-Russian seemingly destined for stardom (she has already made her debut in the title role in Giselle) danced Princess Florine with great delicacy although to my eye she looks even younger than her young years. The divine Ekaterina Kondaurova is a true Mariinsky jewel; the most supremely luxurious dancer with beautiful epaulement and a stunning back. Her Lilac fairy glowed warmly and the tricky Prologue solo was executed with outstanding control. This huge Sergeyev production looked splendid on the Mariinsky 2 stage. At just under 4 hours it’s a marathon of an evening and it is a testament to the dancers that it didn’t feel like an endurance test. The next evening was back again to Mariinsky 2 this time for Swan Lake. The guest Prince Siegfried was Daniel Camargo whom I had recently seen in London at the RB and I had enjoyed his warm stage presence as Fumi Kaneko’s Basil. In St Petersburg he was sharing the stage with the current queen of the Mariinsky, Viktoria Tereshkina, and he looked far less comfortable. There were no major problems in the partnering and he delivered a reasonable black act solo but it was a chilly performance with not a shred of chemistry between them. I couldn’t help feeling that Vadim Muntagirov would have been a more suitable partner for the refined and technically superb Tereshkina. On Sunday we were lucky that there were 2 performances at the small gem of a theatre that is the Mikhailovsky. We bought tickets not knowing the casting so we were thrilled to see Leonid Sarafanov dancing James in La Syphide. He follows in a long line of outstanding Russian male dancers and at 36 his fabulous technique is as fine as ever - IMO the Mariinsky have not filled the gaping hole created by his departure 10 years ago. The production which was lovingly and carefully danced by the entire company is as authentic and charming as the theatre itself which feels like the most appropriate venue. His Sylphide, Angelina Vorontsova, danced with such allure no wonder James fell for her. Our final performance in the evening was Giselle. The lead couple were the charming husband and wife team of Viktor Lebedev and Anastasia Soboleva. He has a quiet stage presence but is a gorgeously plush dancer with a beautiful line, the most incredible backbends and enormous, soaring jumps. He was the star male graduate of his year (2010) at Vaganova so it is somewhat puzzling that he isn’t at the Mariinsky where the larger stage would have given the space his excellent technique demands and he would surely have enhanced the principal ranks. The orchestras at the Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky were of the very high standard you would expect and the acoustics at Mariinsky 2 were excellent.

I still find it bizarre. Her Saturday evening London performance has been scheduled for months, so was known about when she agreed to the Mariinsky performance. What other performance is she required in London for ? Surely she can’t be on standby to do the Saturday matinee of Don Q as well as the evening ?

Note for Hirano doubters (self included) - he acted his socks off in the friends rehearsal and his partnering of Takada's utterly convincing young Juliet was beautiful. As expected, Hay's Mercutio was quite brilliant.

It doesn't look like the same post.

It is the Russian equivalent of this forum that is pointing the finger at KoH. One of the forum members, purporting to write on behalf of Osipova, says that KoH would not let her go because she needs to be on standby this week in case a dancer with an Achilles pain cannot complete her performance. This seems rather surprising if you look at the schedule for the week.

I enjoy Mark Morris and I usually go and see the company when they are in London but I had decided not to book for this because I'm not particularly a fan of the Beatles music. However, I was lucky to have an opportunity to go to the rehearsal this afternoon and I enjoyed it enormously. The quirky, witty and inventive choreography was performed by 15 dancers dressed in an array of bright costumes. I had assumed the music would be all Beatles sound tracks but in fact it was only 6 tracks from the album and 6 by the live band and they melded well together. An hour of joy that will leave you with a warm smile on your face - highly recommended !

Is that £5 and £10 for stallls seats ?

I’ve not seen any ticket offers, so is it the student standby at £10 a ticket ? If so the RoH must have taken a big hit on this run.

The session with Mellissa Hamilton and Reece Clarke being coached by Viviana Durante was one of the most interesting of these events. They were rehearsing the first Act 1 pdd outside the ballroom and the final (bedroom) pdd. The dancers were clearly some way into the rehearsal process so the focus was less about the mastery of the steps and more on the fine tuning and it was fascinating to hear their discussion. Reece Clarke looked mighty impressive in the ease with which he partnered Melissa Hamilton, the tricky shoulder lift was executed with effortlessly. I loved how once they started dancing she totally lost herself in the role, not everyone can do that in these insight events and it was very moving. I'm really looking forward to their performances.

I never saw her live although I’ve watched performances on dvd because I’ve been interested in the differences. I’m not any sort of expert but what struck me most is the obvious and this applies not only to Fonteyn but that whole era. It was a totally different style of dancing: principally lower extensions and noticeably faster tempi, together they change the entire feeling of a ballet - it connects to flow of movement which Floss talks about in relation to their post about Ashton above.

Angela, I agree with you on both of these points. I haven’t had the good fortune to see either Vogel or Malakhov as Lensky but I didn’t mean to imply that Jonah Cook possesses the danseur noble qualities of my own memorable Lensky’s: Semyon Chudin and Vadim Muntagirov. I’m spite of my disappointment this time I still feel that Shklyarov has a lot to give as Onegin. Before the casting of Tatiana was announced I was really hoping for Osipova or Shklyarov’s wife Shirinkina, I think it would have been a completely different experience. Maybe next time or even with Lauretta Summerscales now she has made her debut.

I can’t comment on the opera but an Olivier Award nomination for Unknown Soldier is, to put it politely, somewhat baffling.

Friends and I went to Munich last week to see Vladimir Shklyarov, Mariinsky principal dancer, in what I think was his 3rd appearance as Onegin. Mariinsky principals tend to guest infrequently in full length ballets so when Shklyarov joined the Bayerische Staatsballet as a guest principal a couple of seasons ago it was, for an ardent fan like myself, an irresistible opportunity not only to see him closer to home but also in roles that are not part of the Mariinsky repertoire. Shklyarov’s performances in the classics are always worth watching. Whilst he may not have quite the amazing level of virtuoso dancing of a Kimin Kim, he is an intelligent, committed, and passionate performer, an excellent partner with an irresistible on stage charisma and a beautiful line. Many of these qualities were in evidence when he guested as Ospiova’s partner with the Royal Ballet last season in Manon and Marguerite and Armand. The former performance was particularly notable given that it was his debut in MacMillan which requires a somewhat different skill set to the largely traditional classical ballet repertoire that is the principal business at the Mariinsky. I felt that Shklyarov surmounted the challenges of the risk taking partnering and more detailed acting with great skill to turn in memorable performances, no doubt aided enormously by both the quality of the coaching available in the Royal Ballet and the greater experience of his partner. In his first two performances of Onegin, Shklyarov partnered a long time Staatsballet principal dancer, Ivy Amista and although on both occasions the act 1 mirror pdd was not perfect, we enjoyed the performances enormously and the final pdd was very satisfying. Given that this was not a debut, I went with an expectation of an even better performance. But this performance of Onegin was I believe almost a year since Shklyarov last danced the role and recently he has been busy in St Petersburg and Samara. His previous partner Ivy Amista was not available so the role of Tatiana was taken by Ksenia Ryzhkova who trained at the Bolshoi school and was previously at the Stanislavsky. Shklyarov as expected was excellent in terms of stage presence and solo work, his back and arms being particularly beautiful. Ryzhkova is a good dancer and was convincing in her portrayal of the naive, young Tatiana although she failed to differentiate her significantly from the mature, married woman of the last act. In the ballroom pdd with her husband, Prince Gremin her expression reminded me of that in Act 1 and her acting generally in Act 3 did not really rise above the two dimensional. But that aside I think a memorable performance of Onegin hangs on the execution of the pdd which need complete technical mastery so the performers have the confidence to act and in this respect they fell short. In the mirror pdd, rather than being the ardent lover of Tatiana’s fantasy, Shklyarov was concentrating on the technicalities and it was apparent he needed to do this because one or two of the lifts were a struggle to manage. The last pdd started well but by half way through the lifts looked decidedly fudged. There’s an enormous difference between on the edge, risk taking partnering and the fudged under rehearsed variety and in the latter case it’s hard to feel moved when you’re worrying that something might go very wrong. The Staatsballett resident principal and British trained couple, Lauretta Summerscales and Jonah Cook turned in excellent performances as Olga and Lensky. We had seen both of them dance the roles before, last time Jonah Cook made a rather nervous debut but this time he was much improved and his performance of the exposing pre duel solo was very creditable. Lauretta Summerscales is a confident and pretty dancer who acted well. Their partnership had real chemistry and their pdd were well executed. The Munich audience were hugely appreciative and there were many many enthusiastic curtain calls. In summary, whilst we enjoyed it and were not sorry to have gone, we felt that the performance as far as Onegin and Tatiana were concerned looked rather more like a rehearsal and whilst this may in fact have been unlucky rather than under rehearsed it felt like the latter. It’s a tricky strategy to bring in high profile guest stars to dance roles that they don’t have in their home company repertoire, it can work as I felt Shklyarov showed in his performances of Manon but it almost certainly means that the importance of the company coaches with a long performance history themselves and adequate rehearsal time cannot be understated.

I wouldn’t go again even if they gave me a ticket 😂 but I’m staggered they haven’t done any special offers. Perhaps huge changes have transformed it and they are waiting for the 5* reviews to galvanise ticket sales !

Brief thoughts from the matinee. Fumi Kaneko was a pitch perfect Kitri. In every respect hers was a performance worthy of an experienced principal. Absolutely dazzling. Camargo has a warm stage presence and was a generous partner, although his performance in the solos was not particularly a virtuoso one. Nicol Edmonds made a creditable debut as Espada, but smoulder a la Hirano he did not. Individually, I admire Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Isabella Gasparini but although they look right together as Kitri's friends, they often seem to hear the music differently. For me, Act 3 is the weak link in this production. As far the setting is concerned whilst I appreciate why Acosta didn't want a grand palace style, it's too ordinary and the stage looks cramped. With regard to the choreography I just wish he had left it as the Russian companies dance it, because the changes he has made take the spectacular out of the grand pas and solos. In general I don't find his choreographic contribution an enhancement, there are several lifts in various places that just look awkward, and although the idea of the Act 2 opening pdd to "Bayadere" music is a nice idea, the ordinary choreography makes it a lost opportunity.

Well I wasn't going to write anything but since no one else has yet I will. First off I have to say this is only Acts 1 & 2 as I'm suffering with the cold that half of London seems to have and I just ran out of energy. I went with lowish expectations for enjoyment because I really didn't like the production last time but I have to say in this respect I was pleasantly surprised. My friends felt the same and we wondered why, perhaps the standard of dancing was better ? Certainly it felt as though the company were more committed, there was a lot of energy on stage without which Don Q can be a big flop, the "oles" sounded less forced and even the musicians were bearable. I agree with others who have commented that all the constant movement on the periphery of the stage while there are principals or soloists dancing is very distracting. So to the dancing. I feel that Kitri has to work incredibly hard to make an impact on her entrance because she runs on to stage with no musical accompaniment which means we're not expecting her ? Lauren Cuthbertson certainly made an exuberant entrance and this set the tone for her Act 1. I personally thought she was terrific, she's looking better than ever and she threw herself into Kitri: confident, fun characterisation accompanied by excellent dancing. I'm afraid that I felt Matthew Ball rather paled by comparison. I'm not sure Basil is a role that plays to his strengths, I found his dancing under powered, for me Basil has to be spectacular and he just wasn't. Ball's partnering was in the fine category, he needs to work on supported pirouettes but the one handed lifts both happened and the second one was held for ages. Mayara Magri gave a great account of Mercedes in Act 1 - she's grown hugely in stage presence and is always notable. As for Ryo Hirano ! I never would have thought he could make such an impact, he smouldered ! And good lord what charisma,, Ball could have done with some of it and Hirano certainly had more than enough for two ! I loved the Avis, Yudes combo of the Don and Sancho Panza. I enjoyed Act 2. Yuhui Choe was the Queen of the Dryads, she danced with precision although maybe she was slightly small scale. The performance of the corps was well rehearsed. The stage scenery here gives a more modern feeling to the ballet. Anyway, that was it for me but I'm looking forward to lasting for all three Acts this afternoon.

Returned to the BO

It's an e ticket, message me. Anna

Leaving aside the RB/Prix comment I find Mark Monahan's review interesting and worth reading. I'm not sure why you conclude he is prejudiced, pedantic fault-finding and nit-picking ? He's just giving his opinion so what does it matter if he isn't as enthusiastic as some of the audience ? I saw the Naghdi/Hay/Kaneko Pigeons this afternoon and I'm in the (small) camp of those who weren't bowled over by Naghdi's Young Girl. Her portrayal had its good moments but in places I found her exaggerated, not all her details were as sharp as Takada and I have also seen better comic timing. Kaneko's Gypsy Girl was terrific but I agree with Monahan when he says "she lacked the lip-smacking, lock-up-your-husbands quality that Laura Morera brought" Very happy to see the oh so elegant Hay's pitch perfect Young Man and Yudes mighty fine Gypsy Boy. The attractions of The Cunning Young Vixen just passed me by. It would have been better in the school end of year show. Disappointing to see so many empty seats in the stalls.

Yep, me too. Far too much money invested in a mediocre choreographic talent which has been masked by expensive, lavish productions. Hopefully, the dire ticket sales for this revival of Frankenstein will at least ensure that doesn't see the light of day again.

Couldn’t agree more. I found the first half was so dispiriting I couldn’t even bring myself to go back in after the interval. The choreography for all three pieces felt as though it should never have made it out of the rehearsal studio. I was standing at the circle level and the view was great but it was airless and stifling - I only hope they have aircon in the summer.