annamk

Shklyarov oh YES  couldn't be happier

On last night ....

I enjoyed the second cast of Vertiginous. It's such a busy ballet I find most of the time it's easier to pick one person to watch which in my case was James Hay and I thought he was tremendous, I love how he elongates every movement and yet is totally on the music. 

Naghdi & Zucchetti were excellent in Tarantella but I still think the piece belongs in a gala. 

I couldn't being myself to watch Strapless but when I returned from my extended interval I was shocked at the number of empty seats that had appeared in the stalls circle. I can only assume it was a reaction to Strapless and if so I think that's a great pity because Symphonic Dances was terrific. Laura Morera was outstanding and the different physicality of Morera/Rovero gave a different shade to their pdd. The corps men looked fabulous & the effect of their greater physical homogeneity made the choreography with the red skirts incredibly powerful - Donnelly and Richardson were particularly eye catching in this section, as were Ball and Rovero in the pdds with Morera. The only awkwardness came in some of the entrances which seemed oddly abrupt and more like Mcgregor's style than a neo classical work and I found the choreography for the women corps generally weaker than that for the men. 

I only saw the rehearsal so far ..... Vertiginous is an incredible piece, there's so much going on it's hard to know where to look ! Tarantella is fun but feels like it really belongs in a gala. I hated Strapless last time and without serious revision I can't watch it again so I sat it out in front of the screen and what struck me was how dreadful the music is ...... 

Symphonic was terrific for the first 10 minutes. The steps fitted the music and the dancers (Sambe & Acri) perfectly. The dancing of Zanowsky with Hay and their relationship  intrigued me and at this stage the costumes & lighting were mesmerising. But then it was as if Scarlett ran out of interesting ideas - the choreography felt largely derivative and the staging monotonous. And what is it with red skirts for men - I've seen so many in the last year.  

Message me if interested. I'm not there tonight but it's an e ticket. 

3 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

McRae is such an astonishing technical dancer that none of Rudolph's choreography, even the most extreme partnering, seems to cause him any difficulty at all, itself a remarkable achievement, especially given his relatively modest high and slight stature. It was a real pleasure to see solos which have caused other distinguished dancers executed with such ease, and an ease that doesn't bring superficiality

I know what you mean about the pleasure in seeing those solos danced exceptionally well (although I only saw McRae at the rehearsal) but in every other respect McRae just does nothing for me and so I'd choose a less perfect technique and a better characterisation. 

3 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

 

I don't think all his choices convince me: the strutting walk in Act One seems petulant,

That's an interesting observation ..... I think McRae has a strutting walk in every role which is unusual and surprising for a dancer in a classical company because it's very unattractive both visually and in terms of what it seems to say about character. I have wondered if he does it to make himself look taller ? 

3 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

For me, the most satisfying cast was Bonelli with Morera and Cowley, Two superb dance actresses (with Morera seizing a late chance so strongly that it made it all the more surprising the opportunity had not previously presented itself) and a natural Prince showing an unanticipated flair for dramatic presentation and created what was for me the most rounded portrayal of Rudolph (all the more remarkable in a debut).

The most satisfying cast since Cojocaru/Kobborg and in fact, more satisfying for being so unexpected. 

3 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

 

 Am I alone in finding Watson's actual dancing less satisfying and his portrayal almost too one dimensionally haunted and angst-ridden? 

No, I feel like that too. I also dislike how much Watson distorts his body and the steps. 

3 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

 

Favourites? Campbell as Bratfisch brought the most humanity and maturity to the role and seems incapable of making a movement that doesn't convey character but the other three were all terrific too.

I preferred James Hay - I thought he nailed the pathos in that final solo as well as dancing superbly. 

3 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

 

Mendizabal just edged it for me as Larisch (even over Cowley and Lamb) with the greatest variety of expression, the most vivid involvement and a sense of scheming brought out of desperation to maintain control.

I didn't see all the Larisch but I loved Cowley. 

3 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

 

Yanowsky rises effortlessly over the others by sheer strength of dancing and personality, as well as having a pained, haunted quality all her own (which can be seen in her son too)

Yanowsky was exceptional. 

9 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

I agree - Akane Takada was sensational as Mary Vetsera. Just lately, she seems to have the knack of turning everything she dances into a platinum rated performance. And she couldn't have gotten in that much rehearsal time after poor Sarah Lamb damaged her foot so recently.

I totally agree with you about Akane and I'm truly gutted not to have been there last night   

Tx going back to the BO 

Just to throw in a contrary opinion last night didn't do it for me at all. It was my first time seeing this cast and possibly if I hadn't such a recent memory of those two searing Morera/Bonelli shows I'd have felt differently. I found Yanowsky exceptional, what a star she is and how we will miss her.  Osipova was crazed in the final pdd in a way I haven't seen anyone do before but it mostly fell short of my expectations. 

3 hours ago, capybara said:

Sarah Lamb has posted that she will not be on stage for several weeks. She says on Facebook (I am not a 'friend' so it does not appear to be confidential) that she "slipped very badly on the floor in the studio and crashed on the outside of her foot. An X-ray later revealed a small fracture".

 

Poor Sarah.

 

It will be interesting to see who replaces her in Vertiginous and The Dream.

I feel really sorry for Sarah Lamb  I was thinking only recently how often she's on stage - she danced two different principal roles in the Jewels bill and now two in Mayerling. I guess it's tribute to her versatility but what a workload. Wishing her a speedy recovery. 

I have D5 & 6 they're etickets. I think they're £8 each. Message me if interested. 

2 hours ago, FLOSS said:

Anyone with any sense will hold onto their tickets as the choreographic substance of the Ashton mixed bill is in the first two ballets on the bill.I doubt that casting Muntagirov or Clarke is  a real option as it puts the casting of subsequent performances of Symphonic in some doubt and it is by far the most important ballet in the triple bill. Symphonic may be short but it is a real test of stamina and mental concentration as once the cast is on the stage they are there until the ballet ends.As a result I don't think that either Muntagirov or Clarke are likely to appear as Armand.

 

 Don't you think that it would be a rather sad end to a season which has gone remarkably well  if the company which is supposedly celebrating its founder choreographer is forced to call in someone with no connection with the company to dance Armand? To cast  Mr.Ball  would confirm management's faith  and commitment to the next generation of talented dancers. A satisfactory alternative for management would be to try to borrow Xander Parrish which I think would be interpreted by many regular ballet goers as a welcome and extremely acceptable solution to the casting problem that has been created by Polunin's decision to withdraw..In real life Polunin's replacement could well turn out to be Hirano 

I really hope they don't cast Parish, far preferable to give the opportunity to someone from within the company and anyway the role needs someone with exceptional charisma and a strong dramatic presence. 

It's disappointing but I'm casting his replacement - Matthew Ball anyone ? 

I raised my eyebrows at the idea of Takada as Mary Vetsera to McRae's Rudolf - no disrespect to either artist it's just not a combination that would have crossed my mind. I guess she must have been understudying the role and it's good that she's been given shot at it rather than a complete cast change. 

1 hour ago, Ivy Lin said:

I also wanted to ask: do British balletomanes really love the Wheeldon full-lengths that much? I saw A Winter's Tale and was disappointed:

 

http://poisonivywalloftext.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-winters-tale-in-summer-festival.html

 

Also disappointed with An American in Paris:

http://poisonivywalloftext.blogspot.com/2015/03/american-in-paris.html

 

It seems as if his ballets are getting slicker but less creative. 

I agree with your review of Winter's Tale, particularly your analysis of Wheeldon's strengths and weaknesses. In recent years there have been scarcely any new ballets at the RB that I want to see more than once and most of them suffer from exactly those problems you identified: although the staging is terrific - imaginative, attractive and slick (and expensive !), strip that away and what remains is largely dull and repetitive choreography viz Alice in Wonderland, Strapless, Liam Scarlett's Sweet Violets, The Age of Anxiety and Frankenstein, McGregor's Woolf Works (I know I'm in a minority with this one). IMO of the new productions that I've seen recently in Europe for major companies only Akram Khan's Giselle for ENB, and Pite's The Seasons' Canon for POB have inspiring choreography that is equal/superior to the other aspects of the production. You're so lucky to be in New York with Ratmansky churning out terrific new ballets - so few of which are seen in Europe. Fortunately DNB have acquired Shostakovich Trilogy and I can't wait to see that next month. 

I went to the 1st Bonelli/Morera performance and was so completely blown away by them that I had to see it again. But it was not without trepidation that I went along last night wondering how on earth they could match their debuts. If anything they exceeded them and 12 hours later I'm still reeling from the shock. It's years since I've seen performances of such thrilling dramatic intensity. They so completely inhabited the roles that for 3 hours they were Rudolf and Mary, there only for each other and we the audience watched their personal tragedy unfold, spellbound at the final curtain. There was not a single weak link in the outstanding supporting cast - Cowley, Hinkis, Hay, Bhavnani. An unforgettable evening and one of the very finest nights in many years of ballet going. 

2 hours ago, Sim said:

I can't imagine Cojocaru and Kobborg ever being bettered in Onegin.  Every time I saw them, I was a wreck at the end.  And at almost every performance, so were they, both of them often in tears.  Truly something wonderful and once-in-a-generation.  

Miss them  

I am sorted thanks to my fairy godmother. Over to you Geoff & good luck  

Yes please

I agree re Akane Takada. Staying with her for a moment - another incredible surprise this RB season was her Sleeping Beauty in which she & her partner James Hay gave one of the best performances of that ballet I can recall seeing. 

But my all time surprise has to be in the Bolshoi London season 2010. Natalia Osipova, who was wowing London as the Kitri of her (or maybe any) generation, defied expectations to transform herself into the most electrifying Giselle I've ever seen. It might sound silly, but in act 2 there was a ghostly chill in the auditorium & as the curtain descended you could have heard a pin drop. We were in shock at the unexpected brilliance of the performance we had witnessed. 

Just bumping this up .... still looking

10 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

The curtain came down in silence. It was one of those performances that had gone somewhere none of us could have anticipated.

 

The only explanation I can produce (and I'd welcome thoughts from other people, perhaps especially those who were less impressed than I was) is that in their freshness of execution, their occasional clumsiness and errors, their determination to present a truth that they couldn't always perform perfectly, there was nothing routine, safe or "managed" in what was done. The emotional honesty was laid bare..

 

I've written at much too much length. It was a performance that moved me very much.

 

 

You absolutely didn't write too much - I was as moved as you clearly were and I wanted to reflect on why that might be, especially when I didn't anticipate it at all. I think very much part of it is in your 2nd paragraph above. 

I went thinking Bonelli/ Morera had been "miscast" :Bonelli being far too nice and princely to play Rudolf and Morera well, I didn't see how she would possibly convince me that she was a young girl. After the rehearsal, I also thought I'd seen the ballet too often and that much of it was beginning to feel tired and dated to me particularly the excruciating Tavern scene. But early on at the matinee I realised I had completely misjudged the leads. Bonelli has always been a master of making movement and small gestures speak volumes and I think that helped him enormously here - he doesn't need to go in for histrionics to convey the character - that reminded me of Kobborg's early and greatest Rudolf. But what took their performance to another level altogether was the intensity of the chemistry between them which felt so real and is so so rare on stage and in this again I was reminded of Kobborg/Cojocaru. 

The supporting cast were uniformly excellent in particular Campbell, Cowley and Hay. 

It was one of the most moving performances I've seen for a long long time. 

2 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

On train home after truly memorable matinée with some terrific debuts. WIll try to formulate coherent thoughts but I can honestly write that I have never seen anything quite like Laura Morera's performance this afternoon: truly extraordinary.

Yes she was "truly extraordinary" I just can't find the words myself so I'm looking forward to reading yours. 

If anyone has a stalls circle standing they can't use I'd be very grateful.

Sensational performances, sizzling chemistry on stage this afternoon - Bonelli & Morera were the most moving & convincing Mayerling partnership I've seen since Kobborg/Cojocaru in their prime. 

It's not an e-ticket. Message me if interested. Anna

11 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

 Some of us have had the pleasure of watching Takada grow from a very technically talented dancer into a very well rounded Royal Ballet dancer who works well in a number of styles. Her promotion last summer was, IMO, thoroughly deserved.

 

Spot on !

I never used to think of myself as a fan but Takada has been outstanding in everything I've seen her dance for the last year or so (Pigeons, Giselle, Aurora, Carbon Life etc .... ) her Rubies debut last week was no less than sensational