annamk

If anyone hears who is dancing the Friends rehearsal on Friday 26th I'd be grateful if they could post. I assume it's most likely to be Salenko/McRae given the schedule for the various casts. 

The ones which make constructive comments (including my own!) are not negative. I refer to those - and there are both short and tediously long examples - where the ballet has been simply trashed.

Why does every poster have to offer constructive comments ?  Surely this forum is a place where people can register briefly likes or dislikes without offering useful suggestions for improvement. My own post on Strapless was short and lacked constructive comments because, having seen the ballet twice, for myself it was "45 numbing minutes" beyond any salvation. 

Funny how a second viewing with different casts can change perceptions, and not.

I nearly decided to miss After The Rain because I thought it was incredibly tedious at the General. That would have been an error to rank alongside missing Vadim's Des Grieux. At last, in Reece Clarke, the RB have a terrific partner for Zenaida, better late than never. They were superb in the pdd. Reece partnered her with total confidence and she seemed entirely at ease with him. Beautiful to behold. More please. 

As for Strapless, the valiant efforts of the dancers - Reece Clarke again oozing star quality and charisma as Pozzi - can't save this. I found it so tedious, I've rarely felt so much like walking out half way through. Hard to pinpoint exactly what doesn't work for me although I strongly agree with the posters who've criticised the music. 

I thought In the Golden Hour was less impressive with the second cast. I feel the style of choreography (like Balanchine) suits taller dancers and this shorter cast aren't helped by deeply unflattering costumes. 

Sim I agree with you on Osipova/McRae. Unfortunately I didn't see Hay/Hayward but last night I was thinking how much I preferred the long ago Morera/Polunin performances. At the time I was a huge McRae fan but in the intervening years my taste has changed & I feel he has gradually lost any emotional depth he once might have had - now it's all spiky bravura. I thought in places last night the male corps were shockingly untogether - maybe it just needs a couple of performances to bed down but possibly the casting didn't help ..... I have mixed feelings about Marcelino Sambe mainly because he doesn't have a classic balletic shape but last night I thought his quality of movement was far & away superior to the other men. Maybe this unbalanced the group I don't know. 

Also liked Choe/Campbell very much. 

Bayadere at Mariinsky:with star prima Viktoria Tereshkina & Vladimir Shklyarov at the top of their game - the best Bayadere I ever saw.

Richard Alston Dance Company 20th anniversary programme at The Place :Mazur with Goddard & Riddick.

Although I enjoyed this doc drama it didn't have the impact of the BBC 2007 documentary Nureyev:From Russia with Love. I think the reconstruction format is difficult to make feel convincing and the casting of Nureyev didn't help. Lovely dancer & lookalike Ovcharenko is too tidy and he simply doesn't have Nureyev's raw energy/intensity. Edgy rebel Polunin might have been a better choice.

 

 

I really didn't enjoy it but as it was my first time seeing Dame Aux Camelias I can't tell whether it was this particular performance and the performers or the production that didn't work for me. I love the watching the Bolshoi and their terrific dancers but this afternoon seemed interminable. Maybe that isn't entirely surprising because DauxC runs to 3 hours for a story that Ashton has distilled into a 30 minute drama. The additional hour provided employment for the superb Bolshoi dancers rather than serving to illuminate in any way the characters or their motivations.

I just watched a clip of Haydee/Liska black pdd and it answered my own question: it was the principal performers. 

I missed Kevin Haigen?  Darn.  When was that?  I guess I was probably queuing up trying to get hold of something to eat, or something 

 

 

It was my second time, the first being a recorded cinema broadcast by the Paris Opera Ballet some years ago.  *That* was really heavy going, with all the acts run together (I was struggling to work out where the "joins" were supposed to be - I don't think it's entirely obvious, dramatically speaking, where one act ends and the next begins).  This was more digestible, but still felt overlong to me.  I think my problem with the ballet's structure is the second act: in both La Traviata and Marguerite and Armand, you get a clear idea that Marguerite has really given up her old life and moved to a simpler way of life because of her love for Armand, whereas here it's more as though she's kept on with the old life, but it's simply been transferred to an outdoor, summery setting.  Consequently, her sacrifice - both of her own happiness and her health - seems diminished, somehow.

 

In retrospect, I can see why they went for Revazov: he has an incredibly expressive face, which showed up well on the big screen, and he's amply tall enough to partner Zakharova - she looked almost petite beside him.  (Am I right in thinking she's 5' 9", or am I confusing her with someone else?)  As an aside, it was interesting to notice how "natural" the makeup looked - is it always that way, or was it specifically for this broadcast?  I notice the Royal Ballet attitude seems to be to leave the stage makeup as normal - which I think is only fair: why should the paying public, many of whom are some considerable distance away from the stage, be deprived of the full effect of a performance just so that it doesn't look overdone on the big screen?

 

I'd like to see this ballet again, perhaps with Neumeier's own company, before assessing the leads, to see how it's "supposed" to look, and whether there are differences.  I'd also like to see it *properly*, as a stage production, because both times I've been aware of how filmically it's been shot, and how clever editing has cut out virtually any sense of the scene changes.

I think you're spot on about the structure in the second act - I completely forgot that they were supposed to be living a different life because, as you say, it just looked the same only sunny ! 

I have seen Lady of the Camellias in Stuttgart and Paris so many times, and also Hamburg Ballet's tour to Japan. And of course the Marcia Haydee DVD recording many many times. This time via YouTube but this was the worst experience I had ever had, it was unbearable.

 

Did Kevin Haigen ever see the rehearsals? There was no spirit of the ballet at all, Zakharova's acting was a nightmare and her OTT extensions and mannerism were horrible. The point of this role is not to fear looking ugly when Marguerite is fallen ill and noticing herself the signs of her illness and age is affecting her looks. I know opinions differ and some might have loved it but IMHO it is a shame that a performance of this quality has been transmitted live. Also Revazov was weak in both technique and acting (even though he is a dancer from Hamburg Ballet. His partnering were okay) 

 

I did think other performers, Anna Thkhomirova as Manon, Chudin as Des Grieux, Lobuhin as Gaston were superb.  

 

I hope Hamburg Ballet will record Die Kameliendame with their own dancers one day. 

We were speculating as to why Revazov was cast instead of Lantratov who has been Zakharova's Armand in most of the recent Bolshoi performances. We wondered whether it was because Revazov is more representative of what Neumeier wants. 

I think Chudin is an incredible dancer so I found it particularly frustrating that the cameras often focused on close ups of Margeurite and Armand and cut some of the peripheral dancing - particularly towards the end where Armand is reading the diary. 

It's such a pity the RB doesn't give advance notice for retirement of First Soloists, especially when they are loved as much as Ric. I'm gutted I won't be there to acknowledge his retirement from the stage & to express thanks for pleasure his performances have given over the years. I hope someone will report.

Can anyone tell me the name of the bespectacled suitor this afternoon? He was superb!

The bespectacled suitor was Lopatin. 

I really didn't enjoy it but as it was my first time seeing Dame Aux Camelias I can't tell whether it was this particular performance and the performers or the production that didn't work for me. I love the watching the Bolshoi and their terrific dancers but this afternoon seemed interminable. Maybe that isn't entirely surprising because DauxC runs to 3 hours for a story that Ashton has distilled into a 30 minute drama. The additional hour provided employment for the superb Bolshoi dancers rather than serving to illuminate in any way the characters or their motivations.

I find Ismene Brown's reviews refreshing reading. Rather than just giving an uncomplicated critical appraisal of the performances she sees, she raises worthwhile and sometimes contentious points. Whether I agree with her or not I like that she offers a more thought provoking view. I enjoyed 2Ps but I didn't love it and I found a good deal of truth in her references to it being overly twee. 

Of course, Morera and Muntagirov were the leads for the first night of Fille as well as for Two Pigeons (with Cuthbertson). Perhaps, therefore, no real surprise that both fans and critics have responded so positively.

 

Huge plaudits to Vadim in particular for 'catching' the Ashton genre so wonderfully well.

Very interesting to read Luke Jennings more negative review of Two Ps leads and corps this morning .....: even Matthew Ball's hair doesn't escape his critical eye

Floss, I am in awe of your terrific post.

Romeo is according to Acosta the most demanding role that he has danced.It is something of a marathon because once you are on stage you are rarely off it.Julie by comparison has a far easier time with the occasional break.Unlike Lescaut where you can give edited highlights of the choreography and hope to get away with it particularly if you are a reasonable actor Romeo is definitely a dance role.Just when you might like a breather you have to dance with your chums Mercutio and Benvolio dancing the steps that they,far more rested than you,are dancing.I think that Soares can only be in his mid thirties but he looked rather weak as the Man in the Song of the Earth last season.

Personally, I think Soares dancing has generally been weak and usually below what you would expect from a principal in a company of the standing of the RB. It always seemed to me it would have more sense for him to have stayed as a First Soloist and concentrated on acting roles requiring less in the way of technical dance ability.   

It's a pity the reviews are too late to save ticket sales, at least for this evening. There are a truly shocking number of unsold seats  

If Osipova didn't want to dance with Coviello and the management of La Scala couldn't come up with someone she was happy with then I think it's her prerogative to withdraw. Particularly in a ballet like Manon with some tricky choreography, part of which (the slide) we know has been the cause of an accident to more than one ballerina in the past. 

No definitely nowhere else - it says these are their only UK dates in 2016.

It doesn't say when general booking opens. I noticed there is pricing £15-£49 and a Premium Package £64-£85 apparently one of the best seats in the theatre and a programme. 

Mailing from the Mariinsky Trust this morning. Wales Millennium Centre 14th - 17th April 2016. Dancers will include Kondaurova, Tereshkina, Pavlenko, Shklyarov and Smekalov. 

14 & 15 April 7.30 Five Tangos, Infra, In The Night

16 April 7.30 & 17 April 5pm Sacre, Concerto DSCH

Priority booking opens Monday for Mariinsky Trust members. 

A bit late to post here but I just wanted to say that I also went to this bill on Saturday evening. I've seen Rambert occasionally before but by no means am I a "Rambert faithful". This bill appealed to me because I admire Brandstrup's choreography very much and the Royal Ballet programmes this season are disappointing to put it politely. Anyway, it was one of the most enjoyable dance programmes I've seen for a while and it knocked the current RB mixed bill firmly into a cocked hat ! It served to emphasise that expensive staging, costumes and fancy lighting are no substitute for skilful choreography which was executed to perfection by the superb Rambert dancers. The Brandstrup was the standout piece for me : wonderful dancing to the gorgeous Schoenberg music played live !  I've seen Rooster before and I thought it was a fun choice to close the evening and a good balance to the other two more sombre pieces. 

I didn't enjoy Romeo & Juliet at all last night largely I think because of the way it was cast. I don't have a problem with Matthew Golding as Romeo but I do think he has a tricky look to make himself convincing in the part so it's particularly crucial he's well matched with his Juliet. The physical differences between Golding and Hayward seemed amplified by their being together: she looked younger, smaller and slighter and he looked older, taller and broader. It just didn't make for a convincing pairing & probably as a consequence I felt it was an exercise in dancing the steps and making the gestures, but there was no chemistry between them. Unfortunately the casting problems extended to Sambe's Mercutio who looked like someone's little brother next to Golding and Edmonds and maybe that size difference partly explained why the masks pdt was the sloppiest I've seen for a long time. I left at the interval.

I agree, the English version of the Mariinsky website is simple to use and you can print your tickets at home. If you're going to the old theatre I'd avoid the stalls unless you're tall because the rake is poor. Best place to sit is the front row of the stalls boxes or dress circle as central as possible, again avoid the rows behind unless you're tall. I haven't noticed the differential pricing recently. Top price these days for full length classics is about 8000 roubles, mixed bills are cheaper.

This is a pretty disappointing mixed bill, following hot on the heels of Raven Girl/Connectome (which I wouldn't see again if they paid me) and a long long run of Romeo & Juliet - it doesn't make for an enticing season so far. 

For some reason I didn't find Viscera thrilling although with the fast pace music and dramatic lighting it felt as though it should be. Personally, I think it needed absolutely spot on timing in the corps sections and that didn't always happen in the two performances I saw. The choreography is quite busy, Fumi Kaneko draws your eye in one direction but there are distracting groupings of corps in your peripheral field of vision. Fumi and Leticia Stock were electrifying and Nehemiah Kish in the pdd with the latter was elegant. I found it unattractive to see the women in the body of the ballet partnered by such short men: Sambe, Zucchetti, Dyer, Acri, I guess I better get used to it because most of the upcoming male dancers seem to be tiny. 

The evening performance of Faun yesterday was terrific with Matthew Ball and Olivia Cowley. 

As someone already said Tchaikovsky pdd seems like it belongs in a gala, but who could pass up the opportunity to see Vadim Muntagirov making it look so effortless. For a tall dancer he's unusual in landing so softly and in his ability to get his long legs in perfect horizontal mid-air splits. It's a pity his performance won't be featured in the live relay. I could happily watch either Lauren or Marianela in the female role: Marianela seems technically sharper but Lauren's dancing has such a lovely lyrical quality. 

As for Carmen, I didn't enjoy it and I don't want to see it again. I agree with everything Luke Jennings said in his Observer review today. I think it's deeply depressing that it's part of a live relay and even more depressing to add another poor quality new work to the lengthening list of average or below average new works being commissioned at the RB. 

I think it partly depends how much you want to spend as well as how close you like to be. From Row A of the central stalls circle seats the view is excellent and there will be no tall people's heads in front of you (although you don't see the patterns quite like you do in the amphi) but it's more expensive than the amphi. Personally, I would prefer the amphi over all the stalls circle except Row A central blocks. The sound is also excellent in the Amphi. 

Thought it was a pity they did this as it may put a lot of people off ballet cinema relays if they see this and are disappointed.

 

I am puzzled why Carlos Acosta is 'indulged' re choreography.  To my mind Don Quixote was not a great ballet and from what I read, his Carmen is disappointing.  Acosta is one of the great dancers of our time but why does he think he is a choreographer and why is RB putting money behind his ambition?  I wish him well and great happiness because he has provided joy for many balletgoers but  I think it is unwise to pretend that right now he is a choreographer.  The New York Times says exactly that.

 

I notice that the same largesse was not extended to Johan Kobborg who arguable had better credentials.

I have yet to see Carmen but your point is exactly what I was thinking. I suppose that the commitment to Carmen was already made by the time Acosta's Don Q premiered, but given that Don Q could hardly be described as a resounding success, why on earth didn't the RB management intervene more to steer this new Acosta production to a better end result ?