Don Q Fan

What a disappointing rep for the Bolshoi. I saw FoP in Paris = didn't like it much even with Osipova/Vasiliev. No Bright Stream, no Esmerelda, no Pharoah's Daughter, no Don Q, no Spartacus.....If that is all they are offering it will be a cheap summer then I think I will be patronising the Mikhailovsky in the Spring instead.

I didn't see the cinema version but I DID see it in London in 2006 with Natalia Osipova dancing the top role as she was just coming the the fore. I loved it! I have the DVD with Zakharova but it was not the same as the live with NO.

^^ Thank you!

^^Oh no what a pain.

Can't think of anything else other than if you tried googling for an answer - maybe there will be a boffin somewhere with an answer. How frustrating.

Got a ticket for the event so can't wait!

aarrrggh, it won't play on my player!!! (in any language). Curses. Will I have to buy a portable DVD player when I'm next in the UK??

Try playing it on your computer - windows media player is usually ok as I have sent region 2 stuff to my friend in the USA and she played it OK on her pc.

thank you.

I can't find the run time for Cinderella on BRB's website is it about 3 hours?

^^ ah I thought something must be up as I noticed he had disappeared, what a shame. Am sure it will still be a good show.

^^ this all sounds wonderful..if only!

I have been twice the first time was best and the one that started it all for me...I was in a stall circle type box with unimpeded view it was great we saw Chopiniana, Walpurges Nacht and Polvotsian Dances a fab intro to ballet. Second time I was in the stalls BIG head in front no view and Giselle fell over! Very poor in my experience and bad value for a lot of money. If you can go up do.

Thanks for the review Janet can't wait - I had to cancel the Lowry due to being away but will def get Liverpool Empire booked! It sounds like we're in for a real treat

^^ Thanks Janet for the cast info and me too re Chi should be interesting! Didn't they get the casting for Swan Lake mixed up too?!

There are so many casts that I want to see but I would particularly like to see Esteban dancing with Ksenia (currently just one performance - the matinee on 15 January). They looked very good together when I saw them dancing during the Tate residency earlier this year.

 

DQ, what a lovely weekend you have coming up. Who will you be seeing in Berlin?

When I booked it was originally Svetlana Zakharova guesting in Bayadere but it got changed so its Shoko Nakamura (Nikia), Elisa Carillo-Cabrera (Gamzatti) with Mikhail Kaniskin as Solor in Baydere and Nadja Saidakova (Tatiana), Iana Salenko (Olga),Dinu Tamazlacaru (Lensky) with Kaniskin as Onegin - Svetlana is dancing Bayadere tonight!! I am not too sad as I love Mikahil Kaniskin and Dinu Tamazlacaru is super too.

Lovely performance of SB last night in Liverpool - opening the run here were Erina Takahashi and Esteban Berlanga with Daria Klimentova as a super Lilac Fairy and her cavalier was Arionel Vargas, Begona Cao was one of the Fairies - I can never tell which is which but all the fairies were really very good with some really good foot work. I can't really fault the performance it was very good and the orchestra was just fabulous the sound was just lovely (only marred by the dreaded rustling sweet papers). Fabian Reimar played Carabosse and got the usual boos at the end! Tamara Rojo was sitting in the Circle near me so she was obviously keeping and eye on ENB which is good, as I have noticed that BRB always have some of the bosses watching their performances too. I think I will have to go to Manchester to catch Tamara with Vadim as I am in Berlin this weekend for Onegin and La Bayadere. Does anyone know if the costumes are new this run or if they are still the ABT ones? Either way they were very nice. Well done to ENB anyway a very enjoyable evening.

Thanks for the info wish I had been there too! Wonder if there are any photos anywhere of the event?

Would anyone like to fill in the bits of missing casting for me? As far as I can remember (and I haven't got my notes here):

 

Spanish Dance: Stepanek, Hirano, Mendizabal (I think) and Deirdre Chapman?

 

Czardas: Bennet Gartside (good to see him back on stage) and ?

 

Neopolitan: Morera and Cervera

 

Mazurka (no real need for this one, but I think I spotted Arestis, Whitehead, Murphy and ... nope, brain's gone).

 

Arestis was one of the other big swans, can't remember who the other one was.

Just a thought - I think the clash with the Bolshoi tour will be to our advantage as it will mean that Nina Kaptsova is in town with the Bolshoi - last time he did a show she pulled out but was due to dance the pdd from Spartacus with Carlos. Hopefully this time she will make it seeing as he is supposed to be dancing his favourite pdds with his favourite leading ladies....

I saw SL at the Vue Cheshire Oaks/Ellesmere Port for a mere £12.50 - bargain! Flawless transmission, a packed out cinema and perfectly well behaved audience - WOW! The performance was super and I loved all the feature films and the interviews - Nehemiah and Zen were great and I enjoyed this performance far more than the in real life one with Acosta and Osipova the other week. I have to give mention to the Pas de Trois performed superbly by Alexander Campbell, Yuhui Choe and Helen Crawford - they were excellent and so pleased to see Alexander excelling at ROH. Laura Morera and Ricardo Cervera were also excellent. The corps de ballet were great and seemed to keep a lot more together so I think Samantha Raine has been drilling them well! This is definitely a great alternative to the schlep to London!

I saw SL last night and can't say I was blown away with Osipova/Acosta, so sad to say this. I can't put my finger on it but put it this way it certainly was not the exciting performance that I saw in Don Q from the same position in the Amphi so it could not have been that. Act 3 was the best for me and she did very good fouettes. I liked the costumes except for the "non tutus" for the swans and the corps de ballet dancing was actually very much together. Best in show/most enjoyable for me was probably the Neapolitan with Yuhi Choe and Paul Kay and the Pas de Trois with Davvid Treszensimeich and Itziar Mendizibal and Hickaru. Lighting seemed better. I'm not a fan of this version of Swan Lake and there was a lot of unfamiliar music in Act 4 and I felt that this music lost the drama of that Act that you normally get, it was too "gentle". I felt Rothbart was non existent in Act 2 and Act 4 and Siegfried had no real fight to put up. Having recently seen ENB and BRB their versions are both superior. For emotion though I prefer State Ballet Siberia, they really get the emotions going. The music I found very slow and the only time it sprang into to life was when they did the Act 3 fouettes piece at what seemed like supersonic speed! I still had a pleasant evening, I just was not blown away. I have some curtain call photos which I would have posted but I can't find an attachment tool on this forum???

^^ happy to hear this can't wait for Saturday!

I think seeing Momoko in The Dream must have been a dream! Lucky you Pat!

Thanks for the lovely pics Dave! Am looking forward to Osipova/Acosta at the weekend, (sadly I could not get in the restaurant for the Swan Lake menu and Swan Meringue dessert if anyone does partake please let me know about that as well as the ballet!!)

I was not too fussed on Darcey either, bring back Arlene I say!!!

I blame fierce air conditioning for drying the air and causing coughs. Worst culprit for me is The Birmingham Hippodrome which is usually freezing even in summer closely followed by the Coli!

Not sure if there is a thread for the triple bill - know I am a week late - but anyway just wanted to say that the matinee was excellent and I loved Take Five - I think the musicality of the dancers and the jazz music combined was great - Carole Ann Millar was fab in the first section and the boys were all wonderful, Jo Caley did a great solo piece and Celine Gittins and Tyrone Singleton perfomed a super duet. Lyric Pieces followed - it was a nice piece but not quite my cup of tea, but it was interesting and unusual to see the dancers changing the set as well as dancing! Grosse Fuge was very good - I was expecting to enjoy this the most but Take Five took the crown this time - a great afternoon:-)

Moved from the Swan Lake thread to this one by Janet McNulty at 21:59 on 6th October 2012