jmhopton

Thanks Sim. All the very best to all the Mods and Forum users for a happy, healthy and balletic New Year. I'm sure there'll be many wonderful performances for us all to attend and discuss. Can't wait!

I'm pleased that you're enjoying the ROH streaming system DVDfan and I'm sure you're not alone in this. It is a great initiative and I don't know of other major opera houses who have launched anything similar, so we'll done ROH. My criticisms are personal to me in that so far I already have most or all of what has been streamed and I thought the Ashton triple was promised for release in the autumn (though of course no mention as to which autumn!) An image from Month in the Country is even used in their promotional publicity! So hopefully we'll see it sometime next year. It would also be great to see some non official recordings that haven't been used for cinema broadcasts but that doesn’t seem to be happening either, probably because of copyright problems.

Well, I must be checking my date in case I need to cancel also. Am just totally hacked off after the very cheery email from the streaming service extolling the wonders to come FOR THE NEXT 3 MONTHS but still no sign of the Ashton triple. So we're not going to see it before April at the earliest unless we all bombard them with emails and Kevin seems impervious to that. I did say to him All I want for Christmas is the Ashton triple but I suppose I didn't specify which Christmas. Perhaps MJW is right that they're holding it back until most of the Friends have cancelled their free subscription, forcing them to rejoin. Balletwise we're getting The Cellist 5th Jan, Romeo 14th Feb (don't know which cast) and the old Sylvia recording with Darcey Bussell 9th March. This reminds me of my Sylvia grievance about it not being filmed when it was revived a few years ago. Why not as it hasn't been revived for ages? At this rate it will be at least a year between Ashton triple performance and stream. Just can't understand it at all. I thought streaming was supposed to be instant. Opera streaming is Traviata in Jan, Fidelio Feb and Madame Butterfly March.

Yes I caught a glimpse if this as well. While I enjoyed the dancing I must admit I don't like productions where there is a lot of snow covering the stage early on in the Land of Snow scene. It ruins my enjoyment of the scene as I'm so worried about the dancers slipping. I don't think they do that so much now. I think the snow generally falls near the end of the scene and possibly just at the back of the stage which is a lot better (for me, anyway).

Thanks for the clarification Bruce and for everything you did to get it all going. We wouldn't be here now without you. You did an incredible thing, starting the original Forum and we all owe you a great debt of gratitude. I knew you were involved in founding the original forum but didn't know to what extent, as then I was very new to the Forum, so it's good to know how much work and financial commitment you put into the original Forum as well as your involvement in this one. Well done you to have the vision to establish and create a great international Forum that brings so much pleasure to so many people and long may it continue to do so.

I think it had its merits as a children's film. It was spectacular, action packed and well acted. However, the tantalising snippets of real Nutcracker music made me realise just how fond I am of the score as well as the spectacle of the ballet and made me want to watch, or even just listen to, the Real Thing. By the way, where was Polunin? He was mentioned in the credits but I didn't see him, but did keep rather switching off to imagine I was watching the ballet.

Yes,many many thanks to the Mods for all the hard work they do on our behalf all year round. It's really appreciated. It's so grateful to have somewhere to go to discuss ballet and many of the posters are like friends even though we may never have met. Some posters have become friends after messaging and then meeting up and that's really wonderful. I think back with horror to the mercifully brief period 11 years ago (?) when we were briefly without a Forum and life just wasn't the same. I hadn't realised how much I had taken the Forum for granted for information, discussion chat and so much more until it wasn't there. How would I find out what was going on? Who could I discuss performances with? Mercifully the moderators sorted everything and a new Forum was born and has continued ever since. I'm so thankful to them and everyone responsible for setting up the Forum and making it a safe, friendly place for everyone to participate in and enjoy. Merry Christmas, and a happy, balletic 2023 for everyone.

Well, I'm coming rather late to the party but I have seen some truly stunning ballets and performances in 2022. First up was BRB's revamped Don Q at the Birmingham Hippodrome in Feb. I thought the new sets and costumes (especially the sets) were terrific and far better than the larger, more cumbersome ones at the ROH, especially the vision scene where I thought the simple fronds far more effective than the garish flowers at the ROH. The idea of having Amour danced by a man was quite intriguing too. I thought Alexander Yap was fabulous as the matador. Couldn't believe he was just an Artist. sadly he has now left BRB to be a soloist in Hong Kong ballet. He will be missed. I saw Vadim Muntagirov and Marianela Nunez guesting with BRB and they were terrific in the roles; a great start to my ballet going year. I'd have liked to see Brandon Lawrence as Basil but sadly not to be. A treat for the future. One of the highlights was the Ashton triple bill in April and May. Saw 6 performances (probably a record for me, certainly for a mixed bill) and really enjoyed them all. The highlight was definitely the Morera/Muntagirov performances in Month in the Country. This was made even more special as they danced all their performances together after Lauren Cuthbertson was forced to pull out. Why have they never danced together before? They were absolutely terrific, reducing me to tears every performance. I still get very angry they weren't filmed in it and hope there is still time though I suspect probably not, as sadly there will be no reason to film it again in the near future. Sambe in Rhapsody too was also very special though I think James Hay and Francesca Hayward would be my overall favourite choice. It was great seeing Scenes de ballet as I don't know if I've ever seen it live. All in all a very well balanced, exciting triple bill and I hope something similar will be programmed in the next season as there seems to have been a lack of traditional mixed bills in this season. One of the September highlights was undoubtedly the Nureyev tribute organised by Nehemiah Kish at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. A very interesting selection of known and lesser known pieces highlighting many different facets of Nureyev's career both as a classical and character dancer and also as a choreographer. I especially liked the Laurencia pas de six (great to see some younger RB dancers here) and also the Flower festival pas de deux which I really like and seldom see. The other September highlight was the Ukraine Giselle and another chance to see the supreme Alina Cojacaru play the lead role. There is no one who does Giselle like Alina. It was an emotional evening anyway, coming so soon after the death of the Queen. We started off by singing God Save the King which itself felt very strange, and an extra reminder of the loss of the only monarch most of us had known. Alina was wonderful as always as was her Albrecht and the evening ended on another emotional high with the Ukranian National Anthem. October brought ENBs Raymonda in Bristol. Haven't been to Bristol or seen this Raymonda before and was pleasantly impressed with both. I think it's a big improvement on the traditional Raymonda which I saw the Bolshoi do at the Coliseum in 1999. The sets and costumes were great and loved the choreography and was impressed with ENBs dancers. The Crimean war seemed rather marginal and not sure about the ending which seemed rather rushed, but a great effort from Tamara in breathing new life into a rather dusty old war horse. Saved the best to last, The RB Mayerling in October and November. Saw 5 performances, all excellent and it transformed my attitude to a ballet I've never really rated that much. I must admit to being slightly disappointed that Laura Morera wasn't partnering Vadim as they were so wonderful together in Month in the Country and I thought her experience and acting ability would be great for him in his debut in such a demanding role. I saw Laura with Bonelli last time it was staged and that really started to change my attitude to the ballet as a whole as they were just such an emotional pairing together, each encouraging the other to give a really great performance. This time Laura gave an equally searing performance with Matthew Ball whom I didn't see last time so seeing him as Rudolf was a debut performance for me. He is obviously becoming one of the RBs great dance/actors, possibly in time inheriting the mantle left by Ed Watson. Every performance he gives he seems to go further in this aspect of his career and I would love to see his Onegin (hopefully fairly soon) I also saw Ryio and Melissa Hamilton. I'd seen him in the cinema broadcast with Osipova and thought them both really terrific but I really wanted to see Melissa Hamilton as Mary as I really rate her as a dancer but (like James Hay) she doesn't seem to get the big roles that she deserves so this was a rare chance to see her in a major role and she didn't disappoint, throwing herself into the role of Mary with reckless abandon. Saw Sambe/Hayward also. Was intrigued by Sambe as Rudolf as I wasn't sure what to expect but he gave a very detailed, emotional performance as did Hayward who was amazing as Mary. The RB dancers are so good these days it is often very difficult to tell the difference between a debut performance and an established one as the debut performances look like they've being doing the role for years. Which brings me to my final Mayerling cast featuring Muntagirov/Naghdi. Debut roles for both of them and Yasmine had the added stress of also debuting as Larisch and stepping into partnering Vadim late on after Cuthbertson had to pull out because of pregnancy. I didn't know what to expect from Vadim as the character of Rudolf seems totally alien to him and I didn't know how he would interpret and convey Rudolf's torment and mental deterioration; would he be capable of it? The answer was a resounding yes! I sat totally spellbound through both performances and didn't want them to end. He somehow managed to find and channel his inner Rudolf and gave 2 performances of searing intensity. I was totally drained just watching him, yet an hour after the performance he breezed out of the stage door as if it hadn't been anything much at all, just being his usual pleasant, chatty self. Such a shame it wasn't filmed. It must be filmed at the next performance. Like JohnS I just hope we don't have to wait another 3 years for another. It was an amazing performance to end a great ballet going year and I'm already looking forward to the RB Sleeping Beauties and Cinderellas I've booked for next year (trains permitting!)

Had an email from Paris Opera Ballet today. Apparently they're relaunching a new website and are offering the Nureyev Romeo as a free inducement if you create a new account. Haven't actually tried it so I don't know if it's just creating an account (no payment upfront) but that's what it sounds like. Anyway, I'll copy the letter so if anyone wants to try you can. The letter link is below Dear spectators, We are pleased to present you the new website for l’Opéra chez soi. As a celebratory gift, we offer you access to the ballet Romeo and Juliet by Rudolf Nureyev. To access the show, we invite you to create a new account, which will allow you to connect to the entire Paris Opera ecosystem. Enter the code ROMEOV2 to watch the show for free. See you soon on l’Opéra chez soi. https://infos.operadeparis.fr/optiext/optiextension.dll?ID=PlkPoUE9Qp02n3pCmtiEk%2BXOSRts58cy0IJM17r0_R9CzeE5GuFN%2BggabVRc_c4K7V4L3PssizxRzzSnGeLFR1uLmWCjU

Not a livestream as such so apologies for mentioning them here (especially if I've mentioned them somewhere previously) but the Ashton Foundation YouTube channel have recently posted 2 recent masterclasses on their website; one of Daichi Ikarashi being coached by Wayne Sleep as the Blue Boy in Les Patineurs and another one where Leticia Dias is coached in the solo from Les Rendezvous by Merle Parke. Both really interesting and entertaining, especially for Ashton enthusiasts. There are also other previous masterclasses available there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X18kr_BHPuU&t=554s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mib9bxGQz7k&t=703s

Fingers crossed for a successful journey Emeralds whichever company you use. I'm due at the ROH 18/19 Jan and am living in dread of the next round of strikes. Just hope they announce them soon, as not knowing is almost worse than being affected. You can't book trains until you know and then you might have to decide to cut your visit short or stay an extra night. It's just so complicated.

No mention of BRBs Don Q in the double issue Radio Times so the one ballet offering I really wanted to see isn't on over Christmas. Back to the dvds though might watch the Cranko Taming of the Shrew kindly highlighted by FionaE in the free livestream thread. However, the Radio Times did mention SkyArts showing Swan Lake on Christmas day at the usual unfriendly time of 8-8.30am To mark the 50th anniversary of Rudolf Nureyev's version of Tchaikovsky's ballet, this 2014 Vienna State Opera production revived the show with new sets, costumes and more (the statement ends as abruptly as this) Also, the Balanchine Nutcracker is repeated Monday 2nd Jan 6.10-8am. So there is some ballet on offer, just not much that appeals to me.

Sounds depressingly accurate. Let's hope it's not true. I want to watch it on Christmas Day, given the paucity of alternative attractions.

Had an email from the ROH being enthusiastic about 2 Carmen productions being streamed on the new channel but no mention of the Ashton triple. How difficult is to to stream something recorded months ago and will make the Christmas of so many loyal ballet supporters? The Carmen productions are 2006 with Kaufmann and the 2018 production.

On reflection, I think my reaction here was rather unfair as I haven't experienced any of the winning performances. They may indeed all have been excellent. I'm not at all bothered that my reply to the Guardian wasn't mentioned, just disappointed that the excellent RB performances from Ashton triple to Mayerling (and many other great performances as well) weren't considered worth mentioning. Also BRBs excellent Don Q and ENBs innovative Raymonda. So, my reply was a result of this disappointment but was still rather ill judged. If I offended anyone I apologise, and will try to think before writing in disappointment in the future!

Yes I noticed the Guardians list yesterday and meant to mention it so thanks Capybara. No mention of the RB or any classical ballet as far as I could see. Very disappointing choice indeed. Perhaps they follow the example the Arts Council seem to require these days, and judge by 'relevance' rather than excellence.

I've just posted on the TV Christmas thread that SkyArts are showing it Boxing Day morning. Time on the TV thread.

SkyArts are showing Balanchine's NYCB Nutcracker from 2011 on Boxing Day (26th Dec) 8am-9.50am Talking Pictures are showing Tales of Beatrix Potter 8.45am (see above) BBC2 Tues 27th Dec the reimagined Coppelia 6.15pm with Darcey Bussell and Irek Mukhamedov

Thanks Ian. Both links worked for me. I also love the photo a bit further down with the man carrying his golden retriever to a charity Christmas church service.

Sent another email to Alex and Kevin more in praise of the ROH. I'm not going to continue emailing, just didn't want them thinking I'm the sort of person who only emails when I want to complain when there are so many things I love about the ROH and especially the RB. Dear Alex and Kevin I just felt I had to write and say what a fabulous run of Mayerlings we've been privileged to see. I saw four casts Vadim, Matthew, Ryio and Marcellino and they (and their female companions) were all really excellent. You wouldn't have thought Marci and Francesca were debuting the roles of Rudolf and Mary such was their total command of their roles. Francesca especially was totally mesmerising as Mary as I knew she would be but Marci gave such a detailed, nuanced performance as Rudolf as to be quite a revelation. I loved seeing Melissa Hamilton as Mary as she is a great dancer but doesn't always get cast a lot in leading roles so it was wonderful to see her in such a terrific acting role. She is so much more than a flexible body. Laura Morera is wonderful in anything she does; such a joy to see her as Mary again as I was privileged to see her with Bonelli in the last run (was it her debut? Can't think why). It's a role that was made for her and she certainly delivered then and this time both as Larisch and Mary. It would be my dream to see her partnering Vadim in the next run and for it to be filmed for the cinema. That would be a total dream come true. What can I say about Vadim's performance that I haven't already? It was just such a total revelation; his acting skills and the way he actually made you empathise with Rudolf. I was on the front row of the grand tier for both performances (something I've never been able to afford before) as I didn't want to miss a single second and it was worth it. Just sad if we're going to have to wait 3 years for him to perform it again. The Forum published a link to a Guardian survey of your best theatrical performance of the year and I (in common with several other Forum members) nominated Vadim for our best performance. I have heard back from one of the organisers asking if it would be OK to include my comment in the final roundup and of course I said yes. Not just to highlight Vadim's amazing performance but to publicise the RB which in these harsh economic times needs all the publicity it can get. However, I'm sure he emailed many more people than they can publish so whether it makes it or not I'll have to see. I am just emailing as I didn't want you to think I'm always being negative about the ROH with my previous comments on prices and casting etc. I only comment because I care so much about the ROH and am anxious that increased costs may deter people from attending, especially in this harsh financial climate. For many people, theatre isn't a necessity and something they can easily cut back on, especially if it involves travel and a meal out as well as the performance itself. For me, attending the ROH is like coming home. It is a necessity not a luxury. I just worry as to how many performances I can afford as I love seeing different casts. I've been to London more often this year than I have the centre of my home town of Preston or indeed any other UK town or city and that is just because of the ROH and especially the RB. Am slightly disappointed with the rep for the rest of the season. After the excitement of Mayerling it will seem a bit tame to settle down to the 'ordinary' princes of Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella though of course I'm looking forward to the debuts, especially of Cinderella, absent for far too long. I would have liked at least one of Coppelia, Fille or Don Q, especially Fille, one of my favourite ballets, and has been away from the stage for too long. Perhaps we could have Coppelia next Christmas again. It seemed successful in 2019 and would be wonderful to see it again, especially if it could be twinned with a great mixed bill. I also want to say how much I and all opera and ballet enthusiasts appreciate all the access and outreach work you do. The cinema broadcasts, filmed rehearsals, streamed Insight events and other activities you promote all have to be organised and paid for and we are so grateful you do this. Just a pity they often tend to end up on paid for channels like Marquee TV and not on free to view TV, to further promote your great work to people who may otherwise never have thought opera and ballet could be for them. The new streaming initiative is another great step forward, though it would be good to see a greater range of offerings there. However, few (if any) opera houses in the world offer the range of 'extras' offered by the ROH. It's always lovely to hear from you but don't feel obliged to reply. I just wanted you to know how much the ROH is appreciated by ordinary enthusiasts. It only remains for me to wish you and all the hard, dedicated workers at the ROH a very happy Christmas and a prosperous and successful New Year. ps All I want for Christmas is the Ashton triple bill to be streamed, pleeeease. Alex's reply yesterday. Very prompt as I only emailed over the weekend. Dear Joan What a wonderful email to receive on my arrival at work today. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and for sharing your thoughts on the various performances and artists. Your support, generosity and love of ROH and ballet means a huge amount to us all. Wishing you a very happy Christmas and may you enjoy many more performances in 2023. With best wishes Alex

Yes, I think this happened to me with the same results; very annoying. Then I wondered if the 'add something' means ice cream, interval drink or programme rather than more tickets, and is perhaps indicative of a more general, one-off ballet going audience rather than us die-hards who want to spend our money on different casts rather than ordering interval refreshments. It is just phrased very confusingly. Just use the back arrow to drop down date list for more tickets and you should be OK. Having said that, I just tried a sample order and it wasn't as good as it was this morning. The ticket didn't appear in my basket at the top of the page even after I'd clicked Add to basket. However, it was there on the annoying Would you like to add anything... page. Word of warning. Don't use the Book more Tickets option on this page just below Checkout. It just takes you back to the start of Events not back to whatever ballet you were booking for. Try using the back button to get back to the same production and carry on using the drop down menu. Or use the calendar rather than the list if things go wrong. Oh for the old calendar that the ROH used to produce with all productions listed each with their own link. Just so much simpler so of course they had to discontinue it.

I find the new system so much better (though I haven't tried it on my phone, only the computer). The seat view works great. To book tickets by computer you select your date and clicked Buy Tickets and then Use our Seatmap if you're selecting your tickets rather than have the computer do it. Then wait for the seat plan to load. Incidentally, if you know the date of the first performance you want to book it's easier to find it by the calendar rather than scroll through pages of events you're not bothered about. The calendar option comes onscreen after you've clicked What's On so if you're booking for Cinderella just select April 2023 (for example) You then select a date and click on a seat and select your seat by clicking Select. This gives you the seat view and price. If you decide to go ahead click Add to Basket. It's important to Add it to Basket otherwise it may vanish if you try and select more seats. If you decide against it you click Remove from Selection. If you then want to book more seats for the same production I just click on the list of dates above the seat plan, slightly to the top left of the screen. You can then just select another date and wait for the seat plan to load etc. before going to checkout. This drop down dates system is new to the latest upgrade and very successful (for me anyway). Got the tickets I wanted (more or less). Incidentally, to save money I bought a couple of standing tickets. Does anyone know about how long it lasts? It's that long since I've seen it live I can't even remember if it's 3 acts or 2.

The only time I ever saw her on stage was in the ROH in 1996. It was the 50th anniversary of the Sleeping Beauty, with the Queen in attendance, and before the start of the 3rd act Anthony Dowell came onstage and introduced all the surviving members of the original performance. Dame Beryl was the Lilac Fairy and got the biggest cheer of the night. The original cast sat at the back of the stage and at the end the current cast all turned and paid homage to them instead of the current Lilac Fairy. Dame Ninette de Valois also came onstage and even the Queen gave her a standing ovation. On the way out we all received a piece of iced fruit cake in a box like wedding cake. A really magical evening.

I've had a reply asking if it will be OK to include my submission in the roundup. Of course they could have asked loads more than they need so I'll have to wait and see. Forgot to ask when the roundup is! Perhaps I'll have to email him back.

Does it to me every time, Alison, the BRB version even more than the RB version. For me, it's partly to do with the lighting. Most Companies have the light fairly bright. The BRB lighting for the land of snow is so different to anyone else's. It's quite a dark sky looking heavy with snow and for me, perfectly captures a real sky just before snow and when it's just starting. Its just so atmospheric it always takes me back to my childhood when it seemed to snow more often and was such a magical experience. Perfect. If only it was filmed. I suppose they've just filmed Don Q so hopefully they film the BRB Nutcracker next year.