jmhopton

I can only second everything everyone before me has said about last night's performance. It was terrific, really mesmerising. Several times there was quite a lot of coughing in the auditorium but during the final pas de deux you could have heard a pin drop. It was incredible. I was sat close to the stage and kept forgetting to breath! I thought Matthew really good; an exceptionally moving performance (I hadn't seen him before). Laura whom I had seen before with Bonelli I thought gave the performance of her life. It was just amazing and I kept thinking her dress was going to come off in the last pas de deux such was the violence of their passion for each other. After their amazing Month in the Country together I hoped that Vadim would be partnered by her and was disappointed when he wasn't. Perhaps he will be next time it's staged, as those 2 would definitely be my preferred cast for filming. As previous posers have said it is a great ensemble ballet and the entire cast gave it their all. I love Bratfisch as a character (all the Bratfisch's I've seen have been great) and always wish he had more to do (not sure where or what) as it is such a playful, virtuoso role and gives some light relief to an otherwise very intense ballet.

Waited at the stage door afterwards and Matthew appeared briefly, very apologetic for not being able to spend more time but there was a function on he was attending and just came down to acknowledge those waiting which I thought was a lovely gesture.

59 minutes ago, JohnS said:

More Avanti problems. Just seen an email warning of driver shortages and possible cancellations:

 

“We're getting in touch as you're due to travel with us on 29 Oct at 10:03 from Penrith to London Euston. We are currently experiencing staff shortages which may result in some short notice cancellations. We're doing all we can to run all services so please check in the morning of your day of travel to confirm if your train is running. 

If your service is cancelled you can choose to travel on the Avanti West Coast service before or after your booked train. Alternatively, if you no longer wish to travel, you can claim a full, fee-free refund.”

 

There’s a link to check latest news which is still showing the 10:03 as running but there’s a doubt about some trains after 10:00.

 

This weekend all services travel via Birmingham and take an extra 80 minutes rather than the 3 hours 10 minutes.
 

The train before 10:00 is 8:00 and I’m 45 minutes from the station. So do I have to be ready to leave at just after 7:00 just in case the 10:00 is cancelled?
 

I still can’t understand why Avanti were given a 6 month contract extension.
 

 

 

Oh no, not again. Just when I was congratulating myself on the possibility of a stress free journey, having had to stay in London an extra night last weekend because of signalling problems at Euston. I'm due to get the 10am from Preston and haven't had any notification to say it's problematic. I've just signed up for WhatsApp messaging service so will have to see. At least I've all day to get there, and no, I don't know why Avanti were given a franchise extension. Epitomises how useless this government is.

Just got an email today from the ROH and it seems this months 'new' ballet streaming offering is the 2009 Ed Watson Mayerling. It's not the date I mind it's the fact this is already available on dvd and presumably most people who want it have already got it. I have emailed Kevin O'Hare and asked him if there was any chance of getting non available recordings of multiple casts even if they were just training videos. I'm sure people wouldn't bother about lesser quality just to see their favourite dancers in roles never before seen. However I realise there could be copyright/orchestra payment issues involved. I'll let you know what he says. If all the 'new' content is going to be cinema recordings that are already available it's not going to be worth subscribing to unless it's for new cinema releases not yet available on dvd, such as the Ashton triple. I'm really disappointed as I hoped that would be the Oct ballet release. I also asked Kevin when it would be released as a stream. It seems silly it's on the streaming promotion but not yet available. It looks like the 2021 Rigoletto is the new opera addition.

17 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

Has anyone had any luck actually fondly g a cinema screening this? On the search I can’t find anywhere for the supposed Nov 6th Encore….

I've tried near me and the Vue cinemas at Southport,  Cleveleys   Altrincham and Bolton are showing it at 3pm Nov 6th, though not Preston.

I searched under Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote on the BRB website. It defaults to Westminster screenings but just cross that out and substitute your area.

Yes I saw this also at the Odeon Preston where the service has improved to the extent that the lights switched themselves on when they should instead of me having to do it. 

I thought it a terrific performance,  excellently danced and would echo everything FionaE said previously.  I always love Brandon Lawrence in anything and was thrilled to see him as the matador.  I don't think I've  seen Matthias Dingman or Momoko  Hirata and was really impressed by both of them  especially Matthias.  I thought he was up there with Ivan Vasiliev who's always been my gold star Basil. 

Just a couple of minor quibbles with the tavern scene.  I thought the lady who fainted when the matador looked at her (always a good laugh) didn't make it obvious enough what she was fainting for so didn't get much of a laugh.  Also I'm not a big fan of Kitri doing her leap into Basil's arms just after getting down off the tables. It's a great moment but the tables make it too rushed and Momoko seemed too close to Matthias to make it really spectacular. 

But very minor quibbles when you have the chance to see such a wonderful production without planning a long journey or overnight stay. 

Well, I don't know what I can say about Vadim's performance that others haven't already said. I was desperate for him to succeed but it's such a huge role and so different to anything he's ever done before that the best I was hoping for was a respectable 'work in progress'; something to build on for future performances. I never expected a fully fledged Rudolf to emerge straight off the blocks and to chart such a distinctive mental and physical deterioration in his first performance. I was just in awe of it all and frankly in a bit of a daze; just couldn't believe it. Like Sim said, his first entrance with his bride looking so regal and yet so distant; not at all the bearing of a young husband, rather that of having been forced to do something he had no inclination to do. His pleading with his mother for love and her rejection, sending him to his young bride in a fury; and what a fury! I had to keep checking it was still him and there hadn't been a substitution. I've never seen Vadim like that and I didn't think he had it in him to be like that. I'm sure a lot of it was down to Irek Mukhamedov's coaching. Irek was an inspired choice for Vadim and I'm sure helped him find his 'inner Rudolf'. Vadim himself in an interview said this was the pas de deux he found most difficult because of the cruelty involved. He obviously found something to unleash this cruelty as it was one of the most physical interpretations I've seen, right to the end when he threw himself on top of his new bride (a great debut by Isabel Gasparini) and ripped open his shirt. In act 2, he seemed to be enjoying himself so much in the brothel scene, joining in with the dances and either not understanding or ignoring his wife's visible distress. The mental and physical deterioration throughout the ballet was charted so well also until, in the third act, like Sim says, he was just a wreck, a shadow of his Act 1 self. It was just an amazing performance and one I will treasure for ever. Can't wait for the second performance when all the debutantes can settle more into their roles and concentrate more on developing their characters and interpretation. It seems awful that all this work goes into just a couple of performances and then possibly no more for 3 years.

I haven't mentioned the other performances, possibly because I was concentrating primarily on Rudolf but Fumi's performance was also outstanding. I thought after seeing Laura Morera as Larisch it couldn't get any better but Fumi was really terrific, and excellent for another debut. I sometimes thought of her scheming gypsy in Two Pigeons and though she may have used some of this character in her interpretation of Larisch. She seems another dancer who just gets better every time you see her and I'd love to see her dance more with Vadim. They would make a great couple. I wasn't quite as keen on Yasmine's Mary after seeing Osipova's. I just didn't get the sense of reckless abandon you get with Osipova which I like to see in Mary but everyone interprets the role differently and I'm sure her interpretation is just as valid as Osipova's and perhaps I'll get into it more in her second performance. All in all a terrific performance and I'm glad I paid for a front row seat in the Grand Tier (a first; courtesy of Bluebird) and will be in the same seat for the second performance.

12 minutes ago, capybara said:

The audiences for modern works are always far more vociferous than at 'traditional' evenings.

From where I was sitting, I thought that Vadim et al were given a great reception.

I'm not saying Vadim wasn't given a great reception; he was (especially by me!) It's just the Crystal Pite supporters were louder/more vocal and took me slightly by surprise. Probably because I so seldom attend modern ballets I didn't realise the difference in reaction.

Yes, I'm with you, Fonty. I'm not saying the RB shouldn't commission new works; far from it. I just don't see why it has to have new works every year. This way, the modern catalogue grows all the time but the classical/Heritage catalogue gets less as there is less time to stage and rehearse classical works; especially short ballets. There are so many of Ashton's and Macmillan's short ballets that are in danger of becoming obsolete because of the lack of performance and eventually the lack of anyone capable of staging them. The same could be said of Tudor, Cranko, Robbins, de Valois and some of the Ballet Russes ballets and even Balanchine. These are proven great choreographers but we only get to see a very small amount of their work, yet every year have new modern (often full length) works and triple bills which eats into the budget as well as stage time. The Ashton triple was a huge success both critically and in the enjoyment it gave to so many ballet lovers, but there isn't another one this season. After Mayerling, the only ballet I'm really looking forward to is Cinderella though it's not a favourite Ashton and I wish they'd do Sylvia (only revived once recently and not filmed, which was terrible) or Fille (not staged since 2015 which is criminal).

Incidentally, I saw The Crystal Pite on Saturday night as I had an enforced extra night in London because of train signal failure and it didn't do much for me. I didn't see much of what I (and possibly Fonty) would call dance apart from a pas de deux in the first act and another one in the last act. Both OK but the whole experience was more movement to music for me, than ballet. Very impressive movement and patterns but it didn't move me like it appears to do many people who saw it. Of course it didn't help that it came the night after Vadim's triumph in Mayerling and several times I just shut my eyes and drifted back to Mayerling; that was a ballet and a half! No tutus but just fabulous dance/acting and choreography.  However, the audience didn't seem to agree with me as the response at the end was tumultuous; the capping and cheering went on for ages; far more than for Vadim the night before which I didn't understand at all. Still, it would be so boring if we all liked the same (though I wish Kevin was more on the wavelength of myself and Fonty and would stage more heritage works)!

17 minutes ago, Jamesrhblack said:

That was many people’s hope after the astonishing debuts by Bonelli and Morera in 2017 but, sadly, that didn’t come to pass leaving that afternoon to live seared instead into the memories of those who were there. 

I was there and it was searing. I thought at the time what a pity they didn't film this cast instead of the Macrae cast. Nothing against Steven, but Bonelli and Morera were so terrific and both nearer the end of their ballet career that it may have been the last chance to film them and so it has proved. If it isn't staged for another 3 years after this run Kevin will have a dilemma as to which cast to film. Up until last night I thought it would be a shoo in for Ball/Morera but now I'm not so sure having seen Vadim.  What a performance! What a debut! I'll say more when I've recovered.

Avanti have just advertised tickets on sale for this Saturday. Whoopi do. Fancy, 2 days notice, they're spoiling us. As I said previously I've booked an off peak return anyway, just not booked a seat, but as they seem to have quite a few trains running despite train managers on strike I'll hope I'll be OK.

Apparently, the RMT strikes on the 3, 5, 7 Nov involves Network Rail signalling so disruption could be quite widespread. I'd already decided to see Men in Motion on the 6th by going by coach from Cheltenham. Good job I did but I wonder how other audience members will manage? The rail bosses were saying significantly fewer people were using the trains. Is that surprising?

Rail workers are also voting on another 6 months of strikes. Ballots close Nov 15th.

I saw this ballet at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool, on Friday and can thoroughly recommend it. It is a small company; only 14 dancers but they made up for the small scale (necessary for the small stage at the Grand) by delivering a quality performance; great dancing, interesting recorded score by Dvorak, effective backdrops and scenery and really quality costumes. Also lighting that was atmospheric without being dark (ROH please take note!) With a running time of 2 hours (including interval) it was short enough for children also, and would be a great introduction to ballet; lovely tutu wedding scene at the end.

It is doing a long tour, mainly one night stands though there are 4 nights at Brighton the end of December. I noticed it is coming to the Lowther Pavilion in Lytham in Jan and am seriously considering going again.

The only Beauty and the Beast I've seen as a ballet is the Bintley BRB version but though this may not be as polished a production with no magic tricks it can still hold it's own.

Next year they're touring Romeo and Juliet. if it is anything like Beauty and the Beast it will be worth seeing.

https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/ballet-theatre-uk

Here is an email I sent to Customer Services re streaming and the reply.

Hi

I've recently signed up to the ROH streaming channel and am rather disappointed not more 'new to us' content is included. I have all that is on offer for the ballet which is all I'm interested in. 

When new material becomes available are we emailed to alert us or do we just need to keep logging in? 

 When will the Ashton triple shown last May become available? 

Will it all be professionally filmed material or is there a chance of seeing some alternative casts that were filmed for training purposes (for example) and not generally released? This would be very exciting for ballet or opera enthusiasts. Even if the quality isn't as good as the cinema broadcasts it would be worth it to see (for example) Muntagirov/Morera in the recent Month in the Country. It was terrible their performance wasn't filmed and I would love to see any version of it whatever the quality, and I know from the response on the Ballet Forum I'm not alone in this. 

Also, any chance of more archive type material?

Dear Joan, 

Many thanks for getting in touch and for your support of the Royal Opera House. It is truly appreciated.

Along with what is currently available, two new titles along with other special releases will be announced every month via email and other channels. 

Your requests and feedback will be passed on to the Royal Opera House Stream team. 

With best wishes,

Graham Boland

Customer Services Manager

Well, I've finally managed to book rail tickets for 29/30 Oct to see Ball/Morera in Mayerling. Now, all I've got to do is to try and get home after seeing Vadim on the 21st.

43 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Has anyone heard anything about whether these next strikes are going to be just for Avanti, given their considerable recent issues, or if the RMT will be striking on all train lines again? I can't currently find anything about future strikes on the National Rail website. I was thinking about going to Men in Motion, I was waiting on them announcing the full programme before finally deciding, but if there's going to be a mass strike on that day then the decision will be out of my hands.

The quote I  used earlier came from the RMT website and specifically mentioned Avanti, as the problem relates ro rosters Avanti bosses have tried to impose on train managers. Mick Lynch was very scathing about Avanti and said they're one of the worst companies he's ever had to negotiate with and they should never have had their franchise renewed (which any user knows).

However, like Janet says, if other rail Companies or Network Rail get involved then it can end up affecting more than West Coast passengers. Its impossible to say, things are so volatile at the moment. 

Us current  West Coast users look back to the days of dear old Virgin as some sort of rail travel golden age. Mythical it might  be but,  like Janet says, it certainty beats what we have now. I can only conclude that the government minister who gave Avanti a six month extension doesn't have to use it. If they'd just ask few users before they make these decisions they may not be as quick to give them another go.

13 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

You're way more polite than the post I thought I better hadn't post!!

Me too Janet!

I'm probably going to go via Cheltenham on the coach for Men in Motion so that's sorted so it's just getting home on  the 22nd, as missing Vadim's Mayerling debut isn't an option!

The only National Express leaves at 8pm getting into Preston at 2.15am (presumably in preparation for leaving at 3.15am for London).  These are the only National Express coaches to and from London to Preston though I'll check Megabus. There used to be a good National Express service but that's gone like so much.

Just checked and there is a Megabus at 10am so that should be fine. It takes over 6 hours as opposed to less than 3 on the train but if it gets me home that's fine. I will go to Preston rail station this week to see if any trains at all will be running on the Saturday from London as I only need one but hopefully will be able to get back somehow.

Public transport shouldn't be like this!

Just seen this about Avanti. 

7 October 2022

RMT Press Office:

Train managers on Avanti West Coast will take strike action on Oct 22 in a row over the imposition of rosters.

28 minutes ago, capybara said:

And they also missed the opportunity to film her wonderful Natalia Petrovna in Month last season.

Don't get me on that again. I've bored people enough with my thoughts about that!

However, I thought Sim made a great point about filming the 30th anniversary programme with Ball/Morera. That would have been a fabulous tribute to him. Presumably Kevin will make an announcement on the night and possibly dedicate the performance to him but a recording, especially with that cast, would have been even more special.

I watched at the cinema (terrible service from Odeon, Preston). Music too loud though they allegedly turned it down. No lights at the intervals (I had to resort to switching them on myself), at one point a message on the screen that we had to find someone to remove, and no cherry garcia ice cream as the freezers weren't working! However my free vouchers worked which was a great saving.

Loved the ballet, especially the women. Made me even keener to see Morera and Hayward as Mary later on (Avanti/train strikes permitting). However, for me and several others in the cinema judging by overheard comments, the broadcast was spoiled by terrible (almost non existent) lighting. When will the RB learn that people actually like to see what's happening? I'll have to check through past recordings, especially the Mukhamedov one, to see if things have got worse over time. I know there is always going to be a difference between what the cameras see and what a theatre viewer will see but does it really need to be this dark? If you haven't seen the ballet previously (and probably many cinema goers, especially abroad, haven't) you'll be struggling to see what's going on. The prologue and final scene especially were terrible; a few dark shadows. Only Bratfisch was shown clearly. Close ups were clear but shots of the entire stage were murky, even during the wedding celebrations. I seem to remember the last 2015 recording of Fille with Osipova/McRae was spoilt for me by poor lighting and if you can't light Fille properly there's something very wrong.

I know a ballet like Mayerling has to have darker lighting to mirror the dark tragedy but there are limits.

19 minutes ago, oncnp said:

 

I have a question in to the ROH on whether they intend to stream any of the cinema broadcasts. I'll let you know if I get a reply. 

Thanks oncnp. I only mentioned the cinema broadcasts because they are the ones usually broadcast on TV or made into dvds. Also, presumably they have orchestra/choreographers rights factored into them which other recordings may not.

10 hours ago, alison said:

Trouble is that rail tickets have to be booked weeks, if not months, in advance.

Alison,  that used to be the case but as one of those people currently at the mercy of Avanti West Coast, I am still waiting to hear when I can actually book my return ticket back to Preston on Oct 22nd after Vadim's first night. Also, I currently can't book at all for my journey on Oct 29/30 to see Matthew and Laura. There is currently no booking between 22-30th Oct, and is this half term week? I registered for their alerts system but if its anything like last time I won't be able to book until less than a week beforehand. 

Ridiculous!

Sorry, hadn't seen JohnS reply when I did mine. Fellow sufferers! 

I can only hope Avantis franchise isn't renewed. I think its due this month.  Bring back Virgin!

Well I've just signed up no problem, as the reduced rate Friends  more in (hopeful) anticipation of things to come than what's there as I have everything currently on offer that I want.

I see if you scroll down to near the end there is what looks like a sample page with Sleeping Beauty at the top but  just below it is Month in the Country. I hope it is the recent one and it will appear soon (though I'm still bitterly disappointed they didn't film Vadim's cast with Morera. I'd willingly lay out the annual £69 to get that.) You think they'd start with at least one new opera and ballet to encourage enthusiasts who've already bought what's currently available, to sign up.

Is there any indication how long they will remain available? Will they stream all the cinema broadcasts or leave some for dvds? Would be great if they did older recordings.

I'm going to see their Sleeping Beauty at Blackpool Grand theatre Nov 20th. Apparently they have an orchestra which is always a good start. 

I booked about 10.30am and no queue! I only wanted 3 SB tickets and once I got over the shock of the prices (£70 for a restricted Stalls circle, £112 for front row amphi!) it was fairly quick and stress free.  I like the new facility whereas if you have a credit voucher if you click the voucher link it comes up with your credit instead of you having to put the number in. Also good the seat view always comes up.

8 hours ago, RHowarth said:

Was it called Tour de Force?

Yes it was and they did some great mixed programmes and triple bills. I've still got my bookmark from Preston. I remember seeing London City Ballet at the Grand Theatre Blackpool do a terrific mixed bill  also. Far better than anything the RB did with their terrible Dance Bites. Such a shame that these days mixed/triple bills often means modern ballet when Companies have a range of traditional one act ballets in their repertoire that are in danger of falling out of their repertoire because of lack of use and lack of experienced practitioners to teach them. When was the last time a UK company staged Les Sylphides to name just one quite well known short ballet? Who decides people don't want to watch these sort of ballets? Focus groups? ADS? Surely with the right sort of promotion it might be worth trying a more traditional mixed bill in small venues like Blackpool or Cheltenham which have a ballet going public.