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jmhopton

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Everything posted by jmhopton

  1. This is interesting but I thought I'd read somewhere that Romeo and Juliet were opening the season in September and yet here they're scheduled for February. Does anyone else remember this or have I got it mixed-up?
  2. Yes I noticed this and considered subscribing to Medici for a month (I think that's possible) just to get it. Like Jeanette my recording is very old, videoed from the old Performance channel over 20 years ago and transferred to dvd. The double bill has an added attraction of being introduced by Margot Fonteyn and also containing Graduation Ball, another short Ballet that seems to have fallen through the ballet net of short ballets no one performs anymore, possibly because it's fun, attractive and undemanding and traditional. Things that don't always seem to be at the top of many artistic directors lists of priorities. Similarly my first recording of The Merry Widow (Canadian Ballet and the fabulous Karen Kain) was transferred from video. Its only recently I managed new recordings from Australian Ballet and Argentina. However I look forward to checking out the various suggestions here. Thanks Jeanette and oncnp.
  3. Yes, his Merry Widow is one of my favourite ballets and the only favourite full length ballet I haven't seen live. If only Kevin O'Hare would consider acquiring it instead of being so in thrall to modern choreographers. Oh well, I'll just have to hope that if Canadian and Australian ballets make future visit to the UK they bring it with them. In the meantime I'll have to trawl YouTube and see what I can find. Happy birthday Mr Hynd and many more of them.
  4. SkyArts are showing Moulin Rouge again on Sunday 25th April at 6am Also Australian Ballet Cinderella (Ratmansky version) Wed 28 April at 7am Anastasia Friday 30th April at 7am
  5. Yes, I hate the way all the 'tributes' to Liam's wonderful choreographic talent have started with comments that have nothing to do with his choreography. I am going to remember Liam by his great talent and the way he enhanced the repertoire of the RB and any other companies he chose to work with. He is the only modern choreographer at the RB (until Valentino Zucchetti) I would happily pay money to see and know I was going to enjoy the performance and his undoubted talent in creating it. I don't even especially like Swan Lake but I really enjoyed his version and think it is a great gift to the RB and I'm so pleased we'll be able to see it for many years to come. It will be his greatest and most fitting legacy and surely the way he would want to be remembered and people would want to remember him.
  6. Indeed not. I'm really looking forward to that but it is just a one off programme for the RB first and greatest choreographer. He deserves more. Sarasota Ballet do so much more as has been seen in their streamed performances. The list of Ashton ballets they perform make my mouth water; Apparitions, Illuminations, Les Rendezvous, Varri Capricci and others. Really looking forward to Walk to a Paradise Garden after seeing the Ashton Foundation. Also never heard of Peter Wright's Summertide until they streamed it during the last year and they're doing Ninette de Valois Rakes Progress which I don't think I've ever seen.
  7. Some great ballets and, as usual, a generous nod to UK choreographers including a new full length David Bintley Ballet A Comedy of Errors. Also Ninette de Valois Rake's Progress and a tribute to Sir Peter Wright for his 95th birthday (first time I've heard that mentioned) with his Giselle and Summertide. Doesn't seem 5 years since I saw him at Birmingham to sign his autobiography for me. Also Kobborg's production of the third act of Napoli which I hadn't heard of before. Slightly disappointing there is no mention of some continued streaming but I suppose we can hope. https://www.sarasotaballet.org/sarasota-ballet-announces-its-2021-–-2022-season
  8. I think all is being revealed this Tuesday about the summer concerts.
  9. Love the 'hoppy, hoppy bit' Janet. A great technical term. Sounds like one of mine! Clement Crisp, eat your heart out.
  10. Wow, that's some wait Jeanette. At least you've got it at last. It's deceptively simple, yet totally brilliant. You've inspired me to watch it again! Terrific performances by everyone but I found Alexander Campbell especially memorable.
  11. Yes, I was so disappointed when I first read BBC4 wasn't going to be commissioning new work but were just relying on repeats. It's one of only 3 channels I hope might show something worth watching when I plough through the Radio Times (the other two being BBC2 and SkyArts). It wouldn't be so bad if I thought it was going to delve far back in it's archive and show early ballets and documentaries such as Fonteyn's Magic of Dance, from the 1950s and 60s when ballet and culture didn't seem to be endangered species for cultural minorities. However, I suspect it will just be rehashing stuff from the last 10 years or so. But this programme about White Lodge sounds promising. CBeebies are showing Northern Ballet's Little Red Riding Hood on Monday 5th April at 12.10pm. Also SkyArts are showing Australian Ballet's Merry Widow (again!) at 6am Monday 12th April. Apparently created by Robert Helpmann! At least the initials are correct! I assume it's the recently filmed version as the other one was.
  12. You and me both, Fonty. Raymonda is the only ballet that attracts me at all and even then it is just for the novelty of the restaging (and hopefully a brief return of Alina!) as it's never a ballet that's had great appeal to me. Something lively and colourful like Corsaire would have been more to my taste as I seem to have been frustrated with my number one choice of Fille at the ROH. I'm hoping for a 'pending' Manchester visit as at least then I won't have the expense of a London trip for something that may ultimately disappoint.
  13. Just in case any programme planners read our offerings I would like to put in a plea for several of the Ashton triple to be programmed concurrently. One of our favourite recent ballet experiences was for Terry and myself to see 3 consecutive performances of the Firebird triple in summer 2019 (including Month in Country and Symphony in C). We saw Vadim twice in Month in the Country and once in Symphony in C and it was heaven. Fabulous performances by everyone. When you live a distance away as we do it's expensive to keep travelling backwards and forwards on top of the hotel bills. It's great if you can see performances in a block. If the cinema broadcast could be a different time even better. Then I can take my usual friends to the cinema and enjoy it there as well. When they show the Ashton triple I want Terry and myself to have a few days in London and CELEBRATE IN STYLE! On a different note if Kevin wants to have modern choreographers why doesn't he nurture his home-grown talent and commission Valentino Zucchetti again? I was so impressed with the Pennefather films and also the modern piece we saw on WBD. He has a great talent and someone whose choreography I would love to pay and see.
  14. Fabulous. That's me sorted then!!!!!!!! What a terrific triple though I suppose if I wanted to be really picky I could have wished for Les Rendezvous rather than Rhapsody as (despite what Kevin says) it's not that long since we saw Rhapsody with Two Pigeons. I love it but as it's available on dvd already I'd have liked something not available (I'm being optimistic here and assuming there will be a dvd as the only recording I know of Month in the Country features Dowell. It's wonderful of course but I would love one with Vadim. He was so terrific when we saw him.) You can keep your Wheeldon and Macgregor. That's all I want to see. Every night if possible!! Also want to see the Swan Lake debuts I missed and debuts in Giselle and possibly Romeo. I suppose it's too much to hope Fille will somehow find it's way into summer programming? I mustn't be too greedy!!
  15. Hear, hear Bridem! A great way of expressing the effect Ashton choreography has on so many of us. I felt I had to say this as the computer would only allow me to 'like' your performance once instead of the (minimum) 5 'likes' I would have otherwise given your comment.
  16. My first choice would definitely have been Fille but as its already been taken several times perhaps I could slightly cheat and go for an Ashton mixed bill (still only one programme!) that would include Vadim dancing Month in the Country, but also possibly some Ashton not already mentioned such as Patiners, Facade or Birthday Offering. The whole programme being filmed for cinema broadcast with hopefully a dvd or TV slot to follow.
  17. SkyArts are also showing Northern Ballet's Casanova at 6.30am Sun 28th March. Also Billy Elliott at 9pm on the same day.
  18. Thanks Dawnstar for saying what I thought but couldn't quite bring myself to say! We obviously think along similar lines. I'm dying to get back to the ROH but wouldn't risk a 200 mile train journey and an overnight stay to see Within the Golden Hour. Frankly, I'm not sure if I'd walk down the road to see it having seen it at the cinema and the livestream. Twice is more than enough. I can see why they're doing it as dancers won't need as much rehearsal time. Though regarding the train a friend told me someone she knew got the train from Blackpool to London and was the only person on it! I do like the idea of a socially distanced theatre though. Uninterrupted sightlines! No tall or fidgetty person just in front of you. Bliss! Also, I'm sure everyone will be so pleased at being in a theatre again they'll make just as much noise as if there were 2,000+. Will be interesting to see what the other programmes are, perhaps they'll prove more of a dilemma. I hope they stream all of them then perhaps I'll wait until autumn when I'll feel safer at travelling and not risking compromising my husband's health. I'm hoping for la Fille and/or an Ashton mixed bill and I'm sure Swan Lake will feature.
  19. Sadly the plan for a theatre museum in Blackpool partly funded by the V and A fell by the wayside and I don't know of another. It is terrible that the country of Shakespeare, and such a vibrant theatrical tradition, cares so little for this vital artform that a proper theatrical museum can't be funded. I used to go to the Theatre Museum when it was in Covent Garden and for some reason I never really liked it. I think it was the building that seemed to go almost underground. I loved the displays and costumes but just wished it was elsewhere in covent garden. It would be a tragedy if all those artifacts including ballet costumes, were hardly to be seen again or were destroyed because of lack of care.
  20. Just a short 2 minute clip but interesting to see Dowell, as Nijinsky thoroughly upstaging Nureyev's Valentino. Not something that probably happened often!
  21. Swan Lake would be a great opener for the public, especially with the debuts I never got to see. From a selfish point of view I might prefer something else as I don't think I will be travelling 200 miles to London and staying overnight before autumn at the earliest. Also, Kevin may prefer to start with a mixed bill or a series of concerts that would be cheaper to stage, given the theatre will be less than half full. Also they wouldn't need massed corps de ballet rehearsals which may still be tricky. I think Swan Lake will return in autumn, hopefully with something cheerful like Fille or Coppelia.
  22. Just giving this a boost as it's on tonight. Hopefully some if not all programmes will be available on iplayer for a month for UK residents. Haven't seen anything on ROH website/social media about the anniversary but haven't looked that closely.
  23. I found it very poignant. A reminder (if one was needed) about what we had been missing, but the glimpses of ballets being danced and worked on gives us hope for the (hopefully not too distant) future. A very imaginative and worthwhile production.
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