jmhopton

Seen so much this year and it's almost all been amazing so to pick one performance is almost impossible. I've really enjoyed some incredible debuts; Sambe /O' Sullivan and Hayward /Coralles in Romeo and Juliet. Naghdi /Ball in Coppelia as well as some great mixed bills. However I agree with Jenny Taylor that at the moment Vadim is in a league of his own so my outstanding performance must include him. His solo in Coppelia I think is one of the most outstanding solo's I've ever seen as was his performance in Winter Dreams. Like others I cried at the end of his Two Pigeons but if I can only choose one outstanding performance it would have to be his performance in A Month in the country which I found emotionally draining and so incredibly moving. I went with my husband, Terry, and we both thought the same. We booked specifically for the second week so we could see him twice in this and also once in Symphony in C, another great ballet with great performances. We have been so spoilt with such amazing rep. and dancing in 2019 it's difficult to see how 2020 can equal it let alone surpass it but it will be a lot of fun finding out! 

Happy New year everyone! Let's hope it's a great ballet one! For me it gets off to what will hopefully be the best possible start with two performances of Coppelia on January 4th followed by the Onegin casting I've been waiting for for five years in Muntagirov and Osipova. Despite living 200 miles from London I've booked for all three performances and a couple of the Bonelli/Naghdi ones as well. They all (including the Coppelia ones) have the potential to get my new year off to the best balletic start ever. 

However at this time of year my thoughts always go forward to what will be in the programme for the next balletic year of 2020 /21. I know it will almost certainly have already been decided but you never know, there may be a mixed bill that still needs finalising or if enough people respond we may suggest something that will appear or be revived in future seasons. I concentrate mainly on the Royal Ballet as that is the company I mainly attend but of course suggestions for other companies will be great too. 

So for 2020 /21 I would like to see more Frederick Ashton who has been very underrepresented this season. Sylvia would be a great start, especially for the cinema broadcast as it was very disappointing it wasn’t filmed last time (especially with Nunez /Muntagirov). 

Month in the country would be great to see again and if that could be broadcast as part of a mixed bill that would be great too. Failing this I'd love to see any Ashton mixed bill. 

Another gala would be great as the Fonteyn one was one of my favourite performances of the year. If it became an annual event it could be used for fundraising too. It doesn't have to be specific to Fonteyn. It could have a different theme every year and if it was filmed it would be great publicity for the range of styles and dancers at the RB. 

Have to go and walk the dog now so may add a few things later but this is my start to the next balletic year discussion. 

Thanks to everyone who replied to my queries. My heart goes out to those ballet enthusiasts who must have spent so much time and effort to see Vadim's Raymonda debut. How much more frustrating must it be it for him if he's been in Paris all this time waiting to dance. I'm sure there are far worst places to spend Christmas but very stressful not knowing whether or not you're going to dance and how well prepared can you be to make a debut in these sorts of conditions? I hope in a way his performance at the end of Dec is cancelled as I'm sure he must not feel properly prepared for it and he won't want to debut a role in these conditions. It is a shame for the dancers too with their pensions problems. Difficult to know how it will be resolved.

Does anyone know if Vadim danced today and if so, how it went? 

Also is this his debut both in a full length Raymonda and with POB? 

...if only I could be there, sigh...

But in lieu of having to miss that treat how about this one a friend sent me. (Sorry to derail the Coppelia thread. it won't happen again!)

Just answered my own question by doing a bit of searching. On Sky It is channel 457. I've set it to record both but the repeat seems to be Saturday at 8.15pm. The Tuesday broadcast is 7.30pm. It seems to last about 90 minutes. It doesn't say its a ballet so you wouldn't know if you were just browsing. 

Does anyone know what channel it is on Sky, please? 

13 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

I think your friend might be slightly muddled. There is a live stream performance on January 26th which is being screened in various cinemas. 

Ah, that's probably it then. I didn't realise it was the date of the livestream. 

4 hours ago, Tango Dancer said:

I also love the fact that as well as being technically brilliant,  whatever he's in, whether it's rehearsals or performances, he looks so happy and as though he's having the time of his life and that he's found himself in the place that's right for him.  He also seems like a thoroughly nice person when he's interviewed. 

Let's hope he has found the right place for him. It certainly seems that way. We've been so privileged he chose the RB when he could have probably had his pick of any company in the world including all the Russian ones. However he seems to have found the right mix of varied rep, the chance of having new work created on him and the opportunity to guest internationally when possible. No wonder he's smiling! I've met him a few times at the stage door and he is always smiling, modest, charming, unassuming and willing to chat if he isn't rushing off. Just a great dancer and a really nice person.

Not quite sure to place this so perhaps mods can move it if necessary but a friend told me Ratmansky's Giselle is being live streamed, possibly on the Bolshoi video channel Dec 26th. Can't see anything about it on their website but just though I'd mention it in case it happens. If it does happen you go on the Bolshoi website and click on the small Bolshoi theatre logo at the top right hand side and this takes you to the video channel. We'll have to wait and see.

Wow indeed!!!! I can see myself having this permanently on my phone to enjoy it whenever I feel the need (fairly frequently I imagine!) It's not just an amazing talent; he just exudes 'niceness' and happiness and the joy of dance. We have had fracking going on near us until recently. Now that's failed perhaps you could just attach Vadim's smile to the National grid. I'm sure it can power the entire North-West of England if not all of it. Bring on the dvd, please!!!!!

Nothing new balletwise on SkyArts in the next couple of weeks but a few interesting repeats. The following are from a quick look. there may be something I missed.

Sunday 1st Dec. 3pm. Nureyev doc. (Not on Sky box. Seems to have been replaced by a Jonathan Miller La Boheme; presumably in tribute).

Monday 2nd Dec. 2pm.  Peter Wright's the Nutcracker. I think this is the BRB version but danced by Australian ballet.

Wed. 4th Dec. 6am. Discovering dance on Film.

                          2pm. Nureyev doc. again.

Thurs. 5th Dec. 10.30am Les Patineurs. (McRae, Lamb, Pennefather)

Fri. 6th Dec. 7am. Patineurs repeat. Also Sat 7th Dec. 7am.

Mon 9th Dec. 6.10am. Bach's Christmas Oratorio: a ballet by John Neumier. (I don't remember this shown before but it's not marked as New so perhaps it has.)

Wed. 11th Dec. 6am Les Patineurs.

                            6.35 Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake.

Thurs. 12th Dec. 6am. Peter Wright's Nutcracker.

                              4pm. Gene Kelly: to live and dance.

I think it is Olga Spessivtseva. 

A year or more ago when I was in the ROH amphi the woman in front of me was using her mobile. I hoped she would stop as I hate confrontations and you just don't know how people will react these days but she persisted and I knew I was going to have to mention it or have my evening ruined. Given how much time and effort it takes me just to get there it seemed an awful waste to let one selfish or thoughtless person ruin it. So I attracted her attention and asked her politely to switch off her phone. She looked at me as if I was mad and said 'but I've put it on silent' as if the noise was the only problem. When I said it was actually the glare of the screen that was distracting she looked totally disbelieving but did grudgingly switch it off. 

Obviously she'd no great interest in the amazing performance she was missing in trying to text someone that could have been done in the interval. For some people today their gratification has to be instant whether it's eating, drinking or using their mobile. Other people's needs don't count. At least at the ROH even though most of the building seems to be devoted to food and drink they do draw the line at allowing it in the auditorium. Long may this rule and the ushers vigilance against mobile phone use continue. 

I was sat in the side amphi yesterday afternoon and an usher remained in the theatre most of the performance I saw (I missed the early part) presumably monitoring mobile phone use. In the evening one was actually sitting in the back row of the stalls and was very proactive in intervening with people using phones especially during the overture and the end of the short later performance break. 

2 hours ago, MJW said:

 

mmmm not good. I would take it up with RoH  - clearly some training needed there! I would suggest mentioning in the review that one gets sent after a performance but since it only asks two questions and doesn't give any opportunity to comment, I won't !

What review? I've never been sent one and so far I've attended 4 performances this season. Anyway they can't be that interested in people's opinions if there is no room for individual comments. X

I'm going again this Saturday evening so I might mention the cast change list then. 

1 hour ago, Ingrid said:

I’m gonna write my thoughts on the triple bill over the weekend but couldn’t pass up saying that I wish Magri was up for variation 4 on the cinema relay after all the rave reviews she received. From what I read in pretty much all the reviews is that she was the one who was really swinging and going for it. 

She certainly was going for it in my opinion last Saturday matinee and I too was disappointed when she wasn't cast for it in the cinema relay. But then I saw her do an equally fabulous variation in Concerto so it's swings and roundabouts really. 

To change the subject to cast changes there were a whole list of them read out before last Saturday's matinee. When I went to the main desk in the foyer and asked if they had a cast change list I was told they didn’t do them any more and I either had to copy them manually from their list or photograph it on my phone which I did. Leaving the theatre at the end of the performance I walked past the same desk which now had a pile of cast change lists on it which would probably end up being thrown away as being too late for most people. 

I had an email to say 

 We are contacting you to let you know about the following cast changes:

Monday 23 December, 7.00pm
Saturday 28 December, 7.00pm

The role of Dr Coppelius will be performed by Bennet Gartside.

It was originally scheduled to be Marriott.

5 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

On the subject of empty cinemas.  I missed it because November 5th is Firework night.  I thought at the time it was a strange day to do a live broadcast. 

Yes I thought it was a strange night to do it. Mixed bills never seem to sell as well at the cinemas and to broadcast one when many people will be either attending firework displays or staying in with pets seems quite inexplicable, especially given the very generous number of performances.

Anyway not having either children or pets I really enjoyed the triple bill at the cinema. I actually preferred it to last Saturday's matinee at the ROH. I don't quite know why as both were excellently danced. Perhaps the close ups helped me 'get' the ballets more. Unfortunately our Odeon cinema at Preston had the sound set far too loud for Concerto and some of the high notes were actually going right through your head; very unpleasant. I suspect they'd been showing an ordinary film in the afternoon and not altered the sound level. It wasn't just me as I was part of a queue of disgruntled ballet lovers in the interval. They did reduce the sound but it still seemed louder than normal.

I really love Concerto; the music and choreography go together so seamlessly it is a joy to watch. I was slightly disappointed not to see Francesca as I thought she was stunning in it last Saturday but Anna Rose and James Hay (good to see them getting some well deserved international recognition) were really brilliant and Yasmine and Ryio very romantic in the second movement. Magri added an amazing Concerto solo to the equally amazing Raymonda solo I saw last Saturday. is there anything she can't do? Surely a principal promotion can't be that far off for her.

Enigma variations I think benefited from the cinema close ups. You could see what a nuanced ballet this is with every look and gesture counting. I thought I slightly preferred Gary Avis' Elgar to Christopher Saunders but both were excellent as was Laura Morera as Lady Elgar. I thought I saw Romany Pajdak doing the same beautiful solo she did last Saturday but the cast sheet didn't mention her. Perhaps I got it wrong. it was great to see Romany last Saturday and I'm so pleased that at last she is getting some of the parts her talent deserves. Francesca was an adorable Dorabella. Was it her debut? if so it was incredible; she was made for the role as she was for the young girl in Month in the Country. I thought both Matthew Ball and Luca Acri were excellent in their very fast solos and it was nice to see Wayne Sleep explaining Luca's role. I think on balance I slightly preferred Alex Campbell as Troyt but both were good even though they perhaps haven't quite achieved the speed, finish and authority of Dowell. But that can't really be expected in their debut season.

Finally Raymonda. Love the set and it was great it got it's customary applause. The Hungarian dances were spectacular (love the cossacky costumes!) though sometimes I got the feeling the stage was a bit cramping for some of the groupings. What can I say about Osipova and Muntagirov that others haven't already said? They were just so spectacular both as individuals and together. He sailed through his variations, defying gravity as usual and always with his megawat smile. As for Osipova I thought she was sensational. She even made me consider seeing the ballet full length if she was Raymonda something I thought I'd never say as I think it is very boring as a three act ballet. She just commanded the stage like the great artist she is.

All in all a great night. Now all I need is the dvd, please Mr O'Hare.

On 02/11/2019 at 11:24, Julie 2 Milner said:

The opening scene was astounding

Strange how we see things differently as I didn't like the opening scene at all! It is totally against the book to have Dracula as a grotesque. He invites Jonathan Harker to his castle to finalise a deal on a house purchase and intends to pass himself of as a Victorian gentleman (at least on a superficial level) so this is just not appropriate. I also found myself remembering bits of the Christopher Gable version which I thought in many ways superior; much closer to the book and both creepy and sensuous without being OTT. Also the memory of the amazing Jeremy Kerridge (one of the finest dance/actors I've ever seen) as a tortured but never grotesque Renfield is unforgettable. The final scene in the graveyard when all these grey objects came alive really cruddled my spine and I loved the Whitby scenes (ignored in this new version). Having said that there was plenty to admire in this version. the pas de deux were stunning and very Macmillanish I thought. the dancing and acting was of a high quality and the atmosphere very Gothic. I wouldn't mind seeing it again but don't know whether I'd want to see it a lot.

Several pages of the new (November) Dance Europe magazine are devoted to the RB Manon with some great pictures including one of Francesca in THAT dress and a large pull out one of Nunez and Bolle on one side and Campbell and Hayward on the other. There is also a separate illustrated interview with Corrales and several pages devoted to BRBs Giselle. 

1 hour ago, BeauxArts said:

 

(I am still non-plussed at the failure to invite Shkylarov back for Manon with Osipova - if a guest was to be invited for those performances surely he was the one, but I am at risk of repeating myself so will end on that note!)

You and me both BeauxArts. It seems to be down to Osipova and Kevin O'Hare letting her have the partner of her choice. If it was me I'd choose Shkylarov every time!

Having said that I've been more than satisfied with all the male RB dancers I have seen in this Manon. At the end of the day do we really even need great interpreters like Shkylarov undoubtedly was for me at least, when we've got dancers of the calibre of Campbell, Coralles, Sambe, Ball, Ryio and, of course, Vadim.

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

I think the first dancers I saw in Raymonda were Merle Park and Rudolf Nureyev ....and I loved it! I really like the music! 

I lived in Acton at the time and wen

 

Im just trying to remember if I've seen the whole ballet ....did the Royal ever do the whole ballet ...or a visiting Russian Company ....just seem to have a vague memory of it 🤔 

Anyway am really looking forward to this triple in December.

The Bolshoi did it in their Coliseum season in 1999. For me, especially memorable as it's the only time I ever saw the fabulous Nina Anashavilli dance live and she did Raymonda. I don't know if they've ever done it since and I can see why. Even by ballet standards the plot is non existent and the hero, despite returning from the Crusades is totally boring (well to me anyway). The only interesting person is the villain who tries to kidnap Raymonda. He has a terrific variation with really exciting music but sadly is killed before the last act. At one time when ballet was new and exciting to us we put this variation, danced by the amazing Gediminas Taranda  on whenever anyone came round as we felt we had to share this awesome dancing with everyone. It perhaps accounted for the sudden drop in visitors! 

Exactly what I think Dawnstar. Living a considerable distance from London my first thought is 'are any of the cast/s I want to see doing a matinee?' to save an overnight stay. The second thought is 'Are any of them dancing Friday/Saturday' as if I need to stay over (and I always do for an evening performance as there are no trains home) then weekend is easier for travel and sometimes marginally cheaper for London hotels. The third consideration is 'are any of the casts I want to see doing a Friday evening/Saturday matinee' or any other combination then I can see 2 casts for the price of one evening overnight. For me this worked out splendidly for Coppelia as I was able to see the 4 casts I wanted to see on 2 consecutive Saturdays; Dec 28th and Jan 4th. If after all these considerations there was a choice like Dawnstar I would probably go for a later performance.

2 hours ago, RuthE said:

 

To the best of my knowledge, casting for performances up to and including 2012 can be found on the ROH Performance Database:

 

http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/PerformanceSearch.aspx

 

...but more recent performances have not been added.  I have seriously considered emailing the ROH with a quote for updating the last 7 years myself.

Many thanks RutheE. I have bookmarked it this time. it looks a  very useful and interesting source of information so obviously not readily and easily available on the ROH website.