Coated Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) I saw the matinee on Saturday and loved Francesca Hayward's ethereal quality. There were a few glimpses where she looked positively regal, an exciting harbinger of the many qualities she is likely to add to her repertoire over the years to come. She was as wonderful, if not more, as in her Rhapsody debut which remains one of my RB highlights. Whilst he might not bring on the bravura, I really like James Hay in the role, he shares some of the ethereal qualities with Francesca and when they are in unison it's a little piece of dance heaven. I had missed the news of new (old) costumes and spent the first few minutes of the ballet questioning my sanity, wondering whether I'm mixing up Rhapsody with a different ballet altogether. I though it was a bit of a shame that the balustrade obscures part of Francesca Hayward's entrance, a moment that was burned in my minds eye as a piece of beauty from her debut, but overall I much prefer the new look. To me, the performance overall felt a bit like a Monday morning piece where people might still be in the process of waking up. The boys particularly didn't have the cohesion I'd like to see (and I'm pretty certain they had previously), they looked a lot less together than their female counterparts who had 2 last minute substitutions. Edited January 20, 2016 by Coated 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmie Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Whilst he might not bring on the bravura, I really like James Hay in the role, he shares some of the ethereal qualities with Francesca and when they are in unison it's a little piece of dance heaven. Absolutely agree with this. Looking forward to the 30th to be in heaven again! their female counterparts who had 2 last minute substitutions. I'd forgotten this. I have the Cowley/Gasparini sub on a cast change slip, can some kind soul remind of the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petunia Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Rhapsody and 2 Pigeons on the 16th Matinee – a little late but I needed to recover after my “extravaganza” (thanks, Janet )! This was the first time for me to see it and I didn’t want Rhapsody to end! Such a delightful and compelling work. So, so wondrously and beautifully danced – the ladies incredibly elegant and serene (the men not quite so - looked a little frayed around the edges sometimes, but not much) and Francesca Hayward is such a joy to watch, in her solos and together with Hay who is a class of his own. I came especially to see this cast, as everybody here on the forums was so excited about them and I gladly join the “fan club”. This ballet has helped me to understand the distinctiveness of the Ashton style more than anything else (I haven’t seen much of Ashton’s work until now) because there is no distraction from the steps – no need of storytelling or emoting. One feels and understands everything just from watching the movements. I am glad the Two Pigeons came afterwards because my eyes were better trained now, so it was easy to concentrate on the dance and not being distracted by the story which I found rather thin and fussy at times. It was Alex Campell alone who could convince me that there is a story to be told, he is such a brilliant actor in addition to his marvellous skills as a dancer, he gives everything to push the story forward and make it believable. There are many, many wonderful moments in the ballet but sometimes I was at a loss. Why is the Neighbour there, why are the Gypsies so neat (and why are their dances so long and uneventful), and what are the strange caricatures of the bourgeois couples at the Gypsie’s camp? I would be happy with just the pas-de-deux of the Young Man and the Girl in the first and second act…! Now that I have read all your contributions I’m looking forward to the cinema relay to compare the casts. And it was lovely to see some Forum members at the interval, you seem to be quite a special lot ! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Timmy, as far as I remember, the second replacement was Mayara Magri replacing Stix-Brunell. Someone else might want to confirm whether that was it 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Timmy, as far as I remember, the second replacement was Mayara Magri replacing Stix-Brunell. Someone else might want to confirm whether that was it That's what I also remember as second replacement 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 So, Petunia, you managed to see the Ashton double bill, Le Corsaire and the Akram Khan programme in one weekend. What an amazing variety of dance. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petunia Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 And "Elizabeth", too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petunia Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 And I did two guided tours, was at the Tate Britain, the National and the Portrait Gallery (twice) and walked what feels about 50 miles a day throughout London. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmie Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Timmy, as far as I remember, the second replacement was Mayara Magri replacing Stix-Brunell. Someone else might want to confirm whether that was it Thanks Coated and Duck, now you say it I do remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) It's fascinating how the same ballet can be a completely different animal with a different cast, with both casts being deeply enjoyable. Osipova and McRae brought the fireworks tonight, I think it's possible that McRae outMcRaed himself - some of his turns and jumps were very spectacular. It was great having Osipova back on the stage and looking right at home amongst the gorgeous RB girls - Olivia Cowley particularly caught my eye quite a few times with her willowy elegance and gracefulness. Rhapsody felt more nervy and bursting with barely reigned-in energy tonight, like satin over steel springs, whilst retaining a nearly timeless and hypnotic elegance. Edited January 20, 2016 by Coated 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbfisher Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 " ....like satin over steel springs...." Fabulous, Coated! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousem40 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 I agree. I've been waiting for Osipova's return to the ROH for months, my expectations were sky high, and they were exceeded. Not since her astonishing 27th Jan 2014 Giselle and her 16th Feb 2015 Onegin have I been so impressed. The passion and emotion she invests in each performance is almost tactile. McRae (who I'm not a big fan of with his popinjay strutting and smug smiles) traversed the territory of the everyday, and performed out of his skin. That PDD...gosh. The only problems were the lack of chemistry between them, and the ascetic orthodontic decor. By the first interval I had already logged on to the ROH website and booked another pair of tickets for their Tuesday performance. Truly spectacular. Choe was stunning in The Two pigeons. Her efforts were palpable from row 3 of the OS watching the sweat pouring off her body. She acted, she danced and gave everything she had. She was perfect in this role. Since I watched her being booed in Sleeping Beauty (27th March 2014) for daring to replace an injured Osipova, then performing beautifully, she really earned her stripes and my utmost respect tonight. Itziar Mendizabal performed wonderfully as A gypsy Girl. I look forward to seeing her more often. My main gripe is that the ROH has 'Hidddn' this fantastic Ashton double bill from us for so many years. I absolutely loved it! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 They seem almost completely oblivious to terre a terre dancing and there is a lot of that in Ashton's works. Thank you for such an interesting post, Floss. One thing I do not understand fully is 'terre a terre' dancing. I think I know what it means but could you please explain it? As a non dancer I'm not sure I get it. Thanks, Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 It was indeed very interesting to see a different take on Rhapsody last night. As Coated said, last night was fireworks night. McRae proved once again what an incredible technical dancer he is: jumps and turns and height the likes of which are rarely seen. He is so much fun to watch. However.....there was no interpretation of the music coming from his soul. The return of Natalia Osipova to the ROH stage has been a long time coming, and it is great to have her back healthy and in good form. She danced very well last night, but what I saw wasn't Ashton. To paraphrase the great Italian cookery writer Marcella Hazan, talking about a short-cut to making risotto said "it may be good, but it isn't risotto". I would say here that it was good, but it wasn't Ashton. Osipova tries her damndest, but she doesn't as yet have the pliant back, the line, the wrist movements and the fleet but contained footwork necessary to pull off this style. It will take a while which is not surprising as she has not been trained in this way. I also thought that the emoting was forced and it didn't look like it was coming naturally. When she dances Giselle, the emotions come from somewhere I can't even begin to understand, and are just part and parcel of her superlative interpretation. I agree with Mousem40 that there didn't seem to be any chemistry between them either. Having seen Hay and Hayward on Saturday, both graduates of the RBS and more familiar with the nuances of Ashton choreography, I prefer them in this ballet. They are graceful, elegant and understated, but put forth a performance of joy and wonder. OK, so Hay can't 'do a McRae', but unlike last night, I had a big lump in my throat at the end of the PDD, and to me that says it all. The twelve members of the corps were on great form and made a perfect frame for the two leads. I wrote above about how much I loved the Yuhui/Alexander/Itziar cast in Two Pigeons so all I will say here is that I second everything I said on Saturday.....it was another wonderful performance, showing all three of these stylistically very different dancers at their best in all respects. I am so pleased that I have got to see them three times....and I hope that Kevin O'Hare will allow the Campbell/Choe partnership to flourish; everything they dance together just works. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Sim I agree with you on Osipova/McRae. Unfortunately I didn't see Hay/Hayward but last night I was thinking how much I preferred the long ago Morera/Polunin performances. At the time I was a huge McRae fan but in the intervening years my taste has changed & I feel he has gradually lost any emotional depth he once might have had - now it's all spiky bravura. I thought in places last night the male corps were shockingly untogether - maybe it just needs a couple of performances to bed down but possibly the casting didn't help ..... I have mixed feelings about Marcelino Sambe mainly because he doesn't have a classic balletic shape but last night I thought his quality of movement was far & away superior to the other men. Maybe this unbalanced the group I don't know. Also liked Choe/Campbell very much. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Yes Anna....those Morera/Polunin performances are indelibly stamped in my memory as well. I think it's a real pity she isn't dancing it this time around. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Mine too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 (edited) Terre a terre dancing requires little elevation it calls for sharp clean, swift footwork such as you see in Ashton's Neapolitan Dance. This style of dancing was used by choreographers for both male and female dancer's variations in.the nineteenth century During the course of the twentieth century many of Petipa's works were "improved" by the inclusion of steps of elevation so that the men danced in the modern Soviet heroic style which was deemed more appropriate to heroes and premier danseurs. As with much else in ballet changes in style are the result of chamges in teachimg,technolgical advances such as the development of the pointe shoe, political changes in those countries where ballet is treated as a serious art form.and changes in taste which come about as a result of any or all of the above or the emergence of a truely innovative choreographer whose aestheics influenece several generations such as Fokine. Edited January 21, 2016 by FLOSS Done 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos73 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Sorry, does anyone know who danced the matinee yesterday? My daughter went with her school and was full of admiration for the dancer who danced the girl in Two Pigeons but doesn't know her name, and would like to find out. Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 FLOSS, you are a mine of information! Thank you for this, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 amos 73 . I think you may have to contact the Opera House to find out who danced yesterday afternoon as it sounds as if your daughter attended a school's matinee. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos73 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 She did, thank you, will do that Floss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 (edited) Petunia. The reason that the gypsies in this ballet are so neat, clean and tidy is very simple. They owe their origins to the late nineteenth century world of ballet, opera and operetta. They are purely theatrical and are not intended to be ethnologically or sociologically accurate representations of gypsies. As in many nineteenth century works they provide colour and an element of the exotic. They are a simple stage shorthand for "the other" but they also serve to refer to the original version of Les Deux Pigeons created by Merante. Ashton, unlike MacMillan, did not flirt with realism. He recognised and accepted that ballet is a highly stylised theatrical art form with rules and conventions which can be exploited, evaded, transformed, and stood on their head while MacMillan seemed to feel the need to address the conventions head on. I leave it to you to decide which approach is more successful or whether you have to choose between them. In Ashton's case it is as if the existence of the rules enhanced and stimulated his creativity rather than limiting it. Edited January 21, 2016 by FLOSS 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petunia Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Floss, thank you very much for taking the time to respond so thoroughly to my, I have to admit, somehow rethorical question. I am aware the appearance of the Gypsies is by no means intended to be realistic and they are just a symbol for the “other”, the “different ones”, but I was just somewhat disappointed that they were not a bit more messy and exciting! Their dances are very neat and orderly and I miss some of the originality Ashton invented for the young couple’s choreography. They were very operetta-like, that is true. (In my time I had several opportunities to be a “Gypsy” myself and the steps are somehow all alike…!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulff Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 I have always thought that the gypsy dances in this ballet tend to be very underrated. Especially when viewed from above, Ashton's ingenuity in devising contrasting groups of movement and floor patterns can, or should be, more fully appreciated by a public which seems to rate them solely on surface impressions without acknowledging their craftsmanship. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Lovely to read Debra Caine's Times review today describing Alexandef Campbell as "the ultimate tomantic hero" with dancing of "exciting scope and romantic breadth." 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Lovely to read Debra Caine's Times review today describing Alexandef Campbell as "the ultimate tomantic hero" with dancing of "exciting scope and romantic breadth." So nice to see these (and other) plaudits for Alexander. At last he has danced at the ROH with critics present. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Petunia perhaps I should also say that Ashton was just as obsessed by/ interested in floor patterns as Petipa was. In the great debate about the place of the corps whether it should provide controlled elegant floor patterns with ever changing ingenious groupings versus apparent naturalism; essentially late nineteenth century Petipa classicism versus Gorsky's almost Stanislavskian attempt at naturalism he is definitely in the Petipa camp.Ashton's use of the corps is always fascinating because of the steps and groupings he gives them.If you have not seen his Cinderella you should try to do so if only to see what he does with the female corps at the end of the first act. He made Two Pigeons for the old Royal Ballet Touring Company which had been set up after the Sadler's Well's Ballet became resident at Covent Garden. It was intended not only to bring ballet to audiences outside London but to act as a training ground for young dancers and choreographers. I have always thought that this ballet was created not only to provide roles for the main characters but to develop the young dancers in the corps. What I find so wonderful about Ashton's choreography, in general, is that you are always aware of the whole body in motion rather than say legs and feet which I find tends to be the case with Balanchine. Even the corps work in Ashton ballets shows the dancers in the corps in three dimensions. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissBalletFan Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Interesting to see the 'internet' front page splash review Rhapsody and The Two Pigeons, Covent Garden, review: 'the superstar outshone by the young pretender' A fantastic review for Francesca Hayward and a comparison of her vs Natalia Osipova http://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/what-to-see/rhapsody-and-the-two-pigeons-covent-garden-review-the-superstar/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Also very happy to see Alex getting his dues. I was really blown away by his performance at the Saturday matinee too. Nice to see Yuhui getting great reviews too. She is appreciated almost always by critics but it seems not the current management. Was disappointed she didn't get a shot at Giselle this year having done brilliantly in Sleeping Beauty. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I won't be seeing Osipova/McRae in the flesh but will be seeing them at the cinema on Tuesday. As a Rhapsody first timer last Saturday I was swept away by Francesca Hayward and loved the duet with James Hay (I think I already mentioned I had a lump in my throat) so I will be interested to see if Osipova/McRae have the same effect on me. I couldn't disagree with Mr Monahan's words on Two Pigeons! Thanks for linking SBF. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Interesting to see the 'internet' front page splash review Rhapsody and The Two Pigeons, Covent Garden, review: 'the superstar outshone by the young pretender' A fantastic review for Francesca Hayward and a comparison of her vs Natalia Osipova http://www.telegraph...-the-superstar/ "First artist"? Oops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I'm very glad that Mr Monahan agrees with me!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now