Royal Ballet: The Two Pigeons, Monotones I & II, November 2015 & Rhapsody January 2016

[Jillykins]

I can only agree with all the comments about cinema performance given in the excellent reviews by forum members. It is so good that like minded ballet goers get a chance to share their views. I don't manage to see as many performances as some members do so it is good to hear about other casts. So good in the cinema to get close ups as I am usually in the amphitheatre!, p

Last night Rhapsody was sensational, my first viewing. I loved McCraes arrogance in posture and the delicious neatness of his magic feet. I did feel a connection to Osipova as the ballet progressed. I am glad others have commented on her shoes. They really were very soft, maybe on purpose to give her the speed of those delicious bourres! I remember how we used to murder our new pointe shoes in order to soften them up. Take out the spine and bash against the wall. I digress, maybe the very softness caused her slight stumble although she recovered seamlessly. I agree that supporting male and female dancers reached a special level of technique and stage presence. What a future for the company. Who is the little blonde girl? I am looking forward to Choe and Zucchetti live on Thursday.

I loved The Pigeons again,I saw this cast earlier in the run. Lauren and Vadim have grown in confidence and developed powerful acting skills to compliment their splendid dancing. Fumi was a revelation as the gypsy girl. Real sparkle and a sense of fun. Again such strong support by the rest of the cast. So looking forward to my third cast on Friday. I did miss Laura , so sorry she is injured.

Once again thank all the members for so much information and sharing of the wonderful art that is ballet!

[Fonty]

The sad thing is that it takes time for the company to get the hang of dancing Ashton, and just as they are getting to grips with it, the run finishes.  Everyone has commented on how much better everyone seems to be dancing as a result of performing his works, but when the next Ashton ballet comes round we will be back to scruffy footwork, rather tense, fixed expressions and dancers struggling to flow with the music. 

 

And once again the critics will start to debate about whether Ashton is too old fashioned, not in tune with today's modern dancers/audiences, not worth reviving etc.   The trouble is, some of the performances I have seen in the past have enforced this.  I can't remember who did Enigma Variations when I last saw it, but I remember coming away with a vague feeling of disappointment.  It seemed to lack vim and vigour, and I felt that none of the people being portrayed came across as unique individuals.  Likewise, the last time I saw Les Patineurs (and that was a long time ago), it seemed to lack joy.  The dancers were performing as if they really were rather nervous ice skaters who were worried they might fall over. 

[capybara]

The interviews with Lauren Cuthbertson, Vadim Muntagirov and Christopher Carr, along with links to other clips are now here:

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/watch-members-of-the-cast-and-creative-team-on-rhapsody-the-two-pigeons

 

Audience reaction in the form of tweets and other comments is here:

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/your-reaction-rhapsody-the-two-pigeons-live-in-cinemas

[bangorballetboy]

 Who is the little blonde girl?

 

Meaghan Grace Hinkis

[SusanR]

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's live relay. Vadim was so good in 2 Pigeons & I was very impressed with Fumi's gypsy girl. As for Steven, what can I say? Amazing, so fast, I don't know how he did it! But, I am with Sim regarding Darcey. Not only did she mangle Vadim's name she also muddled the words even though she was obviously reading from an autocue.And the gushing, winds me up every time! However she was much better when interviewing Cuthbertson & Collier.

[John Mallinson]

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's live relay. Vadim was so good in 2 Pigeons & I was very impressed with Fumi's gypsy girl. As for Steven, what can I say? Amazing, so fast, I don't know how he did it! But, I am with Sim regarding Darcey. Not only did she mangle Vadim's name she also muddled the words even though she was obviously reading from an autocue.And the gushing, winds me up every time! However she was much better when interviewing Cuthbertson & Collier.

 

Darcey Bussell is avowedly dyslexic. This could well give her trouble with the autocue.

[capybara]

Darcey Bussell is avowedly dyslexic. This could well give her trouble with the autocue.

 

Yes, we know. However, she is not reading Shakespeare but, rather, lines with which she will (surely) already be familiar.

[FLOSS]

Perhaps the powers that be at the RB need to be made aware that the audience, or parts of the audience  actually notice how much better the company looks after it has danced Ashton choreography for any length of time and that we think that it would be a shame if the visible improvement in dancing were allowed to disappear  again as a result of only dancing his choreography intermittently.

 

Kevin  O'Hare  has said that Ashton is essential to who the company is .It is unclear whether he meant essential to its identity or to its performance style. If he was merely talking about identity then there is no need for management to worry or do anything. Ashton remains the founder choreographer of heritage works which are dusted off occasionally and performed sometimes successfully, but more by luck than judgment. There will be occasional performances which are danced by people who have the style but for the main part it will be a homogenised  one size fits all style but that is all. The alternative view is that he meant that the style is essential to the company's identity. If that is what he means that will require work to be undertaken with someone devising an Ashton equivalent of the classes which RDB  have devised because of the number of recruits to the company who have not been trained in the RDB school..

Edited January 27, 2016 by FLOSS

[bridiem]

I was at the ROH last night. I loved Rhapsody and was especially pleased that the costumes have been restored to something more like the originals - a much better reflection of the fizz and dazzle of the choreography. There is so much to see too - richness, depth and subtlety - it's so much more than a pretty setting of the beautiful music which at first it might appear to be. I thought McRae was sensational - brilliant technique and musicality - but I also slightly missed the air of insouciance that the role (unreasonably!) also asks for. I am a huge fan of Osipova and there was a lot that was lovely about her performance, but I did think that there were times when (to my surprise) she struggled a bit with the speed of the footwork. I also thought that there were times when the men were surprisingly ragged, whereas the women seemed much more comfortable. I wonder if the men in particular are so used to being asked to do everything as BIG and HIGH and STRONG as possible that they find it very difficult to dance on a 'smaller' scale that requires enormous precision as well as fluidity and an apparently effortless grace. But overall it was an exciting performance of a gorgeous work.

 

The Two Pigeons is itself like a living work of art. No step or note out of place, and it seems to get more and more satisfying as it goes along until the final reconciliation pas de deux brings it to an absolutely perfect and profoundly moving close. As when I saw it last autumn, the audience (including me!) simply couldn't wait until the curtain had fallen before starting the applause and cheering. Cuthbertson, Muntagirov and all the dancers brought such conviction to the work that it seemed as if they had been dancing it for years. Let's hope they will be!

[alison]

I thought McRae was sensational - brilliant technique and musicality - but I also slightly missed the air of insouciance that the role (unreasonably!) also asks for. I am a huge fan of Osipova and there was a lot that was lovely about her performance, but I did think that there were times when (to my surprise) she struggled a bit with the speed of the footwork.

Talking about insouciance, you've reminded me that last night was the first time I'd seen the "shrug" done properly. I don't know whether it was my viewing angle at previous performances, but it looked like the dancer simply raising his right arm relatively high in salutation.

 

I wasn't surprised to see Osipova having difficulty with the speed - it's very much underestimated how much you have to squeeze into a very small time. Hayward and Choe have already had a run to get used to the ballet - it must be difficult for someone having her 2nd and 3rd-ever performances in the ballet filmed.

 

I was very glad to see that there was little attempt to applaud the second pigeon arriving at the end, so the ballet was allowed to finish more or less as it should be. It's rather like Spectre de la Rose, where if the Spectre's leap out of the window is applauded it rather ruins the rest of the ballet.

 

Nobody else has brought the subject up, but I keep spotting links to Scenes de Ballet in Rhapsody. Am I the only one?

[Fonty]

Perhaps the powers that be at the RB need to be made aware that the audience, or parts of the audience  actually notice how much better the company looks after it has danced Ashton choreography for any length of time and that we think that it would be a shame if the visible improvement in dancing were allowed to disappear  again as a result of only dancing his choreography intermittently.

 

I was thinking along those lines myself, but I am not sure which would be the best way in which to express this. 

[alison]

Incidentally, if you've ever wondered exactly *what* the Young Man is painting, there's a photo among the rehearsal photographs on the ROH website which gives the game away .  It may only be available via the digital programme, though.

[tabitha]

 Kevin  O'Hare  has said that Ashton is essential to who the company is .It is unclear whether he meant essential to its identity or to its performance style. If he was merely talking about identity then there is no need for management to worry or do anything. Ashton remains the founder choreographer of heritage works which are dusted off occasionally and performed sometimes successfully, but more by luck than judgment. There will be occasional performances which are danced by people who have the style but for the main part it will be a homogenised  one size fits all style but that is all. The alternative view is that he meant that the style is essential to the company's identity. If that is what he means that will require work to be undertaken with someone devising an Ashton equivalent of the classes which RDB  have devised because of the number of recruits to the company who have not been trained in the RDB school..

I think RB should continue to increase the proportion of Ashton in the programme and take greater care of its heritage in the same way that RDB does or NYC. Unfortunately it will take more than extra classes. Some dancers will always struggle with Ashton either physically or just because of entrenched other styles of dance from a young age. For me, I am not interested in seeing Ashton works unless they are done exceptionally well and this would require a return to casting for suitability as opposed to status e.g. I don't see Osipova ever looking entirely comfortable in an Ashton ballet.

 

It seems that those dancers best suited to Ashton seem to be those who have trained in it from a young age through White Lodge and Upper School, but even then, not all students can master it. Inevitably those who shine most brilliantly in the Ashton style are then not selected for the company due to not having the ballet characteristics that are currently in fashion. However, just very occasionally someone will have all required attributes and they should be given the lead roles and maybe a greater focus on Ashton will again change the focus of the recruitment policy to enable a greater level of competency across the whole company.

[Lenore]

I wasn't surprised to see Osipova having difficulty with the speed - it's very much underestimated how much you have to squeeze into a very small time. Hayward and Choe have already had a run to get used to the ballet - it must be difficult for someone having her 2nd and 3rd-ever performances in the ballet filmed

 

 

That's actually a very good point, and something that didn't even cross my mind. Must be quite nerve wracking? Especially knowing it'll be the one the world sees, so to speak. It would be very interesting to see how she improves with time.

 

I'm seeing the encore on Sunday. Quite excited. Does anyone know whether it'll be exactly the same as the live broadcast? Or do they edit out interviews/slips etc?

 

Also, the shoes! Always a hot topic. Anyone know why Natalia has them so beaten up & almost dead looking?

[MrsBBB]

Also, the shoes! Always a hot topic. Anyone know why Natalia has them so beaten up & almost dead looking?

She wears Gaynor Mindens which last far longer than traditional pointe shoes and therefore can look rather battered. Ditto Alina Cojocaru.

[bridiem]

She wears Gaynor Mindens which last far longer than traditional pointe shoes and therefore can look rather battered. Ditto Alina Cojocaru.

 

That's interesting. But I haven't noticed her shoes looking different from any others until last night. Maybe she chose a particularly old/soft pair because of the fast footwork (no idea if you'd want soft shoes for that or not!). It looked to me as if they were a bit too soft, in fact - almost like slippers. But clearly she must know what she wants out of her shoes! Not ideal though if they look so battered that the audience notices. (I speak as someone who has great difficulty wearing/walking in any sort of shoes, so really I have no right at all to pass comment on minor variations in the shoes of someone who dances en pointe in a pair of flimsy satin ballet shoes...).

[LinMM]

This is really only an aside but FLOSS mentioned there is a company still performing Les Apparitions. Hope I've got that info right but would really love to see this ballet!!

It's that old book by William Chappell on Fonteyn and the pictures of her in this ballet have been imprinted since I was given this book as a birthday present around 1960

[alison]

I'm seeing the encore on Sunday. Quite excited. Does anyone know whether it'll be exactly the same as the live broadcast? Or do they edit out interviews/slips etc?

 

It will be identical, as far as I know - not that I've ever seen the show twice to compare   Although they may cut a bit ouf of the interval?

 

Getting back to the speed of things, Osipova wouldn't be the first big name to struggle on that: I remember Carlos Acosta (who danced the role only in one season) for all his abilities having difficulty keeping up with the music - as he did with The Dream, too.

[Balletfanp]

Poor Darcey!  Yes, she did stumble over the pronunciation of Muntagirov, but we can all do that at times. OK, we’d prefer it if she had said it correctly [presumably, though not necessarily, Muntageerov], but that was the only slip she made.

I take your point. But really, it wasn't just a mispronunciation, it came out absolutely nothing like. And yes, if she is dyslexic, I understand there may be problems with reading the Autocue. But all the more reason, surely, to mug up on who is dancing beforehand - and make sure you can at least approximately pronounce their names?

 

That said, for the rest I didn't find her as bad as she has been in some of the other relays.

[Sim]

This is really only an aside but FLOSS mentioned there is a company still performing Les Apparitions. Hope I've got that info right but would really love to see this ballet!!

It's that old book by William Chappell on Fonteyn and the pictures of her in this ballet have been imprinted since I was given this book as a birthday present around 1960

It is the Sarasota Ballet in Florida. They have a lot of Ashton in their repertoire. I would love to see how they dance those works.

[Melody]

If Jeremy Isaac's memoirs are to be trusted then the Royal Ballet's attitude towards its MacMillan and Ashton repertories are not simply a matter of chance or the effects of time and changes in taste but the result of decisions made by the company management not long after Ashton's death. He gives an account of a meeting at which he, Lady MacMillan and Kenneth MacMillan were present at which Lady MacMillan argued that as MacMillan was still able to make ballets the company should concentrate on his works rather than Ashton's which were old fashioned. Isaacs records that he was told that Anthony agreed with this approach and he says that he too agreed that MacMillan's works should be promoted.. This plus the loss of Michael Somes, a staunch custodian of the Ashton repertory. goes a long way to explain the decline in both the frequency of Ashton revivals and their quality during Dowell's directorship.

 

I can see why Kenneth MacMillan's widow would be forcefully advocating showcasing his work and cementing him in people's minds as THE choreographer associated with the Royal Ballet. I'm a lot less clear why Anthony Russell-Roberts would go along with this. It seems from things reported here and also mentioned in biographies and whatnot that he's been almost actively sabotaging Ashton's heritage (I'm thinking about the comments that certain Ashton ballets are lost and beyond hope of revival when other people are saying otherwise), and I'm at a bit of a loss to understand why.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Melody

[Mousem40]

I went for the second time to the ROH to see this double bill, after having loved it so much last week (Osipova/McRae & Choe being my stand out performers then)

 

First of all McRae performed even more spectacularly this time. His jumps even bigger, such unbounded confidence. Incredible.

 

However, I think I stand alone with my view of Cuthbertson's performance (vis a vis Choe's). It seemed as though she just walked out of a dramatisation of a Jane Austen Novel - no emotional dynamic range, it was such a muted performance (and she's usually one of my favourite dancers)

 

In the artist's studio for example, the sections where the audience laughed along with Choe's portrayal of an impatient muse, were no longer laugh out loud funny. Cuthbertson didn't seem to be impatient at all, or in a jocular mood. Her rendition of the pidgeon dance sections were half hearted. She also didn't seem all too bothered if the gypsy girl seduced her man or not. No sense of the fury that Choe presented or the sheer joy at getting him back.

 

If I hadn't seen Choe's outstanding performance I would have really liked Lauren's, unfortunately I had, so I didn't.

 

On a brighter note, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Kaneko as the Gypsy girl and I'd love to see her in Don Q.

And as for Vadim - I absolutely love watching him. It's as though he's won the lottery every time he dances, he radiates sheer joy at being up there and performing for us.

[Tony Newcombe]

I can see why Kenneth MacMillan's widow would be forcefully advocating showcasing his work and cementing him in people's minds as THE choreographer associated with the Royal Ballet. I'm a lot less clear why Anthony Russell-Roberts would go along with this. It seems from things reported here and also mentioned in biographies and whatnot that he's been almost actively sabotaging Ashton's heritage (I'm thinking about the comments that certain Ashton ballets are lost and beyond hope of revival when other people are saying otherwise), and I'm at a bit of a loss to understand why.

Sabotaging? He owns Monotones, Rhapsody and Two Pigeons

[bangorballetboy]

It is the Sarasota Ballet in Florida. They have a lot of Ashton in their repertoire. I would love to see how they dance those works.

 

I shan't mention my forthcoming holiday then...

[Fonty]

I wasn't surprised to see Osipova having difficulty with the speed - it's very much underestimated how much you have to squeeze into a very small time. Hayward and Choe have already had a run to get used to the ballet - it must be difficult for someone having her 2nd and 3rd-ever performances in the ballet filmed.

 

 

 

I think it is a bit sad that the version that will be preserved for the future is the one danced by a ballerina who is not at home with the Ashton choreography, and has only danced it 2 or 3 times before. 

 

Yes, I know people will say that Osipova is a Super Star, and on that basis should be the one being filmed, because Everyone wants to see her.  I think that might be a valid argument for something like Swan Lake.  That is a ballet that most people have seen before, probably many times, and a new and original interpretation  would be of great interest.  However, for ballets that are not performed that often, and are supposed to represent the English style,  I think it is a pity to take that approach.

[Sim]

I shan't mention my forthcoming holiday then...

Gggggrrrrrr..... well the LEAST you can do will be to report back please!! I am fascinated that it is an American company that seems to be flying the Ashton flag the highest.

[MAB]

The original cast was filmed in Rhapsody, on the first night I think, certainly seen it on video.  Time to get it transferred to DVD?

[bangorballetboy]

Gggggrrrrrr..... well the LEAST you can do will be to report back please!! I am fascinated that it is an American company that seems to be flying the Ashton flag the highest.

 

I certainly win.  Taking in some NYCB too, mind, and considering some Miami City Ballet as well!

[ferrylights]

The original cast was filmed in Rhapsody, on the first night I think, certainly seen it on video.  Time to get it transferred to DVD?

 

I found this on YouTube, a small low quality snippet. 

 

Edited January 28, 2016 by ferrylights

[Bluebird]

The original cast was filmed in Rhapsody, on the first night I think, certainly seen it on video.  Time to get it transferred to DVD?

I have a copy (transferred from videotape) of that broadcast. Sadly, although they showed the whole of Mam'zelle Angot, (which was also performed that evening), they only showed the pas de deux from Rhapsody.  I suppose there's a chance that they filmed the whole of Rhapsody and didn't broadcast it?

 

Edited to add that I've just watched the snippet referred to in the previous post and it is taken from that  same broadcast.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Bluebird

[Balletfanp]

I'm seeing the encore on Sunday. Quite excited. Does anyone know whether it'll be exactly the same as the live broadcast? Or do they edit out interviews/slips etc?

Last time I saw one it appeared to be exactly the same - interviews and all!

[amos73]

Saturday evening brought yet another cast in Rhapsody and yet more debuts in Pigeons. Choe  gives a lovely account of the Collier role and managed to make more of the wrist flicks than either Hayward or Osipova have done. A small detail I know but it is the observance of such small details that contribute to great performances, I am sure that O'Hare must be very happy to be able to muster three casts of soloists for Rhapsody. It certainly says a great deal about the technical standards in the company.  However while Zucchetti  can execute the steps he did  not look as if he was completely at home in the choreography. His performance is at the bravura end of the spectrum but his performance did not look as effortless as it should have done and had a rougher edge to it than McRae's did.

 

Two Pigeons saw Ball and Stix Brunell  make their official debuts in Pigeons. They both danced the choreography as set but brought out details which had been missing or not brought out sufficiently by other casts. This Young Girl  was not the sweet little thing that most of the other dancers had made her. She seemed to me to be more in the Seymour mould  than the others and she made the section in which her actions tell the audience that she has realised that she has gone too far register. With Ball there were occasions when I hardly noticed that he was dancing not because he was dancing badly but because the narrative was completely integrated into his dancing. In the second act he made far more of the section where the Young Man, having been bound with ropes pulls himself along one rope and wraps it round his waist turns and repeats the action, than any of the other Young Men had done. His performance  reminded me of David Wall particularly in that section. The reconciliation pas de deux was beautifully done. Clare Calvert made a strong debut as the Gypsy Girl.

 

Three more performances this week and then we wait to see whether Two Pigeons slips back into oblivion or whether it is revived in future seasons and whether in due course a DVD is issued.  

 

I can't help wondering whether Amos 73's  mystery dancer at the matinee was Stix Brunell? 

 

I wish I knew too! I did email the school's matinee people at ROH and ask but no answer ...

[LinMM]

Thanks for that clip ferrylights ....so lovely to see Collier again such a musical dancer and one of my favourites along the way!!

 

I did not see Baryshnikov dance this unfortunately (he was glorious in Fille another Ashton) but although he apparently was disappointed that the dance for him in this ballet (Rhapsody) was so virtuostic ...as he wanted to try the "English" style ....it seems Ashton made it this way purely because of the virtuosity of the music itself so it was in keeping!!

 

I'd forgotten how lovely that pas de deux is in the above clip and can't wait till Saturday to see Hayward who seems to be very much praised for her dancing in this ballet this time round.