penelopesimpson Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 Olivia Cowley has put some photographs of the costumes on her blog Ballet Style: http://www.ballet.style/journal/2017/2/2/woolf-works-costumes-up-close These are lovely. Thanks for sharing. Also, helps with identification because if I had one 'criticism' about WW, it would be that I spend too long trying to work out who is who! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I was really excited to see what Woolf Works would look like in the cinema, I saw it at Dukes and not the Odeon and immediately noticed better picture quality, though not sound, I found Mrs.Dalloway looks better from my perch in the amphi as I didn't see the dancers moving through space as well in closeup, and the scenic effects weren't so good especially the final mosaic of the garden. On the other hand Orlando looked so much better, don't know if they had to reduce the foggy lighting for the cameras but it was much clearer, even more fascinating in closeup, though they couldn't quite capture the lasers at the end, which is a fantastic sight from the amphi. Everyone looked happy last night in the interviews, Darcey and her new female co-presenter, Kevin O'Hare and Wayne himself, it was a great occasion and I'm sure a DVD and Blu-Ray will follow shortly "by popular demand", Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli were superb and so moving, might have to book to see them twice in M and A, and the thought of Natalia Osipova and Edward Watson in Mayerling was enticing too! I can't get enough of Woolf Works, looking forward to seeing the second cast again on Saturday night, sorry that Tristan Dyer was still unwell, but Calvin Richardson is becoming another great McGregor dancer , that Septimus/Evans pdd is almost THE highlight of the ballet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Oh is Ferri doing M and A then .....I didn't know will have to book for that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Honestly I've got a memory like a sieve have already made a note in my diary that booking opens on March 28th for M and A and that Ferri is doing two performances!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Honestly I've got a memory like a sieve have already made a note in my diary that booking opens on March 28th for M and A and that Ferri is doing two performances!! I've been looking and one is an early 12.30pm start which I don't like, so looks like I'll have to go to the other evening. I was thinking last night that it was the most moving performance I've seen from Federico Bonelli. I went to Monk's House for the first time in September, a lovely sunny autumn afternoon, I think the last scene of the Mrs. Dalloway ballet shows her alone with her memories in the garden, the programme has a large photo of it in the middle. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 Could anybody clarify me who danced the pas de deux with Ed Watson last night? It was so moving, absolutely wonderful, as was Matthew Ball the first time I saw WW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 (edited) Could anybody clarify me who danced the pas de deux with Ed Watson last night? It was so moving, absolutely wonderful, as was Matthew Ball the first time I saw WW. (Assume you mean in the first act) ... If so, it was the BRILLIANT Calvin Richardson. For me his contributions were among the prime joys of the evening. Edited February 9, 2017 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I too thought Calvin Richardson sublime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 (Assume you mean in the first act) ... If so, it was the BRILLIANT Calvin Richardson. For me his contributions were among the prime joys of the evening. Thanks for that. He was wonderful and together they were mesmerising. Can you recall who dances it with Matthew Ball in the second cast? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 It was Calvin Richardson with Matthew Ball on 21 January as Tristan Dyer is injured. I'm assuming (never assume) that he has continued to appear in that cast too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Beryl H yes I want to book for the matinee on June 3rd but will go for the Thursday evening if can't get tickets for the mat. The casting is good for the other ballets too......sorry off topic. Yes I've been to Monks House a few times now as its near to where I live but last summer was the best visit as the weather was sunny just perfect the garden was lovely ...at its best and it was lovely lounging around on the grass and listening to the readings........I quite like being read to even if only half get the gist ....... There were two readings by different people ....one from "To the Lighthouse" and one from "Mrs Dalloway" The House there is interesting too and of course a few miles down the road is Charleston Farmhouse......another place really worth a visit and the talk there is really very informative if you like the Bloomsbury set ......I would n't be surprised if the ballet doesn't have some reference to what was going on there......including naked ex ballerinas wandering .....maybe even dancing around the grounds!! But the relationships were all so complicated and so much duplicity that I'm not surprised you could sink into a depression and get suicidal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saodan Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 So, this has been a surreal experience. I have seen Woolf Works twice now, once at the Royal Opera House, once in the cinema, and the only thing I can say for certain is that I love the music. I could do without some of the electric sections in ‘Becomings’, but otherwise hearing that music played live by a top orchestra is worth the ticket price alone. ‘I Now, I Then’ is a wonderfully conceived interpretation of Mrs Dalloway. ‘Tuesday’ is pure emotion. ‘Becomings’ I have major issues with. I very strongly believe that anybody who thinks Orlando should be read as a work of science fiction has entirely missed the point of the novel. I find it astonishing that someone can interpret such a deep book in such a vacuous way. I know its an excuse for lasers, and mirrors, and typical McGregor choreography, but still… Overall, the quality of the performance was astonishing from the whole cast, from searing dramatic performances to incredible athletic displays. The staging was spectacular across all three movements, as was the lighting and design as a whole. The choreography is surely some of the best that McGregor has done and looks like the work of a master of his art. But, I just don’t get it. On both viewings, I have been left somewhat bemused, and not just by ‘Becomings’. I can appreciate that its good, kind of enjoy it, and desperately want to be as enthusiastic about it as others, but it just doesn’t excite me. Based on past experience, I can only presume that McGregor’s choreographic style doesn’t sit well with me and is acting as a barrier. Has anybody else had this sort of experience where you can appreciate something is good, but just don’t like it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 But, I just don’t get it. On both viewings, I have been left somewhat bemused, and not just by ‘Becomings’. I can appreciate that its good, kind of enjoy it, and desperately want to be as enthusiastic about it as others, but it just doesn’t excite me. Based on past experience, I can only presume that McGregor’s choreographic style doesn’t sit well with me and is acting as a barrier. Has anybody else had this sort of experience where you can appreciate something is good, but just don’t like it? I hate to admit that I don't enjoy some of Ashton's ballets, especially the ones considered masterpieces. As you say I can appreciate they are quality works, I just don't enjoy watching them. :/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanartus Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I understand completely. I know Ashton's Two Pigeons has much to offer. But oh how I hated every minute of it. Every. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisydance Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I wasn't able to go to the cinema screening but I hope they'll do a DVD of this as I saw at the opera house and would love to see the dancers' faces close up. apparently there will be a DVD in a few months, yes 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Beryl H yes I want to book for the matinee on June 3rd but will go for the Thursday evening if can't get tickets for the mat. The casting is good for the other ballets too......sorry off topic. Yes I've been to Monks House a few times now as its near to where I live but last summer was the best visit as the weather was sunny just perfect the garden was lovely ...at its best and it was lovely lounging around on the grass and listening to the readings........I quite like being read to even if only half get the gist ....... There were two readings by different people ....one from "To the Lighthouse" and one from "Mrs Dalloway" The House there is interesting too and of course a few miles down the road is Charleston Farmhouse......another place really worth a visit and the talk there is really very informative if you like the Bloomsbury set ......I would n't be surprised if the ballet doesn't have some reference to what was going on there......including naked ex ballerinas wandering .....maybe even dancing around the grounds!! But the relationships were all so complicated and so much duplicity that I'm not surprised you could sink into a depression and get suicidal. It is a wonderful place isn't it, and so is Charleston. Of course Woolf suffered from very serious psychotic episodes throughout her life, and her tragic suicide was the result of fearing the onset of such an episode- during the terrible time of the Second World War- (her husband, Leonard was Jewish and they had obtained cyanide capsules in case the Nazis invaded) and nothing to do with convoluted relationships. I don't think I was alone in weeping at the start of 'Tuesday' as her suicide note was read out, paying such eloquent and moving tribute to Leonard for all his devoted support during her periods of illness. They had a very good relationship, wonderfully documented in her diaries. It seems to me that MacGregor dealt very sensitively and movingly with this aspect of Woolf's life and work. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I agree, Mary. That suicide note rips through my soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I see the score is by Max Richter who is behind the music for the current BBC Drama series....I'm completely hooked on....Taboo( would make a great ballet) Taboo, mmm .... Definitely one for Liam Scarlett. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 So, this has been a surreal experience. I have seen Woolf Works twice now, once at the Royal Opera House, once in the cinema, and the only thing I can say for certain is that I love the music. I could do without some of the electric sections in ‘Becomings’, but otherwise hearing that music played live by a top orchestra is worth the ticket price alone. ‘I Now, I Then’ is a wonderfully conceived interpretation of Mrs Dalloway. ‘Tuesday’ is pure emotion. ‘Becomings’ I have major issues with. I very strongly believe that anybody who thinks Orlando should be read as a work of science fiction has entirely missed the point of the novel. I find it astonishing that someone can interpret such a deep book in such a vacuous way. I know its an excuse for lasers, and mirrors, and typical McGregor choreography, but still… Overall, the quality of the performance was astonishing from the whole cast, from searing dramatic performances to incredible athletic displays. The staging was spectacular across all three movements, as was the lighting and design as a whole. The choreography is surely some of the best that McGregor has done and looks like the work of a master of his art. But, I just don’t get it. On both viewings, I have been left somewhat bemused, and not just by ‘Becomings’. I can appreciate that its good, kind of enjoy it, and desperately want to be as enthusiastic about it as others, but it just doesn’t excite me. Based on past experience, I can only presume that McGregor’s choreographic style doesn’t sit well with me and is acting as a barrier. Has anybody else had this sort of experience where you can appreciate something is good, but just don’t like it? Absolutely, Song of the Earth and Les Noces spring to mind, I accept they are masterpieces but I just don't like them! I remember the horror once on a woman's face when I said I was going to leave before Les Noces, how she told me off, then said loads of her friends hated it too, indeed lots of people did leave with me 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I think it was the Bloomsbury set as a whole who had more convoluted relationships .....mainly the carrying's on at Charleston ....but it's a very long time since I've read the Ottiline Morrell book and I seem to remember Virginia Woolf being rather unhappy earlier on but perhaps if she suffered from some form of Mental illness this would also account for it. It all seemed to be a very heightened and intense intellectual atmosphere they lived in which wouldn't help someone who was mentally unstable I would think. I always thought Leonard was a lot keener on her than she on him in the end but perhaps I haven't remembered this very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Absolutely, Song of the Earth and Les Noces spring to mind, I accept they are masterpieces but I just don't like them! I remember the horror once on a woman's face when I said I was going to leave before Les Noces, how she told me off, then said loads of her friends hated it too, indeed lots of people did leave with me Glad I am not the only one. I am not quite sure why Les Noces is meant to be a masterpiece, to be honest. I agree that hearing the suicide note aloud in Woolf Works is very moving, Gillian Anderson did it beautifully. But I still don't want to see the whole full length work again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 I understand completely. I know Ashton's Two Pigeons has much to offer. But oh how I hated every minute of it. Every. Oh, what a relief to see somebody say this. I saw it - the once - and once was enough. There are many posters on here whose views I respect so I accept that it must be good, but it left me cold. Similarly something else I saw with just two dancers, one of which was the excellent Melissa Hamilton, looking in a mirror. Didn't understand any of it but, even if I had, it didn't move me in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Absolutely, Song of the Earth and Les Noces spring to mind, I accept they are masterpieces but I just don't like them! I remember the horror once on a woman's face when I said I was going to leave before Les Noces, how she told me off, then said loads of her friends hated it too, indeed lots of people did leave with me I can cope with Song of the Earth but would prefer it without the singer on stage. However, I took a guest to the last performance and he was bored rigid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Les Noces - I suspect it appeals to some sense of ritual in those of us who regard it highly. Otherwise, I imagine it is completely terra incognita. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I always thought Leonard was a lot keener on her than she on him in the end but perhaps I haven't remembered this very well. That was always my impression too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Well I've been doing a bit of reading around Virginia Wolf and I see it looks like they were a rather devoted couple after all!! I believe most of the Bloomsbury set though believed in "open marriages" so whether they both had affairs or deeper friendships during their marriage I'm not sure but Virginia certainly did. As true free thinkers it was certainly a rarified air they were breathing but they were an interesting lot with the courage of their convictions at least. Looking at the three works represented in this ballet I decided there was just no way I was going to get Orlando so will hopefully just enjoy the dancing. The extract I've heard ....from the first Act ...of Richters music sounded quite beautiful so am looking forward to it all tomorrow.....though it's snowing here at the moment so hope it's not piling up on the Brighton to London railway! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycitybird Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Is it me or did the ending seem different? The first time round i remember the dancers enveloping her like waves and she lied down then it ended. Today the dancers retreated and she was left on her own and lied down. It seemed abrupt and I remembered it being really powerful 2 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Yes I hated Song of the earth when I saw it on TV, and I did not much like Two Pigeons by RB at cinema last time either...It was too long and sickly twee. I liked it better when BRB did it a few years ago... I'm still not sure about going to see Woolf Works tomorrow £15.79 is a lot to spend on something I'm really not sure about, despite rave reviews here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 My third viewing today and I liked it even more. I do think the second part, Becomings, could be trimmed. The first section is great: McRae is ideal in this rather strange world which is like something from another planet ( a speciality of his and I was reminded of his Frankenstein's monster today) and of course Osipova's sinuosity is riveting; the ending is really exciting and wonderful with dancers running between spotlights as characters having their moment in history, and the music surging most gloriously....- BUT the section before the ensemble at the end goes on a few minutes too long for me, with too many couples in similar pieces-: it was absorbing in the cinema close up but in the theatre there is insufficient variety and it still seems dark. Apart from that, I found the whole performance absolutely compelling and the performances uniformly excellent; the music grew on me more and more and the effects were so much more effective live, especially the projection of the Rodmell garden, which was lost in the screening. In fact I Now and I Then and Tuesday are pretty much perfect in my opinion. Watson was just superb today, I think the very best I have seen him dance, he seemed to have no bones at all, and such utter conviction. I think the ending MIGHT have been slightly different to 2015: I complained before that the applause came far too quickly, and I think in the first performances there was a pause while the sea crashed for a while behind Ferri's prone figure, which was a perfect ending. It does seem more abrupt now, and that might also be encouraging the too-fast appplause. .. I cried buckets this time. Who would have thought McGregor could make something so deceptively simple, so gentle - so classical, -so beautiful as I Now and I Then? Bravo. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Thankyou McGregor, Max Richter and the RB with a little extra Thankyou to Ferri and Watson for a really wonderful afternoon at the ballet...... I absolutely LOVED it but it's very late now so hopefully say a bit more tomorrow 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I found the second cast in I now, I then (Mrs Dalloway) (Galeazzi; Naghdi; Ball and Richardson) absolutely riveting. Wow! [i had only seen the first cast in rehearsal.] For my taste, Becomings (Cowley stunning) was a tad repetitive. Tuesday is rendered a little confusing (for me) because the cast from the first piece (Galeazzi and Hirano) returns - but I guess that that is how it is meant to be. Again, it felt longer than it needed to be. The curtain calls for Woolf Works feel unduly prolonged. And pity the poor dancers who finished hours previously but have to wait until the end for their applause. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulcinella Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I found the second cast in I now, I then (Mrs Dalloway) (Galeazzi; Naghdi; Ball and Richardson) absolutely riveting. Wow! [i had only seen the first cast in rehearsal.] For my taste, Becomings (Cowley stunning) was a tad repetitive. Tuesday is rendered a little confusing (for me) because the cast from the first piece (Galeazzi and Hirano) returns - but I guess that that is how it is meant to be. Again, it felt longer than it needed to be. The curtain calls for Woolf Works feel unduly prolonged. And pity the poor dancers who finished hours previously but have to wait until the end for their applause. This is one ballet where I think the Russian custom of having curtain calls after each act would be useful. Normally I don't like this, in ballets such as Swan Lake, but here I think it would be justified. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I saw both casts and they are equally impressive (except we get the big name "Ferri" in the "1st" cast) but the other "I now, I then" cast (my fav part of Woolf Works) - with Mara Galeazzi and Yasmine Naghdi as "Clarissa", Matthew Ball and Calvin Richardson, was absolutely gorgeous! All in all a stunning work of art featuring great artists. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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