The Royal Ballet: New Swan Lake Production, Summer 2018

[Vanartus]

Spent €26.50 for a VIP leather seat in one of the half dozen or so cinemas showing it in Berlin. Loved every Sekt-filled second!

[thewinelake]

And in Muswell hill, where we have to pay a further £1.75 booking fee....

 

....BUT! I think we'll get our money back, as the feed died 10 mins before the end 😞

 

I failed to fall in love with Nunez, although her dancing was superb. I bought her Odile far more - a brilliantly smug and scheming look on her face.

Felt very sorry for Francesca for nearly falling over, but she was so gorgeous we can all forget about that.

Act 3 pretty good, I thought - LOVED the set - but wot no Russian Dance?

[Rob S]

2 minutes ago, thewinelake said:

And in Muswell hill, where we have to pay a further £1.75 booking fee....

 

....BUT! I think we'll get our money back, as the feed died 10 mins before the end 😞

 

I failed to fall in love with Nunez, although her dancing was superb. I bought her Odile far more - a brilliantly smug and scheming look on her face.

Felt very sorry for Francesca for nearly falling over, but she was so gorgeous we can all forget about that.

Act 3 pretty good, I thought - LOVED the set - but wot no Russian Dance?

 

We had the occasional two second break in sound, one of which was right after Francesca’s tiny heartstopper. 

 

The ending looked far too dark on screen but I thoroughly enjoyed my first live screening. I loved the likely dvd extras during the intervals, very informative.

[Shya100]

4 minutes ago, thewinelake said:

And in Muswell hill, where we have to pay a further £1.75 booking fee....

 

....BUT! I think we'll get our money back, as the feed died 10 mins before the end 😞

 

I failed to fall in love with Nunez, although her dancing was superb. I bought her Odile far more - a brilliantly smug and scheming look on her face.

Felt very sorry for Francesca for nearly falling over, but she was so gorgeous we can all forget about that.

Act 3 pretty good, I thought - LOVED the set - but wot no Russian Dance?

I hope she was alright Alex Campbell was holding on tight to her at the end maybe she wasn't feeling so hot. She and Takada were lovely though.

 

T

For all the talk of Siegfried. He is weak. Very.

 

The physic on these dancers. Nunez's calves are so defined and Campbell must have great technique in his legs because his gluts are immense.

 

Vadim was marvelous. Radiated love.

 

Is Benn supposed to choose one sister over the other?

[thewinelake]

Benno Murs would probably go for Haywood. Iwood....

I think Nunez's lean upper body physique hampers her ability to come across soft and lovable. Did she remind anyone else, fleetingly in act III, of Kristin Scott Thomas?

Edited June 12, 2018 by thewinelake

[bridiem]

Nunez sensational. Muntagirov beyond sensational. I have no more words.     

[Shya100]

7 minutes ago, thewinelake said:

Benno Murs would probably go for Haywood. Iwood....

I think Nunez's lean upper body physique hampers her ability to come across soft and lovable. Did she remind anyone else, fleetingly in act III, of Kristin Scott Thomas?

 

Mmmm maybe.

 

It does. She isn't 'soft' looking but it is a sport.

[Mary]

2 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Nunez sensational. Muntagirov beyond sensational. I have no more words.     

Agree they were both marvellous tonight, a dream of beauty. Once again Muntagirov's noble bearing  and peerless technique held me spellbound.

. It was wonderful to see this cast, which I saw live, close up on screen as well -Iiked the production more this time, seeing more detail. still think there is way too much Benno, for no discernible reason:  though Alexander Campbell was excellent again, it is not him, -he is a delight-it is the role. The scarlet jacket and lilac tights outfit once again I found distracting.

Apart from that- bloody marvellous.

[Lizbie1]

I think my main stumbling block with Nunez in the "soft" roles (Giselle, Odette, etc) is to do with facial expression. It always looks the same to me when in tragic mode: shades of Joan Sutherland's GPE, I guess!

[thewinelake]

Ha! That's a new one on me... But could well be true. Damn close-ups

 

How was the applause around the world. Ours was pretty sporadic and muted. Act3 pdd got a decent round.

Edited June 12, 2018 by thewinelake

[JonD]

I watched it on live-stream at the Exeter Picture House.  The lighting of the performance was terrible!  I suspect that was a problem with the stream, rather than the actual lighting design, but it ruined the ballet.  I'd be grateful to know if anyone else experienced the same, either at the ROH or in a cinema.

 

Act 4 was particularly bad - you could just about make out Vadim's face and hands during the PDD but Rothbart just vanished into the murk.  It was very disappointing.

[Sim]

Welcome to the forum, JonD!  I am only sorry it was via something negative.  What a shame.  A friend emailed me to say that the colour and lighting were dreadful, and that it ruined the ballet for him, too.  He has seen it many times live and said the screening didn't convey anything near what it should be.  So you are not alone, JonD.  He has complained to the ROH before about this and will be doing so again.  Such a pity.

[Balletfanp]

49 minutes ago, thewinelake said:

 

How was the applause around the world. Ours was pretty sporadic and muted. Act3 pdd got a decent round.

 

I don’t think generally that people feel they can applaud in cinemas and if they do it tends to be a bit embarrassed and apologetic! But in Plymouth tonight there was certainly applause, and from overheard comments people were pretty much blown away.

[alison]

Welcome to the forum, JonD.  I'm sorry you had such a poor experience.  I was watching on the big screen in Trafalgar Square, and had actually been going to ask whether the lighting had been turned up because it seemed so much brighter than in the theatre.  I was so amazed I actually took quite a few shots in Act IV, which I'd never imagined I'd be able to do, and was thinking the DVD quality ought to be excellent (with a bit of judicious editing )

 

Some photos off the screen which I snapped, as an example.  The quality isn't particularly good - they tend to show up darker than in reality - and something about the shooting angle seems to have left the dancers looking unusually etiolated, but you should get the idea.  Act II was actually the worst, as the sun wasn't off the screen, so part of it was in shadow and part still in sunlight.  Acts II, III and IV, in sequence:

 

 

[RobR]

I’m sorry that the light don’t appear to have done justice to an absolutely splendid performance by the RB. 

 

Whilst acknowledging the limitations of live recordings, I hope that the RB will persist in these broadcasts, making performances accessible to very many ballet lovers.

 

No doubt equipment and techniques will improve over a period and counterbalance the difficulties of filming a theatre performance, reliant on theatre stage lighting.

 

I do think that the RB probably does it’s best to provide accessibility generally and think it deserves praise for the effort. 

 

It it may be that it is an awareness of the lighting difficulties that has prompted the decision to film 'Romeo and Juliet' in a Hungarian film studio in the hope that both lighting and technique will provide a better recording. 

 

In in my view, whether it does or doesn’t, it is well worth trying, particularly given the lighting and filming problems referred to above.

[alison]

Well, there will still be a R&J live relay next June, regardless.

[capybara]

One of the problems in some cinemas is the ambient light reflected off the screen and/or that the brightness is turned up too much. It is not necessarily the filming per se.

[loveclassics]

Just returned from the showing at the local cinema club here in Littlehampton.  Wonderful evening made better by a full and very enthusiastic audience - applauding every solo and so involved there was a collective gasp at Francesca's tiny wobble.  Well, she is a local heroine (lives in nearby Worthing) and I thought that might explain the capacity crowd but my neighbour said there was always a full house for the ballet: "we get very excited" she told me - lovely to hear and lovely to be part of it.

 

I have to agree with most other reviewers about the new production.  Excellent in part, particularly the third act which was frankly rather a mess in the previous version but I'm not convinced by the ending which seems a bit feeble and unsatisfying.  Partly due to Muntagirov I'm sorry to say.  As a dancer he is superlative but as a Crown Prince he fails to convince.  I think it may be because he just looks so young and fragile, hardly old enough for his mother to be pressing him to choose a bride.  Nunez, by comparison, is very much in command, so strong it seems unlikely she needs anyone to help her dissolve Von Rothbart's curse.  I loved her Odile, though, technically stunning, absolutely ruthless and firing on all cylinders: a Ferrari to Siegfried's gallant little Honda.

 

But there was also so much to admire in the supporting roles, particularly Siegfried's sisters and the foreign princesses.  And I loved the national dances,  the sumptous costumes complementing the beautiful ballroom set.  In the interval there was an interview with the designer where we saw him painting the lakeside backdrop.  It looked lovely then but I didn't think the lighting made the most of it during the performance as it was too dim to see the lake.  And one problem from the Dowell version is still hanging around - if the male lead must wear dark tights the lighting should be sufficient to see his legs!

I have to agree with other reviewers about Benno. His character is much better developed than Siegfried's and he has much more dancing, (even his uniform is different from the other cadets') but when danced so superlatively by Campbell how can anyone complain?

 

Bennet Gartside was a formidable  Von Rothart - am I the only one to be spooked by his resemblance to Putin?  But why did he rush off clutching his chest at the end of the Prologue?  And why does he glare at everyone as though there's a bad smell under his nose or he's suffering from a bad case of heartburn?  I would have thought an ambitious courtier would be more ingratiating, at least to begin with.  But these are minor niggles in an otherwise exceptional production.

 

From a personal perspective,  a brilliant evening at very modest cost (£13 plus 50p booking fee, free parking and local organic ice cream at a £1 a pot).  So much so I'm actually thinking of going to see the encore on Sunday, (assuming I can get a ticket).

 

BTW, if anyone can let me know the casting of the supporting roles, at least for the 3rd Act I would be most grateful.

 

Linda

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by loveclassics
technical fault

[Balletfanp]

7 minutes ago, loveclassics said:

 

I have to agree with most others about the new production.  Excellent in part, particularly the third act which was frankly rather a mess in the previous version but I'm not convinced by the ending which seems a bit feeble and unsatisfying.  Partly due to Muntagirov I'm sorry to say.  As a dancer he is superlative but as a Crown Prince he fails to convince.  I think it may be because he just looks so young and fragile, hardly old enough for his mother to be pressing him to choose a bride.

 

 

Muntagirov said in the introduction that Siegfried is young and inexperienced and I think that came over perfectly. In Act 1, Von Rothbart is obviously a black cloud on his horizon, his mere appearance wiping the smile off Siegfried’s face - he plainly feels resentment but is too young and lacks the experience and confidence to rebel. And that carries through the whole ballet. I don’t personally feel that it was unconvincing.

[bangorballetboy]

[loveclassics]

I took so long with my post (laptop playing up a bit) that I didn't see the latest posts about poor screenings.  I have to say that the quality of the streaming here was fine and the sound quality in particular was wonderful.  It's not a new or even purpose-built cinema either although I think the auditorium was upgraded about ten years ago.  It's very much a local venture with volunteer front of house staff and a very wide choice of films, including live transmissions from the ROH, the National Theatre and other world class venues.  I suspect that's why the standards are high - they need full houses all year round to keep it going.  Unlike bigger resorts such as Brighton or Chichester, none of the major cinema chains are interested in a small town like this.

 

It's a great shame that the commercial cinemas aren't as dedicated - I sympathise with anyone who didn't get to see this production at its considerable best.

 

Linda

 

[serenade]

I saw it tonight at the cinema and I was completely blown away by it...I was in ballet heaven.

 

Marianela and Vadim were outstanding.  And the corps looked absolutely perfect to me.  I love Marianela in pretty much anything and I think Vadim is obviously an incredible dancer but I've always been slightly underwhelmed by them as a couple.  I couldn't really connect with their partnership in Giselle which surprised me but something definitely changed for me tonight as I believed in them 100% and they really swept me away to another world.  I can't praise them enough...Marianela was heartbreaking as Odette and wicked as Odile.  Vadim was completely believable as the discontented prince, longing for something different and finding it in Odette.

 

I thought the sets were incredible and the costumes were really something else...absolutely beautiful.  As a big fan of the skirts on the corps in the old production I have to say I think the tutus work a lot better.  The costumes for the princesses are especially beautiful.  The only costumes I didn't like was Benno's Nutcracker costume (!) and Von Rothbart...I just don't think they ever get Von Rothbart looking right.  I'm not sure how I want him to look but he always looks a bit silly (to me I hasten to add) so no...I was not convinced by that costume but you can't win them all!

 

I don't mind Benno's increased role.  I can see how it might seem a tad annoying that he keeps popping up all the time to whisper in the corner with Siegfried but Alexander Campbell was so charming all night I didn't mind at all!  Also, I loved the pas de trois...it was amazing.  

 

I don't think Siegfried seemed weak or sulky (well not tonight anyway, I guess it depends who's playing him!)  I think he's just trapped in a life he doesn't want to be in so he doesn't really feel like doing much dancing before he meets Odette 😄.  The reason Odette falls in love with him (in my head anyway) is not because he's some great hero but because he actually sees her as a person and he makes her feel free.  Not because he's some big strong prince who's come to rescue her...that being said he could do a bit more to help in act 4 😁

 

What happens right at the end of Act 4 to make Siegfried lie down for so long?  The lighting was unfortunately really bad at the end of act 4 and Siegfried only seemed to recover when Von Rothbart is defeated so I wasn't sure if I missed something as the screen was so dark.

 

Also, I agree with a few people's comments about the ending.  The music is crying out for the old ending!  It's so beautiful and transcendent- it deserves the double suicide ending haha!

 

I have booked to see the Osipova/Ball case next week and that's the only one I'm going to so that will be interesting, I'm really looking forward to seeing it live but tonight will take some beating!

Edited June 13, 2018 by serenade
Added a couple of things

[serenade]

1 hour ago, JonD said:

I watched it on live-stream at the Exeter Picture House.  The lighting of the performance was terrible!  I suspect that was a problem with the stream, rather than the actual lighting design, but it ruined the ballet.  I'd be grateful to know if anyone else experienced the same, either at the ROH or in a cinema.

 

Act 4 was particularly bad - you could just about make out Vadim's face and hands during the PDD but Rothbart just vanished into the murk.  It was very disappointing.

I was at a picturehouse too and act 4 towards the end was really bad- I missed some of what was going on right at the end.  The other acts were all fine though.  What a shame for you though...

[Tony Newcombe]

Amazed that nobody has mentioned the big lift that went missing in act 2. Her tutu became attached to his tunic just before the first overhead lift. Muntagirov took a couple of seconds to correct problem which meant that there was only time for the second lift.

Edited June 13, 2018 by Tony Newcombe
Typo

[cavycapers]

Saw Yasmine last night and Nela tonight.  Now Nela is my favourite ballerina ever, but I preferred Yasmine's Odette.  Whilst Nela's experience showed in her better balances and fouetes etc, I thought Yasmine's youth and inexperience gave her Odette a really touching air of vulnerability.  When Von Rothbart lifted her in Act 4 I wanted to shout, Get your filthy hands off her!  If only she had been with Vadim, but I suspect we will see that combo in SL one day.  I adored the new designs and costumes.  However, why is Sigfried dressed in such a dark colour?  When he lifted Odette in Act 4, he disappeared altogether.  The costuming of the rest of the cast must have denuded every haberdasher in the UK of crystals, and yet he had non.  As John M has been designing this for years, I can only think he had a reason.... The national costumes were stunning.  The tacking of the four princesses' tutus to within an inch of their life so that they were totally stiff made them look very unapproachable, and S couldn't have got near them even if he had wanted to!  The only thing I didn't like was the Spanish dress.  There was far too much material in the skirt, so that the dancers seemed to be fighting with it to complete the steps.  And whilst the men wore lovely deep black (velvet?) trousers (gorgeous 😚) the lady's dress looked grey in comparison.  

[cavycapers]

1 hour ago, alison said:

something about the shooting angle seems to have left the dancers looking unusually etiolated

This is to do with the aspect ratio in which the broadcast is being protected, not with how it was shot.  I have, in the past, gone to the projection box of my local cinema, and they have adjusted the ratio, et viola!  Normal sized dancers!

Edited June 13, 2018 by cavycapers

[JohnS]

A hugely enjoyable cinema relay and enthusiastic audience in Keswick capturing much of that first night performance, including the curtain calls.  Some really good interval material - Darcey Bussell at her best in the film focusing on the corps and a great interview with John Macfarlane.  The lighting was ok in the cinema but darker than I find it at the Royal Opera House.  I thought much of the camera work fine and better than some relays but was worried that we were going to miss Odette's spirit at the end, where I'd much have preferred the wider shot so we can see Odette emerge rather than find she's suddenly there, and I really couldn't understand the excessive close ups of the upper bodies during the Spanish dance when there's so much incredible footwork going on.  It would also have been lovely to see some of the corps dancing from higher up to get a flavour of the choreography with its fabulously shifting patterns.  I really do hope there is a DVD and opportunity is taken to tidy one or two slips for posterity.

Edited June 13, 2018 by JohnS
Spell check

[Jan McNulty]

So the cinema showing was my one and only viewing of this Swan Lake.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I thought the set and costumes were outstanding, except for Benno's unfortunate Nutcracker costume in Act 3.  The tutus were sublime.  I loved the fact that the black swan costume seemed to be black and dark grey which made it, for me, more alluring.

 

It is not a new concept to have Rothbart appearing in Act 1 as a power figure - Northern Ballet had him as a man of huge influence in Christopher Gable's production (He of the Armed Forces and confidante of the Queen) and of course he wanted ultimate power.  I could well see Scarlett's Rothbart in a similar position and that would explain why the young men in Act 1 saluted him and why Siegfried resented him.

 

I really liked the ending; it made sense to me that Odette sacrifices herself so that Siegfried can live.

 

I didn't think that Benno's role was hugely over-expanded (although having only seen the previous production once my comparison is with other productions I am more familiar with).

 

The quality of the cinema screening was excellent in my local Odeon - I didn't have any issues with the lighting at all and the sound was superb.

 

And so to the performances....

 

I thought Marianela Nunez was excellent but I am afraid she left me cold.  Vadim Muntagirov, as a young man perhaps thrust unexpectedly into the limelight because of his coming of age was exceptional.  I loved his unfussy virtuosity that made the dancing seem oh so simple, effortless and utterly exquisite.  I thought his acting was subtle and moving.  There was one point in act 4 when he is almost begging Odette for forgiveness at his betrayal that his whole body language and facial expression caused me to have a bad attack of hay fever.  The shivers were just running down my spine.

 

I'm not going to comment on Alexander Campbell as Benno because I am totally biased ... but he was wonderful!  It's always a joy to watch Isabella Gasparini and last night was no exception.  Francesca Hayward and Akane Takada were divine as Siegfried's sisters and I loved Yuhui Choe as the Neapolitan Princess.

 

Bennet Gartside was gloriously and gothically scary as Rothbart.  You could see why his dominance over the court had caused the situation Siegfried found himself in.

 

All in all, I think it's a terrific production and I will go and see it live next time it is scheduled!

 

One of the joys of the screenings is the before-hand and interval features.  I particularly enjoyed seeing ex-BRB favourite Kristen McGarrity talking about being a co-producer.  I thought she was articulate and interesting and a natural in front of the camera so perhaps she could be considered as a host for these screenings in the future!  I loved seeing John MacFarlane's work on the production too.  The other thrill is knowing that was seeing the production in Liverpool as friends were watching in Wolverhampton, Cornwall, Yorkshire and beyond ... it was almost as good as being there with them in person! 

[Rob S]

I’m sure it will have been mentioned here before as obviously this isn’t the ROH’s first attempt at a cinema live screening but the fact that the image is projected on to a screen means any picture will be darker than when it’s emitted from a tv screen ie a BP big screen or the dvd at home. When something dark like Act IV of Swan Lake’s being shown you know things are going to be very dim. I suggest if they ever screen it in 3D you’ll hardly see anything at all given the 30% light loss that introduces.

 

 

Edited June 13, 2018 by Rob S

[Balletfanp]

7 hours ago, Tony Newcombe said:

Amazed that nobody has mentioned the big lift that went missing in act 2. Her tutu became attached to his tunic just before the first overhead lift. Muntagirov took a couple of seconds to correct problem which meant that there was only time for the second lift.

 

I did spot the missing lift but assumed there was a good reason for it as there didn’t appear to be any issues with timing it badly or anything. It was glossed over so smoothly (well done Vadim!) that anyone who didn’t know there should have been a lift wouldn’t have known. Certainly the people I was with noticed nothing.

[Bluebird]

8 hours ago, JonD said:

  The lighting of the performance was terrible!  I suspect that was a problem with the stream, rather than the actual lighting design, but it ruined the ballet.

 

I believe that the ROH has, in the past, said that this happens because of incorrect projector settings in individual cinemas.  When I went to a previous Swan Lake screening, the settings were so poor that it was hard to make out individual dancers, even in Act 3.  When I and other members of the audience complained, the cinema manager gave us a refund.

[akh]

8 hours ago, Balletfanp said:

 

I don’t think generally that people feel they can applaud in cinemas and if they do it tends to be a bit embarrassed and apologetic! But in Plymouth tonight there was certainly applause, and from overheard comments people were pretty much blown away.

We had applause in ours and everyone of the 400 plus commented they had loved it.

[Fiz]

We applauded and it actually encouraged other people to do it. I thought last night was one triumphant procession as the Royal Ballet was absolutely brilliant and the evening was pure joy.