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The Royal Ballet: New Swan Lake Production, Summer 2018


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This is a compilation I put together of the score used in Scarlett's production.  Whenever possible, I denote where music has been cut or altered.  

 

Act I

1.)  Prologue/Opening of Act I:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XjB5qIA3nE

2.)  Waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI4V07OXQvY

3.)  Queen's entrance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNA0IBJ4JD8

4.)  Pas de Trois (2:14-4:40 is cut): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxqdzLfZngM

5.)  Dance of the Goblets:  https://youtu.be/Dyjikf4lVgg?t=1m58s

 

Act II

1.)  Transition between Acts I and II:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuxWSDVwTlY

2.)  Odette's entrance (4:08-5:04 is cut): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0AC7eTZdCc 

3.)  Swans' entrance: https://youtu.be/LOyQP12mo8A?t=4m59s

4.)  Valse des Cygnes (0:00-2:24):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9ubcP5B-38

5.)  White Swan Pas de Deux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUbAjx41eHA

6.)  Cygnets:  https://youtu.be/r9ubcP5B-38?t=5m54s

7.)  Two Swans (7:17-8:45):  https://youtu.be/Y0CGQma_780?t=7m17s

8.)  Odette's variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv8sKB5reNI

9.)  Coda:  https://youtu.be/Y0CGQma_780?t=8m47s

10.)  Scene, Odette's transformation into a swan (1:07-2:18 is cut):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAxmkPBtBPU

 

Act III

1.)  Intro (0:00-2:26):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr6gS3DXb9A

2.)  "Dance of the Guests and Dwarfs," section with 4 couples which transitions into the Pas de Trois (2:28-3:49):  https://youtu.be/Vr6gS3DXb9A?t=2m28s

3.)  Pas de Trois* (1:38-4:16):  https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=1m38s

4.)  Pas de Trois variation (two sisters, 4:20-5:56):  https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=4m20s

5.)  Pas de Trois variation (Benno, 10:26-11:23): https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=10m28s

6.)  Pas de Trois coda: https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=12m49s

7.)  Waltz with the princesses (5:45-6:40 is cut, in addition to some of the repeats):  https://youtu.be/m7Wy4vRaONU?t=2m49s

8.)  Odile's entrance (0:00-1:36):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t23RffXoAxI

9.)  Spanish Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVLjccYJ4Ls

10.) Hungarian Dance (Czardas): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsL6CiQLvHw

11.) Neapolitan Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ATLTPVNxY

12.)  Polish Dance (Mazurka):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWYD5O933W0

13.)  Black Swan Pas de Deux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AopfCTxTE

14.)  Siegfried's variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsOLCLquprs

15.)  Odile's variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWXXwY1LIdo

16.)  Coda:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJrIBvqGfy4

17.)  Finale (repeat of the Waltz at 1:12 isn't included):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgtUm9HcN3Y

 

Act IV

1.)  Entr'acte: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVCkINHkY-s

2.) Danses des petits cygnes:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1JuLOmrcbw

3.) Scene (Odette returns to the lake): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e98GPf4BJHE

4.) Prince's entrance (0:00-1:17): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLO8fKRZ6tY

5.) Odette/Siegfried Pas de Deux (4:16-8:05): https://youtu.be/_oHXsxzRbEM?t=4m19s

6.) Finale/Apotheosis: https://youtu.be/HLO8fKRZ6tY?t=1m17s

 

*Not sure if this music was used or not.

Edited by MRR
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4 hours ago, CHazell2 said:

Yes, I noticed that too. Why is that, do you think? What is the difference between here and Ballet Alert - in regards to the opinion held about Swan Lake

 

Maybe people who post on both sites (I do not know but I have a sense that there are at least four who do) feel more able to be critical there than on a 'home' thread.

 

And, MAB, please keep posting. Your often contrary views keep balletcoforum lively and, in common with many others, you write with the benefit of having watched ballet all over the world.

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I haven't been able to see this at the ROH so I had to be content with the cinema broadcast.  For what it's worth I enjoyed it but with reservations.  Firstly, I really dislike the ending -it's muddled, unconvincing and I came away feeling rather flat.  Very disappointing.

 

The main faults with the previous Dowell production could so easily have been fixed without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  Better lighting and costumes ( I know male dancers hate white tights but the audience needs to see the footwork), less 'business' and calming down the decor would probably have done it.  Nice to see the flying monkeys have been ditched but von Rothbart as a courtier seems irrational - it makes more sense to me if his world is distinct from the royal court and Siegfried is the innocent bystander blundering into a totally alien situation. 

 

Modern choreographers seem to find myth hard to deal with unless related to current politics. But the reason that myths have survived is I think because they still resonate with the human condition and the desire to see and feel something more than our everyday reality.

 

This is really why I don't think this version is quite right.  Excellent designs, acting and technical skill  but that's no more than we expect from our premier company.  Personally I would have liked something more.

 

Linda

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Linda

It may be that a single cinema viewing is not the easiest way to get into this new production. 

Although many people  have loved the live screenings, some have found them  problematic technically and visually, according to the venue, and there is always the issue of being limited to what the filming editor choses to show.

The ending, and the role of Rothbart, are clearly matters of individual taste. 

Anyway, I hope you may be able to get to see SL live at the ROH, next time around, and that this increases your enjoyment of this major work, in its full glory!

Edited by Richard LH
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18 hours ago, CHazell2 said:

Yes, I noticed that too. Why is that, do you think? What is the difference between here and Ballet Alert - in regards to the opinion held about Swan Lake

 

I've just reread the thread on Ballet Alert.  Apart from the OP I think there are at least three contributors to that thread who also contribute to this board.  I'm not sure about the rest.  I found a lot of the thread to be discussing differences between productions and historical recollections rather than reviews/comments on this particular production.

 

I read other sections of the site and find the American audiences seem to have particular likes/dislikes of European choreography that we do not always share.  Also there is often no pulling of punches or trying to sweeten the pill of criticism.  I think it goes back to an old saying about the UK and USA - "2 nations divided by a common language".  The usage of English expression, to my eyes, is often different and I don't always understand the points that people are trying to make.  Nevertheless it is a very interesting site to follow and it does give exposure to companies that we hear little of here.

 

In respect of Benno's role - I found it reminded me of SPW's production for BRB so it didn't look like an expanded role to me. 

 

 

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12 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I've just reread the thread on Ballet Alert.  Apart from the OP I think there are at least three contributors to that thread who also contribute to this board.  I'm not sure about the rest.

 

OP?

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I recall a seminar from way back where the facilitator started by saying TLAs were not aloud.  Blank looks.  Three Letter Acronyms (or in Jan's case a Two Letter Acronym).  There's a lot to be said for avoiding acronyms. 

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3 hours ago, JohnS said:

I recall a seminar from way back where the facilitator started by saying TLAs were not aloud.  Blank looks.  Three Letter Acronyms (or in Jan's case a Two Letter Acronym).  There's a lot to be said for avoiding acronyms. 

 

I find that quite difficult because the organisation that I worked in for many years spoke almost entirely in acronyms!

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On ‎06‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 00:15, loveclassics said:

Modern choreographers seem to find myth hard to deal with unless related to current politics. But the reason that myths have survived is I think because they still resonate with the human condition and the desire to see and feel something more than our everyday reality.

 

Good point, Linda.  Napoli being another example, although it may be the religious aspect rather than the mythical one which people find grates there.

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15 hours ago, Richard LH said:

Linda

It may be that a single cinema viewing is not the easiest way to get into this new production. 

Although many people  have loved the live screenings, some have found them  problematic technically and visually, according to the venue, and there is always the issue of being limited to what the filming editor choses to show.

The ending, and the role of Rothbart, are clearly matters of individual taste. 

Anyway, I hope you may be able to get to see SL live at the ROH, next time around, and that this increases your enjoyment of this major work, in its full glory!

 

I hope to see it in the theatre too one day but in fairness I should say that at the cinema I attended (The Windmill Cinema club in Littlehampton) the transmission was exemplary.  Marvellous sound and lighting and no technical faults, enhanced by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience whose manners were impeccable.  And it wasn't just oldies like me there - plenty of younger people plus a surprising number of children who I suspect were being given a treat by indulgent grandparents.

 

And at the matinee you could follow the performance with an ice-cream and a walk along the beach!  I'm seriously thinking of going there again as it was a much better experience than I have had at the modern cinema near my home in Canary Wharf.

 

Linda

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5 hours ago, loveclassics said:

And at the matinee you could follow the performance with an ice-cream and a walk along the beach!  I'm seriously thinking of going there again as it was a much better experience than I have had at the modern cinema near my home in Canary Wharf.

 

That sounds idyllic! Swan Lake, ice cream and the sea. Sigh.

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On 5 July 2018 at 10:47, MAB said:

With thirty four pages of almost undiluted praise for the new Swan Lake, I'm wondering if anyone here (like me) didn't actually like it?  Away from these pages opinion has been far more mixed than it appears here.

 

On 5 July 2018 at 12:34, alison said:

if you fancy posting links to some of the mixed opinion elsewhere ...

 

Here are three links (all already discussed here but so far as I am aware not yet brought together in one place) They go some way to provide a range of opinion:

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/what-to-see/swan-lake-review-royal-ballet-covent-garden-staging-yet-spread/

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/may/27/rambert-life-is-dream-kim-brandstrup-royal-ballet-swan-lake-liam-scarlett-review (followed by some helpful below-the-line comments)

 

and this thread

 

https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/43862-new-royal-ballet-swan-lake/

 

 

 

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On 05/07/2018 at 23:57, Naomi M said:

 

We do have the ROH cinema relay here in Japan, and it usually runs for a week! Although it arrives late (Swan Lake will be in cinemas from August 24th) better than nothing.

http://tohotowa.co.jp/roh/ (in Japanese)

 

And we also have some broadcasts of ballet such as Woolf Works, Akram Khan's Giselle occasionally.  

Thank you Naomi! I hadn’t even thought of that. I will definitely be booking for that. I can read enough Japanese to figure out the important bits and then there is always Google Chrome when I really don’t feel like challenging myself at all.😊

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9 hours ago, John Mallinson said:

 

If you can be fagged to compare/contrast 24 reviews you'll find the links here.

 

Well it's one way to spend an early Sunday morning in the sunshine ...😎. For what it's worth, I reckon these reviews average out at about an 85% approval rating (based on star ratings out of 5, plus estimates based on the  tone of the reviews where no such rating is given). Now someone just needs to conduct an equivalent  analysis of 35 pages of comments here ...😉

 

The Ballet Association site looks to be  a great source for ballet lovers, by the way.  

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4 hours ago, Jam Dancer said:

Thank you Naomi! I hadn’t even thought of that. I will definitely be booking for that. I can read enough Japanese to figure out the important bits and then there is always Google Chrome when I really don’t feel like challenging myself at all.😊

 

Please don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions. I write press releases for those cinema relays. 

 

If you can watch NHK BS (satellite TV), there is a broadcast of Batsheva Dance Company's Last Work and Royal Ballet's Frankenstein next Sunday late night. 

http://www4.nhk.or.jp/premium/

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On 05/07/2018 at 21:21, MRR said:

3.)  Pas de Trois* (1:38-4:16):  https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=1m38s

4.)  Pas de Trois variation (two sisters, 4:20-5:56):  https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=4m20s

 

On 05/07/2018 at 21:21, MRR said:

*Not sure if this music was used or not.

MRR I checked this yesterday at another repeat cinema screening (yes there are some still out there!)  and no it is not used - they go straight into the two sisters variation, the one where Frankie adds a special touch of her own at the very end ! 

Incidentally that variation, and two sisters' variations in Act 1, can be found on the internet although I am not sure about  the copyright implications.   

Beautiful dancing by these two, by the way....it was lovely to see it again, not to mention  everything else!

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That's what I suspected Richard; thanks for checking.  I posted that shortly after watching Houston Ballet's Swan Lake which does include it, and this music was also used for the Ashton pas de quatre.  

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Just thinking back, despite having seen this production countless times,  I realise I haven't noticed exactly  what happens with Von Rothbart  at the end of Act 3. I know

he  grabs the crown from the queen, and clearly (as  my profile picture shows) he ends up transformed into his bird form, gloating behind Odile - but what happens in between? - how does the transformation occur? I can't recall this at all, amidst all the kerfuffle of black swans, smoke etc..... 

Can anyone help please ?

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2 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Just thinking back, despite having seen this production countless times,  I realise I haven't noticed exactly  what happens with Von Rothbart  at the end of Act 3. I know

he  grabs the crown from the queen, and clearly (as  my profile picture shows) he ends up transformed into his bird form, gloating behind Odile - but what happens in between? - how does the transformation occur? I can't recall this at all, amidst all the kerfuffle of black swans, smoke etc..... 

Can anyone help please ?

 

I think the kerfuffle is supposed to distract you from the transformation!

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2 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

I think the kerfuffle is supposed to distract you from the transformation!

Well it did do that....but did you (or anyone else) notice where he goes, out of interest - up the stairs and then back down transformed, for example? 

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20 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Well it did do that....but did you (or anyone else) notice where he goes, out of interest - up the stairs and then back down transformed, for example? 

 

I think Von Rothbart in courtier guise (and holding the crown) is absorbed by a crowd of corps men at rear of stage, near base of staircase. Body double Von Rothbart in sorcerer guise simultaneously emerges from the crowd of dancers, now holding the crown. I don't know if there are two crowns!

 

I think this is what happens, but others may have a clearer memory than mine. It's a powerful moment, especially on first viewing.

 

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