The Royal Ballet: Les Patineurs, Winter Dreams, The Concert, December 2018

[Lizbie1]

7 minutes ago, Sim said:

Perhaps just to show the difference between the classes?  The maid isn't constrained by the stifling social mores of the upper classes;  she can be free to do what she wants with whom....the others can't.

 

I think that potentially opens a whole new can of worms about how much freedom of choice the maid really has!

[Sim]

Well yes it could, but I am afraid I am very shallow and don't want to start reading 2018 political correctness and accusations of mysogyny and various isms etc. into the ballets that I watch.  They were made at certain times, and for me they are magical or emotional experiences and I don't want to ruin them by dissecting them.  It might be an interesting intellectual exercise, but I save such dissections for other things, not ballet.   This is not to say that I don't think about them, but I think about them in my own way, and as I say don't want to spoil them by applying often misguided 2018 standards to them.  If others want to, fair enough, but it's not for me.  

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

I went to both performances yesterday. I'll start off by saying that I was expecting to enjoy Les Patineurs and The Concert a lot more than Winter Dreams: my "MacMillan algorithm" can be expressed simply as "it's all downhill after Manon".

 

However, that prediction was exactly overturned in the matinee. Isabella Gaspirini's fabulous fouettes (better from my point of view than Hinkis' in the evening and absolutely bang on the beat) aside, I found it pleasant enough, but it didn't "come off" for me. The Concert, similarly, was...fine. But Winter Dreams, which I remembered so dimly that I might as well have been seeing it for the first time, was wonderful.

 

Onto the evening, and normal service was resumed. Les Patineurs and The Concert sparkled; Winter Dreams was a drag.

 

So either it was me, or the casts made the difference, or Les Patineurs and The Concert bear repeated viewings and Winter Dreams doesn't, or (probably) some combination thereof. If it's the casting I think the two main differences for me were in having wonderful Laura Morera as Masha and, the real revelation, Akane Takada as Irina. Naghdi was of course very good in the evening, but Takada was dazzling: together with her technical excellence, she really does convey emotion with her whole body - I couldn't take my eyes off of her beautiful expressive arms. I'd never quite got it with Takada before, but I'm now a fully paid up member of the fan club.

 

Fascinating post Lizbie1, but I am not surprised to hear that Morera changed your view of the ballet. I am almost a fully paid up member of the Takada fan club, I think I just need to see her in the right role - I haven't seen her enough yet. 

 

My MacMillan algorithm is the same except I would say that Gloria is an exception. 

 

Btw,  who danced the other roles in Patineurs at the matinee? And were the smaller roles in Winter Dreams still the same? 

[Lizbie1]

8 minutes ago, Sim said:

Well yes it could, but I am afraid I am very shallow and don't want to start reading 2018 political correctness and accusations of mysogyny and various isms etc. into the ballets that I watch.  They were made at certain times, and for me they are magical or emotional experiences and I don't want to ruin them by dissecting them.  It might be an interesting intellectual exercise, but I save such dissections for other things, not ballet.  

 

I don't think it's a "2018" idea that women of limited means were and are often compelled into granting sexual favours/prostitution. If MacMillan wasn't aware of that... well, he should have been!

 

I too am by preference shallow in my ballet viewing, but we hear a lot about MacMillan's realism and psychological depth. He can't have it both ways!

Edited December 21, 2018 by Lizbie1
typo

[alison]

1 hour ago, Mary said:

I don't think Winter Dreams was ever meant to be a narrative in that sense- more a meditation on the various psychological inner states and dramas going on. I agree that is challenging to watch, and could arguably have done with a bit more shaping, but I find it  a very interesting departure from the  narrative style we know Macmillan can do. He was trying something new- which doesn't always quite come off but - it's a worthy attempt.

 

"“Although the characters in the ballet are named after those in the play”, MacMillan explained in a programme note, “I have not attempted a balletic reworking of the entire story. Sometimes the choreography reflects the inner lives of the characters, at other times the narrative. I have tried to capture the atmosphere and melancholy of Chekhov’s masterpiece.”"

 

https://www.kennethmacmillan.com/#winter-dreams

[Sim]

3 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I don't think it's a "2018" idea that women of limited means were and are often compelled into granting sexual favours/prostitution.

True, but here it just looks like she is having a few bevvies with the guys and actually enjoying herself;  she sure doesn't appear to be being forced into anything!  

[Lizbie1]

9 minutes ago, Darlex said:

 

Btw,  who danced the other roles in Patineurs at the matinee? And were the smaller roles in Winter Dreams still the same? 

 

Blue Girls: Gasparini, Harrod

White Couple: Turk, Braendsrod

Red Girls: Calvert, Storm-Jensen

 

Andrei: Teo Dubreuil

Natasha: Pajdak

Kulygin: Kish

Tusenbach: Dyer

Solyony: Mock

Chebutykin: Avis

Anfisa: Turk

Maid: Bradbury

[bridiem]

Interesting discussion about the maid, and I am somehow managing to agree with both/all sides! Dear, dear, what a wimp. 🤔

[Lizbie1]

4 minutes ago, Sim said:

True, but here it just looks like she is having a few bevvies with the guys and actually enjoying herself;  she sure doesn't appear to be being forced into anything!  

 

I thought it was borderline, though 2018-style political correctness actually makes it *easier* to interpret her being passed between different men as a "sexual choice" than 30 years ago.

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

Takada was dazzling: together with her technical excellence, she really does convey emotion with her whole body - I couldn't take my eyes off of her beautiful expressive arms. I'd never quite got it with Takada before, but I'm now a fully paid up member of the fan club

Welcome to that club Lizbie !

From your report, I am rather miffed that that she is not Irina in the cast I will be seeing (04 Jan)😞. I will have to wait now to see her in Two Pigeons, (02 Feb).

[Sim]

2 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Welcome to that club Lizbie !

From your report, I am rather miffed that that she is not Irina in the cast I will be seeing (04 Jan)😞. I will have to wait now to see her in Two Pigeons, (02 Feb).

Don't worry, Richard, Yasmine Naghdi is also superb in the role, so you won't feel short-changed by any means.  

[Anna C]

2 hours ago, Sim said:

Nothing by Ashton is ever easy.....it is the amazing skills of the artists to just make it seem that way!!

 

Exactly what my daughter said on Monday night, Sim! Fiendishly difficult but made to look easy.  

 

A belated short review, echoing what many others have said about this wonderful triple.  Loved Patineurs, from the festive beauty of the set to the velvety coloured pointe shoes.  Choe and O’Sullivan were the standouts for us among a super cast.  I would love to see this ballet make more regular appearances at Christmas.

 

We too found Winter Dreams very dark and it was difficult to see faces even from the SC at the back of the stalls.  My daughter was sad about Soares’ technique looking laboured but his chemistry with Nuñez makes up for that for me.  I would have loved to see Lamb and Muntagirov in the roles for comparison.  My daughter, who is studying Russian at uni, pronounced it “Extremely Russian” and “Typical Chekov” but “not very Christmassy”.  ☺️  I’d love to see a triple of Les Patineurs, Jewels and The Concert but I know it would be too long.  🙁

 

Sad for Bennet Gartside but what a bonus to see Gary Avis in a “real dancing” role.  He was outstanding.  Naghdi was just enchanting; her musicality and acting are always wonderful but I couldn’t take my eyes off her, particularly the way she uses her hands to enhance every movement right to the tips of her fingers.  What a very special dancer she is.  A word too for Kristen McNally’s beautiful dancing as the Nanny and Christopher Saunders having an absolute ball with the chair.

 

I echo the praise for Rob Clarke who is clearly a gifted comedian in addition to a wonderful pianist.  The entire cast made The Concert a joy.  Cuthbertson was all I hoped for and more; she, Morera and Kish were comic perfection. 

 

Some audience members will be on Santa’s “naughty list” post Monday night - the two people whose mobile phones rang, the man who decided to leave before the curtain call but then changed his mind and just stood, blocking my daughter’s view, and lastly the man who nodded off and snored very loudly during Winter Dreams.  😳

[Lizbie1]

3 minutes ago, Anna C said:

and lastly the man who nodded off and snored very loudly

 

There but for the grace of God...!

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

Andrei: Teo Dubreuil

Natasha: Pajdak

Kulygin: Kish

Tusenbach: Dyer

Solyony: Mock

Chebutykin: Avis

Anfisa: Turk

Maid: Bradbury

I can't imagine how Avis & Turk can manage to dance 2 different roles in the same ballet on the same day. Dancers must have such excellent memories. I'm sure if it were me I'd get totally muddled between roles!

 

Query for the RB experts: is it normal for a principal to dance only character roles, as Kish appears to be doing this season?

[Jan McNulty]

A very dear late friend of mine often used to say that a mixed programme was a sandwich of two lighter-hearted works with the darker meat in the middle and for me, yesterday's matinee was a fine example of that format.  I will say at the outset that I had the most splendid day in London and I loved every second of this mixed programme.

 

Les Patineurs is a sublime piece of Ashton's glorious craftsmanship and I thought the dancers yesterday afternoon really captured the joy of this piece and made the choreography look easy peasy to dance.  Given that the last time I had seen it Chi Cao danced the Blue Boy David Yudes had a lot to do to win me over.  Consider me won - he was an utter delight and looked as though he was desperately trying to drill to Australia with his scintillating spins.  Isabella Gasparini has been a favourite dancer of mine and I was thrilled that she was dancing Blue Girls yesterday.  I was absolutely bowled over by her dazzling performance and her joy of dancing shone through and through.  She and Elizabeth Harrod were very well matched indeed.  What a wonderful start to the performance!

 

I saw Winter Dreams on its premiere run and it did not do much for me.  What a difference 20-odd years makes!  Structurally, with its vignettes, it reminded me of Enigma Variations.  I actually like the structure and having to almost read between the lines of the story.  I've never got on very well with watching Chekov but I really think MacMillan has captured the essence of the play in his chosen vignettes.  I thought the performance by all the performers was absolutely top notch.

 

I was incredibly moved by Laura Morera's duet with Ryoichi Hirano - it was incredibly poignant and very expressively danced so that even the tiniest glance and gesture was infused with meaning.  I was also very moved by Nehemiah Kish's portrayal of the cuckold husband and by Tristan Dyer's rejected suitor.  I'm sure I was not the only one who was moved to tears by this beautiful performance.

 

The Concert was a hoot from start to finish and a wonderfully uplifting way to finish such a rewarding afternoon.

[Indigo]

3 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

I didn't want to put this with my other post, but what's with the light-skirted maid in Winter Dreams?  If MacMillan is trying to inject some local colour into proceedings does he have no better ideas than to insert women of easy virtue? We can't even blame this one on the usual excuse of "finding something for the corps to do".

 

I don't know the original play, but after reading the programme notes & seeing yesterday's matinee & evening performance, I felt this opener to Winter Dreams might be part of illustrating the limited pool of ideal men from whom the sisters could find a marriage partner in this remote, provincial northern Russian town.   

So there were the dashing & exciting soldiers, who attended their dinner parties / social events, but with them came the potential for being rather brutish, lax morals & betrayal by adultery - including by men at captain/officer level.  Or there were the more worthy, but potentially dull options such as Kulygin.  

So much of this ballet seemed to be depicting inner lives & relationship dynamics (while the superficial surface was playing out behind around the dinner table),  including around mistakes made in choice of marriage partner, the ability to truly assess character/worth. And the dilemma of settling on a marriage partner just to achieve security or to escape - Irina.

 

[jmhopton]

Well I too was at both performances of the RB triple yesterday but seemed to have had a different experience to Lizbie 1; one of the beauties of any theatrical experience is the way different people see things differently. I loved Patineurs, but then I always do; before I went I was fantasising about my perfect triple bill; Les Patineurs 3 times! Was disappointed not to see Coralles and James Hay and also missed Sambe's performances but David Yudes was very good in the matinee; especially loved his turns at the end though when it gets to that bit I'm always nostalgic for the time the curtain was lowered then then raised again to him still spinning. In the evening Luca Acri was also splendid and I liked the bit where he was trying to catch up with the long line of dancers which got a laugh. I don't remember anyone else doing that. Both sets of blue girls  were great though I especially liked Meaghan Grace Hinkis and Anna Rose O'Sullivan in the evening. However, in both performances I thought the girl who did the second solo; the one with the 'suspended' pirouettes didn't hold them as long as Takada managed in the recording of a few years ago. But the ballet was a delight as always and so perfectly choreographed and structured the time seemed to fly by. Great to see Joseph Sissens in the corps.

 

it's a long time since I saw Winter dreams and looking at the cast list I was amazed it had only been performed 39 times as it was choreographed about 1990. I don't think I've seen it since the original cast of Bussell/Mukhamedov so I didn't remember much about it. Frankly I was a bit bored in the afternoon. It seemed rather disjointed and episodic and though the cast were great I couldn't find myself getting involved in it. Perhaps it was seeing it from the amphi though my seat was ok. I found myself slightly sympathizing with an increasingly vocal very small child whom I thought was saying (screaming) 'I don't like it!'. Incidentally I was increasingly thinking it's not such a good idea to put Winter dreams in this triple. There seemed to be quite a few very small children there at both performances and though you can argue it's the parent's fault for not checking whether all 3 ballets are suitable for small children it might be a good ides in the future to pair Winter Dreams with something else or not show it before Christmas. Gary Avis must get a mention as being fabulous in both performances while playing different parts. is there nothing he can't do in the acting department? In the Dowell role in particular Kulygin, Masha's husband, he was incredibly moving. You really felt what he was suffering by comparison with his young rival. Yasmin Naghdi was an amazing Irina; such a fabulous classical style (those port de bras!) I look forward to seeing her Masha in the future and how wonderful it would be if she was paired with the star of the show; Vadim Muntagirov. His performance alone was worth the price of admission; indeed was worth the cost of the entire trip; train and hotel included. In fact the first thing I did after it had ended was to see if he was scheduled to dance it again as I felt I must be there, regardless of the cost, but he isn't. Bruce said after the matinee it would be like watching another ballet and how right he was. It was criminal it wasn't filmed. How I hope we have the chance to see it again fairly soon and have it filmed. To me it was a complete masterclass of dancing and acting. I've seen him in many roles and just when you think you have run out of superlatives he produces yet another groundbreaking performance. It was definitely one I will remember and treasure for a very long time. His dancing we know about; those amazing leaps and turns with such soft landings, his beautiful hand and arm movements, but it was his acting that really amazed me. I wish anyone who doubted his acting skills and ability to show passion had been there. Irek Mukhamadov himself couldn't have done better and I always thought he was the definitive Vershinin.

 

After being put through the emotional wringer with Winter dreams I found the Concert a bit of an anti-climax. I think I agree with the reviewer who thought the rest of the audience seemed to be thinking it was funnier than he did. It was quite funny, especially at the start with the pianist 'showing off' and the different people arriving but I thought it got less funny as it progressed though the dancing girls were mildly amusing. It was ok but I don't think of it as being anything special. it would be interesting to see something else like the Leaves are Fading or Dances at a Gathering. Laura Morera stole the show in the evening and Itziar Mendizabel was great in the afternoon.

 

 

[ChrisG]

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Isabella Gasparini has been a favourite dancer of mine

 

Count me as a fan too - she so obviously enjoys every second of what she does and those fouettés were stunning!  Almost worth the day trip to London on its own.  I'm coming down again after Christmas for the matinee on the 28th simply because I saw she was dancing Clara.

[Rob S]

I loved yesterday's evening performance, I can't wait to see it again on the 2nd Jan

[Xandra Newman]

28 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

Gary Avis must get a mention as being fabulous in both performances while playing different parts. is there nothing he can't do in the acting department? In the Dowell role in particular Kulygin, Masha's husband, he was incredibly moving. You really felt what he was suffering by comparison with his young rival. Yasmin Naghdi was an amazing Irina; such a fabulous classical style (those port de bras!) I look forward to seeing her Masha in the future and how wonderful it would be if she was paired with the star of the show; Vadim Muntagirov. His performance alone was worth the price of admission; indeed was worth the cost of the entire trip; train and hotel included.

 

I agree it's a BIG shame this cast wasn't filmed! Gary Avis (having waited SO long to dance this role) together with Sarah Lamb(as Masha), Vadim Muntagirov, Yasmine Naghdi (as Irina), William Bracewell and Mendizabal (as Olga) is a cast to be treasured for future generations, and should have been recorded (especially as the original cast Darcey Bussell/Irek Mukhamedov/Steven Wicks coached them).

[bridiem]

I wish (but not by bringing forward his already untimely death!) that Winter Dreams had been MacMillan's last ballet - instead of The Judas Tree. Winter Dreams may not be perfect but it's still the work of a great artist and a great choreographer and at times profoundly moving. I personally suspect that The JT would have quietly lapsed from the repertoire if it hadn't sadly acquired the 'last ballet' overgloss. As far as I am concerned, I will in future regard Winter Dreams as his farewell. I'm so grateful to him, for so much.

[Jam Dancer]

6 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

I went to both performances yesterday. I'll start off by saying that I was expecting to enjoy Les Patineurs and The Concert a lot more than Winter Dreams: my "MacMillan algorithm" can be expressed simply as "it's all downhill after Manon".

 

However, that prediction was exactly overturned in the matinee. Isabella Gaspirini's fabulous fouettes (better from my point of view than Hinkis' in the evening and absolutely bang on the beat) aside, I found it pleasant enough, but it didn't "come off" for me. The Concert, similarly, was...fine. But Winter Dreams, which I remembered so dimly that I might as well have been seeing it for the first time, was wonderful.

 

Onto the evening, and normal service was resumed. Les Patineurs and The Concert sparkled; Winter Dreams was a drag.

 

So either it was me, or the casts made the difference, or Les Patineurs and The Concert bear repeated viewings and Winter Dreams doesn't, or (probably) some combination thereof. If it's the casting I think the two main differences for me were in having wonderful Laura Morera as Masha and, the real revelation, Akane Takada as Irina. Naghdi was of course very good in the evening, but Takada was dazzling: together with her technical excellence, she really does convey emotion with her whole body - I couldn't take my eyes off of her beautiful expressive arms. I'd never quite got it with Takada before, but I'm now a fully paid up member of the fan club.

I also saw both performances yesterday and I am of a similar opinion regarding Winter Dreams. Laura Morera’s interprétation conveyed much more emotion and made the farewell pas de deux difficult to watch for me. I’ve always liked Akane Takada and thought her to be a lovely lovely dancer so there was less of a surprise there. I think that she has become more comfortable coming outside herself and inhabiting the different characters and that’s

become more apparent.

[Rob S]

[capybara]

It has taken me a while to recover from last night's performance of Winter Dreams(20th December). I have been watching Vadim Muntagirov dance for over 9 years now and his dancing has blown me away many times. But his Vershinin was on a different planet. AWESOME and deeply affecting for the audience.

 

I don't share people's problems with the ballet itself: it is a particular genre of storytelling and effective in its own way. And a narrative work which can produce performances such as those we saw last night has got to have something rather good going for it. Special plaudits from me go to William Bracewell who has an ability to make his characters very real at the same as producing beautiful dancing (e.g. in his duet with Nicol Edmonds). What an addition to the RB's roster he is proving to be. Yasmine Naghdi was a delight as Irina - another versatile dancer who is able to inhabit her roles in a way which really connects with the audience.

 

I don't want to be a spoil sport but, while I appreciated Gary Avis's husband, I did not feel his pain in the way I did with Anthony Dowell. I think that was because  Avis's core came across to me as remaining essentially strong while Dowell's seemed more fragile. Perhaps I couldn't quite get Drosselmeyer out of my head.

 

Of course, Les Patineurs and The Concert are great crowd pleasers but, in this instance, it was the sandwich filling of Winter Dreams which made the show for me. Only 6 performances in all and only 2 from each cast.  Not enough Mr O'Hare; not enough. It needs to return next season in order to capture the something quite extraordinary which those of us lucky enough to be there saw from Muntagirov in particular last night.

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by capybara

[Lizbie1]

Another great thing about this programme is how many opportunities it's given to all ranks of dancers - not just because of the number of featured roles and small ensembles, but also their variety. Something for everyone!

[Rob S]

[Balletfanp]

8 hours ago, Mary said:

I don't think Winter Dreams was ever meant to be a narrative in that sense- more a meditation on the various psychological inner states and dramas going on. I agree that is challenging to watch, and could arguably have done with a bit more shaping, but I find it  a very interesting departure from the  narrative style we know Macmillan can do. He was trying something new- which doesn't always quite come off but - it's a worthy attempt.

But  as Sim says, with dancing of this quality it actually DOES work (I thought).

 

Graham Watts' Bachtrack review in the links is spot on though, I think, when he says that Patineurs, though seemingly superficial, is perfectly crafted and beautifully structured down to the last detail.

This is not a lightweight piece in the sense that it is the work of a  master hand! Easy to just see a pretty piece but, when you start to look..its many inner symmetries, patterns and contrasts make it sparkle like a diamond.  I found seeing it 3 times in a row made me appreciate greatly the wonderful Ashton craftsmanship.

 

I know I described Les Patineurs as lightweight, with “sweet choreography” but that wasn’t in any way meant to put it down, and was perhaps the wrong word to use. I love Ashton ballets, I adore the way his deceptively simple steps are a perfect reflection of the music and the situation, and Les Patineurs was no exception to that. I think I meant it say that it was lighter in tone than the other two ballets.

 

i still feel that Winter Dreams feels a bit disjointed. When the farewell pas de deux between Masha and Vershinin began, it took me by surprise because I was expecting a bit more of a lead up - but there was nothing to indicate that the soldiers were leaving. However, with performances like last night’s, who cares? 🙂

[Guest]

Like Janet, I also feel that there are similarities between Winter Dreams and Enigma Variations. The role of Kulygin, originated by Anthony Dowell, feels like a combination of the arabesques of Elgar, combined with the uptightness of Troyte. 

 

I wonder if Kish would make a good Elgar? He certainly seems to be coming into his own in this latest Triple Bill. 

 

Re The Concert, I did find the combination of Cuthbertson and Morera much funnier than Hamilton and Mendizabal, although both were very funny. 

 

It's interesting that this triple bill once again raises the question of what makes a good programme. I must say that I really wanted to take my seven year old to see it, but that I know Winter Dreams would have felt too long. For that reason I wish something else had been the filler, or that  Patineurs/Concert had been programmed with The Two Pigeons. Apart from Nutcracker, there is nothing specifically appropriate for children - although I find aforementioned ballets suitable for many adults too!

[aliceinwoolfland]

^ and don't forget Alice in Wonderland! I agree that it's a shame Winter Dreams alone made this ballet unsuitable for children. 

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

^ and don't forget Alice in Wonderland! I agree that it's a shame Winter Dreams alone made this ballet unsuitable for children. 

Thanks Alice. Sorry, I should have qualified that: I was thinking about what is on offer this season. 

Edited December 21, 2018 by Darlex

[Dawnstar]

3 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

Am I correct in identifying the dancer second from the right in this photo as Gina Storm-Jensen? She caught my eye the most out of the 4 chocolate-and-blue couples last night.

[Sim]

Yes you are right!  I am pleased that Julia Roscoe is starting to get solo work to do.  She has lovely extensions and always looks like she’s genuinely enjoying herself.  She more than held her own in the wedding scene in Bayadere. 

[Don Q Fan]

I saw the matinee yesterday, I liked Patineurs as always and it's far too short for my liking! I enjoyed the whole piece and yes those fouettes were bang on from Gasparini!   I wasn't sure whether I would like Winter Dreams or not but it went pretty quickly for me, although I do wish it had been lit more brightly it was hard to see from the amphi. Gary Avis was brilliant in the chair scene!  I was too far away in the amphi to get clearly the nuances of expression even with my opera glasses so not ideal.  The Concert was OK but a slight disappointment compared to the performance I saw in Vienna earlier this year which was truly hilarious.  That said it was nice to see Melissa Hamilton again and Kish.