Royal Ballet Winter 2019/20 casting

[alison]

8 hours ago, HappyTurk said:

Although I love Cuthbertson, when was the last time she danced Odette/Odile for a full season?

 

That's a good point.  One hopes she'll be able to this time (I haven't seen her since her debut), but hopefully if it doesn't come to pass the scheduling will allow a good replacement.

[Anna C]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

 

I'm sorry. I realise now that I was being obtuse. I'll come clean. I  would rather see Takada (and Hayward) dance with someone other than McRae with whom one or other of them gets paired a lot. But I appreciate that that's a personal preference.

 

I'm wondering whether those who are sceptical about Muntagirov's acting and his being cast as Onegin saw his Vershinin in Winter Dreams or his Beliaev in Month in the Country? I know he is a wonderful Lensky but he should surely be allowed opportunities to tackle new roles/new demands as much as anyone else is. Because he is such a supreme classicist, it would all to easy to give him repeat role after repeat role but, fair play to Kevin O'Hare, he is not doing that and I, for one, am looking forward (very much) to seeking what Muntagirov makes of the Onegin challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

I missed him in Winter Dreams but saw his Beliaev.  As wonderful as he was, in my view that is a different role to Onegin.  I agree that he should of course be allowed to tackle new roles but in this case, as well as Ball, not instead of. 

[RuthE]

12 minutes ago, alison said:

 

That's a good point.  One hopes she'll be able to this time (I haven't seen her since her debut), but hopefully if it doesn't come to pass the scheduling will allow a good replacement.

 

I actually don't understand the point being made.  Is it that Cuthbertson is extremely inexperienced in the role compared with what one would expect from a principal dancer of her age, and compared with her colleagues, and that therefore she may not have been the most obvious choice for the cinema relay?  Fair enough, but looking at this from another perspective, she's spent SO much of her career sick or injured since being promoted to Principal (is it a total of almost 4 years?) that she has missed out on several cinema relay opportunities which may otherwise have been hers, so her appearance in several next season seems a bit of a welcome catch-up.

 

I have been attending the RB regularly since 2011, and have booked for her Swan Lake performances every time she's been cast, and yet she's never been fit to turn up for any of them! So I for one will be trying again and wishing her better fortune this time.

[capybara]

9 minutes ago, RuthE said:

 

I actually don't understand the point being made.  Is it that Cuthbertson is extremely inexperienced in the role compared with what one would expect from a principal dancer of her age, 

 

 Interestingly, Lauren made a number of guest appearances abroad in Swan Lake during the 2019/20 season so she is actually quite experienced in the roles of Odette/Odile, if not in the new RB version.

[RuthE]

Oh, that is interesting.  So she's got it under her belt, as it were.  In which case I really don't understand why anyone would consider her not to be a prime choice for next season's RB cinema relay.

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

I'm wondering whether those who are sceptical about Muntagirov's acting and his being cast as Onegin saw his Vershinin in Winter Dreams or his Beliaev in Month in the Country? I know he is a wonderful Lensky but he should surely be allowed opportunities to tackle new roles/new demands as much as anyone else is. Because he is such a supreme classicist, it would all to easy to give him repeat role after repeat role but, fair play to Kevin O'Hare, he is not doing that and I, for one, am looking forward (very much) to seeking what Muntagirov makes of the Onegin challenge.

 

I saw him do both but I'm still not sure what he'll be like as Onegin. It's not an age thing - the character is supposed to be young. I think it's just that he always seems so nice that I can't imagine him playing a character who is rather an anti-hero. Whereas having seen Ball do a brilliant Tybalt I've already seen that he can do not-nice characters.

 

I wonder whether the ubiquity of Hallberg at the moment is one reason why there is only the one new male Principal, even though two have left? Since Hallberg is basically occupying the equivalent of a Principal's allocation of roles.

[Jan McNulty]

Not that it's got much to do with this thread but an article just popped up on Google.  Sarah Lamb "due to unforeseen circumstances beyond her control" is unable to guest with Cape Town City Ballet in Sleeping Beauty in August.  Vadim Muntagirov is still performing with them.

 

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Local/Peoples-Post/international-guest-artists-join-sleeping-beauty-cast-20190729

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

I think it's just that he always seems so nice that I can't imagine him playing a character who is rather an anti-hero.

 

I feel like I bang on about this a lot, but it’s important to remember that Onegin really thinks he’s doing the right thing when he rejects Tatiana. It’s much harder to excuse him for the duel, but at the time it would have been seen rather differently - and Onegin is himself highly remorseful.

 

What I most love about the character of Eugene Onegin is the nuance, so it makes sense that people view him differently - which is why I’m really looking forward to Muntagirov’s interpretation. Some people might find they see Onegin in a new light, just as I did when I saw the production of the opera which has shaped my understanding of him ever since.

[RuthE]

While it can be partly explained away by the character's youth, he IS a bit of a spoiled brat, though.  Always banging on about how bored he is, how other people are beneath him, and of course, totally convinced that he must always be right.  Even when he returns from his seven-year exile/absence, while he comes back as a more rounded character, the first thing he does in Act3 Sc1 of the opera is whinge about being bored.

 

(Sorry, this is a bit off-topic for a casting thread!)

Edited July 30, 2019 by RuthE

[Lizbie1]

Yes and I always wonder what happens after the end - does he wait faithfully for Tatyana to outlive Gremin, or does he move on PDQ?

[RuthE]

1 minute ago, Lizbie1 said:

Yes and I always wonder what happens after the end - does he wait faithfully for Tatyana to outlive Gremin, or does he move on PDQ?

 

I'm not sure.  One other thing: he is LESS sympathetic in the ballet than the opera.  Opera-Onegin rejects Tatyana quickly, politely and privately; Ballet-Onegin rips up her letter in front of her face at her own name-day party...

 

I always like the fact that whereas in the opera, Tatyana gets up and walks out on him at the end, in the ballet she tells him to get lost.

[capybara]

18 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I feel like I bang on about this a lot, but it’s important to remember that Onegin really thinks he’s doing the right thing when he rejects Tatiana. It’s much harder to excuse him for the duel, but at the time it would have been seen rather differently - and Onegin is himself highly remorseful.

 

What I most love about the character of Eugene Onegin is the nuance, so it makes sense that people view him differently - which is why I’m really looking forward to Muntagirov’s interpretation. Some people might find they see Onegin in a new light, just as I did when I saw the production of the opera which has shaped my understanding of him ever since.

 

Interesting -  the RB casting announcement caused me to fish out the Stuttgart recording with Vogel, Amatriain, Badenes and Moore. Vogel offers a very different reading of Onegin from that of, say, Kobborg - both equally valid in my view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2019 by capybara

[Lizbie1]

2 minutes ago, RuthE said:

I'm not sure.  One other thing: he is LESS sympathetic in the ballet than the opera.  Opera-Onegin rejects Tatyana quickly, politely and privately; Ballet-Onegin rips up her letter in front of her face at her own name-day party...

 

Yes - I understand that storytelling in ballet necessitates compromises, but that bit seems rather unnecessary! Again - I’ll be interested to see how Muntagirov handles it.

[Beryl H]

I always thought of Friedemann Vogel as too nice for Onegin. but I like his interpretation on the DVD. he has also been highly praised for his Prince Rudolf, so Vadim Muntagirov could be very interesting. Johann Kobborg is my favourite Onegin so far, then Jason Reilly who replaced him once at CG and was similarly intense, (and excellent as Gremin on the DVD now).

[capybara]

1 hour ago, RuthE said:

(Sorry, this is a bit off-topic for a casting thread!)

 

Not at all, surely. This casting thread has burst into appropriate life. The only problem, perhaps, is that it's under the News and Information umbrella rather than being categorised as Performance and General Discussion!

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2019 by capybara

[Richard LH]

6 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

Not quite sure what is meant by this in this context: I wasn’t aware that Takada, Bracewell or Cuthbertson had settled partners.

 

I don't think anyone currently at the RB  has "settled" partners in the sense that they must always dance together, but there are some pairings that (for whatever reason) seem to be almost a "given" - indeed Osipova/Hallberg seems to be one, and I agree with your "little less of him"  suggestion. 

Takada/McRae is another such.   I don't personally have a problem with this pairing (I loved them together  in The Dream, in Mayerling and in La Bayadere) but Takada/ Bracewell were pretty special last time around in Swan Lake, and I agree it would have been great for  those two to have been in the live cinema. Still, I'm looking forward very much to their pairing in Coppélia.

[Richard LH]

Whilst we are thinking about the 2020 casting of Swan Lake (and other "Winter" castings), what about  this 1980 casting?  The wonderful  Anthony Dowell and Natalia Makarova in an excerpt from  Act III ....

 

 

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Interesting -  the RB casting announcement caused me to fish out the Stuttgart recording with Vogel, Amatriain, Badenes and Moore. Vogel offers a very different reading of Onegin from that of, say, Kobborg - both equally valid in my view.

 

That Stuttgart recording is the only version of Onegin I have yet seen....and it is very impressive. It will be fascinating to see how the RB casts compare!   I am  particularly drawn to the Nuñez, Hirano, Takada, Edmonds, and Clarke cast, and that of Osipova, Muntagirov, Hayward, Ball, and Avis (I was imagining Hayward as Olga when I was watching the recording recently). 

[alison]

Well, it's the only one currently available (unless you have the very elderly National Ballet of Canada version, which I don't think ever came out on DVD).

[Richard LH]

4 hours ago, RuthE said:

she's spent SO much of her career sick or injured since being promoted to Principal (is it a total of almost 4 years?) that she has missed out on several cinema relay opportunities which may otherwise have been hers, so her appearance in several next season seems a bit of a welcome catch-up.

 

I am not too sure about that; I make it since 2011 she has had cinema screenings in Winters Tale (twice, plus DVD), The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet (plus DVD), Nutcracker twice (plus DVD), and Alice (plus DVD). Even if it were felt that she should be given  Swan Lake to fill out the list (as well as the new Marston) I would have thought they could have picked someone else for The Sleeping Beauty this time. 

[Richard LH]

3 minutes ago, alison said:

Well, it's the only one currently available (unless you have the very elderly National Ballet of Canada version, which I don't think ever came out on DVD).

 

That would explain it ! Thanks Alison.

[Lizbie1]

Well - I'm really pleased Cuthbertson is being featured several times this season - and if you take out the Wheeldon roles created on her that just leaves Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and the Nutcrackers (and classical test though it is, the Sugar Plum Fairy is not on stage for very long). I don't think that's a lot in eight years for a principal in their prime, even when you include the Wheeldons.

 

Oh, another thing! In my experience she has, like, Nuñez, proven to be very reliable - which must be a consideration in the classical repertoire. (I don't mean others aren't, just that they haven't had so many occasions to demonstrate it.)

[Richard LH]

11 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

I don't mean others aren't, just that they haven't had so many occasions to demonstrate it

Which is sort of my point....

[Dawnstar]

3 hours ago, RuthE said:

While it can be partly explained away by the character's youth, he IS a bit of a spoiled brat, though.  Always banging on about how bored he is, how other people are beneath him, and of course, totally convinced that he must always be right.  Even when he returns from his seven-year exile/absence, while he comes back as a more rounded character, the first thing he does in Act3 Sc1 of the opera is whinge about being bored.

 

(Sorry, this is a bit off-topic for a casting thread!)

 

I totally agree with the above. There's also the whole flirts with friend's fiance & provokes friend to challenge him to a duel issue plus the tries to persuade married woman to desert her husband issue. I personally don't think he can be viewed as a particularly admirable character. I've seen I think 7 different baritones in various productions of the opera and only one of them managed to make me feel much sympathy with the character at the end.

Edited July 30, 2019 by Dawnstar

[Lizbie1]

13 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Which is sort of my point....

 

In unscreened performances, I meant.

[Toria]

As someone who can't afford to travel to London very often I rely on the cinema screenings for the majority of my ballet viewings each season, and I must admit sometimes I wish they'd vary casting a bit more. I'm happy to see Cuthbertson in either Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake but I do find myself wishing she hadn't been chosen for both. There are so many wonderful casts and I'd like to see as many different principals across the season as possible.

[Lizbie1]

8 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I totally agree with the above. There's also the whole flirts with friend's fiance & provokes friend to challenge him to a duel issue plus the tries to persuade married woman to desert her husband issue. I personally don't think he can be viewed as a particularly admirable character. I've seen I think 7 different baritones in various productions of the opera and only one of them managed to make me feel much sympathy with the character at the end.

 

I don't think he's admirable either - just a mixture of good and bad, like most of us.

 

Of all the baritones I've seen in the opera there was only one who made me feel sympathetic towards him too, but it was such a revelatory performance and production it changed my perspective. He wasn't even a particularly good singer - he just had youth and good looks and a way of suggesting he was trapped in a persona and wanted something better.

 

(I guess what I'm saying is not to write off Muntagirov in the role, as of all the Onegins cast this time he seems most likely to bring that angle to the character.)

[Richard LH]

44 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

In unscreened performances, I meant.

 

Oh, in that case it isn't my point ! I think others have proved themselves equally reliable in unscreened performances. 

[HappyTurk]

1 hour ago, Toria said:

As someone who can't afford to travel to London very often I rely on the cinema screenings for the majority of my ballet viewings each season, and I must admit sometimes I wish they'd vary casting a bit more. I'm happy to see Cuthbertson in either Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake but I do find myself wishing she hadn't been chosen for both. There are so many wonderful casts and I'd like to see as many different principals across the season as possible.

On a flip side though, Nunez has gotten a fair share of the big classics back-to-back over the past 2-3 seasons (Giselle, La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, and now yet again the Christmas "special"). So perhaps it is a bit unfair that Cuthbertson being cast in just 2 is garnering more immediate criticism than the former (although I'll admit I've criticized both scenarios). I suppose in the grand scheme of things, her getting both screenings isn't THAT bad especially given her absences over the years. 

[Sim]

That’s a good point....Lauren has had to fight so hard over and over again during the past decade to come back from serious illness and injury that perhaps she deserves to have some of the opportunities for exposure that she has had to miss over the years.  

[HappyTurk]

5 minutes ago, Sim said:

That’s a good point....Lauren has had to fight so hard over and over again during the past decade to come back from serious illness and injury that perhaps she deserves to have some of the opportunities for exposure that she has had to miss over the years.  

Yeah, isn't she about 35 years of age? By this time, she should have already gotten these ballet screenings under her belt. So I can understand why there was a pressing need to cast her in both now especially when we take into account the pressing need to cast the three younger principals in these screenings in the near-future as well. 

Edited July 30, 2019 by HappyTurk

[bridiem]

2 hours ago, Toria said:

As someone who can't afford to travel to London very often I rely on the cinema screenings for the majority of my ballet viewings each season, and I must admit sometimes I wish they'd vary casting a bit more. I'm happy to see Cuthbertson in either Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake but I do find myself wishing she hadn't been chosen for both. There are so many wonderful casts and I'd like to see as many different principals across the season as possible.

 

I think you make a very important point, Toria. The live screenings are hugely important in that they reach so many people who will never go to the ROH (many of whom will also be UK taxpayers and so indirectly helping to fund the ROH). So it's really incumbent on the ROH/RB to ensure not only that the repertoire broadcast in these screenings is as all-encompassing as possible but also that the casting is spread as widely as possible so that as many as possible of the company's leading dancers are seen by these audiences.

[bridiem]

I've only now been able to look properly at the casting (many thanks for your wonderful spreadsheet lists, Dawnstar!).

 

I'm very glad that Magri and Sambé are doing Swan Lake (even if only one performance). But apart from that, and in spite of all the riches on offer, I'm afraid that my initial reaction is one of extreme disappointment because two of my personal favourites, Alexander Campbell and Claire Calvert, are nowhere to be seen. I mean literally nowhere. (Unless either of them eventually pops up in the Scarlett second cast). So I'm basically in a bit of a strop at the moment.