RB Concerto / Enigma Variations / Raymonda Act III, 2019

[zxDaveM]

Concerto - reports of arrested breathing whilst Yasmine Naghdi dancing the second movement are overwhelmingly correct

[Xandra Newman]

I was there on the last night and it felt as if time suddenly stopped when Yasmine Naghdi and Ryoichi Hirano slowly walked towards each other on that beautiful music, it really felt as if the audience froze in their seat and collectively stopped breathing, as if entering a dreamlike state. It was very palpable, the audience became one with the dancers during a moment of pure visual poetry.

Although Ryoichi Hirano has not more to do than be Yasmine Naghdi's partner he does it with immense distinction and together this couple were breathtakingly beautiful. I honestly hope their Concerto will result in a DVD (with Anna Rose O'Sullivan in the 1st Movement and Mayara Magri in the 3rd Movement).  

[capybara]

25 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said:

I honestly hope their Concerto will result in a DVD (with Anna Rose O'Sullivan in the 1st Movement and Mayara Magri in the 3rd Movement).  

 

Well, if that was the cinema cast, it will do, surely.

[Richard LH]

2 hours ago, Xandra Newman said:

Although Ryoichi Hirano has not more to do than be Yasmine Naghdi's partner he does it with immense distinction and together this couple were breathtakingly beautiful. I honestly hope their Concerto will result in a DVD (with Anna Rose O'Sullivan in the 1st Movement and Mayara Magri in the 3rd Movement). 

 

Xandra I totally agree with your praise  for Yasmine Naghdi  (so beautifully controlled, and indeed well supported by Hirano),  and for Anna Rose O'Sullivan, in the second and first movements of Concerto respectively. Last night it was Claire Calvert who danced  the third movement of Concerto, and also Variation 3 of Raymonda. In both those pieces I thought Claire danced sublimely. 

Mayara Magri danced Variation 4 of Raymonda, which was wonderful, and she was also Ysobel in Enigma. 

I thought they all danced Concerto very well - Melissa Hamilton slipped onto her behind at one point but was up again and seemed to be fine, and carried on perfectly.

 

Raymonda was a brilliant end to this Triple run - Marianela Nunez was indeed "Queen Nela" in this performance! - she had all of us enthralled!  A dazzling, joyful  display by all involved. 

Edited December 21, 2019 by Richard LH

[LinMM]

Love Mayara Magri but Fumi for the third movement in this please!!

[Richard LH]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

 

Well, if that was the cinema cast, it will do, surely.

The Concerto cinema cast was indeed Anna Rose (with James Hay, rather than Sambe who danced last night), Yasmine and Ryoichi, and Mayara Magri.

[Saodan]

In Raymonda last night, Tomas Mock replaced Reece Clarke in the Hungarian Dance. Does anyone know who replaced Mock in the Grand Pas? Presumably he can't have done both, but I didn't hear or see an announcement.

[Dawnstar]

10 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

Concerto - reports of arrested breathing whilst Yasmine Naghdi dancing the second movement are overwhelmingly correct

 

I only wish more people had stopped breathing. It might have reduced the incessant coughing that plagued both Second Movements yesterday!

 

27 minutes ago, Saodan said:

In Raymonda last night, Tomas Mock replaced Reece Clarke in the Hungarian Dance. Does anyone know who replaced Mock in the Grand Pas? Presumably he can't have done both, but I didn't hear or see an announcement.

 

I didn't see an announcement either but it looked to me as if it was David Donnelly.

[LinMM]

MJW just to say am impressed you can run up the Covent Garden stairs .  ..there are an awful lot of them! 
It reminds me of a rather long time ago now the station lifts were not working for months and people were warned that they would have to use the stairs. At that time a friend and myself attended a class near Covent Garden tube and took great pride in trying to run up the steps there! A nice pre class warm up! 
Well those were the days ....I’d probably have to be rescued half way up these days ...though in reality wouldn’t even try ..would have to resign to walking from Leicester Sq. 

 

[capybara]

58 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I didn't see an announcement either but it looked to me as if it was David Donnelly.

 

Yes, David Donnelly was in the Grand Pas last night (20th Dec.) but wasn't listed or announced.

[jm365]

On the subject of running up stairs.  I will  never forget a performance in 'the old days' when the gallery had those stone stairs up from Floral Street.  I thought it began at 2.30 as usual, but found at the bottom of the stairs it was actually a 2 p.m. start.  I ran the whole way up, and just made it.  I watched the first five minutes or so through a red haze!

Edited December 21, 2019 by jm365
remove typo

[capybara]

1 hour ago, jm365 said:

On the subject of running up stairs.  I will  never forget a performance in 'the old days' when the gallery had those stone stairs up from Floral Street.  I thought it began at 2.30 as usual, but found at the bottom of the stairs it was actually a 2 p.m. start.  I ran the whole way up, and just made it.  I watched the first five minutes or so through a red haze!

 

I think that many of us have "been there; done that" @jm365!!!! Those were the days................!!!!!

I noticed that the occupants of the Royal Box missed Concerto on Wednesday (7.00pm start) and they would have had the luxury of a lift.

[MJW]

4 hours ago, LinMM said:

MJW just to say am impressed you can run up the Covent Garden stairs .  ..there are an awful lot of them! 
It reminds me of a rather long time ago now the station lifts were not working for months and people were warned that they would have to use the stairs. At that time a friend and myself attended a class near Covent Garden tube and took great pride in trying to run up the steps there! A nice pre class warm up! 
Well those were the days ....I’d probably have to be rescued half way up these days ...though in reality wouldn’t even try ..would have to resign to walking from Leicester Sq. 

 

Can't say it did me much good! Saturday I had to run across Waterloo Bridge as it chucked it down and I had no umbrella

[MJW]

4 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I only wish more people had stopped breathing. It might have reduced the incessant coughing that plagued both Second Movements yesterday!

 

 

 

 

Glad you mentioned the coughing - I think sometimes people don't even try and suppress it

[LinMM]

JM365 that does take me back almost forgotten about those!! Occasionally did that after getting a late Amphi from the queue! 

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, MJW said:

 

Glad you mentioned the coughing - I think sometimes people don't even try and suppress it

 

It certainly didn't sound like some people were making much of an effort to suppress it yesterday. At times it seemed to be one person after another, every few seconds. Unfortunately it rather spoilt the Second Movement for me at both performances, being someone who isn't good at tuning out background noises.

[Xandra Newman]

I wonder where you were seated Dawnstar? I sat in the Orchestra Stalls, and I barely heard anyone cough, perhaps I am going deaf??

[capybara]

2 hours ago, MJW said:

 

Glad you mentioned the coughing - I think sometimes people don't even try and suppress it

 

The audience member sitting next to me last night slipped out quietly at the break after the first movement of Concerto for fear of coughing too loudly in the second movement.

So there are some very considerate people around.

[MJW]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

 

The audience member sitting next to me last night slipped out quietly at the break after the first movement of Concerto for fear of coughing too loudly in the second movement.

So there are some very considerate people around.

 

Well done them. As Dawnstar has said it was one person after another during Concerto's second movement. Obviously that is a very quiet piece but still. 

 

I was in the GT and it sounded like they were coming from that level. 

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, Xandra Newman said:

I wonder where you were seated Dawnstar? I sat in the Orchestra Stalls, and I barely heard anyone cough, perhaps I am going deaf??

 

I was front row of the side block of the stalls, so it was all behind me (apart from the chap next but one to me at the evening performance). It sounded like it was people coughing in different places all over the auditorium. Maybe you're better at blocking it out than I am, as I found it very distracting.

[Balletfanp]

I went to Friday night’s performance, having been due to travel to Paris on Saturday morning to see Muntagirov in Raymonda there.....😞 I thought I might as well try to bag a cheap ticket as I was in London anyway, and I am so glad I did as at least I had this performance as a minor consolation prize!

 

I had previously seen the cinema casts so it was  good to see others in the roles. But to my eyes, Concerto on this occasion seemed a bit messy, and some of the dancers tired (as well they might be). Some very wavy lines from where I was sitting, an unfortunate slip for Melissa Hamilton (I always really feel for dancers when this happens as it rarely seems to be their fault!), and some fluffed landings here and there. Claire Calvert - who I really like, by the way - danced the third movement and I didn’t feel it was her role. To me, she seemed a bit tense and nervous, her dancing seemed tentative and careful, and it thus lacked the exuberance that Magri had brought to it. On the flip side, Claire was beautiful in Raymonda later on, and seemed much more at ease, hence me wondering if she was rather miscast in that movement of Concerto? I could see her being a much better fit in the slow second movement.

 

However, Naghdi and Hirano couldn’t be faulted in the second movement - it really does bring a hush over the auditorium (barring the coughers!). And O’Sullivan and Sambe were a lovely pairing in the first movement.

 

Enigma Variations - Bracewell is back, and how! An excellent Troyte! I was also delighted to see Annette Buvoli as Winifred Norbury, having much admired her recently as Prayer in Coppelia - she didn’t disappoint, lovely lyrical dancing. Why have they been hiding her away all this time??

 

I can’t really say too much more about the superlative performances by Nunez and Muntagirov in Raymonda in addition to what has already been said, except that it rather rubbed salt into the wound of having to miss Vadim’s performance in Paris, with me wistfully thinking about how he could really give it full rein on a larger stage.... I had previously seen Osipova as Raymonda, and liked her very much, but I have to say that I thought Nunez eclipsed her both technically and in characterisation. She is so assured technically, and so rock solid en pointe, that she could let herself go and just flow.....

 

Other standouts were very nice variations from Kaneko, Choe, Calvert and Magri, and a great pas de quatre from the men. Oh, and Mendizabal in the Hungarian.

 

So, very glad to have gone - it didn’t feel like my trip was an entire waste of time!

Edited December 22, 2019 by Balletfanp
Typo

[LinMM]

Yes that role In Raymonda although only small by comparison with many others really suited Nunez she was just so in the moment with it is the best way to describe it for me. I also liked her use of her head she wasn’t afraid to really place it back ..  others keep the head more upright and lose the Hungarian feel of the piece. 

[Jam Dancer]

On 20/12/2019 at 09:17, Jan McNulty said:

I had a lovely time at the matinee on Wednesday.

 

I love Concerto and it was a joy to see Isabella Gasparini making her debut in the first section.  I always think that ROH must save a fortune on electricity when Isabella is lighting up the stage.  I thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance.

 

Enigma Variations was the highlight for me.  I thought Bennet Gartside was outstanding as Elgar and I was very moved by his performance.  I would go as far as to say (never having seen the original cast and my first viewing being BRB with Desmond Kelly) that he is my favourite Elgar of all time. Kristin McNally was pitch perfect as Lady Elgar as was Gary Avis as Jaeger.  William Bracewell was dynamite as Troyte ... oh wow, what a comeback!

 

Enigma Variations is, IMO, a total masterpiece.  Ashton's character vignettes are all exquisite and I think this piece works because there are no real fireworks - it is all subtle elegance and understatement.  That one tiny move in Nimrod where Elgar just lifts his wife off the floor by a couple of inches always reduces me to mush.  I am so glad that I got the opportunity to see this work again and I hope that will continue in the future.

 

Raymonda was a splendid way to end the performance.  (Although only the final act) I finally understood why Raymonda chose Jean de Brienne over Abderakhman with Federico Bonelli's gorgeous interpretation of our hero.  Lauren Cuthbertson was a total delight in the title role.

 

An added bonus was the coincidence of sitting next to a good friend - neither of us knew the other was going!  Also good to see and chat to fellow Forum members.

 

All in all, it was a great day out (and, fortunately, a good journey to and from Liverpool on the train). 

I heartily agree with your review Janet. I really enjoyed the afternoon performance. I wish I could have stayed for the evening performance as well but it was finally get a chance to see the company live for the first time this season.

[alison]

A quick word for Lauren Cuthbertson in the Raymonda matinee the other day, because I thought she really nailed it (okay, not high-quality criticism, but it's late and time I was in bed).

 

Concerto has, I think, looked a little untidy throughout, especially when viewed from on high - I suppose it depends on where you're sitting.  I very much liked Isabella Gasparini in the first movement in this - she and Calvin Richardson made a good pair, and she lit up the stage as per usual.  It was also good to see Sarah Lamb and Nicol Edmonds in the second movement, because I'd missed her previously - the problem with all the mixing and matching of casts in this ballet. 

[capybara]

7 hours ago, alison said:

A quick word for Lauren Cuthbertson in the Raymonda matinee the other day, because I thought she really nailed it (okay, not high-quality criticism, but it's late and time I was in bed). 

 

Nice to have your 'take' on this cast, Alison.

[alison]

Thought I'd just bump this thread to say how pleased I was to catch Enigma Variations before it disappears later today.  I sometimes find it difficult to take in all the details of a performance when I see it on the big screen, but when watching it on a smaller I did think this was an extremely good performance of the ballet, and I'm glad it's been consigned to DVD.

[alison]

(I've just recalled that I think we have a general thread for RB streams, but I can't remember what it's called.  If anyone can remind me, I'll move this over.)