Jump to content

Recommended Posts

15 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

my favourite moment of the Rose Adagio (possibly of the whole ballet) as performed by the Royal Ballet is the passage about half way through, just after the shoulder lift, where Aurora bourrées on the spot with deep bends and extravagant port de bras.

 

15 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

What I wonder is: is the RB version how Sergeyev instructed it, or is it perhaps another of those enhancements Ashton cooked up for Fonteyn? (The bends are certainly Ashtonian.)

 

Absolutely and totally agree!!

I don't know if it is in the text supplied by Sergeyev or created by Ashton for Fonteyn and I don't really mind either way as it is so magnificent. When it isn't performed or emphasised (as it isn't always by some other companies) I always feel a sense of loss. It seems to me to be the moment when the dancer transcends the narrative and speaks directly to the audience to say "I am the ballerina, this is the Royal Ballet - behold greatness and rejoice!".

Sadly, it doesn't always work out like that, though.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 954
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

4 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said:
5 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

Francesca Hayward is the youngest.

 

Both born in 1992 :) 

I've noticed that as dancers become "more mature" their dates of birth tend to disappear from biography entries in programmes and dictionaries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

Marcelino Sambé is younger than both Hayward & Naghdi!

 

We were talking about female principals :)  (the comment of a poster about age and who is younger or not (...) was in reaction to my earlier post re. Osipova and Monahan's review). 

Edited by Xandra Newman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

Checking about  7 mins into Friday Rush  all forthcoming TSB performances were showing as sold out. 

 

Blast.  I've been out of it so much today that I forgot all about it - again.  Too much else on my plate :( 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎21‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 12:35, bridiem said:

 

No, unfortunately not - I'd booked for Tuesday evening when Naghdi stepped in. But 'lumbering' was a bad choice of word in my previous post in any case - the fish dives I've seen in this run have been good; they're just a lot slower now than in the Sibley/Dowell clip. You can see them unfold, whereas they used to be a real and apparently reckless headlong dive.

 

Yes, I remember my first Sleeping Beauty - Northern Ballet in I think 1984 - I remember being quite stunned at the way the ballerina attacked them and pretty much leaped, I think, into the fish dive.  Now you definitely tend to be able to see the mechanics behind them.  That may be a difference in productions, of course.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, alison said:

 

Blast.  I've been out of it so much today that I forgot all about it - again.  Too much else on my plate :( 

 

Sorry to hear that Alison.The odd return ticket keeps appearing now and again but then gets taken pretty quickly.  It's worth keeping looking if you can.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Xandra Newman said:

 

I understand some people enjoy watching a spectacle and feel entertained as such, I have nothing against that.

 

When I attend a Royal Ballet performance I expect the highest standard of dancing, certainly in the great classics I expect the principals to respect the choreography and execute the choreography as notated. I am not attending in order to watch a spectacle but to see superb execution of the classical ballet technic. I also expect principals who dance the title role in the classics such as Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake for example to have the highest standard of technical command, facilities, control and artistry. Technical weaknesses in dancers are easily exposed when they have to dance the great classics, and not every dancer is suited to perform those ballets. No dancer is good at everything, some are great in MacMillan, some great in Ashton, some great in McGregor, and a few are truly great in the classics. 

 

 

I agree. In the Telegraph review the writer was critical of Osipova in Raymonda which I just didn't agree with - I thought her Raymonda was very dramatic and suited the character (and in fairness I don't think he has an issue with her technique there, more her style). 

 

Every dancer has a unique individual style - but I would expect any dancing company to play to those strengths. I think it's a shame Osipova wasn't cast in Coppelia as I think she would have brought a lot of her unique flair to that role. I wonder if she preferred to do Sleeping Beauty with Hallberg as opposed to Coppelia? Who knows, I just wonder how much a dancer's casting preference may feed into decisions. (I am not suggesting Osipova influences her casting decisions in any way and she may have no choice in the matter, I really don't know how it works!) 

 

I think this comes back to something that was discussed on this forum a while back - ideally dancers should be dancing in roles which they both have the technical expertise for, as well as are suited in some way due to style/character etc. Of course the second part comes down to personal preference/interpretation, but the first part is pretty clear cut. Monahan's review (whilst harsh) was not unjustified because the technique element is objective (e.g. she couldn't hold a balance), as opposed to the subjective nature of whether one would enjoy Osipova in the role/felt she played Aurora well. (Unlike the Bidisha Observer review, which was all completely subjective.) If someone is cast without the technical ability I don't think this is fair to either the dancer (under pressure to deliver something which they cannot at this particular time) or to the audience (who have paid and are expecting to see a certain standard). 

 

On one hand, clearly Osipova/Hallberg can shift tickets so perhaps on one level the fact that her Rose Adagio was weak, and that choreography was changed so that Hallberg didn't have to do any lifts didn't/doesn't matter if the audience watching it enjoyed the experience and were there to see dancers they liked.

 

On the other hand, if it was someone who wasn't a regular, perhaps their first time at ballet or Sleeping Beauty, changing the choreography, not delivering a technically good performance as one would expect of the Royal Ballet (as had been delivered by other casts), misrepresents both the ballet itself and the company.

 

I remember going to see Swan Lake in 2018, I had booked specifically for Osipova as I wanted to see her in the role. I thought she was great but I remember being specifically disappointed she didn't do the 32 fouettés, which are pretty notorious in the ballet so quite obvious she hadn't done them. I thought perhaps I had missed them (unlikely!) or maybe they weren't in the Royal Ballet version (which when I saw the BBC recording at Christmas with Nunez/Muntagirov this was clearly not the case!) and I was somewhat frustrated that management had allowed what was quite a crucial piece of choreography to be altered, as opposed to casting someone who would have been able to perform it. In a way I feel quite bad saying this as I think someone mentioned later Osipova was recovering from an injury (?) and so that's why she decided not to go for it, and the rest of her performance was very good and (as far as I'm aware) no technical slips or other choreographic changes. But for me it was important to see particular piece of choreography as part of the role. 

 

Personally, as much as I do like seeing particular dancers, if they cannot perform the choreography of the piece I think they should not be dancing it. Others of course may feel differently. Therefore in my opinion, as Osipova and Hallberg cannot perform the Sleeping Beauty to the standard expected of others in the Royal Ballet, I really do question why they were cast (I mean it's obvious looking at the ticket sales...). This is not to say that Osipova/Hallberg shouldn't be dancing with the Royal Ballet as (subject to your opinion as I know a lot has been said about Hallberg...) they have performed well in other roles, Osipova certainly at least is capable of being one of the most thrilling dancers, and interprets roles like no one else - I would love to see her Giselle, and her Juliet was delightful, as was her Odette/Odile (my annoyance over the fouttes aside, which I'm sure she is technically capable of delivering, she just wasn't on that day).

 

Look at someone like Morera - a highly respected and beloved dancer, who is cast well in roles that suit her. Principals do not need to  dance every principal role. It is best for management/dancers to figure out where the strengths lie and play to those, whilst also appropriately challenging themselves to dance different roles and build up their repertoire, and master further technical expertise (i.e. just because Osipova isn't technically able to dance Aurora now, that's not to say she should never be cast in it again as perhaps with further rehearsals/experience she may master the Rose Adagio). 

 

That ended up being a rather long post! I hope it makes sense and isn't too convoluted...

Edited by JNC
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

I've never seen Osipova as Aurora - I have a limited budget and frankly don't see her as a natural fit for the role - but before we write her off as technically deficient, might we not consider that she was just having an off night?

 

Sorry if my post came across as labelling her as a technically deficient as Aurora across the board - you are quite right and she could be having an off night, and I also wasn't there so can't comment on it from that angle. I realise some sentences I use say I think she cannot Aurora now (technically) which I accept is incorrect and unfair, what I should have said is 'if she cannot..' or words to that effect! 

 

What I was trying to say was if any dancer is technically unable to perform the choreography (and yes, everyone has off nights I accept that) they shouldn't be dancing it. For example, unfortunately Hallberg clearly cannot perform the lifts required (again, I wasn't there but it is clear from those that were that he can't) - in my opinion therefore he shouldn't be dancing a role which requires him/where there is a reasonable expectation for him to perform such lifts. My post wasn't meant to attack Osipova (or Hallberg), who I think are very unique dancers that I have enjoyed seeing on the ROH Stage. 

 

Of course, again this is my opinion - others may not care that they cannot perform the choreography and would still be happy to see particular dancers regardless. I'm not right and others aren't wrong (or vice versa). 

Edited by JNC
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

It’s clearly all “in the eye of the beholder”.  On the French ballet forum, Dansomanie, an audience member (Paco) has written a hymn of praise to Osipova’s Aurora.  For those of you who read French here’s the link:

http://www.forum-dansomanie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2173&start=2115

 

(scroll down to Paco’s post November 21 at 1.59pm)

 

For those who don’t read French, here’s the google translate link

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forum-dansomanie.net%2Fforum%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ft%3D2173%26start%3D2115

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Osipova/Hallberg - Wednesday

 

There's a level at which appreciating ballet is natural and intuitive. 
Beyond that there's the level at which most of the members of this forum operate - appreciation shaped by study and experience.
Learning to get from that first level (the one that attracts us all in) to the second is time-consuming and expensive; and of the major ballets performed by the RB, Sleeping Beauty is probably the one I've seen the least (perhaps in part due to the eye-watering, Bolshoi-level ticket pricing!).

 

So, when I see comments referring to an intrusive hand movement here, or a head looking around further than it 'should', I think 'How on earth (or word to that effect) did you notice that?!' (and if one doesn't notice something, how can it influence one's feeling at the time?) 
Of course, that's because those making comments like that have already reached that 'second level'.

I hope to get there someday, and in the meantime I will continue to buy (or, to be honest, will continue to have bought for me:)) tickets that allow me to progress; repeat viewing (and reflection in between) is essential - as the old saying goes 'experience is that thing you get just after you needed it'.

 
I'm really grateful, therefore, that that process is helped by perusing the full spectrum of comments on this forum concerning performances I have actually seen.

 

With my excuses out of the way for what appears below, on to my opinions about the performance...

 

Carabosse:- I've got a soft spot for this apparent caricature of a character. But along with the Lilac Fairy she is as essential to this story as similarly-opposite pairs are essential in our own world for conferring meaning and driving change (night and day, the seasons, etc).

Without Carabosse, the Kingdom is stupifyingly perfect. Everyone is happy, and their strife-free lives grind on under the watchful, benevolent gaze of the Lilac Fairy.

But there's a catch; that gaze, unless it controls literally everything, cannot prevent the perfection of court life slipping into complacency and incompetence - and you have to be pretty far down that slope to forget to invite someone like Carabosse to the party!


I loved Arestis' portrayal. Physically, her Carabosse has an icy beauty - the stick she carries is more of a mace, a symbol of her power, rather than a walking aid. Because of that, her evilness stems not from the jealousy of youth and perfection to be found in an old, wizened crone, but solely from her selfishness, her arrogance, her vanity - she has been slighted so someone must die!
In her narcissism she is the mirror image of the Lilac Fairy, who appears not to have a selfish bone in her body.

 

Lilac Fairy:- Someone asked recently when Magri became the formidable dancer she is now; for me, it was when she played The Firebird. So, moving from one magical creature to another seems an easy, natural step for her.

There must be a whole set of Laws that contribute to the structure and function of magical kingdoms, and from seeing Magri's Lilac Fairy two of them are surely 'radiating calmness, benevolence and munificence' and 'composed of pure altruism'. 


She is also the real power in that Kingdom; the king and the queen are more like pawns. For me, that power structure is most apparent in the 'vision' scene, when Hallberg's prince appears to be asking Magri's Lilac Fairy for Osipova's hand in marriage!


I find the extended mime sequence at the end of the prologue - when the Lilac Fairy dilutes the impact of the curse - unexpectedly moving. Part of that is down to the music, of course. Part of it is the beauty of the mise en scene before us. But most of it is the altruistic authority of the Lilac Fairy as she beatifically wields a level of god-like power that would be frightening in any other's hands.

For us playing out our lives in a kingdom sadly lacking in magic, I say if we must have a 'king of the world' I want it to be her!!

 

Aurora:- I missed the 'hand-waving' during the Rose Adagio, but will definitely be watching out for it next time.

What I did think at the time (an impression that was reinforced by watching the most recent RB DVD) was that the whole sequence was taken at a slightly faster pace than usual. I think I was subconsciously 'primed' for this by posts on this forum about the tempo of the music.

For their second performance I will try to make a mental note of the time the lights go down and the time the curtain closes at the end, and compare durations with the DVD. Rather crude measurements, but I don't want to end up appearing on the 'audience behaviour' thread for stopping and starting stopwatches and scribbling down notes during the performance!


Osipova may not have been at her sparkling best in Act 1, but what she may have lacked in technical execution (not a lot, as far as my admittedly biased mind's eye could see) did not go astray in her portrayal of a young girl revelling in the attention paid to her by the court and the four 'surprise' potential suitors. I didn't see her shaking, but I did see her unsupported leg quivering with excitement when being held by each prince.


The vision scene in Act 2 was the highlight of the evening for me. She is just so good as conveying her inner emotions during encounters that occur across some sort of 'divide' (eg La Bayadere/Kingdom of the Shades, Giselle Act 2, Swan Lake); her stood behind the Lilac Fairy, twisting and reaching towards her prince, brought all those heartfelt yearnings bubbling up to the surface.


A close contender was her solo in Act 3 (the bit where the violin is playing). Previously, in Raymonda, she'd given me the impression that her leg was playing the piano keys. Here, she drew her foot behind her in perfect time with the violin, giving me the impression of it being the bow playing across the strings.

 

Florimund:- David Hallberg has a natural princely demeanour, and that certainly didn't desert him.

However, I've ended up feeling a bit short-changed - though I didn't feel that way at the time.

On reading some of the recent posts, it seems lifts were missed (and he certainly has a recent history when it comes to lifts!). 


During the performance I was impressed at how unhurried he made his solos look - he seemed to hang-glide through the air in some of his jumps (eg the Act 3 solo). But when I looked at the RB's most recent DVD there seemed to be a lot more going on in those jumps than I remember from Wednesday (eg two cross-overs of the feet) making it look much quicker/busier. So, did Hallberg only cross them once? Again, something to look out for next time.


There has been a lot of comment on the fish dives. I looked at the last RB DVD and noticed there seemed to be a lot more jeopardy involved than I remember from Wednesday - Muntagirov grabbing and holding with one arm, and Marianela's hand hitting/touching the floor on one of them.

Part of the apparent lack of jeopardy on Wednesday might be down to me watching Hallberg/Osipova from 'above' in the Amphi, but next time I'll be looking out for the way he takes hold of her - if it turns out to be a 'safe' two-handed grab that might also explain why others have said his head was turned more towards her (more twisting of the body needed?).

 

The bottom line is that I'm a big enough fan of the superlative dance-actress that is Osipova, as well as still lacking in sufficient technical knowledge, to have thoroughly enjoyed the evening, thereby lending truth to the saying - 'The eye sees all, but the mind shows us what we want to see'.

 

No doubt I will become more 'critical' with time, which leaves me wondering... if ignorance is bliss, why do we work so hard to dispel it? :unsure:

 

 

(and yes, @Lizbie1, I was wondering if she was recovering/going down with the bug that's been doing the rounds.)

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also think the Florine tutu is the most flattering.  The worst in my opinion are the pouffy Florestan's sisters tutus, with the ugly little neck ruffs.

 

By the way, for anyone wanting a look at the costumes from the 1990s production of Sleeping Beauty, the old (and notorious) BBC six-part documentary on the ROH has appeared on youtube. You can see the final London rehearsal of the production before its Washington DC premiere in episode 2 - which includes Dowell's rather exasperated comments about an injured Darcy rehearsing Aurora on a shiny floor - as well as much amusement from a female dancer at the Lilac Cavalier outfits the men are er 'burdened' with.  The US premiere, with the Clintons and Princess Margaret in attendance, appears in a later episode.

)   

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I appreciate this is not on topic but...I was aware that this series was on YouTube, just hadn't got round to watching it (I do remember it when it was aired). Fascinating to see how the House looked before the 1990s renovations.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really interesting - I watched the ROH programme when it first aired in ?1995, but I didn't remember it in any detail. I've just watched Episode 2 as posted above by Lindsay, and Episode 3 in which the production premières in Washington led by Darcey Bussell and Zoltan Solymosi (who both seem to have done a very creditable job in incredibly difficult circumstances). All horribly stressful and exhausting just to watch! The irony being that with the benefit of hindsight we know that the production, the overspend on which was at least in part justified by the fact that it would last 'decades', would in fact only last one decade before it was replaced by the (short-lived) Makarova production in 2004. The designs for the 1994 production were very dramatic but honestly - poor Aurora/Darcey having to come down a very steep, awkward flight of steps at her first entrance (as if the prospect of the Rose Adagio isn't bad enough!), and I laughed when Vanessa Palmer said wryly 'I feel as if I should be in a Dracula movie'. Quite. Makes me feel rather more kindly towards the designs of the current production.

 

Great fun seeing the dancers rehearsing, chatting in their dressing rooms, flying to the US, etc - many familiar faces, including some who still perform now (e.g. Gary Avis!).

 

It would be fascinating to know how different things might be at the ROH if such a documentary were to be made now in advance of a big new production. Though something tells me that any such documentary would be a bit (or a lot) less candid/open than this one was.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Xandra Newman said:

The only 3* review Sleeping Beauty has received this run...after Natalia Osipova danced Aurora on Wednesday. 

I wondered why so few had commented on her Aurora. 

Mark Monahan explains it all. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/what-to-see/sleeping-beauty-review-royal-ballet-royal-opera-house-schlepping/

"this is an Aurora who has reluctantly stubbed out a fag on the way into her own 16th birthday party and can’t wait for the whole blasted thing to be over"

oh. my.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, bridiem said:

It would be fascinating to know how different things might be at the ROH if such a documentary were to be made now in advance of a big new production. Though something tells me that any such documentary would be a bit (or a lot) less candid/open than this one was

 

I remember the furore over it when it was first aired and - naive and enthralled as I was with the scale and quality of the actual performances being put on - wondered at the time why it was seen as such an own goal.

 

When I came across it again a few years ago, it was very clear what I'd missed first time around: there's some serious incompetence on display from managers. In the first episode, I'd also single out the attitude of the Opera Company Manager towards the excellent and very likeable Denyce Graves as unpleasant and unprofessional.

 

It comes across as a poisonous place to have worked back then.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...