Sim Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Dawnstar said: In the first interval I overheard Susan Hampshire greeting another lady who she addressed as Maina & I wondered if it might have been Maina Gielgud, as it's not a common Christian name. Yes, Maina Gielgud was there. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I’ve seen Susan Hampshire there on several occasions so she is obviously a balletomane. I almost bumped smack into Derek Jacobi once whilst dashing to my seat - he was there for the Winter’s Tale 🙂. I would have loved to know what he thought of it! Sorry, derailing the Onegin thread... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Didn’t she train as a ballet dancer at her mother’s school? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 46 minutes ago, Sim said: Yes, Maina Gielgud was there. she was indeed - sitting almost directly in front of me! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 35 minutes ago, Scheherezade said: Didn’t she train as a ballet dancer at her mother’s school? Not sure about that but didn’t Antony Dowell attend her mother’s school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I don’t know what school but Susan Hampshire has definitely had ballet training something I read about a long time ago and it has stayed in my memory for some reason! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I'm not sure that enough praise has yet been directed towards Francesca Hayward (in a simply delightful, natural portrayal of Olga) and Matthew Ball (who has deepened his reading of Lensky and now dances him even more sublimely than he did 5 years ago). 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 7 minutes ago, capybara said: Matthew Ball (who has deepened his reading of Lensky and now dances him even more sublimely than he did 5 years ago). After seeing him in Apparitions in the Fonteyn Gala last summer I was hoping that Ball would be cast as Onegin. However last night I was very pleased that he repeated Lensky, else I would have never seen his superb performance in the role (not having been ballet-watching 5 years ago). Maybe if it gets revived again in another 5 years he can move on to Onegin then! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Last night Lauren Cathbertson was chatting with friends in the front foyer during the first interval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 18 hours ago, Don Q Fan said: Yesterday afternoon's matinee was a lovely show and I thoroughly enjoyed it, special mention to the corps for those 2 great run/leaps across the stage in Act1 that is one of my all time favourite "ballet moments"! Soares and Mendizabal were great and I agree with the comment above about those fantastic lifts and whipped spins/turns in the bedroom PDD they were so fast! Hinkis and Donnelly both made their debuts and very accomplished they were too. At the stage door every dancer said how they really love this ballet - it really does "have it all". Oh and when asked why Vadim isn't dancing, KOH said it was "his choice" at stage door. Interesting. Some photos from the matinee yesterday afternoon:- Ensemble Mendizabal and Soares solo curtain call (still in character) Mendizabal and Soares Hinkis and Donnelly Terrific pictures - so much better than mine - it looked as though the London fog had suddenly descended into the auditorium! Did you use a camera or a phone? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasdedeux Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Late to the party, but I thought the Saturday evening performance was really memorable - not faultless, but very, very enticing. Reece - certainly seemed slightly nervous in Act 1 garden scene. I forget how young he is; the acting isn't quite there in Act 1 (Onegin comes across slightly more a conceited dandy than Cranko perhaps intended. Very 'nose in the air' and slow deliberate footsteps) but his partnering is so secure and strong - certainly no mean feat opposite the spontaneous Osipova! He really came into his own in Acts 2/3. I thought the flirtation with Olga was very well done and the final pdd in the Act 3 very heartrending. I think he will grow exponentially during the next two performances scheduled and certainly in terms of air and aura makes a convincing Onegin. Osipova - one of her strongest outings for a season or two - maybe even since her Mary Vetsera in Mayerling way back in 2018. I didn't enjoy her Aurora, her Manon was good but weakened by the partnering (will say no more of that) and outshone by other casts. Tatiana is a role well within her comfort zone - human, tragic and deliciously flawed. I noticed in the 2015 run (where I saw every cast) that she was the only Tatiana then cast who truly brought home the full meaning of Tatiana's Act 2 ballroom variation. She is so earnest, provincial and shameful in her desperate expression to Onegin that he is repulsed and so irritated by the embarrassment that he sets out to ruin the evening for this small town society that he never respected but now cannot even tolerate. Again performed marvelously this run - making the most of her explosive leaps. Off the music slightly in the end to the final pdd (handed the letter to Onegin too early). Hayward - creamiest, lightest, loveliest dancing and in technical terms the best on the night. The sheer loveliness of her dancing however somewhat overshadows her portrayal of Olga. Olga (as Pushkin imagined) was vivacious, self-absorbed and rather thoughtless. Hayward's Olga was not much more than a very pretty girl who liked dancing a lot and annoyed her betrothed in the process. I would equate it to Vadim when he first arrived at the RB (for example, his first Des Grieux) - his arabesque and line exuded nobility and earnestness, but it seems he did not need to do much beyond that and there was little by way of 'deliberate', thoughtful acting. Ball - the stand out performer on the night. When I recall his first Lensky in 2015 (then, one of the first big roles for him), the improvement is so marked. Honest, idealised, a sunny disposition - he captures the poet in his every movement. His dancing is fine and delicately nuanced but his portrayal large - there is never any doubt of the expression currently on his face. This Lensky did not come across sulky or slightly ineffectual in the name day festivities - you felt quite rightly aggrieved for him and that this is not only a societal affront, but an expression of his devastation at the shattering of his romantic ideals. The pre-duel solo variation overcame Cranko's clunky choreography. He has really grown as a principal and now commands the same level of reassurance when you see him cast - never once nervous of his step! 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I was going to try and write something, but @pasdedeux has summed up the performance perfectly for me. Osipova was radiating Tatiana through every movement and gesture, and Ball's Lensky nearly topped her performance in intensity. I would have loved to see him as Onegin in this run, based on his Tybald showing that he can do flawed and entitled beautifully, and most certainly after seeing what he wrung out of Lensky. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 19 hours ago, Dawnstar said: After seeing him in Apparitions in the Fonteyn Gala last summer I was hoping that Ball would be cast as Onegin. However last night I was very pleased that he repeated Lensky, else I would have never seen his superb performance in the role (not having been ballet-watching 5 years ago). Maybe if it gets revived again in another 5 years he can move on to Onegin then! Although I seriously hope that it will not be another five years before this ballet is revived. As with Coppelia, I just cannot understand why it has been kept from us for so long, especially when the company can offer such wonderful casts. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Saturday evening’s performance was one of those fabulous performances where the principals were all so strong and complementary. All the relationships were so well expressed but I thought Tatiana and Olga made for the most believable of sisters. I’m so pleased I have a ticket for one of this cast’s other performances. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Come rather late to this Saturday night thread to have everything I was going to say already said!! I totally agree with everything said by pas de deux. All four leading dancers were truly excellent but it was Ball's performance which has remained with me longest. To start with he looked like a poet. With those Byronic good looks I kept expecting him to dash off a sonnet! His dancing was impeccable. I think I've only seen Vadim do the act 2 solo as good as him. But it was his acting that made his performance so memorable. I was glued to that solo in particular with my binoculars and you could clearly see every tormented 'what have I done' expression clearly etched on his face. It was so sad, such a waste of a loving, thoughtful, honourable human being it was almost unbearable. Like others I hope we don't have to wait too long for his Onegin debut but it would be great if he could alternate both roles in the same run like Alina did with Tatiana and Olga. if his Onegin is half as good as his Lensky it will be totally mesmerising. I'm sure the same goes for Vadim as well. The other three were virtually as good. Reece had a tremendous debut; well done him! I never understood why he wasn't promoted in September (same with Joseph Sissens). However not being promoted doesn't seemed to have harmed their careers as they've been awarded great roles since. Like pas de deux I thought he grew into the role the more the ballet progressed and by the final pas de deux the House was transfixed, not a cough or a whisper (even the chatty people standing near me shut up!). Then when the curtain came down there was a huge spontaneous roar of approval and appreciation which was so well deserved. For Osipova as well as Reece. She too acted and danced as if she was possessed and the final pas de deux was almost unbearable in it's poignancy. I mustn't forget Francesca and Gary Avis who both contributed terrifically to the amazing whole with their dancing and acting. I thought the corps de ballet were great too. I love some of the Cranko choreographic touches such as the 'gallop' across the stage (twice!) and the waltz where the girls raise both legs in the air. Both very simple but amazingly effective. The four turns in the mirror pas de deux when Tatiana is completely wrapped round Onegin are fabulous too. I thought the first one was a bit tentative, the second one was good and the last two really stunning. I really enjoy the music too. To me it doesn't feel at all like a 'cobbled together' score even though it's taken from several Tchaikovsky sources, mainly the Seasons. The music enhances the ballet and contributes to the drama. Well done to Cranko or whoever compiled it. Can't wait for my next Onegin this Friday (more debuts!) and really pleased I am seeing two performances of both these two casts. Has Anna Rose played Olga before? Like others I hope we don't have to wait too long for this great ballet to be revived. So many great debuts to come (especially Vadim's!!!) However, it is always annoying that the RB invest so much time and effort into getting everything so right for this ballet and yet they're never allowed to film it for the cinema. Please Mr Reid Anderson let that happen next time. Let the world see this wonderful ballet performed as immaculately and passionately as it should be!!! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 No, this will be Anna-Rose's debut. Very much looking forward to it! The music was compiled by Kurt-Heinz Stolze. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 15 minutes ago, jmhopton said: I love some of the Cranko choreographic touches such as the 'gallop' across the stage (twice!) and the waltz where the girls raise both legs in the air. Both very simple but amazingly effective. The four turns in the mirror pas de deux when Tatiana is completely wrapped round Onegin are fabulous too. Yes I love these particular inventive touches as well...as you say, simple but very effective, and beautiful to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xandra Newman Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 15 minutes ago, jmhopton said: 13 minutes ago, Sim said: No, this will be Anna-Rose's debut. Very much looking forward to it! Friday we'll get to see three debuts (incl. one major one): Anna-Rose O'Sullivan's debut as Olga and Joseph Sissens 'debut as Lensky as well as the debut of The Royal Ballet's newest Tatiana: Yasmine Naghdi. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 2 hours ago, Sim said: Although I seriously hope that it will not be another five years before this ballet is revived. As with Coppelia, I just cannot understand why it has been kept from us for so long, especially when the company can offer such wonderful casts. perhaps one issue is that the RB has such a cornucopia of wonderful dancers and this ballet has relatively few roles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xandra Newman Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 The RB scheduling of Onegin has more to do with the Cranko Estate/ Reid Anderson having absolute control (when, and who is allowed to dance Tatiana/Onegin/Olga/Lensky). I was always under the impression The Royal Ballet is supposed to dance Onegin at least once every three years, but this time it was last danced five years ago, when Marianella made her debut as Tatiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 25 minutes ago, Sim said: No, this will be Anna-Rose's debut. Very much looking forward to it! The music was compiled by Kurt-Heinz Stolze. Thanks Sim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasdedeux Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said: The RB scheduling of Onegin has more to do with the Cranko Estate/ Reid Anderson having absolute control (when, and who is allowed to dance Tatiana/Onegin/Olga/Lensky). I was always under the impression The Royal Ballet is supposed to dance Onegin at least once every three years, but this time it was last danced five years ago, when Marianella made her debut as Tatiana. The 2015 Onegin run was also very undersold (I was still a student then and circa four different nights went on student standby the day before with the auditorium only half full - memories of four very delightful nights in the Grand Tier), which perhaps partially explains the five year gap? It has certainly sold very well this time. Edited January 20, 2020 by pasdedeux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 minute ago, Xandra Newman said: The RB scheduling of Onegin has more to do with the Cranko Estate/ Reid Anderson having absolute control (when, and who is allowed to dance Tatiana/Onegin/Olga/Lensky). I was always under the impression The Royal Ballet is supposed to dance Onegin at least once every three years, but this time it was last danced five years ago, when Marianella made her debut as Tatiana. I know about the Cranko estate but the RB currently has so many great dancers who are ready or will be ready in the next couple of years to dance any of the four leading roles as well as others who debuted this time who I'm sure would love to reprise their roles before too long it would be terrible if we (and they) had to wait another five years to see them. I also wonder if the cinema broadcast has some influence on Kevin O'Hare's decision. Full length classical ballets are probably the 'best sellers' from this point of view (though I admire Kevin' O'Hare's recent commitment to filming mixed bills and modern work). However, putting on a full length work that probably won't be allowed to be filmed might play some part in negatively influencing his commitment to repeating Onegin (though I hope not!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 20 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said: I was always under the impression The Royal Ballet is supposed to dance Onegin at least once every three years, but this time it was last danced five years ago, when Marianella made her debut as Tatiana. It is not the case that Marianela Nunez debuted as Tatiana in 2015 - she also danced it in the previous run, in 2013. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xandra Newman Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jan/19/marianela-nunez-interview-royal-ballet-onegin-swan-lake Paragraph 5 - interview with Nunez she states she danced Tatiana for the first time in 2015. Edited January 20, 2020 by Xandra Newman . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 On 19/01/2020 at 15:13, Balletfanp said: I’ve seen Susan Hampshire there on several occasions so she is obviously a balletomane. I almost bumped smack into Derek Jacobi once whilst dashing to my seat - he was there for the Winter’s Tale 🙂. I would have loved to know what he thought of it! Sorry, derailing the Onegin thread... I've met Susan Hampshire there too - I plucked up the courage to speak to her one she was lovely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 9 hours ago, MJW said: Terrific pictures - so much better than mine - it looked as though the London fog had suddenly descended into the auditorium! Did you use a camera or a phone? Thank you so much, Canon Bridge on zoom! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 10 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jan/19/marianela-nunez-interview-royal-ballet-onegin-swan-lake Paragraph 5 - interview with Nunez she states she danced Tatiana for the first time in 2015. She's forgotten - see this thread: https://www.balletcoforum.com/topic/2746-royal-ballet-onegin-winter-2013/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shirley Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 10 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jan/19/marianela-nunez-interview-royal-ballet-onegin-swan-lake Paragraph 5 - interview with Nunez she states she danced Tatiana for the first time in 2015. Nunez did dance it in 2013. Reading the article I think it is the interviewer that got it wrong (or the person typing up the interview) as the question has the date - not the answer 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I’ve been in the unexpected but privileged position of seeing 3 casts of Onegin this weekend. Friday 17/1 rehearsal - Nunez/Hirano, Takada/Edmonds, Lukas BB Sat 18/1 matinee - Mendizabal/Tsoares, Hinkis/Donnelly, Mock Sat 18/1 evening - Osipova/Clarke, Hayward/Ball, Avis Realising one shouldn’t comment on rehearsals, I can say I can highly recommend all the casts I’ve seen. Each dancer brings their own interpretations to the roles. Such strong acting all around. Great partnering too - there are lots of impressive lifts and difficult moves. My highlights (not including rehearsal): - Meaghan Grace Hinkis in a lyrical role. Beautiful quality. Loved her Olga the most. - Thiago’s incredibly expressive hands and gestures. - Natalie’s Tatiana was a tour de force. Great portrayal of a young romantic girl, morphing into a wife who understands her position and decision. It could have been so easy to be over dramatic in the last tragic pdd, but she held herself back. - Reece’s debut as Onegin was special. And I agree with others, that there is even more he can do with the role now that first night nerves are out of the way. The standout performance for me of all 3 casts was David Donnelly as Lensky. His final solo before the duel was incredibly moving. I knew he had fabulous technique (beautiful developpes, pirouettes and jumps, luscious movements), but I didn’t know he could portray emotion like this. So so wonderful. I will never forget it. I can’t stop thinking about it. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 11 hours ago, pasdedeux said: Late to the party, but I thought the Saturday evening performance was really memorable - not faultless, but very, very enticing. I'm now regretting more than ever that I had to let my ticket for that one go - and I didn't have either of the others booked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 8 hours ago, FionaE said: The standout performance for me of all 3 casts was David Donnelly as Lensky. His final solo before the duel was incredibly moving. I knew he had fabulous technique (beautiful developpes, pirouettes and jumps, luscious movements), but I didn’t know he could portray emotion like this. So so wonderful. I will never forget it. I can’t stop thinking about it. Thank you FioneE. So glad someone has posted about Donnelly, I wasn't able to make the performance so was really keen to hear how he did. He's had very few opportunities in soloist roles, his last big one was The Invitation in which I thought he danced neatly with musicality and gave a thoughtful and intelligent character portrayal. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasdedeux Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Something that I've been puzzling over - can anyone perhaps shed any light on the Prince Gremin casting? Previously, it had always gone to a more 'senior' 'character artist'-type dancer (Avis, Gartside, Hirano (who seemed to be for a while on the character artist trajectory before his promotion)). I of course relish the opportunity for younger dancers, but Gremin is not I would have thought an appropriate role. His part in the story is to be part of the establishment - a kind, if distant, and dependable figure whose days of sexual frisson are behind him. Watching Avis on Saturday perform the role admirably (the detail, care and reaction - the elder statesman at the ball), I could not quite imagine some of the younger dancers cast having the appropriate gravitas. After all, Gremin is not to Tatiana what Paris is to Juliet. I would welcome any alternative thoughts. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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