English National Ballet - Romeo and Juliet (and other) livestream

[Irmgard]

46 minutes ago, alison said:

 

.  Are the films made purely for archive purposes?  I've assumed they would be used for publicity and suchlike.  

Contractual agreements with choreographers/estates etc. usually only allow for one complete recording of a ballet to be made for archive purposes with only very short extracts from it being allowed to be used for publicity purposes.  To record a complete ballet for any other purpose requires a separate negotiation, which is why ENB (and presumably other companies) have had to contact copyright holders to ask permission to show the complete ballets during these challenging times. 

[Jan McNulty]

I watched Manon tonight.

 

I really like this production with its pared down set and costumes (apart from the puff balls in the brothel).

 

What a wonderful performance from Alina Cojocaru and Joseph Caley - her performance is so beautifully nuanced.  You see her go from young coquette to sophisticated courtesan and ultimately broken convict.  Joseph Caley is heartfelt and in love and totally devastated by her death.  They have a terrific on stage rapport.  Jeffrey Cirio was wonderfully sleazy as Lescaut and James Streeter nearly stole the show as M.  GM.  I was in floods by the end, that final despairing duet just broke my heart.  I'm not sure if it was the performance I attended in Manchester or one from earlier in the week but it brought back magical memories.  I may have to put myself through it all over again tomorrow!

 

Thank you ENB.

[ninamargaret]

I enjoyed this,as well. For my money, Cojocaru is near to Jennifer Penny - every emotion showed, and it goes without saying that it was so beautifully danced. I liked Joseph Caley, for me he didn't quite have the charisma of Bonelli or Campbell, but he is a very strong partner and I can offer no criticism other than personal preference. Where I must disagree with Jan is the production. I remember watching the Danish production a couple of years ago and saying I didn't like it and being told by Jan slightly gleefully that it was the version used by ENB, so at least I had been warned! A case of you pays your money and takes your choice!

[Irmgard]

In total, I saw twelve performances of “Manon” during the 2018/2019 season and I remember being underwhelmed by Alina Cojocaru and Joseph Caley in the leading roles, just as I was when watching this streaming on Wednesday evening. Compared with almost all the other casts, I found their performance a bit too careful, lacking in spontaneity and missing the rapturous abandon in the first two pas de deux which was so thrilling in performances by the other casts.  Of course, Caley’s dancing is beautiful but I did not feel it was infused with emotion in the same way as the dancing of others taking on the role of Des Grieux during the season. 

 

However, apart from some annoyingly pantomimic acting from some of the beggars in Act I and drunken harlots in Act II, there was a huge amount to enjoy in this film of the season première, not least the spotlight finally being shone on Katja Khaniukova in this series of streamings.  She received two Critics Circle nominations this year, one for best female classical dancer and, watching her elegant and exquisite dancing as Lescaut’s Mistress, it was obvious why she received the nomination.  She won the award for outstanding female performance (classical) for her interpretation of Frida Kahlo in “Broken Wings” and, again, it was easy to see what an exceptional dance actress she is, as she made the Mistress, a role which can very often seem two-dimensional, a real person with completely natural reactions and emotions, making her spirited, vivacious and, above all, feminine.  There was a wonderful chemistry with her Lescaut, the sublime Jeffrey Cirio, who brought his flawless technique to the challenging solos, especially the drunken one, and gave us a great portrait of a darkly manipulative rogue, who could be utterly charming, even when drunk, but with a definite cruel streak, in complete contrast to his Des Grieux which was memorable for the innate tenderness in all his dancing with Manon and, of course, his beautiful adagio dancing of the solos, infused with real emotion.

 

It was also wonderful to see two other exceptional artists, Crystal Costa and Adela Ramirez, as Courtesans, delicious in the Act I duo and hilarious in their warring duo in Act II.  It is sad that we will no longer have the pleasure of seeing the effervescent Costa dance with ENB  as she left the company earlier this year after several months’ sabbatical following what was essentially her farewell performance as Khan’s Giselle.  Her radiant stage presence and effortless technique will be sorely missed.

 

With so many wonderful individual performances, not least the ravishing interpretation of the score by Gavin Sutherland and the ENB Philharmonic, I will definitely be watching a few more times before this disappears at 7pm on Friday!

[Bruce Wall]

Agree totally with you, Irmgard, in light of Khaniukova and Cirio both:  Two fine artists individually - and what a luminous pairing they are together.  (I vividly remember going to see three of their performances in ENB's Nutcracker this past year.  They lifted that production - which I must admit as being far from my favourite - to the stratosphere whilst on stage.).  How I wished we'd been able to see McWhinney and the ever stellar Mr. Frola in the leading roles for this recorded Manon  Their escapades stole my breath away. I staggered out of the Coliseum after that Wednesday matinee having been literally winded.  It had been potently memorable.  

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by Bruce Wall

[alison]

19 minutes ago, Irmgard said:

It was also wonderful to see two other exceptional artists, Crystal Costa and Adela Ramirez, as Courtesans, delicious in the Act I duo and hilarious in their warring duo in Act II.  It is sad that we will no longer have the pleasure of seeing the effervescent Costa dance with ENB  as she left the company earlier this year after several months’ sabbatical following what was essentially her farewell performance as Khan’s Giselle.  Her radiant stage presence and effortless technique will be sorely missed.

 

 

I noticed she was performing in Sleeping Beauty with the Hong Kong Ballet recently ...

[northstar]

I just caught the streaming of Manon with Cojocaru and Caley at the Manchester Opera House from Oct 2018 yesterday before it expired. I think I saw it noted that it was from 17th October (the opening night) and if so, I was at this performance too. 

 

I remember the profound impression this performance made on me and it was only confirmed by viewing this broadcast. After watching it, as when I originally saw it live, I was transported and (despite the tragedy of the story) uplifted and transported in that way that ballet, at its best, affects me. That special feeling is the core of for my passion for ballet. I felt so moved and inspired by the entire work, the steps, the music, the theatre, but particularly Cojocaru and Caley, both of whom I found incandescent in their lead roles. 

 

ENB have, more than any other company, revealed to me the genius of MacMillan with recent performances of Song of the Earth and Manon in Northern England, and I feel more gratitude than ever for their work and existence. 

[capybara]

Arriving a bit late to this discussion but I wanted to add my praise for Kaniukova. I enjoyed her live but I think she came across even better in the filmed streaming. She was so NATURAL, a skill possessed by Cojocaru in plenty as well. 

[ninamargaret]

Sylphide was, to my mind, pretty stunning! I admit to a particular weakness for it, and I was well rewarded by the performance. My only possible criticism is that Madge looked far too pretty to be a witch, but her performance was excellent. I followed it by watching Balamouk - a very good double bill and certainly one that I don't think I'd ever see at the ROH, even under the best circumstances!

[Jeannette]

Dronina is a very sweet, delicate Sylphide. I was especially moved by her death scene.

 

The ENB ensemble was wonderful in both acts...so sharp in the reel.

 

A lovely traditional production, with the sets/costumes borrowed from Copenhagen...old traditional version, not what one sees in Denmark now (black, white, grey).

[Beryl H]

I am also biased in favour of this ballet, but this La Sylphide was beautiful in every way, the dancing, costumes and scenery, and so well recorded too, one of the few times I was able to really connect with seeing ballet on my tinny lap top, wish there was a DVD available! 

[Jan McNulty]

I loved this production when I saw it live in Manchester a couple of years ago and I loved it again on screen.

 

I thought Dronina was sublime as The Sylph and that Hernandez came over very well as James (more so than when I saw him live).  The corps were terrific.

[alison]

I really appreciated the chance to see this pairing, as it wasn't one we got to see in London.  And very nicely filmed, too.  I could just wish I'd been in more of a mood to watch it.

[Janite]

This was the first time I had seen La Sylphide, it is a ballet I have wanted to see for some time and I was not disappointed. 

[northstar]

Just caught this, another sublime offering from ENB's recent generous programme of broadcasting. 

 

As with the recent 3-4 streamings of ENB performances recorded in the north of England, I was at this performance live. I remember it was the first time I had the privilege to see Dronina dance live after she joined ENB. As with the other recordings, the filming is beautiful and it was a wonderful experience to see this ballet again. How lucky we were (especially in the 'provinces') to be treated to this exquisite Bournonville style dancing by such beautiful performers. As with the previous MacMillan ballets which were shown, ENB has brought such splendid jewels across the breadth of the ballet canon to people all round the UK. 

 

I distinctly remember the impression Jane Haworth's Madge made when I saw it live, and this was again a particular highlight. And the close ups of the filming really emphasised the delicacy and skill in the dancing style, which I probably appreciated more than when I was in theatre. 

[FionaM]

Not knowing the ballet La Sylphide as well as many other classics, I was rather delighted with this performance.   I thought Jurgita Dronina was delightful as the Sylph ... light and mischievous.  She really led James a merry dance!   I was pleased to see Isaac Hernandez‘s super technique in this demanding role in the close ups, and also his acting which doesn’t always come across to my distant theatre seat.  I also appreciated seeing Giorgio Garrett in a featured role as Gurn, he has fine technique and even better acting skills.  
 

And it was super to see Jane Haworth as Madge, now that she is retiring.  Great interpretation and always so clear in her movement and facial expressions.  No need to overdo it.  What a super career as a dancer, character artist and member of the artistic management team she has had.  Bravo!

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, FionaE said:

Not knowing the ballet La Sylphide as well as many other classics, I was rather delighted with this performance.   I thought Jurgita Dronina was delightful as the Sylph ... light and mischievous.  She really led James a merry dance!   I was pleased to see Isaac Hernandez‘s super technique in this demanding role in the close ups, and also his acting which doesn’t always come across to my distant theatre seat.  I also appreciated seeing Giorgio Garrett in a featured role as Gurn, he has fine technique and even better acting skills.  
 

And it was super to see Jane Haworth as Madge, now that she is retiring.  Great interpretation and always so clear in her movement and facial expressions.  No need to overdo it.  What a super career as a dancer, character artist and member of the artistic management team she has had.  Bravo!

 

 

Yes, I thought Hernandez acting showed up more on film than on stage.

[Irmgard]

I see from the date given in the credits at the end of the recording of Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella-in-the-round that it was filmed during the dress rehearsal on 5 June 2019.  I was at this dress rehearsal and I vaguely remember cameras being dotted about the vast auditorium.  This was surely the most challenging ballet to film and edit to capture all the action.  I remember being disappointed at the rehearsal and subsequent performances by the standard of the choreography, especially in comparison with the company’s previous productions and, of course, the Ashton masterpiece, which very rarely matched the magnificence or emotional depths of Prokofiev’s score, here caught in all its glory thanks to the ENB Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Gavin Sutherland and the wonderful acoustics of the fabulous Royal Albert Hall.  I also found much of the humour crass and tasteless (and was glad to be able to fast-forward through some of these scenes on subsequent viewings).  However, there was so much to enjoy amongst individual performances and the exuberance of the corps de ballet in their many costume changes (I loved the blue outfits for the ballroom scene and thought these filmed particularly well, especially from above).  Cinderella herself is a rather under-developed role in this production, having little to do except waft prettily throughout, and the choreography for her is rather underwhelming.  Alina Cojocaru was ideally cast as the waif-like heroine and danced prettily but she seemed to find difficulty making the choreography seem like anything other than a series of steps, some of them very awkward.  In fact, having seen all the casts throughout this run and the following autumn tour, I found that Shiori Kase made the most sense of the choreography, managing to connect the steps and imbue them with real emotion.  In this performance, she was relegated to the soloist in the Spring section of the Seasons interlude and was, for the most part, obscured by the surrounding ensemble.  Interestingly, I felt that Tamara Rojo as the monstrous stepmother did not come across as well on film as she did in the auditorium, especially in her drunken pas de deux with her long-suffering husband, danced throughout this run by Fabian Reimair.  Isaac Hernandez, as the Prince, was in his element with the energetic and exuberant choreography, especially in his duets with his friend Ben, here danced with great style by the always elegant Jeffrey Cirio.  For me, the best pas de deux for the Prince and Cinderella was at the very end of the ballet when they circled the arena in a series of very simple but beautiful lifts.  As I felt at this rehearsal and all through the performances I saw, the most touching and heart-warming relationship was between Ben and the clumsy, bespectacled stepsister Clementine, here given a very appealing interpretation by Katja Khaniukova who, right from the start, shows her as bullied and humiliated by her mother and sister and manipulated into participating in the particularly mean behaviour of her sister.  I was very pleased that the film captured perfectly the moment when, after their duet in the ballroom, Edwina (given an excellently unsympathetic portrayal by Emma Hawes), who has been increasingly frustrated by Clementine’s greater dancing talent, knocks her to the ground and she lies there in a crumpled, humiliating heap until lifted up by Ben and there is a lovely moment of stillness between them when he straightens up her glasses that speaks volumes.  After that, their developing love story gives the ballet the magic it needs.  The film also captures very well my other favourite moments, which are the beautiful Stina Quagebeur, as Cinderella’s mother, floating like an angel above the child Cinderella (a very sensitive portrayal by Bonnie Bradfield) and, of course, the spectacular tour of the arena by Cinderella’s ‘coach’ pulled by the Fates transformed into horses, with Cinderella being held aloft and her train billowing behind her.  This was real theatrical magic!  The streaming is available until 7pm tonight and is well worth a viewing.  I note that this streaming was in collaboration with the Royal Albert Hall and donations were requested for this national treasure as well as ENB’s Future Fund.  It is to be hoped that the Chancellor’s package for arts venues and institutions will benefit both these organisations, neither of which we can afford to lose.

 

I realise I did not post anything last week about ENB’s streaming of “La Sylphide”. Despite Frank Andersen’s production not coming close to the company’s previous sublime production by Peter Schaufuss in 1979 (luckily the television film of this is available on Youtube) and being lumbered with some very unflattering costumes in Act I, this was a wonderful record of Isaac Hernandez dancing exceptionally well as James (excellent footwork and elevation in all the Bournonville beaten steps) and creating real chemistry with the other-worldly Sylph of Jurgita Dronina who was captivating from start to finish, showing an innate understanding of the Romantic style along with her instinctive musicality, and who must surely have one of the most beautifully expressive faces onstage today!     

[ninamargaret]

I admit to finding the whole ballet slightly unsatisfying, a fact I put down to the difficulties of choreographing for such a large space, plus difficulties in actually filming it. Like Irmgard, I found Cojocaru somewhat underused, although what she was given to do she did beautifully as you would expect! I rather liked the four 'spirits ' or whatever, and thought they were cleverly employed as scenery/props changers when required. Certainly a clever way of dealing with the awkward space. I'm sure I saw another Cinderella by Wheeldon on You Tube which was rather different to this - was the ENB version done specially for the Albert Hall?

[Irmgard]

1 hour ago, ninamargaret said:

I admit to finding the whole ballet slightly unsatisfying, a fact I put down to the difficulties of choreographing for such a large space, plus difficulties in actually filming it. Like Irmgard, I found Cojocaru somewhat underused, although what she was given to do she did beautifully as you would expect! I rather liked the four 'spirits ' or whatever, and thought they were cleverly employed as scenery/props changers when required. Certainly a clever way of dealing with the awkward space. I'm sure I saw another Cinderella by Wheeldon on You Tube which was rather different to this - was the ENB version done specially for the Albert Hall?

I expect the version on Youtube is the Dutch National Ballet production by Wheeldon which was adapted (and enlarged!) for the Royal Albert Hall.  ENB performed Wheeldon's proscenium version at the start of their autumn (2019) tour.  

[ninamargaret]

53 minutes ago, Irmgard said:

expect the version on Youtube is the Dutch National Ballet production by Wheeldon which was adapted (and enlarged!) for the Royal Albert Hall.  ENB performed Wheeldon's proscenium version at the start of their autumn (2019) tour.  

Thank you for this - now you tell me I remember that it was the,Dutch. I think the proscenium  version is rather better, although would happily ditch it for the Ashton.

[capybara]

Watching ballet at the RAH is a very different (and distant) experience which is usually strong on spectacle but less persuasive in a dramatic sense. And ENB’s filming reflected that, I felt.

 

[Sabine0308]

@Irmgard Thank you for shining light to the date of filming, I was confused about the lack of enthusiasm from the audience, I heard only bits of applause and there was no "curtain call"/final bows. Now I understand. I didn't like this Cinderella version and sometimes didn't know what was going on compared to the actual fairytale. I agree, the final Cinderella-Prince PDD was beautiful. Overall, from the main cast I especially enjoyed Jeff Cirio's dancing, much more than Hernandez. Alina was beautiful. But choreo for both main characters was not very touching, imo. Also, I was happy to see whirlwind Shale Wagman as lead autumn who danced this role also in opening night.