English National Ballet - Swan Lake (livestream)

[Jeannette]

  Just watched the “premiere stream” of ENB’s Swan Lake. Am I alone in loving the little countdowns with reverse numbers, as we approach these premieres?  😆 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTvtIHSkeQ

 

Did I love this? Mostly “Yes”! I love the traditional aspects of this production- traditional story (few quirks); traditional choreography, including many of the Ashton emendations; a lovely delicate ballerina in Jurgita Dronina, wonderful as Odette, if a bit “low key” as Odile; pretty costumes; some impressive soloists, such as Anjeli Hudson & Barry Drummond in Ashton’s Neapolitan Dance in A3; and...no jester!

 

The one concern was, to me, the miscasting of Isaac Hernandez as Prince Siegfried, particularly in the solo that ends A1 - thinking Dowell here...unfair comparison! I could see the effort - the tension in his neck and hunched shoulders - which, of course, should not be perceived in ballet. I also failed to detect chemistry with his Odette/Odile. In fact, he seemed to be disconnected throughout. Maybe just an off night for Mr. Hernandez?

 

Funniest moment: Von Rothbart’s entrance at the ball...with what appeared to be two of Carabosse’s minions in tow. Oops - wrong ballet!

 

Speaking of Von Rothbart: This was surely the most enormous cape on record.

 

I could see how some of this was adapted from the Royal Albert Hall in-the-round production, eg, Odette’s  initial appearance emerging from a cluster of swans, rather than entering alone from the wings.

 

All in all, I truly enjoyed this. Thanks to ENB, one of the most generous ballet troupes in sharing their treasure trove of repertoire during this COVID season of streaming.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Jeannette

[Lizbie1]

24 minutes ago, Jeannette said:

I also failed to detect chemistry with his Odette/Odile. In fact, he seemed to be disconnected throughout. Maybe just an off night for Mr. Hernandez?

 

Others here will be better placed to judge, but this is IMO par for the course with Hernandez.

[Jeannette]

Additional thoughts, as I rewatched this.

 

Jurgita Dronina’s O/O - My first time seeing her, even though I’ve been hearing about her special lyrical qualities forever...since competition days in the early ‘00s. Her lightness and, especially, use of arms and HANDS -sigh! - are truly mesmerizing. Loveliness personified. Does she ever strike a bad pose? She’s everything that one would want in Odette. True, as Odile she’s not a firecracker whipping out 32 fouettés (28 here?) but she looks gorgeous in everything she did. 

 

I can imagine Dronina as Sylphide! The Schanne or Evdokimova of our age? Somebody please alert me if they hear about any upcoming performance of Dronina as La Sylphide...If it’s ever possible and wise to travel again. 

 

I’m aware that she’s also a principal in Toronto, Canada...but she was not cast in the recent Sleeping Beauty tour to DC. Bummer...though I loved Ogden, Lobsanova and the rest seen here.

 

About this ENB Swan Lake film, a silly question: At several spots, esp in A3, the screen went dark as music played...it happened, for instance, twice during the Csardas and just before Von Rothbart and Odile’s entrance to the ball. Why? Did dancers slip? Or the film went bad? Union rules about performance films not being 100% complete if shared online (non-commercial setting)? Just curious about the brief black-out periods, with the sound continuing.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Jeannette

[Jeannette]

You know, it’s been so much fun getting to know new companies through these web streams and I’m really loving this one. Ive enjoyed so many visits to London in the past and the only live look at ENB was an in-the-round Sleeping Beauty at Royal Albert Hall 20 yrs ago starring then-ingenue Tamara Rojo as Aurora and guest Anastasia Volochkova as Carabosse?! Glad to be catching up with this company. Once we can all resume travels, ENB is on my go-see list, along with the Royal, Sadlers Wells (whoever’s dancing), visiting Russians, etc.

[Irmgard]

With its Ashton/Petipa Acts I and III, Ivanov’s exquisite Act II and Ashton’s sublime Act IV, (plus Nureyev’s fiendishly difficult solo in Act I!), it is always a pleasure to watch Derek Deane’s production of “Swan Lake” for ENB (so much more satisfying for me than the Royal Ballet’s current or previous production) and, with the Royal Albert Hall performances cancelled, it was very good of Deane to allow ENB to stream this performance which is available until 7pm this evening.  I believe this performance was the opening night of the 2018 revival and features exquisite performances from ENB’s corps de ballet of swan-maidens, plus spirited dances in Acts I and III.  I was not at this performance by Isaac Hernandez and Jurgita Dronina but saw their second (Bristol) and fourth (London Coliseum) performances of the run.  Certainly, by their fourth performance, Hernandez had adopted a more princely demeanour than he has in this recording, but he still did not look entirely comfortable, particularly in Nureyev’s solo or in the mime, being much happier showing off his bravura technique in Act III.  Nevertheless, as this recording shows, he is a very supportive and considerate partner for Dronina.  I feel Hernandez does not always project emotions beyond the footlights (the exception for me being his Des Grieux in the London performances of “Manon”), so it was good to have close-up shots in the pas de deux to see him responding emotionally to Dronina, even if this was probably too intimate to be noticeable to audiences in the theatre. 

 

As to Dronina, she is an exceptionally beautiful dancer of great lyricism and musicality, with every fibre of her being, and her wonderfully expressive eyes, responding to Tchaikovsky’s sublime score, whether as Odette or Odile.  Dronina is one of the dancers, including several others from ENB, giving online classes on Instagram and Zoom during lockdown (and I marvel at the enterprise and resilience within the arts world during this very challenging time). She is in her eleventh week of doing this and gives a minimum of four live classes per week (and I consider it a huge privilege to be able to take class every day, whether live or recorded, with such an outstanding artist and teacher).  She also does question and answer sessions on repertoire (as her basement does not offer the space or height to give actual repertoire classes) and in one of these I asked her to talk about the two weeks of private coaching she had with Natalia Makarova prior to her debut in the dual role a number of years ago.  Her response was both enlightening and entertaining, and it was therefore wonderful to have this chance to watch her performance and notice the gems she had learned from Makarova, not only in the haunting vulnerability of her Odette but also in her elegant, subtly seductive Odile.  I shall very much enjoy revisiting her performance again today.  If anyone is interested in watching this remarkable artist at work (or joining in!) she usually publishes her weekly schedule on Instagram and Facebook on a Sunday evening.

 

These archive recordings were originally filmed for study purposes only so not much attention was given to sound quality but it is wonderful to hear the passionate reading of the score drawn from the ENB Philharmonic by Maestro Gavin Sutherland.

[Irmgard]

14 hours ago, Jeannette said:

Additional thoughts, as I rewatched this.

 

Jurgita Dronina’s O/O - My first time seeing her, even though I’ve been hearing about her special lyrical qualities forever...since competition days in the early ‘00s. Her lightness and, especially, use of arms and HANDS -sigh! - are truly mesmerizing. Loveliness personified. Does she ever strike a bad pose? She’s everything that one would want in Odette. True, as Odile she’s not a firecracker whipping out 32 fouettés (28 here?) but she looks gorgeous in everything she did. 

 

 

In Dronina's other performances,  her 32 fouettes were immaculate and included doubles and triples so it was just bad luck that the only performance of the run where she finished early was the one which was filmed!  (You can see her happily spinning away in fouette sequences in other "Swan Lakes" and in other ballets on YouTube.)  She has not been performing since January 2019 due to a calf problem which required surgery and extensive rehabilitation so this may explain her absence from the Washington casting for Aurora.  Her comeback was meant to be Juliet with National Ballet of Canada but lockdown started in Toronto the day before her performance! 

[Jeannette]

Thanks, Irmgard! Well, your information about Makarova having coached Dronina in Swan Lake brings it all together...same lyricism, same physiques. Bingo!

[bridiem]

I see that the review in today's Links refers to 'Deane's choreography' for Act IV! Poor old Ashton...

[Jeannette]

2 hours ago, bridiem said:

I see that the review in today's Links refers to 'Deane's choreography' for Act IV! Poor old Ashton...

 True. By the way, I notice changes between the current ENB “Ashton A4” and that in the Royal’s film ca 1980 (starring Makarova/Dowell). For ex, ENB 2018 corps doesn’t perform the lovely swaying back and forth, backs to audience, with high port de bras, during the mournful oboe-led tune.”Ashton simplified.”

[alison]

Incidentally, I've been wondering, not for the first time, about the sets.  Are they actually from the old Carl Toms production (re-used for the Struchkova production), or are they just similar?  (Or is my memory playing tricks)

[bridiem]

Ashton's Act IV is sublimely beautiful, stunning, transcendent. It absolutely takes my breath away.

[alison]

Okay, that does it.  I'm supposed to be working, but ...  

[Scheherezade]

54 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Ashton's Act IV is sublimely beautiful, stunning, transcendent. It absolutely takes my breath away.

 

Isn't it just! Enjoy, Alison ...

[James]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

Ashton's Act IV is sublimely beautiful, stunning, transcendent. It absolutely takes my breath away.

The “reconciliation” duet didn’t look like Ashton’s at all  to me - at least not how I remember it from the choreography that Ashton gifted to Natalia Makarova for her 1989(?) production for LFB. As Jeannette has pointed out, some changes have definitely been made along the way. I do think, though, that the musical choices made for Act IV (adopted by Scarlett for his 2018 RB production) are preferable to the 1895 version.

[alison]

Are you saying that this Act IV is Ashton's (which I've rarely seen)?  I recall Jane S saying that that began with Odette leading the swans on, which certainly didn't happen here.  This seems to me more like an adaptation of the "in the round" choreography to me.

[James]

6 minutes ago, alison said:

Are you saying that this Act IV is Ashton's (which I've rarely seen)?  I recall Jane S saying that that began with Odette leading the swans on, which certainly didn't happen here.  This seems to me more like an adaptation of the "in the round" choreography to me.

It was Irmgard who said in an earlier post that it was Ashton’s Act IV. And yes, in Ashton’s setting, as I recall it, Odette leads her swan maidens off, before returning to the Prince. The rest of the duet is danced by them alone on the stage. 

[Irmgard]

1 hour ago, James said:

It was Irmgard who said in an earlier post that it was Ashton’s Act IV. And yes, in Ashton’s setting, as I recall it, Odette leads her swan maidens off, before returning to the Prince. The rest of the duet is danced by them alone on the stage. 

Anthony Russell-Roberts, who owns the rights to Ashton's Act IV, lists it as in ENB's repertoire but that is not to say it has not been modified from the version the Royal Ballet used to dance.

[Jeannette]

4 hours ago, James said:

The “reconciliation” duet didn’t look like Ashton’s at all  to me - at least not how I remember it from the choreography that Ashton gifted to Natalia Makarova for her 1989(?) production for LFB. As Jeannette has pointed out, some changes have definitely been made along the way. I do think, though, that the musical choices made for Act IV (adopted by Scarlett for his 2018 RB production) are preferable to the 1895 version.

That’s what I thought, James. This current ENB version, for all of its beauty, doesn’t show the corps parts of Ashton’s A4. I just compared DVDs of the 1980 Royal, the late 80s LFB (now ENB) and rewatched the current ENB. Not only do the swans not perform the swaying movements in the current version but practically the entire Dance of Little Swans that opens the act is different. The only Ashton maintained in ENB’s current version of A4 is the movement of the principals, it seems. On the other hand the A1 Waltz (Pas de douze) and A3 Neapolitan Dance  are Ashton’s.

[Jeannette]

5 hours ago, bridiem said:

Ashton's Act IV is sublimely beautiful, stunning, transcendent. It absolutely takes my breath away.

 Too bad that it was not on full view here.

[Lynette H]

I think the Spanish Dance in the ENB version is also Ashton. You can see Monica Mason teaching it in one of the Ashton Foundation masterclasses via this link

 

http://www.frederickashton.org.uk/rediscovered17.html

 

 

[northstar]

Fabulous surprise to see this performance from 2018, Liverpool Empire, streamed. I was at this performance (as were a handful of other BalletcoForum members) and had no idea it was being recorded. Unfortunately I didn't pay enough attention to the timing/availability of the streaming and only watched a little of it before it disappeared. But it brought back the feeling I hand at the time of being so thrilled to see Jurgita Dronina dance in my local theatre. And I must say the close-ups from the streaming that I saw allowed me to appreciate the wonderful expressiveness of her dancing, particularly the arms/hands as Jeanette mentions. 

[Irmgard]

On 29/05/2020 at 16:52, alison said:

Incidentally, I've been wondering, not for the first time, about the sets.  Are they actually from the old Carl Toms production (re-used for the Struchkova production), or are they just similar?  (Or is my memory playing tricks)

Just checked my cast sheets from 2018 and Peter Farmer is credited with the design.

[alison]

I'm afraid I had to fast-forward through much of Swan Lake owing to time restrictions: I do hope they can put the full-length ballets on for a bit longer

[saki]

On 31/05/2020 at 21:23, Lynette H said:

I think the Spanish Dance in the ENB version is also Ashton. You can see Monica Mason teaching it in one of the Ashton Foundation masterclasses via this link

 

http://www.frederickashton.org.uk/rediscovered17.html

 

 

The version in the ENB stream was completely different from this one though.
Did Ashton choreograph more than one version, or was it Deane's? Does anyone know?

 

Edited June 2, 2020 by saki
syntax

[Jeannette]

1 hour ago, saki said:

 

The version in the ENB stream was completely different from this one though.
Did Ashton choreograph more than one version, or was it Deane's? Does anyone know?

 

Right. The current ENB Spanish Dance has many elements of the Russian/Mariinsky-then-Kirov tradition. The more that we examine it, the less Ashton we see. In general, the current bonanza of streams has not been too kind to Ashton...we’ve gotten one Fille Mal Gardee early on and the bits in this ENB Lake. 

Edited June 2, 2020 by Jeannette

[saki]

4 hours ago, Jeannette said:

Right. The current ENB Spanish Dance has many elements of the Russian/Mariinsky-then-Kirov tradition.

 

I was just thinking it reminded me of the Mariinsky versions I'd seen, and didn't look very Ashtonian.
 

4 hours ago, Jeannette said:

we’ve gotten one Fille Mal Gardee early on and the bits in this ENB Lake. 

Would this be the upcoming stream of the Nunez DVD, or did I miss the chance to see Ashton's Fille performed by another company? 
 

There was also Perm Ballet's stream of Les Patineurs in a triple bill with Macmillan's Winter Dreams last month, but it was up only briefly.

It seems to be the same few ballets being trotted out though.
If Sarasota Ballet could do for Ashton's ballets what NYCB's digital spring season has done for Balanchine's, wouldn't that be something?

Still, I'm grateful for this ENB stream and the previous ones. Looking forward to Song of the Earth which I've heard so much about.

Edited June 2, 2020 by saki

[Don Q Fan]

On 31/05/2020 at 22:31, northstar said:

Fabulous surprise to see this performance from 2018, Liverpool Empire, streamed. I was at this performance (as were a handful of other BalletcoForum members) and had no idea it was being recorded. Unfortunately I didn't pay enough attention to the timing/availability of the streaming and only watched a little of it before it disappeared. But it brought back the feeling I hand at the time of being so thrilled to see Jurgita Dronina dance in my local theatre. And I must say the close-ups from the streaming that I saw allowed me to appreciate the wonderful expressiveness of her dancing, particularly the arms/hands as Jeanette mentions. 

So was I at the performance as was our very own JMcN.  There was I recall quite some discussion in the interval about Hernandez - he didn't look like he quite belonged in this ballet somehow is what I recall of it!  Dronina wonderful of course and James Streeter as Rothbart well he was in his element!

[Jan McNulty]

18 minutes ago, Don Q Fan said:

So was I at the performance as was our very own JMcN.  There was I recall quite some discussion in the interval about Hernandez - he didn't look like he quite belonged in this ballet somehow is what I recall of it!  Dronina wonderful of course and James Streeter as Rothbart well he was in his element!

 

If I recollect correctly we all met in the intervals.  I didn't watch the streamed performance because, although I like this production, I thought Siegfried was totally miscast.  I would have preferred to see the exquisite Dronina with a different partner.  James Streeter was, of course, magnificent.

[northstar]

Treasured memories now of being at live ballet, and socialising and meeting ballet forum members at performances, Janet and Don Q Fan. I look forward to the day we can do so again. In the meantime, trying to look at the silver lining, I wonder if this Swan Lake recording would ever have been broadcast in other circumstances? The upcoming ENB scheduled streaming Song of Earth and Manon in Manchester are an astonishing surprise to me too - I was also at these performances as I suspect some others were - I don't think I met anyone at those performances though.

[Jan McNulty]

Much to my disappointment I could only get to the Saturday evening performance of Manon but what an incredible performance from Alina Cojocaru and Joe Caley.  The final duet was heartbreaking.

 

It was also an unexpected pleasure to find myself sat next to forum member Anna Micro!!