Richard LH Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Live from Covent Garden A special message from Antonio Pappano, Music Director of the Royal Opera, Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet and Oliver Mears, Director of the Royal Opera. As our closest Friends and supporters, we are delighted for you to be among the first to learn about our new series of live concerts. Live from Covent Garden will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube from our beloved theatre, with the first being broadcast on Saturday 13 June at 7:30pm. We have worked together to curate this programme, celebrating some of the best talent in opera alongside the unparalleled artistry and athleticism of our dancers from The Royal Ballet. Get ready for 13 June... The first concert, hosted by the BBC’s Anita Rani and our very own Director of Music, Antonio Pappano, will be broadcast on 13th June at 7:30pm. It will see the ROH open its theatre to a limited number of musicians, artists and performers in the first live concert since closing our doors on 17 March 2020. The first concert will draw on the Royal Opera House’s heritage, with works from Benjamin Britten and George Frederic Handel, as well as repertory favourites, from George Butterworth to Mark Anthony Turnage. These will be performed by stars including Louise Alder, Toby Spence and Gerald Finley. We also look forward to a world premiere by Wayne McGregor, Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. Further details of this exciting new work will be announced in due course. We hope these concerts will bring you the joy and connection of a live performance. We will be asking for donations around the show as, with more than 60% of our income gone, we are at one of the most difficult times in the organisation’s long history. As loyal Friends and supporters we hope you will enjoy these concerts and support us. The following two performances on Saturday 20 June and Saturday 27 June will be available to view live and on demand for just £4.99 and will include a host of ballet and opera direct from The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. We look forward to sharing details with you soon. We look forward to welcoming you, from your house, back to our house. Antonio Pappano Music Director of the Royal Opera Kevin O’Hare Director of The Royal Ballet Oliver Mears Director of the Royal Opera Subscribe to our social channels for the latest information about Live from Covent Garden 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Interesting. Its a start at least on the (long) road back normality...! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisG Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Fantastic news - a great line up of singers and a Wayne McGregor premiere to boot! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Looking forward to news of the next 2 live events on 20 and 27 June - 'a host of ballet' being promised.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 The casting is needed for the ballet to up the interest level. Apart from the opening session, this is pay to view so who is being featured is very significant. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanJL Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 There are certainly dancers I'd be more excited about seeing than others. But personally I'll be thrilled to watch live streamed ballet from any of the Royal Ballet dancers at those prices. And indeed I would be if the opportunity was still there after the opera house is fully re-opened. This is wonderful news 🙂 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 2 hours ago, DanJL said: There are certainly dancers I'd be more excited about seeing than others. But personally I'll be thrilled to watch live streamed ballet from any of the Royal Ballet dancers at those prices. And indeed I would be if the opportunity was still there after the opera house is fully re-opened. This is wonderful news 🙂 I was actually thinking of what/who would have the potential to generate revenue for the ROH. That is the key issue here. I take it that we've all seen the statement from Alex Beard that the ROH cannot stay afloat on its current resources beyond the autumn? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 personally "a bunch of singers and something by Wayne McGregor" does not have my heart going pitapat. I hope the Royal Opera House realizes that a lot of ballet lovers have no interest in opera (and vice versa) 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 1 hour ago, toursenlair said: personally "a bunch of singers and something by Wayne McGregor" does not have my heart going pitapat. 3 hours ago, capybara said: I was actually thinking of what/who would have the potential to generate revenue for the ROH. That is the key issue here. Suggestions? Who/what would you like to see (given current constraints)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanJL Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 6 hours ago, capybara said: I was actually thinking of what/who would have the potential to generate revenue for the ROH. That is the key issue here. I take it that we've all seen the statement from Alex Beard that the ROH cannot stay afloat on its current resources beyond the autumn? Very good point, apologies capybara for misunderstanding. My excitement got the better of me! Possibly they are still at the stage of what is practically possible, which could be quite limited - maybe the new McGregor is something well designed for the limitations. It must be quite a difficult balance, trying to maximise the audience of people keen enough to pay whilst finding productions that aren't too expensive to put on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 5 hours ago, oncnp said: Suggestions? Who/what would you like to see (given current constraints)? I was thinking about suitable material yesterday: if close contact were ruled out (though there are some potential pairings of dancers who live together), what is there apart from the solo turns from pdd or other short extracts from ballets? The two which came immediately to my mind are both by Ashton, namely the Dance of the Blessed Spirits and the Brahms Waltzes in the manner of Isadora Duncan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 I guess that the RB will do as Munich is doing - I.e. use partners who are couples in real life (there are many in the RB) plus individuals. On the basis of couples, one could imagine the Lescaut/Mistress pdd from Manon, the Giselle pdd, the Grand Pas from La Bayadere, the R&J pdd , the Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake pdd , Yugen (as Bruce suggests) and so on. I’m with Lizzie on Blessed Spirits and I have cast it already - we’ll see. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Well, I’ll put in a request for Muntagirov in “Blessed Spirit” in that case - having watched him being rehearsed by Dowell a few years ago but never having seen him perform it live! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 I suspect our casting may match! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, Balletfanp said: Well, I’ll put in a request for Muntagirov in “Blessed Spirit” in that case - having watched him being rehearsed by Dowell a few years ago but never having seen him perform it live! He performed it at the Spring Gala a couple of years ago - I'd gladly pay my fiver to see him do it again remotely. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 From Today's Links: Cleveland Ballet performed for front line workers in a hospital atrium. They were wearing masks. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/made-us-smile/cleveland-ballet-dancers-perform-for-doctors-nurses-in-atrium-of-university-hospitals 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 15 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: He performed it at the Spring Gala a couple of years ago - I'd gladly pay my fiver to see him do it again remotely. And earlier this year in Tokyo.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 I believe the Bolshoi are doing live shows and the dancers have to be tested two days before and then can only take part if test is negative but I suppose this allows fairly normal performances of works. They are a very big Company however. I don’t think I’d be that keen to see dancers wearing masks though ...it’s either safe to perform or it isn’t. I’m not really that much into opera but perhaps these mixed performances will be a good thing and who knows might get me hooked on wanting to see future productions. I think the amount they are charging to see these live performances is cheap so I’d be happy to pay the ROH needs to raise some revenue urgently if it’s to be closed until January though am secretly hoping we might get a Nutcracker treat in time for Christmas 😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) What are the chances that the new Wayne McGregor piece is the other half of the Dante project which was due to be premiered at the end of the season for which the casting was to be announced , or at least something closely connected with it ? I think it is difficult to judge how much interest a new work by McGregor would generate whoever is dancing. Whatever the powers that be may believe McGregor is not universally admired. It will be interesting to see what sort of audience the new work generates. Perhaps the ballet management is banking on the idea that the ballet audience is feeling so deprived of seeing dance performances by the company that they will be prepared to pay to watch a new McGregor work. I hope that they have planned something more popular for their second show particularly if it turns out that the anticipated audience aren't that keen on the initial offering. I wonder how far the rehearsals for the heritage mixed bill got ? At the very least they should be able to give us "Satan's solo " from Job. The problem as far as the programme being suggested by others is concerned is that it is far from clear how popular an evening of odds and ends would be. Perhaps we are so dance deprived we would lap it up. However it seems to me that without some real imagination such a programme could so easily descend into an evening of standard gala fodder. Assuming that management will want to be a bit more adventurous than that Ashton gala pieces spring to mind. They include works as varied as "Raymonda pas de deux"; Thais and " The Walk to the Paradise Garden" perhaps the third character death will have to be eliminated from the latter for the time being, but that may not be necessary as he wears a mask anyway. I would suggest "Voices of Spring" but it is so overdone and all the while it is danced simply as a serious gala showpiece rather than a tongue in cheek rendering of a soviet style technical display it rather misses the point. Other Ashton choreography which could easily be pressed into service includes the ballroom pas de deux from Cinderella; the "Pas de l'Ombre" from Ondine if Hayward dances it; the final pas de deux from Daphnis and Chloe which makes a surprisingly good stand alone piece and the final pas de deux from Sylvia is another possibility. I seem to recall that when it was danced by Collier and Jefferies as a stand alone piece at the Ashton eightieth birthday gala held in 1984 it was performed in a slightly revised version which involved cutting the music for the corps thus eliminating the gap in stage action which is inevitable without the cut. A piece they might ask Muntagirov to perform is another of his gala pieces the solo created for Dolin as the Beau Gosse in Nijinska's Le Train Bleu. It has to be said that his performance of that solo suggests that the ballet was a whole lot better and far more entertaining than was suggested by the POB recording of it. Finally what about Balanchine's Tarantella the company has at least six dancers who could do that piece justice and only New York audiences have seen O'Sullivan in the McBride role. Now if they announced Anna Rose was dancing it with any of the men who currently have it in their repertory I would subscribe like a shot. Edited June 4, 2020 by FLOSS 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluelessmomma Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 More details about the broadcast https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52920423 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 Good news that BBC will be airing the first concert on Radio 3 and highlights on TV. Hopefully the BBC will continue to support the ROH and other Companies in this way. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 20 minutes ago, Richard LH said: Good news that BBC will be airing the first concert on Radio 3 and highlights on TV. Hopefully the BBC will continue to support the ROH and other Companies in this way. I don't whether the BBC are allowed to, but it would be a good idea if perhaps before and after the broadcast they could encourage people to donate (I'm not suggesting Children in Need proportions - but perhaps a text or phone number or a link to the ROH's website) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, MJW said: I don't whether the BBC are allowed to, but it would be a good idea if perhaps before and after the broadcast they could encourage people to donate (I'm not suggesting Children in Need proportions - but perhaps a text or phone number or a link to the ROH's website) Somehow I don't think you will need to worry about a pitch - in a variety of formats - being made - probably (understandably) more than once. Certainly that has been the fashion for other houses. Edited June 5, 2020 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 On 04/06/2020 at 10:30, FLOSS said: The problem as far as the programme being suggested by others is concerned is that it is far from clear how popular an evening of odds and ends would be. Perhaps we are so dance deprived we would lap it up. However it seems to me that without some real imagination such a programme could so easily descend into an evening of standard gala fodder. @FLOSS I would certainly lap up an evening of standard gala fodder, so I must be one of the deprived. In fact, I would probably be overjoyed to see the Sugar Plum Fairy solo, and that shows exactly how deprived I have become. By the way, did anyone else smile at the BBC announcement that the first post lock down performance featuring dance premiere by Wayne McGregor will be aired on Radio 3? My first thought was that perhaps they will broadcast it in the same way that they broadcast live tennis matches on the radio. Maybe Mr McGregor himself will provide the commentary? 🙂 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Pleased to see that at least highlights will be shown on BBC later, I've read the McGregor is an intimate new piece, sounds more like a pdd, I suppose we will be in for a multitude of "social distancing" ballets soon, actually the new way of moving out of people's way whilst trying to avoid joggers is quite choreographic! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Beryl H said:I suppose we will be in for a multitude of "social distancing" ballets soon, actually the new way of moving out of people's way whilst trying to avoid joggers is quite choreographic! I reckon the rat catcher from Manon will be given his own ballet, basically 40 minutes of everyone keeping out of his way while he wanders round the stage 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 4 hours ago, Fonty said: By the way, did anyone else smile at the BBC announcement that the first post lock down performance featuring dance premiere by Wayne McGregor will be aired on Radio 3? My first thought was that perhaps they will broadcast it in the same way that they broadcast live tennis matches on the radio. Maybe Mr McGregor himself will provide the commentary? 🙂 And if the commentary were to follow the style of his usual programme notes, the RB could wave goodbye to any potential new audience members. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi'smom Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 Wayne McGregor spoke the the upper school students at Elmhurst yesterday via Zoom and talked to them about the piece he is doing for this performance (and it's not what people have been speculating so watch this space! My daughter was very excited at the prospect!) She loved listening to him and described him as an intelligent, knowledgeable man passionate about the art. He gave them a much needed boost after such a long break from face to face training, 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 4 hours ago, mimi'smom said: Wayne McGregor spoke the the upper school students at Elmhurst yesterday via Zoom and talked to them about the piece he is doing for this performance (and it's not what people have been speculating so watch this space! My daughter was very excited at the prospect!) She loved listening to him and described him as an intelligent, knowledgeable man passionate about the art. He gave them a much needed boost after such a long break from face to face training, The Royal Ballet School has regular Q&A sessions with the top RB stars for both White Lodge and Upper School students. These initiatives are really good. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 4 hours ago, mimi'smom said: Wayne McGregor spoke the the upper school students at Elmhurst yesterday via Zoom and talked to them about the piece he is doing for this performance (and it's not what people have been speculating so watch this space! My daughter was very excited at the prospect!) She loved listening to him and described him as an intelligent, knowledgeable man passionate about the art. He gave them a much needed boost after such a long break from face to face training, Whenever I’ve seen him he does indeed seem lovely, and I’m very glad that he was able to give such a necessary boost to the students. If only he could ditch some of the overarching psychobabble. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 4 hours ago, Scheherezade said: . If only he could ditch some of the overarching psychobabble. But that's McGregor's USP He clearly made an early strategic decision to go down that route/talk that way - and it's worked a treat for him 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 (edited) 47 minutes ago, capybara said: But that's McGregor's USP He clearly made an early strategic decision to go down that route/talk that way - and it's worked a treat for him As the oft-quoted Miss Jean Brody might say (and I believe Abraham Lincoln said something similar): “For those people who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing that they like.” Edited June 6, 2020 by Scheherezade 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 The new Wayne McGregor piece on Saturday evening is described as 'an intimate new ballet' and will be for Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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