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10 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

That's not to say the opinions here are invalid, or will be proved wrong. I just think sometimes we get into a downward spiral of negativity about ROH (in particular) which isn't always merited. And we must remember that they are feeling their way with all this - there must necessarily be some trial and error involved.

 

I think there is truth in that- the result, I know, of some very poor communications from their marketing department in the past which caused justifiable annoyance.  But things have changed, the situation is now very different, and  it might be remembered that the Royal Ballet is not necessarily in charge itself of the public communication aspect  - and that all the other staff and artists and so on are, after all, probably just as hacked off as the rest of us, if not more so.

 

I had my own criticisms of the first free event, but in justice I can see that it is indeed a very different thing to try to programme a live but audience-less and distancing event,  (with dancers who have not been able to go to class)  -  that people are willing to pay for - in the ROH, - than to make a short film for instagram- just 2 very different things.

 

However, I still want to see more ballet- and Vadim Muntagirov dancing Ashton will be the best start there could possibly be.

 

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25 minutes ago, Mary said:

I had my own criticisms of the first free event, but in justice I can see that it is indeed a very different thing to try to programme a live but audience-less and distancing event,  (with dancers who have not been able to go to class)  -  that people are willing to pay for - in the ROH, - than to make a short film for instagram- just 2 very different things.

 

However, I still want to see more ballet- and Vadim Muntagirov dancing Ashton will be the best start there could possibly be.

 

Yes, they are 2 very different things. But both require an initial choice as to what kind of material to put before the public, and I think the ROH made a big misjudgment on Saturday evening as to the tone of their offering/s. 

 

Also, there may well be good reasons for the fact that there was so little ballet,  but if so that should have been explained so that the impression is not given that ballet is the junior partner at the ROH.

 

Completely agree about Muntagirov/Ashton!

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3 hours ago, Jeannette said:

The more I think about it, the more I’m seriously considering plopping down my $5.28 for three minutes of Vadim in Blessed Spirit.

 

 I'm sure it will be money well spent, Jeanette! Let us know what you think if you do.

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Here are details of the ballet element of the show on June 27th, as just emailed:

 

Saturday 27 June, 7:30pm BST

Ballet

First Soloists of The Royal Ballet Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke will perform the lyrical central pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto. Created in 1966, Concerto is set to Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in F. Royal Ballet pianist Kate Shipway will accompany the dancers, together with soloists of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. 

Principal Matthew Ball and First Soloist Mayara Magri will perform a pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour. First created for San Francisco Ballet, Within the Golden Hour has been part of The Royal Ballet’s repertory since 2016. Music Director of The Royal Ballet Koen Kessels will be conducting.

 

 

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1 hour ago, ChrisG said:

Here are details of the ballet element of the show on June 27th, as just emailed:

 

Saturday 27 June, 7:30pm BST

Ballet

First Soloists of The Royal Ballet Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke will perform the lyrical central pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto. Created in 1966, Concerto is set to Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in F. Royal Ballet pianist Kate Shipway will accompany the dancers, together with soloists of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. 

Principal Matthew Ball and First Soloist Mayara Magri will perform a pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour. First created for San Francisco Ballet, Within the Golden Hour has been part of The Royal Ballet’s repertory since 2016. Music Director of The Royal Ballet Koen Kessels will be conducting.

 

 


hoorah 👏.  Definitely worth £4.99

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25 minutes ago, SPD444 said:

Do these pay streams stay available after the "live" showing.  If they do, can you return to watch again.

 

Available for 2 weeks. 

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So, so moving to see Muntagirov back, and dancing beautifully as ever.

 

I'd have paid the money for that alone, but das Lied von den Erde was just wonderful. And so good to see Sarah Connolly back after her cancer treatment, though I couldn't help thinking of the Ferrier associations.

 

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15 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

So, so moving to see Muntagirov back, and dancing beautifully as ever.

 

I'd have paid the money for that alone, but das Lied von den Erde was just wonderful. And so good to see Sarah Connolly back after her cancer treatment, though I couldn't help thinking of the Ferrier associations.

 

 

Vadim is beautiful and I entirely agree it was worth it just to see him moving with so much grace and elegance.    

 

Das Lied was amazing and I love Sarah Connolly in it.  She has the loveliest tone in my opinion and so much stage presence. The last song was so moving.  

 

 

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Muntagirov was beyond beautiful. I am (almost) lost for words. One dancer - THAT dancer -  alone on THAT stage ..............!!!!

 

But, oh dear, most of the online comments were not about Vadim or the wonderful Song of the Earth, but about technical issues - which cannot be what the ROH intended. [I discovered that the e-mail confirming one's payment to Vimeo does not provide a useable watch 'button' on some email systems -  no problem on gmail, though.]

 

 

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And now it isn’t up for people to watch again. Hopefully they will sort that out quickly.

 

But yes, Muntagirov - how utterly sublime and beautiful. An emotional performance that brought tears to my eyes, at least. Lockdown plainly hasn’t damaged his abilities in any way.

 

Far too short, though, I’d have happily watched him all night!

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I'm glad people mentioned the problems other people are having as I'm having them too! I missed the start and put it on to rewind it when it had finished as I only wanted to see Vadim and it didn't seem to have the rewind facility when playing but all I'm getting is OFF AIR! I'm in the middle of emailing customer support wondering if the problem is just mine but apparently not. Have been waiting all day (well all year actually!) to see Vadim so hugely disappointed. I hope they'll have sorted it out by tomorrow. Doesn't bode well for people paying for next week. Why couldn't they show it on their own website or YouTube rather than Vimeo? Surely they could have managed payment on either of those sites.

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I watched on my laptop-  I didn't know what to do so just went to ROH website and clicked on Today on the calendar and then on the event, and it said 'Watch now' (I had already paid last week) and it just worked...I didn't have to do anything complicated..(just as well) so not sure why others had to.

 

How very frustrating and awful to have missed Vadim- I am sure you will be able to watch it soon.

 

I think he poured all his feelings about the situation into that performance.  It is wonderful to have it saved on film and maybe in  years to come we will look back at it as a moment of light in a dark time.

 

 

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Lovely to see Vadim on stage again - and hoping for a lot more when circumstances permit.  But I was absolutely moved to tears by Sarah Connolly in the closing moments of Das Lied der Erde - and clearly I wasn't the only one.  It was a very special performance, and I think I may actually prefer the chamber version to the one with full orchestra - it has a lovely clarity to it.

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26 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

I'm glad people mentioned the problems other people are having as I'm having them too! I missed the start and put it on to rewind it when it had finished as I only wanted to see Vadim and it didn't seem to have the rewind facility when playing but all I'm getting is OFF AIR! I'm in the middle of emailing customer support wondering if the problem is just mine but apparently not. Have been waiting all day (well all year actually!) to see Vadim so hugely disappointed. I hope they'll have sorted it out by tomorrow. Doesn't bode well for people paying for next week. Why couldn't they show it on their own website or YouTube rather than Vimeo? Surely they could have managed payment on either of those sites.


I just refreshed my screen and it is now up!

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It's back!!!!! 

Just seen Vadim, as beautiful and moving a performance as ever I've seen. What a great artist and how lucky we are to have him in London. Was definitely worth the wait. Just going back to see it again.... and again... 

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54 minutes ago, alison said:

It was a very special performance, and I think I may actually prefer the chamber version to the one with full orchestra - it has a lovely clarity to it.

 

I agree - I'm assuming it was the arrangement by Arnold Schoenberg who did chamber versions of a number of Mahler's works. I also agree with the comments about Dame Sarah, who seems to have come through her health problems with her wonderful voice completely intact.

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Although I'd logged in earlier I got a message telling me I was barred from watching it! By the time I had logged in again we were halfway through the Gluck. The rest of the programme suffered from many little breaks - missed the odd bar or so. Tried to watch about half an hour ago and it stopped in the middle of the Gluck and won't replay any more. Will n go to bed in disgust.

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I’ve just rewatched Blessed Spirits with Muntagirov and it gets better. Oh, those lines.... the richly fluid arms, the feeling and the musicality. It just highlights what we are missing....What an artist he is.

 

I agree that the pared down orchestra worked rather well. I’m not an opera fan but the Mahler was lovely and beautifully performed by both singers.

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I so agree with everything that has been said about tonight's performances. Barring the dreadful streaming experience via Vimeo - (has anyone ever seen so many online complaints?) - utterly sublime on all counts. So happy to see Sarah Connolly back on stage and what a perfectly judged, heart-rending performance from Vadim. How will we survive without him over the coming months? 

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I'm so sorry for everyone who had technical problems. I hope they'll be resolved as quickly as possible.

 

I thought that Muntagirov/Ashton/Gluck was sublimely beautiful in every respect. It would have been wonderful at any time, but in the context of recent months it took on a symbolic significance in its anguish, fear, tranquility and hope. And all danced by a single man, barely clothed; so not just a man, but also mankind.  Brilliant, and so beautifully performed.

 

I found the voices in the Mahler were a bit muffled/distant; I don't know if that was just my laptop (it was fine with the singing last week, but then I suppose there was no orchestra then) or if there was a slight imbalance in the microphones. Anyway, that combined with the interruption of a phone call from my brother (not something that could happen with a real live performance!) and then the realisation that I wasn't in the mood for more melancholy meant that I abandoned it. But I'm glad others enjoyed it.

 

I would have appreciated a bit more information about both pieces in the intros, especially the Ashton/Gluck. When it was composed, when the dance was created, the context of the solo etc. Not too much, but a bit more than was offered (which was almost nothing). The Mahler was given a bit more but still very brief. If they're really wanting to reach out to newcomers, I think they need to give more context.

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2 hours ago, bridiem said:

I thought that Muntagirov/Ashton/Gluck was sublimely beautiful in every respect. It would have been wonderful at any time, but in the context of recent months it took on a symbolic significance in its anguish, fear, tranquility and hope. And all danced by a single man, barely clothed; so not just a man, but also mankind.  Brilliant, and so beautifully performed.

 

I would have appreciated a bit more information about both pieces in the intros, especially the Ashton/Gluck. When it was composed, when the dance was created, the context of the solo etc. Not too much, but a bit more than was offered (which was almost nothing). The Mahler was given a bit more but still very brief. If they're really wanting to reach out to newcomers, I think they need to give more context.

 

So beautifully put about the Muntagirov/Ashton/Gluck, bridiem.

 

I sort of agree with you about the need for information but what little there was was delivered without understanding of what was being read out so I'm not sure about having more. At least all the gushing comment we had last week did not recur. Vadim's long held, still pose and the silence which followed was perfect. Had I been there, I don't think that I would have been able to clap.

 

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2 hours ago, capybara said:

 

So beautifully put about the Muntagirov/Ashton/Gluck, bridiem.

 

I sort of agree with you about the need for information but what little there was was delivered without understanding of what was being read out so I'm not sure about having more. At least all the gushing comment we had last week did not recur. Vadim's long held, still pose and the silence which followed was perfect. Had I been there, I don't think that I would have been able to clap.

 

 

I know, I wish they had got someone with more ballet / musical knowledge to present.  I'd have loved Monica Mason or Kevin O'Hare or the conductor of the orchestra perhaps (whose name I should know but have momentarily forgotten).  I'm sure Anita Rani is a great broadcaster and journalist but it did sound like she was reading from a card without any feeling for what was being covered.  

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