Royal Ballet - Within the Golden Hour mixed programme livestream - 13/11/2020

[ChrisG]

That was utterly wonderful from beginning to end!

[MJW]

 

That was excellent - and very moving at times (I found myself quite teary at certain points particularly watching Within as it is one of my favourite pieces). How wonderful it would have been to have seen it live tomorrow, but there we are.

 

I think it greatly helped not having a compère (is that the right word?) as with the first live broadcast.

 

Fingers crossed for next month and the Nutcracker !

[Jan McNulty]

More thoughts tomorrow but I just loved tonight's programme from beginning to end.

 

OK my 2 favourite pieces were Akane Takada and Alex Campbell in the duet from Rhapsody and Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé in Tchaikowsy PDD (no surprise there then!).

 

I will be watching this programme several more times when it comes on line!

[AnnabelCharles]

Completely agree - what a fantastic evening. In a strange way, having excerpts really showcases dancers who might not otherwise get the limelight. So pleased to see Valentino Zucchetti's piece too. Always  love Within the Golden Hour and I was in tears watching Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales. Thought their pas de deux exquisite.

[Rob S]

Enjoyed every minute of that

[bridiem]

Absolutely loved every single item! How to pick highlights from highlights?! But just to mention O'Sullivan and (especially) Sambé soaring in Tchaikovsky pas de deux, Morera and Bonelli thrilling in Manon, Osipova's searingly dramatic Dying Swan, Nunez and Muntagirov magnificent in Corsaire, and all the cast of Within the Golden Hour - sophisticated, glossy and altogether brilliant. But the most unexpected treat was seeing Romany Pajdak in In Our Wishes - she was heartbreakingly expressive. How I would love to see her do Juliet. What a superb evening!

[ChrisG]

3 minutes ago, bridiem said:

But the most unexpected treat was seeing Romany Pajdak in In Our Wishes - she was heartbreakingly expressive

 

I agree! It's wonderful how she seems to have come into her own over the last year or so

[Dawnstar]

9 minutes ago, bridiem said:

But the most unexpected treat was seeing Romany Pajdak in In Our Wishes - she was heartbreakingly expressive. How I would love to see her do Juliet. What a superb evening!

 

Has anyone ever played the Nurse then gone on to do Juliet? I know plenty have done it the other way around. When I saw her do the Nurse in the RB's last R&J run I kind of assumed that was it for any chance of her ever getting to do Juliet.

[bridiem]

11 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Has anyone ever played the Nurse then gone on to do Juliet? I know plenty have done it the other way around. When I saw her do the Nurse in the RB's last R&J run I kind of assumed that was it for any chance of her ever getting to do Juliet.

 

I doubt it! But then she is quite a young Nurse...

[ninamargaret]

I particularly enjoyed the Zuchetti piece. He used the music so well and it was so well danced. Lots to enjoy, but especially Takada/Campbelk, Sullivan/Sambe, Morera/ Bonelli and of course Nunez/ Muntagirov. And Golden Hour, especially for the chance to enjoy Sullivan again and with James Hay. I had slight problems with streaming - pretty sure it was a local problem and hopes replay will be better.

[Tessie]

I loved the whole evening, and also preferred it without the interviews. I though the clapping got louder throughout. Perhaps the dancers joined the 'audience' after their performances.

 

Impossible to pick out favourites but here are a few random thoughts:

 

I hadn't seen all of Within the Golden Hour before, and thought it was beautiful. Loved the lighting, costumes, music as well as the dancing. 

 

These gala performances have allowed me to appreciate Laura Morera, who I had rarely seen in the cinema performances over the last few years.

 

I have found Akane Takada quite exquisite in both the live-streamed galas.

 

[Dawnstar]

5 minutes ago, ninamargaret said:

I had slight problems with streaming - pretty sure it was a local problem and hopes replay will be better.

 

Did you have issues at a particular time? I had a lot of buffering during the Marston pdd but the rest of the stream was fine.

[Rob S]

I had a brief bit of buffering during Concerto, other than that it was fine all night

[Bruce Wall]

Very much enjoyed this well judged programme.  Was pleased to see David Yudes back on stage.  

[capybara]

59 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said:

Very much enjoyed this well judged programme.  Was pleased to see David Yudes back on stage.  

Agree but David was back in Elite, but as an ‘extra’ rather than a featured dancer.

[balletnut55]

I agree with everyone else and loved every minute.
For me the highlights were Monotones and Concerto. I love the sense peace they both have, and how the dancers made them seem effortless and simple when they are really anything but. It was really interesting to see in some close ups that it looked like Nicol Edmonds and Reece Clarke were sweating by the end of Monotones, but it didn’t show in their dancing. I was also pleasantly surprised by Melissa Hamilton, since she hasn’t been one of my favourite dancers until now, but I thought she was wonderful last night. 
One slight grumble: I was trying to work out who all the dancers were in the “corps” for In the Golden Hour and was really disappointed that they weren’t listed on the ROH website. I know the corps de ballet aren’t normally listed individually, for practical reasons I suppose, but in this case there were only 8 dancers and I thought they more than deserved it. 

[bridiem]

39 minutes ago, balletnut55 said:

I agree with everyone else and loved every minute.
For me the highlights were Monotones and Concerto. I love the sense peace they both have, and how the dancers made them seem effortless and simple when they are really anything but. It was really interesting to see in some close ups that it looked like Nicol Edmonds and Reece Clarke were sweating by the end of Monotones, but it didn’t show in their dancing. I was also pleasantly surprised by Melissa Hamilton, since she hasn’t been one of my favourite dancers until now, but I thought she was wonderful last night. 
One slight grumble: I was trying to work out who all the dancers were in the “corps” for In the Golden Hour and was really disappointed that they weren’t listed on the ROH website. I know the corps de ballet aren’t normally listed individually, for practical reasons I suppose, but in this case there were only 8 dancers and I thought they more than deserved it. 

 

I loved Monotones too (and Concerto) - really spellbinding. As someone else has said, Monotones II now strikes me as a sort of companion piece to Symphonic Variations.

 

The other 8 dancers in WTGH were listed on the News thread about this performance, so they must have been listed somewhere on the ROH website.

[balletyas]

Brilliant night - so many great moments and yes so much better without endless compère yakking away. Standout for me was without a doubt Yasmine Nagdhi in Concerto. I barely drew breath -  technically perfect, profoundly musical and she seemed to be completely immersed in it - mesmerising. Likewise Takada/Campbell in Rhapsody - wonderful - as great as she was in Swan Lake in the last stream. Campbell on really good form too. Sambe/Sullivan - what huge presence he has and she just gets better and better. 
Scherzo very impressive - Zucchetti will be one to watch.  Great to see. Hayward/Coralles finally doing Swan Lake pdd - he was refreshingly sweet and vulnerable rather than just the textbook ‘prince’ and she was lovely but I  felt Takada tapped into the character better. More opportunities to develop this I hope.   Golden Hour was wonderful - So beautifully danced and the music so well played and conducted too.  
 

I’m not sure i would’ve chosen Monotones although I agree with balletnut55 that they were very strong. It is very long and the retro headgear does it no favours! I guess I think it might repel a lot of newer ballet watchers and that would be a shame so early in the programme. 

I loved it all but my only real disappointment was not to have seen Magri/Ball in Corsaire. 
I hope they can keep this up even after we go back to normal - Such a great way of reaching greater audiences. 

Edited November 14, 2020 by balletyas

[JohnS]

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR

ANNA ROSE O’SULLIVAN and JAMES HAY,

FUMI KANEKO and REECE CLARKE,

SARAH LAMB and RYOICHI HIRANO

 

ASHLEY DEAN, ISABELLA GASPARINI, HANNAH GRENNELL, ROMANY PAJDAK, LEO DIXON, DAVID DONNELLY, TÉO DUBREUIL, DAVID YUDES

[balletnut55]

50 minutes ago, JohnS said:

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR

ANNA ROSE O’SULLIVAN and JAMES HAY,

FUMI KANEKO and REECE CLARKE,

SARAH LAMB and RYOICHI HIRANO

 

ASHLEY DEAN, ISABELLA GASPARINI, HANNAH GRENNELL, ROMANY PAJDAK, LEO DIXON, DAVID DONNELLY, TÉO DUBREUIL, DAVID YUDES

Thanks! Hannah Grennell and David Yudes were the ones I couldn’t make out during the performance. 

[Springbourne3]

Wonderful evening - I loved seeing the dreamy Monotones again, I haven’t seen it since way back (probably 1970s actually!).  Some beautiful performances throughout and what an emotional evening too - particularly Romany Pajdak and we definitely need more performances from her.

[JohnS]

It really was a fabulous evening and I’ll be delighted to see it all again, no doubt several times. Very pleased there was an audience. This morning I’m most looking forward to second viewings of ‘In Our Wishes’ where, as others have said, Romany Pajdak was a revelation; Francesca Hayward’s Odette, which I thought lovely, particularly eyes and hands, and I hope it won’t be too long before we’re able to see her full Swan Lake debut; and Natalia Osipova’s quite mesmerising Dying Swan - what astonishing stage presence she has.

[FionaM]

I am still buzzing from that super performance.  And I will be dipping in to the recording for repeat viewings!

 

I was quite concerned that there would be no audience (so disheartening for any performer) and so was really pleased to hear the enthusiastic support from non-performing company members and ROH staff in the theatre.

 

A few of my highlights:

- Akane & Alex created a wonderful mood and were musically impeccable. The lift above his head in particular. 

- Will Bracewell’s elegance may have brought a tear to my eye

- Calvin Richardson was so magnetic emotively that I didn’t notice Romany (will have to rewatch to focus on her)

- the Dream team are on another level to everyone else.  Exquisite.  
- loved both the ensemble pieces, which could have ended up being quite similar. Both uplifting.  👏 
 

Great to see Valentino’s choreo finally on the main stage for the main company, even if only for corps de ballet this time.  He has done so much elsewhere ... in the Linbury, for the school, the wonderful Pennefather films, DistDancing, Project Polunin ...

 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by FionaE
Typo

[Don Q Fan]

I really enjoyed the show and cannot really pick a stand out, but Rhapsody, Tchai PDD and Concerto were all really lovely. Unfortunately I thought Osipova over did the Dying Swan so much that she ruined it for me, I wish Marianela had done it. I too would have liked to see Magri and Ball in a pdd that lovely MacMillan from the gala would have been great to see again. 

Was it only me who thought the lighting was very dark? They really need to brighten the stage for these streams. Nearly every piece had a black or blue backdrop. 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by Don Q Fan

[Pas de Quatre]

Does anyone else have difficulty with the cast list. I download the PDF but when I try to print it is in a very narrow column of tiny text. Any ideas how I can solve this? The only thing I have managed to do is  convert it to a word document, which has the same format, but then I copy the text to another word file and save with "text only". This seems rather cumbersome.

[Don Q Fan]

Have you got your paper settings and margins right in printer options? 

[Guest oncnp]

1 hour ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Does anyone else have difficulty with the cast list. I download the PDF but when I try to print it is in a very narrow column of tiny text. Any ideas how I can solve this? The only thing I have managed to do is  convert it to a word document, which has the same format, but then I copy the text to another word file and save with "text only". This seems rather cumbersome.

 

Seems to be a longstanding problem with the ROH original(s).  @capybara and others have pointed this out to the ROH but no fix yet.

Edited November 14, 2020 by oncnp

[Guest oncnp]

From the Telegraph ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

if behind the paywall sure it will be in links tomorrow....

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/what-to-see/within-golden-hour-royal-ballet-review-showcase-youthful-talent/

Edited November 14, 2020 by oncnp

[Beryl H]

I have yet to see Corsaire and WTGH  but thought it was beautiful up to then, really liked Scherzo, full of exciting dancing, Laura Morera and Federico Bonelli were so utterly in their own world in the Manon pdd, as was Yasmine Naghdi in Concerto, and what a great opportunity to see William Bracewell in the Ashton solo. No irritating interviews either, just a sensible introduction from Kevin O'Hare.

 

Looking forward to seeing the rest of it now, this programme appealed to me more than the other one, so very glad I can see it as many times as I want for a month, I kept thinking I was a getting a much better view than I would have had on Wednesday! 

 

 

[Richard LH]

A couple of small criticisms first… I found the camera work slightly annoying at times, with the dancers too far away (I almost felt I was back in the Amphitheatre) and the lighting for WTGH was a bit too dark.

Loved the freshness of Scherzo and the chance to see some of the younger dancers in the spotlight. Mariko Sasaki and Sae Maeda are always good to watch and I think Yu Hang has great potential.  

Akane Takada and Alex Campbell were just superb again in Rhapsody. I loved her Grecian hair, even though a little curl came a bit loose !

Although I do like Monotones II, and it was performed very well, I think it would benefit from being a little shorter.

Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé lit up the stage again and made a difficult piece seem effortless.

Like others  I thought Romany Pajdak was really good  in “In our Wishes” – she is a lovely,  expressive dancer and this gave her a real chance to shine. Calvin Richardson is always worth watching too.

Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales were great together in R&J but I don’t think they are  quite “there” yet with their partnership in Swan Lake. I suppose for me they rather suffered in comparison to seeing Akane Takada and Federico Bonelli perform this so exquisitely in the Gala. I didn’t see the same emotional connection here that comes across in other Swan Lake partnerships, and they were simplifying some of the movements – for example (please excuse any deficient terminology)  when she hopped forward in arabesque, his accompanying  lift was straight up and down, whilst she held position – in other partnerships  Siegfried lifts Odette and turns  her around whilst she bends right over  backwards and extends one leg straight up into the air.

Loved seeing Laura Morera and Federico Bonelli again in Manon, this time closer up, they do this so well, and the music is wonderful.

Yasmine Nagdhi and Nicol Edmonds gave a flawless extract  from Concerto – this is  one of my favourite roles for her,   and Nicol was rock solid in his lifts and general partnership here.

I thought Will Bracewell gave a very moving and nuanced rendering of DOTBS.

Natalia Osipova had her own take on The Dying Swan…the swan that refused to die?

Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov gave us a fantastic end to the first section.

I find more and more to like in WTGH each time…some of the repeated movements are really beautiful.

Overall, a wonderful programme, and looking forward to various repeats over the next month.

[Odyssey]

What a joy last night proved to be. A wonderful showcase for the breadth and depth of the company (and this with some wonderful dancers not featured on this occasion). There really wasn’t a weakness, although I have to concur that  Osipova’s Dying Swan is not to my taste . Of the divertissements, my own personal highlights were Concerto with Naghdi’s wonderful fluidity and her flawless technique a joy to behold,  and the yearningly beautiful Monotones, where  I thought Hamilton was outstanding for her other worldliness and composed serenity.  Much as I loved the bravado performances of several of the featured  pas de deux, I found these two pieces struck a quiet chord of humanity amidst all the craziness with which we are currently surrounded. I thoroughly enjoyed both Scherzo and In the Golden Hour, such variations of mood and pace and compelling for their musicality in the interpretation of two wonderful scores. I really wish that one of the main tv networks would decide to screen one of these evenings, rather than yet another Nutcracker, to both introduce a fresh audience to the scope of ballet and the quality of dancers that the Royal Ballet currently has in its ranks.

 

 

edited to add that I forgot to mention how wonderful  Edmonds was in Concerto. Apart from the strength of his lifts, I was impressed with his  ‘gaze’ - at times staring into the beyond and then, as if suddenly transposed, into the here and now with his partner. 

Edited November 14, 2020 by Odyssey

[ninamargaret]

Pleased to say I watched it again today without the problems I had last night. When you see Muntagirov making slightly jerky movements you know there's something wrong with your playback system - certainly not with him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dance*is*life]

I think these live streamed performances are wonderful and probably the best thing to come out of this awful period as far as I'm  concerned (well also the fact that not being able to teach during the first lockdown enabled me to have two cataract operations on my eyes!).   I am just praying that they will actually continue live streaming from time to time, even when the world has returned to "normal" whatever the new normal will turn out to be.  There are so many fans around the world, who would dearly love to continue enjoying this wonderful company's performances and it could be an added source of income for them.  I only ever get to London in the summer for long enough to attend a performance and that's  when the RB are away or on holiday.  

 

Funnily enough for me the highlight was Scherzo!  I adored it and was bowled over when I learned that the dancers were all young corps members - that says a great deal about the standard of the company, I think.  Those young male dancers were particularly amazing and they must have really enjoyed being challenged like that.  I have become a great fan of Sambé and think he has a great future ahead being a Principal at only 26!   I loved Corsaire - Nuñez and Muntagirov are amazing in whatever they do.  And Naghdi was brilliant as usual.  I also really love Francesca Howard, but agree that in Swan Lake she didn't move me as much as the Odette in the first gala did.   All in all a fantastic treat and I shall enjoy watching it again! And again.........