Royal Swedish Ballet streaming Three Preludes and Suite en Blanc

[Tessiets]

Double Bill: Three preludes by Ben Stevenson and Suite en Blanc by Serge Lifar

Can be seen on following link until 17th April:

https://www.operanplay.se/en/performances/ballet/

 

 

[stucha]

Thank you. Suite en blanc impeccably danced and beautifully filmed.

[Jeannette]

Just watched this and...wow. What a gift from the Royal Swedish Ballet. Not just Suite en Blanc; the Ben Stevenson pdd was exquisite.

[SheilaC]

I agree with Stucha and Jeanette how beautifully both ballets were danced. But I would expect no less as the director of the Royal Swedish Ballet is Nicolas le Riche, former etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet. As a dancer he had a wonderful technique but above all was a consummate performer. His wife, Clairemarie Osta, a very pure dancer, directs the RSB school and may well assist in some rehearsals. Before the pandemic they also ran an interesting ballet education programme in Paris (they continued directing it after their move to Sweden) that trained ballet students not just in technique but above all in performance aesthetics, how to convey meaning and artistry through the technical steps. It was initially set up with support from the Theatre des Champs-Elysees, and there was a student performance there every June.

It's good that the streaming will continue for several more weeks- I for one will keep returning to it.

[stucha]

15 hours ago, SheilaC said:

I agree with Stucha and Jeanette how beautifully both ballets were danced. But I would expect no less as the director of the Royal Swedish Ballet is Nicolas le Riche, former etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet.

 

Yes Sheila I agree.

I notice also from the credits that another former POB etoile Charles Jude was involved in the coaching.

 

It made me wish that there was an equally good recording of Ashton's Scenes de ballet. The last revival was a bit scrappy I thought.

[Jeannette]

4 hours ago, stucha said:

 

  ......

It made me wish that there was an equally good recording of Ashton's Scenes de ballet. The last revival was a bit scrappy I thought.

 

Agreed, Stucha. It also makes me wish that there would be a good professional recording of NYCB in Ratmansky’s Namouna - A Grand Divertissement, a spectacular ballet to the same Lalo music utilized in Suite en Blanc. In fact, Ratmansky used the entire one-hour score, in the correct order of numbers in the original 19th-C Namouna at POB...and kept a bit of the narrative, too. 

[li tai po]

There is a beautiful performance of Scenes de Ballet from 2004 with Miyako Yoshida and Ivan Putrov (with Martin Harvey, Yohei Sasaki, Joshua Tuifua and Edward Watson, no less). 

 

I find this version stylish, witty and full of edge - it has been issued commercially.  What is wrong with this performance, Stucha?

[Tessiets]

12 hours ago, stucha said:

 

I notice also from the credits that another former POB etoile Charles Jude was involved in the coaching.

 

There’s an interview in English/ French between Nicolas Le Riche and Charles Jude further down in the link to the performance...

[stucha]

12 hours ago, li tai po said:

There is a beautiful performance of Scenes de Ballet from 2004 with Miyako Yoshida and Ivan Putrov (with Martin Harvey, Yohei Sasaki, Joshua Tuifua and Edward Watson, no less). 

 

I find this version stylish, witty and full of edge - it has been issued commercially.  What is wrong with this performance, Stucha?

 

I went back and had another look at that performance.  

 

While it is good overall, it lacks the precision, sharpness and discipline required to dance this extremely difficult work by Ashton.  The female corps does well (but several times the lines were not straight and a dancer out of position) but the men were much less coordinated. They need to move as one. The dancers are so exposed in this choreography that the slightest deviation draws your attention.

 

The soloists were very good.

 

In the end I feel that it was probably lack of both rehearsal time and familiarity with the work in the company  which contributed to my muted impression.

 

I am glad that you enjoyed it @li tai po

 

 

[alison]

19 hours ago, li tai po said:

There is a beautiful performance of Scenes de Ballet from 2004 with Miyako Yoshida and Ivan Putrov (with Martin Harvey, Yohei Sasaki, Joshua Tuifua and Edward Watson, no less).

 

Oh yes, the one that's now advertised as being with Yoshida, Putrov, Watson and Lauren Cuthbertson (in the corps at the time!)

[EMoo]

I often forget to watch these streamings but I’m so glad I remembered this one. What a treat! I found Three Preludes quite hypnotic. It put me in mind of ripples on a lake, constantly moving and evolving but somehow within a wonderful stillness. Loved the atmospheric lighting design too.

 

I’m fascinated by Suite en blanc – the split level set, the corps scuttling about striking poses, the classical steps given a little tweak or thrown off balance. I thought this was a really impressive performance, showcasing the quirkiness of the choreography without making it look awkward. And the finale is a real free-for-all – fantastic energy.

 

The icing on the cake is the interview with Charles Jude who talks about each movement of Suite en blanc with lots of interesting insights. (I enjoyed his story about the naming of the ‘Cigarette’ variation – apparently on one occasion during the creation of the ballet the dancer missed her cue and arrived to dance with cigarette still in hand!)

 

It’s available for a few more weeks, so if you’re like me – don’t forget!

Edited March 24, 2021 by EMoo