Guest oncnp Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) 7 minutes ago, SPD444 said: The cast sheet still shows Reece Clarke dancing I saw that...and now the web page seems to be bouncing back and forth between the original and new casting Edited June 13, 2021 by oncnp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) Nunez and Clarke it is T Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux Cast Change Conducted by Koen Kessels Cast Principal: Marianela Nuñez replaces Natalia Osipova Principal: Reece Clarke Orchestra: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Edited June 13, 2021 by oncnp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Too late for today's links. Putting it here as B&R is the lead review but also addresses British Ballet Charity Gala and Northern Ballet The week in dance: Balanchine and Robbins; British Ballet Charity Gala; Dangerous Liaisons – review | Royal Ballet | The Guardian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 I thoroughly enjoyed the live stream. This triple bill is wonderful and so successful in showing the strength and depth of the company. That they can present two quite different casts without any apparent ‘weak links’ is an embarrassment of riches. I have always been drawn to Apollo; such light and shade in the choreography and such a memorably, moving final tableaux. I found Matthew Ball’s Apollo quite majestic and haughty (in a nice way). I have seen other interpretations that have offered a more playful god, which provides a little more light and shade, but his striking demeanour gave him the wonderful gravitas the role also demands. I have always been a fan of Melissa Hamilton’s dancing and she is very at home in this role, technically secure, with some beautiful lines and quite coquettish in her response to Apollo’s attention. Fumi Kaneko is a gorgeous, expansive dancer and I very much enjoyed Clare Calvert’s variation. I have read reviews that indicate the first cast is superb, but this cast definitely deserves praise. There is nothing I can add to what has already been said about Nunez and Muntagirov. Just perfect. Their partnership is a joy to behold as they channel each other’s joy of dancing. Inspiring each other to attain even greater heights. I cannot understand why some here have found Dances at a Gathering to be over long. The variety of mood and various configurations of dancers makes for such a rewarding watch. The choreography plays about with the various tempo of the dances and it’s endlessly fascinating to observe the nuances in the relationships between the dancers. I really don’t feel it’s fair to single out any one dancer as they were all, to my eyes, wonderful. They have been beautifully rehearsed, and the brilliance and fluidity of the dancing makes me so proud and excited about the future for this Company. I would however mention that Teo Dubreuil has a striking stage presence and is an exciting prospect for the future. Such a lovely watch which I know I am going to make the most of repeat viewings before the streaming window ends. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 13 minutes ago, Odyssey said: I cannot understand why some here have found Dances at a Gathering to be over long. No, it's too short!☺ 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) On 07/06/2021 at 22:52, Geoff said: Very good to see the show tonight. I’ll leave it to others to report on the dancers, this is just a brief note to update the critical comments I posted here last year about the Dances At A Gathering pianist Robert Clark. Based on tonight’s performance, his playing of these challenging pieces is now of a standard appropriate to Covent Garden (perhaps he had more time to prepare for this run). I don’t withdraw what I wrote in 2020 but feel it only right to bring the record up to date. Well, after this pianist’s less happy playing on my second visit (Thursday, the HRH evening) I thought it best to charitably stay quiet, although some of his mistakes and drifting were obvious to everyone, including to those on the stage (when he forgot where he was in the music). But now I see that the Observer’s dance critic (whose lack of musical knowledge I speculated on last year) has again singled him out for high praise. And she uses exactly the same inappropriate description as she did in 2020: “played magnificently”. So, for the record, I apologise for misspelling her surname in 2020 (it is Crompton) but not for my comments. Perhaps she was only being lazy but there are better and more accurate ways of characterising his playing. Sorry to go on but based on what people said last week I am not alone in caring about this music and worrying about the security of this player’s performances of it. Edited June 13, 2021 by Geoff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Geoff said: Sorry to go on but based on what people said last week I am not alone in caring about this music and worrying about the security of this player’s performances. Yes, whilst I am far from being able to comment usefully on piano technique I did think some things went a little awry on Thursday. Would there be any excuse in the fact that this requires an unbroken stint of over an hour of solo piano, some of which is pretty complex? Edited June 13, 2021 by Richard LH 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 I must say I do find DAAG overlong, which is why I look forward to seeing the streaming in episodes, also seeing a different cast. Thought the Apollo cast were excellent, so good to see this ballet again, it looks so modern! Especially good to see Melissa Hamilton. The TPDD wasn't a favourite of mine before but the dancing of Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov has changed that, certainly the best performance I have ever seen, technical brilliance, warmth, and sheer pleasure and love of dance 🌝 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) I think DAAG sags in the middle - I've checked my watch more than once 30 to 40 minutes in and been surprised at how early it still was - but the last 20 minutes or so go quite quickly. Edited June 13, 2021 by Lizbie1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Kevin O’Hare appeared from behind the curtain to announce Osipova is injured Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 23 minutes ago, Rob S said: Kevin O’Hare appeared from behind the curtain to announce Osipova is injured Hmmmm….🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 26 minutes ago, Rob S said: Kevin O’Hare appeared from behind the curtain to announce Osipova is injured Like the Wizard of Oz? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 1 minute ago, oncnp said: Like the Wizard of Oz? “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…!’ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Rob S said: Kevin O’Hare appeared from behind the curtain to announce Osipova is injured Diplomacy personified. Of course, Kevin always makes such announcements when Principals withdraw late in the proceedings. I well remember that happening in relation to a fairly newly appointed Principal (genuine indisposition) and, when I mentioned that subsequently at the Stage Door, the dancer concerned responded, " Wow - that really makes me feel that I am a Principal now!" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
li tai po Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Dear Maddie Rose I enjoyed reading your comments and thought I would reply to one or two points you have made. I too enjoyed Fumi Kaneko's performance in both ballets; she is a perceptive actress. Her Polyhymnia was vivacious and full of fun, ending in that moment of horror as she realises she has accidentally spoken. As the green girl she brought an elegance and sophistication in the first solo - I loved her flirtatious backward glance at the audience. She was knocked back by the three boys, but in the end she shrugged her shoulders and exited cheerfully. I too am now a Kaneko fan. You found the ending of Apollo on the stairs (the climb to the summit of Mount Parnassus) sublime. Sadly the Royal Ballet is one of the few companies still performing the original version of the ballet with this ending. Balanchine revised the ballet towards the end of his life to make it more abstract ("neo-classical") and less of a story. He ends the ballet in this version with the so-called "sunburst" pose of Apollo with the splayed arabesques of the three muses - but this eliminates the sublime ending in silhouette on the mountain, which echoes the processional music with its sense of mission. New York City Ballet and the Mariinsky (to name but two) use this dumbed-down ending. You hope that Dances at a Gathering remains in the active repertoire. So do I - it is a ballet I love. It entered the repertoire of the Royal Ballet in 1970 and was performed very frequently until 1976. It was then dropped from the repertoire and I thought I would never see it again - particularly as in those years there was no commercial video of the ballet. I waited 32 years for it to return to the repertoire in 2008 - and since then we have seen it in 2009, 2020 (after another 11 years) and 2021. I certainly hope we will not have another long wait. People ask what Robbins meant, when the brown boy touches the floor in the final movement. Robbins made the ballet in New York, but Rudolf Nureyev was the first cast in London and danced many performances here in the early 1970s. For us, that moment in the ballet was a symbolic reference by Rudolf to the sacred soil of Russia from which he was exiled in those Brezhnev years. It always brings a tear to the eye. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddieRose Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 4 minutes ago, li tai po said: Dear Maddie Rose I enjoyed reading your comments and thought I would reply to one or two points you have made. Thank you for this! It was wonderfully informative! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 (edited) I just watched the stream and brought my friend along. I'm only able to watch the tchai pdd at the moment, will write more after I watch the other 2 performances (I'm planning to watch Apollo, I don't know if I would watch DAAG). Nunez and Muntagirov are just so awesome in this, just when I think that the rehearsal last year was good, this is more or less even better. They are just pretty much perfection (I use the word pretty much because I believe that nothing is perfect in this world). Really love Muntagirov's entrechat, I don't know it's just so pleasing to look at, those double tours are so good, and most of all I like his manege, it's fast, powerful, and it looks so light and effortless. I also love Nunez's petit allegro and how she dances on the beat. I love how they use their hands and arms too. And of course I really love the sheer joy that they show. My friend who don't watch ballet as much as I do was also impressed. He loved how Muntagirov dance on the beat and how he beautifully use his feet during his solo variation. Now I'm looking forward to watch Matthew Ball's Apollo when I can. I'm sorry if I probably get some terminologies wrong, I don't dance but I do some research sometimes on the technique/terminologies and I'm still trying to understand them Edited June 13, 2021 by Raven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddieRose Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Wonderful photos! Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie_B Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Thank you for the photos Rob and thank you everyone for your reports of previous evenings. Really enjoyed the performances today, what a treat to have all these star-studded casts! Apollo was completely new to me and I enjoyed it and fabulous dancing of course. I didn't expect it to feel so "avant-garde", not sure that's the right word, just that the little Balanchine I've hitherto seen was of the quick-fire-steps show-off kind, and I didn't get round to reading up on the piece until later. It blew my mind a little when I realised it was from 1928, as you can tell I'm not very familiar with dance history but I enjoy learning about it every time I see something new. Tchaikovsky Pdd - what a shame about Osipova, I hope it's nothing serious. Wonderful to have Nuñez step in last minute, although unsurprisingly without rehearsal time together the first fish dive was a bit of an awkward aborted hop. Of course it hardly took away from the quality of the performance - sparkly Marianela and what elegant jumps from Reece Clarke! Is it churlish to say that I just realllly want to see someone "nail" those jumped fish dives on stage - the only other time I've seen it live was between lockdowns last year (Nuñez / Montagirov), where again that was the one moment that I suspect was hampered a bit by lack of rehearsal time together. Ah well - something to look forward to in the future! Dances at a Gathering - I saw it in early 2020 when it was last on stage, but I think I was more moved by it today because these "simple" encounters and joy of dance resonate quite differently after the past year. I think last year I would have agreed that it can feel a little long in places, but today I didn't really want it to end. So many small details and a lovely flow to the whole piece. It's all serene and gently playful until suddenly the women are being thrown through the air! Pretty impossible to pick any standouts in a strong cast, but Campbell, Nuñez, Kaneko, Bonelli were predictably wonderful. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 After the final performance, I couldn't help myself drawing up a 'fantasy dream team' for Apollo and Dances at a Gathering (but just from the dancers we'd seen). Just as a bit of fun. Apollo - Vadim Muntagirov Terpsichore - Yasmine Naghdi Calliope - Claire Calvert Polyhymnia - Fumi Kaneko Pink - Yasmine Naghdi Mauve - Francesca Hayward Apricot - Anna Rose O'Sullivan Green - Laura Morera Blue - Fumi Kaneko Brown - Marcelino Sambe Purple - Federico Bonelli Green - William Bracewell Brick - James Hay Blue - Valentino Zucchetti 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Just to say that Anna Rose O'Sullivan and James Hay dancing together was my highlight of watching the livestream. So well matched and a complete joy. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 I know it’s impossible as so many lovely dancers to choose from but I don’t think you could miss out Nunez at the moment for an ideal team for DaaG!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 If I went with the above cast I’d love to swap Hayward and Morera over I have an idea Hayward would be good as the Green Girl and nice to see a bit more dancing from Morera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 4 hours ago, zxDaveM said: After the final performance, I couldn't help myself drawing up a 'fantasy dream team' for Apollo and Dances at a Gathering (but just from the dancers we'd seen). Just as a bit of fun. Pink - Yasmine Naghdi Mauve - Francesca Hayward Apricot - Anna Rose O'Sullivan Green - Laura Morera Blue - Fumi Kaneko Brown - Marcelino Sambe Purple - Federico Bonelli Green - William Bracewell Brick - James Hay Blue - Valentino Zucchetti I've been doing that throughout the run for DAAG, except that to make things more difficult I added the two casts for the 2020 performances - with of course the proviso that no dancer can fill more than one role But as for the current run, my choice would be pretty similar to yours. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 1 hour ago, LinMM said: If I went with the above cast I’d love to swap Hayward and Morera over I have an idea Hayward would be good as the Green Girl and nice to see a bit more dancing from Morera. More dancing from Laura Morera would indeed be splendid, but I was just drawing up my list from those we'd seen doing those roles 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivy Lin Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 I saw the whole stream. I loved most of it. The Tchai pas was wonderful -- fast and ebullient. I also really enjoyed DAAG -- Sambe as Brown Boy and Fumi Kaneko as Green Girl were standouts. I like the fact that Royal Ballet doesn't do the abridged Apollo but includes the birth scene. With that being said I thought the ballet was danced a bit too precious. IMO it's not supposed to be that cute. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
li tai po Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Laura Morera danced the Apricot girl in the 2008 and 2009 performances. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 9 hours ago, bridiem said: Just to say that Anna Rose O'Sullivan and James Hay dancing together was my highlight of watching the livestream. So well matched and a complete joy. Absolutely - I do hope their partnership can continue despite Anna Rose's promotion. I think they are the dancers I see the most! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninamargaret Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 While I loved Sambe on the streamed performance, I prefer Alexander Campbell. The cast in the DVD is,for me,perfect. But that means I miss out on the Hay/O'Sullivan partnership which I thought was perfect. Both casts offer so much in this gorgeous ballet. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 I would be interested to know if when Dances at a Gathering was performed previously in 1970 and 1976 whether there was the variety of casting we have the pleasure to enjoy today. I seem to recall reading somewhere that many of the dancers learnt multiple parts and Robbins didn’t reveal who was dancing which colour until just prior to the performance. I think Nureyev was the exception to this. According to the ROH it has been performed a total of 63 times ( I don’t think this includes the current run) so I imagine there were some changes. It’s a shame there doesn’t appear to be even a little extract anywhere that we can see of the original cast. I imagine a recording does exist somewhere in the archives. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 15 minutes ago, Odyssey said: I would be interested to know if when Dances at a Gathering was performed previously in 1970 and 1976 whether there was the variety of casting we have the pleasure to enjoy today. You can see the casting here. 16 minutes ago, Odyssey said: According to the ROH it has been performed a total of 63 times ( I don’t think this includes the current run) The cast sheet from Sunday announces it as the 85th performance by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 Thank you. I must have been looking at a snapshot page of the ROH database in order to get the figure of 63. It will be interesting to trawl through the database to see how much variety there was in the cast of the early performances . I noticed straightaway that Jennifer Penny , Marguerite Porter and Carl Myers appeared in the original run, but were in the first cast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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