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Royal Ballet's Giselle - Autumn 2021


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17 minutes ago, AnticaFiamma said:

yeah yeah this is all true, but it's disgraceful that no one has even mentioned how ridiculously good looking Lukas B. Brændsrød was with a stubble.

 


I think that posters are understandably more concerned with the quality of performances and those are what I want to read about.

 

So pleased that the wonderful Sir Peter was able to be there tonight, three weeks away from his 95th birthday.

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Osipova really is a Giselle like no other. As soon as she steps out of her cottage, you know this isn't going to end well. She doesn't just love Albrecht, her whole being revolves around him. Her intensity is all-consuming. (Even her admiration for Bathilde's dress is off the scale.) So when Albrecht's betrayal becomes clear, her life is over even before she stabs herself. And in Act 2 she's more grief-stricken than any Giselle I've seen - although she's saved Albrecht by the end, she's still dead and so can't stay with him. I don't get the sense that this Giselle will rest in peace, though she has at least escaped the Wilis. So I experienced it as more of a tragedy and less of a tale of forgiveness and redemption than usual. I thought that Reece Clarke danced absolutely beautifully (including those unbelievable entrechats six! They went on and on and on...) and certainly looked the part, but I hope that he will develop the dramatic side of the role more in time. I thought that Lukas B. Braendsrod was a very convincing and interesting Hilarion - in his way just as handsome and charming as Albrecht, and so a very plausible 'rival' to him for Giselle's affection. Terrific performances from Mayara Magri as Myrthe and Claire Calvert and Melissa Hamilton as Moyna and Zulme, and the Wilis were wonderful. Sir PW must have been very proud!

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4th November - Osipova/Clarke/Magri/Brændsrød

I was moved by Natalia Osipova’s very human portrayal of Giselle tonight; I’ve always thought her petite sturdiness has a peasant-like quality (in the best possible way) and she made a very sweet and touching heroine, with plenty of her trademark virtuoso dancing which she makes look so easy, even playful at times.  Her Albrecht, Reece Clarke, was handsome, stylish and aristocratic to the tips of his fingers.  Of course, they have danced together before, so I suspect Osipova may have indicated he’s the partner she wants when on the ROH stage, just as she used to insist on David Hallberg.  I used to find Clarke a little heavy in his landings but this has improved and he was quite magnificent tonight.  He has the perfect build for a ballerino and chiselled ‘matinee idol’ features of the type I should imagine can be seen in the furthest reaches of the auditorium.
 

Mayara Magri was a powerful Myrthe, but I would have preferred her to be more ethereal; she is so athletic and strong.  I noticed Melissa Hamilton being a very eloquent Zulme; she danced beautifully.  It must be hard to look evil when you are a pretty blonde, but she succeeded in conveying heartless frigidity.
 

I think this must be Lukas B. Brændsrød's most important role so far - correct me if I am wrong. I almost didn't recognise him with his gamekeeper's beard.  He acted very thoughtfully - every movement was somehow rustic, in complete contrast to Clarke's elegance.

 

I also found Luca Acri eye-catching – I don’t especially look out for him but nearly always seem to notice him whenever he’s on stage.  I also noticed two of the other male ‘villager’ dancers seem to go somewhat off-piste at one point – did anyone else notice that? I won’t mention their names in case I am wrong.

 

I was very near the front so didn’t get a good birds’ eye view of the corps in the second act, but they looked beautifully spooky. And maybe the latest covid stats have made people more careful, because nearly everyone was wearing a face mask!  So all in all a good evening.

 

You can see a couple of my photos here: https://maryrosedouglasuk.wixsite.com/ballet

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4 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

I also noticed two of the other male ‘villager’ dancers seem to go somewhat off-piste at one point – did anyone else notice that? I won’t mention their names in case I am wrong.

I think I know what you mean. I had the same impression but I don't know the choreography well enough to be sure of that

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Was most impressed with Reece Clarke last night. The spontaneous applause during one of his solos in Act 2 was well deserved, and his overall dancing and acting were excellent, I reckon. Osipova was at times electric, with more time and zip than Marty McFly; though sometimes it looked like she wasn't sure where she was on the stage. And the bit where Giselle does a jete, then in arabeque throws the 'twig' over her shoulder - she went both times stage right; is that a new 'thing'? But whatever, she was certainly exciting to watch

As an aside, there was a bit in Act 1 when the band was playing so slow, I wondered if Boris had nodded off...

PS - the corps were utterly magnificent!

Edited by zxDaveM
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Fab photos Rob.

 

A thrilling start to this run of Giselle, which bodes well for the performances to come as the company is on great form. Also many interesting debuts to look forward to.

 

I was deeply moved by last night’s performance- I had to sit and recover from the mad scene - heartbreaking after the joy of the earlier scenes. 

Magri was a terrific Myrthe, well supported with Moyna, Zulme and the corps on great form.

 

The two leads - still processing that but agree with others.


I loved the very human hug at the curtain call - Osipova seemed delighted for Reece Clarke at his successful debut.

 

So happy to have been there.

 

 

 

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32 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

As an aside, there was a bit in Act 1 when the band was playing so slow, I wondered if Boris had nodded off...

 

I noticed this in the Dress Rehearsal as well, Dave.    It's obviously 'a choice' not 'an accident'.    

 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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So happy everyone had such a great night last night. Also pleased for Reece in his debut, what a way to do it.

 

I'm off to see it on the 18th with Marianela and Vadim and I have to say one thing I'm really looking forward to is seeing Magri as Myrthe. I'm a big fan of hers in the character she brings to roles, she really has such projection that can be absent in so many. I'm really interested to see what she does with the role.

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That might not have been the best Giselle I've ever seen (at least on the 'floods of tears' scale), but it certainly was the most welcome.

 

Twenty months on from my last full-length, bona fide 'classic' it was so comforting to return to certainty - to a production that prioritised the clarity of communication between stage and audience (and so apposite to hear that Sir Peter was in the audience): beautifully rendered sets and costumes; lighting that sought to, er, illuminate the action; the reassurance provided by the lingua franca of the choreography and mime.

 

For me, Osipova is the Giselle of her generation. One solo encapsulates and exemplifies that. I literally shiver with excitement when the music swells and she is given 'permission' to dance for Bathilde in Act 1. Her solo completely exposes both the technique of Osipova the dancer and the searingly pure, joyful, naïve honesty of Giselle herself. Osipova/Giselle opens up completely during the solo; there is no pretence or artifice - just Osipova, just Giselle, just the unadulterated rapture of them both. (I'm getting all emotional just recalling it!)

 

And what an assured debut by Reece Clarke! His partnership with Osipova seems to be developing nicely, and the mutual appreciation shown during the curtain calls bodes well. She needs a partner with a strong presence, and Reece not only has an imposing physical stature, he also has strong technique and physical strength (those Act 2 lifts he did looked about as difficult as putting a tin of baked beans back on the top shelf at Tesco). 
His entrechats (at a guess, twenty plus?! Did anyone count?*) were so impressive, even if they did conspire to slightly undermine the plot (did he really need Giselle to save him? He probably could have carried on himself until the day, or the day after, broke!) 🙂
There was one minor ambiguity (and I've seen it on a number of occasions, including Osipova in Marguerite and Armand) and that was his apparent difficulty in expressing emotional anguish and pain in a way that could be broadcast to the auditorium without the exaggerated 'bared teeth' expression straying into the category labelled 'amusement'. 

 

I thought Magri did well as Myrtha, though perhaps she could have been a bit colder, a bit sterner (more along the lines of Nunez or Kobayashi?).

 

There is nothing more to say about the corps apart from 'outstanding'; they are a machine, and their reception at the curtain calls recognised their synchronised skills.

 

And nobody does 'spoiled, entitled princess' like Arestis! Albrecht may well have been 'pulled' to Giselle's grave by the love he had lost, but to some extent he may have been 'pushed' there by the stark realisation of the awful alternative!

 

Roll on the 12th!


* I just checked the Osipova/Acosta DVD and he did ten (though he was approaching the end of his career); in my Osipova/Polunin video from 2015, he managed an impressive twenty-nine!

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7 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Do you think that's why she's not cast as Myrthe?

Well, as I said, Melissa did manage to look cold and heartless in spite of her pretty blondeness!  I thought she was more evil looking and expressive than Claire Calvert to be honest, although it is Claire who is to be Myrthe during this run.  But maybe Claire has a more solid classical technique (I don't know).  Myrthe is an incredibly demanding role.

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11 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

usually arrives there 4.30 - 5.30

Lovely, thanks Dave.  Waiting to see who’s dancing Myrtha this evening - I thought it was Claire Calvert but the “buy tickets” page says Annette Buvoli so now I’m confused.

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7 minutes ago, Anna C said:

Lovely, thanks Dave.  Waiting to see who’s dancing Myrtha this evening - I thought it was Claire Calvert but the “buy tickets” page says Annette Buvoli so now I’m confused.


Claire has said it’s Claire tonight although that was over 6 hours ago 

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1 hour ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

Well, as I said, Melissa did manage to look cold and heartless in spite of her pretty blondeness!  I thought she was more evil looking and expressive than Claire Calvert to be honest, although it is Claire who is to be Myrthe during this run.  But maybe Claire has a more solid classical technique (I don't know).  Myrthe is an incredibly demanding role.


I can’t comment on technique or anything but I do feel Hamilton is underused, particularly for her rank. Other first soloists and even soloists/artists often seem to be cast more often than her (I know a lot of first soloists/soloists are only returning from injury or maternity leave but given neither I think applies to Hamilton?).

 

from what I saw of her in the World Ballet Day rehearsal she seemed like she could dance the role of Myrthe well but I obviously am not an expert! I did notice her and Calvert to my eye have very different dancing styles so I found them both dancing together slightly jarring (both are clearly very good and this isn’t to compare them but I thought they didn’t look good as pair as even when in synchrony their styles for the same movements were quite different). Obviously it’s good everyone has a different style but in these types of scenes my preference would be for styles to align. 

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To my  mind, Melissa Hamilton is a wonderfully empathetic dancer and she has a real connection with the audience but tends to fall down a little in roles that demand pure classical technique and little emotional projection. I don't believe that her skills are restricted to dramatic, narrative roles as I found her loved her performance in the second movement of Concerto and I agree that she is woefully underused in the roles that suit her.

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23 minutes ago, Rob S said:


Claire has said it’s Claire tonight although that was over 6 hours ago 

 

Website currently says "Cast change" without saying what the cast change is

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19 minutes ago, oncnp said:

 

Website currently says "Cast change" without saying what the cast change is

 

Annette Buvoli replaces Claire Calvert as Myrthe:

https://www.roh.org.uk/events/trka5

 

Edited to paste in tonight's full cast (my highlighting for cast change) Sorry about the font size.  I've tried, unsuccessfully, to make it smaller.  Maybe a moderator knows how?

 

Giselle
Lauren Cuthbertson
Albrecht
Federico Bonelli
Hilarion
Tomas Mock
Wilfred
Kevin Emerton
Berthe
Christina Arestis
The Duke of Courland
Thomas Whitehead
Bathilde
Gina Storm-Jensen
Leader of the Hunt
Bennet Gartside
Pas de sixes
Myrtha
Claire Calvert
Replacement Myrtha
Annette Buvoli
Moyna
Olivia Cowley
Zulme
Hannah Grennell
Edited by Bluebird
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and a bit more information on Monday as well. 

 

Cast

Edited by oncnp
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17 hours ago, AnticaFiamma said:

yeah yeah this is all true, but it's disgraceful that no one has even mentioned how ridiculously good looking Lukas B. Brændsrød was with a stubble.

 

and i think it is just fine you mentioned it. aesthetics are more than just ballet steps. 🙂

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Yes Joseph is a lovely stylish dancer. He wasn’t taken into the Royal from RBS so when I saw he had arrived at the Company a couple of years ago now.... maybe three ...I was very pleased. I think he was dancing in France before joining the Royal. 
 

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