2022/23 ballet seasons

[Scheherezade]

Can't say that I'm a great fan of Prince of the Pagodas, despite all my best efforts to like it. There is a detachment about it that I somehow can't warm to.

[LinMM]

Me neither…. but so long ago now it could be interesting to see it revived ….so I can make a final decision …that I probably don’t like it much lol! 

[Emeralds]

Benjamin Britten originally wrote the score for John Cranko’s production of Prince of the Pagodas (premiered by the Royal Ballet on New Year’s  Day, 1957) with Svetlana Beriosova as Belle Rose. I’d like to have seen it...apart from some photographs, I haven’t managed to find any other records of it, eg videos or tv clips, unfortunately. Apparently Cranko made some notes about the libretto and the dances he was going to have, and passed the notes to Britten, who was quite keen to use the Balinese gamelan in the score (an instrument he’d recently been introduced to) and came up with a three act score just following the notes. 

 

MacMillan’s version in 1989 was made for Darcey Bussell, and the role suits a dancer who dances in that style - I saw several casts aside from Bussell, and  I thought it also suited Viviana Durante and Sylvie Guillem, but the ballet generally needs a charismatic lead ballerina (or one that you like watching for most of the ballet as most of the action involves her)....and a male lead who can act with a mask covering half his face for two thirds of the ballet! Due to clashing schedules, I never got to see the recent revival where Marianela Nunez danced Belle Rose- I’d like to see Nunez, Hayward, Naghdi, Lamb and Hamilton in the role. I don’t know if Osipova would like to dance it, but it would be very interesting to see her interpretation if she did dance it! There’s also a Gamzatti-like second female lead role of Epine (the evil sister) - if you have a strong dramatic ballerina dancing that role, it’s great to watch. I think the score is colourful, unique and quite compelling on its own; I’d get a side seat where I can see the orchestra as well as the dancing. 

 

I haven’t seen Bintley’s version yet, unfortunately. It would be great if it could be revived again by BRB, unless National Ballet of Japan comes here on tour and performs it.  😀

Edited March 17, 2022 by Emeralds

[Clara_f]

The Prince of the Pagodas score is lush, shimmering and musically facinating with its use of gamelan, and evocation of Bali and pagodas. The score on its own is 100pc worth listening to, and sometimes gets played at the proms and Aldeburgh.

 

I saw Darcey Bussell (legs for days and what attack in the jump!) and Fiona Chadwick (boy could she give side eye like no other) as Princess Rose and Princess Epine respectively in the original run in what must have been 1990, and then Stix-Brunnell and Nunez in the reprisal as Princess Rose in what must have been 2012 when Monica Mason was in her last season as AD. It's a wonderful coming of age story with strong female roles, which feels like a cross between King Lear and Beauty and the Beast, an inverted version of Swan Lake and as fairytales go is brilliant. It's weakness for me lies in the fact that, as ever, Macmillan creates wonderful duets and solos for the principals and soloits, but doesn't always give much fodder for the rest of the corps/ company to get their teeth stuck into, and his portrayal of Princess Rose's inner world with the divertissement clouds is weak.

 

For what it's worth, I much prefer PoP to Mayerling and wish it could be reprised more often than every 20 years!! Here's to crossing fingers!! Otherwise it will have to be Jonny Cope and Darcey for the rest of time.

 

I'd love to see the Cranko version one day.

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Clara_f

[Shade]

Thanks Clara f for that interesting post

[Giul88]

Just offering my thoughts.. thinking of what may come autumn season.. I think the mix based on the rationale of the past year seems to be one very long run of a classic that will always attract the audience (last swan lake- now my guess is sleeping beauty) and then one or two parallel runs of more ‘dramatic’ ballets (Last R&J now guess is Mayerling or Manon ) and then the long run of nutcracker. I would LOVE if it was Coppelia. And Perhaps due to the political situation, maybe focus will be on “English” ballet like Alice? I would also love to see Alice! I would love to see Sissens as the Mad Hatter. 

[SheilaC]

On 14/03/2022 at 22:26, RHowarth said:

Mayerling will be performed in 2022, by Scottish ballet, in a new version adapted from Macmillan's original production. I expect it will be seen in London in 2023 at Sadler's Wells.

I've now booked to see the new production of Mayerling at Edinburgh.

Today the Paris Opera Ballet has announced that they will be mounting Mayerling in the autumn (22 October to to 12 November). They will also be doing Manon as  their final ballet (19 June to 15 July)

Best of all, they are going to do Balanchine's Ballet Imperial although unfortunately there's only one other Balanchine ballet in that programme, Who Cares (6 February to 10 March). The one classic is Nureyev's Swan Lake.

They are doing a very mixed bag of ballets, no Robbins, no Roland Petit, various contemporary choreographers, plus Bejart, Pina Bausch and, as has been posted already, MacGregor's Dante Project.

[capybara]

Bumping this up because the RB’s 2022/23 season is due to be announced on Wednesday.

Any last thoughts?

[jmhopton]

54 minutes ago, capybara said:

Bumping this up because the RB’s 2022/23 season is due to be announced on Wednesday.

Any last thoughts?

 

Onegin and lots of Ashton, please. (I'm sure I've bored everyone with with this before but I keep hoping if I say if often enough it might happen!)

[J_New]

Onegin for me too, please! And Theme and Variations ...

[ElleC]

Cinderella (however unlikely that may be), Fille, Two Pigeons, Coppelia, La Bayadere, Onegin and Manon.  Requiem, In the Night, Symphony in C, and would  love to see Liam Scarlett’s Asphodel Meadows and Symphonic Dances.  24 Preludes would also be very welcome!

[zxDaveM]

9 hours ago, ElleC said:

Cinderella (however unlikely that may be), Fille, Two Pigeons, Coppelia, La Bayadere, Onegin and Manon.  Requiem, In the Night, Symphony in C, and would  love to see Liam Scarlett’s Asphodel Meadows and Symphonic Dances.  24 Preludes would also be very welcome!

 

yes, think Cinders won't be coming to the ball sadly, and we have to wonder whether the scenario of Bayadere is going to survive in these times. Would love to see Symphonic Dances (with Symphonic Variations and Symphony in C? - what a triple THAT would be!!)  as we missed out recently due to lockdowns

[ElleC]

3 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

 

yes, think Cinders won't be coming to the ball sadly, and we have to wonder whether the scenario of Bayadere is going to survive in these times. Would love to see Symphonic Dances (with Symphonic Variations and Symphony in C? - what a triple THAT would be!!)  as we missed out recently due to lockdowns

Yes please - sign me up for every performance of that triple bill!😀

[Richard LH]

The Dream

La Fille

Symphony in C

Serenade