ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET: RAYMONDA

[Rob S]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I know these are not very good taken with an iPhone from First Circle but am really pleased I’ve now found a way of posting pics here albeit slightly reducing the size of the original. 
 

 

I think they're a great record of the evening LinMM. I'm trying to work out what it is that you've captured on the floor in front of each person...it's like a negative shadow!!

[Rob S]

2 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

For anyone who has LFTs in hand, I'd strongly recommend doing a test on the day and then registering it online as in the instruction booklet.

 

This is both because if you're concerned about spreading the virus it's the safest way; and because they can send you an email and text confirmation of the result - I find the text much easier to bring up in a hurry than the NHS App proof of vaccination status

 

I think that needs full access to the working app though

[Emeralds]

1 minute ago, Rob S said:

 

I know there are plenty of gatekeepers that say things like 'no professional cameras' at venues...they don't really know what they are talking about re cameras. The customer relations person simply repeated the mention of 'recording equipment' mentioned on the website T&Cs which I personally regard  as video cameras for getting footage of the performance. I was quite clear about what I wanted to do and said that I do it at the ROH but repeating an already mentioned T&C does save brain power for what must be a busy department right now.

 

Yes, I think without seeing what you have they probably don’t know. For me it would be distractions to other audience members or blocking their view that  I would be more worried about. I personally don’t think it’s a 

problem videoing curtain calls- lots of dancers do it in the audience and even on stage 😊 especially when it’s a farewell performance. What I would be annoyed with would be what someone did at an amateur performance once- she took an iPad (not a mini one but a full size one!) and frequently kept holding it up in front of her to photograph her kids, thereby obstructing the view of everyone behind her. I guess they’re just trying to cover all wild ideas some people might have. Just bring what you use for the Royal Ballet pics and I think it should be fine, Rob. 

[Lizbie1]

4 minutes ago, Rob S said:

 

I think that needs full access to the working app though

 

I do it on the website here and receive an email and text notification within moments.

 

https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

Edited January 21, 2022 by Lizbie1

[Dawnstar]

26 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I took curtain call pictures with a medium sized digital camera (discreetly) several years ago with no problems. Maybe they mean ‘not photoshoot equipment’ eg a big flash and long lenses.

 

I can understand that they might not want people bringing those massive cameras with lenses a foot or more long. As for flash, I understood that using a flash to take curtain call photos was pointless as a flash only illuminates the immediate area & the stage will be too far away for it to have any effect, plus the stage lights are far more powerful anyway. So using a flash just annoys the rest of the audience, and possibly the cast too, without any benefit for the resultant photos.

[Rob S]

10 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Yes, I think without seeing what you have they probably don’t know. For me it would be distractions to other audience members or blocking their view that  I would be more worried about. I personally don’t think it’s a 

problem videoing curtain calls- lots of dancers do it in the audience and even on stage 😊 especially when it’s a farewell performance. What I would be annoyed with would be what someone did at an amateur performance once- she took an iPad (not a mini one but a full size one!) and frequently kept holding it up in front of her to photograph her kids, thereby obstructing the view of everyone behind her. I guess they’re just trying to cover all wild ideas some people might have. Just bring what you use for the Royal Ballet pics and I think it should be fine, Rob. 

 

Maybe they thought my camera might be the size of the one that was frequently used on stage during the performance

[Scheherezade]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

I took curtain call pictures with a medium sized digital camera (discreetly) several years ago with no problems. Maybe they mean ‘not photoshoot equipment’ eg a big flash and long lenses.

 

I saw someone doing that at the ROH Nutcracker on 10 Dec- a woman went to the front of the Grand Tier/ Stalls Circle and started doing  these pouty poses and her companion had what looked like a paparazzo’s camera with a bright flash clicking loudly away at her. A bit weird, but thankfully they stopped after 2 minutes and it was before the house lights went down. 

 

My daughter and I saw some of the Made in Chelsea people posing up a storm from the front of one of the boxes at one of the November Nutcracker performances. Same routine with the poses, camera and flash. Culture is clearly becoming de rigueur for the instagram crowd.

[LinMM]

Emeralds ... no worries about the piccies I was just experimenting really as usually it tells me my photo files are too big!! But an option came up I’ve missed before which said “choose the Size of the photo”

I started with Large and it accepted that though of course faces not quite so clear as on original especially if you enlarge the piccies while looking at them! 

 

Rob S... I just checked with originals and the shadow is there in them too!! ....Was the Coli stage that reflective 🤔 have no idea!! 

I might post another one of the three main stars but light partially obliterates Shiori Kase’s face so not sure 

 

[Rob S]

49 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Rob S... I just checked with originals and the shadow is there in them too!! ....Was the Coli stage that reflective 🤔 have no idea!! 

 

 

The first two pics are the ones that display the phenomenon the most clearly...I'm wondering if it's the ghosts of banned photographers

[LACAD]

According to ENB’s Twitter Aitor Arrieta (finally) and Emma Hawes have just been promoted to principal dancers! Congratulations to both! 

[LinMM]

Lovely news!! Thanks for that info. 

[alison]

Yep, I spent much of the performance thinking "why is this guy not a principal yet?" and then Tamara Rojo came onstage and rectified the omission 🙂

Congratulations to both dancers.

[CCL]

An absolutely delightful evening tonight- three superb leading performances and at the curtain call an announcement from Tamara Rojo that Emma Hawes and Aitor Arrieta have been promoted to Principals. Very pleased for them both!

Edited January 21, 2022 by CCL

[Dawnstar]

In the ENB leadership announcement thread I suggested Arrieta as one of two possible replacements for Hernandez as Princial so I'm pleased to have been proved right 😉 I'm also extremely pleased that Hawes has been promoted, not just because I think she's a good dancer but also because that means she & Frola must definitely be staying with ENB. (I was slightly worried in case they decided to move to the US with Rojo, given they were previously in Canada.)

[capybara]

Lovely news. Congratulations to them both.

But where was the bouquet for Aitor?

[LinMM]

[LinMM]

Decided to post one last picture today before I forget how to do it 🙄
The three leads from Tuesday! 

Very glad to just hear of the promotion of Arrieta and Hawes. 
Arrieta in particular along with McCormick impressed me a lot on Tuesday as well though both not in main lead parts. Both have strong classical line combined with great stage presence. 

[alison]

One of the (to me, at least) unexpected benefits of ENB now having a full-sized production studio in its new premises is that we can get "performance" photos in the programme before the ballet has even been performed

[Don Q Fan]

54 minutes ago, capybara said:

Lovely news. Congratulations to them both.

But where was the bouquet for Aitor?

Well Emma did not have hers with her on departure I asked both if they knew about the promotion but neither did it was a total surprise both were thrilled. I too see this as a hopeful sign Emma will stay and Francesco yayy!! 

 

[Geoff]

Just read the programme, which is somewhat (and repeatedly) evasive on exactly how much Petipa is in this show. It would be great to have a guide from Forum experts who have seen Rojo’s Raymonda. 
 

As a guess, would it be right to say that most of the solo variations are authentic, whereas most of everything else (PDD, character dance, Corps etc) is not? 
 

And how much of Raymonda’s choreography - the character, I mean, not the ballet generally - has been cut / shortened / simplified? I have only seen the full-length ballet on stage once (a few years ago in Vienna) and the technical demands made of the eponymous heroine seemed even greater (relentless in fact) compared to what I saw at the Coliseum this week. 
 

Any choreological tips very welcome!
 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Geoff

[Angela]

5 hours ago, Emeralds said:

And this may come as a surprise to many of us who feel classical composers are like gods (well, their best compositions may be heavenly to listen to) but actually in those days, they had a more pragmatic approach to their work, and they accepted that sometimes certain sections would not be used for the final stage performance.

 

Emeralds, I tried to explain that it depends on the amount of cutting and rearranging, which surely has not been done to a Stravinsky partitura in that way. No problem with SOME cuts like national dances, no problem with cutting variations or parts of a suite.

 

Yes, classical composers were like gods even at that time, like they are now. They played symphonies, concert, chamber or piano music as the gods had written them. Maybe they cut arias from operas, but they did not rearrange them wildly from act to act, they kept the architecture and the structure of the work. It was just ballet music that was used as utility music, taking the variations here and putting them there, mixing up the whole partitura. Just look at Le Corsaire, it had music from seven composers, if I remember correctly. Or the Grand pas from Paquita, inserts from six different composers, just because the ballerinas chose them. What I tried to describe is that with Tchaikovsky, the time was turning for ballet music - it became symphonic, it had structures and content-related arcs instead of ready-made numbers that the ballet master would put at the place he wished. I think that even a rather unknown ballet composer like Glazunov should earn some respect in trying to keep the overall order of his composition. When he composed the six different variations for Raymonda, he had a character in mind, so giving that music to a different character or the ensemble seems wrong. 

 

If you know the version from La Scala you know that they play the Glazunov partitura in its whole uncut glory, and for me, after having seen the Russian versions and Nureyev's Paris version, everything suddenly worked out.  Raymonda's character worked out, she is not the ice queen that Nureyev made her, she is a Giselle-like, innocent girl in a simple white dress at the beginning. Each of the three acts ends with a huge ballabile number for the whole corps de ballet with demi-solos and solos, where Petipa worked almost like Balanchine, not for drama but for the abstract beauty of the dance. It's completely out of step with nowaday's ambitions for drama or story ballets, but wonderful in its serene beauty.

 

[art_enthusiast]

2 hours ago, CCL said:

An absolutely delightful evening tonight- three superb leading performances and at the curtain call an announcement from Tamara Rojo that Emma Hawes and Aitor Arrieta have been promoted to Principals. Very pleased for them both!

Indeed! Sublime performance from the three leads - I really felt their chemistry during the pas de trois in the Act One dream sequence. Great to witness Hawes and Arrieta's emotional reactions to their promotion!
I found the whole company dazzling, particularly Fernando Carratalá Coloma as Abdur, Natascha Mair as Sister Clemence and Julia Conway as Henriette. Adored the character and dynamic performances of Act 2, just superb. Every single act was uniquely fascinating.

[RosiesDream]

On 19/01/2022 at 14:47, Angela said:

Emeralds, I know all that (at least most of it), and I know about certain variations being given to totally different characters than they were intended to. But cutting some national dances in Nutcracker or Swan Lake sounds a bit different than what Macaulays review says:

"She and her musical colleagues Gavin Sutherland and Lars Payne disregard structure and style, shift individual numbers from act to act, set busy dance steps to non-dance music, and reassign music to different characters. In the first scene, for example, Petipa and Glazunov composed an ensemble waltz for Raymonda’s name day that pauses to give the heroine a brilliant pizzicato solo. But Rojo interpolates a medley of other numbers before the pizzicato – which she gives to a different ensemble rather than to the heroine."

Again, I have not heard the score at ENB, but this sounds - hm.

Well, I'm guessing that for better or worse, 99% of folk that will watch this ballet won't understand the background - In a similar fashion, I am the only person, ever, whose blood boils when she sees the BBC's misguided appropriation of Lark Rise to Candleford, which is not a piece of feel-good Victorian fluff, but a beautifully observed biography of rural Oxfordshire written by a working-class woman, which is socially and culturally important...and I'll get me coat and take my soapbox with me...the thing is, the BBC's version is the one everybody will remember, and I'm thinking that will be the case with Raymonda. Sorry if I digressed too much.

[Mary]

2 hours ago, RosiesDream said:

I am the only person, ever, whose blood boils when she sees the BBC's misguided appropriation of Lark Rise to Candleford, which is not a piece of feel-good Victorian fluff, but a beautifully observed biography of rural Oxfordshire written by a working-class woman, which is socially and culturally important...

No you are not alone!

[bridiem]

7 hours ago, Geoff said:

Just read the programme, which is somewhat (and repeatedly) evasive on exactly how much Petipa is in this show. It would be great to have a guide from Forum experts who have seen Rojo’s Raymonda. 
 

As a guess, would it be right to say that most of the solo variations are authentic, whereas most of everything else (PDD, character dance, Corps etc) is not? 
 

And how much of Raymonda’s choreography - the character, I mean, not the ballet generally - has been cut / shortened / simplified? I have only seen the full-length ballet on stage once (a few years ago in Vienna) and the technical demands made of the eponymous heroine seemed even greater (relentless in fact) compared to what I saw at the Coliseum this week. 
 

Any choreological tips very welcome!
 

 

I didn't buy a programme, but I would have expected it to have details about what has been retained/changed etc. The programme should be an educative tool, not just a promotional one.

[Irmgard]

18 hours ago, Irmgard said:

@Dawnstar  The name of the step you mentioned with the feet disappearing under the skirt is relevé en passant.  Shame you couldn't see Oliveira's feet in this as they are the most beautiful in the company!  Emily Suzuki is known for changing her hair colour quite often!  She is blonde at the moment but has to wear a black wig when she does the Ratchuli dance ☺️

@Dawnstar  Oops!  In my haste to answer you before heading off to yesterday's show, I missed out a word in the step name!  It is relevé retiré en passant!  (relevé: the supporting leg rising onto point with a ‘snatching’ movement; retiré: the working leg drawn up the supporting leg at the same time so that the toe of the working leg touches the knee of the supporting leg and the working leg makes a triangle shape;  en passant: the working leg moving from the front to the back of the supporting leg to close in 5^th position behind it).

[Emeralds]

Congratulations to Emma and Aitor on their promotions ! Both so well deserved- they have been dancing with principal dancer quality and finesse for a few seasons now. I especially enjoyed their performances at the Solstice programme this summer.  It’s delightful when it gets announced onstage after a show. The pictures on FB, Twitter, etc are brilliant too! 

[LinMM]

I think there is room for more than one Raymonda. 
Rojo’s third act for example could not really stand alone in the same way as the original. 
That is still worth showing as a stand alone as an example of fine classical dancing. 
In that third Act ...in Rojo’s version....Raymonda’s solo for me does lose some of its dramatic intensity by not having the Court setting ......in terms of pure classical dancing. It deflects the drama away from the dance to the emotional conflict Raymonda still feels about John and Abdur.
 

Angela ....At least in this version this Raymonda is no ‘ice Queen’. In fact she seems closer to the character you describe in La Scalas version especially as portrayed by Shiori Kase at the Premiere on Tuesday. 
If La Scala still do a full length version I’d love to see it... .just so long since seen the full length ballet now. But I’d still go to see just the original Raymonda Act 3 but  also enjoy Rojo’s new version of the whole ballet it’s one of the joys of having different classical companies to choose from. 

[Emeralds]

 

8 hours ago, Angela said:

 

Emeralds, I tried to explain that it depends on the amount of cutting and rearranging, which surely has not been done to a Stravinsky partitura in that way. No problem with SOME cuts like national dances, no problem with cutting variations or parts of a suite.

 

Yes, classical composers were like gods even at that time, like they are now. They played symphonies, concert, chamber or piano music as the gods had written them. Maybe they cut arias from operas, but they did not rearrange them wildly from act to act, they kept the architecture and the structure of the work. It was just ballet music that was used as utility music, taking the variations here and putting them there, mixing up the whole partitura. Just look at Le Corsaire, it had music from seven composers, if I remember correctly. Or the Grand pas from Paquita, inserts from six different composers, just because the ballerinas chose them. What I tried to describe is that with Tchaikovsky, the time was turning for ballet music - it became symphonic, it had structures and content-related arcs instead of ready-made numbers that the ballet master would put at the place he wished. I think that even a rather unknown ballet composer like Glazunov should earn some respect in trying to keep the overall order of his composition. When he composed the six different variations for Raymonda, he had a character in mind, so giving that music to a different character or the ensemble seems wrong. 

 

If you know the version from La Scala you know that they play the Glazunov partitura in its whole uncut glory, and for me, after having seen the Russian versions and Nureyev's Paris version, everything suddenly worked out.  Raymonda's character worked out, she is not the ice queen that Nureyev made her, she is a Giselle-like, innocent girl in a simple white dress at the beginning. Each of the three acts ends with a huge ballabile number for the whole corps de ballet with demi-solos and solos, where Petipa worked almost like Balanchine, not for drama but for the abstract beauty of the dance. It's completely out of step with nowaday's ambitions for drama or story ballets, but wonderful in its serene beauty.

 

Angela, I think you’re going to have to come over from Germany to see the show instead of relying third hand on a critic’s opinion. I have the La Scala DVD, and I love the care and expense Vikharev and his team - and that includes the huge cast and crew, plus the musicians playing overtime- lavished on one of my favourite scores and one of my favourite choreographers’ legacy. ( It is definitely not the exact original - for that we would have needed video which wasn’t invented yet). I’m going to see Rojo’s version this weekend all being well, and looking forward to it. Hopefully you can as well, once restrictions and other factors allow. (Next run will be in Southampton in November! Just a plane and/or ferry ride!)

Edited January 22, 2022 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

9 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I think there is room for more than one Raymonda. 
Rojo’s third act for example could not really stand alone in the same way as the original. 
That is still worth showing as a stand alone as an example of fine classical dancing. 
In that third Act ...in Rojo’s version....Raymonda’s solo for me does lose some of its dramatic intensity by not having the Court setting ......in terms of pure classical dancing. It deflects the drama away from the dance to the emotional conflict Raymonda still feels about John and Abdur.
 

Angela ....At least in this version this Raymonda is no ‘ice Queen’. In fact she seems closer to the character you describe in La Scalas version especially as portrayed by Shiori Kase at the Premiere on Tuesday. 
If La Scala still do a full length version I’d love to see it... .just so long since seen the full length ballet now. But I’d still go to see just the original Raymonda Act 3 but  also enjoy Rojo’s new version of the whole ballet it’s one of the joys of having different classical companies to choose from. 

Argh- some years the WHOLE thing was on YouTube, LinMM. It’s been closed or removed now, although a few fans have posted some of the solos Olesya Novikova (she was Raymonda in it) danced as separate clips on YouTube - she is exquisite in the ballet.

 

The DVD is available for sale from all good DVD retailers. I hope you’ll be able to find it. I haven’t heard of it being performed very often though - its sheer length and cast size must make it very expensive to stage.

 

You’re right- definitely room for more than one Raymonda. Well, one of my wishlist goals has been fulfilled. My next wishlist goal is the revival of Ashton’s Daphnis and Chloe. Or  for someone to do a (nice) different version. 

 

PS on a completely digressing but not altogether unrelated note, the “sister” production of ENB’s Nutcracker, the Dutch National Ballet version, is still available for free online on their broadcaster website for 36 hours or so (finishes 24 Oct). Not exactly the same as ENB’s but about 90% the same (go to the thread about it for the link). For those who would like a final post-Christmas pre- Candlemas season, Tchaikovsky Nutcracker fix in stunning HD colour (great costumes) it’s lovely. (Thanks to Don Q Fan for posting it). 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Emeralds

[Jan McNulty]

I remember enjoying the Bolshoi production which I saw in Manchester 1986 when the Bolshoi toured the UK.  I also saw a production in Vienna in 1987 and I remember enjoying it.  I was, however, bored rigid when I saw the production in Paris some years ago.

 

I had been looking forward to seeing the ENB version when it was due to premiere in Manchester.  I'm just sorry that the pandemic intervened.

[Geoff]

Anybody see the show this afternoon? I heard Erina got a present.

[alison]

A silver rose for 25 years' service. Very Rosenkavalier 🙂