Royal Ballet Announces 2022/23 Season

[Dawnstar]

43 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

I don't think this has been posted (forgive me if it it has) but here's the press release:

 

https://static.roh.org.uk/for/pdfs/press-releases-22-23/Royal+Opera+House+announces+22.23+Season.pdf

 

 

Thank you for this. I don't understand why the ROH doesn't have it available to download on the season announcement page on their website. It's a far easier way to look at the season overall, especially for opera where the only way I could find yesterday to find details of creative teams & casts was to go into both the More info and the See dates pages for every production individually.

[Lynette H]

In response to queries about how different this season is:

In the RB programmes pre pandemic there were usually about 11 main house programmes, plus additional RB appearances in the Linbury. Taken from a couple of the season guides I had handy:

 

2014/5 -Manon, Ashton mixed (scenes, Symphonic, Month),  Triple (Brandstrup, Scarlett, Wheeldon), Don Q, Alice, Onegin, Swan Lake, Triple (Balanchine, Shechter, Macmillan),  Fille, Woolf Works,  Triple (Robbins, Macmillan) (2 premieres over the season) 

 

2015/6 - R&J, double (Connectome, Raven Girl), Quad (Scarlett, Robbins, Balanchine, Acosta),  Double (Monotones, 2 Pigeons), Nutcracker, Double (Rhapsody, 2 Pigeons), Triple (all Wheeldon), Giselle, Winter's Tale, Frankenstein, Triple (Mcgregor, Wheeldon, Macmillan). (4 premieres over the season)

 

In the planned 2022/3 seasons there are only 8 main stage programs in total. It's the mixed bills that have gone, and the total number of ballets on offer as a result has shrunk markedly.  The triples usually had runs of 5 or 6 performances. 

 

I assume this is due to the size of the financial hole inflicted by the pandemic. Has the opera season suffered in the same way ? We don't know ticket prices yet, which may cause another sharp intake of breath. 

 

 

 

[alison]

3 hours ago, DanJL said:

In fact that's completely the opposite to my memory. I'm fairly sure we have exactly the same negative reaction every year and in the end people generally have a great time watching the vast majority of programmes, very much including the big classics! I'm sure a search through the forum will corroborate that. 

 

Not completely the opposite, but certainly it's not that unusual.  But this year's announcement does feel distinctly unbalanced: "all meat (or potatoes if you're veggie?) and no veg"?  I like Sleeping Beauty well enough, but I'm not going to book masses of tickets in the hope that I'll get someone I actually want to see in the casts that aren't announced, like Bluebird & Princess Florine, or Carabosse/Lilac Fairy.  I tried that last time, and look where it got me.  And assuming that the prices are going to be at Swan Lake level, I literally won't be able to afford to anyway.

[Lizbie1]

48 minutes ago, Lynette H said:

Has the opera season suffered in the same way ?

 

I don't have any numbers of productions to hand, but the opera season looks pretty good to me - at least six new main stage productions (including a new opera) and some very good casting, though as usual there are some regrettable absences (no Rachvelishvili or Calleja, and unless I'm mistaken Anna Netrebko is a TBC - understandable under the circumstances). There's a lot of Boheme, but only nine Toscas and Traviata is - for once! - limited to a short run - only six performances!

 

It's been a while since I've had more on my opera list than my ballet list, but this year opera is comfortably ahead.

[Candleque]

On 06/04/2022 at 08:47, Fonty said:

If the RB wanted to commission a new work, they could take a leaf out of ENB's book, and get something like Forsythe's Playlist.  Now that I would be overjoyed to see anytime. 🙂

My feeling exactly. What a joy to see Playlist; I wish I could have gone to every show.

Like many here, I am v disappointed with the RB 2022-23 season, but not because I am prejudiced against living choreographers in general. Wayne McGregor in specific leaves me cold and I don't get why the Royal have nailed their flag to his mast, but I understand tastes differ. 

Have the Royal Ballet ever done a Forsythe work btw? He is imo one of the few choreographers that belong in the genius list along with Balanchine, Mark Morris,  Ashton, MacMillan, et al. 

Speaking of the latter, I do agree that the RB could use a season or two without one of the MacMillan big three. Give us a chance to miss them! 

Happy for Cinderella, but would have been over the moon for Sylvia. 

I'm thrilled to see anything Balanchine, so appreciate Diamonds in the list for the Diamond Celebration. Not excited about the rest tbh (except Valentino Zucchetti), but I will certainly go if I can get a good seat. Since this show is supposed to mark 60 years of the Friends of the Royal Opera House, I think it is right and just that RB friends (both in loyalty as well as donation level) air their opinions. If I was Kevin O'Hare, I would be grateful to hear the views of such passionate and knowledgeable ballet fans, his heartland core audience. Tempted to actually write him a polite snail mail letter in case he's not listening here 😆




 

[bridiem]

11 minutes ago, Candleque said:

I'm thrilled to see anything Balanchine, so appreciate Diamonds in the list for the Diamond Celebration. Not excited about the rest tbh (except Valentino Zucchetti), but I will certainly go if I can get a good seat. Since this show is supposed to mark 60 years of the Friends of the Royal Opera House, I think it is right and just that RB friends (both in loyalty as well as donation level) air their opinions. If I was Kevin O'Hare, I would be grateful to hear the views of such passionate and knowledgeable ballet fans, his heartland core audience. Tempted to actually write him a polite snail mail letter in case he's not listening here 😆

 

In fact since the programme is supposed to mark 60 years of the Friends, perhaps they could have been consulted/polled as to what they would like to see!! I've been a Friend of some kind for 45 of those years after all, and I can't say that this programme reflects what I would like to have seen included.

[JNC]

I don’t recall the season announcement for this current one being as strongly negative, lots of positives for the Ashton triple and even the mammoth run of Swan Lake given debut options and the fact the 2020 run was cut short.

 

the fact that most of us predicted what was to come isn’t a good thing (in my opinion) and shows a pattern entrenching. 
 

I think we’re all realistic about what is possible and there is never going to be a classical/heritage bonanza season of our dreams due to the financial considerations required. But ultimately I wonder if this season will backfire given I’m unsure if the new works and Mayerling will sell well. Having said that the bulk of the season is going to carried by the masses of performances of Nutcracker, Beauty and Cinderella I imagine, so it probably won’t matter financially, but having significant seats unsold does feel a shame. 
 

for me I think I will continue my Friends membership this year in recognition of the impact of Covid and the fact I do want to support RB. however if this direction (investing heavily in new works and neglecting heritage works, whilst doing mammoth runs of classics) continues into the 23/24 season I think I will reconsider, particularly if overall ticket prices continue to increase to price out many people. 

For me how I got into ballet was through the classic route of the classics - started with swan lake, sleeping beauty, Giselle and loved them. Then started trying other programmes including MacMillan, La Bayadere and just giving things a go as back then the prices were a lot more reasonable (you could get central amphi tickets for about £30). Then would just keep trying things and discovered Balanchine, Ashton (through mixed bills and their cheaper pricing) and also discovered more about what I like/don’t like. I presume many others are similar and I’m not sure if viewing a contemporary programme would necessarily incline someone to see some neoclassical works the same way the other way round. It was also crucial for pricing to be reasonable as I didn’t know back then what I liked and didn’t, I think now with even the mixed bills and the new full lengths being a bit pricier both regulars and newbies are likely to be put off. 

 

I hope this year is a ‘one off’ and we return to more diverse programming (both in content/choreographers and actual number of programmes) in future. 
 

and I would love to see a ballet/opera triple including Les noces, daphnis, Gloria! 

Edited April 7, 2022 by JNC

[Guest oncnp]

42 minutes ago, Candleque said:

Have the Royal Ballet ever done a Forsythe work btw? He is imo one of the few choreographers that belong in the genius list along with Balanchine, Mark Morris,  Ashton, MacMillan, et al. 
 

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude? 2017 according to the below

 

https://dancetabs.com/2017/05/royal-ballet-symphonic-dances-vertiginous-thrill-of-exactitude-tarantella-strapless-london/

Edited April 7, 2022 by oncnp

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, Lynette H said:

In the planned 2022/3 seasons there are only 8 main stage programs in total. It's the mixed bills that have gone, and the total number of ballets on offer as a result has shrunk markedly.

 

This is one reason why I find the 2022/3 season pretty disappointing. As someone who is fairly new to frequent ballet watching there are so many classical & heritage ballets that I haven't seen & would like to see, so I was hoping that next season would have a good variety of works that the RB hasn't done in the last few seasons. Whereas unfortunately actually next season will only allow me to add one new ballet to my seen live list: Cinderella.

 

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

It's been a while since I've had more on my opera list than my ballet list, but this year opera is comfortably ahead.

 

Unfortunately I find the opera season even less attractive for me than the ballet season. There's not a single opera/production/cast combination that's a must-see for me. I'm very wary of booking for any new productions because so many nowadays are so visually unattractive.

[bridiem]

52 minutes ago, Candleque said:

Have the Royal Ballet ever done a Forsythe work btw?

 

Yes, the company did several Forsythes in the 1990s and early 2000s (including In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated).

[alison]

42 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

In fact since the programme is supposed to mark 60 years of the Friends, perhaps they could have been consulted/polled as to what they would like to see!! 

 

Is there an opera equivalent - assuming that this programme is all ballet - or are the two combined?

[alison]

1 hour ago, Candleque said:

Have the Royal Ballet ever done a Forsythe work btw? He is imo one of the few choreographers that belong in the genius list along with Balanchine, Mark Morris,  Ashton, MacMillan, et al. 

 

In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude; Steptext; did they do Approximate Sonata?  There's certainly another one.  Ah, Herman Schmerman - how could I forget that one?  Adam Cooper in a skirt!

[alison]

On 06/04/2022 at 14:19, Ianlond said:

I do hope there are still plans for Prodigal Son and the Bintley (Tombeaux?) that were cancelled due to covid, at some point. 

 

So do I, very much - along with the revised Ratmansky Preludes.

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, JNC said:

 

 

and I would love to see a ballet/opera triple including Les noces, daphnis, Gloria! 

Me too, but I fear we'll end up with Yugen!!!! 

[Fonty]

35 minutes ago, alison said:

 

In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude; Steptext; did they do Approximate Sonata?  There's certainly another one.  Ah, Herman Schmerman - how could I forget that one?  Adam Cooper in a skirt!

 

Herman Scherman?  Was that the one where Sylvie Guillem was wearing a see through top?  

 

Of the Forsythe I have seen I usually love the movement and hate the noise they are doing it to.

[art_enthusiast]

I really hope Cinderella isn't something that has too many pantomime-esque/ostensibly "child friendly" elements that encourage lots of small children to attend. (No offence to them, I'm just wary of potentially disruptive behaviour during a performance).

[LinMM]

Not to my memory!! 
 

[MargaretN7]

Delighted that we are getting Ashton's Cinderella, been wishing for it for a while. Thanks, KOH. Looking forward to discovering who gets cast as who/what. My first Cinderella was Margot Fonteyn.

[Jan McNulty]

47 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

I really hope Cinderella isn't something that has too many pantomime-esque/ostensibly "child friendly" elements that encourage lots of small children to attend. (No offence to them, I'm just wary of potentially disruptive behaviour during a performance).

 

Cinderella is a fairy story and people may be attracted to that idea to bring their children (especially when there are matinees).

 

I personally think that full length shows can be too long for younger children's attention span but I suppose that applies to pantomime too and children are encouraged to go to those.

[alison]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

 

Herman Scherman?  Was that the one where Sylvie Guillem was wearing a see through top?  

 

That is the alternative way of looking at it, yes  

[Pulcinella]

6 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

I don't think this has been posted (forgive me if it it has) but here's the press release:

 

https://static.roh.org.uk/for/pdfs/press-releases-22-23/Royal+Opera+House+announces+22.23+Season.pdf

 

It includes the date for the RBS summer performance, on a Sunday next year - July 16th (at 3pm according to the website).

I've just looked through this and it states (my highlighting):

 

"Under the directorship of Kevin O’Hare, The Royal Ballet unites tradition and innovation in world- class performances and is a driving force in the development of ballet as an art form. Based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, it brings together today’s most dynamic and versatile dancers with a world-class orchestra and leading choreographers, composers, conductors, directors and creative teams to share awe-inspiring theatrical experiences with diverse audiences worldwide. The Company’s extensive repertory embraces 19th-century classics, the singular legacy of works by Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, a compelling new canon of work by choreographers today including Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, and the bold and complementary programming in the Linbury Theatre. Guest choreographers Cathy Marston, Crystal Pite, Twyla Tharp, Pam Tanowitz, Hofesh Shechter, Arthur Pita and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui have also created work for the Company."

 

It seems that only the full length works of Ashton and MacMillan are really considered a legacy. I think any visits I make next season are going to be very much dictated by the casts in the full lengths. I can't say that the mixed bills appeal enough to warrant the distance I have to travel and the costs of travel and hotel I incur.

[DanJL]

I think everything stated in that section, including the highlighted bit, is evident in next year's programme though. There are still three single act Ashton's to enjoy this spring and the act 3 Anastasia was a single act ballet before being made into a full length wasn't it? 

 

It does talk a lot about innovation and contemporary programming of course, which is perhaps the area of most contention (in terms of balance with heritage works). 

 

One thing that I don't think has been noted is that Woolf Works will be on its third run. I wonder at what point we start to think of that as heritage rather than contemporary? For what it's worth, Woolf Works was the first thing I saw at ROH and for me opened the door to ballet of all types, which has subsequently become a large part of my life. 

[jmhopton]

I had my say on page one of this thread and have been following subsequent comments with interest.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling the lack of twentieth century Heritage works by Ashton, De Valois, Massine, Nijinska etc. After seeing the wonderful Ashton film and masterclass streamed last autumn I had hopes that Kevin was 'getting' Ashton and would be more willing to stage more of his neglected works either on the main stage or even the Linbury. The staging of the Ashton triple was also a good step in the right direction. Alas, it was not to be. Not even a great Christmas mixed bill which we've enjoyed before the pandemic and is always a great antidote to a surfeit of Nutcrackers. I did think Cinderella might be a Nutcracker alternative but also not to be. While I quite enjoy Cinderella and obviously am pleased it is being revived again it's not a favourite Ashton. For me, Fille is miles ahead and would be a great curtain raiser to the season, starting in a fun, light hearted way instead of more doom and gloom. I would also prefer Sylvia which I thought terrific when I saw it a few years ago . I think whoever said that the RB often starts with Macmillan rather than Ashton because it's less classically rigorous after a long summer break is probably right. I was struck last autumn when both the RB and BRB opened with Romeo, and thought that might be the reason. Even more so then after the long covid layoff.

 

I think I said on another thread that the RB extensive rep. and constant commissioning of new ballets is becoming a bit of a curse rather than a blessing. Of course we need new ballets but possibly not every year, especially when they're often not classical works. They cost money for the choreographer, music, sets and costumes and also take valuable stage time -  usually at the expense of Heritage ballets. Whoever pointed out that the RB economies are often focused on Heritage rather than modern dance is spot on; but how can you call yourself a classical Company when you ignore your classical Heritage which is one of the most diverse of all classical ballet companies? At the moment the RB seem to be following BRBs rather dubious example of staging the big classics and having mixed bills of mainly contemporary dance rather than ballet. Despite the RB needing to make money to make up for covid lost revenue they seem to be happy to spend on new ventures which often don't sell well (how many make a return to the big stage for their investment as someone already pointed out?) and whose tickets are significantly cheaper than full length ballets or even a classical mixed bill. So the classics become even more expensive to finance these expensive experiments and genuine ballet lovers are priced out of good seats for the only ballets they want to see. Then you get a mixed bill like Diamonds which for me is a return to the bad old days of mixed bills where there are a couple of items I want to see (Diamonds and the Zucchetti ballet) and the rest I don't and even if I go I know the ones I want to see will be in the middle of the programme (they always are) so I won't even be able to arrive late or leave early. At least there is a matinee so if I do make the expensive journey I won't have the added expense of an overnight stay.

 

On the plus side I'm glad the cinema screenings are continuing, hopefully at pre-covid levels, and they still seem committed to livestreaming which is great for those of us who live at a distance and even abroad. I hope they continue to screen or livestream every programme. That would be great publicity and hopefully income as well.

 

Someone made an interesting point of what to do with principals during long classical runs when they may have only 3 shows each. Could lead to more visits abroad which is great for ballet enthusiasts abroad but not so good for those in this country. Lack of mixed bills also means there aren't the same amount of ballets to keep them here rehearsing. Also, the opposite may be true for the corps who can end up being very overworked. Let's hope covid doesn't come back in a big way next year or we could be having some very disrupted ballets or even cancellations.

 

Sorry to add yet another rather negative voice to the crowd. I am looking forward to seeing the new Cinderella as long as it's a traditional production (I still think the lack of a stepmother distinctly odd and I'm sure many children ask when she's going to appear as they tend to take their fairy tales rather literally). Also sort of looking forward to Mayerling debuts (Bracewell?) though will be interested to see how well it sells. I didn't think it sold that well last time and there were only about half the performances then as this time. As I've said before I'll be going more for the debuts than the rep. and I'm sure there will be many of those to enjoy. Also good for me travelling from a distance and having to stay over that there are a lot of Saturdays with matinees and evening performances so I can see 2 performances for one overnight stay. I think one Cinderella weekend you can see 2 Saturday performances and a Sunday matinee as well so 3 performances for one nights stay. So, expect to enjoy performances but it would have been good to have more rep. to look forward to. Makes me even more appreciative of the Ashton triple to come as goodness knows when there'll be another mixed bill to enjoy. Not until 2023 at the earliest. We only voice our dissatisfaction because we care about ballet and are slightly concerned at the direction the RB seems to be taking. Let's hope this next season is just a post covid blip and the 2023/24 season will be back to exciting triple bills, La Fille or Sylvia , Onegin or Don Q; some fun, stimulating ballets we can all enjoy (or I can, anyway!)

Edited April 7, 2022 by jmhopton
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[Emeralds]

On 07/04/2022 at 00:01, alison said:

 

Well, as long as the cast for Les Noces weren't used for anything else later on - they'd have no legs left!

Should actually be ok as far as Daphnis and Chloe are concerned- the corps aren’t onstage all the time.

 

Hmm, maybe someone who danced Les Noces could give us personal feedback, but actually...although it looks like lots of steps, it’s not as hard work on the legs as 2 white acts of Swan Lake or Bayadere, where standing still with one pointed foot for a long time, then having to move in synchronised patterns and produce beautiful lines, is. If you have an ache or an itch, you can’t stretch or wriggle your limbs. There are quite a few steps with flexed feet ( oh what joy and relief 😊 ), and the shoes for both have flattering patterns so you don’t have to point and wing the feet all the time, which less tiring. The hops and steps on pointe in Noces are actually easier than standing still for ages in “perfect” swan,  bayadere or dryad poses for a whole act.

 

The rest of the time, they can sit and stand as peasant women with flat and turned in feet like normal women, so it’s less tiring on the legs. 

[Emeralds]

19 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

I really hope Cinderella isn't something that has too many pantomime-esque/ostensibly "child friendly" elements that encourage lots of small children to attend. (No offence to them, I'm just wary of potentially disruptive behaviour during a performance).

Oops....actually, in Ashton’s version, the two sisters are portrayed in panto  dame tradition (by men and comic characters) and there is no stepmother. But I’ve seen it many times and never once have I encountered any disruptive kids- they were spellbound and good as gold. I’ve encountered far more annoying/disruptive adults in other programmes. Ashton’s version probably has the most panto elements (minus speech and “he’s behind you” participation) out of the productions the major companies/theatres  have staged in recent times - Wheeldon, Ratmansky (2 versions), Bintley, Bourne, Stevenson. But it has lots of gorgeous choreography for Cinderella, her fairy godmother, the four seasons fairies and the prince, and (one of my favourites) the corps de ballet of stars, so well worth catching at least once. Hint: the week night performances outside school holidays, and in more pricey seats, are least likely to have small/disruptive children. 

[Emeralds]

On 07/04/2022 at 09:15, MoVR said:

Hi I'm new to the forum. I was wondering when reading this thread if people are always disappointed at the announcement of a new season or is this just a 2022-2023 thing? I think a lot of the critisism is reasonable and I wonder if KOH is aware of the fact that this programming is not a ballet fan's dream scenario. 

 

I was also wondering why the RB does such long runs of most classical ballets? I follow some russian dancers on social media and they seem to be doing sometimes up to three different ballets every week, which probably makes it a lot more enjoyable indeed for the corps dancers, that won't be stuck dancing a ballet they potentially don't like for a whole month. 

I think it’s hard for an audience member to know  what a new production will be like until it’s been finished and performed. No season will make everyone happy, and there’s no one ballet that everyone loves- there are even fans who hate Swan Lake -  or Sleeping Beauty - but love Giselle and Manon, but won’t be saying repeatedly that they hate those two classics. Negative reactions don’t mean people who won’t go to see a production- many members here have been to most productions even if voicing negative opinions or apprehension about the programme 6-9 months prior to the show. And even enjoyed it - as well as posting a positive review - afterwards. 

 

If it’s the Mariinsky and Bolshoi dancers you are following, don’t forget those companies are huge, with more members (especially corps de ballet) than the Royal Ballet (it’s also quite well known that their salary is poor compared to RB, ENB, BRB, Scottish Ballet and Northern Ballet). So they quite often can have 2 or even 3 separate corps ensembles rehearsing those ballets on the go. Often the programming in theatres is also dictated by space available - it’s not always possible to pack up and set up the different stage sets for eg Giselle, Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet within the same week, as for many companies these are are stored in a warehouse in a different county and have to be brought in by lorry. Russian theatres are much larger and have storage space on site. 

 

At the Royal Ballet, dancers may be performing one long run of eg Nutcracker, mixed with performances of another ballet X at the start of the run and another ballet Y or triple bill at the end of the run and rehearsing something else or being part of the creation of a different ballet Z  while the run is going on- they’re a repertory company and this is normal .

 

What Russian dancers might not post on social media is that if they’ve not soloists, principals or marked for promotion, their opportunities for doing interesting work such as being part of a new ballet or getting a prominent solo part are almost nil, eg one a year versus RB which is often more like one every 2 months. Not everyone at RB will get to dance Aurora, Florimund or Kitri (at least not straightaway) but there are often opportunities to work with Christopher Wheeldon, Crystal Pite, Wayne McGregor, Alexei Ratmansky, Hofesh Shechter, etc as a corps member ....and increasingly at RB...as an apprentice, which is unheard of in most companies.

 

While dancegoers who are paying with their own money are of course entitled to avoid, be picky or critical about who they like or who they rate as brilliant, in the international dance firmament, these choreographers are huge names and for the dancers it’s a thrill and a career boost to be involved in their productions, even if it’s just the corps de ballet. It differs according to the choreographer and companies’ schedules, but they can be involved with creating a new modern work or learning the staging of a new ballet in the daytime while dancing Nutcracker at night. 

 

Companies that tour nationally will have a different schedule entirely, as the logistics of going on the bus frequently to new towns and staying in temporary accommodation and sometimes having limited rehearsal space precludes new work being made while on the go, so those opportunities have to wait till they return to their base. But we have seen a lot of interesting repertoire being presented, including new works, by touring companies. There are artists and principals at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky who envy the repertoire and choreographers BRB & ENB dancers get to perform, as well as RB’s repertoire. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

23 hours ago, Candleque said:

My feeling exactly. What a joy to see Playlist; I wish I could have gone to every show.

Like many here, I am v disappointed with the RB 2022-23 season, but not because I am prejudiced against living choreographers in general. Wayne McGregor in specific leaves me cold and I don't get why the Royal have nailed their flag to his mast, but I understand tastes differ. 

Have the Royal Ballet ever done a Forsythe work btw? He is imo one of the few choreographers that belong in the genius list along with Balanchine, Mark Morris,  Ashton, MacMillan, et al. 

Speaking of the latter, I do agree that the RB could use a season or two without one of the MacMillan big three. Give us a chance to miss them! 

Happy for Cinderella, but would have been over the moon for Sylvia. 

I'm thrilled to see anything Balanchine, so appreciate Diamonds in the list for the Diamond Celebration. Not excited about the rest tbh (except Valentino Zucchetti), but I will certainly go if I can get a good seat. Since this show is supposed to mark 60 years of the Friends of the Royal Opera House, I think it is right and just that RB friends (both in loyalty as well as donation level) air their opinions. If I was Kevin O'Hare, I would be grateful to hear the views of such passionate and knowledgeable ballet fans, his heartland core audience. Tempted to actually write him a polite snail mail letter in case he's not listening here 😆




 

The Royal Ballet (Anthony Dowell) were the first to invite Forsythe to stage a ballet in the UK (if you don’t count his company being invited to perform a pas de deux at a gala for World AIDS Day in 1991) - In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, in 1993. Darcey Bussell was in the cast along with Sylvie Guillem, who reprised the role she had created with the Paris Opera in 1987.

Then Steptext (made for Aterballetto in 1985), and First Text (created for the Royal Ballet on Guillem.) Then Herman Shmerman (originally made for New York City Ballet), with Guillem and Bussell alternating in the leads (Bussell wore the original costume design and Guillem chose to use her own). Wendy Whelan and Albert Evans were invited over from NYCB to dance in it as guests, which was a wonderful performance. Finally, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, which is the only one of the five still being presented by the company. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Emeralds

[Jamesrhblack]

Interesting to think of Woolf Works on a third revival becoming a “repertoire” piece. There will inevitably be some new casting required, and I was imagining Laura Morera or Romany Pajdak re Alessandra Ferri, Reece Clarke re Federico Bonelli, Calvin Richardson re Edward Watson and Liam Boswell re Tristan Dyer in I now, I then for a start.

 

The Weathering and Solo Echo seem also to have given wider opportunities to a younger generation of dancers that may begin to bear interesting fruit in 2022 / 2023…

[AnneL]

23 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

Herman Scherman?  Was that the one where Sylvie Guillem was wearing a see through top?  

 

Of the Forsythe I have seen I usually love the movement and hate the noise they are doing it to.

For me, this touches on a fundamental point. I fell in love with ballet as a child because of movement (choreography) AND music, working together. The 20th century ‘modern’ works like Cinderella, Les Noces (which others have mentioned) have wonderful scores by Prokofiev, Stravinsky and so on. Ashton set his works often to great classical music ( E.g. the Dream) so these ballets also hit the spot for me. I usually also enjoy contemporary ballets if the music appeals and excites me - I liked Corybantic Games with its Bernstein score and I enjoy some contemporary composers too. But too many of the new offerings in recent years have had so-so choreography and less than wonderful music - a deadly combination. And of course, design also matters, including lighting! I have high hopes for the Cinderella costumes as I loved the ones in the recent Emma film - and the jewellery was superb. 

[AnneL]

22 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Cinderella is a fairy story and people may be attracted to that idea to bring their children (especially when there are matinees).

 

I personally think that full length shows can be too long for younger children's attention span but I suppose that applies to pantomime too and children are encouraged to go to those.

When Wheeldon’s Alice was last on, we sat next to a very small girl, aged about seven. Who was as good as gold. It was the days of the ‘package’ tickets, and she was there again for the Magic Flute a couple of weeks later in the same seat, again very well- behaved! 

[alison]

4 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Hmm, maybe someone who danced Les Noces could give us personal feedback, but actually...although it looks like lots of steps, it’s not as hard work on the legs as 2 white acts of Swan Lake or Bayadere, where standing still with one pointed foot for a long time, then having to move in synchronised patterns and produce beautiful lines, is. If you have an ache or an itch, you can’t stretch or wriggle your limbs. There are quite a few steps with flexed feet ( oh what joy and relief 😊 ), and the shoes for both have flattering patterns so you don’t have to point and wing the feet all the time, which less tiring. The hops and steps on pointe in Noces are actually easier than standing still for ages in “perfect” swan,  bayadere or dryad poses for a whole act.

 

The rest of the time, they can sit and stand as peasant women with flat and turned in feet like normal women, so it’s less tiring on the legs. 

 

Well, that was my understanding, anyway.  You may be right - but it would be interesting to hear from someone with experience of both  

[Lizbie1]

On 06/04/2022 at 22:05, bridiem said:

 

The website does clearly say 'The showcase will demonstrate the breadth and diversity of The Royal Ballet’s repertory, and includes world premieres by Pam Tanowitz, Joseph Toonga and Valentino Zucchetti plus the Company’s first performance of For Four by Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon and a performance of George Balanchine’s Diamonds.' (Should really say 'comprises' rather than 'includes', unless there are additional items not yet mentioned which I think is unlikely.)

 

The text seems to have been updated and now says (my emphasis):

 

"The showcase will demonstrate the breadth and diversity of The Royal Ballet’s repertory in classical, contemporary and heritage works. It will also include world premieres by Pam Tanowitz, Joseph Toonga and Valentino Zucchetti plus the Company’s first performance of For Four by Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon and a performance of George Balanchine’s Diamonds."

 

Good news, I think, if short on specifics.

[bridiem]

11 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

The text seems to have been updated and now says (my emphasis):

 

"The showcase will demonstrate the breadth and diversity of The Royal Ballet’s repertory in classical, contemporary and heritage works. It will also include world premieres by Pam Tanowitz, Joseph Toonga and Valentino Zucchetti plus the Company’s first performance of For Four by Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon and a performance of George Balanchine’s Diamonds."

 

Good news, I think, if short on specifics.

 

Makes you wonder if the three world premières are all going to be very short - ?! Sounds odd.