Nureyev: Legend and Legacy, September 2022 - and stream on Marquee TV

[FionaM]

There were staff holding signs saying no photos in the Grand Circle on opening night.  They do the same in other LW theatres. 

 

Getting back to the dancing …

 

My highlights:

- charming and playfulness of both Maia Makhateli and Oleg Ivenko in GAYANE pdd

- brilliant ballon of Gabriele Frola and exemplary Danish style of Ida Praetorius in FLOWER FESTIVAL OF GENZANO

- Cesar Corrales’ brilliantly fast double manege of split jetes in LAURENCIA pd6.  Yuhui Chloe’s sparking solo and the synchronisation of fine technique of Ben Ella and Daichi Ikarashi

- Francesca Hayward’s beautiful weightless arms and the elegance of William Bracewell in GISELLE

- Alina Cojocaru and Alexandr Trusch’s intensity and interesting choreography in DON JUAN pdd.  That horizontal lift of Alina where she appeared to levitate is awesome.

- Yasmine Naghdi and Cesar Corrales finishing off with an exemplary CORSAIRE pdd 

- the lovely interview of the dancers at start of Act 2, some of whom had been Nureyev Foundation Award recipients

- the roll of photos of Nureyev at the start

- beautiful new costumes for Gayane & Laurencia 

 

My lowlights:

- disappointing for the dancers to have restricted stage size, and disappointing for the audience to have the orchestra visible behind, distracting from the dancing.  However, having a live orchestra is always a bonus. 
- the short introduction by Ralph Fiennes (too self-deprecating about himself and about his Nureyev movie, The White Crow), and Monica Mason said nothing memorable about Nureyev.  I do hope the video interview of them shown at other performances is better.
- partnerships that needed more rehearsal time to gel … Xander Parish and Iana Salenko in BAYADERE, Vadim Muntagirov and Natascha Mair in SLEEPING BEAUTY.  All had lovely moments … I’m sure they will be better at other shows

- Francesca Hayward’s feet … insufficiently arched and maybe the vamps are too long? I don’t know.  I prefer to focus on her exquisite top half. 
- the demanding choreography of Nureyev’s Sleeping Beauty solo was a tough ask at 41 for the beautiful dancer that is Guillaume Cote, longtime principal of National Ballet of Canada.  He had some lovely moments of control and elegance. 

- Natalia Osipova throwing away classical ballet technique to achieve height in her jumps and bashing through pirouettes with bent arms and raised shoulders.  The others elevated this piece to a non-gymnastics circus.

- mismatched costumes did not help with creating the right Beauty Act 3 atmosphere for Vadim and Natascha.

 

I wonder if the overall gala could have benefitted from an introduction to each piece from a host, explaining the Nureyev connection of each, why they were chosen for this gala and introducing the dancers.  (Jamiel Laurence did this for his gala last year in Canary Wharf.  I thought it was highly effective in pulling together and making sense of the separate pieces).  
 

Despite my nitpicking … it was a memorable and enjoyable evening and I was pleased to see all of the dancers even those who were not on top form on the first night.  
 

A super programme, bravo Nehemiah Kish.  I do hope a second round of these galas can be produced at some point with some other Nureyev specialties included. 

 

[Sabine0308]

A bit info on Iana Salenko:

Iana was coming to London after her Giselle performance the evening before. So I guess there was not a lot of time for rehearsal. She is so tiny yet so strong, with her 3 boys and her husband Marian Walter who suffers from Long Covid. And she was  very busy with the Ballet for life gala last year (supporting people in Ukraine). I admire her tremendously, but sometimes I fear for her health and if she is doing too much. Giving birth to her second child almost cost her life.  Iana and Marian are scheduled to dance as Tatjana and Onegin in October. I keep my fingers crossed especially for Marian.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Sabine0308

[Mary]

35 minutes ago, FionaE said:

super programme, bravo Nehemiah Kish.  I do hope a second round of these galas can be produced at some point with some other Nureyev specialties included. 

 

I second that. It was far better than - 'some other galas' I've been to: very thoughtful programming. Using Drury Lane was appropriate and  a lovely idea- but it must have been difficult to struggle with the immoveable set issue and- OK, it wasn't perfect in the end  - but the stage and orchestra concerns many people are mentioning hardly bothered me as I was so rapt by the dancers. I saw so little for 2 years I am still thrilled to see top quality live ballet and so grateful people are putting it on at all.

 

I can't begin to imagine what a headache it must be to put on something like this, especially at the moment- all the shenanigans of travel, insurance, finance, publicity, ticket sales, injury, illness, theatre rules oh lord...! outside the supportive structure of a company... so very many thanks to Mr Kish and his team.

 

[FionaM]

26 minutes ago, Sabine0308 said:

A bit info on Iana Salenko:

Iana was coming to London after her Giselle performance the evening before. So I guess there was not a lot of time for rehearsal. She is so tiny yet so strong, with her 3 boys and her husband Marian Walter who suffers from Long Covid. And she was  very busy with the Ballet for life gala last year (supporting people in Ukraine). I admire her tremendously, but sometimes I fear for her health and if she is doing too much. Giving birth to her second child almost cost her life.  Iana and Marian are scheduled to dance as Tatjana and Onegin in October. I keep my fingers crossed especially for Marian.

thank you you raise good points.  
 

I believe Iana opened the season for Berlin on Saturday.  Which is a big pressure for any dancer.  And then as you say, she has 3 boys and a husband who has not been well for a long time.  That’s a lot for anyone to handle.

 

Xander had his debut with Norwegian National Ballet on Saturday, also in Giselle.  And also bearing the responsibility of opening their season.  Plus of course having to deal with the personal trauma of leaving his home and company in St Petersburg.  

 

So no, I wasn’t surprised that both of them were perhaps deflated and not at their best on Monday.  I’m sure they will be better in other shows.  

Edited September 7, 2022 by FionaE

[JNC]

59 minutes ago, FionaE said:

 

I wonder if the overall gala could have benefitted from an introduction to each piece from a host, explaining the Nureyev connection of each, why they were chosen for this gala and introducing the dancers.  (Jamiel Laurence did this for his gala last year in Canary Wharf.  I thought it was highly effective in pulling together and making sense of the separate pieces).  
 

I had actually assumed this was what was going to happen, given they had used Fiennes/Mason in the marketing. I imagined Mason giving a bit of context for each piece and maybe a personal anecdote (for example I think she danced Myrtha in the Fonteyn/Nureyev Giselle performance, so when introducing the Giselle pdd she could have discussed that for a personal insight!). 
 

Reading the programme properly it’s clear each piece was thoughtfully chosen and it would have been nice to have that reflected somehow - either in introductions, or a simple one page cast list at least referencing the dancers and title of the performance. 
 

I am one of the few who was unbothered by the orchestra on stage (and I am very easily distracted!). The scrim helped and I didn’t mind seeing the live musicians in the background. 
 

I agree the stage was too small, but they just about got away with it.

 

what I did like about the theatre was the “circles” come out further forward then the Balcony/amphi etc at ROH. This meant you feel a lot closer to the stage and dancers even if not in the stalls. 

[Sophoife]

41 minutes ago, Sabine0308 said:

Iana was coming to London after her Giselle performance the evening before. So I guess there was not a lot of time for rehearsal. She is so tiny yet so strong, with her 3 boys and her husband Marian Walter who suffers from Long Covid.

Also, didn't she have to leave the Verdensballetten tour at very short notice due to a family medical emergency? I admire her commitment to her commitments, plus really liked her when I saw her as Odette/Odile in Berlin five years ago.

[alison]

1 hour ago, FionaE said:

I wonder if the overall gala could have benefitted from an introduction to each piece from a host, explaining the Nureyev connection of each, why they were chosen for this gala and introducing the dancers.  

 

I imagine that the programme tells you that - although I haven't actually read it yet - and perhaps they thought it would be duplication of effort? 

[Sabine0308]

2 hours ago, Sophoife said:

Also, didn't she have to leave the Verdensballetten tour at very short notice due to a family medical emergency? I admire her commitment to her commitments, plus really liked her when I saw her as Odette/Odile in Berlin five years ago.

I don't remember if it was a medical emergency, but a family emergency for sure.

[jmhopton]

I really enjoyed this gala and I'm not a great fan of galas; usually I find there are several pieces not to my taste and it's a long journey for partial enjoyment. However, I think this gala is a bit similar to the Fonteyn gala a few years ago in that because all pieces are so closely linked to the original dancer there were no ultra modern pieces which are usually the ones I don't like.

 

I agree with what others have said re the size of the stage. I was amazed it was so small when I thought they usually staged large musicals. OK the orchestra took up most of the depth but it also seemed very narrow. I've seen larger provincial stages. I didn't find the orchestra on stage at all intrusive but I did wonder how the conductor managed with his back to the dancers! That did seem very strange. At least if there were the same cast every performance he didn't have to worry about changes in tempo to accommodate different dancers.

 

I attended the Tues matinee and it was great to see Don Q fan and Sheila C as well as all the wonderful dancers. A brilliant start to the new ballet season. It all seemed very happy and relaxed and made me wish there were more happy ballets being performed at the ROH next season. You'd think after Covid Kevin would want to stage at least one 'feel good' ballet like Fille and Don Q, or a fun triple including (for example) The Dream or The Concert which would have been a great antidote to interminable Nutcrackers. During Laurencia, all I could think of was how fabulous a partnership Osipova/Coralles would be in Don Q!

 

I really enjoyed most of the pieces but my favourite was the Laurencia pas de six. I could have watched it all night! All the dancers were incredible and Osipova and Coralles were on fire! Osipova did seem to be having a great time and not at all nervous at performing her own choreography which must surely be different to performing someone else's. It was great to see Choe and Ben Ella as I don't seem to have seen a lot of them lately and they are both so talented. However, it was a lovely touch to see Marianna Tsembenhoi and Daichi Ikarashi dancing together in such a prominent piece. A wonderful start to their new career in the Royal ballet. I'm sure they'll both go far; in fact I wouldn't be surprised if they both don't make principals eventually. They are incredibly talented and have lots of personality. The Gayanne and Flower Festival pas de deux were also highlights for me. I do love Bournonville choreography and we see it so seldom. I have very fond memories of Danish Ballet coming a few years ago (was it to the Elizabeth Theatre?) and doing a Bournonville programme and it was pure heaven. To finish with the Corsaire pas de deux which Fonteyn and Nuryev (especially Nureyev) made their own was a stroke of genius, Yasmine was terrific but Coralles pulled out all the stops and was on fire. An audible gasp went round the auditorium when  he crossed the stage with grand jetes so huge you wondered how he managed to stay on the small stage. All I can say about his performance was it's the closest you'd get to a performance by Nureyev without it being the real Nureyev. They both brought the house down.

 

All in all a terrific programme and one that left you wanting more which I think is always the sign of a good programme. Perhaps Mr Kish would be willing to curate another programme; there are so many highlights of Nureyev's career still left to explore; his Cinderella, Don Q, James in la Syphide, Marguerite and Armand, Raymonda; I'm sure the list can go on. But many thanks, Mr Kish for giving me and so many others so much pleasure. My only disappointment was I could only attend the once but am looking forward to purchasing the recording and re living that wonderful afternoon again.

 

 

[Sim]

I have just read all the reviews in Today's Links.  I almost spat my coffee out when I came across this line from Jim Pritchard:

 

It is 84 years since his birth and 29 years since his sad, premature – and let’s be brutally honest – self-inflicted death.

 

This makes it sound as if Nureyev caught AIDS on purpose.  Yes, he lived a promiscuous life, but at a time when AIDS was new and not understood.  With Pritchard's logic, just about every type of death is 'self inflicted'.  If you fall over and bang your head it's self inflicted.  If you accidentally crash your car into a tree it's self inflicted.  Nureyev fought very hard to live, and to make the most of the time he had.  To call it a 'self inflicted' death is, for me, very disrespectful and insensitive, both to Nureyev and the millions of others who have died of AIDS through no fault of their own.

 

Furthermore, what is he talking about here:

 

Sadly the rest of the evening had the same faults of most of these types of ballet galas. Unidentified dancers performing unannounced excerpts.

 

Who danced that was unidentified?  Which excerpts were unannounced?

 

 

[capybara]

26 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

Furthermore, what is he talking about here:

 

Sadly the rest of the evening had the same faults of most of these types of ballet galas. Unidentified dancers performing unannounced excerpts.

 

Who danced that was unidentified?  Which excerpts were unannounced?

 

 

The full programme was up online beforehand and several people sitting near me had brought photocopies with them. Therefore if, as a Critic, Jim Pritchard did not get a complimentary programme, he could at least have done his homework.

 

In any case, dance writers should surely be across most dancers and several, if not all, of the works performed.

[Rob S]

34 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

 

Furthermore, what is he talking about here:

 

Sadly the rest of the evening had the same faults of most of these types of ballet galas. Unidentified dancers performing unannounced excerpts.

 

Who danced that was unidentified?  Which excerpts were unannounced?

 

 

 

The review then concludes with a complete list of the excerpts and the dancers that participated in them😄

[Sim]

8 minutes ago, capybara said:

The full programme was up online beforehand and several people sitting near me had brought photocopies with them. Therefore if, as a Critic, Jim Pritchard did not get a complimentary programme, he could at least have done his homework.

 

In any case, dance writers should surely be across most dancers and several, if not all, of the works performed.

Yet another example of how the standard of dance criticism has plummeted in recent years.  If only we could have Mr Crisp back.  I often disagreed with him but it was always a total joy to read his reviews and articles.  Such knowledge and erudition no longer seem to exist.    

[LinMM]

Sounds like he was out of sorts and under the weather that evening…..(was going to make a bit of a joke here supportive of what Sim said initially above but have chickened out 🙄) 

Although Nureyev’s death may have indeed been very sadly premature he certainly packed more into his shorter life than many who live twice as long. 

None of us knows how long we have on this Earth so much is actually down to luck in the end. 
As this was supposed to be a special celebration of Nureyevs life Mr. Pritchards comments …no matter what he may think…..are somewhat out of place I feel 😥

Edited September 8, 2022 by LinMM

[Sim]

Just now, Rob S said:

 

The review then concludes with a complete list of the excerpts and the dancers that participated in them😄

Exactly.  That's why I was confused as to what he was on about!  🙄

[Silver Capricorn]

 

I came with my friends to this gala  from Prague and we were really excited about the performance on Tuesday evening.  It was a unique opportunity for us to see so many excellent ballet artists in one place.  It was an amazing experience for us.  And after the show, other fans and I were at the stage door.  All the performers were extremely nice and it was very pleasant to meet them.

[Dawnstar]

All the reviews I've read had nothing but praise for Praetorius & Frola in the Flower Festival In Genzano extract apart from the Gramilano one which has a sentence I don't really understand. "That said, I think some purists would have questions concerning certain interpretations of the choreography and musicality." I'd never heard of the piece before this gala, let alone seen it, so I have no idea how it's supposed to be interpreted. Can anyone who knows the piece elucidate?

[li tai po]

I would like to pick up JM Hopton's welcome comments above about further Rudolf repertoire which might be represented in a repeat gala.  JM Hopton's short list omits two key roles - The Nutcracker and Romeo - both of which were relatively early examples of Rudolf's production and choreography.

 

The Nutcracker was not performed by the Royal Ballet between 1946 and 1968, but Rudolf's seminal production in 1968 lingers long in the memory.  He had such imagination - turning the arrival at the Kingdom of the Sweets into Clara's nightmare (with the family menacing her as bats) and transforming the mirlitons into a gently satirical pastorale.  The choreography of the pas de deux (mainly by Rudolf) was unforgettable, particularly the famous pose in which Merle Park rests her whole body on Rudolf's extended leg.  Fortunately the production is preserved on film with Rudolf and Merle.

 

Romeo and Juliet was choreographed by Rudolf on the English National Ballet in the mid 70s.  Rudolf danced every performance in the first three week run, either as Romeo or Mercutio - a role which he regarded as equally significant.  Rudolf's choreographic style was to create five steps, where others might provide one.  Vadim Muntagirov has danced both the Nureyev and MacMillan versions and he commented in his interview on how difficult and exhausting is the Rudolf version.  

 

The musical number known as Masks in the MacMillan version, performed by the three young friends outside the Capulet house before they sneak into the ball, is known in the Rudolf version as the "Mab Dance" and given to Mercutio and his band of revellers.  In his choreography, Rudolf attempted to replicate the highly problematic speech of Mercutio about Queen Mab, the queen of the fairies.  Shakespeare scholars argue about what it means and why it is inserted here.  Mercutio describes how Queen Mab tantalises courtiers, priests, soldiers and even "when maids lie on their backs, presses them and learns them first to bear".  All of this detail is replicated in Rudolf's choreography, although its meaning is apparently forgotten by those who rehearse the ballet these days.  Do seek out a video of Rudolf's version and marvel at his close attention to the Shakespearean text.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

47 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

All the reviews I've read had nothing but praise for Praetorius & Frola in the Flower Festival In Genzano extract apart from the Gramilano one which has a sentence I don't really understand. "That said, I think some purists would have questions concerning certain interpretations of the choreography and musicality." I'd never heard of the piece before this gala, let alone seen it, so I have no idea how it's supposed to be interpreted. Can anyone who knows the piece elucidate?

 

 

It is one of August Bournonville's most famous pieces.  I love the Bournonville style but I am not technical except to say that it is very fleet of foot, there is not much in the way of heavy duty lifts and a lot of the leaps look a bit stationary with lots of ballon in play.  The arms and upper body are romantic in style.

 

I found this on YouTube from the Bournonville Festival held in Copenhagen in 2005.  At the time Gudrun Bojesen and Mads Blangstrup were upcoming stars of the company.

 

Jane S can explain much better than me.

 

As I wasn't at the performance I can't explain what the comment in the Gramilano review meant.

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

And just for the heck of it - Alexandra Lo Sardo & Ulrik Birkkjær in a tiny extract from La Sulphide.  Check out the solo 2:53!

 

 

 

 

[art_enthusiast]

3 hours ago, Sim said:

I have just read all the reviews in Today's Links.  I almost spat my coffee out when I came across this line from Jim Pritchard:

 

It is 84 years since his birth and 29 years since his sad, premature – and let’s be brutally honest – self-inflicted death.

 

This makes it sound as if Nureyev caught AIDS on purpose.  Yes, he lived a promiscuous life, but at a time when AIDS was new and not understood.  With Pritchard's logic, just about every type of death is 'self inflicted'.  If you fall over and bang your head it's self inflicted.  If you accidentally crash your car into a tree it's self inflicted.  Nureyev fought very hard to live, and to make the most of the time he had.  To call it a 'self inflicted' death is, for me, very disrespectful and insensitive, both to Nureyev and the millions of others who have died of AIDS through no fault of their own.

 

That's totally true. How very disrespectful of him to say that.

That said, I did read certain things in the 'Nureyrev: A Life' book by Julie Kavanagh that left me somewhat perturbed about his apparent behaviour after he was diagnosed, in terms of putting others in danger.

 

However, as I wasn't there in person I'm not in a position to criticize, and it doesn't colour my opinion of him as a performer. This gala is a celebration of his life, achievements and gifts to ballet, whether his death was self inflicted or not is largely irrelevant to his talent and career.

 

The gala was an absolutely incredible experience for me - and incidentally my first time seeing Alina Cojocaru live. An absolute joy to witness.

Edited September 8, 2022 by art_enthusiast

[JNC]

Not quite on topic but can you imagine the Royal Ballet not doing Nutcracker 22 years in today’s age! 

[maryrosesatonapin]

3 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

All the reviews I've read had nothing but praise for Praetorius & Frola in the Flower Festival In Genzano extract apart from the Gramilano one which has a sentence I don't really understand. "That said, I think some purists would have questions concerning certain interpretations of the choreography and musicality." I'd never heard of the piece before this gala, let alone seen it, so I have no idea how it's supposed to be interpreted. Can anyone who knows the piece elucidate?

I'm no expert, but have seen a number of Bournonville works danced by the Royal Danish Ballet over the years.  It is a very particular style that needs special coaching (the expert living in England is Alina Cojocaru's husband, Johan Kobborg and I do wonder if he did any coaching for this performance as it looked pretty good to me).  I just love the style.  It is in some ways understated, refined, with complex footwork and altogether I gather it is more difficult to dance that it looks.  When watching Ashton's choreography I am sometimes reminded of the spirit of Bournonville.  (I might be completely off the mark in that as I've never heard anyone else say so!)  But in answer to your question, Dawnstar, on Monday I thought that Ida Praetorius was exemplary - classic Bournonville - and Frola, although an absolute delight, was at times not quite how I have seen the Danes dance Bournonville pieces.  He was somehow more flashy.  But that's just my opinion.  Whatever the case - I do wish the RB would do some Bournonville ballets, and utilise Kobborg's expertise while he is still in London.

[maryrosesatonapin]

5 hours ago, Sim said:

I have just read all the reviews in Today's Links.  I almost spat my coffee out when I came across this line from Jim Pritchard:

 

It is 84 years since his birth and 29 years since his sad, premature – and let’s be brutally honest – self-inflicted death.

 

This makes it sound as if Nureyev caught AIDS on purpose.  Yes, he lived a promiscuous life, but at a time when AIDS was new and not understood.  With Pritchard's logic, just about every type of death is 'self inflicted'.  If you fall over and bang your head it's self inflicted.  If you accidentally crash your car into a tree it's self inflicted.  Nureyev fought very hard to live, and to make the most of the time he had.  To call it a 'self inflicted' death is, for me, very disrespectful and insensitive, both to Nureyev and the millions of others who have died of AIDS through no fault of their own.

 

 

 

Pritchard's comments are disgusting and he should be taken to task for it.  I completely agree with what you say here, Sim.  

[maryrosesatonapin]

4 hours ago, Sim said:

Yet another example of how the standard of dance criticism has plummeted in recent years.  If only we could have Mr Crisp back. 

There was one comment (by Charlotte Kasner) which I rather enjoyed:

... Ralph Fiennes opening the evening with a speech that could have come straight out of a Cold War film script. He also seemed to be at pains to stress that he isn’t interested in ballet.

Edited September 8, 2022 by maryrosesatonapin
typo

[Angela Essex]

5 hours ago, Sim said:

I have just read all the reviews in Today's Links.  I almost spat my coffee out when I came across this line from Jim Pritchard:

 

It is 84 years since his birth and 29 years since his sad, premature – and let’s be brutally honest – self-inflicted death.

 

This makes it sound as if Nureyev caught AIDS on purpose.  Yes, he lived a promiscuous life, but at a time when AIDS was new and not understood.  With Pritchard's logic, just about every type of death is 'self inflicted'.  If you fall over and bang your head it's self inflicted.  If you accidentally crash your car into a tree it's self inflicted.  Nureyev fought very hard to live, and to make the most of the time he had.  To call it a 'self inflicted' death is, for me, very disrespectful and insensitive, both to Nureyev and the millions of others who have died of AIDS through no fault of their own.

 

Furthermore, what is he talking about here:

 

Sadly the rest of the evening had the same faults of most of these types of ballet galas. Unidentified dancers performing unannounced excerpts.

 

Who danced that was unidentified?  Which excerpts were unannounced?

 

 

Gosh what a vile attitude on the part of that reviewer. Very sad. Agree with you 100% Rob. 

[Sophoife]

6 hours ago, Sim said:

I have just read all the reviews in Today's Links.  I almost spat my coffee out when I came across this line from Jim Pritchard:

 

It is 84 years since his birth and 29 years since his sad, premature – and let’s be brutally honest – self-inflicted death.

 

This makes it sound as if Nureyev caught AIDS on purpose.  Yes, he lived a promiscuous life, but at a time when AIDS was new and not understood.  With Pritchard's logic, just about every type of death is 'self inflicted'.  If you fall over and bang your head it's self inflicted.  If you accidentally crash your car into a tree it's self inflicted.  Nureyev fought very hard to live, and to make the most of the time he had.  To call it a 'self inflicted' death is, for me, very disrespectful and insensitive, both to Nureyev and the millions of others who have died of AIDS through no fault of their own.

 

Furthermore, what is he talking about here:

 

Sadly the rest of the evening had the same faults of most of these types of ballet galas. Unidentified dancers performing unannounced excerpts.

 

Who danced that was unidentified?  Which excerpts were unannounced?

 

 

I've just posted a comment on this review asking for the "absolutely unnecessary, irrelevant and mean-spirited comment about Nureyev's death" to be reconsidered and removed. I await the moderation process.

[capybara]

A bit late to the 'pass' but here goes...............

 

First and foremost, I loved this celebration - even when I had paid £117 to see only half of the dancers' bodies! [My Tuesday afternoon in the Royal Circle afforded a very good view for the reduced price of £43.] So kudos to Nehemiah Kish, his team, his sponsors, the massive support he garnered from The Royal Ballet, the Conductor and the orchestra.

 

I liked that fact that the fare was refreshingly different and that I saw two artists new to me (Ivenko and Trusch) but I felt that the standard of performance was rather uneven. [I should, perhaps, declare an interest here insofar and some of my very favourite RB stars were on stage!]

 

I understand the choice of solo and dancer for the opening piece and the music is glorious, but Guillaume Cote was, at times, barely distinguishable against the orchestra behind him and he failed to grab my attention. No such issues with Maia Makhateli and Oleg Ivenko in the Gayene pas de deux. They both drew me in the moment they came on stage. Delightful!

 

I don't agree with some the criticism of Iana Salenko as Nikiya - after all, she is an elusive spirit - but I was disappointed to find Xander Parish, well, disappointing. It can sometimes happen that, out of the context of their own company an individual dancer doesn't show to full advantage - and so that was for me with Xander. I'm not a Bournonville fan but I think that Gabriele Frola could convert me: he and Ida Praetorius provided one of the high spots of the evening. How lucky we are that Gabriele is currently dancing with ENB.

 

Whereas he and Ida (and Maia and Oleg before them) had (kind of) welcomed the audience to join them, Natalia Osipova came on with an offputting scowl - in sharp contrast to the warm smiles from Yuhui Choe and Marianna Tsembenhoi alongside her. Yes, Osipova gave Laurentia her all in terms of energy but there was something about her presentation which appeared ragged. [I am mentioning  Corrales at the end!!!]

 

The filmed talking heads which preceded the second half revealed that both Vadim Muntagirov and Marianna had been supported financially in their training by The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation. How lucky are we that that happened in both cases?

 

I was sceptical about the pairing of Vadim with Natascha Mair in The Sleeping Beauty pas de deux and, in the event, I didn't think they were at all well matched. Although the stage was way too small for him, his Prince was everything one would hope for. In contrast, Natascha danced the steps with a winning smile but without the timing and amplitude of a wedding pas de deux.

 

I agree with those on here who are looking forward to William Bracewell's RB debut as Albrecht. He certainly made the Act 2 Giselle pas de deux his own (not easy within a gala) but, in this context, he came across to me as more Hilarion than Albrecht. Francesca Hayward was more secure on the second showing but her obvious concentration perhaps took away some of the mystique of the Wili Giselle.

 

It's always a privilege to see Alina Cojocaru perform and she, more than anyone else in the gala, drew us into the story. It was greatly to her and Alexandr Trusch's advantage that the orchestra was hidden for much of the Don Juan pas de deux. I, for one, can't wait for her Giselle next week.

 

I actually liked Cesar Corrales more in Laurentia, when he replaced Marcelino Sambe, than in Le Corsaire where some of his virtuoso moves looked rather ugly. But, hey, he was terrific in both wasn't he?  Great technique and stage presence. And Yasmine - why so serious? This was a case of one of the RB's finest showing everyone that she is, indeed, a blazing star at the very top of her profession. Great to see!

 

All in all, a lovely way to kick off the 2002/23 season. Looking forward to another performance on Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by capybara

[Sim]

40 minutes ago, Angela Essex said:

Gosh what a vile attitude on the part of that reviewer. Very sad. Agree with you 100% Rob. 

Rob?!  😃

[Angela Essex]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

Rob?!  😃

Oops Sim - so sorry having a blonde moment 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[Sophoife]

2 hours ago, Sophoife said:

I've just posted a comment on this review asking for the "absolutely unnecessary, irrelevant and mean-spirited comment about Nureyev's death" to be reconsidered and removed. I await the moderation process.

 

The comment did not pass moderation but I have had an email from Mr Pritchard accepting my POV and offering to adjust his words. Thumbs up to him in this case.

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Sophoife said:

 

The comment did not pass moderation but I have had an email from Mr Pritchard accepting my POV and offering to adjust his words. Thumbs up to him in this case.

Thanks so much Sophoife. 

[Sophoife]

Big thumbs up to Mr Pritchard. The piece now reads thus: