Mayerling, Royal Ballet Autumn 2022

[Jamesrhblack]

21 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 I found Naghdi absolutely riveting. Very conscious of her power over Rudolf and taking a narcissistic pleasure in that as much as in him.

yes, it was an interesting and powerful take. For me, it didn’t entirely read (the stumble was incidental), but I think it’s a way forward that works with the choreograph and the Dramaturgie.

[cjp]

I haven't seen all other responses yet but I just wanted to say - wow, what an exceptional and riveting performance.  I loved it and was deeply moved by the end.

 

Vadim was an absolute revelation as Prince Rudolph and I thought Yasmine Nagdhi's Mary Vetsera complemented him beautifully, in fact I thought this character fitted her more naturally than that of Marie Larisch (not to fault her performance as Larisch).  

 

The rest of the cast too, all sensational, especially Fumi Kaneko, David Yudes, Isabella Gasparini and Hannah Grennell as Princess  Louise.  Beautiful dancing all round and although some nerves were apparent here and there, it caught fire and the tension and tragedy of the final scenes was palpable.

 

A wonderful evening and I wish I could make the next performance of this cast as there is clearly so much potential for things to get even better as they settle in.  Thank you to all involved.

[Anne-MM]

Just a quick comment as I'm about to travel but I thought Muntagirov's performance last night was superlative, a complete revelation, with other wonderful performances by so many dancers, especially Gasparini (such excellent acting) and Nagdhi.

[MildConcern]

A treasure trove to unravel and enjoy on an evening of many debuts!

 

Vadim’s Rudolf was enormously effective. Relished in not being the noble hero for once. It was the details that delighted - the   luxuriant grasp and regrasp of the fist to steady for injection, the active joy in surveying the harlots, the total engagement at the fringes of scenes when he is in actual fact ‘resting’. It is difficult to believe it was a debut.

 

In act 1, he comes across lost and occupied with deep sadness, which erupted into impulsive fury in the Stefanie pdd. This interpretation works well on his still boyish demeanour (as opposed to say the more immediately cold and brutish approach which works for Hirano). His Rudolf is not necessarily spiteful and is ultimately consumed by hurt, not malice. This progresses until he is hunched, sallow and spent by the end of Act 3 - a genuinely startling transformation. 

 

There was a slight lack of authority with the Hungarian separatists (you rather felt than he was bullied into engaging with their cause), but it wasn’t out of place on his younger Rudolf.

 

A couple of his solos stood out - after observing Sisi and Middleton and before the final pdd with Mary. The pdd with Sisi was an early highlight. I thought there were some nervous  partnering moments in the Stefanie pdd, but they were minor. (As an aside, he was one of the more physical Rudolfs - instead of unbuttoning and approaching the bed as the curtain fell, he had zealously ripped his shirt apart and was entirely on top of her.) 

 

Every moment between Rudolf and Larisch was sublime and so rich in unspoken communication between their characters - Muntagirov and Kaneko have eons of chemistry. It’s interesting to have a younger Larisch who is still equally arch. 

 

Kaneko was my other standout of the evening. Thoughtful, clear expression and for the first time, I felt there to be a bilateral dependency there. You felt her continued care for the Prince was from a source of deep love (not simply romantic), rather than political machinations. Yesterday brought a new suggestion that I have never before entertained with Mayerling - the feeling that, had Sisi not interrupted and demanded she leave, it would have been her in the lodge and not Mary. 

 

Nagdhi’s Mary was wonderfully committed in the pdds and aside from the mishap in the card scene, a generally assured debut. I was a bit less taken than others - her Mary didn’t have a driving sense of destiny, the idea that she was the one who rose to the challenge and became the final catalyst that actually pushed Rudolf to execute his plans. In the second scene in Act 3 (where Larisch sends in Mary to revive Rudolf from his stupor) and he shoves her face against the metal of the gun, you felt her terror and not that she was truly a participant in the pact. I was very close in the stalls but still unsure whether that impression was deliberate interpretation choice (maybe a young, unthinking, pawn Mary) or perhaps a result of not being able to beat Muntagirov’s chemistry with others. If it is an interpretation choice, then my view is simply my own taste for a more “unhinged” Mary (enter, Osipova). 

 

David Yudes was extraordinary as Bratfisch (rather reminiscent of Campbell). Gasparini was perhaps quite rushed in her bedroom solo before Rudolf appears. Claire made fine work of Mitzi. Itziar growing increasingly into the role of mother. A lot to develop and enjoy!

Edited October 23, 2022 by alison
To reduce font size

[bridiem]

5 minutes ago, MildConcern said:

Nagdhi’s Mary was wonderfully committed in the pdds and aside from the mishap in the card scene, a generally assured debut. I was a bit less taken than others - her Mary didn’t have a driving sense of destiny, the idea that she was the one who rose to the challenge and became the final catalyst that actually pushed Rudolf to execute his plans. In the second scene in Act 3 (where Larisch sends in Mary to revive Rudolf from his stupor) and he shoves her face against the metal of the gun, you felt her terror and not that she was truly a participant in the pact. I was very close in the stalls but still unsure whether that impression was deliberate interpretation choice (maybe a young, unthinking, pawn Mary) or perhaps a result of not being able to beat Muntagirov’s chemistry with others. If it is an interpretation choice, then my view is simply my own taste for a more “unhinged” Mary (enter, Osipova). 

 

I don't think that determination to go through with the act precludes the possibility of terror. (I think Rudolf looked terrified too, understandably.) I found Naghdi the most purposeful and manipulative Mary I've ever seen, and yes, therefore not 'unhinged' in the way of Osipova. (No-one does unhinged like Osipova...). For me that worked brilliantly and was a really interesting and refreshing interpretation. (And I thought her chemistry with Muntagirov was palpable.)

[Sim]

21 minutes ago, bridiem said:

. (And I thought her chemistry with Muntagirov was palpable.)

Agree. It was what I was hoping for when they danced Romeo and Juliet together but it never caught fire. This more than made up for it. I am not sure I have ever seen such a sensual, multilayered rendition of the Act 2 pdd, made even more effective and seductive by how slowly they took it.  My spine was shivered, anyway!  🥵

[JohnS]

Delighted to see all the rave reviews - a very special night. One or two further thoughts this morning.

It was Muntagirov’s combination of dance and drama that was so compelling. I don’t recall seeing Rudolf danced so beautifully yet showing such utter despair and disintegration. 
I’d said that there was much else to enjoy and the entire cast were fully engaged in the drama. I found Rudolf’s PDDs mesmerising. Gasparini’s rage before the shocking ending to Act 1; Kaneko wonderful in recognising she had lost Rudolf and that Mary would take her place; Naghdi scintillating in fully embracing Rudolf’s suicide pact. 
Looking forward to 11 November but I’ll be very pleased to see the Ball cast next.

 

 

[postie]

51 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Delighted to see all the rave reviews - a very special night. One or two further thoughts this morning.

It was Muntagirov’s combination of dance and drama that was so compelling. I don’t recall seeing Rudolf danced so beautifully yet showing such utter despair and disintegration.

 

Indeed. Also, it's not hard imagining cast members being instinctively lifted by that.

[Nina99]

2 hours ago, MildConcern said:

Every moment between Rudolf and Larisch was sublime and so rich in unspoken communication between their characters - Muntagirov and Kaneko have eons of chemistry. It’s interesting to have a younger Larisch who is still equally arch. 

 

I agree with this and I really hope that if Manon is revived in the 23/24 season, that they are partnered together.  That would be a performance I'd travel a long way to see - luckily I'd only have to come from South London!

 

There was just so much to take in and enjoy last night, especially having never seen Mayerling live before, I really can't wait to see it again on November 11th. I'm sure the cast will be even better, if that's possible!

 

 

[bridiem]

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

It was Muntagirov’s combination of dance and drama that was so compelling. I don’t recall seeing Rudolf danced so beautifully yet showing such utter despair and disintegration.

 

Yes - and I think 'beautifully' is the key word here. I don't think it's coincidental that Muntagirov is both the most beautifully danced and the most profoundly expressive Rudolf I've seen. And I thought this applied to at least some of the rest of this cast - Naghdi and Kaneko especially dance with such classical purity and use the technique itself to express such a range of complex emotions. So for me, last night was a thrilling affirmation of the sheer power of the beauty of classical ballet.

[MildConcern]

As a by the by, is anyone able to kindly identify which Liszt piece is used in the score during Bratfisch’s brothel solo? Always an ear worm!

[Scheherezade]

So happy to read all the wonderful reviews for this cast and Vadim’s debut in particular. Perhaps he will now feel ready to take on Onegin next time round. 
 

Meanwhile, I really can’t wait for their second performance on the 11th. I couldn’t make last night but am hoping that, with the absence of debut nerves, it will even surpass what was, by all accounts, an extraordinary evening all round. 

[LinMM]

No I couldn’t make it either 😢😢😢but when I got the ticket even though it was a debut “a little bird told me” (as my mum used to say) Muntagirov would be great in this role!  Am very glad a friend could go in my place. 
It looks like I will now have to miss Muntagirov altogether but looking forward to seeing Ball and cast in November. 
Am so glad Muntagirov and this whole cast are getting such rave reviews though. 
Bridie I love your comment just above! 
When the sheer strength and beauty of the classical dance is magically married to wonderful acting nothing can beat it for power of communication direct to the heart. 

[Scheherezade]

Sorry you can’t make the 11th LinMM and agree with your evocative reflection upon the art of communication direct to the heart. 

[capybara]

I’ve tried to write something but (my) words seem inadequate after a performance of such emotional depth and beauty of dance.

Such a privilege to be in the audience for those amazing debuts (thank you all) and, as for last night’s Rudolf, V🤩A🤩D🤩I 🤩M

[Balletfanp]

Well. I’m not sure I even know where to start with a full review. And that’s when I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night’s performance since.

 

To start with individual performances - with so many debuts there were a lot of question marks, but in the event all the debuts delivered in spades. Fumi Kaneko as Larisch was brilliant. Manipulative and scheming, but at the bottom of it all deeply in love with Rudolf - probably the only woman who really loved him - and introducing her young protégée Mary probably in the hope that they would both be grateful enough to her to allow her to retain some influence with him and a small piece of his affections. Her grief when she found him in a state of collapse was palpable.

 

Itziar Mendizabal made a wonderful Empress - cold, repressed and unable to feel any love or affection towards her son. The combination of her and Vadim made for a heartbreaking encounter in Act 1 and made one understand Rudolf’s desperation for some maternal show of affection. Her fastidious recoiling from Rudolf’s neediness was beautifully portrayed.

 

Isabella Gasperini’s Stephanie was a bit of a fighter! She did not just succumb to Rudolf’s brutality, she fought back - to no avail, of course. It was very well portrayed.

 

I loved David Yudes as Bratfisch. I knew he was a brilliant dancer but, having never seen him in any acting roles, didn’t know how that side of the character would pan out. In the event, he was excellent.

 

i think Yasmine Naghdi’s Mary was a work in progress. She really caught fire as the performance went on but possibly the slip in Act 2 shook her a little - sad, as the stage looked slippery so it wasn’t her fault; she slipped, almost recovered, then slipped again.  However, she got past that and delivered a fantastic performance, different from others I have seen but great nevertheless. I’m going again on the 11th and I’m looking forward to seeing her again as I think her second outing will be worth waiting for.

 

However - the evening belonged to Vadim. I was a wreck by the end. His was such an incredibly impassioned performance - as he says in his Instagram post, “I gave it all” and he most certainly did. Being almost continuously on the stage, the characterisation never slipped for a moment, and always convinced. We saw Rudolf develop from the frustrated, imprisoned by royalty Prince, through grief and anger, cruelty and lust, and the devastating portrayal of Rudolf’s complete and utter mental and physical breakdown in Act 3. Just incredible. Even the drug taking looked completely realistic, especially the tapping of the forearm and the clenching of the fingers to get a vein…. The final pas de deux was desperate, visceral - he was going through hell and it showed.

 

His interaction with Larisch was wonderful - as others have said, bags of chemistry with Kaneko and I second the suggestion that they should be paired for Manon - they would be fantastic together!

 

The encounter with his mother was heartbreaking. His desperation to wring from her some sign of affection, her disgusted rejection, and his complete dejection when he got nothing from her, meant that the anger he displayed towards Stephanie, going straight to her after that, made complete sense. He was taking out his anger against his mother on the nearest person, his unfortunate wife he hadn’t wanted to marry in the first place. As to that - this episode was possibly the most brutal version of this pas de Deux I’ve seen. His depraved enjoyment of her terror, and the way he flung her about was the most extreme I have witnessed. And at the end, the ripping open of his shirt and his menacing approach on the bed were no holds barred. Who would have thought it of the lovely Vadim??

 

Likewise, the pas de Deux with Mary at the end of Act 2 was incredibly sensual and erotic. There was no real love there on his part, just lust. His expression at the end as she forces his head back to kiss him….😲

 

There were so many little details of his performance that I could write about at length, but suffice to say that it all added up to an extraordinary tour de force of dancing and acting and a complete and sympathetic portrayal of a man crying out for love and help. Bravo, Vadream.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by Balletfanp

[Sim]

Gosh, I don’t even know how/where to start about last night.  I jotted down some incoherent thoughts so have tried to tie them together.  If I haven’t succeeded it’s because my brain and heart are both still full and buzzing.

 

Vadim’s Rudolf starts as a tall, noble prince.  Haughty, angry, frustrated…but princely.  The decline from this tall, erect young man into a crushed and crumpled defeated heap by the end of Act 3 was just breathtaking. He used so many different touches to enrich the character that I can’t possibly list them all here.  I just got the feeling that in various places through the ballet he wanted to scream “would everybody just leave me alone!” That would include all the women in his life, the Hungarians, the courtiers, his father…everyone. It’s like a latter-day Truman Show; he realises that everything and everyone he has ever known is a sham, and he wants to break away…only in his case he can’t just leave the set.  Someone mentioned that he wasn’t authoritative enough with the Hungarians, but perhaps if people are hassling you when you’re vulnerable you aren’t able to be authoritative.  You just want them to go away and leave you alone.  We know already that he is losing the will to live…so I found this approach believable.

 

When he steps out from behind the screen after he has shot Mary I just wanted to run up and put my arms around him. My heart was pounding for him, and my throat expanded into a rather large constricting lump as I tried to hold back the tears.  It didn’t work.  It’s as if Vadim’s lifetime of training and dancing were all leading to last night, and my goodness it was worth the wait.  I really hope that he and the powers that be give him a crack at Onegin next time around.  He is more than ready and I am sure would deliver an utterly compelling performance.  

 

Yasmine Naghdi’s Mary Vetsera was simply a joy to behold. A multilayered and intelligently considered portrayal, that combined everything:  minx, teenage fan girl, teenager who thinks she’s a woman, teenager who finds out that she is in some ways definitely a woman…and then teenager who is scared. Even if she is a willing participant, I am sure that the realisation of the finality of what they are about to do would terrify her, even if only for a fleeting moment. 

When she makes her entrance in Act 2, we immediately see that beneath that frivolous exterior she knows just what she is doing.  Languidly luxuriating in her sensuality and indeed sexuality, almost as if Rudolf were an afterthought, she is enjoying herself.  And I mean, enjoying herself as she discovers quickly the power she has over this damaged prince.  It’s almost as if Rudolf were an afterthought, and then she realises that she needs to make a bit more of an effort to ensnare him, so snaps out of her own reverie and starts to play with the gun, and with him.   In Act 3, the desperation of the final pdd was quite something to behold.  The terror of what is about to happen…but here, that terror was deepened by an almost morbid fascination of what is to come.  The abandon with which they danced, and with which he lifted and twisted Mary…I really felt that it was leading to an orgasmic crescendo, be it sexual or otherwise.  And so it proved.  I had goosebumps.

 

Fumi Kaneko is a beautiful Larisch, but the beauty is spiked through with moments of near evil.  It’s almost as if this Larisch knows exactly what the outcome will be but goes for it anyway.  She knows she will ruin the young girl, she knows what will happen…but maybe she thinks that the kindest thing for Rudolf would be for him to be out of his misery, and achieving this would be much less lonely and difficult if he had a willing accomplice.  That wasn’t going to be Larisch; nor would he let her help him, so Mary was the sacrificial lamb.  She also deeply loves Rudolf and believes she is doing the best thing for him. 

 

Isabella Gasparini also made a remarkable debut as Princess Stephanie.  Her characterisation worked so well.  Someone mentioned that they thought her solo in the bedroom scene was too fast;  I thought it worked really, really well at that pace because it showed her mounting fear of what was to come, not knowing anything much about what to expect from a normal wedding night.  I am sure most young brides would have been nervous in those days. To then have your new husband turn up with a skull and a gun…well, the fear turned into abject terror and this was conveyed so very convincingly.  And this was such a fiercely danced pdd from both;  I could really feel the anger from him and the terror from her.  Astonishing for debuts.

 

David Yudes is a very moving Bratfisch, and how lovely to have Will Bracewell as the lead Hungarian. And great to see Claire Calvert revise the role of Mitzi Caspar.  I really liked Itziar Mendizabal’s Empress Elizabeth:  again, the contrast between her ‘ice queen’ approach to Rudolf and her husband, and her levity with the ladies in waiting/her passion and happiness with Bay, really works. In her pdd with Rudolf she can’t even bring herself to cry; she just puts her hands in front of her face then immediately removes them, as if ‘no, you are not allowed to do this’.  A word also for Elizabeth McGorian as Mary’s mother.  Although one feels that she is a social climber pushing her daughter into the highest echelons of society, there are shadows of doubt that darken her face, as if she too has a foreboding that this is not going to end well. I also really liked Hannah Grennell's Princess Louise.  I have long found Ms Grennell fascinating to watch and I do hope that she will be given more to do in future. 

 

Some people think that it’s always better in lead roles in big ballets for there not to be two debutants.  Last night was an overwhelming argument against this;  the main protagonists have all started on this journey of discovery together;  may it be a long and fruitful road for them and therefore for those of us who want to travel with them.   My suitcase is already packed.   

[Raven]

Seeing all these reviews make me curious of the performance, sadly I live very far away from London (not even in UK)

[Sim]

1 minute ago, Raven said:

Seeing all these reviews make me curious of the performance, sadly I live very far away from London (not even in UK)

Raven how I wish it would be filmed.  EVERYBODY should be able to see it!

[Legseleven]

I wish I was able to see this cast. Tours de force all round it seems, and not remotely surprising.

By the way, my earlier comment about Osipova seeming too knowing in the cinema screening wasn’t in relation to the character’s lack of sexual innocence, it was that her 17 year old Mary appeared entirely un-shocked - or even un-surprised - by the skull and the gun and Rudolf’s dark obsessions. 

[Raven]

4 minutes ago, Sim said:

Raven how I wish it would be filmed.  EVERYBODY should be able to see it!

Hoping it would be next year, if they have mayerling that is. I think they would film this one day as the reviews are spectacular

Edited October 22, 2022 by Raven

[Sim]

5 minutes ago, Raven said:

Hoping it would be next year, if they have mayerling that is. I think they would film this one day as the reviews are spectacular

Unfortunately it will probably be two or three years before it comes back.  Normally the Royal Ballet rotates MacMillan's 'big three' ballets (Manon, Mayerling and Romeo & Juliet) so that we get one of them each season.

[capybara]

10 minutes ago, Raven said:

Hoping it would be next year, if they have mayerling that is. I think they would film this one day as the reviews are spectacular

I haven’t seen any ‘official’ reviews and Mayerling is unlikely to return until the 2025/26 season at the earliest.

Apart from last night, where all but a small handful of seats remained unsold, it hasn’t exactly sold well. The sales picture was similarly dismal when Mayerling returned to the rep. 4 years ago, close on the heels of a spring 2017 run.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by capybara

[Jamesrhblack]

8 minutes ago, Raven said:

Hoping it would be next year, if they have mayerling that is. I think they would film this one day as the reviews are spectacular

That was many people’s hope after the astonishing debuts by Bonelli and Morera in 2017 but, sadly, that didn’t come to pass leaving that afternoon to live seared instead into the memories of those who were there. 

[Raven]

10 minutes ago, Jamesrhblack said:

That was many people’s hope after the astonishing debuts by Bonelli and Morera in 2017 but, sadly, that didn’t come to pass leaving that afternoon to live seared instead into the memories of those who were there. 

I can imagine how great morera was as mary. So unfortunate it wasn't filmed

[jmhopton]

17 minutes ago, Jamesrhblack said:

That was many people’s hope after the astonishing debuts by Bonelli and Morera in 2017 but, sadly, that didn’t come to pass leaving that afternoon to live seared instead into the memories of those who were there. 

I was there and it was searing. I thought at the time what a pity they didn't film this cast instead of the Macrae cast. Nothing against Steven, but Bonelli and Morera were so terrific and both nearer the end of their ballet career that it may have been the last chance to film them and so it has proved. If it isn't staged for another 3 years after this run Kevin will have a dilemma as to which cast to film. Up until last night I thought it would be a shoo in for Ball/Morera but now I'm not so sure having seen Vadim.  What a performance! What a debut! I'll say more when I've recovered.

[Sophoife]

1 hour ago, Jamesrhblack said:

That was many people’s hope after the astonishing debuts by Bonelli and Morera in 2017 but, sadly, that didn’t come to pass leaving that afternoon to live seared instead into the memories of those who were there. 

 

They were rôle débuts at that matinée?? O. M. G.

 

I rushed round to the box office at interval in (fulfilled) hope of getting a ticket for that evening, I was so enthralled. Then I was blown away by the difference between Bonelli's characterisation and that of Soares, and @Bluebird had kindly helped me out with a spare ticket to see Watson/Osipova, and @Pulcinella sent me a photo she took of curtain call...

 

I'd never seen Mayerling live before as we left the UK the year I saw Nureyev and Merle Park dance Manon in July, and on my only return in between it was Don Quixote on offer (Guillem one night, Mukhamedov the other). 

Edited October 22, 2022 by Sophoife
Removed a couple of words

[Lizbie1]

I'm sure this is well-trodden ground, but having seen Hamlet today* with Mayerling fresh in the memory, I'm very struck by the amount they have in common.

 

*Bristol Old Vic, I thought it was terrific.

[Jan McNulty]

6 hours ago, MildConcern said:

As a by the by, is anyone able to kindly identify which Liszt piece is used in the score during Bratfisch’s brothel solo? Always an ear worm!

 

Hello MildConcern and welcome to the Forum!

[Stephenwolf]

Is Fumi Kaneko alone in being able, in addition to her beautifully expressive dancing, to telegraph her facial expressions so vividly and profoundly that even high in the amphitheatre, she makes the spine tingle with just a flash of her eyes? 

[LinMM]

She definitely caught my eye from the Amphi …a few years back now…in a corps piece I’m sure it was a Balanchine piece before she was off with an injury for quite a while. 
I just thought who is that dancer with such sparkling grace and ease of style …where has she suddenly come from!! 
I’ve followed her progress ever since but for a while thought she had left the Company as hadn’t seen her for so long due to her injury. 
She has just gone from strength to strength ever since and as I often sit in the Balcony ( or stand) these days definitely get the flash of her eyes from there …whether joyous or with evil intent lol!!! 

[Sim]

She is amazing and seems to be able to do anything….beautifully and convincingly.

[JennyTaylor]

Vadim's success (he was amazing and performed way beyond my expectations) is an illustration of why it's so good to have new and different dancers take on the role of Rudolf.  How I would have loved to be anticipating the debuts of Will Bracewell and Reece Clarke (for example) in this most stretching challenge for male dancers.  It was also really refreshing to have so many other dancers making their debuts - so much to see, so much to relish.  

 

I'm still wondering why I didn't get the goose bump moments which I experienced when watching Matthew Ball and Laura Morera in the rehearsal. I wasn't expecting this reaction in a rehearsal but I was blown away by their chemistry.  Personally, I didn't feel that with Vadim and Yasmine this time round and can pinpoint this to the way Yasmine interpreted their first pdd.  I'm still surprised though, given the power of the entire performance. However, I have a ticket for the 11th, so can enjoy it all over again!