Mayerling, Royal Ballet Autumn 2022

[Jan McNulty]

40 minutes ago, JohnS said:

 

 

Martin Georgiev conducted and he’s conducting the last 4 Mayerlings. I thought him a little freer in some tempos which is no bad thing but I think Koen Kessels is readier to support the dancers.

 

Gosh - he's a busy young man, he was conducting in Birmingham on Tuesday night!

[art_enthusiast]

20 hours ago, Fonty said:

With regard to Mayerling's suitability for children, I think it depends on the child, doesn't it?  Most children I have known love a bit of violence, and if they love ballet they will enjoy the dance and probably ignore or fail to understand some of the very adult themes.

 

That's a good point, as long as they are aware of what they're getting into. Not a very comparable example, but I remember seeing Agatha Christie's And then there were none as a young child and being completely terrified, but also very inspired by the incredible acting and storyline. 

I saw Mayerling live for the first time this year with the Hirano/Osipova cast, and what astonished me the most was the Stephanie/Rudolf Act 1 PDD, which I think was brilliantly executed by Hirano and Hayward - there's also a clip of their version on the ROH YouTube channel.

I was quite horrified because of how brutal it was - and probably as I haven't yet seen The Judas Tree or Manon fully, I'm not too familiar with sexual assault scenes portrayed in ballet. I think it may potentially be triggering for someone who has gone through a similar experience, because of how visceral it is. But that also adds to its brilliance as a dramatic ballet, of course. I was in a state of shock/awe during the first interval - shock at the brutality, and awe at the incredible talent of Kenneth MacMillan, being able to evoke such horrifying realism through his choreography. 

[Fonty]

I think The Invitation has the most explicit rape scene I have ever seen in a ballet.  

[San Perregrino]

And the junior Hungarian officers on parade this evening:

 

Four Hungarian Officers

 

Luca Acri, Benjamin Ella, Joseph Sissens, David Yudes

[Sim]

1 minute ago, Fonty said:

I think The Invitation has the most explicit rape scene I have ever seen in a ballet.  

Agree. I hadn’t seen it before its last outing and I was quite shocked by it.  

[Fonty]

7 minutes ago, Sim said:

Agree. I hadn’t seen it before its last outing and I was quite shocked by it.  

So was I, Sim.  If I, as an adult, found it shocking, I definitely would not be happy about taking a child to see it.  

[Sim]

11 minutes ago, Fonty said:

So was I, Sim.  If I, as an adult, found it shocking, I definitely would not be happy about taking a child to see it.  

I agree Fonty.  

[Rob S]

 

[JohnS]

A plug for tomorrow’s Links which I’m sure will have at least one review of last night’s Mayerling which will be well worth reading! There are still a few tickets available for 30 November but I think they’ll be snapped up very quickly.

[Sim]

19 minutes ago, JohnS said:

A plug for tomorrow’s Links which I’m sure will have at least one review of last night’s Mayerling which will be well worth reading! There are still a few tickets available for 30 November but I think they’ll be snapped up very quickly.

Can’t wait!  

[Dawnstar]

6 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

As you'll see from my posting immediately above your own, the other cast changes are due to Ball replacing McRae and dancer illness.  There is no mention of injury for the additional changes.

 

That's why I'm hoping he isn't injured!

 

4 hours ago, PeterS said:

And the junior Hungarian officers on parade this evening:

 

Four Hungarian Officers

 

Luca Acri, Benjamin Ella, Joseph Sissens, David Yudes

 

Are the Hungarian Officers organised by seniority? I had assumed it was more due to height, both relative to each other & relative to the Rudolf. For instance, having both Clarke & Yudes in the same group would probably not look ideal for the moments when all 4 do the same choreography together.

[Scheherezade]

22 hours ago, JohnS said:

Another astonishing evening, fabulous debuts, and a strong cast. I thought Marcelino Sambé and Francesca Hayward made for a great Rudolf/Mary pairing. They danced brilliantly together and to my eyes the complex moves simply flowed as if they were entirely natural, quite extraordinary. They both came across as equal parties to the joint suicide, equally committed, and that balance worked incredibly well throughout their scenes. 
I thought Sambé acquitted himself pretty well in his PDDs with Louise, Stephanie, and Larisch and his scene with Empress Elizabeth was gripping. But I thought his dancing with Mary was on a different plane.
I found Hayward’s Mary entirely credible and compellingly sensual. The card scene was fabulous with Hayward intoxicated with joy which then exploded in her scenes with Rudolf. This was a debut that we’ve been waiting for since her Manon back in 2014 and it certainly lived up to my very high expectations.

I very much enjoyed Sarah Lamb’s Larisch, Itziar Mendizabel’s Empress Elizabeth, and Mayara Magri’s Mitzi. Taisuke Nakao was a very sympathetic Bratfisch. 
I think the second performance on 30 November will be even stronger and I’m sure will be a fitting end to this extraordinary run of Mayerlings.

I am so looking forward to the 30th; just hoping that the dancers’ illness that has fractured the McRae cast doesn’t decide to strike again between now and then as there is much to look forward to. Hayward excels in MacMillan and I have always liked Lamb’s Larisch - it is a role that sits very well on her; Magri is an innately musical dancer who always draws the eye and I loved Gasparini’s Stephanie in the Muntagirov/Naghdi cast, so I was very pleased to read that Sambe acquitted himself so well as Rudolf. Roll on Wednesday! 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

[San Perregrino]

Though the bottle given was probably done as an innocent gesture of admiration, I am really glad that Matthew was on the ball (excuse the pun) enough to mask the labels on the bottle. Otherwise, as an ex-PR executive, I can imagine companies using future curtain calls for horrific product placement opportunities. 
Flowers only for men and women would be my rule for onstage with all other gifts to the dressing room or stage door. Keep it simple.

 

For what I term a ‘scratch pairing’ this was a memorable evening for all the right reasons. Once again an outstanding performance from Matthew Ball who, whilst staying faithful to the core character of the man, subtly adapted and finessed his portrayal of Rudolph to partner the petite Akane Takada with generosity, consideration and sensitivity.  His brutality was tempered with moments of true tenderness and love in their pas de deuxs that I haven’t seen from anyone else in this run. Akane was mesmerising, her Mary combining both determination and fragility as her character moved from seizing life to embracing death. Wonderful to have her back in a leading role. Mayara Magri shone as a sirenic Larisch constantly pulling Rudolph back to her orbit. 

Edited November 26, 2022 by PeterS

[San Perregrino]

10 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

Are the Hungarian Officers organised by seniority? I had assumed it was more due to height, both relative to each other & relative to the Rudolf. For instance, having both Clarke & Yudes in the same group would probably not look ideal for the moments when all 4 do the same choreography together.

by ‘junior’ I was indeed suggesting smaller by height and chosen to frame McRae's Rudolph. Matthew Ball towered over them, and the moment when Rudolph has to swing through their interwoven arms risked becoming a limbo dance. Gina S-J as Empress also dominated in her moment with the four of them. All danced with élan.

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, PeterS said:

Though the bottle given was probably done as an innocent gesture of admiration, I am really glad that Matthew was on the ball (excuse the pun) enough to mask the labels on the bottle. Otherwise, as an ex-PR executive, I can imagine companies using future curtain calls for horrific product placement opportunities. 
Flowers only for men and women would be my rule for onstage with all other gifts to the dressing room or stage door. Keep it simple.

 

 

I was quite shocked to see the bottle being held by Matthew Ball.  With other companies, my understanding is that bottles are not presented on stage in case there is some sort of accident and the stage is covered in broken glass.

[bridiem]

11 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

I was quite shocked to see the bottle being held by Matthew Ball.  With other companies, my understanding is that bottles are not presented on stage in case there is some sort of accident and the stage is covered in broken glass.

 

Yes - all too easy to drop a bottle (with maybe sweaty hands!), or have it knocked over. Doesn't seem like a good idea at all.

[Sophoife]

44 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I was quite shocked to see the bottle being held by Matthew Ball.  With other companies, my understanding is that bottles are not presented on stage in case there is some sort of accident and the stage is covered in broken glass.

 

31 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Yes - all too easy to drop a bottle (with maybe sweaty hands!), or have it knocked over. Doesn't seem like a good idea at all.

 

All they need to do is look at this year's Giro d'Italia. Presented with Prosecco on the podium after winning the opening stage, Mathieu van der Poel hit himself in the face with the cork. Biniam Girmay of Eritrea became the first black African cyclist to win a Grand Tour stage (the tenth), duly shot the cork into his eye socket, and had to abandon the race. I mean, obviously Matthew Ball wasn't going to open the bottle on stage, but these incidents prove Sparkling Wine Is Dangerous! 🍾🫣

[Henry]

My guess would be that the bottle presented to Matthew Ball, was a thoughtful gift from Steven McRae.

[Lizbie1]

It's quite difficult to break a wine bottle I think?

[Jan McNulty]

38 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

It's quite difficult to break a wine bottle I think?

 

As I know to my cost, it can be quite easy!!

[elisabeth]

I would like to highlight Anna Rose O'Sullivan's stunning performance of Princess Stephanie at last night's memorable performance.  She wrung every last ounce out of the choreography and showed all the fear and excitement of her character.  I was sitting near a young couple at their first ballet who were trying to work out the character relationships - I was able to help - they were stunned by the athleticism of the dancers and totally engaged by the whole performance (as was I).

[alison]

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I was quite shocked to see the bottle being held by Matthew Ball.  With other companies, my understanding is that bottles are not presented on stage in case there is some sort of accident and the stage is covered in broken glass.

I remember seeing male dancers at ENB presented with bottles of some sort of alcoholic drink.  Perhaps they were in presentation boxes, though - it's a while ago, and I can't really remember, beyond being pleased to see that they were acknowledged too.

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, elisabeth said:

I would like to highlight Anna Rose O'Sullivan's stunning performance of Princess Stephanie at last night's memorable performance.  She wrung every last ounce out of the choreography and showed all the fear and excitement of her character.  I was sitting near a young couple at their first ballet who were trying to work out the character relationships - I was able to help - they were stunned by the athleticism of the dancers and totally engaged by the whole performance (as was I).

I second this. The fearlessness and seeming abandon with which Anna-Rose sprinted across the stage and threw herself at Rudolph literally made me gasp. What a bond of trust these artists must have with one another. 

[Dawnstar]

Reading the Gramilano Mayerling review in today's links makes me realise how much I miss when watching ballet. Suggestions from the reviewer such as "her port de bras needed a little more sensuality from the elbow through to the wrist" and "he needs to develop the pliability in his spine" are things that I would never, ever be able to notice let alone judge.

 

On the subject of bottles on stage, I witnessed a very worrying incident at the short-lived West End musical Lend Me A Tenor in 2011. There was a scene during the first act where two of the lead cahracters were having a drink together in a hotel room & one tossed the other a champagne bottle. Unfortunately at one performance the throw went a bit wrong & the receiving actor dropped the bottle. It then immediately became apparent that a real bottle had been used as it smashed to pieces on stage - I was sitting in the front row & felt a gust of air from the impact - and the actor lost his balence & slipped onto the mess of liquid & glass. Amazingly he kept going, but for the rest of a quite long scene he was visibly bleeding from his hands & a blood stain on his shirt sleeve gradually increased in size. He got cleaned up when he next went offstage & finished the performance. I subsequently heard that he went to hospital afterwards & had stiches in his arm, then finished the short run of the show without missing a performance. What the props department were thinking to use a real bottle goodness only knows.

[Richard LH]

Looking back on the Forum I see that 4 years ago Mayerling struck me thus:

 

I am very glad to have seen two live performances but I don't think Mayerling is ever going to be a favourite for me. I can't really get  emotionally attached to this true, depressing story, and Rudolph in particular, and find it a pretty jarring sudden transformation for him to go (via a bit of botheration  with his mother and some Hungarian separatists) from princely rake to someone prepared to seriously abuse and scare his  new wife. Similarly I can't really understand  Mary's own  transformation into a young woman apparently prepared to sacrifice herself at the whim of an unbalanced misogynist, albeit the leads playing Mary give it everything they have got. Also I find the music, for the most part, more by way of a disjointed soundtrack than a wonderfully themed score that enhances the dancing. 

 

This still pretty much sums up the  ballet for me ...  I am not particularly gripped by the story, or by the dancing, for the majority of the (overly long) production. Indeed the whole drama of the performance seems to me to grind to a halt during the tedious" Ich Scheide"  song.

 

The stand-out exceptions are the explosive, erotically mad  PDDs at the end of Acts 2 and Act 3 - which were exceptionally well performed  by Takada and Ball notwithstanding the very short notice of their pairing - and Mary Vetsera's  little solo in her house in Act 2, in which the delightful Takada was absolutely in her element as the essence of balletic grace and balance. Her performances are always worth revisiting, hence I won't be cancelling my ticket for Tuesday!

 

Something to query, not noticed before .... what's with the wanton destruction of two alpacas at the beginning of the shooting party scene? 🤣

 

 

 

[annamk]

44 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Reading the Gramilano Mayerling review in today's links makes me realise how much I miss when watching ballet. Suggestions from the reviewer such as "her port de bras needed a little more sensuality from the elbow through to the wrist" and "he needs to develop the pliability in his spine" are things that I would never, ever be able to notice let alone judge.

 

I have no idea what more or less sensuality in the port de bras from the elbow to the wrist would even look like and I'm not sure that I'd be able to identify it even having had it pointed out by the reviewer. But personally I don't think we miss anything not knowing this. Sometimes one can know too much and consequently find that nothing ever meets one's high standards. 

 

Anyway, I really enjoy reading Matthew Paluch's reviews; he's an excellent writer and hugely knowledgeable about ballet (unsurprising since he went to the Royal Ballet School). 

[bridiem]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

Reading the Gramilano Mayerling review in today's links makes me realise how much I miss when watching ballet. Suggestions from the reviewer such as "her port de bras needed a little more sensuality from the elbow through to the wrist" and "he needs to develop the pliability in his spine" are things that I would never, ever be able to notice let alone judge.

 

I sometimes think that when a writer is ballet-trained they feel the need to find very exacting criticisms of a dancer simply in order to display their technical knowledge. I'm not saying that's necessarily the case with Matthew Paluch, and I generally enjoy reading his reviews, but I did find these comments a bit implausible. (Elbow to wrist = forearm, and I'm not sure how the forearm alone can be more or less sensuous. And I think most RB dancers have pretty pliable spines or they wouldn't be where they are.)

[LinMM]

I enjoy his reviews too even though he can go into such detail sometimes but knowing he is an ex dancer and has had first class training probably explains why he gets so involved in the execution of and precise feeling of a particular port de bras!! 
I had a teacher once who could get obsessed with certain small details in class. This was useful tuition but sometimes could get a little overdriven and on these occasions one sometimes gets worse not better. It’s a fine line! 

One can however enjoy performances on so many different levels depending on the mood one is in. 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by LinMM

[Fonty]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

 

I sometimes think that when a writer is ballet-trained they feel the need to find very exacting criticisms of a dancer simply in order to display their technical knowledge. I'm not saying that's necessarily the case with Matthew Paluch, and I generally enjoy reading his reviews, but I did find these comments a bit implausible. (Elbow to wrist = forearm, and I'm not sure how the forearm alone can be more or less sensuous. And I think most RB dancers have pretty pliable spines or they wouldn't be where they are.)

 

I have tried waving my arms around in various positions, and come to the conclusion he simply meant her arms were a bit stiff?  

[bridiem]

25 minutes ago, Fonty said:

I have tried waving my arms around in various positions, and come to the conclusion he simply meant her arms were a bit stiff?  

 

 Maybe, but that's not what he said! (Hope you haven't been testing out your spine too!!).

[Fonty]

43 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

 Maybe, but that's not what he said! (Hope you haven't been testing out your spine too!!).

 

I know my limits.  😄  

Edited to add, maybe we should all write and ask him exactly what he means by a sensuous forearm.  

Edited November 26, 2022 by Fonty

[alison]

3 hours ago, annamk said:

I have no idea what more or less sensuality in the port de bras from the elbow to the wrist would even look like and I'm not sure that I'd be able to identify it even having had it pointed out by the reviewer.

 

Well, not having read it yet, I don't know who he was talking about, but there has been one dancer for which I have felt that was very much the case ...