Mayerling, Royal Ballet Autumn 2022

[alison]

I'd certainly say that Osipova features in a large proportion of the DVDs produced.

[Sim]

8 hours ago, Sophoife said:

 

I remember at the previous Mayerling cinema relay (McRae), a fellow audience member somewhat wistfully commented on what marvellous singers the Royal Ballet obviously have on tap from the Royal Opera, to which my response was "She's Australian!" 😂

Although being Australian doesn't preclude someone from being a member of the Royal Opera....!

[Sophoife]

28 minutes ago, Sim said:

Although being Australian doesn't preclude someone from being a member of the Royal Opera....!

Oh true, but the person had made other comments, such as "of course [McRae] trained at the Royal Ballet School, not just in Australia" and "of course the Australian Ballet isn't up to doing such a major ballet as Mayerling". When asked if they'd seen AusBallet dance recently they shuddered and said "oh no! I only watch the best!" so it gave me great satisfaction to point out that Miss Carby is Australian and that Lady Macmillan, Australian herself, knows that AusBallet is locked in to performing at the Sydney Opera House and that the reason AusBallet doesn't have Mayerling is that, while the Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide venues are fine, the Opera House's theatre used for ballet is relatively small, with vestigial wings, and the production simply wouldn't fit, or be seen to advantage.

 

I had thought that this type of anti-local cringe had died out, but obviously not! Person turned out to be born and bred Australian but had never been to the theatre, ballet or opera in this country as it apparently couldn't possibly be any good. In case you haven't guessed, I was quite annoyed by their attitude.

[Sim]

I would have said two words to that person (the ones I can post!):  Joan Sutherland.  

[Bluebird]

On 06/10/2022 at 01:31, bridiem said:

I can't imagine what logistics led to the decision to broadcast the first performance live - that was surely asking for trouble, and it came in the form of the misfiring gun and costume caught on chair. I haven't seen either of those things happen before so they must have been first night teething problems, but it's a shame they went out live

 

Re the costume caught on the chair, it has happened before - and to the same dancer!  When Mayerling was revived in October 2002, (the 10^th anniversary of the death of Kenneth MacMillan), the rehearsal and first night took place on the same day.  Marianela Nuñez was Mitzi for both.  I distinctly remember her skirt getting caught on the chair that day but  it might well have been at the rehearsal rather than the evening performance.

Edited October 7, 2022 by Bluebird

[Sophoife]

16 minutes ago, Sim said:

I would have said two words to that person (the ones I can post!):  Joan Sutherland.  

At a later screening I did ask them, after another cultural cringe comment, how much ballet they'd seen live. The answer really shocked me: none. Never been out of Australia but never seen live theatre opera or ballet because Australia not good enough.

[FionaM]

2 hours ago, Fonty said:

With regard to the cast being filmed on this occasion, do you think it is because Osipova is well known internationally.  I've noticed before that often the ones preserved for posterity are those that are more likely to be known outside the UK.  Just a thought, but it is a great pity that dancers who are sublime in a role might get overlooked for this reason?

and of course Ryo Hirano is a big name in ballet in Japan.

Edited October 7, 2022 by FionaE

[alison]

Yes, I thought of that afterwards as well.

[capybara]

Looking from the outside, the casting for cinema relays doesn’t always seem ‘fair’.

But neither does some of the casting more generally.

 

For example - and I know that this might ‘stir the pot’ - where is Alexander Campbell in relation to Mayerling? Marcelino Sambe and Matthew Ball appear to be in the new Pite as well as essaying Rudolf. But , of Alex, no sign since his lovely Pedro in LWFC.

[Scheherezade]

30 minutes ago, capybara said:

Looking from the outside, the casting for cinema relays doesn’t always seem ‘fair’.

But neither does some of the casting more generally.

 

For example - and I know that this might ‘stir the pot’ - where is Alexander Campbell in relation to Mayerling? Marcelino Sambe and Matthew Ball appear to be in the new Pite as well as essaying Rudolf. But , of Alex, no sign since his lovely Pedro in LWFC.

 

This does seem spectacularly unfair, particularly with such a good actor as Alexander Campbell. Could it be personal choice?

[Linnzi5]

6 hours ago, capybara said:

 

Because a rehearsal is a rehearsal, not a performance. Some dancers do not dance full out or may mark their parts.. There is usually an announcement to this effect.

Thanks for the info.  I did not hear an announcement, but will certainly keep my thoughts to general ones in future. The rehearsal I saw on Tuesday was really, really good, in my opinion and very enjoyable, I obviously understood that this wasn't a performance in the usual sense and felt privileged to be able to attend.

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Looking from the outside, the casting for cinema relays doesn’t always seem ‘fair’.

But neither does some of the casting more generally.

 

For example - and I know that this might ‘stir the pot’ - where is Alexander Campbell in relation to Mayerling? Marcelino Sambe and Matthew Ball appear to be in the new Pite as well as essaying Rudolf. But , of Alex, no sign since his lovely Pedro in LWFC.

I do not pretend to understand casting choices at all! 

[Linnzi5]

52 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

 

This does seem spectacularly unfair, particularly with such a good actor as Alexander Campbell. Could it be personal choice?

I really enjoy his dancing and characterisations and have wondered why he hasn't been cast. Other commitments, maybe?

Edited October 7, 2022 by Linnzi5

[Linnzi5]

20 hours ago, emmarose said:

 

I was really impressed with the Hungarian officers last night too, I thought they were a stand out, really thrilling! 

I loved the choreography and I felt it was so entertaining. I bet the cast you saw were brilliant too.

[ellyb]

In relation to casting, historically have most/all principals danced Rudolph or has it always been limited to men considered 'right for the part'? Similarly, do the women all dance Mary Vetsera at some point - I've never seen Marianela Nunez cast, has she been? 

[capybara]

Just now, ellyb said:

In relation to casting, historically have most/all principals danced Rudolph or has it always been limited to men considered 'right for the part'? Similarly, do the women all dance Mary Vetsera at some point - I've never seen Marianela Nunez cast, has she been? 

No, not all Principals have danced Rudolf. Way back, most did apart from Anthony Dowell. More recently (up to 2010) Ivan Putrov didn’t. The role requires a very different kind of body strength from classical ballet.

 

Marianela Nunez danced Larisch one season but has now reverted to Mitzi Caspar. Darcey Bussell was, IIRC, only ever cast as Mitzi. Neither has been Mary. And yet, Osipova, who is (let me phrase this carefully 😉) of more mature build has always been Mary.

[ellyb]

Thank you, that's interesting... I wonder how much say the dancers' get in whether to dance a role or not, I imagine Nunez has a lot of control over her casting - and I suspect Darcey Bussell would have had too! Though of course I don't know, if they were determined to try a role that their director was certain was wrong for them, would he have refused? And if they were dead set against dancing a role would he make them... Can only speculate, and what may be true of Nunez, Bussell etc may of course not apply to all other dancers, even of the same rank. 

[MAX]

I have to say that Kevin O'Hare interest in Ryoichi Hirano has always been a mystery to me.

 

We have here a solid dancer but without much brilliance to my eyes.

 

Quite boring actually.

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by MAX

[Sim]

Wow, what an amazing show tonight. This is how I want to feel when I come away from a performance of Mayerling.  Huge bravos and kudos to Steven McRae who delivered a performance replete with pathos, drama, great partnering, excellent dancing and a true understanding of the role. He took me with him on his journey from start to finish. I believed every minute of it. 
 

More on the rest of the cast tomorrow…I need a glass of wine 🍷!  

[alison]

1 hour ago, MAX said:

I have to say that Kevin O'Hare interest in Ryoichi Hirano has always been a mystery to me.

 

He's a strong partner, and covered for other, injured, dancers in numerous roles - possibly at short notice?  I don't imagine Osipova would choose to dance with him if he had nothing to recommend him.

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

[MJW]

8 hours ago, Sim said:

Wow, what an amazing show tonight. This is how I want to feel when I come away from a performance of Mayerling.  Huge bravos and kudos to Steven McRae who delivered a performance replete with pathos, drama, great partnering, excellent dancing and a true understanding of the role. He took me with him on his journey from start to finish. I believed every minute of it. 
 

More on the rest of the cast tomorrow…I need a glass of wine 🍷!  

 

I'm so pleased as I'm seeing the same cast next Saturday!

[capybara]

9 hours ago, Sim said:

Wow, what an amazing show tonight. This is how I want to feel when I come away from a performance of Mayerling.  Huge bravos and kudos to Steven McRae who delivered a performance replete with pathos, drama, great partnering, excellent dancing and a true understanding of the role. He took me with him on his journey from start to finish. I believed every minute of it. 

 

This is good to hear. I think that it's McRae's third run of Rudolfs and it's certainly a role which develops with a dancer over time.

 

8 hours ago, alison said:

  I don't imagine Osipova would choose to dance with him if he had nothing to recommend him.

 

Hirano, in common with Clarke, has the height and strength necessary for the kind of lifting which must breed confidence in someone of Osipova's build.

 

 

[Jamesrhblack]

I can’t properly speak for Steven McRae’s Rudolf as I’ve not seen him dance the role live, other than that I found his cinema performance in 2018 rather one-dimensional. However, such a huge role can only grow with further performances and it’s good to read the positive words above.

 

More importantly, I have nothing but the highest admiration for an artist of relatively slight stature and build coming back from major injury with the sheer strength and stamina to master a role that makes such enormous physical as well as emotional demands of the dancer.

[alison]

I thought I'd wait for his other cast, since this one's already been recorded and/or I saw it live, can't remember which.

[TurningPointe]

On 28/09/2022 at 10:10, FionaE said:

to give roles to the taller dancers I assume 

Yes!  Zenaida Yanowsky (she was a tall principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, now a principals’ coach) was given this role when she was 25.  She made the comment at one of the rehearsals.

[TurningPointe]

On 28/09/2022 at 23:29, alison said:

Ditto Leanne Benjamin at a similar age.

Agree!  Some dancers in their 40s can and have maintained the technique and look fresh as it was the case with Leanne Benjamin in her 40s.

[TurningPointe]

3 hours ago, capybara said:

 

This is good to hear. I think that it's McRae's third run of Rudolfs and it's certainly a role which develops with a dancer over time.

 

 

Hirano, in common with Clarke, has the height and strength necessary for the kind of lifting which must breed confidence in someone of Osipova's build.

 

 

This is an interesting comment.  Osipova danced a lot with Steven McRae in her earlier years with the Royal Ballet.  It is fair to say that people (and dancers are people) change over time: their bodies, technique, artistry, injuries, life events, etc. so I would say that both Steven McRae and Natalia Osipova have changed in recent years and they have naturally migrated towards other dancing partners.  Both remain magnificent artists in their own well-earned right and they continue to deliver outstanding performances.

 

I totally agree that roles develop with a dancer over time.  Hirano’s initial Rudolf, a few years ago as an emergency replacement for Ed Watson, was nowhere near as powerful and emotive.  Last Wednesday, he delivered an outstanding acting (and dancing/partnering) performance.  Hirano also played troubled Crown Prince Rudolf with the Scottish Ballet earlier this year, where he danced their adapted version of Mayerling.  Embodying such dark, dramatic, role (like Rudolf in Mayerling) will take time and experience to process, elaborate and finally make it their own.  I must say that Francesca Hayward also delivered an amazing performance as the terrified Princess Stephanie.  It was, without a doubt, a stellar cast in the opening night:  Laura Morera (Countess Larisch), Itziar Mendizabal (Empress Elizabeth), Marianela Nuñez (Mitzi Caspar), Reece Clarke (as the leading Hungarian soldier), Gary Avis (Empress Elizabeth’s lover), Luca Acri (Rudolf’s coach driver) and Christopher Saunders (as the Emperor Franz Joseph).  A very memorable evening!

Edited October 8, 2022 by TurningPointe

[art_enthusiast]

Do dancers have to be of a certain build to dance Mary Vetsera then? I would absolutely love to see Marianela Núñez in the role - and Mayara Magri at some point.

[Fonty]

5 hours ago, capybara said:

 

Hirano, in common with Clarke, has the height and strength necessary for the kind of lifting which must breed confidence in someone of Osipova's build.

 

 

 

Is Osipova quite tall then?  I've not really seen that much of her, as I tend to opt for other dancers, but I didn't get that impression on the occasions that I have seen her. 

 

 

[Sim]

So....about last night.  No-one has said anything about it, so maybe I am once again out of step with what others think (I wasn't crazy about Wednesday's performance, didn't much like Hirano's Rudolf, but all the critics did, so what do I know).  But here goes...

 

Originally, I booked to see this cast because I wanted to see Yasmine Naghdi's debut as Larisch, Anna-Rose O'Sullivan's Stefanie and James Hay's Bratfisch.  To be honest, I wasn't particularly looking forward to Steven McRae's Rudolf as last time it just didn't do anything for me.  I was also underwhelmed by his performance in Rhapsody towards the end of last season.  So I turned up with fairly low expectations, wondering how he would cope with such incredible physical demands on a body that was until recently so badly injured. 

 

Well, this was one of those performances where I am very glad I didn't listen to myself.  I gave myself a stern talking-to and said 'keep your mind open.'  I did...and my reward was a performance that just worked, every which way, and from each and every cast member.  

 

As I said up-thread, for Mayerling to work, Rudolf needs to be believable, and show us how his relationships with various women both mould and convey his inner character and psyche.  He also needs to show us his contempt for a deeply hypocritical and socially stilted court, and how vulnerable he is to all the shenanigans going on around him.  McRae did all of these things last night, and I really felt for his Rudolf.  Starting with a marriage he did not want, then his utter dejection at his icy treatment by his mother, his father treating him with contempt with every encounter (making clear his disappointment in his son), his being hassled constantly by the Hungarian separatists, his mistress Mitzi Caspar betraying him, Mary Vetsera messing with his head but providing some kind of solace, his mother managing to show love to another,  and Marie Larisch, trying to win him back. ... we could see how all of these things combined to crush him, and why he longer wanted to be a part of that unhealthy, stifling world. The look on his face was heartbreaking as he stood, rigid, listening to Ich Scheide being sung lovingly to his father, whilst his mother had just given her husband a birthday present of a portrait of the opera singer (his mistress).  No wonder someone of a sensitive nature would mentally crumble.  The past four years have not been kind to Steven McRae (from a physical and artistic point of view).  He has had to work so hard to come back, he has been through a lot of pain and setbacks and sometimes must have wondered if he would ever be able to tackle these kinds of roles again.  Well, I could see that he channelled all that pain, hard work and suffering into his performance last night. In Act 3's solo, when he literally has to push one leg in front of the other for it to work, I realised that he really knows how that feels, and I felt it with him. He is older, he has matured and as a result he has toned things down and thus found a depth of interpretation that surprised me and knocked me for six.  Bravo Steven.

 

I have always thought that after Rudolf, Larisch is the most important role in the ballet.  She is complex, and has to convey many things:  hurt, spurned lover; procuress of a young girl for Rudolf's amusement as she thinks it will do him good; and most importantly, perhaps, the only person aside from Bratfisch who truly cares for him.  Her desperate gesture in Rudolf's bedroom in Act 3 says it all:  whilst Empress Elizabeth is blaming her for everything that is wrong with her son, Larisch flings her arm out, saying 'look at him for God's sake, and do something.'  Furthermore, she does not want to be rejected and ejected...but she is.  I always think that when she brings Vetsera to Rudolf after that, she knows it won't end well and almost does it as revenge for her treatment by Elizabeth.  Naghdi, on her debut, conveyed all of the complexities of Larisch's character, and added many of her own touches, making her a thoroughly believable character, whom I veer between liking and disliking in equal measure.  I have long thought that she would be suited to this role, and I was correct (just my own opinion).  I think she will be a worthy successor to Laura Morera's incredible interpretation of this multi-layered woman. I am now really interested to see what she makes of Vetsera; such a different role.

 

Sarah Lamb danced prettily (perhaps a bit too prettily) as Mary.  I like my Marys to be a bit more raunchy and passionate, but that just isn't the kind of dancer Lamb is.  So her Mary was more a young girl infatuated; with some Marys you get the impression they know very well what they are doing; here I thought that she found herself in over her head; she actually cared for this man, but it wasn't a large lust or grand passion...she just wanted to play.  The Act 3 pdd was nicely danced, but I didn't get the desperation and passion of their final coupling, nor that this was, in reality, their death dance and farewell.

 

Gosh I have written much more than I was intending to, so just a quick word about the rest of the cast:  I loved Annette Buvoli's Elizabeth.  Hers was a softer woman; someone who you can actually imagine as a mother. I had the feeling that she actually really wanted to hug and hold her son, and to help him, but because of who she was and the behaviour expected of her, she felt that she had to hold herself back. She also comes across as naturally noble.  Anna-Rose O'Sullivan reprised the role of Princess Stefanie with panache; the Act 1 pdd with McRae was perfectly nuanced between violence and abject terror, and it moved me much more than Wednesday night's.  I also really liked Mayara Magri's Mitzi Caspar, but I have to admit that I am always so taken with what's going on in the background that I often don't pay enough attention to Mitzi!!     It was lovely to have James Hay back onstage again.  His Bratfisch is so very moving, and he danced beautifully.  I can only hope that the incomprehensible underuse of this wonderful artist does not continue.  Long may he grace our stage.

 

Finally...I wonder why they are not lowering the coffin anymore?  To me, it makes much more sense to do so.  Why show us that they were trying to hide what happened and cover it up by getting rid of Mary as quickly as possible, and then leaving her coffin on display?  I think that by lowering the coffin, it gives the ballet a dark sense of finality.  She is gone, he is gone, the whole story is buried along with her body, and we can all go home and (when it works as it did last night) marvel at what we had just seen.   

 

  

 

[TurningPointe]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

 

Is Osipova quite tall then?  I've not really seen that much of her, as I tend to opt for other dancers, but I didn't get that impression on the occasions that I have seen her. 

 

 

No, Osipova would not be described as tall but she is not as small as (say) Francesca Hayward.  Osipova is reported to be about 5.4-5.5ft but can’t be sure.   In pre-Royal Ballet times she had a very successful partnership with Ivan Vasiliev and he is not considered tall (and she was smaller than him, even when on pointe).  

Edited October 8, 2022 by TurningPointe

[capybara]

53 minutes ago, Sim said:

So....about last night.  No-one has said anything about it, so maybe I am once again out of step with what others think (I wasn't crazy about Wednesday's performance, didn't much like Hirano's Rudolf, but all the critics did, so what do I know).  But here goes...

 

Originally, I booked to see this cast because I wanted to see Yasmine Naghdi's debut as Larisch, Anna-Rose O'Sullivan's Stefanie and James Hay's Bratfisch.  To be honest, I wasn't particularly looking forward to Steven McRae's Rudolf as last time it just didn't do anything for me.  I was also underwhelmed by his performance in Rhapsody towards the end of last season.  So I turned up with fairly low expectations, wondering how he would cope with such incredible physical demands on a body that was until recently so badly injured. 

 

Well, this was one of those performances where I am very glad I didn't listen to myself.  I gave myself a stern talking-to and said 'keep your mind open.'  I did...and my reward was a performance that just worked, every which way, and from each and every cast member.  

 

As I said up-thread, for Mayerling to work, Rudolf needs to be believable, and show us how his relationships with various women both mould and convey his inner character and psyche.  He also needs to show us his contempt for a deeply hypocritical and socially stilted court, and how vulnerable he is to all the shenanigans going on around him.  McRae did all of these things last night, and I really felt for his Rudolf.  Starting with a marriage he did not want, then his utter dejection at his icy treatment by his mother, his father treating him with contempt with every encounter (making clear his disappointment in his son), his being hassled constantly by the Hungarian separatists, his mistress Mitzi Caspar betraying him, Mary Vetsera messing with his head but providing some kind of solace, his mother managing to show love to another,  and Marie Larisch, trying to win him back. ... we could see how all of these things combined to crush him, and why he longer wanted to be a part of that unhealthy, stifling world. The look on his face was heartbreaking as he stood, rigid, listening to Ich Scheide being sung lovingly to his father, whilst his mother had just given her husband a birthday present of a portrait of the opera singer (his mistress).  No wonder someone of a sensitive nature would mentally crumble.  The past four years have not been kind to Steven McRae (from a physical and artistic point of view).  He has had to work so hard to come back, he has been through a lot of pain and setbacks and sometimes must have wondered if he would ever be able to tackle these kinds of roles again.  Well, I could see that he channelled all that pain, hard work and suffering into his performance last night. In Act 3's solo, when he literally has to push one leg in front of the other for it to work, I realised that he really knows how that feels, and I felt it with him. He is older, he has matured and as a result he has toned things down and thus found a depth of interpretation that surprised me and knocked me for six.  Bravo Steven.

 

I have always thought that after Rudolf, Larisch is the most important role in the ballet.  She is complex, and has to convey many things:  hurt, spurned lover; procuress of a young girl for Rudolf's amusement as she thinks it will do him good; and most importantly, perhaps, the only person aside from Bratfisch who truly cares for him.  Her desperate gesture in Rudolf's bedroom in Act 3 says it all:  whilst Empress Elizabeth is blaming her for everything that is wrong with her son, Larisch flings her arm out, saying 'look at him for God's sake, and do something.'  Furthermore, she does not want to be rejected and ejected...but she is.  I always think that when she brings Vetsera to Rudolf after that, she knows it won't end well and almost does it as revenge for her treatment by Elizabeth.  Naghdi, on her debut, conveyed all of the complexities of Larisch's character, and added many of her own touches, making her a thoroughly believable character, whom I veer between liking and disliking in equal measure.  I have long thought that she would be suited to this role, and I was correct (just my own opinion).  I think she will be a worthy successor to Laura Morera's incredible interpretation of this multi-layered woman. I am now really interested to see what she makes of Vetsera; such a different role.

 

Sarah Lamb danced prettily (perhaps a bit too prettily) as Mary.  I like my Marys to be a bit more raunchy and passionate, but that just isn't the kind of dancer Lamb is.  So her Mary was more a young girl infatuated; with some Marys you get the impression they know very well what they are doing; here I thought that she found herself in over her head; she actually cared for this man, but it wasn't a large lust or grand passion...she just wanted to play.  The Act 3 pdd was nicely danced, but I didn't get the desperation and passion of their final coupling, nor that this was, in reality, their death dance and farewell.

 

Gosh I have written much more than I was intending to, so just a quick word about the rest of the cast:  I loved Annette Buvoli's Elizabeth.  Hers was a softer woman; someone who you can actually imagine as a mother. I had the feeling that she actually really wanted to hug and hold her son, and to help him, but because of who she was and the behaviour expected of her, she felt that she had to hold herself back. She also comes across as naturally noble.  Anna-Rose O'Sullivan reprised the role of Princess Stefanie with panache; the Act 1 pdd with McRae was perfectly nuanced between violence and abject terror, and it moved me much more than Wednesday night's.  I also really liked Mayara Magri's Mitzi Caspar, but I have to admit that I am always so taken with what's going on in the background that I often don't pay enough attention to Mitzi!!     It was lovely to have James Hay back onstage again.  His Bratfisch is so very moving, and he danced beautifully.  I can only hope that the incomprehensible underuse of this wonderful artist does not continue.  Long may he grace our stage.

 

Finally...I wonder why they are not lowering the coffin anymore?  To me, it makes much more sense to do so.  Why show us that they were trying to hide what happened and cover it up by getting rid of Mary as quickly as possible, and then leaving her coffin on display?  I think that by lowering the coffin, it gives the ballet a dark sense of finality.  She is gone, he is gone, the whole story is buried along with her body, and we can all go home and (when it works as it did last night) marvel at what we had just seen.   

 

  

 

 A terrific review, Sim - thank you. I too have booked for McRae because of the allure of his supporting cast and I really hope that he will convince me this time round, as he did you. I’m always ready to have my eyes opened afresh.

Incidentally James Hay has posted on Instagram that last night was his return to the stage after 8 months. Hopefully, we can now look forward to him being cast in, say, Sleeping Beauty.

Edited October 8, 2022 by capybara