Mayerling, Royal Ballet Autumn 2022

[zxDaveM]

I'd agree with most of what Sim has said - but do think Sarah Lamb was a terrific Mary. Sarah and Steven always (to my mind) dance really well together and last night no exception. Sarah's Mary had an almost malicious glee in the gun-toting scenes, and all the pdds were 'wow' in my eyes; the lifts which can look awkward and almost cumbersome in less able arms, flowed beautifully, and yes, thrillingly. Steven McRae was astonishing - perhaps the best I've seen him dance. He really 'inhabited' the character (sometimes he has struck me as too show-offy with his technical wizz-bang ability, but last night his dancing illuminated the character, in a great performance). Yasmine Naghdi is one of my favourite dancers, and her debut in such a complex role as Larisch just bolstered my opinion of her. Beautifully danced, stunning characterisation - and we know she will only add to that. Can't wait to see her Mary as well now.

And all that from someone for whom Mayerling not a favourite ballet!

[TurningPointe]

3 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

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.

Interesting question. Mmmm….I am not sure that we can reduce those casting choices to a certain ballerina’s build.  I think that you need to take a careful look at partnerships, artistry, and temperament.  Also, certain people are excellent dancers but just not ‘right’ (for a variety of reasons) for certain roles. 

 

If you look at the original cast (1978) for Mayerling, the role of Mary Vetsera was interpreted by Lynn Seymour. She was an amazing dancer/actress, an inspiration to Kenneth MacMillan. He originally created his 1960s Romeo and Juliet based on Lynn and Christopher (Gable) not on Fonteyn and Nureyev.  Most would tend to agree that Lynn’s more athletic body build did not conform to the stereotypical perception of the classical ballerina but that did not preclude MacMillan from casting her in the role with David Wall partnering her as her Crown Prince Rudolf, or dancing with Nureyev in other ballets.  

Edited October 8, 2022 by TurningPointe

[Scheherezade]

A wonderful review indeed, Sim, I totally agree with almost everything, but with a nod to zxDaveM, as I also enjoyed Sarah Lamb’s Mary. I did not find her characterisation as complete as Laura Morera’s (there was more of an older dancer’s reading of a teenage girl, albeit less ‘knowing’ than I tend to find Osipova) but I thought that her pas de deux with Steven McRae were terrific, with the act 3 pas de deux particularly raw, and heavy with desperation. And Steven’s Rudolf delivered everything, including the occasional glimpse of a frequently overlooked compassionate side by gestures such as a protective arm around Stephanie early in the brothel scene.

Yasmine Naghdi delivered a distinctly multi-dimensional Larisch, signalling watch your step with this woman every bit as much as her undeniable feelings for Rudolf. Rudolf aside, empathetic towards others she was not. 
Wonderful dancing once more from the Hungarian officers, an engaging and sympathetic Stephanie from Anna Rose O’Sullivan, with Mayara Magri providing a worldly and relatable Mitzi Caspar. And, as ever, a totally stand-out Bratfisch from the wonderful James Hay. One of my companions who comes along from time to time asked me “Who was that?” after his first appearance in the brothel scene and I had to remind her that he was the same dancer whose Mercutio she had remarked on some time back, saying how much she would love to see his Romeo. But that’s another story …

Edited October 8, 2022 by Scheherezade

[Sim]

Please don't get me wrong...I really enjoyed Sarah Lamb's Mary.  I guess I didn't make that clear enough.  My personal preference is for a bit more of the raunchy as that often conveys the desperation of both parties.  However, as I've pointed out before part of the genius of MacMillan is that he leaves room for each of his characters to be open to interpretation.  Sarah's was different and I enjoyed it, but I have liked (or perhaps related to) others more. 

[capybara]

Somewhere up-thread there is reference to dancers’ ages.

I find it impossible to believe that Sarah Lamb will be 42 on the 17th October.

[Legseleven]

Too knowing! Thank you Scheherazade, that is exactly why I didn’t relate to Osipova as Mary. She seemed too immediately ‘with’ the situation in which she found herself as a 17 year old character. 

[SheilaC]

6 hours ago, TurningPointe said:

Interesting question. Mmmm….I am not sure that we can reduce those casting choices to a certain ballerina’s build.  I think that you need to take a careful look at partnerships, artistry, and temperament.  Also, certain people are excellent dancers but just not ‘right’ (for a variety of reasons) for certain roles. 

 

If you look at the original cast (1978) for Mayerling, the role of Mary Vetsera was interpreted by Lynn Seymour. She was an amazing dancer/actress, an inspiration to Kenneth MacMillan. He originally created his 1960s Romeo and Juliet based on Lynn and Christopher (Gable) not on Fonteyn and Nureyev.  Most would tend to agree that Lynn’s more athletic body build did not conform to the stereotypical perception of the classical ballerina but that did not preclude MacMillan from casting her in the role with David Wall partnering her as her Crown Prince Rudolf, or dancing with Nureyev in other ballets.  

I'm mystified that anyone could call Lynn Seymour's body build 'athletic'. In her younger days she did have a bit of a weight problem, for a dancer, but she didn't dance 'heavy', she was weightless, as though she didn't have a bone in her body, the most wonderful, fluid, lyrical dancing imaginable. I've never seen her equal. In my view her only physical weakness as a dancer was that her neck was a bit short- but that was also true of great dancers like Pat Ruanne and the incomparable Galina Ulanova. People remember that she was a great dance actor but forget what a wonderful dancer she was, inspiring Ashton (Two Pigeons, Brahms Waltzes, Month in the Country) as well as MacMillan (9 ballets, including the very classical Symphony and Baiser de la Fee, so not just dramatic roles). Her musicality and phrasing in classical roles were exceptional.

[Suffolkgal]

how true. I've just re-read her autobiography - few dancers created so many works with so many different choreographers, and her approach to the art is just fascinating. She's wonderful about Nureyev and he was clearly a great and true friend to her. what an utter and absolute tragedy that the original R and J in the Macmillan ballet were never caught on film. i remember her being interviewed about the role she created in Mayerling - it might have been in the BBC doc about the RB at 50 - and saying "she's a bit of a social climber, not a terrific person" - i loved that! and somewhere in the dark recesses of my memory is that her dress came to pieces in one of the pdd and yards of fine tulle enveloped them both. I may have made that up though - may be a completely different story!  I can't really imagine anyone other than Seymour having created Mary for Macmillan. 

[bridiem]

7 hours ago, Suffolkgal said:

 somewhere in the dark recesses of my memory is that her dress came to pieces in one of the pdd and yards of fine tulle enveloped them both. I may have made that up though - may be a completely different story! 

 

No, you didn't make it up! Her dress got torn I think in the final pdd and they had to negotiate long strands of material as well as the fiendishly difficult choreography! (This wasn't at the première but at a performance soon afterwards. Unless it also happened at the première, of course - I wasn't there.)

Edited October 9, 2022 by bridiem
Clause added

[Sebastian]

As someone who spends several weeks every year just down the road from the village of Mayerling, I have tried to keep up with the many and various writings about this sad historical episode.

 

Recently Greg King and Penny Wilson published their well-researched account (mentioned once before on this Forum although the poster got the name wrong) and this is the book I now recommend to people who want to know more. Here is a link to an informative Amazon review:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1SWX0LUZGJJPU/

[Guest oncnp]

4 minutes ago, Sebastian said:

As someone who spends several weeks every year just down the road from the village of Mayerling, I have tried to keep up with the many and various writings about this sad historical episode.

 

Recently Greg King and Penny Wilson published their well-researched account (mentioned once before on this Forum although the poster got the name wrong) and this is the book I now recommend to people who want to know more. Here is a link to an informative Amazon review:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1SWX0LUZGJJPU/

 

Thank you for the reminder. Might be time to re-read before the performance.

 

Excellent book. Well written and easy to read. Not recent though (2017)

Edited October 9, 2022 by oncnp

[Sim]

10 hours ago, Suffolkgal said:

how true. I've just re-read her autobiography - few dancers created so many works with so many different choreographers, and her approach to the art is just fascinating. She's wonderful about Nureyev and he was clearly a great and true friend to her. what an utter and absolute tragedy that the original R and J in the Macmillan ballet were never caught on film. i remember her being interviewed about the role she created in Mayerling - it might have been in the BBC doc about the RB at 50 - and saying "she's a bit of a social climber, not a terrific person" - i loved that! and somewhere in the dark recesses of my memory is that her dress came to pieces in one of the pdd and yards of fine tulle enveloped them both. I may have made that up though - may be a completely different story!  I can't really imagine anyone other than Seymour having created Mary for Macmillan. 

Coincidentally there’s a blog about Lynn Seymour by Alistair Macaulay in today’s links, in which he remembers her amazing 1977-78 season.  He says at one point that she created Mary Vetsera in 1968…clearly a typo!  
 

The blog is a timely reminder of what a special artist she was.  I will never forget how her Act 3 Anastasia sent me stumbling out of the theatre in a shocked daze. Unbelievable.  

[SheilaC]

6 minutes ago, Sim said:

Coincidentally there’s a blog about Lynn Seymour by Alistair Macaulay in today’s links, in which he remembers her amazing 1977-78 season.  He says at one point that she created Mary Vetsera in 1968…clearly a typo!  
 

The blog is a timely reminder of what a special artist she was.  I will never forget how her Act 3 Anastasia sent me stumbling out of the theatre in a shocked daze. Unbelievable.  

Yes, she was a stunning actor, I reacted the same way as Sim to her Anastasia, when it was still a one-act ballet. I also remember watching her in Onegin and she totally convinced me in the final act that she was going to change the end and give in to Onegin, even though I had already seen that ballet many times.

On the classical side, I saw her in MacMillan's Sleeping Beauty at the Coliseum, partnered by Peter Martins, and her Vision scene had the most beautiful lyrical dancing imaginable. Sheer perfection. And she was my first ever full length Odette, at a matinee in Birmingham in 1959, when I skived off my very strict school. Magic- well worth getting in to trouble when I was found out!

[Sebastian]

2 hours ago, oncnp said:

Excellent book. Well written and easy to read. Not recent though (2017)

Thank you. The extensive bibliography covering the people and events of Mayerling goes back well over a century, indeed (if one includes suppressed or unsigned writings) as far back as the 1890s. The only substantial works I know which have been published since King/Wilson five years ago have not been in English.
 

The little that is new in, for example, the more recent German works is of marginal interest but should anyone want to dive down those rabbit holes, feel free to send me a message.

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by Sebastian

[TurningPointe]

13 hours ago, SheilaC said:

I'm mystified that anyone could call Lynn Seymour's body build 'athletic'. In her younger days she did have a bit of a weight problem, for a dancer, but she didn't dance 'heavy', she was weightless, as though she didn't have a bone in her body, the most wonderful, fluid, lyrical dancing imaginable. I've never seen her equal. In my view her only physical weakness as a dancer was that her neck was a bit short- but that was also true of great dancers like Pat Ruanne and the incomparable Galina Ulanova. People remember that she was a great dance actor but forget what a wonderful dancer she was, inspiring Ashton (Two Pigeons, Brahms Waltzes, Month in the Country) as well as MacMillan (9 ballets, including the very classical Symphony and Baiser de la Fee, so not just dramatic roles). Her musicality and phrasing in classical roles were exceptional.

SheilaC:  Thank you for your comment. I am very sorry, and surprised, to hear that you would be “mystified” by my using of the word “athletic” to refer to a dancer’s body that, while exceptionally expressive, did not conform to the perception of the idealised ballet body. Indeed I could have used different words but I chose carefully out of politeness and respect to the magnificent artist that she was. 

[Ian Macmillan]

Just a quick word after seeing the streamed Opening Night show locally this afternoon.  A powerful performance all round, and it all seemed more intense than I recall, with the Company in great form.  Mr Hirano and Mme Morera were particularly strong, I thought.  

[Christine]

Watched the repeat cinema relay of Mayerling today, luckily they are still transmitting ROH performances, what a treat. I do hope German cinemas will keep this up as there were hardly more than 20 people attending. 

 

Really enjoyed it and having watched Mayerling multiple times in Stuttgart it was great to discover many new things in the ROH rendition of Mayerling.

I had read some reviews here beforehand, so I did expect so see a Rudolph that would really take off towards the end of the evening and so it was. In the past I had seen snippets of Ryoichi's Rudolph and was not really able to connect, tonight this was very different and thought that he particularly excelled in the final variation and PDD especially. But I did enjoy his whole performance much more than than anticipated.

 

The real eye-opener for me, not having seen her in this role before was Laura Morera's Larisch. We had some very good "Larisches" in Stuttgart (Amatriain, in particular) but with her I felt I understood so much more about MacMillan's brilliant retelling of this tragic story. In those cinema close-ups, several times she looked positively frightening and dangerous, sending chills down my spine As SIM wrote above, an incredible interpreter of the role. I am so pleased if, as was written here,  Yasmine Naghdi shows promise of following in these huge footsteps.

 

All the other roles were great, I particularly liked Francesca Hayward as Princess Stephanie, even if for me she was occasionally, a little too much on the adoring side. Loved the moment when Mizzi Caspar (Marianela Nunez) first meets Rudolph but found that towards the end where she dances with the officers and Rudolph, the great sweep of the melody and festive mood did not show as much as it could or should have in the dance. I did admire the perfection paid to details though.  

 

Osipova's Mary high-spirited and unpredictable approach worked very well for me.

One highlight tonight, largely due again to Morera, too, was the card-laying scene which i found totally mesmerising. The contrast between fiendish indtrique-spinning manipulator Larish and Osipova's complete besottedness with the portrait & prince was wonderful, let alone the worried mother was just wonderful, 

 

The PDD with Elizabeth I found beautiful, but her appearances could have been a touch more glamorous for my taste. Bay Middleton, however, was everything one can only wish for in this role, of course. The same goes for Franz Joseph.

 

Very much liked Luca Acri's Bratfisch and after what I read about James Hay would love to see him, too.

 

So, overall, a total treat to be able to watch the Royal Ballet in the cinema and I do hope these showings will continue in the future against all odds!

 

By the way, if I am not mistaken, next Saturday my ballet friends and ballet regulars at Stuttgart Ballet, Margit and Annegret, will be watching Mayerling with Steven McRae. They have seats in the front row stalls, so say hello to them, should you overhear some German accents there...

 

 

[maryrosesatonapin]

On 08/10/2022 at 09:10, 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.

And earlier:
Osipova, who is (let me phrase this carefully 😉) of more mature build has always been Mary.

 

 

Unless Osipova's size has changed dramatically in the two months since I last saw her dance, I am surprised you make these comments given there are many ballerinas who are much larger than she!

[Lizbie1]

20 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

Unless Osipova's size has changed dramatically in the two months since I last saw her dance, I am surprised you make these comments given there are many ballerinas who are much larger than she!

 

Indeed - my understanding was that any difficulty some partners may have had with Osipova has been down to her unpredictability rather than her size.

[FionaM]

It’s one thing dancing alongside one another (like Tchai pdd) with a few lifts, and another thing attempting the complex lifts and throws and catches required in the multiple and long pdd in Mayerling.  This ballet is a strength problem for the male dancer when partnering any ballerina … larger ballerinas must create extra strain, whatever the reason for being larger.  We’ve all heard interviews of Ed Watson, Matthew Ball and others saying how much extra work they have to do on upper body strength for the many challenging pdd in Mayerling.  
 

Many dancers male and female have completely different physiques in their mid20s to mid30s.  As we have seen with Steven McRae … perhaps many are too waif-like in their 20s for longterm health. 
 

Natalia is a completely different size now than in her 20s.  
Here after Mayerling on 5.10.22 https://www.instagram.com/p/CjYaW8KIHt1/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= compared to Anastasia in 2016 https://dancemagazine.com.au/2016/11/anastasia/

 

For me this issue raises a question about RB management’s responsibility of care to their male dancers.  Ryo is tall and strong and understands partnering.  Thank goodness!  I assume that’s why some principal ballerinas will never be able to be Mary Vetsera.

[Fonty]

Not sure I can tell very much from the 2 photos of Osipova.  Different angle, different costume, different pose.  Also, in the group photo she is standing next to Leanne Benjamin, who I believe was the tiniest of the RB principals when she was dancing and would make anyone look big in comparison.  What I found interesting was the difference in physique between the two men.  

[postie]

The great problem for men in this role is that more muscle equals less stamina; the single greatest issue for professional athletes is that trade-off. Mayerling requires both, and the issue can't be ignored or resolved.

 

Photos can, perhaps, be a guide for us, though I'm sure the lads in this piece are guided by the huge advances in recent years made by sports science. I actually wanted to ask Matt about this point at the Insight event.

 

People do change shape though we should remember 1lb of muscle looks the same as 7lbs of non-muscle (IIRC).

 

Imo, they are almost certainly gaining no more muscle than is necessary to lift specific people.

Edited October 10, 2022 by postie
maths

[bridiem]

2 minutes ago, postie said:

The great problem for men in this role is that more muscle equals less stamina; the single greatest issue for professional sportsmen is that trade-off. Mayerling requires both, and the issue can't be ignored or resolved.

 

That's interesting; I know nothing of such things, having neither muscle nor stamina... but it has occurred to me in recent years that female dancers are much more muscly (or at least look so) nowadays and are therefore presumably heavier than in the past (even when tiny by any normal standards), and that must have consequences in terms of partnering requirements. I do worry for the men (and, of course, for the women! Especially in pdd like those in Mayerling).

[postie]

Female athletes can go down to about 10% body fat, that's as lean as is healthy (breasts virtually go, comes a point where you can't do a lot more about the bum). Men max is about 3-ish%, iirc.

 

All this will be guided now at the ROH by science and regular testing (standard for pro athletes in the UK).

[Fonty]

8 minutes ago, postie said:

The great problem for men in this role is that more muscle equals less stamina; the single greatest issue for professional sportsmen is that trade-off. Mayerling requires both, and the issue can't be ignored or resolved.

 

 

 

 

With regard to sportsmen, the ratio of muscle is very carefully worked out according to the activity.  Having more muscle doesn't necessarily equate to less stamina.  Look at male tennis players; huge amounts of stamina and lots of muscle as well.  I am sure male ballet dancers must have a lot of upper body strength to start with, but perhaps for a particular role they might add in some extra exercises.  It would be very interesting to know what they actually do.

[maryrosesatonapin]

12 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

That's interesting; I know nothing of such things, having neither muscle nor stamina... but it has occurred to me in recent years that female dancers are much more muscly (or at least look so) nowadays and are therefore presumably heavier than in the past (even when tiny by any normal standards), and that must have consequences in terms of partnering requirements. I do worry for the men (and, of course, for the women! Especially in pdd like those in Mayerling).

It has struck me sometimes that dancers such as Mayara Magri and Gina Storm-Jensen, both in superb physical shape, must actually weigh quite a lot as they are fairly tall and well-muscled (and absolutely beautiful, but maybe not for their dance partners).

[capybara]

32 minutes ago, postie said:

All this will be guided now at the ROH by science and regular testing (standard for pro athletes in the UK).

This is very interesting, but how do you know this applies to dancers in the RB ( or any other company)?

[Jan McNulty]

9 minutes ago, capybara said:

This is very interesting, but how do you know this applies to dancers in the RB ( or any other company)?

 

I think this is starting to happen with the major ballet companies in this country and it does make sense.

 

A dancer at a company ruptured her ACL last September and has been going through rehab and is only now returning to the stage.  I didn't know what an ACL was until she told me about it and now I know all too well about the injury as my dog also managed to rupture his.  He then partially ruptured his other one.  I was talking to the young lady and she explained she had special tests done on her other knee to ensure that that was less likely to rupture.  The initial tests she had some months ago came back with the result that there was a likelihood of her other ACL rupturing but fortunately more recent tests were positive and she has been able to gently return to the stage.

 

I suppose this illustrates that science is being used.  If the young lady had felt fit but hadn't had the stress tests available she could well have returned to the stage earlier with potentially disastrous results.

 

I know this post is not about Mayerling but it is about the science and the facilities that are now (hopefully) available for dancers at the bigger companies.

 

[Nogoat]

 

I thought I'd hold off so I could write just the one post on two performances (by the same cast) with one of them from two different perspectives (ROH and cinema encore).

I apologise right away as it turned out just as long-winded as usual... 😐

 

Wed 5th - ROH - Osipova/Hirano
Sat 8th - ROH - Osipova/Hirano
Sunday 9th - encore showing of the Wed 5th cinema broadcast

 

I love Mayerling - it is a work of genius, a pure alpha-predator of a ballet; all muscle and sinew, power and fearful beauty, with not an ounce of unnecessary flab or filler. And all driven by primal urges we share with much of the animal kingdom - except, perhaps, that knowledge of our own mortality and, tragically, the ability to take that path in extremis.

 

So I did get slightly annoyed reading in The Times review that 'this overlong ballet has its faults (too many characters, too many scenes, too much plotting)', particularly after reading a quote in a Guardian article the previous week 'that if you have to read the programme, a ballet has failed in its job'. 

Well, no and no! 

Mayerling is NOT entertainment, to be supped on as a distraction; it's education, to be engaged with, assimilated and processed - and that takes work!

It's convoluted because life is messy and complicated, even (particularly?) for Royal Families. In fact, a ballet based on real life almost demands complexity as there are no magic wands to wave, no enchanted kisses to give, and certainly no deus ex machina to bring the whole edifice crashing down at the end. If there is a 'god' at work, it is MacMillan teaching us about the human condition.

The Guardian article also contained Balanchine's quote 'there are no mothers-in-law in ballet'. I would qualify that with 'but there can be if you do some homework or read the programme'. In Mayerling, a simple scowl and tap of a walking stick speaks volumes about the relationship between Elizabeth and her mother-in-law. Does anyone know when Balanchine came up with that quote? It would be wonderful to think that MacMillan included Archduchess Sophie to test that 'law'...

The lady sat next to me on opening night had not seen Mayerling before, but she had read the synopsis. She managed to keep up until about halfway through Act 2, then lost it (I didn't make it that far on my first viewing). She still enjoyed the spectacle and the dancing, though, as did I that first time.

 
So, if we can be encouraged by the choreographer to get the most from Like Water for Chocolate by watching RB Insights that were as long as the ballet itself, then I won't accept those complaints about Mayerling in The Times. And if I do want to be entertained while I'm being educated, then the best source I've found is the old South Bank documentary on YouTube (Part 1 here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IntawIGac4).

I approached Wednesday's performance full of nervous expectation and anticipation - it was opening night at the ROH, with a cast of favourites, doing one of my favourite ballets, with the cameras present and the possibility of a video release!

I found myself getting unusually emotional during Act 1, and there was lots of (hopefully) surreptitious sniffing going on. I initially put it down to the excitement of the occasion and the fact that after a couple of uninspiring new full length ballets over the last two years, I was finally watching a true masterpiece.

 

However, it also happened on Saturday 8th at the ROH and even on Sunday at the encore screening. It happened mainly during Rudolf's PDD with his mother, which laid bare the gulf between his longings and her inability to reciprocate - it was tragic to watch.

But it was also triggered by his cruel mistreatment of Stephanie, in this case the sympathy switching to Francesca Hayward as she was thrown around like a rag doll - frightened, confused and trying to adapt to the situation she found herself in as best she could.

It was even bubbling away in the earlier PDD between Morera's Larisch and Rudolf; again, the communication between them, expressed through dance and expression, had a clarity that hit home. The three females - Morera, Hayward, and especially the poker-faced Mendizabel - were on top form, but the common denominator of Hirano's Rudolf really helped to expose and amplify the dynamics of those relationships.

 

The character of Rudolf is difficult to portray as it needs to demonstrate his gradual inner disintegration across the three acts. The dancer can't start off completely 'mad and bad', and neither can he leave his madness until his last scene with Mary. During the last run, there was some criticism of Hirano keeping too much of his inner turmoil, er, inside. I felt he certainly improved over three performances in the last run, but for this run I think there has been a marked improvement in projecting that gradual disintegration (and the causes of it) to the audience. This may just be his growing experience, but it might also be receiving the benefit of Ed Watson's insights now he has moved to coaching. 

Either way, his improved skills at projection, coupled with his incredible physical stature, strength and endurance, bodes well for the future. Rudolf may well be disintegrating before our eyes, but Hirano is consolidating his own interpretation of this character very nicely indeed.

 

And what of Osipova's Mary? She, too, goes on a journey from wide-eyed adolescent at the Imperial Court to nymphomaniac (going to meet someone alone, in their bedroom, dressed in a negligee sort of gives the game away) and, ultimately, to willing (and even eager) participation in the story's deadly conclusion.

I think Osipova mentioned in the broadcast between acts that she is at her best when she completely inhabits the character on stage. That doesn't happen every time with her (just most!), but when it does her performance and character's journey can reach heights that few others can. Examples would include the shifts in character required for the three acts of Sylvia, for Romeo and Juliet, and certainly for Anastasia (as an aside, this is one reason I'm a bit worried about the RB just doing Act 3 of Anastasia - I think it needs the context-setting of Acts 1 and 2 to make it work. It's that business of real-life stories being complicated again!).

Having seen yesterday's encore cinema broadcast of opening night, I'm actually now more impressed with the Act 2 bedroom scene than I was on the night itself - and I think this was down to how much I was hoping for a flawless performance as it was being filmed/broadcast.

And there were a few 'issues' that had a disproportionate effect on me - the revolver firing too soon and having to be fired again, plus the rather untidy, early dismount from a lift (and ironically, there was a segment in the interval broadcast that referred to the difficult of their PDDs - lots of hands being moved to lots of places. Of course, it worked perfectly there!).

The final PDD was harrowing, but at the same time somehow intensely beautiful to watch as they made the ultimate sacrifice for each other.

 

There were other gremlins as well, including Mitzi Caspar having to spend some time extricating her skirt from the chair she was trying to get up from, just when Rudolf was about to ask her to commit suicide with him. And please, please bring back proper blanks to be fired behind the screen for the double 'suicide' (they don't even have to be in the gun); otherwise the gunshots can be lost in the music, and the lack of a bright flash from the gun leaves doubt as to what's happened. Given all the technology available, why not give the job to a percussionist - surely they could get their beats and the bangs on the dot?

And talking of the 'old days', it used to be that broadcasts were filmed twice - once to practise and get something in the can, and the other on the night itself. This was filmed only once, on opening night - not even part-way into the run when things generally get smoother - so there's no fall-back position! Was this just over-confidence, or a cost-cutting exercise - or both? 🤔

And while I'm at it, why on earth was it broadcast and not streamed? I know it was an encore broadcast, but there were literally ten people in the city centre cinema we went to. This cost the two of us around £40 including parking and travel, of which the ROH would receive a fraction. I would much rather pay £25 direct to the ROH and settle down in front of a TV - no hassle, no traffic jams, no parking, no having to go out to the desk to tell them there was no sound (though someone else did that, not me), and a much better picture quality (it's in the nature of the projection equipment that blacks are rendered a dark grey - modern TVs pride themselves on rendering black, so if a TV was that bad it would be straight back to the shop!). 

I didn't realise until I went to the Saturday performance, which wasn't filmed, that the lighting was exactly the same as on opening night; no allowance was made for filming. Yes, the cinema broadcast was dark, but it was still watchable (key dancers were well lit) and nicely reflected the overall dark mood.

 

What is really annoying is that Saturday's performance with the same cast was absolutely superb! After the 'practice' that was opening night, the cast had extended their 'comfort zone' and danced with a confidence, precision and abandon that completely swept me along. It was one of 'those' performances, and the great shame of it is that the cameras were not there to record it...

 

In a ballet that is a relentless challenge for the male lead, I'm becoming increasingly in awe of a scene in which he does not feature - when Larisch arrives at the Vetsera household, where Mary and her mother are arranging flowers. This scene becomes the historical axis around which the increasingly complex plot is cajoled into moving in the direction that ultimately leads to tragedy and, eventually, repercussions across Europe and the world.

This is instigated and steered by deception on the part of Larisch. Three women in a drawing room, and a game of tarot; and that music - full of foreboding. A stunning piece of story-telling. I'm reminded of the bit of The Second Coming that starts 'Turning and turning in the widening gyre' and ends 'Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world', and it makes me shiver.

And the things is, we know what's going to happen - we have a god's-eye view, but we are impotent gods; all we can do it watch it unfold, Cassandra-like. The impact of that scene was enhanced by the excited dancing of Osipova's Mary - full of the fast, hyperactive movement of the adolescent, but also accompanied by laser-sharp movements and stops - in contrast to Morera's more deliberate movements in controlling events.
Unlike some, I have a lot of sympathy for Larisch. I think she genuinely cares for Rudolf (more than all the other women thus far) but is gradually losing her influence and ability to rein in his increasingly deranged behaviour. She hopes that 'younger blood' will be able to help, and forgoes her own position in a selfless quest to help Rudolf.

Why do I say this? Because at no point does Rudolf ask her to die with him. To me, her motive is not to find a sacrificial lamb, but a salve for his troubled mind. She may be an arch-manipulator, but that alone doesn't make her evil. From our privileged position, it can look like the bestowing of a death sentence (especially with that sombre chord that is played when she places her hand on Osipova's shoulder) - but that is the sadness that comes with our knowledge of the future. Larisch sees a slightly different future, and her contained excitement is contained and only manifested in her stuttering exit across the stage.

 

I've already mentioned how MacMillan managed to demonstrate the relationship between daughter- and mother-in-law. A couple of other tiny, but telling, encounters worked particularly well. The Hungarian officer trying to flirt with the Empress is beautifully put in his place by a suave Gary Avis demonstrating that the officer might well be able to kiss the outside of her hand, but in turning that hand over and kissing it on the inside he implies he has much more intimate access - superb!
And I just love the way Mary's increasingly reckless relationship with Rudolf is implied in the way she traverses the stage to him, moving the gun around in circles like a gunslinger, and also when she goes across to him, arms flailing like a windmill. 
And I mentioned in the last run how Mary moving across the stage in the suicide scene on her knees, and prostrating herself in a cross made perfect sense when I found out that the land underneath where they died became a place of worship. There are so many layers to be mined here...

Finally, I'd like to say how much I enjoyed Leticia Dias' Louise - she really does have 'presence'.

 

Thank you for reading all of this! 

 

 

[capybara]

6 minutes ago, Nogoat said:

Thank you for reading all of this! 

 

Thank you for writing it!

Juxtaposing the live performances with the cinema relay makes for interesting reading.

[Dawnstar]

9 minutes ago, Nogoat said:

The Hungarian officer trying to flirt with the Empress is beautifully put in his place by a suave Gary Avis demonstrating that the officer might well be able to kiss the outside of her hand, but in turning that hand over and kissing it on the inside he implies he has much more intimate access - superb!

 

I find that one of the most erotic moments in the ballet, more so than a lot of the much more extremely energetic choreography!

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I find that one of the most erotic moments in the ballet, more so than a lot of the much more extremely energetic choreography!

Yes I have always thought that that little gesture speaks volumes. And I love the way the soldier understands immediately.  

[alison]

And I still miss the way Johannes Stepanek used to do it