Australian Ballet - Royal Opera House, 2-6 August 2023

[alison]

I've not been able to get at the FT reviews recently: my normal method seems not to be working

[alison]

10 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

 

NYCB in their playbills lists ALL DANCERS performing.  To do otherwise would be in breech of the union regulations and they would be brought up on charges.   Where there are cast changes they are (i) changed in the electronic casting notices; (ii) announced from the stage if late - and, if in time, (iii) have paper inserts in the playbill itself.  Sometimes all three.   

 

That said, however, what are the cast sizes in what NYCB performs?  I'd struggle to imagine the Royal Ballet managing to credit every townsperson in Romeo & Juliet, for example.

[Bruce Wall]

11 minutes ago, alison said:

 

That said, however, what are the cast sizes in what NYCB performs?  I'd struggle to imagine the Royal Ballet managing to credit every townsperson in Romeo & Juliet, for example.

 

This is true, Alison.  There are some NYCB works that are SO large they simply could not be seen on a smaller stage like, say, the ROH's.  I'm thinking here of things like Union Jack which Balanchine did as a Homage to the UK after the company had performed at the Edinburgh Festival.  When Balanchine died there were 109 dancers in the company and 15 in the administration.  (Hard to imagine today.)  In works like that they have to use students from SAB.  Certainly ALL apprentices are listed for each individual ballet they perform in and with appropriate notations.  ALL NYCB company members are noted - even, say, as townspeople in Firebird.  This is mandated by the union.  (One of my favourite memories now is seeing Roman Meija as such - in those absurd wigs designed by Chagall.  Try as he may he could not keep a straight face.  It was his so very TRYING that made it so very FUNNY.  Honestly, I'm SO glad I saw it - it was a show unto itself - especially when you now see the truly WORLD CLASS dancer he has become.  He I know will be one for this Century - much as Baryishnikov and Woetzel were for the last.) 

 

You are quite right, though, Alison, where SAB students are used - and are not used in at least corps consignments - they are simply noted as being from the school.  

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Bruce Wall

[bridiem]

10 minutes ago, alison said:

 

That said, however, what are the cast sizes in what NYCB performs?  I'd struggle to imagine the Royal Ballet managing to credit every townsperson in Romeo & Juliet, for example.

 

I can't see why not. They must know who's performing so why not credit them.

[capybara]

1 hour ago, annamk said:

I agree, do post your thoughts @capybara I see Louise Levene at the FT was less enthusiastic than other critics. 

 

The main reason for my not sharing my thoughts on here is that I was questioning myself as to whether I was being unduly influenced by the fact that I didn't 'know' any of The Australian Ballet dancers apart from Joseph Caley. Within the companies I am familiar with - in alphabetical order BRB, ENB, NB and the RB - there are individuals in the corps as well as those taking the lead roles on whom I often focus and that aspect of watching ballet gives me enormous pleasure. So I have to answer my question in the affirmative.

 

That said, I thought that TAB fared better in some of the more modern pieces in the Gala than in Jewels and the classical elements of Sunday afternoon. In both the Inger and the Peck I felt a real commitment which drew me in. In contrast, especially perhaps in Jewels, I had a sense of steps and movement being executed with care rather than really danced with the kind of feeling which distinguishes one piece from another. There were some notable exceptions, of course, and, throughout, the wonderful Jonathan Lo in the pit exemplified the expressiveness which I needed to see on the stage.

 

It must be so much harder for companies in the southern hemisphere to develop without regular opportunities to 'measure' themselves against other troupes and, perhaps, to attract dancers with the kind of ease which seems to apply in Europe.

 

But I'm very glad that TAB came to London, performed to full houses and was so generally well-received. I hope they will return so that we can follow their progress in the way that used to be possible with the regular Russian visitors.

[LinMM]

Would love to see more American/ Canadian, German/other European and Aus Companies on rotation here in U.K. 

 

I do think it was not knowing any of the dancers which took a while for me to be drawn in when saw Jewels last week. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by LinMM

[Dawnstar]

Is anyone able to say if I New Then is typical of Johan Inger's work? I have just realised he's the choreographer for the Carmen ENB is doing next April. Given I did not like I New Then, if that is typical Inger then I will certainly be giving Carmen a miss.

[Sim]

27 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Is anyone able to say if I New Then is typical of Johan Inger's work? I have just realised he's the choreographer for the Carmen ENB is doing next April. Given I did not like I New Then, if that is typical Inger then I will certainly be giving Carmen a miss.

I will be giving it a miss anyway as I really don't think I can stand yet another iteration of this ballet, which IMHO has already been flogged to death.

[FLOSS]

 I seem to have missed Macauley's "dig at the Royal Ballet".I don't think that is inaccurate to suggest that Australian Ballet's presence in London dancing Jewels has provided a far  more interesting and engaging end to the 2022-23 ballet season than the triple bill with which the Royal Ballet chose to end its season. I would say that to express such a  sentiment is simply "fair comment".

 

Perhaps it is me but I found the choice of a mixed bill of Corybantic Games, Untitled 2023 and Anastasia Act III, even with Morera's farewell, provided a dreary downbeat end to the season. While I don't approve of the way in which Ashton's one act works now seem to have been relegated to the end of season slot they do at least provide a choreographic and artistic high on which to bring the season to its conclusion. A programme of works by a major choreographer or choreographers full of artistic and choreographic imagination and invention is a fitting end to a ballet season as it provides the promise of pleasure to come in the coming season. This season's final mixed programme seemed like a dreary afterthought when compared with the way in which the company closed the 2021-22 season. The Autralian's performances of Jewels have provided the positive end to the season which the Corybantic Games programme failed to provide. 

 

Jewels provided an opportunity for London audiences  to see a good part of the Australian company in action as did the Gala programme which seemed far more of a .company prospectus showing the stylistic range of the current company than a retrospective programme. It is going to be interesting to see whether the choice of pieces for the company's final programme reflects a commitment on the AD's part to look to the future while embracing the company's past or whether it is his intention, as far as possible, to cut the company's ties with its past.

 

I was not that taken with the modern pieces on display although the dancers  gave fully committed performances in each extract. It may be of interest to be told that a choreographer whose works have not, as yet, struck a chord with you, has created one of the first masterpieces of the twenty first century, it does not make other works from the same source or extracts from them any more appealing. I found the excerpt from Harlequinade particularly interesting. Yet again Ratmansky 's exploration of the Stepanov notation reveals a Petipa whose choreography is far more sensitive to the music to which it is set  than much of the "after Petipa " choreography we usually encounter. Harlequin's choreography was impressively virtuosic and varied. I was equally impressed with Joseph Caley's account of Nureyev's choreography for Basilio which struck me as far more varied than the version set by Acosta.

 

I have to say I would like to think that we might see this company on a regular basis. I am curious to see how they develop under Hallberg's leadership.

 

 

[LinMM]

I think the words that the Royal Ballet is “invariably hopeless in Rubies, slows Diamonds to a lethargy and overact in all three”…..is the dig at the Royal Ballet in Macauley’s review! 

 

 

[Sophoife]

The other sideswipe at the RB that I noticed in Macaulay was 

 

"Ratmansky’s stagings of nineteenth-century ballets are among the most historic revelations of our time. (You may be sure the Royal Ballet has steered clear of them.)"

 

(from the gala review)

 

@FLOSS Macaulay didn't say anything negative about the RB's end of season programme - he managed for once to say nothing 🤣

 

He's really quite curmudgeonly about the RB as a company.

 

He also compared Jewels as performed by the AB unfavourably with the same work as performed by other companies - without noting these were only the 26-30th performances ever of this work by this company. Not very fair to not include that note.

[alison]

Wouldn't you hope that by the time a company had got to 25 performances of a ballet in a matter of months they might have developed some degree of mastery of it, though?  I'm wondering how many the Royal Ballet has done in however many years they've been dancing it, maybe a dozen at a time.  Other visiting companies have performed certain ballets rather less before bringing them to the ROH, I suspect, and I don't remember the fact being acknowledged then, either.

 

And yes, Macaulay can certainly be curmudgeonly, but at the same time he has been going to the RB a long time, and pointing out things that have changed, and not for the better, as he did in his Sleeping Beauty post the other day (I don't know why these are all coming up now, months after the event?  Jan?  Ian?) is also valid comment.

[Dawnstar]

32 minutes ago, alison said:

I'm wondering how many the Royal Ballet has done in however many years they've been dancing it, maybe a dozen at a time. 

 

According to the ROH performance databse the RB have done Jewels 43 times over 5 runs, with 6-8 performances per run except in 2017 when they did 14. (Did that last run sell out? 14 performances seems quite a lot for a non-narrative ballet.)

[alison]

I suspect not.  I wasn't able to attend a full performance back then, but I seem to recall sneaking in for just one "act" (Emeralds?) and finding a lot of empty seats at the back of the amphitheatre.

[Emeralds]

Macaulay seems overall quite positive about AusBallet (is he feeling ok? Lol. Not his usual grumpy self) and you have to look quite hard to find negative comments, and even so, they look more like “could be even better, here are my pointers”. But once you read his swipes about RB and Paris Opera, you are reassured- ok, he’s fit and well- back to grumpy again. Lol. Nice comments from him about Bemet and Linane, which I feel are accurate. It does feel like he’s saying “I give them A, but here is why I didn’t give them A-plus”. Hey, for a company that travelled literally halfway across the world (jet lag effects can still be there after several days) an A is really the equivalent of  A-plus in home company terms. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

4 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

According to the ROH performance databse the RB have done Jewels 43 times over 5 runs, with 6-8 performances per run except in 2017 when they did 14. (Did that last run sell out? 14 performances seems quite a lot for a non-narrative ballet.)

I think I recall looking at the (much easier to get access to) box office website at the time for occasional last minute tickets and it varied as to which cast, but it sold well, though only some casts were 99-100% full. No “100+ seats left” scenarios. There used to be a fair number of latecomers who only got let in during the first interval after Emeralds. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Emeralds

[Jan McNulty]

5 hours ago, alison said:

 

And yes, Macaulay can certainly be curmudgeonly, but at the same time he has been going to the RB a long time, and pointing out things that have changed, and not for the better, as he did in his Sleeping Beauty post the other day (I don't know why these are all coming up now, months after the event?  Jan?  Ian?) is also valid comment.

 

AM is reposting some of his reviews, originally published elsewhere, on his blog.  I think it is valid to publish them from his blog given that people may not have been able to access the originals.

[Sim]

7 hours ago, Sophoife said:

The other sideswipe at the RB that I noticed in Macaulay was 

 

"Ratmansky’s stagings of nineteenth-century ballets are among the most historic revelations of our time. (You may be sure the Royal Ballet has steered clear of them.)"

 

Thank you.  That is exactly the one to which I was referring, that Floss missed.  

[MAB]

AM had a big thing about Hallberg as a dancer, I assume his enthusiasm extends to his new career and company.

[Sophoife]

7 hours ago, alison said:

Wouldn't you hope that by the time a company had got to 25 performances of a ballet in a matter of months they might have developed some degree of mastery of it, though? 

 

One might. However, to compare AusBallet in Jewels unfavourably with companies such as NYCB (by inference rather than by reference) as AM did is unfair.

 

Also, as I noted above re the Sydney season, injuries have necessitated cast changes, added to which the retirements of Adam Bull and Chris Rodgers-Wilson took out two men who danced (for example) the "Emeralds" principal couple.

 

Given the average number of performances by AusBallet in a normal year, 25 for one production would generally be considered as "not many".

 

For example, the revamped Swan Lake opens in Melbourne on 19 September and will be performed 53 times between then and 20 December, with in addition the Ashton double bill of The Dream and Marguerite and Armand running for 19 performances in Sydney between 10 and 25 November. 72 shows in 94 days plus travel, performing in four different cities and theatres... 😳

 

In an average year, the company presents six productions.

 

In 2010 the company performed 187 times, in 2011 180, 2012 194, 2013 188, 2014 184, 2015 203, 2016 197, 2017 183, 2018 189, 2019 190, 2020 9 with 167 cancelled, 2021 75 with 121 cancelled, and 2022 179.

 

So, not that much variety in a "season" (calendar year), but plenty of opportunities for all the principals, quite different from, for example, the Royal Ballet.

 

I would actually really like to know how these numbers compare with other "major" companies. I'll have to ferret out Queensland and WA too...

[Silke H]

On 07/08/2023 at 23:03, capybara said:

 

I've held back from giving my views so far since I was clearly less enamoured with The Australian Ballet's offerings than most BCF members. But, on the basis of seeing Jewels and the Gala, I would certainly not rate them among the 'top five' although, of course, I wish the Company well on its journey towards that goal.

TBH, I didn't feel the love for TAB's Jewels either and it's usually a ballet I really enjoy (all three different parts for different reasons), hence I sold my other two tickets and only returned for the gala which I rather liked for the most part (not Watermark or Little Atlas).

I have questioned myself whether I was overly critical with TAB's Jewels or whether I just had an off-day last Thursday.  But, for me it was lacking either the punchy, speedy attack NYCB has or the grace and cheekiness the RB brings to it.  A friend of mine likened it to a school's performance and I think that hits the nail on the head, especially having just recently seen the RBS end of year performance.  It was executed well but for me it was missing pizzazz.

In Sunday's gala I particularly enjoyed I New Then and Everywhere We Go and also liked Harlequinade's and Don Q's excerpts a lot.  I would really like to see TAB more often, with ballets that the company feels really comfortable in, and hope we don't have to wait so long again to welcome them back to London.

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, Sophoife said:

 

One might. However, to compare AusBallet in Jewels unfavourably with companies such as NYCB (by inference rather than by reference) as AM did is unfair.

 

Also, as I noted above re the Sydney season, injuries have necessitated cast changes, added to which the retirements of Adam Bull and Chris Rodgers-Wilson took out two men who danced (for example) the "Emeralds" principal couple.

 

Given the average number of performances by AusBallet in a normal year, 25 for one production would generally be considered as "not many".

 

For example, the revamped Swan Lake opens in Melbourne on 19 September and will be performed 53 times between then and 20 December, with in addition the Ashton double bill of The Dream and Marguerite and Armand running for 19 performances in Sydney between 10 and 25 November. 72 shows in 94 days plus travel, performing in four different cities and theatres... 😳

 

In an average year, the company presents six productions.

 

In 2010 the company performed 187 times, in 2011 180, 2012 194, 2013 188, 2014 184, 2015 203, 2016 197, 2017 183, 2018 189, 2019 190, 2020 9 with 167 cancelled, 2021 75 with 121 cancelled, and 2022 179.

 

So, not that much variety in a "season" (calendar year), but plenty of opportunities for all the principals, quite different from, for example, the Royal Ballet.

 

I would actually really like to know how these numbers compare with other "major" companies. I'll have to ferret out Queensland and WA too...

Just to say if anyone thought AusBallet’s Jewels wasn’t good enough, they’d really have to take a plane to New York to watch NYCB. Yes, there are individual performances in various companies where a principal pair or a soloist is exceptional. But with all three acts and all couples, soloists, the trio and the three ensembles being of consistent high quality, right now, AusBallet, and probably only NYCB can surpass that because they do it frequently and regularly. 

 

I enjoyed RB and Bolshoi’s at ROH in their last run, but the consistency wasn’t the same in all the casts. (If someone out there saw a European company or West Coast company, all casts, equally good, came and saw both AusBallet casts and felt their companies were better, and is willing to send me theatre tickets, plane tickets and hotel room to check them out, I’ll change my mind if they are really more outstanding. But the moment has passed. 😉) 

 

Sophoife, you and the company have nothing to worry about. The performances were brilliant. And people who sat around me - most not ballet regulars - said the same. I think they really felt touched by the quality and artistry- the company do really dance with feeling and communicate  well with their audience. We had that conversation about a third cast- well I don’t know how a third would have looked, but the second cast was good enough to be a first cast! Not that the first cast was worse. Just simply that both were so good that either of them could have opened the run. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

I think with regard the pizzazz and attack that Macaulay and Silke are alluding to, certainly in Rubies, that’s true that AusBallet’s version starts off more low key (even in the playing of the music) and builds to the pizzazz and attack at the end.

 

We’ve had some good casts, eg the Mariinsky cast with Diana Vishneva in 2000, the Lamb/McRae/Hamilton cast in 2017, but the alternate casts without those leads didn’t match up (am excepting the Takada/Campbell/Heap cast from this assessment because Takada and Campbell were replaced due to injury when I was due to see them)....and what often happens is that it sags when the principal couple leave the stage: they aren’t dancing with pizzazz or energy any more, just trying to act it, and we’ve had so many Tall Girl/Soloist Girl soloists a bundle of nerves just before the balances. I’d rather they start small and build up to big and powerful, than to sag in the middle. And one cast sagged at the end - the two lead women literally couldn’t keep up with the music (not their first performance/debut).

 

And a lot of worried Emeralds ballerinas (not sure why they are worried)- with the exception of Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball, who just danced and expressed the music beautifully, with no angst, no drama. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Emeralds

[Geoff]

On 09/08/2023 at 14:27, alison said:

And yes, Macaulay can certainly be curmudgeonly, but at the same time he has been going to the RB a long time, and pointing out things that have changed, and not for the better, as he did in his Sleeping Beauty post the other day (I don't know why these are all coming up now, months after the event?  Jan?  Ian?) is also valid comment.

 

+1