RB Winter Ballet Casting

[art_enthusiast]

17 hours ago, JNC said:

Hayward is meant to be an excellent Manon and I missed her last time but I’m not sure about her and Sambe - if it was with Campbell or Bracewell (or Corrales of course) I know it would be great. 

 

I personally love Hayward and Sambé together - though I would have been very interested in seeing her with Corrales as well. (I hope he is OK, maybe he will be back for Swan Lake/The Winter's Tale, Ashton?)

 

I find all these casts to be brilliant, I certainly want to see too many of them!

 

I have never seen Roberto Bolle live before nor have I seen Marianela's Manon live (apart from the one with Carlos last month), so I'm really tempted to book for them. I understand the age related comments, but I assume he is definitely still equipped to do the role or he wouldn't have been cast?

 

As others have pointed out, there must also be many first soloists/soloists Marianela could dance with. Which would make for another interesting debut!

 

Also curious at to why Ryoichi Hirano isn't doing Des Grieux? I would have liked to see him. Glad to see he is doing Lescaut though.

[OnePigeon]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Manon like Mayerling just isn’t a ballet I could see six plus times on the trot!! 
Twice at most ( and nothing to do with expense this time) with some weeks in between is enough on the emotional level for me with these ballets. 
I do think age may have something to do with it I’ve found as I’ve got older I can only take so much drama/tragedy and even Beauty!! 
The soul just needs to connect in every so often to keep in touch with the  range of human experience that is possible. 
Just as I could eat like a horse when younger but now just eat to keep the body sustained ( well most of the time!) 
Perhaps it’s like that with 55 years plus of ballet going ….though others will feel differently I’m sure. 

I never see more than one production as I can’t afford it and can’t do it logistically,  but I don’t think it’s one I’d want to keep going to either.  My mum says the same thing about getting older and hated the last Mayerling we saw and has sworn to never see it again as it’s too dark and depressing.  I fear for how she’s going to feel about Manon this time too. 

[Richard LH]

19 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Gosh Alex has got 2xDes Grieux and 4xLescaut!

Well deserved...he is excellent in both roles !

[Richard LH]

20 hours ago, Sim said:

Interesting that they have had to parachute Roberto Bolle in to dance with Marianela.  I guess all the other potential partners (Vadim, Will, Reece, Matthew) are already taken!

They have been paired together on the last two runs. I am afraid I was  disappointed with his performance, so not planning to see these two again.

Very pleased to be able to see Takada/ Campbell again, and also very happy about Kaneko's debut with Muntagirov.

[Richard LH]

20 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

I can't say I was bowled over.

..we weren't even Bolled over! 😊

[art_enthusiast]

17 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

I am afraid I was  disappointed with his performance, so not planning to see these two again.

 

Could you elaborate a bit as to why? Was it to do with characterisation?

[AnneL]

I am sorry to inject a note of dissent into the conversation, but I saw the Nunez-Bolle pairing during each of the last two Manon runs, and thoroughly enjoyed their interpretations. Personally I find Bolle’s interpretation of the role more convincing than many others I have seen, as evidenced by the Paris Opera Ballet dvd he is in, and he and Nela work together well. It remains to be seen whether he is now too old, given that one has to suspend disbelief with these characters for any dancers beyond their early twenties! 

[ctas]

I went back to read the Manon thread from the previous run - what a time! Amazing and very brave that McRae is returning to the role after that devastating injury. 
 

I am also a huge fan of Bolle’s interpretation, his performance changed my opinion of the ballet entirely - not being very fond of it before. His acting choices are probably my favourite, although the lead at the Paris Opera Ballet performance I saw in June was similarly excellent. Will definitely be booking to see him again, and hopefully the Muntagirov/Kaneko cast as I think Kaneko may be perfect for the lead role. 

[JNC]

40 minutes ago, OnePigeon said:

I never see more than one production as I can’t afford it and can’t do it logistically,  but I don’t think it’s one I’d want to keep going to either.  My mum says the same thing about getting older and hated the last Mayerling we saw and has sworn to never see it again as it’s too dark and depressing.  I fear for how she’s going to feel about Manon this time too. 

I really disliked Mayerling when I saw it back in 2018, but I love Manon. It is dark and depressing but I find Manon very moving (if the casting and mood is right).  
 

I found Mayerling didn’t have the same depth for me, and it felt overly busy with lots of characters and cluttered scenes and the final ending seemed more dark/scary (murder suicide) than emotionally moving with Manon (treated poorly by men and society). 
 

Just my opinion and I know Mayerling has many fans but my point is just because your mum found Mayerling too dark it may not be the case with Manon.

[Richard LH]

18 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Was it to do with characterisation?

It was to do with a bit of everything, as I recall. I just wasn't really convinced by his performance, and along with other posters,  I am rather surprised to see him back again.

[Richard LH]

17 minutes ago, AnneL said:

Personally I find Bolle’s interpretation of the role more convincing than many others I have seen

Well, there you go !

[OnePigeon]

11 minutes ago, JNC said:

I really disliked Mayerling when I saw it back in 2018, but I love Manon. It is dark and depressing but I find Manon very moving (if the casting and mood is right).  
 

I found Mayerling didn’t have the same depth for me, and it felt overly busy with lots of characters and cluttered scenes and the final ending seemed more dark/scary (murder suicide) than emotionally moving with Manon (treated poorly by men and society). 
 

Just my opinion and I know Mayerling has many fans but my point is just because your mum found Mayerling too dark it may not be the case with Manon.

We saw Mukhamedov’s final performance of Mayerling way back when and found it incredibly powerful:  it’s one of the most memorable ballets I’ve ever seen and I must confess I wasn’t as bowled over when we saw it again last year, though I still founds lots to admire - unlike my mum!  Perhaps it’s all to do with the production and casting.   She has seen and loved Manon in the past, I was just agreeing that perhaps as we age some of us can’t tolerate the more dramatic and dark stories as well as we could.
 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by OnePigeon

[Suffolkgal]

I was hoping for Hayward/Bracewell or Bracewell/Nunez, but I am sure it will be a lovely partnership with Naghdi.. they seem to be very in sync on tour! They have so many to choose from. 

[AnneL]

18 minutes ago, OnePigeon said:

We saw Mukhamedov’s final performance of Mayerling way back when and found it incredibly powerful:  it’s one of the most memorable ballets I’ve ever seen and I must confess I wasn’t as bowled over when we saw it again last year, though I still founds lots to admire - unlike my mum!  Perhaps it’s all to do with the production and casting.   She has seen and loved Manon in the past, I was just agreeing that perhaps as we age some of us can’t tolerate the more dramatic and dark stories as well as we could.
 

 

I don’t like Mayerling and don’t book for it when it’s on. Twice was enough for me - in 1979 and the late 2010s. But I must admit to some regret not seeing Mukhamedov in it! I prefer Manon and although I do find the characters hard to empathise with, they are not quite as repellent as the Mayerling ones. Hopefully I will see it once or twice in the upcoming run. 

[Linnzi5]

57 minutes ago, Suffolkgal said:

I was hoping for Hayward/Bracewell or Bracewell/Nunez, but I am sure it will be a lovely partnership with Naghdi.. they seem to be very in sync on tour! They have so many to choose from. 

I was initially hoping for Kaneko/Bracewell, but they have been cast together for DQ and Nutcracker, so I'm not surprised they're not together for Manon. Yes. Nunez and Hayward would have been good choices too, and I'd have been very happy with either,  but I am looking forward to see what Bracewell/Naghdi bring to their roles and to see what their chemistry is like. As you say, their recent tour seems to have been successful, from what I've heard and seen  

Edited August 9, 2023 by Linnzi5

[alison]

1 hour ago, OnePigeon said:

We saw Mukhamedov’s final performance of Mayerling way back when and found it incredibly powerful:  it’s one of the most memorable ballets I’ve ever seen and I must confess I wasn’t as bowled over when we saw it again last year, though I still founds lots to admire - unlike my mum!  Perhaps it’s all to do with the production and casting.

 

Let's face it, following Mukhamedov in the role is a pretty big ask!  (Is his performance still available on DVD, for Anne?)  Casting can make a huge difference.

 

(And I'll say once again, it probably took me 10 performances or so before I grew to appreciate Mayerling)

[OnePigeon]

12 minutes ago, alison said:

 

Let's face it, following Mukhamedov in the role is a pretty big ask!  (Is his performance still available on DVD, for Anne?)  Casting can make a huge difference.

 

(And I'll say once again, it probably took me 10 performances or so before I grew to appreciate Mayerling)

Yes indeed, huge shoes to fill!  I certainly lucked out on my first viewing.  You can still get his performance on DVD I believe - it turns up on eBay fairly often.

[FionaM]

I’m looking forward to the cinema pairing of Natalia Osipova and Reece Clarke too.  
 

I saw Osipova with Hallberg last time around and by then he couldn’t do some of the lifts and I found his acting awkward and superficial which contrasted with Osipova who was fully into her role, as always.  
 

Reece has the right look for Des Grieux, young and unworldly, plus beautiful lines.  I think both he and Bracewell will do fine things with the solos created on Anthony Dowell. 

[ellyb]

Another one very excited for Naghdi and Kaneko - hope the website behaves this time, looks like there might be a scramble for tickets! Slightly wish Naghdi was with Ball as I do love their partnership, I've not seen her with Bracewell but hopefully it will be a special evening. I'm tempted by Bolle and Nunez, even though I would've thought he really is getting on a bit for this role and I wasn't blown away with her Manon cinema showing... but I did love their Onegin and they are such icons I feel I should! It may well be the last time after all. I've seen Hamilton before and she was superb, I could be very tempted to see how she's grown into the role - same with Hayward who I liked before but I've not been convinced by her partnership with Sambe previously and though I'd really like to see him, I don't think De Grieux is a role worth booking to see specifically. Campbell was a wonderful De Grieux and I've never seen Takada live so that could be an option... can only afford max three so have some thinking to do! Any guesses on who might do the rehearsal? 

[Sim]

2 minutes ago, ellyb said:

Any guesses on who might do the rehearsal? 

It may well be a newbie, or perhaps Melissa as she is only getting one public show.  Pure guesswork, I hasten to add!

[capybara]

I have seen Roberto Bolle as Des Grieux with (I think) three RB partners and, in my view, neither his dancing nor his characterisation passes muster. The RB’s men may not be as conventionally handsome, rich and famous as Bolle but I feel that both their technique and their story-telling are stronger than his.

 

I’m also saying to myself that he’s had so many opportunities it’s time for someone else to have a turn.

 

Regarding the rehearsal, previous practice suggests that it’s more likely to be danced by a cast which is featured earlier rather than later in the run, especially as the Company's mid season break comes after only three performances.

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by capybara

[TSR101]

Personally also disappointed with Bolle's casting - I would have thought that this was Marianela's choice given her standing in the RB and their previous partnership both at the RB and guesting. 

 

Mainly tempted on the basis of not being sure how many more Manon's Marianela will have at the RB after this. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by TSR101

[ellyb]

7 minutes ago, Sim said:

It may well be a newbie, or perhaps Melissa as she is only getting one public show.  Pure guesswork, I hasten to add!

 

That would be good... I'd rather like if it wasn't Kaneko or Naghdi as I would prefer to see their full performances and my conscience would insist I return the full ticket if I saw the rehearsal! Anyone know who did the last one? I think Hayward was the one before that and I was overseas last time, though I wouldn't swear to it - and I have no idea if that makes any difference anyway. 

[Dawnstar]

26 minutes ago, ellyb said:

Anyone know who did the last one? I think Hayward was the one before that and I was overseas last time, though I wouldn't swear to it - and I have no idea if that makes any difference anyway. 

 

It was definitely Hayward last time, 1st October 2019. As that was the only public rehearsal I've ever been to it stands out in my memory!

 

40 minutes ago, Sim said:

perhaps Melissa as she is only getting one public show

 

I hoped for that last time, given she had zero public shows, but it didn't happen.

[ellyb]

20 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

It was definitely Hayward last time, 1st October 2019. As that was the only public rehearsal I've ever been to it stands out in my memory!

 

 

I hoped for that last time, given she had zero public shows, but it didn't happen.

Ah, thank you - it feels like it was a long time ago, but I guess a lot's happened since then! 

[Emeralds]

3 hours ago, alison said:

 

Let's face it, following Mukhamedov in the role is a pretty big ask!  (Is his performance still available on DVD, for Anne?)  Casting can make a huge difference.

 

(And I'll say once again, it probably took me 10 performances or so before I grew to appreciate Mayerling)

I’ve definitely still seen the Mukhamedov/Durante DVD of Mayerling available from online retailers although availability might vary or run out from time to time. Aside from the big names, the WH Smith website also stocks ballet DVDs (the older and more established titles, not the newest releases) and often have availability of popular titles when eBay or Amazon run out because not many people think of buying ballet items there. 😊

[Emeralds]

6 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

I personally love Hayward and Sambé together - though I would have been very interested in seeing her with Corrales as well. (I hope he is OK, maybe he will be back for Swan Lake/The Winter's Tale, Ashton?)

 

I find all these casts to be brilliant, I certainly want to see too many of them!

 

I have never seen Roberto Bolle live before nor have I seen Marianela's Manon live (apart from the one with Carlos last month), so I'm really tempted to book for them. I understand the age related comments, but I assume he is definitely still equipped to do the role or he wouldn't have been cast?

 

As others have pointed out, there must also be many first soloists/soloists Marianela could dance with. Which would make for another interesting debut!

 

Also curious at to why Ryoichi Hirano isn't doing Des Grieux? I would have liked to see him. Glad to see he is doing Lescaut though.

Purely putting two and two together which may well make five (2.3 plus 2.3 both of which on their own become 2 when rounded to whole numbers, makes 4.6, which rounds up to 5, so the phrase actually has a factual basis!)....Marianela was previously paired up with Reece Clarke for Romeo and Juliet, where the partnering demands are similar, possibly slightly easier, to Manon, but he got injured and it caused them some trouble finding a partner. In the end they engaged Jacopo Tissi from abroad at short notice, and he’d never danced the role in this production before, so there were some hiccups and wobbles, but quite good for someone who’d never danced with the Royal Ballet nor their production! Reece is now needed as Osipova’s partner so that rules him out. 

 

She and Hirano have  danced the leads in  Onegin  before and the partnering demands are similar to/slightly harder than Manon, so Hirano would have been a possible choice within the company. Hirano does do the “nice good guy” roles (eg Florimund in Sleeping Beauty, Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo) well even though a lot of audiences remember him as “bad guys” eg Tybalt, Lescaut, etc and like Bolle, still looks young enough to be Des Grieux, so if not Bolle, I would have picked him to partner Marianela. From watching past performances, she seems more comfortable with taller partners with a lot of partnering experience in these roles with complex partnering, so although she partners Vadim in the classics, they never dance R&J, Manon or Onegin together (to date he’s only done Lensky, having pulled out of Onegin after being cast as Onegin), and Marianela doesn’t do Mary Vetsera, possibly for that and/or other reasons. She’s had great success with Bolle, Hirano and Bonelli when they danced Onegin or Manon or (in Bolle’s case) both. (Bonelli now retired of course). 

 

I’ve seen Nunez and Bolle in Manon before (he’s danced it with lots of ballerinas and was always a popular Des  Grieux worldwide....with Bussell, Yanowsky, Dupont etc etc) and it was a lovely performance- both moving and believable, and their artistry is lovely as individuals and as a couple. Also helps to have a good Lescaut and a good GM as support! No technical issues at the two performances I saw. It will be interesting to see how standards are now, but Bolle is unlikely to accept a role if he doesn’t feel he can be at his best in his own performance or as a partner for his ballerina. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Emeralds

[JNC]

From my notes made last time round Bolle was actually technically ok but didn’t bring a depth of character to the role that, for example, Ball did. I thought Nunez was a good Manon but my favourite last time round was Morera!

[bridiem]

28 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

From watching past performances, she seems more comfortable with taller partners with a lot of partnering experience in these roles with complex partnering, so although she partners Vadim in the classics, they never dance R&J, Manon or Onegin together

 

Slightly bemused by this; Muntagirov is not short and has rather a lot of partnering experience...

 

[ellyb]

26 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Bolle is unlikely to accept a role if he doesn’t feel he can be at his best in his own performance or as a partner for his ballerina. 

 

I would think this would be the case, it's hardly likely he needs the work or the money and I wouldn't have thought he'd want to take a role that would encourage people to say he was past it! 

[Emeralds]

10 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Slightly bemused by this; Muntagirov is not short and has rather a lot of partnering experience...

 

I was surprised/bemused that he was cast in Manon and R&J with Sarah Lamb (who is very petite), considering that the height or limb (sometimes it’s not just the standing up height but also how long the limbs are) difference between Bonelli and Nunez is less. So my “two and two make five” assessment is that it may not have been Nunez’s choice but Vadim’s? His previous regular partner whom he danced Manon and (Nureyev’s or Deane’s, not MacMillan’s) Romeo and Juliet with was.....Daria Klimentova, who is also petite like Lamb. He did dance Swan Lake with Polina Semionova at ENB and either La Bayadere or Swan Lake at Mariinsky Ballet with Oksana Skorik (both taller than Nunez) but not Manon/Onegin/Mayerling etc ballets that have a lot of complex partnering: lifts, throws, slides. And if he’s not comfortable, then his ballerina won’t be comfortable with the partnership either. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Emeralds

[bridiem]

7 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I was surprised/bemused that he was cast with Sarah Lamb (who is very petite), considering that the height or limb (sometimes it’s not just the standing up height but also how long the limbs are) difference between Bonelli and Nunez is less. So my “two and two make five” assessment is that it may not have been Nunez’s choice but Vadim’s? His previous regular partner whom he danced Manon and (Nureyev’s or Deane’s, not MacMillan’s) Romeo and Juliet with was.....Daria Klimentova, who is also petite like Lamb. He did dance Swan Lake with Polina Semionova at ENB and either La Bayadere or Swan Lake at Mariinsky Ballet with Oksana Skorik (both taller than Nunez) but not Manon/Onegin/Mayerling etc ballets that have a lot of complex lifts, throws, slides. And if he’s not comfortable, then his ballerina won’t be comfortable with the partnership either. 

 

Well, yes; but your earlier statement implied that Nunez considered Muntagirov too short and with too little partnering experience to do these roles with him. It may well be that Muntagirov prefers to partner (even) shorter dancers than Nunez in this type of role, but that's a different thing entirely.

[OnePigeon]

That’s interesting about Nunez and Muntagirov not dancing Macmillan together.  I saw Naghdi stand in for Morera in Mayerling last year and was surprised to see Ball pretty much drop her on two separate occasions.  The different pairings make more sense now I think of it like that - the demands being so different from a Petipa classic, different strengths and body types suit each other differently.