English National Ballet's Our Voices

[Bluebird]

5 minutes ago, OnePigeon said:

I saw it last night and unfortunately there was no Emma Hawes or Aitor Arietta.  I hope they recover quickly from whatever prevented them dancing.

Aitor Arietta did dance last night - with Katja Khaniukova - and their partnership was quite magical!

Edited September 24, 2023 by Bluebird

[OnePigeon]

17 minutes ago, Bluebird said:

Aitor Arietta did dance last night - with Katja Khaniukova - and their partnership was quite magical!

Thank you, I was really confused as I thought that was what they’d announced and I was so far away I couldn’t be sure, but I thought it looked like him.  I’m no expert on the ENB dancers either. 🤭

[capybara]

It is nearly 10 years (i.e. spring 2014) since Katja Kaniukova joined ENB from Kyiv as a Junior Soloist.

She has danced many leading roles in that time, including Frieda Karlo in Broken Wings for which she won an NDA. So it has been difficult for some time to understand why she wasn’t promoted to Principal quite a while ago.

Maybe this season…….?

[Geoff]

19 hours ago, Don Q Fan said:

Matters were not helped by the amplification of the singing it was so loud I had to put my ear plugs in for both this and Four Last Songs. Someone up thread said it wasn't amplified last night, but I respectfully beg to differ,  it most certainly was from where I was sitting in 2nd circle. 

This would suggest that “turning down the volume on a few speakers” is what has actually happened, rather than “turning off amplification”, which is what they should do. Pity. 

[Bruce Wall]

3 hours ago, OnePigeon said:

I saw them perform Who Cares sometime in the early 2000s.  I used to watch the Baryshnikov version on video as a child and am such a huge fan, though he’s ruined it for me as I find his performance so definitive.  It does need the very sharp dancers which NYCB are masters at who understand the style and can bring out the syncopated rhythm - I recall not being overly impressed with the ENB when I saw it. I can imagine Tiler Peck would be wonderful and am sad they aren’t bringing it over.

 

NYCB are doing just one performance of Who Cares? and then only excerpts this season - largely because it is being done as part of the Fall (i.e., Fashion) Gala.  They obviously are getting as many individual dancers involved (i.e., no double solo turns I assume) as they want to get as many individual bodies for the dance couture exhibition - all original to the evening - in a not-so-long performance so that the inevitable house parties can prevail.  Heaven knows what this will look like???  This event is always an adventure - but it does bring in a different audience - and the dosh.  The air is frequently redolent with a clash of perfumes in the theatre on those evenings.  Tiler Peck is happily down for this in one of the McBride delights I'm sure.  She is very good in it.  The songs featured instrumentally in the standard piece will here be sung by noted local artists from the musical theatre community.  

 

THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 5, 7:00 PM 2023 FALL GALA

WHO CARES? (Excerpts): M. Fairchild & T. Angle, LaFreniere, Bouder & Chan, T. Peck, Mearns & Veyette, Woodward, Gordon [Conductor: Litton; Guest Artists: Patti LuPone, Vanessa Williams, Joshua Henry] ....  pause

GLASS PIECES: Hod, Sanz, Adams, Riccardo, *O. MacKinnon, *Coll, Phelan, Danchig-Waring [Conductor: Otranto]

 

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Bruce Wall

[Sim]

4 hours ago, OnePigeon said:

I saw it last night and unfortunately there was no Emma Hawes or Aitor Arietta.  I hope they recover quickly from whatever prevented them from dancing.

So do I....I've booked to see them on the 30th!

[OnePigeon]

I had originally booked the 30th but had to reschedule due to the train strikes.  I really enjoyed the Balanchine and found the Four Last Songs lyrical and beautiful, but can’t say I enjoyed Les Noces at all and it gave me overwrought sixth form drama vibes, though the dancers did wonderfully with what they were given.  I hope you enjoy your evening, there’s definitely lots to enjoy and admire.

[OnePigeon]

1 hour ago, Bruce Wall said:

 

THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 5, 7:00 PM 2023 FALL GALA

WHO CARES? (Excerpts): M. Fairchild & T. Angle, LaFreniere, Bouder & Chan, T. Peck, Mearns & Veyette, Woodward, Gordon [Conductor: Litton; Guest Artists: Patti LuPone, Vanessa Williams, Joshua Henry] ....  pause

GLASS PIECES: Hod, Sanz, Adams, Riccardo, *O. MacKinnon, *Coll, Phelan, Danchig-Waring [Conductor: Otranto]

I’m not sure I’d care to have the music sung as I love Hershy Kay’s orchestrations, but the songs are so wonderful it will be interesting, at least.  
 

I do so envy the NYCB repertoire, I would so love to see Glass Pieces. At the risk of sounding like a broken record..... If only they were bringing it to the Sadlers Wells!  I could kick myself for not seeing them on the occasions I have visited New York as I don’t think I’ll make it back over there in the foreseeable future.  It would be great if they set up an internationally accessible streaming service as so little of their repertoire is performed in the UK.  

[Emeralds]

I normally would avoid couture designers trying out their hand doing ballet costumes (I’m sure I’ve bored RB fans here with my complaints about the Corybantic Games costumes- both sets - and other fashion disasters on the ballet stage). However, I’d be tempted to brave any onstage fashion faux pas just to hear Patti LuPone sing Gershwin! Not to travel across the Atlantic, but if this were in London, yes.

 

Am tempted to ask why they can’t just save money and raise more funds by not making unnecessary “new” costumes but instead invite guest dancers to dance and eminent singers to sing, and perhaps a short fashion show of the designers’ actual Fall collection clothes (surely that’s better exposure for their product) but that’s just me...... 😊

Edited September 24, 2023 by Emeralds

[Dawnstar]

I've just read the Seen & Heard review in today's Links and was quite surprised to read this:

 

Quote

Another singer stands at the side of the stage for David Dawson’s Four Last Songs. A solo soprano, this time, who makes a dramatic entrance before any dancers appear.

 

From where I was sitting, First Circle A2, I never saw Madeleine Pierard until she bowed at the end & had assumed that she was stationed in the orchestra pit. Presumably she was instead standing on the very far right of the stage from the audience point of view?

[Scheherezade]

She was, Dawnstar. 

[Emeralds]

Sat 23 Sept matinee:

Theme and Variations -Julia Conway (replacing Shiori Kase), Daniel McCormick

Angela Wood, Skyler Martin, Eireen Evrard, Junor Souza, Anna Nevzorova, Vsevolod Maievskyi, Minju Kang, Rentaro Nakaaki

Les Noces- Breanna Foad, Alice Bellini, James Streeter, Rentaro Nakaaki, Henry Dowden, Francesca Velicu

Four Last Songs- Sangeun Lee, Gareth Haw, Ivana Bueno (replacing Emma Hawes), Lorenzo Trossello (replacing Aitor Arrieta), Erina Takahashi, Francesco Gabriele Frola

Minju Kang, Eric Snyder, Precious Adams, Rhys Antoni Yeomans, Angela Wood, Miguel Angel Maidana

 

Sat 23 Sept evening: 

Theme and Variations- Katja Khaniukova (replacing Emma Hawes), Aitor Arrieta

Ivana Bueno, Eric Snyder, Precious Adams, Edvinas Jakonis, Emily Suzuki, Ken Saruhashi, Haruhi Otani, Erik Woolhouse 

Les Noces - (same as matinee)

Four Last Songs - (same as matinee)

 

Firstly, some great news: bouquets are back at ENB! There’s “flower parity” too- both men and women receive bouquets! Matching ones. However, it looks like bouquets are only given to those making debuts in lead roles. Hence at the matinee, Conway (making an unscheduled last minute role debut!) and McCormick both received identical bouquets for T&V, then in Four Last Songs, Bueno and Trossello (both making earlier debuts than expected) received bouquets that looked like long stems of gladioli. (Both times they were delivered by an elegant petite young lady with long hair, who looked like she might be from ENB- I’ve never seen theatre employees so slender and who walk with such graceful deportment! Perhaps the flowers are from the company leadership?) Secondly, no more rushed curtain calls. The dancers get time to take their bows as a group, then bows for ensemble, featured solo parts, then leads, then another round of bows Definitely more time for audiences to show appreciation for performances. 

 

Okay, on to the dancing on this double show day. Day 3 of this run seemed to be the day of our first “casualties”- Shiori Kase sadly injured, ill or indisposed, with Conway (not among the four scheduled casts) appearing to be a late replacement for Shiori, who was still in the cast list the day before. She did very well considering the last minute call up and limited rehearsal time with her new partner: her gargouillades in the ballerina solo among the neatest and crispest I’ve ever seen (it would have been tempting to substitute them with easier pas de chat which some ballerinas have done, but she didn’t) and the allegro steps were beautiful. McCormick was elegant, musical and airy in his jumps. Slight wobbly final lift didn’t detract from the fact that this was an amazing last minute debut for Conway with McCormick also making his debut in what seasoned stars have described as a very difficult ballet. The whoops and cheers onstage after the curtain came down indicated how last minute this replacement had been  (the ensemble also applauded them both during their bows). 

 

In the evening, another substitution in Theme and Variations - Khaniukova replacing Emma Hawes in the ballerina role due to injury/illness/other emergency (Hawes had been well enough to dance Four Last Songs the night before), although with more notice and time to rehearse as Hawes’ indisposition had been known about at the matinee. It looked like Arrieta had been taken out of Four Last Songs at the matinee despite being fit and well, to give him time to rehearse with Khaniukova in this demanding (but beautiful) ballet and also because the lifts in Four Last Songs are complex so it was safer to substitute the pair rather than assigning a replacement ballerina to a partner who hadn’t rehearsed the role constantly with her.

 

Khaniukova and Arrieta were lovely together in Theme and Variations, especially lyrical in the long adagio, one of the most gorgeous examples of classical choreography made for ABT (Alicia Alonso and Igor Youskevitch were the original leads) - it’s one of a small number of surviving ballets by Balanchine not originally made for New York City Ballet.

 

The leading man’s role seems made for Arrieta, with his wonderful elevation, ballon and footwork.Both he and McCormick are musical and make the phrases Iin the solos sing. Arrieta is an elegant and secure partner and though I haven’t seen him and Khaniukova paired up in many ballets (their performance of the pas de deux from Scarlett’s No Man’s Land in the Dance for Ukraine fundraiser being the only occasion), they make a great new pairing- no problems with any lifts. Both Conway and Khaniukova were beautifully steady and graceful in the passage with the ensemble women “partnering” the ballerina while all are on pointe, with its challenging developpes in different directions and held arabesques. 

 

The new costumes designed by Roberta Guidi di Bagno are traditionally classical and glorious, attractive on both the men as well as the women. There is no set- only a backcloth lit blue and two modern “chandeliers” that look like a burst of twinkling tiny lights. That should make the ballet portable enough to bring on tour. Of the Demi soloists and corps, Minju Kang, Ivana Bueno, Junor Souza, Erik Woolhouse, Eric Snyder, Skyler Martin and Angela Wood stood out in the two shows with their elegant classical lines and their joyful dancing.

 

Much has been said about Andrea Miller’s new modern reboot of Les Noces, called Les Noces, Ascent to Days (couldn’t help thinking it sounded like a name for a video game!) My initial impression was that with the advance publicity stating it was “what happens after The Rite of Spring“, ENB look like they now have a Rite of Spring (by Mats Ek) that looks like Les Noces and a Les Noces that looks like a Rite of Spring!

 

I usually watch new works without reading a synopsis first with the view that everything one needed to know about a ballet’s meaning and plot should be self evident on the stage. Foad’s Chosen One ghost, scuttled about (on demi pointe), returning to her grieving family (portrayed by Bellini, Streeter and Nakaaki). There are movements for the mother (Bellini) that echo the Chosen One’s steps in Nijinsky’s original, Streeter gets a number of scenes where he portrays the anguish and grief of the father powerfully, Nakaaki’s astonishing elevation and powerful turns are used to great effect as the brother of the sacrificed Chosen One. There’s no hint of a wedding here (the Noces of the title) and at times the English lyrics used (although Stravinsky himself conducted performances and recordings in America using English lyrics) seem incongruous, such as when the words describe the bride and groom’s new home and material possessions are juxtaposed with scenes depicting grief and pain. 

 

I couldn’t help being reminded of the online clips or tv broadcasts of the experimental reboots of classics that many European companies produce that are seldom seen here. They’re often emotional, beautifully danced and have a visceral power that’s effective to experience  in the theatre, but seem not to make complete sense if you think about them: why is X doing this? What is Y doing with Z and not V? It certainly is a fresh and original take on Les Noces, and Bellini’s jetes and Nakaaki’s repertoire of jumps are fun to watch on any day, while Dowden and Velicu are compelling in the command of their scenes, but it all feels baffling in a beautiful sort of way. No doubting the dancers’ total dedication to the piece and the singers’ commitment to the story though. Maybe one isn’t supposed to think about it but just experience the mix of ideas and emotions....

 

The music uses the score orchestrated by Steven Stucky for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, commissioned by their artistic director, the conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, to perform in their large concert hall in 2009. The orchestration is lovingly done and uses the different instruments to powerful effect. The soloist singers and Holland Park chorus are magnificent in their singing and expression of the libretto.

 

Unfortunately the score has also been mixed with some new electronic music at the beginning, which had the rather unfortunate effect of sounding like we were about to get Akram Khan’s Giselle but didn’t. I had seats in the second circle (the equivalent of balcony or amphitheatre) at the matinee and stalls in the evening, and the upper circle definitely had the less terrible  sound which was clearly amplified - the singers occasionally sounded muffled from the second circle, but in the Stalls, during the quieter moments of the score, a loud gushing noise could be heard constantly emanating from the back, which was intensely distracting and sounded like a bath tap had been left running till the end of the ballet! I asked my friend if he heard it too, and he agreed he did. This also went on throughout Four Last Songs and really ruined the music and singing of the ballet and our enjoyment of it. It wasn’t there at Theme and Variations.

 

We can only conclude that it must be the background noise from the amplification system since T&V doesn’t use amplification, and it sounds a lot like the noise you get when you turn up the volume very high after a tape recorder has finished playing a song (or the scene from the film The Sixth Sense where Bruce Willis’ character Malcolm turns up the volume to maximum and hears a ghost’s voice in the recording for the first time!) It’s not audible from the second circle so thankfully the seats for the last performance I’m catching of this triple bill are upstairs! But urgh, how horrible for patrons who have paid lots to sit in the Stalls to have their enjoyment of the music ruined. My friend had gotten us a discount which partially softened the disappointment, but I would have gladly paid full price if that could make them turn off the amplification completely!

 

Anyway, on to Four Last Songs and so glad I had managed to see this in the second circle at the matinee first, with the same cast as the evening- they  were all outstanding, from the First Artists to the Lead Principals. I was already a fan of Strauss’s Four Last Songs, and had seen some of David Dawson’s previous choreography and was looking forward to this premiere. But I am also baffled as to why the music for this has been put through an amplification system - this work is sung at big halls (it premiered at the Royal Albert Hall), medium sized halls, huge auditoriums, spaces that absorb a lot of sound, and spaces that transmit sound well. It doesn’t need microphones or amplification and should not have been (the composer would have been furious). 

 

As Strauss writes for an orchestra with a large sound (four horns, three trombones  and three trumpets!) there is no way that the music would not be audible for dancers, singer and audience, and soprano Madeleine Pierard has sung at the Coliseum, Royal Opera House and Royal Albert Hall- she has also sung soprano solos for RB and BRB performances without amplification -and has the power to project to the furthest seat away in the auditorium: there’s absolutely no need for microphones. Hence it’s rather annoying that the pudding is being over egged, with amplification  ruining the music. In the upper circle the music and singing sound a little muffled as though you’re sitting behind a pillar when you’re not, but not as bad as in the Stalls where it’s constantly disrupted by the loud gushing noise  from the amplification.

 

That said, if you can tune out the noise, Pierard’s singing is gorgeous. For me the dancing needs to be seen from either the First or Second Circle, as the choreography is rather sculptural or 3D in effect. In the Stalls we can see the dancers’ faces and technique up close, but you can’t see the patterns and the swirling effect or emotional sweep of the vertical lifts well- from upstairs, even in the cheapest seats, the effect is so glorious. It’s a totally different experience to watching it downstairs. From downstairs it can look like the women are being hauled around in some kind of gymnastics-in-lifts, but from above, you see why: the shapes are gorgeous and the lifts more respectful (if that’s thr concern) than some in dramatic ballets like Judas Tree and Mayerling (clearly, those are to tell the story though).

 

At the matinee, Bueno and Trossello, with Bueno heartrending and beautiful in the role made for Hawes, to “Beim Schlafengehen” (Now to sleep) - “softly into sleep we are sinking....freely gliding, softly swaying....in the magical realm of night” with its stirring accompanying melody on violin towards the end, and Trossello, in the role made for Arrieta, a strong and sensitive partner- it was so moving that it brought a tear to my eye. (They repeated their roles in the evening with just as much commitment but it was harder to appreciate their movement from the Stalls and with the disruption from the awful gushing sound.)

 

To end, the whole cast coming together for the glorious strains of “Im Abendrot” (At Dusk) - “we sense the night’s soft breath ...now we are tired, how tired! Can this perhaps be death?” [translation by M Hamburger in ENB souvenir programme], each couple, gradually leaving the stage till only Frola is left on his own, finishing with a series of turns on bent knee, memorable and haunting as the curtain comes down. Death is hinted at in the songs and the choreography  (no baffling conflict of meanings here), but not in a tragic nor horrific way - more a sense of acceptance, peace and reminiscence. Who are these beings? Angels awaiting souls entering heaven? The younger selves of those with a long life well lived? The souls of people waiting to be free? As I watched the ethereal Takahashi drifting away from Frola, Wood and Maidana swirling gracefully away, Adams and Yeomans’ joyful characters, serene Kang borne away by strong Snyder, and the expressive Lee (who seems to be able to speak volumes with the arch of her back, the sweep of an arm and a mere flick of her feet) held aloft by Haw, one can’t help feeling, maybe it’s all of the above. 

 

If I didn’t have to catch train, Tube and bus to Sadler’s Wells and could just teleport, or if I lived nearby and could walk there, I would pop in to Sadler’s Wells and get a ticket upstairs just to watch this every night.  I knew Dawson could choreograph, I just didn’t know he could make something as beautiful as this, and I’m thrilled that it was created for ENB. Another audience member I spoke to also agreed it was beautiful and with this cast, her favourite of the three works. But you do have to watch it from upstairs! Glad I have one more show left. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Emeralds

[Irmgard]

55 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Sat 23 Sept matinee:

Theme and Variations -Julia Conway (replacing Shiori Kase), Daniel McCormick

Angela Wood, Skyler Martin, Eireen Evrard, Junor Souza, Anna Nevzorova, Vsevolod Maievskyi, Minju Kang, Rentaro Nakaaki

Les Noces- Breanna Foad, Alice Bellini, James Streeter, Rentaro Nakaaki, Henry Dowden, Francesca Velicu

Four Last Songs- Sangeun Lee, Gareth Haw, Ivana Bueno (replacing Emma Hawes), Lorenzo Trossello (replacing Aitor Arrieta), Erina Takahashi, Francesco Gabriele Frola

Minju Kang, Eric Snyder, Precious Adams, Rhys Antoni Yeomans, Angela Wood, Miguel Angel Maidana

 

Sat 23 Sept evening: 

Theme and Variations- Katja Khaniukova (replacing Emma Hawes), Aitor Arrieta

Ivana Bueno, Eric Snyder, Precious Adams, Edvinas Jakonis, Emily Suzuki, Ken Saruhashi, Haruhi Otani, Erik Woolhouse 

Les Noces - (same as matinee)

Four Last Songs - (same as matinee)

 

Firstly, some great news: bouquets are back at ENB! There’s “flower parity” too- both men and women receive bouquets! Matching ones. However, it looks like bouquets are only given to those making debuts in lead roles. Hence at the matinee, Conway (making an unscheduled last minute role debut!) and McCormick both received identical bouquets for T&V, then in Four Last Songs, Bueno and Trossello (both making earlier debuts than expected) received bouquets that looked like long stems of gladioli. (Both times they were delivered by an elegant petite young lady with long hair, who looked like she might be from ENB- I’ve never seen theatre employees so slender and who walk with such graceful deportment! Perhaps the flowers are from the company leadership?) 

 

 

The petite young lady is Jennie Harrington, stalwart of the corps de ballet for many years and now Artistic Scheduling Manager for the company.  I believe the flowers she is presenting to all those making their debuts are from the company as there were masses of bouquets at the stage door, at least on opening night, which were not presented onstage.

[Emeralds]

34 minutes ago, Irmgard said:

The petite young lady is Jennie Harrington, stalwart of the corps de ballet for many years and now Artistic Scheduling Manager for the company.  I believe the flowers she is presenting to all those making their debuts are from the company as there were masses of bouquets at the stage door, at least on opening night, which were not presented onstage.

Thanks Irmgard! I do remember Jennie very well from her dancing days in many different parts: she always had a lovely presence on stage and was easy to spot- I couldn’t see her face from the angle of my seat, but she definitely has a ballet dancer’s posture, and still young enough to be an ENB dancer 😊. That’s lovely that the dancers can get a bouquet onstage for their debuts, even if not quite the whole collection. 😁

Edited September 25, 2023 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

On 23/09/2023 at 07:25, bridiem said:

 

Excellent news! I wish now that I hadn't gone to the first night.

If it’s any consolation, bridiem, I think they decided to put the amplification back on Saturday as it sounded decidedly suboptimal (Stalls being worse than upstairs). If it helps, I would love to have gone on first night (had my schedule allowed but it didn’t) to see Emma Hawes and Aitor Arrieta together before she became unwell/injured/indisposed. I’ve also missed seeing Aitor twice in Four Last Songs now even though he was fit and well! Ivana Bueno and Lorenzo Trossello are lovely and they were wonderful and so expressive (I highly recommend anyone who’s wondering which night or matinee to book to catch their cast for FLS), but I’ll be getting their cast on my last booking and would like to have seen Aitor and Emma at least once- when all is well with Emma of course. Hope Shiori Kase and Emma make a speedy recovery/things resolve speedily for them, whatever it was that kept them off the stage on Saturday.

PS isn’t it great that the curtain calls are less rushed now? Very warm and enthusiastic reception from the audiences at the two shows I went. 💐👏

[Emeralds]

On 21/09/2023 at 21:19, Sharon said:

I'm devastated I am unable to get down to London to see this show. I have Covid for the very first time and am quite poorly. In particular I wanted to see Four Last Songs as I really like David Dawson.

I look forward to reading all your reports.

Sorry to hear you have Covid and are feeling unwell, Sharon. Hope you can recover quickly enough to catch a performance before the run ends on the 30th. Medically you are no longer contagious one week after your positive test so the main thing is just to rest lots and look after yourself so that you do feel strong enough and well enough to travel to London on Thursday 28th or Friday 29th (presumably you will need the trains which are not running at all on Sat 30th so those last two shows are not feasible unless you can drive, get the coach or do the journey by buses). Sadler’s Wells’ box office nowadays are helpful with exchanging the ticket to a later date if you can email or phone them early (I think it’s  at least 24 hours in advance.)

[San Perregrino]

Interesting insight into the costume design for Four Last Songs:

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cxno4IEIZ9G/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ==

[alison]

I noticed from some of the press photos that there are actually "veins" on the men's tights as per the publicity photos, but we have the "nude" look instead of the rather attractive-looking "sunsetty" blue and pink on the flyer.  

[OnePigeon]

I’m not sure much designing was needed in all honesty 😁.  I’m a little torn on these costumes and just hope the dancers are happy to wear them because they are incredibly revealing and very much give a nude effect.  
 

On the one hand they present the dancers’ incredible physiques born of hard work and dedication, with the nudeness of them emphasising and complementing the physical, sensual and spiritual feel of the music and choreography, giving it an almost ethereal quality at times, like watching some Greek deities.  On the other hand, I hope none of them felt in any way demeaned or uncomfortably self conscious dancing in costumes in a skin tone that made them look naked.  I did feel a little voyeuristic when they first came on stage, but the costumes did successfully show off their beautiful lines.

[Henry]

I know that with triple bills that it is usual to put the crowd pleasers as opening and closing iitems.  The more difficult. less pleasing item is put in the middle.  However, is this instance, I wish that the new Les Noces had been put last. Then I could go home an hour earlier and still feel satisfied...

[capybara]

I’ve just been reading all the many links (thank you Jan and Ian) and was somewhat taken by surprise at this headline in the Telegraph: Tamara Rojo is no longer in charge - yet saves the evening. Whaaaaat?

 

For anyone who hasn’t got behind the paywall, Mark Monahan then praises the new Les Noces to the skies while giving scant attention to the other works. Fair enough that he expresses his views, of course, but very harsh towards the new AD.

[Henry]

I noticed at Saturday's matinee, that the conductor, Gavin Sutherland, placed a mobile phone on the podium at the start of Les Noces.  It wasn't there for the other 2 works.  The pulsating lights on the phone gave the impression that the music was being recorded.  Is this allowed?  

 

What next?  Kitri appears with her phone instead of a fan, does selfies with her 2 friends and posts them on Instagram?  Well, I suppose Matthew Bourne is bound to update Don Q one day...

[OnePigeon]

2 minutes ago, Henry said:

I noticed at Saturday's matinee, that the conductor, Gavin Sutherland, placed a mobile phone on the podium at the start of Les Noces.  It wasn't there for the other 2 works.

Maybe he hated it as much as I did and had a box set to catch up with on Netflix.

[bridiem]

12 minutes ago, capybara said:

I’ve just been reading all the many links (thank you Jan and Ian) and was somewhat taken by surprise at this headline in the Telegraph: Tamara Rojo is no longer in charge - yet saves the evening. Whaaaaat?

 

For anyone who hasn’t got behind the paywall, Mark Monahan then praises the new Les Noces to the skies while giving scant attention to the other works. Fair enough that he expresses his views, of course, but very harsh towards the new AD.

 

That isn't the headline on the review of his that I can see - it just says 'English National Ballet enters a new era – with mixed results'. So not sure where the Rojo headline comes in? I did however notice Jonathan Gray's review last week in which he implied that her departure has liberated the company! Ho hum.

[Emeralds]

Yumiko Takeshima (the costume designer) has designed a lot of David Dawson’s ballets - certainly the most recent ones I saw (The Human Seasons, Anima Animus and now Four Last Songs) were all by her. She used to be a dancer herself, at various companies like Dutch National Ballet (mentioned in the clip), Alberta Ballet, etc and was principal dancer at Semperoper Ballett - funnily enough, ENB Artistic Director Watkin used to partner her a lot. She designed the costumes for the production that she gave her farewell performance in - Giselle (that sounds like my dream job-dancing the lead of Giselle and designing the costumes!) So it’s like a reunion of sorts during the making of  this ballet.

 

I found that the costumes for Four Last Songs looked better in real life on the stage than the pictures might suggest. When looking at a curtain call photo I took from far away, the colour makes it look like they’re in the nude from but when you look closely, they are thick enough and actually don’t reveal much unlike some other costumes where necklines are cut too low or the material is too thin. The men probably have the hardest “job” in that they have to have perfect posture at all times (dancers and dance students will know what I mean) - no slouching out! Then again, dancers are very disciplined and probably hold themselves perfectly even in the thickest three piece costumes  anyway.

 

I think many people believe all leotards are alike- just order twenty off the shelf, why bother with a designer? But actually they’re not. The best ones are cut and designed well to give a good fit, flattering shape as well as comfort when performing the most tricky steps and lifts. (I’ve even seen a black leotard slip out of shape during a lift in Agon at another company- nothing revealing, but not a good look). Interesting that Yumiko said humbly that the costume department made her designs turn out better.

 

The dancers looked stunning in the costumes and while they’re not Karinska tutus for Diamonds (but that’s a different style of ballet), the main thing is that they make the dancers look good, their lines look wonderful and express the theme of the ballet beautifully, and there are no fashion faux pas like those in Corybantic Games and Prima (Erdem and Roksanda make the Princess of Wales and women going for lunch look good, Yumiko makes dancers look good, so it’s no shame to stick to one’s forte 😊).

 

Yumiko’s leotard designs were also chosen for the Black Swan film and many dancers buy leotards from her dancewear company (called YUMIKO) for their own use. Whether or not one likes the style or steps of the ballets, the dancers themselves looked beautiful in the designs of the ballets such as Human Seasons and Anima Animus, and that shows that the designer has accomplished the task successfully.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

32 minutes ago, Henry said:

I noticed at Saturday's matinee, that the conductor, Gavin Sutherland, placed a mobile phone on the podium at the start of Les Noces.  It wasn't there for the other 2 works.  The pulsating lights on the phone gave the impression that the music was being recorded.  Is this allowed?  

 

What next?  Kitri appears with her phone instead of a fan, does selfies with her 2 friends and posts them on Instagram?  Well, I suppose Matthew Bourne is bound to update Don Q one day...

Funny you should mention that, Henry, but there is actually an upcoming new production of La Traviata in Vienna rebooted to modern day, where the lead, Violetta, is reimagined as a social media influencer living in Paris, and there will be lots of mobile phones used as props and selfie taking in the opera choreography! (Great cast actually- Oropesa, Florez, Tezier). Christopher Wheeldon of course has already used smartphones in his choreography, from the last scene of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, to his one act ballet for San Francisco Ballet commenting on the isolating effects of phones and digital addiction, called Bound To. 

[JNC]

On 23/09/2023 at 15:57, annamk said:

I see from the daily cast sheet that some words of explanation have been added re Les Noces. 

 

I trust it's ok to cut and paste here.

 

Looking forward to seeing whether this makes it clearer next time I go. 

 

I. A family grieves their daughter sacrificed by the rite. II. The people shoulder the debris from the sacrifice and at the same time rush to collect promised returns. A priest prays for the fulfillment of divine favour. III. The people return empty handed. They vote. The sacrifice will be repeated. IV. The father’s heart is a battlefield between his faith and his grief, he has only has his son to turn to. The priest, infatuated with the chosen one, needs a plan to keep her alive. The chosen one and the community prepare for another rite. V. A brother and sister reunite.

very annoyingly after paying £8 for a programme they haven’t even bothered to put this synopsis in here!

 

I won’t gripe about ROH programmes again…

 

Oh and no printed cast lists either  even though I’ve definitely seen some people with them (a large group, VIPs maybe…?) 

 

Will post thoughts in here later after the full bill has concluded…

[Emeralds]

45 minutes ago, JNC said:

 

I won’t gripe about ROH programmes again…

 

Oh and no printed cast lists either  even though I’ve definitely seen some people with them (a large group, VIPs maybe…?) 

 

Will post thoughts in here later after the full bill has concluded…

The printed cast sheet was on the pillar outside the auditorium on each level, JNC, with the Les Noces synopsis. I suppose the pillar rather than the wall so that more people can gather round and take a photo of it to read. If you are upstairs and can’t find a printed cast list, the ground floor definitely has one. Maybe the people in the group downloaded and printed theirs in advance off the QR code? 

 

NB the synopsis didn’t really tie in with what I saw on stage - I saw it twice and couldn’t spot them “coming back empty handed” or “voting”! I think everyone  gets different things from it. We were not even too sure who got sacrificed in the end from the choreography ....lol. But the dancing and acting are gorgeous. Look out for Rentaro’s (the Son - brother of the deceased Chosen girl) jumps! 

 

PS the programme has the original German lyrics by legendary novelist and poet Hesse and Eichendorff for Four Last Songs plus the English translation beside them. Hesse’s lyrics for the first three songs are still protected under copyright for another 9 years, so Wikipedia has barred them from being posted - you can only find them with a lot of painstaking searching online, so I bought the programme to save me precious time surfing. 😊 Maybe it’s £8 because of the royalties for publishing the Hesse lyrics. 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Emeralds

[JNC]

@Emeralds I meant individually given printed cast sheets rather than the one taped to the pillar! With the programme I feel it is justified they can print off some sheets of A4 to be honest. 

[Emeralds]

1 minute ago, JNC said:

@Emeralds I meant individually given printed cast sheets rather than the one taped to the pillar! With the programme I feel it is justified they can print off some sheets of A4 to be honest. 

Ah I see! 😊 Yes, I like the printed sheets too- especially for the Emerging Dancer vote! (I thought we were allowed to get extra votes if we went to more shows hence the necessity for using paper, otherwise you can’t prove you actually watched a show if you vote online, but maybe they don’t count it like that.) PS how is the show going? How were Sangeun and Gareth in T&V? (Disappointed not to be able to see them on Sat thanks to the ASLEF strike). 

[capybara]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

That isn't the headline on the review of his that I can see - it just says 'English National Ballet enters a new era – with mixed results'. So not sure where the Rojo headline comes in? 

Therefore, I must confess to overcoming the paywall via a sneak peak (with permission) in the newsagents!

[bridiem]

5 minutes ago, capybara said:

Therefore, I must confess to overcoming the paywall via a sneak peak (with permission) in the newsagents!

 

Interesting that they put a more sensationalist headline in the printed version! (I do remember many moons ago looking surreptitiously and with excitement at reviews in papers in newsagents! Though I did also occasionally buy a paper too...). 

[alison]

Talking of cast sheets, can you get them anywhere?  On the ENB website, for example, for those who don't have QR readers, like BRB and the RB do? I don't fancy keeping my distinctly curved photo of the cast sheet as my only memento.