ANEMOI/THE CELLIST - ROYAL BALLET AUTUMN 2023

[Cescablue]

Attended my first Friends Rehearsal in 25ish years today! Decided to try a rehearsal as neither ballet had really excited me on screen, but I wondered if an in person experience would be better - suffice to say, it was! I know I can't properly review the rehearsal, but I will say that Mayara was a revelation and I found The Cellist unexpectedly emotional - recommended! 

[MJW]

50 minutes ago, Cescablue said:

Attended my first Friends Rehearsal in 25ish years today! Decided to try a rehearsal as neither ballet had really excited me on screen, but I wondered if an in person experience would be better - suffice to say, it was! I know I can't properly review the rehearsal, but I will say that Mayara was a revelation and I found The Cellist unexpectedly emotional - recommended! 

 

I wasn't overly keen on The Cellist when I saw it in 2020, but am going again this evening and it will be interesting to see if my feelings about it changed. I was impressed with Anemoi when I saw it live during its first run.

[postie]

Oh my. I thought The Cellist was marvellous. So lyrical, full of grace, elegance and .. family and ... dignity ... and pathos. Can't say there wasn't a dry eye in the House though I suspect many were moved more than they expected by the power of the storytelling. Phew: a memorable afternoon, indeed!

 

If there is anyone you'd like to introduce to the Royal or ballet, I think this would make a very good choice.

 

 

[Cescablue]

7 minutes ago, postie said:

Oh my. I thought The Cellist was marvellous. So lyrical, full of grace, elegance and .. family and ... dignity ... and pathos. Can't say there wasn't a dry eye in the House though I suspect many were moved more than they expected by the power of the storytelling. Phew: a memorable afternoon, indeed!

 

If there is anyone you'd like to introduce to the Royal or ballet, I think this would make a very good choice.

 

 

I have to say that a couple of tears rolled down my cheeks - whether it was the music or Mayagra I'm not sure....probably both, and everything you've eloquently expressed above, Postie!

[Cescablue]

33 minutes ago, MJW said:

 

I wasn't overly keen on The Cellist when I saw it in 2020, but am going again this evening and it will be interesting to see if my feelings about it changed. I was impressed with Anemoi when I saw it live during its first run.

Well, I hope you enjoy the evening!

[EVWS]

The casting is already up on the website - makes a change! 

 

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/43/anemoi-the-cellist-by-valentino-zucchetti-and-cathy-marston/cast-list/54542

[Rob S]

I’ve got a free Stalls Circle Standing place, D8, for tonight’s performance for the first person to message me….i can’t go due to all the trains being cancelled because of flooding 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Rob S

[alison]

So sorry, Rob  

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, EVWS said:

The casting is already up on the website - makes a change! 

 

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/43/anemoi-the-cellist-by-valentino-zucchetti-and-cathy-marston/cast-list/54542

 

Seeing the full cast for Anemoi makes me again wish I was seeing the first cast for that, as there are several of the younger dancers who I like in the cast.

[gdallas]

I enjoyed Anemoi this evening, though I was unfamiliar with the music. I’d kind of like to see it again. Abstract ballet can be beautiful and this was, in parts. And I really liked the staging. 
the Cellist was powerful! Marcellino Sambé is wonderful and I thought that Lauren Cuthbertson danced beautifully, made a great trio with Matthew Ball. Big lump in the throat by the end. I would definitely like to see more work by Cathy Marston; it is so interesting to see a (to me) new choreographer’s work and she has a definite style. 
Ages since I’ve been to the ballet. Should go more…. Best thing in the world
 

[alison]

As I thought, 2 hours.  They could surely have fitted something else in as well - something which might have encouraged me to go.  I mean, there are various 20-odd-minute ballets in the repertory.  Or, of course, they could shorten the intervals - but then that's less time to sell alcohol in.

[Peanut68]

2 hours of dance or did that include the interval? 

[alison]

Including the interval.

[bridiem]

Last time, The Cellist was on with Dances at a Gathering (1 hour). This time, Anemoi (25 minutes). 

 

I rest my case.

[Linnzi5]

19 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Last time, The Cellist was on with Dances at a Gathering (1 hour). This time, Anemoi (25 minutes). 

 

I rest my case.

If Dances at a Gathering had been in the programme, I would have been buying multiple tickets! 

[San Perregrino]

26 minutes ago, bridiem said:

(25 minutes).

i was chatting to one of the catering staff and they said that it was barely time to put out the interval orders…

also that it would be possible to order a pot of tea before curtain up and for it to be the perfect drinking temperature at the interval 🙂 

for an Opening Night the atmosphere was very low key and the ambiance in the foyer was very muted. I didn’t see any Press so it will be interesting if there are any/many reviews. 

Edited October 21, 2023 by PeterS

[Guest oncnp]

I'm speculating but cost cutting may be the issue. Both DAAG and the Tchaikovsky pas de deux, as reasonably suggested on another thread, might involve paying for rights and repetiteurs from the respective Trusts.  Anemoi may be essentially free. 

 

A false economy, in my view, but other factors such as rehearsal schedules may also be involved in the decision. Or the ROH just made a massive miscalculation 

[Emeralds]

Cathy Marston is only competing with herself, but Valentino Zucchetti's first  full ballet for RB has to suffer comparison with Jerome Robbins' popular hit- and Robbins had already made The Cage, Afternoon of a Faun, and won awards for West Side Story, The King and I, Gypsy etc when he made DAAG, so it's an unenviable position to be in. Or you could say that the first time round, Anemoi was in a bill with Sleeping Beauty Act 3, various pas de deux highlights like Winter Dreams, Voices of Spring, After the  Rain, etc....so his new ballet had the support of many known hits- plus they only had to sell about one third of  the house (social distancing) to sell out. I don't think Robbins, MacMillan and Ashton's first works had to shoulder the responsibility of selling out a 2 200 seater auditorium for so many shows either. Now, actually, they could have fitted Ashton's Voices of Spring and  Thais pas de deux into the extra 20-25 minutes left over. Or two of MacMillan's pas de deux. Those would have helped boost interest and sales. (But they would srill have had to lower the prices.)

[capybara]

39 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Last time, The Cellist was on with Dances at a Gathering (1 hour). This time, Anemoi (25 minutes). 

So, plenty of space in which to include something (a gala-type segment as described by @Emeralds) featuring more RB Principals, which would not only have helped to shift tickets but would have brought an audience attracted by ‘names’ into contact with works unfamiliar to them.

Such an addition would not, surely, have taken up too much rehearsal space/time as some pieces are already in Principals’ back pockets or were performed at a one-off night in Japan.

(As it is, I think I might have paid £2+ for every minute of dancing on this programme 😰!!! More fool me!)

 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by capybara

[Emeralds]

I've caved in and bought tickets for this after encouraging two friends to go, mainly because one hasn't been inside ROH for over a decade (living abroad) and partly out of sympathy. But not at £110, sorry....my friend needs to be able to pay her hotel bill! 

[bridiem]

18 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Cathy Marston is only competing with herself, but Valentino Zucchetti's first  full ballet for RB has to suffer comparison with Jerome Robbins' popular hit- and Robbins had already made The Cage, Afternoon of a Faun, and won awards for West Side Story, The King and I, Gypsy etc when he made DAAG, so it's an unenviable position to be in. Or you could say that the first time round, Anemoi was in a bill with Sleeping Beauty Act 3, various pas de deux highlights like Winter Dreams, Voices of Spring, After the  Rain, etc....so his new ballet had the support of many known hits- plus they only had to sell about one third of  the house (social distancing) to sell out. I don't think Robbins, MacMillan and Ashton's first works had to shoulder the responsibility of selling out a 2 200 seater auditorium for so many shows either. Now, actually, they could have fitted Ashton's Voices of Spring and  Thais pas de deux into the extra 20-25 minutes left over. Or two of MacMillan's pas de deux. Those would have helped boost interest and sales. (But they would srill have had to lower the prices.)

 

I would have loved to see Anemoi again; I just don't want to see The Cellist again and clearly I'm not going to book a whole evening ticket when there's only 25 mins I want to see. But with some enticing additions, or a good third work, I would have booked in spite of The Cellist (depending on the prices).

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

Now, actually, they could have fitted Ashton's Voices of Spring and  Thais pas de deux into the extra 20-25 minutes left over.

 

or his Symphonic Variations

[JohnS]

I very much enjoyed the double bill although I thought the previous Dances at a Gathering/The Cellist worked better, DAAG an all time favourite performed by two fabulous casts and The Cellist which grew on me with each viewing. I thought it made for a great double bill last time.

I didn’t get a programme this time but thought Anemoi when last performed was timed at 30 minutes. This run it’s 25 minutes. Does anyone know if there’s been an edit? The fact that I can’t recall what might have been cut doesn't reflect well on me (I think I only saw the General Rehearsal last time) but I wonder if it might say something about the ballet’s overall impact? It’s certainly an accomplished piece, with Valentino Zucchetti drawing on his classical training, handling different combinations of his 16 dancers to good effect, and with two pairs of impressive soloists: Mariko Sasaki and Lukas B Braendsrod; and Leticia Duas and Taisuke Nakao. Mariko Sasaki is really impressing this season and I like Taisuke Nakao’s bravura part. The second cast is also strong and I’ll look forward to seeing them tonight although I can’t say I find Anemoi distinctly memorable.

 

I find The Cellist an impressive piece and I’m delighted it has another run. I do like the set. I was in the stalls circle for the General Rehearsal and in the Balcony for the opening night. From the stalls circle, you get more of the light shining through the f hole illuminating the inside of the cello. From the balcony it’s not quite as effective as you’re looking on top of the f hole and perhaps not as drawn into the unfolding action. The staging with the cast becoming furniture, lights, record players, the orchestra etc to me all works well. And I love the score with Hetty Snell’s solo cello making such a telling contribution throughout. As before Lauren Cuthbertson, Marci Sambe and Matt Ball were fully committed and I thought they portrayed Jacqueline du Pre’s highs and lows admirably: I find the ending deeply affecting. I’ll be very pleased to see the second cast tonight and have also booked for the final performance.

[Henry]

Personally, I welcome some shorter programmes being scheduled.  Of course, it's nice if that is reflected in the ticket price.  

 

Many will remember the long, successful run of the play "Art".  Part of its success was attributed to it being 90 minutes with no interval.  People could have a Tuesday evening at the theatre and still be home by 10pm.  For people, who need to get up for work the next morning, that was appreciated!  

 

The lack of principals gave some of the younger talent a chance to shine. However, the design of Anemoi needs to be rethought.  The costumes and lighting are too bland.   Not sure why shirts/tops were being added/removed.  

[bridiem]

16 minutes ago, Henry said:

Personally, I welcome some shorter programmes being scheduled.  Of course, it's nice if that is reflected in the ticket price.  

 

Many will remember the long, successful run of the play "Art".  Part of its success was attributed to it being 90 minutes with no interval.  People could have a Tuesday evening at the theatre and still be home by 10pm.  For people, who need to get up for work the next morning, that was appreciated!  

 

The lack of principals gave some of the younger talent a chance to shine. However, the design of Anemoi needs to be rethought.  The costumes and lighting are too bland.   Not sure why shirts/tops were being added/removed.  

 

I think that if a work/programme is short, it needs to be remarkable, or just a smaller-scale enterprise to start with. So The Limit in the Linbury at 1 hour 10 mins was fine on both grounds (and I was indeed very glad to get home earlier than usual!). But this bill, for me, doesn't meet either of those criteria. (I'm aware that for others, it might well do so.)

[Lizbie1]

16 minutes ago, Henry said:

Personally, I welcome some shorter programmes being scheduled.  Of course, it's nice if that is reflected in the ticket price.  

 

Many will remember the long, successful run of the play "Art".  Part of its success was attributed to it being 90 minutes with no interval.  People could have a Tuesday evening at the theatre and still be home by 10pm.  For people, who need to get up for work the next morning, that was appreciated!  

 

Seconded! A short running time has tipped the balance for me several times, and I speak as someone for who most of the time and expense is spent travelling.

[Henry]

Have you ever sat in the theatre at the end of Act II and thought "25 minutes interval, 35 minutes for Act III, if I leave now I can get home an hour earlier"???

 

 

[LinMM]

Yes I agree with Henry shorter programmes are fine occasionally but do think shorter programmes should be reflected in ticket prices. 

[LinMM]

And yes I have!! I hate having to be walking back to flat after 11.30 …I guess a reflection on my age now! 
Which is why I like the National Theatres idea of a couple of performances a week starting at 6.30pm ( from February 2024) 

In Russia I noticed performances nearly always started at 7pm 

Edited October 21, 2023 by LinMM

[annamk]

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

And yes I have!! I hate having to be walking back to flat after 11.30 …I guess a reflection on my age now! 

 

That is me too ! 

[capybara]

14 minutes ago, Henry said:

Have you ever sat in the theatre at the end of Act II and thought "25 minutes interval, 35 minutes for Act III, if I leave now I can get home an hour earlier"???

 

 

 

Yes - and I have!

[Beryl H]

If there are two, I always think of missing the last one and getting home earlier! 

[San Perregrino]

The trouble with endless surveys and focus groups can be that one sets out trying to please everybody and ends up pleasing nobody.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by PeterS