ANEMOI/THE CELLIST - ROYAL BALLET AUTUMN 2023

[FionaM]

I adore The Cellist.  I find the emotions wholly overwhelming and hence cathartic.  

✔️ the music

✔️ the sound of classical cello 

✔️ the clever set design

✔️ the tragic romantic story of Jacqueline du Pre

✔️ the tragedy of Multiple Sclerosis (a favourite aunt was a sufferer)

✔️ the brilliant dramatic storytelling through the dancers’ bodies and faces

 

I am awaiting Mayara’s debut with much anticipation, and also Calvin’s cello,  having only seen the original cast previously.  Interested in the casting opportunity for Lukas BB as Daniel Barenboim.  I haven’t seen him do something requiring a subtle multidimensional portrayal of emotions such as this.  

Edited October 21, 2023 by FionaM

[Guest oncnp]

The Telegraph (see tomorrow's Links) which didn't even bother to review DonQ was impressed 

[alison]

5 hours ago, Linnzi5 said:

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

 

Or Song of the Earth. If it had been on with The Dream, I might have booked the whole run!

[Richard LH]

5 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

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).

Exactly this.

[capybara]

1 hour ago, FionaM said:

I adore The Cellist.  I find the emotions wholly overwhelming and hence cathartic.  

✔️ the music

✔️ the sound of classical cello 

✔️ the clever set design

✔️ the tragic romantic story of Jacqueline du Pre

✔️ the tragedy of Multiple Sclerosis (a favourite aunt was a sufferer)

✔️ the brilliant dramatic storytelling through the dancers’ bodies and faces

 

I am awaiting Mayara’s debut with much anticipation, and also Calvin’s cello,  having only seen the original cast previously.  Interested in the casting opportunity for Lukas BB as Daniel Barenboim.  I haven’t seen him do something requiring a subtle multidimensional portrayal of emotions such as this.  

Super review, FionaM. It makes me remember why I found it so moving in 2020 - memories which were then, I think, overtaken by the pandemic.

[Richard LH]

3 hours 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"???

 

 

Fortunately not as yet... it would have to be a pretty bad play, or whatever, to cause that reaction!

For ballets, allowing for the effort in travelling  in (and back) I would stay for the last Act, or work, even if I had only really  booked  to see the first two Acts or works.

[capybara]

1 hour ago, oncnp said:

The Telegraph (see tomorrow's Links) which didn't even bother to review DonQ was impressed 

But their critic’s favourite dancer(s) we’re not cast for that.

He will be at The Limit on Monday for sure.

[zxDaveM]

6 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

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).

 

I’m more fortunate, as I liked both pieces, so happy to go to this bill. I would have gone to more, except it clashes horribly with things I want to see in the Linbury. Which frankly, Is a bit annoying. For me, most of October is bonkers, then mid Nov onwards is relatively quiet 

[Ian Macmillan]

25 minutes ago, capybara said:

He will be at The Limit on Monday for sure.

Turns out it wasn't him last night!

[Bruce Wall]

I so very much enjoyed this double bill.  I thought it a wonderfully constructed programme and was even more impressed with the fulsomeness of both works on curated display than I had been when I originally saw them. 

 

After a month of 21 pieces of Balanchine a week and watching the NYCB dancers devour the much larger space of the State Theater stage in NYC, it was oh, so sweetly comforting to come back and revel in the Covent Garden confinements.  The intimacy of this venue - such a jewel box of an auditorium - (even if the opening up programme did manage to make some of the rest of the venue seem a requiem for the homeless) - feeds into the intimacy of these two works.  Both are so stunningly appropriate to today's Royal Company. 

 

Zucchetti's classroom work is just so rightly measured for the considerable gifts of these young Company members.  Masciari's placement alone was a joy to behold.  I found myself so much more involved in The Cellist than I seem to remember having been previously.  I think this may have been because I wasn't so put off by the use of so many dancers as simple filler.  Now I accept this simply as part of this Company's current ethic.  Indeed, now I could see how it actually helped draw the taut strings of the core trio more closely together; allowing each audience member a chance to focus on their magnificent achievements. 

 

How wonderful to have a revitalised Lauren Cutherbertson back amongst this number.  What a fine English dancer she is.  Motherhood - much as it has done certainly for NYCB's Megan Fairchild - seems to have added an extra layer of performance sheen.  The detail of her responses was oh, so vivid allowing Sambe's Cello relative periods of peace to literally sing in.  So impactful he was - as was Matthew Ball in what is, perhaps, the least clearly defined part of the major three.  The deployment of Ball's hands alone honoured with wise humanity those of Barenboim. 

 

This is another fine work by Cathy Marsden; one to lean on the shelf against Jane Eyre, Victoria and so, so many others.  Certainly, - at least for me - it made the whole programme a substantive feast.  Here's hoping the Royal do more Marsden soon.  (Certainly I would have loved to see her paean to Mrs. Robinson done for SFB.)  Marsden, MacMillan, McGregor, Acosta and Pite are just SO apt for the gifts of THIS Company as it stands defined; as much so as Balanchine, Robbins, Ratmansky and Peck are at NYCB.  They shouldn't mix.  They solemnise very different idioms; the native expressions of each patois is - at the very least - a world apart.  Wheeldon has cleverly cottoned on to this idea and frames entirely different works focused on the specific lights of each.  He well knows how to straddle.  Certainly he is aware that their separateness IS not just their but OUR strength.  It is for this reason he and Peck can survive on that cut-throat Boulevard; Broadway.  Each entity is in their rightful place and we should celebrate the wisdom of their fine relative directors in focusing explicitly on such - Kevin here; Wendy and Jonathan in NYC.  We should glory in the fact that each has so wholly dedicated themselves towards serving the audience each has - again themselves - framed.  They too are VERY different beasts but, blessedly, they both somehow manage to breathe in our frequently troubled times.  What would our world be without this clarifying variety.  Bless EACH for doing such a fine job on their dedicated course.  Long may that be the case for each.  Onwards.  

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Bruce Wall

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, Bruce Wall said:

Marsden, MacMillan, McGregor, Acosta and Pite are just SO apt for the gifts of THIS Company as it stands defined; as much so as Balanchine, Robbins, Ratmansky and Peck are at NYCB.  They shouldn't mix.

 

Personally I'd rather see the RB dance Balanchine, Robbins & Ratmansky than McGregor, Acosta & Pite, as I much prefer what I've seen of the former's choreography to what I've seen of the latter's.

[annamk]

Well @Bruce Wall I’m sincerely glad you enjoyed the Cellist double bill - I’m not even going to see it having found both works mediocre on their premieres. I have to take issue with your contention that it’s each to his own - I’m paraphrasing here. If you hadn’t seen a month of Balanchine I suspect you might be rather less enthusiastic about what’s on offer at the Royal Ballet this Autumn and as for each company dedicating themselves towards the audience they are serving I suggest that the ticket sales for The Cellist indicate that the audience here is not overly wowed by what Kevin O’Hare is offering and that a programme including Balanchine and Bobbins might well have sold much better. 

Edited October 21, 2023 by annamk
I dit

[postie]

2 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

 I found myself so much more involved in The Cellist than I seem to remember having been previously.  I think this may have been because I wasn't so put off by the use of so many dancers as simple filler.  Now I accept this simply as part of this Company's current ethic.  Indeed, now I could see how it actually helped draw the taut strings of the core trio more closely together; allowing each audience member a chance to focus on their magnificent achievements.

 

Not much has been said about 'The Instrument'. Having not seen this before, I have wondered if that role has evolved somewhat since the first go-around - it's so integral to the success of the whole ..

[MJW]

A couple of videos from Friday's opening night - (unfortunately I managed to miss Lauren Cuthbertson on stage alone at the end of the performance).

 

Anemoi - https://www.instagram.com/p/CyqkOXwI27t/

 

The Cellist - https://www.instagram.com/p/CyqBa3DIbQO/

 

24hrs after the event I am still in two minds; I like both works (though the constant scene changes in The Cellist (although cleverly done) are very distracting). I think a third "contemporary" work in the middle would have been a considerable improvement. Two hours was too short for an evening - though I managed to get home by 11:15.

 

Unfortunately given the recent discussion about ticket prices and discounts I kept thinking "and how much did you pay for your ticket..?" - not that I would have had the effrontery to ask.

 

 

[Bruce Wall]

2 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Personally I'd rather see the RB dance Balanchine, Robbins & Ratmansky than McGregor, Acosta & Pite, as I much prefer what I've seen of the former's choreography to what I've seen of the latter's.

 

I must say - and with all due respect - that I disagree - and I realise this is due to decades of watching both Companies.  Both have changed certainly; they wouldn't exist if they stood still but I think the Royal has gone on a far greater progression in terms of its core definition than NYCB has. 

 

I really think it was Monica Mason who charted the way for the Royal's alteration and the reason it is today SUCH a different company; certainly from that I remember from my own youth. It's funny because Ashton said himself the he could easily have ended up in NYC.  I heard him say it myself on a number of occasions.  One story goes that it was Ashton who introduced Balanchine to Kirstein.  Clearly without the latter there would have/could have been NO NYCB as we know it.  Ashton choreographed in NYC BEFORE Balanchine made Serenade.  It appears that it was Ashton who suggested to Balanchine that Serenade should be in 'flowing robes'.  Indeed, Ashton did two ballets for NYCB early on.  One, Illuminations, we saw a segment from in the Fonteyn Gala some years back.  The Royal Ballet at that time was much more focused on Ashton as a core inspirational fulcrum.  I think a segment of that even lasted into the latter part of the 20th Century.  Still, it turned. Turned completely.  It is clearly not the case today.  

 

I admire Kevin O'Hare because he is taking that progression to its clear/logical end.  The Company looks so at home in what he sees as their defining works.   It's for this reason I believe that you have the adamant hold of MacMillan.  That has I think coloured everything.  I think that Mason must have seen a kernel of this in terms of the advancement of McGregor.  This is what today's Royal clearly specialises in.  I feel that we must learn to be proud of this as the advancement is significant.  At NYCB everything - including the audience - is STILL built for Balanchine.  I have to say this was VIVIDLY hit home to me last Sunday.  I was sitting in E26 in the State Theater's Second Ring.  (I wrote about this in my penultimate note in the NYCB season note.)  It was the opening ballet, Concerto Barocco; such a glorious ballet.  It is to NYCB what, say, Mayerling is to the Royal.  Still, they are a world apart.  They should be.  Nonetheless, on THAT afternoon it was - in a way - different.  Certainly I came to realise it had to be.  

 

It was 21 year old Mira Nadon who instructed on this occasion.  I realised that I had not seen a dancer LIKE THAT for decades.  I realised that it was during the so-called 'dance boom' that I last did.  That's why I said I found myself believing we were actually watching someone - that oh, so rare someone - who actually is in the 'legend' category.  I remember thinking the same watching - for VERY different reasons - Vasiliev (Vladimir not Ivan - as much as I enjoyed the latter) or, for that matter, Fonteyn, who always said that it was in New York that she became an international star.  These creatures need space.  Nadon's movement with the music was pure magic and it opened your eyes - well, mine anyway - and my mouth in astonishment - like little else does or did around her.  I had been lucky to have been introduced to many of these roles with people like Farrell and McBride.  Farrell was equally defining.  Such pulsates in my memory.  When I first saw her I didn't understand - and then, suddenly, I did.  What do I mean by that?  Often hard it's to say.  Still, I will say this - These are dancers whose shadow you will forever see.  They live with you.  I can't watch the Second Movement of SiC without seeing Farrell dance it in the background or certainly Diamonds.  I now long to see Nadon in those roles - and I lust to see the new works that Ratmansky and Peck will create for her.  Do I want to see McGregor or Marsden touch her.  NO.  It wouldn't be appropriate.  They have dancers now trained expressly for their work at the Royal.  They will define those brilliantly.  The Royal has some very fine dancers.  Of that there is no question.  Would I like to see Naghdi do 4th Movement SiC with NYCB.  Yes, of course.  She'd be much better - well, more appropriate than Gerrity I know.  Will that happen?  No.  Should it happen.  Decidedly NO!  If the Royal is to dance Balanchine - and I'm not sure now that they - on the whole - should dance those works created for, say, the State Theater stage - then I think it should be appropriate.  Prodigal Son I can see being well up their alley.  I'd love to see, as I said, Sambe in the title role with Kaneko as his Siren or - and this may sound surprising - James Hay.  I just know he would make it his own.  I had forgotten just what an extraordinary - and oh, so witty piece it is.  Of course, I remember Baryshnikov and Damian Woetzel in the title role - who could forget - just as I vividly remember Peter Boal in Opus 19: The Dreamer or Agon.  Again, who could forget.  Still I wouldn't/ didn't want to see their Des Grieux.  No,sir.  Leave those kinds of things to Muntagirov or to Bracewell.  I wouldn't have wanted to see Dowell in 4T's either - but how many times did I see him in Swan Lake or Giselle or A Month in the Country?  Oh, so many. 

With Nadon at NYCB I realised there is now a chance - just a chance mind - for that NYCB magic again.  She can lead and inspire much as Farrell did.  Her magic is THERE - not HERE.  It shouldn't be.  Yet to watch the Royal dancers in Woolf Works or Dante or Untitled is to see them breathe.  They are at home in that HERE - not THERE.  That's what they are NOW built for.  As I've said the NYCB dancers would be horrific in it.  I really don't think the two should mix; nor should the dedicated MAJOR repertories - as they are - lose sight of their dedicated fulcrums and appropriate spaces.  Watching TPC2 with either Peck or Mearns reconfirmed this for me.  It NEEDS the space to breathe.  Those dancers need to move; carve and shape space in a way they could never do at Covent Garden.  Nor would I want to see MacMillan's R&J, his Manon or his Mayerling at State Theater.  It would swim and I fear ultimately sink.  The rightful artists need their containment for those and they are receiving it in London.  Indeed, it now seems the Royal are committed to dancing these works plenteously on a merry-go-round;  one every three years.  In just the same way NYCB does Balanchine.; only Balanchine lived a little longer and left the world 420 ballets. 

There is another MAJOR difference - and this is key to Balanchine.  THE MUSIC COMES FIRST.  It was the same for Robbins - and yes, I DO remember seeing him go VERY BRIGHT RED and jump up and down in rehearsals when a musical phrase was not to his liking or as originally intended.  I remember what it felt like being in a lift and Robbins staring with those piercing blue eyes.  You might as well have been sawed in half. Once when going backstage through a pass door after a performance at State Theater - only because I had been a docent at that performance - (these things don't happen any more) - and being floors above I could hear every single word Robbins screamed - and I mean SCREAMED - because Yvonne Bouree had gone off a musical cue in Dances at a Gathering.  Now she was never my favourite dancer (though she did guest with the Royal, filling in for an injured dancer in DAAG, and I remember thinking her very good in those performances) - but, STILL, I FELT SOOOOOOOOO SORRY FOR HER.  This was especially marked because when he was sane Robbins spoke VERY quietly and could be very witty.  People like Balanchine and Robbins would not be allowed to function as they did in today's world - (clearly for VERY different reasons) - and in many ways that's a good thing too.  Still, bless them for what they left us.  Thankfully THAT can still live.  But back to the point.  The last two times that DAAG has been performed here the piano playing has been - and here I'm being polite - unfortunate.  Believe me that pianist wouldn't have wanted to be in Robbins' path.  He wouldn't have had his job for very long thereafter.  That much I know.  Still, that is accepted here.  That I promise you would not occur EVEN NOW at NYCB.  McGregor - by his own admission - often choreographs independently i.e., 'against' music.  This is not something that would swim at NYCB.  Still, the Royal do exercise that dynamic SO brilliantly here.  It CAN be as thrilling as - well, as Nadon in Concerto Barocco.  (Well, no, that's a bit extreme - but you get the idea.)  

 

Could I have trained myself to so applaud the latter not having the former in my life.  No, I wouldn't have; I couldn't have.  Still, that's only because of MY past and  I realise all too well that is a relative rarity.  Still, we need to live in our present and celebrate our future.  There is I SINCERELY believe much to celebrate on both sides.  The differences that lie in their dedicated creative spaces should be - but only relatively - cherished.  

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alison]

1 hour ago, Bruce Wall said:

Indeed, Ashton did two ballets for NYCB early on.  One, Illuminations, we saw a segment from in the Fonteyn Gala some years back. 

 

Not really that early on, not in Ashton's careers.  Wasn't it a 1960s work?

 

And it's Cathy Marston

[bridiem]

4 minutes ago, alison said:

 

Not really that early on, not in Ashton's careers.  Wasn't it a 1960s work?

 

1950. But still, not that early.

[Ondine]

Here's a small glimpse of it. 

 

Program 2, Metropolitan, brings the world of New York Dance to Sarasota, with three ballets deeply connected to the city that never sleeps. Opening the performance is the return of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Illuminations, one of only two ballets that Ashton choreographed on New York City Ballet. Performed to Benjamin Britten’s settings for tenor and string, of selected poems by Arthur Rimbaud, the enfant terrible of French poetry, this dark and enigmatic ballet portrays the poet’s infatuation with his sacred and profane loves

 

 

[FionaM]

Brilliant and impressive debuts by Mayara Magri and Lukas BB alongside Calvin Richardson the only one remaining from the original second cast (Bea Stix Burnell and Cesar Corrales IIRC).  
 

All 3 leads were even better than I expected.  So strong together.  Annette Buvoli was special as the mother too.   Cannot wait to see her do more.  

Edited October 22, 2023 by FionaM

[Bruce Wall]

7 hours ago, alison said:

And it's Cathy Marston

 

Of course it is.  I had the privilege of working with her sister, Suzanne.  Such a stunningly talented family.  

 

[JohnS]

I very much enjoyed Saturday evening’s performance, the second cast’s first public performance having impressed in the General Rehearsal.

 

I’m rather taking to Anemoi but yet again it’s not helped by the absence of any detail in the cast sheet. I’d bought a programme in the afternoon and found Valentino Zucchetti eloquently engaging in explaining how his ideas for Anemoi, the ancient Greek gods of the wind, came out of all the bottled up energy we had during the lockdown, an energy that finds its expression in the drive and restlessness of the wind. From the initial pose that references ancient Greek statues, the dance is like a whirlwind. Because the wind is invisible we need to look at its impact on objects blown by the wind, such as grasses or sails. Zucchetti explains that his two lead couples represent cold and warm winds and at the end the warm winds prevail, taking over in the summer. Zucchetti says Anemoi has been tweaked and polished but I don’t see any explicit reference to any cuts (which might explain the shorter running time). The programme also gives the detail of the three Rachmaninov pieces. I’m afraid the Cast Sheet is very much another missed opportunity to include a few sentences that might be of interest to some audience members.

 

I thought the two couples well matched: Hannah Park and David Donnelly; and Sumina Sasaki and Daichi Ikarashi (he always impresses) and found the performance very pleasing.

 

The Cellist was hugely impressive and I thought Mayara Magri, Calvin Richardson, and Lukas B. Braendsrod made for a fabulous lead trio. And I do agree with @FionaM that Annette Buvoli made a most sympathetic mother, a lovely performance from her. The performance is so contingent on Hetty Snell, and of course Koen Kessels and orchestral colleagues, and it really is wonderful to hear her and see how the dancers respond to her playing. I’ve booked the final performance but I’m very tempted to see if I can fit in another performance of this cast.

 

 

[LinMM]

So glad Mayara Magri has made a great debut in this am just really sorry won’t get to see her this time. 
She really deserves every success such a lovely person. 
I do hope they bring the Cellist back again inspite of the current ticket sales ….but perhaps with better programming next time. I enjoyed it the first time and would definitely like to see it again.  

[Jane S]

10 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

1950. But still, not that early.

 

The RB has done at least two runs of Illuminations - with Ashley Page in the 1980s, and again in the 1990s.

[MJW]

First night cast photos by Alastair Muir - 

 

https://photos.alastairmuir.com/Ballet/Royal-Ballet/Anemoi-23/i-gkvm6FP

 

https://photos.alastairmuir.com/Ballet/Royal-Ballet/The-Cellist-23/

 

 

 

[FionaM]

I learnt something of how the stalls at least were filled.  I bumped into a retired dance teacher friend who was offered a ticket for £12.50 through an ROH staff member.  

Best we all start making insider friends! 

[FionaM]

I enjoyed Anemoi again as I had in the previous run, especially for highlighting younger and lower ranked dancers.  It is one of my reasons for liking double, triple, or multi bill programmes irrespective of the actual pieces.  

As is often commented here, all the dancers in this company are technically excellent, and some (many?) of the ones featured in this ballet are better than current principals.  Anemoi does have challenging choreo … I doubt many principals would want to take it on!     
 

So this ballet is a great opportunity for me to see how these dancers cope with being highlighted and solo on stage.  New stars emerge for the audience.  Of course the company themselves and Valentino here get to pick the ones they know will shine.  Last time around it was Leticia Dias and Mariko Sasaki who shone … now both first soloists and likely future principals.  
 

This time it was Hanna Park who grabbed my attention.  Lovely style and poise.  
 

Of the men, David Donnelly and Daichi Ikarashi were super as I knew they would be.  I would love to see David as Albrecht or Des Grieux in the not too distant future.  Why Daichi (and others) are being made to slowly rise through the ranks with bit parts here and there is frustrating for me.  But lack of height is always going to be limiting.  I was reminded (again) of how brilliant he would have been as the lead in Rhapsody.  Fingers crossed for more opportunities to see him in pieces like this.  He floats in the air.  

 

 

[BeauxArts]

The sales for this programme tell an important story. There has been some

very poor decision-making by the RB, both artistically and commercially. It would have made more sense on both fronts if the RB had belatedly honoured David Bintley and danced Tombeau (cancelled in Lockdown) and a Balanchine piece in recognition of his anniversary and to mirror POB and NYCB, as one of the leading companies of the world acknowledging this special event. This programme is simply not of the calibre that the RB should be dancing on this stage. It may well work better and sell better  in a smaller setting, but not on this stage. Currently, the  ticket sales for the Dante Project rather mirror this problem, but that may deserve a thread of its own. 

[Emeralds]

35 minutes ago, MJW said:

First night cast photos by Alastair Muir - 

 

https://photos.alastairmuir.com/Ballet/Royal-Ballet/Anemoi-23/i-gkvm6FP

 

https://photos.alastairmuir.com/Ballet/Royal-Ballet/The-Cellist-23/

 

 

 

Oh wow- the costumes for Anemoi seem to have been fixed at last and look so much better now! I was so disappointed when seeing the designs at the premiere as they looked so messy and unprofessional compared to the neat, glamorous leotards, tights and skirts used in Scherzo (the shorter, sleeker version premiered before Anemoi)...i kept wondering why they didn't just stick to the Scherzo costumes- and Scherzo had been a great success and very popular when premiered online. Now I'm actually looking forward to the double bill with my friends, although I still agree it should have had a middle piece, even a short one such as an Ashton pas de deux.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Emeralds

[Scheherezade]

31 minutes ago, BeauxArts said:

The sales for this programme tell an important story. There has been some

very poor decision-making by the RB, both artistically and commercially. It would have made more sense on both fronts if the RB had belatedly honoured David Bintley and danced Tombeau (cancelled in Lockdown) and a Balanchine piece in recognition of his anniversary and to mirror POB and NYCB, as one of the leading companies of the world acknowledging this special event. This programme is simply not of the calibre that the RB should be dancing on this stage. It may well work better and sell better  in a smaller setting, but not on this stage. Currently, the  ticket sales for the Dante Project rather mirror this problem, but that may deserve a thread of its own. 

I was certainly looking forward to seeing Tombeau before lockdown intervened. Dare we hope for next season?

[BeauxArts]

I share your wish to see it again! The RB has not shown DB the respect he merits, I feel. I would rather watch Tombeau than any one of the new 1-act works produced in recent years. I think it could look scintillating on the present company.

[capybara]

49 minutes ago, FionaM said:

I enjoyed Anemoi again as I had in the previous run, especially for highlighting younger and lower ranked dancers.  It is one of my reasons for liking double, triple, or multi bill programmes irrespective of the actual pieces.  

As is often commented here, all the dancers in this company are technically excellent, and some (many?) of the ones featured in this ballet are better than current principals.  Anemoi does have challenging choreo … I doubt many principals would want to take it on!     
 

So this ballet is a great opportunity for me to see how these dancers cope with being highlighted and solo on stage.  New stars emerge for the audience.  Of course the company themselves and Valentino here get to pick the ones they know will shine.  Last time around it was Leticia Dias and Mariko Sasaki who shone … now both first soloists and likely future principals.  
 

This time it was Hanna Park who grabbed my attention.  Lovely style and poise.  
 

Of the men, David Donnelly and Daichi Ikarashi were super as I knew they would be.  I would love to see David as Albrecht or Des Grieux in the not too distant future.  Why Daichi (and others) are being made to slowly rise through the ranks with bit parts here and there is frustrating for me.  But lack of height is always going to be limiting.  I was reminded (again) of how brilliant he would have been as the lead in Rhapsody.  Fingers crossed for more opportunities to see him in pieces like this.  He floats in the air.  

 

 

I agree that showcasing the younger dancers is one of the benefits (and joys) of a mixed programme.

 

Unfortunately, Hanna Park lacked the “poise” and experience to carry off the Queen of the Dryads variation in Don Quixote last weekend - which perhaps serves to illustrate that time is needed to develop stagecraft and confidence. 
 

I wonder in which respects of their art (no names, of course) you feel that “many of those featured (in Anemoi) are better than current Principals”?

 

(PS Leticia and Mariko, whose initial promotion was obviously delayed by COVID  are Soloists (at the moment).)

[postie]

Have to say I didn't understand some of the comments in this thread and wondered what the critics had to say. Felt sufficiently reassured I wasn't losing my mind after reading the topmost reviews from Mr Google - both effusive and 4/5: gorgeous, joyful, etc. Having endured one or two of disappointments on Roseberry Avenue recently it has been a great relief to have Anemoi and The Cellist stay with me since Friday lunchtime.