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Fantasy triple bills

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Blossom

Blossom

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1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

How about an animal ballets triple bill? The Cunning Little Vixen, Still Life At The Penguin Cafe and Tales Of Beatrix Potter. (I know the latter isn't the most popular but I can't think of any other animal ballets.)

I love Still Life at the Penguin Cafe but have never seen it at ROH. Thank goodness for BRB!!!

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

Strapless wasn't the worst but Wheeldon has done better. Am surprised you missed both runs, @Rob S- there were some nice costumes for curtain calls. I agree re: Les Patineurs, The Concert....Symphonic Variations too....all due for revivals. We need humorous or cheery pieces in these times.

Am I the only person who just generally does not get on with Wheeldon choreography? To be honest, I'm not sure if it's actually the choreography or the music. I'm not a fan of Joby Talbot and wish Wheeldon would work with someone who creates pieces which are pleasant to listen to and become more compelling when attached to the choreography.

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Scheherezade

Scheherezade

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57 minutes ago, Blossom said:

Am I the only person who just generally does not get on with Wheeldon choreography? To be honest, I'm not sure if it's actually the choreography or the music. I'm not a fan of Joby Talbot and wish Wheeldon would work with someone who creates pieces which are pleasant to listen to and become more compelling when attached to the choreography.


You’re not the only one, Blossom. And I couldn’t agree more about Joby Talbot’s music. 

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Dawnstar

Dawnstar

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1 hour ago, Blossom said:

I love Still Life at the Penguin Cafe but have never seen it at ROH. Thank goodness for BRB!!!

Am I the only person who just generally does not get on with Wheeldon choreography? To be honest, I'm not sure if it's actually the choreography or the music. I'm not a fan of Joby Talbot and wish Wheeldon would work with someone who creates pieces which are pleasant to listen to and become more compelling when attached to the choreography.

 

I've never seen it full stop - I couldn't get up to Birmingham earlier this year for BRB's latest airing - but would like to do so.

 

I like some of Wheeldon's choreography but his fairly frequent use of flexed feet really annoys me. I'm not very keen on Talbot's music either. (I'm still looking forward to seeing Winter's Tale later this season though because I've never seen it live.)

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Lindsay

Lindsay

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10 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:


You’re not the only one, Blossom. And I couldn’t agree more about Joby Talbot’s music. 

Thirded on that.  I do think Wheeldon is a better choreographer when he has better music - I love his Polyphonia to Ligeti’s music - way more interesting than the sludgy narrative stuff…

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bridiem

bridiem

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A couple of themed possibilities:

 

- a variation on a real and brilliant ENB triple bill: No Man's Land (Scarlett), Dust (Khan), Gloria (MacMillan).

 

- and, a bill fit for a King that could perhaps have been performed round the time of the Coronation: The Dream (Ashton), The Firebird (Fokine), The King Dances (Bintley).

 

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miliosr

miliosr

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For the Royal Ballet (Homage to Rudolf Nureyev):

La Bayadere, Act III, The Kingdom of the Shades (Nureyev, after Marius Petipa)

Songs of a Wayfarer (Maurice Bejart)

Marguerite and Armand (Frederick Ashton)

 

For American Ballet Theatre (Shakespeare theme):

The Dream (Frederick Ashton)

The Moor's Pavane (Jose Limon)

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (Antony Tudor)

 

For San Francisco Ballet (All Stravinsky):

L'Oiseau de feu (Maurice Bejart)

Rubies (George Balanchine)

Le Sacre du printemps (Pina Bausch)

 

Edited by miliosr
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Silke H

Silke H

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My fantasy mixed bill suggestions:

 

Tribute to Balanchine:  Ballo della Regina / Tarantella / Tschaikovsky PDD / Symphony in C - Tschai Pas is just too short on its on so I'd throw Tarantella in the mix

 

4 seasons of Ashton: Voices of Spring / A Month in the Country / La Valse / Les Patineurs (to me La Valse has an autumn feel)

 

Yellow colour-scheme:  Concerto / Scènes de Ballet / Rhapsody

 

Animal combination of Company and School:  Peter and the Wolf (school) - Matthew Hart / Carnival of the Animals - Chris Wheeldon for NYCB / Still Life at the Penguin Café - David Bintley

 

I'm sure I'll think of some more

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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10 hours ago, bridiem said:

A couple of themed possibilities:

 

- a variation on a real and brilliant ENB triple bill: No Man's Land (Scarlett), Dust (Khan), Gloria (MacMillan).

 

- and, a bill fit for a King that could perhaps have been performed round the time of the Coronation: The Dream (Ashton), The Firebird (Fokine), The King Dances (Bintley).

 

 

Fabulous suggestions @bridiem!

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MAB

MAB

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Thank you Silke H for including a couple of pas de deux.  I suppose strictly speaking that makes fantasy triples quadruples.  I wish we could include a pas de deux in the RB's ever shrinking repertoire as the dancers deserve more opportunities to take centre stage than they currently get.  Walk to the Paradise Garden, Thais and Side Show are all too good to loose.

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Fonty

Fonty

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Looking at this thread, it does seem sad that so many wonderful one act ballets seem to be shoved away in some dusty basement and forgotten about.  Instead, new ballets are created, many of which are full length, modern in style, and frequently not to my taste at all.  Yes, I know, dancers love having something new created especially for them, but if some of the rep hasn't been danced for many years, then it will be new to the current crop of dancers.  

 

I am sorry that some people find Monotones 1 & 2 boring.  It is pure classical ballet, danced to glorious music, but it definitely depends on who is dancing it.  I must admit the last run of performances were patchy, and I didn't think technically some of the dancers were quite as good as they should have been.  

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Just to remind folks....the music for Wheeldon's Strapless wasn't one of Joby Talbot's scores 😉

 

(It was written by acclaimed British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage.)

 

I thought the music and designs were very good, the dancers were of course excellent as always, but just not sure that the plot or premise was really all that danceable with only one act to squeeze all the narrative in (I thought the title didn't help either!)  Fans of the painting, Portrait of Madame X, might enjoy it more though.

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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1 hour ago, alison said:

Side Show - when was the last time that was on?  Mukhamedov?  Was he dancing with Durante or Yoshida?

Impressive memory, Alison....I don't even remember if I went, haha! (I have vivid memories of Elisabetta Terabust and Peter Schaufuss dancing it on tv).  The answer: Nov-Dec 1995, Yoshida & Mukhamedov for first night,  Benjamin & Kumakawa in second cast. (From ROH performance database)

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Monotones I & II are both deceptively difficult to dance. Monotones I is a wobble magnet, and Monotones II, which I like more, needs a lot of experience and artistry not to look like gymnastic tricks. I have wonderful memories of Christina Arestis (surprising as she is mostly in character roles nowadays but she has wonderful line and glorious long limbed grace- I think in some other companies she would have been cast as Odette/Odile, Lilac Fairy, Myrtha, Sugar Plum Fairy, Firebird, Terpsichore and girl in  Afternoon of a Faun) , Marianela Nunez and later Melissa Hamilton in it. The partners are also important- Edward Watson, Nehemiah Kish, Gary Avis, Reece Clarke, Nicol Edmonds were brilliant. The ballet is beautiful when done right, but it doesn't suit everyone. 

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Fonty

Fonty

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According to the ROH database, the original casts were:

Monotones 1 - original cast Antoinette Sibley, Georgina Parkinson, Brian Shaw.  

 

Monotones 2 - Vyvyan Lorrain, Anthony Dowell, Robert Mead.

It really does need people who not only have superb technique, but can really dance it with a wonderful flow.  

 

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LinMM

LinMM

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I saw the original casts but had never heard of Satie at the time and immediately went out and bought the record as it was then and loved all the Pieces on it besides the Gnossiennes and Gymnopaedies Pieces used for Monotones. 
I loved the ballet as seemed ultra  modern but other worldly as well

at the time. 
Satie’s house in Honfleur is a must visit ..,definitely just a little eccentric!! 

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MAB

MAB

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Quote

It really does need people who not only have superb technique, but can really dance it with a wonderful flow.  

 

It continued to be wonderful during the years Ashton was around to coach subsequent casts.

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Lizbie1

Lizbie1

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55 minutes ago, PeterS said:

I don’t know what this emoji means…? 

 

Head exploding!*

 

*...with shock. My imagination might possibly stretch to not liking Monotones but preferring Untitled 2023 is a step too far for it!

Edited by Lizbie1
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Emeralds

Emeralds

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18 hours ago, Emeralds said:

 The partners are also important- Edward Watson, Nehemiah Kish, Gary Avis, Reece Clarke, Nicol Edmonds were brilliant. The ballet is beautiful when done right, but it doesn't suit everyone. 

Apologies to Valeri Hristov and Ryoichi Hirano- I meant to say I saw them in Monotones II (and Gary Avis in Song of the Earth). 

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