Royal Ballet - Swan Lake 2024

[Linnzi5]

I can only say - wow! I was absolutely blown away by tonight’s performance. I will think what to write later, but Will and Fumi were sublime! Be still my heart! 🥰❤️

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16 by Rob S

[Linnzi5]

Just now, Rob S said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah! That's more like it! Thanks, Rob!  

[Richard LH]

Pure magic tonight..  ❤️

[Silke H]

Instagram

 

 

[Sim]

Gosh, just watching their curtain calls on Instagram almost makes me weep....I will be a mess when I see them perform the whole ballet!!  😄

[JennyTaylor]

Where to start with last night. Will and Fumi were so sublime: what a partnership this is to treasure.  For anyone who hasn't got a ticket for their next performances, just keep refreshing that website and grab one.  

 

Perhaps I'll start with Leo Dixon's debut as Benno which was excellent. In my mind exactly how a Benno should be characterised and danced. He has a strong stage presence and should be proud of his performance. 

 

Will and Fumi were on fire. Whether it's the grace, beauty and tenderness of the white act or the passion of the black act, everything was perfection in my eyes. The wicked smile on Fumi's face as she completed the final turns of her extraordinary fouettes will live in my memory for a long time.  Immersive is a popular term these days but that is what Will does.  So with his many changes of facial expression, every body language signal, he is immersed in the characterisation of his part and I become immersed with him.  This brings so much more depth to his performances and I believe his partners feed off this to enhance their own performances in the dramatic ballets. Last night his dancing was exceptional - the grace and purity of his and the fireworks of Act 3.  Fumi too was exceptional.  We come to expect it but she was breath-taking throughout. Not enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe it all.    

 

So, a standing ovation from the entire theatre at the end.  The whole cast produced a top, top class show. I feel very lucky to have been there to see it.    

   

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

Gosh, just watching their curtain calls on Instagram almost makes me weep....I will be a mess when I see them perform the whole ballet!!  😄

I was so emotional, Sim. They were out of this world. I have not seen as many performances of Swan Lake as many forum members, but this was honestly the most beautiful I have ever seen. (I have, of course, seen many wonderful performances over the years and each has its own merits).

 

So. Review.

 

Where to begin?

 

Let me firstly talk about Fumi, as I have never seen her in a full SL before. She was perfection. It's as simple as that for me. Technically, she was as outstanding as I would expect her to be. Those fouettés! The audience started clapping when she was only half-way through them! They were controlled, ambitious and suited her Odile so much. The control with which she exited them was amazing - that must be so difficult to do. Her Odette was beautiful. Sad and full of sorrow, cautious and wary around Siegried initially. However, when she fell in love (and boy, did we see that!) the joy on her face just filled me with joy. Usually, I find Odette to be such a tragic character and, as discussed with forum members in the interval last night, it was a revelation to see such pure joy and happiness on the face of an Odette when she found that love. The way she looked at Siegried, and vice versa, hers and his body language - sigh, it melted my heart 🥰. Odette's ending was tragic though and after forgiving Siegried for his unwitting betrayal, she was strong and determined, 'I will not let this evil creature condemn me to a life as a swan, I will take control and end this all.' I saw a strength in Odette that was refreshing.

 

Fumi's Odile was a complete contrast. She was a minx, hard, cold, playful, manipulative, showing off her sensuality and so self-confident! The control Odile had over Siegfried was tangible. Technically, Fumi was astounding. I was left amazed (yes, I'm using that word a lot!), thrilled and full of excitement! She really was breathtaking! I love, love, loved her Odile.

 

Secondly, let me talk about Will. Wow! He was as beautiful and elegant as ever, as I'd expect. His Siegfried is layered and his acting wonderful. He partnered Fumi wonderfully - she was always at the forefront of his partnering. I felt his Siegfried's frustration and sense of sadness and helplessness at the burden of his future. I felt him finding a soulmate in Odette. I experienced personally him being manipulated by Odile and then being crushed at the realisation of the deception he had suffered. Siegfried was broken and desperate to make amends with Odette and his realisation that Odette would rather die than be a swan was absolutely heartbreaking; his desperation was palpable.

 

I have to say, Wow! What a difference technically Will showed to the last run. I've watched the 2022 live cinema relay hundreds of times - I know every bit of the choreography for the Principals from that performance. I was absolutely thrilled to see Will putting in those extra 'fireworks' moments in his solos now - I didn't expect it and it's not the most important thing to me. However, his solos were brilliantly, confidently, perfectly executed and controlled and it was lovely to see him 'showing off'! I have to say, he stepped up and I was incredibly impressed - as well as having sore hands from so much clapping! 

 

Together, these two have such a rare chemistry and this is a beautiful partnership. I feel privileged to have been a part of last night and hope future runs will include these two together (as well as with others).

 

Other performers were extremely good. The sisters (Sae Maeda, Ashley Dean) were excellent, as were the Big Swans. Annette Buvoli (I'm not sure if this was a debut, though I've seen Melissa Hamilton before, I have not seen Buvoli) was excellent and Hamilton always impresses me in this role. The corps were excellent, though I think I saw one slip, but can't be sure as it was in the periphery of my vision and my companion was no help at all, as he didn't notice much about anything. I don't think Whitehead is the best Von Rothbart, to be honest. I found him a little one-dimensional outside of the costume. The dances were lovely - special mention goes to Madison Bailey and Valentino Zucchetti who were excellent in the Neapolitan dance. Also, in the Czardas - Francisco Serrano stole the show, he is one to watch! 

 

Leo Dixon made a good debut as Benno. I thought he was elegant and very likeable.  I could see, perhaps, a few totally understandable nerves and felt that sometimes because of this, he was a little tentative.  With more experience, I am sure he will be more confident and Benno's character will shine a little more. However, he was still of an excellent standard and I really liked him.

 

The night belonged to Fumi and Will though. They honestly were perfection in my eyes. I look forward to seeing them again on 28th. I say this all the time, but how I wish last night had been filmed. 

Edited March 16 by Linnzi5
So many typos!

[Emeralds]

A ditto from me re: @Linnzi5's wish fir last night's performance to have been  filmed too!

[Suffolkgal]

The joy in that photo of them grinning at each other. If trains go up the creek on 1 April I'm walking

[Linnzi5]

2 minutes ago, Suffolkgal said:

The joy in that photo of them grinning at each other. If trains go up the creek on 1 April I'm walking

This made me laugh. My trains were playing up yesterday and I would have walked! I can't go on April 1st due to family commitments (I am going on 28th), but if I were free, I would sell my kidney to go (not that anyone would want it!)  

[Linnzi5]

I forgot to say, the standing ovation last night was apt, in my opinion, though being on the short side, I'd like to think that's why my photos are out of focus - I had to raise my phone in the air to rise above the people in front of me heads! That's my excuse, anyway! 😜

[Richard LH]

Lovely reviews from @JennyTaylor and @Linnzi5...thank you for putting into words, so fully and eloquently, what I was struggling to express...I don't have enough superlatives to give proper credit to Fumi and Will for their amazing performances last night.

What an advert for this art form..I sat next to a young man who was seeing his first ballet, and he was absolutely astounded by the skill and elegance on display. I think he is now securely hooked!

Yes it was Fumi and Will's night but I wouldn't want that to detract in any way from the performances put in by the rest of the whole Company, and from the brilliant staging and music.....the Swan Corps were sublime and their Act 4 introduction dancing, amongst the mist, a thing of rare beauty to witness.

Dance after dance, in every Act, was just exceptional. The RB  is benefiting from some outstanding coaches and coaching at present.

Can't wait to see more casts as the run progresses....!

 

Finally it was super to have a quick word again with @Silke H and @Dawnstar and to meet @Linnzi5for the first time.

Edited March 16 by Richard LH

[capybara]

1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

The RB  is benefiting from some outstanding coaches and coaching at present.

Can't wait to see more casts as the run progresses....!

 

Finally it was super to have a quick word again with @Silke H and @Dawnstar and to meet @Linnzi5

I rather think that it is the coaches who are in luck with the extraordinary talent now at the top of the RB.

[Scheherezade]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

I rather think that it is the coaches who are in luck with the extraordinary talent now at the top of the RB.

 

A happy confluence, I'd say.

[Richard LH]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

I rather think that it is the coaches who are in luck with the extraordinary talent now at the top of the RB.

Yes indeed, but I was thinking also of the dedication from the coaching team to get all the Corps dancers so well coordinated, and in time and tune with the music and the mood.

[Dawnstar]

I evidently have a bit of an emotional blank spot when it comes to Swan Lake. I thought last night's performance was extremely well performed but I was never really moved by it. To be honest, I would have been significantly more moved if the same cast had for some reason had to swap to performing Manon at the last minute! Every cast of Manon I saw in the last 2 months had me in tears at least once per performance, some multiple times, whereas last night I never felt like crying. Admittedly I'm not sure the last part of Act IV in this production helps much from an emotional point of view. I find the lack of use of Siegfried particularly problematic. Him being knocked out easily by Von Rothbart & just lying on stage for ages doesn't really work for me.

 

I think I actually prefer Kaneko as Odile to Odette, perhaps because I expect her to be naturally very well-suited to Odette whereas it feels like she shouldn't be as naturally good as Odile as she actually is, if that makes any sense. Act III was, as usual, my favourite act. I do wish the audience wouldn't start applauding & cheering in the middle of the fouettes though, it makes it feel like a circus act rather than an art form.

 

I thought Dixon gave a very good Benno debut without being exceptional. Which to be fair is how I felt about most of the Bennos I saw in the last run. Only Jun from a technical point of view & Richardson from an acting point of view managed to be exceptional for me. (Does anyone know if Richardson is doing Benno this run? I had rather hoped he would be on last night, given he appeared with Bracewell in the last run, but obviously not.)

 

It's useful that the cast sheets are now crediting all the dancers in the Czardas & Mazurka, unlike the last run, so I'm not longer trying to identify who's who under the rather disguising head-dresses & hats! I was pleased to see Bailey in the Neopolitan last night, alongside Zuchetti. I think she did do it in the last run but I didn't see her.

 

Could anyone identify the Von Rothbart double last night? My best guess was Dubreuil but I'm far from sure.

 

4 hours ago, Emeralds said:

A ditto from me re: @Linnzi5's wish fir last night's performance to have been  filmed too!

 

During last night's performance I thought that it's a pity that Kaneko probably won't get filmed as Odette/Odile in the near-ish future, given that both her Siegfrieds have both already been filmed in this production.

[Emeralds]

26 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I evidently have a bit of an emotional blank spot when it comes to Swan Lake. I thought last night's performance was extremely well performed but I was never really moved by it. To be honest, I would have been significantly more moved if the same cast had for some reason had to swap to performing Manon at the last minute! 

I think it's completely fine and equally "correct" (so to speak) for everyone not to be moved by the same things/same people or even on the same occasion. As long as you enjoyed the performance as a whole! 

 

Am not too concerned it wasn't filmed (there are quite a lot of Swan Lake DVDs already and the cinema relay date has been planned ages ago) but of course if it had been, I would buy it/log on/tune in etc eagerly. 

Edited March 16 by Emeralds

[capybara]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

I evidently have a bit of an emotional blank spot when it comes to Swan Lake. I thought last night's performance was extremely well performed but I was never really moved by it. To be honest, I would have been significantly more moved if the same cast had for some reason had to swap to performing Manon at the last minute! Every cast of Manon I saw in the last 2 months had me in tears at least once per performance, some multiple times, whereas last night I never felt like crying. Admittedly I'm not sure the last part of Act IV in this production helps much from an emotional point of view. I find the lack of use of Siegfried particularly problematic. Him being knocked out easily by Von Rothbart & just lying on stage for ages doesn't really work for me.

 

I think I actually prefer Kaneko as Odile to Odette, perhaps because I expect her to be naturally very well-suited to Odette whereas it feels like she shouldn't be as naturally good as Odile as she actually is, if that makes any sense. Act III was, as usual, my favourite act. I do wish the audience wouldn't start applauding & cheering in the middle of the fouettes though, it makes it feel like a circus act rather than an art form.

 

I thought Dixon gave a very good Benno debut without being exceptional. Which to be fair is how I felt about most of the Bennos I saw in the last run. Only Jun from a technical point of view & Richardson from an acting point of view managed to be exceptional for me. (Does anyone know if Richardson is doing Benno this run? I had rather hoped he would be on last night, given he appeared with Bracewell in the last run, but obviously not.)

 

It's useful that the cast sheets are now crediting all the dancers in the Czardas & Mazurka, unlike the last run, so I'm not longer trying to identify who's who under the rather disguising head-dresses & hats! I was pleased to see Bailey in the Neopolitan last night, alongside Zuchetti. I think she did do it in the last run but I didn't see her.

 

Could anyone identify the Von Rothbart double last night? My best guess was Dubreuil but I'm far from sure.

 

 

During last night's performance I thought that it's a pity that Kaneko probably won't get filmed as Odette/Odile in the near-ish future, given that both her Siegfrieds have both already been filmed in this production.

I’m with you from the emotional perspective, @Dawnstar

 

I’m finding it difficult to extricate myself from the swamp and engage fully with the lake.

[alison]

Hopefully I'll have extricated myself by the time I actually see Swan Lake, which isn't until next month.

[Silver Capricorn]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

I evidently have a bit of an emotional blank spot when it comes to Swan Lake. I thought last night's performance was extremely well performed but I was never really moved by it. To be honest, I would have been significantly more moved if the same cast had for some reason had to swap to performing Manon at the last minute! Every cast of Manon I saw in the last 2 months had me in tears at least once per performance, some multiple times, whereas last night I never felt like crying. Admittedly I'm not sure the last part of Act IV in this production helps much from an emotional point of view. I find the lack of use of Siegfried particularly problematic. Him being knocked out easily by Von Rothbart & just lying on stage for ages doesn't really work for me.

 

I think I actually prefer Kaneko as Odile to Odette, perhaps because I expect her to be naturally very well-suited to Odette whereas it feels like she shouldn't be as naturally good as Odile as she actually is, if that makes any sense. Act III was, as usual, my favourite act. I do wish the audience wouldn't start applauding & cheering in the middle of the fouettes though, it makes it feel like a circus act rather than an art form.

 

I thought Dixon gave a very good Benno debut without being exceptional. Which to be fair is how I felt about most of the Bennos I saw in the last run. Only Jun from a technical point of view & Richardson from an acting point of view managed to be exceptional for me. (Does anyone know if Richardson is doing Benno this run? I had rather hoped he would be on last night, given he appeared with Bracewell in the last run, but obviously not.)

 

It's useful that the cast sheets are now crediting all the dancers in the Czardas & Mazurka, unlike the last run, so I'm not longer trying to identify who's who under the rather disguising head-dresses & hats! I was pleased to see Bailey in the Neopolitan last night, alongside Zuchetti. I think she did do it in the last run but I didn't see her.

 

Could anyone identify the Von Rothbart double last night? My best guess was Dubreuil but I'm far from sure.

 

 

During last night's performance I thought that it's a pity that Kaneko probably won't get filmed as Odette/Odile in the near-ish future, given that both her Siegfrieds have both already been filmed in this production.

I have a similar feeling.  I much prefer Nureyev's version of The Lake, where Siegfried has beautiful variations in each act, actively fights Rothbart at the end, and the whole story is more about him than Odette/Odilie.

[OnePigeon]

I don’t find any of the 19th century era classics particularly involve me emotionally as they’re just too silly and fantastical to move me, unlike the 20th century classics like Romeo and Juliet, Onegin (I can weep buckets), Mayerling and of course Manon, which provide more human psychological depth for me.

[jmhopton]

3 minutes ago, OnePigeon said:

I don’t find any of the 19th century era classics particularly involve me emotionally as they’re just too silly and fantastical to move me, unlike the 20th century classics like Romeo and Juliet, Onegin (I can weep buckets), Mayerling and of course Manon, which provide more human psychological depth for me.

I'm with you, OnePigeon. I was never that keen on Sleeping Beauty until Hayward/Campbell performances converted me in a big way. I've never really enjoyed Swan Lake (though I don't know if I've ever confessed this before!) For some reason the white acts have always bored me though I love them in Giselle and Bayadere. Despite the wonderful casts I've only booked for Vadim and Fumi and had to think about doing even that. It's frustrating Vadim hardly ever seems to have matinées.

[art_enthusiast]

2 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 Him being knocked out easily by Von Rothbart & just lying on stage for ages doesn't really work for me.

 

I have to agree, I also find that part a slightly strange choice. Definitely ties into the whole feminine power aspect that I also find prevalent in Giselle Act 2 - the Willis controlling everything, and here the swans are the ones defeating Rothbart - which I do like, but Siegfried lying there does feel a bit incongruous.

[LinMM]

I think the only time I’ve been moved to tears watching Swan Lake is from the sheer beauty of the quality of the dancing from a couple of dancers but not from the more “human emotion” level as you might feel more  in Manon. 
Though that beautiful lilting music right at the end during which in the previous production Siegfried and Odette were being carried up to the heavens and to their “afterlife”   in a magnificent swan could almost do it sometimes! 
Am not so keen on the end of this production I prefer the more magical ending. 

[Linnzi5]

2 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I think it's completely fine and equally "correct" (so to speak) for everyone not to be moved by the same things/same people or even on the same occasion. As long as you enjoyed the performance as a whole! 

I agree. We all like different things and have different preferences and that's how it should be. I don't think Swan Lake is as emotionally devastating as Manon, for example, and it's not meant to be. I do, however, love it and really like Scarlett's version (I know I'm in the minority feeling that, but I really do like it).  Manon is brutal in parts and horrifying. It ripped me into pieces. I can't say SL does that to me and I wouldn't want it to. They are different beasts but I am glad to have moved onto something a little lighter now.  After all the Manons I saw, I really needed a break from them, as fantastic as every performance was - there's only so long that I can be a part of something that is so emotive when it's so tragic, if that makes sense. I like a variety of ballets to watch, I think. SL is fantastical but I really love it (I do not like Sleeping Beauty as much but absolutely adore Romeo and Juliet) - partly because I've played the score so often and it is nostalgic but I love so many other aspects too.

1 hour ago, capybara said:

 

I’m finding it difficult to extricate myself from the swamp and engage fully with the lake.I

I am happily extracted from the swamp for now. It's emotionally exhausting watching all those Manon's! 😢  

58 minutes ago, Silver Capricorn said:

I have a similar feeling.  I much prefer Nureyev's version of The Lake, where Siegfried has beautiful variations in each act, actively fights Rothbart at the end, and the whole story is more about him than Odette/Odilie.

I don't believe I have ever seen his version - I think I would like it.

13 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

I'm with you, OnePigeon. I was never that keen on Sleeping Beauty until Hayward/Campbell performances converted me in a big way. I've never really enjoyed Swan Lake (though I don't know if I've ever confessed this before!) For some reason the white acts have always bored me though I love them in Giselle and Bayadere. Despite the wonderful casts I've only booked for Vadim and Fumi and had to think about doing even that. It's frustrating Vadim hardly ever seems to have matinées \

It doesn't surprise me at all that SL isn't universally loved - I think it is a bit ubiquitous? It certainly doesn't pack the punch of some of the more modern works, I'd agree. I just happen to like it and whether I'd choose to watch a Manon, Mayerling or Swan Lake performance would depend on my mood, I think. 

 

There never are many matinèes really, are there? I'm not sure how many there are for the shorter ballet runs, if any, but would it be 5 available to book or so for SL? I always wonder how it's decided who will do matinèes?

[San Perregrino]

3 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

Could anyone identify the Von Rothbart double last night? My best guess was Dubreuil but I'm far from sure.

Yes Téo Dubreuil 

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

I’m with you from the emotional perspective, @Dawnstar

 

I’m finding it difficult to extricate myself from the swamp and engage fully with the lake.

 

I probably should have given myself a longer gap than a week between my last Manon & first SL. Originally I wasn't going to start on SLs until April but with the cast change I decided I'd like to see Kaneko & Bracewell together in full, having seen them do the Act II pdd at the Ukraine gala 2 years ago, and last night was the most convenient of their dates for me. I'm seeing the MacMillan triple bill on 27th so wouldn't want to see their performance on 28th and on 1st April I'm hoping to see Nunez/Muntagirov (rush permitting) & don't want to do 2 SLs in a day because I tried that in the last run & felt very swanned-out!

 

1 hour ago, Silver Capricorn said:

I have a similar feeling.  I much prefer Nureyev's version of The Lake, where Siegfried has beautiful variations in each act, actively fights Rothbart at the end, and the whole story is more about him than Odette/Odilie.

 

Is that the one that the Wiener Stattsballett perform? If so then, having seen it on video, I'm afraid I wasn't very keen on that ending either.

 

1 hour ago, jmhopton said:

I've never really enjoyed Swan Lake (though I don't know if I've ever confessed this before!) For some reason the white acts have always bored me though I love them in Giselle and Bayadere.

 

I'm even worse: the white acts/scenes are my least favourite parts of every ballet I've seen that have them, with the exception of the snowflakes in The Nutcracker which I do like (maybe it helps that that's quite a short scene!). I could happily lose some of the corps dancing in SL Acts II & IV, Bayadere Shades, SB Act II, Giselle Act II, Don Q Kingdom of the Dryads, etc. and just have the sections that move the plot forward & the main solos, e.g. I'd be fine if SL Act IV started at Odette's entrance.

[Sim]

I love the white acts for their sheer balletic beauty. I find it very moving to see a beautiful corps dancing in unison. 

[bridiem]

Swan Lake at its best is not so much emotional as transcendent, which is ultimately even more powerful. 

[Linnzi5]

8 minutes ago, Sim said:

I love the white acts for their sheer balletic beauty. I find it very moving to see a beautiful corps dancing in unison. 

I do too.  I think the white acts are so elegant and the sheer beauty of the corps' movements, so wonderful to watch. I love the corps in SL and Giselle, particularly. 

 

I also love the Act II PDD though. It is breathtakingly beautiful in the right hands (and feet!) and I love the corps in that too. One of my favourite corps bits in SL is the Act II Coda - I just love it! 

 

I do take @Dawnstar's point about Fumi Kaneko being a surprise as Odile. I knew she'd be absolutely stunning as Odette, but her Odile was a revelation - I loved her characterisation. In fact, I think it's fair to say I enjoyed Act III more than ever last night (I do love it, of course, but sometimes find the princesses dancing a bit tedious, then all the dances - I'm not overly keen on the Mazurka usually - seem to go on a bit before we get to the exciting bits and I didn't feel that way last night. I thought all of the dances were of an outstanding quality and I was really engaged. Then when the fireworks erupted, I was loving every second! 

[Linnzi5]

6 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Swan Lake at its best is not so much emotional as transcendent, which is ultimately even more powerful. 

That's a lovely way to describe it!  

[Richard LH]

38 minutes ago, Sim said:

I love the white acts for their sheer balletic beauty. I find it very moving to see a beautiful corps dancing in unison. 

Me too! The White Acts are my favourites parts of the Classical ballets and can be extremely moving and emotional in their own way.....the lines, the movement, the positioning, the response to the music....fantastic when it all comes together!