Royal Ballet MacMillan triple bill: Danses Concertantes, Different Drummer, Requiem 20 March to 13 April 2024

[Blossom]

Musings from this evening as it was just fabulous and I wasn’t completely convinced I would love it all for various reasons but delighted I have 2 more viewings. 

 

Danses Concertantes - thrilled to see Isabella Gasparini leading. The funny hats made it quite difficult to see who was who despite knowing who was cast. Didn’t help that I had mixed up casts in my head and was wondering where Giacomo Rovero was for the first 10 mins.

Loved the quirky style and the elements of golden age of movie musicals tap and jazz influences. Gorgeous Georgiadis set and quirky costumes to match the choreo. Amazing to think this was their first partnership and MacMillan’s first piece. Left the auditorium feeling enriched by ballet heritage and had an opportunity to enthuse to Lady MacMillan on my way back to my seat. 
 

Different Drummer was unbelievably ahead of the times (and the same could be said about Requiem). The narrative was quite absorbing because of Sambe’s characterisation. His whole body appeared to shrink and shrug in submission and it was hard to distinguish what was ‘the truth’ and what he was simply imagining. Thomas Whitehead’s character of the Captain was a brilliant caricature in terms of make up and mime. Francesca Hayward’s red hair for the piece seemed to be channeling Diane Buswell from Strictly which was a little distracting… Continued to see what a good fit she is for MacMillan, especially in the complex lifts. A bit confused by the Jesus character so looking forward to a second viewing. Loved some of the use of the soldier corps, there was one section where they seemed to be in rewind as they moved off the stage. This was my daughter and her friend’s favourite piece in terms of the narrative, structure and dancing which I found interesting.

 

Requiem was quite emotionally overwhelming. I didn’t expect it to be so completely reeled in and equally engaged with the music as the dancing. Some of the lifts for the corps looked like they should be an impossibility, as did the much pictured lift where Lauren Cuthbertson was passed around a tight group of raised hands. Despite the connection with grief, the piece felt incredibly gentle and soothing and I just wanted it to keep going. I didn’t want it to end.
 

Lead were gorgeous to watch- Melissa Hamilton, Lauren Cuthbertson, Joseph Sissens, Matthew Ball and Lukas Braendsrod.  Ball, as well as his dancing, was a striking Adonis!  
 

Counting down the days till next Wednesday. 

[Roberta]

5 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

Danses Concertantes - charming, witty, a bit dated. Isabella Gasparini was wonderful

Different Drummer - an occasional nod to his brilliant pdds; otherwise - ghastly! If I'd been told it lasted 2 hours I would have believed them

Requiem - startlingly beautiful, emotionally evocative, and something I don't think I'd ever tire of watching. Had I been told it lasted 15mins, I would have believed them

 

Exactly what I expect many others will say also. Fun to see Vadim in that costume! 

Edited March 21 by Roberta

[Sim]

5 hours ago, Naughty Peregrine said:

Panic not Mr Mainwaring  it was announced at the start of the General rehearsal and again before the start of Requiem itself. 

They have always made this announcement before the start of Requiem.  Quite right, too. Applauding before the end would ruin its atmosphere and detract from its emotional purpose. It is a memorial and tribute to one who died too young.  

[bridiem]

When the curtain went up on Danses concertantes, I was both surprised and delighted at the designs, which I hadn't remembered at all (strange, because they're pretty memorable!). I also thought that the backdrop was more like John Piper than Georgiadis, and that added to the period air of the piece. The choreography was so inventive and consistently interesting and unexpected; a bit like Scènes de Ballet on steroids. Can't wait to see it again.

 

Different Drummer: for the first 15 minutes or so, I was feeling quite dismayed (as before) with this - it seemed to me to be not so much nightmareish as cartoonish (and there was quite a lot of unfortunate giggling going on around me, which I don't think was the intended reaction). I think the problem mainly applies in respect of the Captain and the Doctor. But as the work progressed I found it more and more absorbing and some of the images and moves were very powerful, though it still seemed to be more a series of vignettes rather than a coherent work. But by the end, I'd been drawn in and I did find it both moving and shocking. The murder is horrific; I don't think the suicide is very clear (just as well I'd read the programme) since he seems to just wash his hands and then lie down in the bath and pull the cover back on. So ultimately I found this an unsatisfying work, but with much more to recommend it than I felt when I first (and last) saw it. Francesca Hayward was superb as Marie; I thought that Marcelino Sambé danced beautifully and gave it everything, but he doesn't strike me as ideal casting for the role - I would have liked to see Bracewell and/or Richardson do it.

 

I find it difficult to write about Requiem. It seems to be to have come to fruition fully formed, as if no other steps could have been used and MacMillan was simply expressing what was already there. I think I barely breathed from start to finish. Unbearably beautiful, and unbearably moving. Especially because today (now) is the first anniversary of my brother's death, and we used the In Paradisum movement at his funeral (and indeed at our mother's funeral in 2014). To watch the souls being led gently into Paradise, all fear gone, with their heads held high, was quite overwhelming. All the dancers were magnificent, and rightly got a great reception. Why this masterpiece is performed so infrequently I will never understand. 

 

 

 

 

[Roberta]

3 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Why this masterpiece is performed so infrequently I will never understand. 

 

I think it requires the 'right' ballets around it in a triple,  which isn't always easy to do,  and the 'lead' dancers need to be carefully chosen. It's not for everyone. I also think not performing it regularly makes it more special when it is performed.

 

 I hope the dancers and musicians are finding it a gratifying experience also, for many it will be a new work. 

 

 

[postie]

Coming here, I was expecting to see dozens of effusive comments. Others will be far more eloquent than me but I was captivated from the moment the curtain raised until it stopped twitching at the end.

 

Everything was so fresh; brimming with confidence, ideas, and witticisms, meaning, pathos.  I love the post-war period for that, and I think Macmillan personifies all of it.

 

And, here, it's in every dimension from dance to the sets, lighting, clothes, colours, and the perfect relationships between sound and actions.

 

To be fair, Macmillan wasn't keen on Germans at this point, though after the preceding 35-years ... anyway, there was a little fun, perhaps mockery. Fwiw, I was occasionally reminded of the war work of John Singer Sargent and Mark Gertler.

 

I adored this. I actually felt a little proud to be a, albeit, minor Friend.  Goodness knows how those on the stage and in the Pit feel.

Edited March 21 by postie
don't mention the war, and then I did a bit

[Cescablue]

6 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

Danses Concertantes - charming, witty, a bit dated. Isabella Gasparini was wonderful

Different Drummer - an occasional nod to his brilliant pdds; otherwise - ghastly! If I'd been told it lasted 2 hours I would have believed them

Requiem - startlingly beautiful, emotionally evocative, and something I don't think I'd ever tire of watching. Had I been told it lasted 15mins, I would have believed them

After the rehearsal, I have to agree with all of the above! I tried I really did, but I could find very little to enjoy in DD - all we could say in my section of the auditorium was 'amazing dancing, but I wouldn't want to see it again'. 

 

Requiem though - that music, the sublime dancing - all of the dancers just lyrical and focussed and wonderful. How do they do it after weeks of Manon and Swan Lake? I'm in awe of their skill I really am. 

[postie]

Clarification / spoiler >>

 

RE Different Drummer: it seemed to me the three men in the woman's life were the ghost of her dead partner/husband (and father of the baby), an overbearing new suitor, and a manifestation of Christ (who she went to when pressed by the suitor). I was so utterly captivated by this story. The despair and choices of the post-war period amid a renewing world ... am I a long way off?

 

ETA: https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-42-spring-2018/story-artwork-mark-gertler-merry-go-round-1916-sarah-macdougall

Edited March 21 by postie
Mark Gertler

[bridiem]

15 minutes ago, postie said:

Everything was so fresh; brimming with confidence, ideas, and witticisms, meaning, pathos.

 

I agree with this; when watching Danses concertantes, I was reminded of how I felt when watching Duo Concertant at Sadler's Wells the other week. The realisation that this was a choreographer who had complete belief in ballet as an art form and complete mastery (already!) of how to use it in a way unique to them.

 

On the subject of Balanchine... on the tube last night after leaving the ROH, I heard a couple of men talking and heard his name mentioned. So I looked up in interest to see who was talking. But as the conversation went on, I realised that what one of them had actually said was 'balance sheet' not 'Balanchine'... Oh well. I suppose it just shows how completely ballet-focussed I am.  

[Blossom]

I really don't know how I am going to manage the wait til next Wednesday for next viewing.

[Sebastian]

Different Drummer is based on what was once very well-known source material, the play by Büchner. Over the years it became almost as ubiquitous a story as Faust or Romeo and Juliet. A useful list of just some of many versions is given on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woyzeck#Adaptations 

 

Back in 1984 MacMillan may have assumed his audience was familiar with the stark outlines of this drama and so felt free to work variations on it. Some of the comments here - and overheard after the performance - suggest this is no longer the case. Seen in the correct context it is a shattering work, among the most successful of his later creations, as indeed I felt it to be yesterday. 

[Cescablue]

3 minutes ago, Sebastian said:

Different Drummer is based on what was once very well-known source material, the play by Büchner. Over the years it became almost as ubiquitous a story as Faust or Romeo and Juliet. A useful list of just some of many versions is given on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woyzeck#Adaptations 

 

Back in 1984 MacMillan may have assumed his audience was familiar with the stark outlines of this drama and so felt free to work variations on it. Some of the comments here - and overheard after the performance - suggest this is no longer the case. Seen in the correct context it is a shattering work, among the most successful of his later creations, as indeed I felt it to be yesterday. 

I did my homework before going to the rehearsal yesterday and indeed read the very outline you reference here and other overviews of the source material. 

 

Somehow though I could not find a way in to the emotion and tragedy of it and I'm at a loss as to why, as I usually find MacMillan choreography convey both of those things and more. 

 

 

[Lindsay]

15 minutes ago, Sebastian said:

Different Drummer is based on what was once very well-known source material, the play by Büchner. Over the years it became almost as ubiquitous a story as Faust or Romeo and Juliet. A useful list of just some of many versions is given on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woyzeck#Adaptations 

 

Back in 1984 MacMillan may have assumed his audience was familiar with the stark outlines of this drama and so felt free to work variations on it. Some of the comments here - and overheard after the performance - suggest this is no longer the case. Seen in the correct context it is a shattering work, among the most successful of his later creations, as indeed I felt it to be yesterday. 

I thought so too.  But there are a lot of references that benefit from familiarity with the imagery - for example Marie’s Magdalene-like washing the feet of the soldier wearing the crown of thorns with her hair.  That idea of interiority as if stuck in a nightmare has gone out of fashion on the stage today too - audiences seem to prefer their stories more literal 

[BeauxArts]

Following on from Sebastian’s comment above, in 1983 MacMillan made Valley of Shadows, one of his darkest works, about the Holocaust.  As with Different Drummer Ferri was his muse,  and he was able to draw on the inspirational dramatic dancers in the RB at the time, including Wall, Jeffries, and later in DD Wayne Eagling. As to the programming 40 years ago,  I saw Valley of Shadows on a programme with La Bayadere White Act! Quite a suspension of disbelief required but possibly  an indicator  of a deeper/more challenging  artistic vision for the audience’s experience than we find today. 

[bridiem]

3 minutes ago, BeauxArts said:

Following on from Sebastian’s comment above, in 1983 MacMillan made Valley of Shadows, one of his darkest works, about the Holocaust.  As with Different Drummer Ferri was his muse,  and he was able to draw on the inspirational dramatic dancers in the RB at the time, including Wall, Jeffries, and later in DD Wayne Eagling. As to the programming 40 years ago,  I saw Valley of Shadows on a programme with La Bayadere White Act! Quite a suspension of disbelief required but possibly  an indicator  of a deeper/more challenging  artistic vision for the audience’s experience than we find today. 

 

I agree, but I suspect that for me, this was part of the problem with Different Drummer at its première/in its early years - it followed on from MacMillan's recent creations of Isadora and Valley of Shadows and I'd just had enough. Torture, anguish, murder, suicide etc all over again, this time plumbing the depths (of a bath) with what almost seemed to be a deliberate attempt to be as grim and relentless as possible. I knew - and know - that this wasn't the whole picture for MacMillan, but it was beginning to feel like it.

[Scheherezade]

8 hours ago, bridiem said:

When the curtain went up on Danses concertantes, I was both surprised and delighted at the designs, which I hadn't remembered at all (strange, because they're pretty memorable!). I also thought that the backdrop was more like John Piper than Georgiadis, and that added to the period air of the piece. The choreography was so inventive and consistently interesting and unexpected; a bit like Scènes de Ballet on steroids. Can't wait to see it again.

 

Different Drummer: for the first 15 minutes or so, I was feeling quite dismayed (as before) with this - it seemed to me to be not so much nightmareish as cartoonish (and there was quite a lot of unfortunate giggling going on around me, which I don't think was the intended reaction). I think the problem mainly applies in respect of the Captain and the Doctor. But as the work progressed I found it more and more absorbing and some of the images and moves were very powerful, though it still seemed to be more a series of vignettes rather than a coherent work. But by the end, I'd been drawn in and I did find it both moving and shocking. The murder is horrific; I don't think the suicide is very clear (just as well I'd read the programme) since he seems to just wash his hands and then lie down in the bath and pull the cover back on. So ultimately I found this an unsatisfying work, but with much more to recommend it than I felt when I first (and last) saw it. Francesca Hayward was superb as Marie; I thought that Marcelino Sambé danced beautifully and gave it everything, but he doesn't strike me as ideal casting for the role - I would have liked to see Bracewell and/or Richardson do it.

 

I find it difficult to write about Requiem. It seems to be to have come to fruition fully formed, as if no other steps could have been used and MacMillan was simply expressing what was already there. I think I barely breathed from start to finish. Unbearably beautiful, and unbearably moving. Especially because today (now) is the first anniversary of my brother's death, and we used the In Paradisum movement at his funeral (and indeed at our mother's funeral in 2014). To watch the souls being led gently into Paradise, all fear gone, with their heads held high, was quite overwhelming. All the dancers were magnificent, and rightly got a great reception. Why this masterpiece is performed so infrequently I will never understand. 

 

 

 

 

Brilliant review, Bridie, and I agree with everything you have said. 
 

I would add that this is the type of triple bill we really should have: something charming and witty as an aperitif, a challenging work in the middle and, to round off the evening, a piece that is utterly sublime. And what a showcase of MacMillan’s range. 
 

I think the muted reactions to Dances Concertantes show how much we need to familiarise ourselves with this type of what would now be grouped under the less than helpful umbrella of ‘heritage works’. There was much to admire but we are just not used to seeing works like this any more and they should not be allowed to fade from the repertoire. And I also liked the costumes and backdrop. 
 

Different Drummer was never going to be an easy watch but Hayward and Sambe were totally riveting. For me - and, I suspect, others - the grotesques (ie the doctor and the captain) shaped the uncomfortable side of this work and I put this down entirely, and clearly deliberately, to their appearance rather than their contribution to the onstage drama. And dramatic it certainly was, with many a nod to the familiar MacMillan canon found in Manon and Mayerling. Hayward was sublime, utterly moving in her portrayal of a Marie who was always prisoner to her unhappy fate and Sambe’s Wozzeck combined anger and desperation with more than a hint of Petrushka, although I too would love to see Bracewell’s interpretation.

 

And Requiem? Just perfection. No more needs to be said. 

[alison]

2 hours ago, postie said:

RE Different Drummer: it seemed to me the three men in the woman's life were the ghost of her dead partner/husband (and father of the baby), an overbearing new suitor, and a manifestation of Christ

 

I think it says something that you've focused on the woman rather than the man here, and perhaps reflects what I felt was wrong with last night's performance compared with those of the last run 15 years ago: I didn't feel as though it had completely come into focus last night.  Hopefully next time ...

[alison]

4 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

I would add that this is the type of triple bill we really should have: something charming and witty as an aperitif, a challenging work in the middle and, to round off the evening, a piece that is utterly sublime. And what a showcase of MacMillan’s range. 

 

Exactly.  While watching Danses Concertantes I found myself thinking "I wish he'd done more of this sort of thing".  Perhaps he did, but we just don't get to see it as much?  Was it really his first work?  It was hugely impressive as a response to the music.

[Blossom]

3 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

 

I think the muted reactions to Dances Concertantes show how much we need to familiarise ourselves with this type of what would now be grouped under the less than helpful umbrella of ‘heritage works’. There was much to admire but we are just not used to seeing works like this any more and they should not be allowed to fade from the repertoire. And I also liked the costumes and backdrop. 

Completely in agreement with this. For me, stepping into the past is such a positive - it was a true window into the early days of MacMillan and the very beginnings of his creative relationship with Giorgiadis. I prefer this to a lot of the over-intellectualised new works we see from modern choreographers who lack the diversity of dance styles MacMillan was capable of.

[Bruce Wall]

1 hour ago, Lindsay said:

That idea of interiority as if stuck in a nightmare has gone out of fashion on the stage today too - audiences seem to prefer their stories more literal 

 

That is most interesting.  If you look at television, literature, film, etc., that I think simply is not true today .... whereas it may well be true for older Bow Street audiences.  There is a comment above on this board that says that MacMillian was ahead of his time.  Clearly Different Drummer is OF our time.  Listen to the cheers that greeted last night's performance (albeit to a diminished - and from what one hears heavily discounted - house).  I think the answer lies somewhere between this bed and MacMillan's chair.  I think the perspective in reality deals more with the development of specific companies and how those companies and their dedicated audiences are (and continue to be) built.  I don't think this is anything new.  There is a (seemingly dying) divide between those dedicated to (and fed upon) seemingly linear narratives (much like the Royal's even now regular rounds of MacMillan's own R&J, Manon and Mayerling - built one assumes with one eye at least on a prospective cash register) and those which deal with more contemporary (so called 'devolving') constructs (like McGregor's Woolf Works and Dante Project).  it is instructive to see how these audiences very much differ under one roof.  The seed to bring/unite the two under one will always in the Royal's regard the rich legacy of Dame Monica Mason.  It may be arguable that she, herself, will have been 'ahead of her time'.  I think she probably will have thought she was helping to shape it.  Both entities it seems now on many occasions fill.  That is key.  The audience for the McGregor is noticeably younger.  The audience for the dedicated diet for the MacMillan rounds will eventually pass on.  The balance I'm convinced will then be different.  These items engage in very different ways. Just think of how timelines have changed in terms of editing film.  Entities that today are a flick of a switch would have taken a building of equipment in my youth. While I think the balletic warhorses - the Swan Lakes, the Giselles, the Coppelias, the Sleeping Beauties, will continue as the bread and butter - and that well deserved due to their historic markers on the balletic idiom's own shelf - the linear narrative will - indeed has - change beyond recognition.  It is already doing so and has for some time. People's comfort with that will depend on the ability to move on.  I well understand - especially at my advanced age - how comforting it is to rest in the bowl of the established spoon ... but we must know ... like the Wicked Witch of the West herself ... it is melting. 

 

I very much enjoyed this triple bill.  This is the kind of programme that the Royal excels at - and rightfully so.  They are such extraordinary MacMillan artists.  They have been shaped in this regard - this is where you can see them in their comfort zone - this is definingly NOW where they are AT HOME - and, here, you can see why this is the Company has grown into the McGregor focus point for our time.  The indicators in works like Different Drummer are just so strong.  This is their now accepted strength - whether we like it or not - and, as ever just now - it seems there are a goodly few correspondents about here who struggle (as I have myself at times) - and that - for reasons as noted above - is completely understandable.  

 

Dances Concertante delighted in the congress of its wit.  Loved the costumes which reminded me somewhat of those for Balanchines' same - (you just have to replace the shimmering helmet tops for the colourful gloves the men wear) - although in construct they are quite different works.  There was some strain in the partnering but that is completely understandable given the sudden cast replacements.  Joe Sissens really stood out in the clarity of his balletic form I thought - as he did too in the fine final work.   When the curtain rose you could appreciate just how small (in terms of world balletic stages that is) the ROH platform actually is - and how gloriously MacMillan addresses that oh, so cozy intimacy.  It was - like the gaily epigrammatic music - cheering.  

It was wonderful to see Different Drummer again after such a long time - and after the rise of McGregor.  It now so much more comes into a potent focus and I thought the fine Royal company settled rightfully into its fold.  Sambe was as mesmerising a focus as he had been in his debut in Mayerling - only the development of the arc here, perhaps, lies a little more in his own favour.  His weight shifts are such a fine contemporary Royal construct.  So, so vivid.  I thought Whitehead and Hay were simply outstanding.  These are roles that in lesser hands could prove disastrous.  The balance of artistry employed here is so difficult to achieve.  That I well know.  Bless Hay for defining the absurdity of the Doctor as a serious construct.  He made the irony of the end actually work - and that methinks is no small feat.  Serrano - portraying the 'outsider' Drum Major - gave a spectacular debut.  Hayward too is such an outstanding MacMillan entity.  Here we had all the MacMillan elements - replete with the framed portrayals of depravity and the harlot fields so beloved by time ensured (i.e., long standing) Royal audiences - but with a theatrical shift that in its very alienation can ensure - by virtue of its very intriguing construct - dramatic engagement.  This well honours its source materials in manor that other overstretched works simply could never hope to do. 

 

Requiem was simply sublime and both Cutherbertson and Hamilton - again such fine, FINE Royal (and therefore MacMillan) artists - ones so, SO very much in the right place - simply shimmered whilst ensuring the potent backbone of this magnificent work ultimately inspired in both their own and crucially its glow.  

 

So much to celebrate in this particular evening.  

 

 

 

Edited March 21 by Bruce Wall

[Sim]

Just now, Blossom said:

I really don't know how I am going to manage the wait til next Wednesday for next viewing.

I have to wait until April 4th for my first viewing.  Then the 9th.  

[Richard LH]

For me this triple bill displayed (intentionally or otherwise)  two very contrasting aspects of MacMillan’s work. Taking the “dark” side first….whilst performed with admiral bravery and dedication by Hayward, Sambe and other cast members, Different Drummer suffers from the same unsavoury and dismal obsession with themes of mental illness, degradation, rape and death that characterises  a lot of MacMillan ‘s output, as also seen for example in The Invitation, Anastasia Act 3, Manon, Mayerling, and The Judas Tree. I didn’t find the story, such as it was, moving or engaging, just tedious and somewhat depressing, and after the first 5 minutes or so  I just kept wishing for the end.

 

What a shame, as the evening had started so brightly, in contrast, with the quirky, inventive  and clever Dances Concertantes, which I found  very enjoyable, and which was performed superbly, particularly  by the three leading ladies (Gasparini, Maeda and Hinkis) , and with Acri the stand-out  gentleman for me. It was only slightly spoiled, I felt, by the somewhat weird costume designs, including  the head pieces which unfortunately tended to make the dancers difficult to recognise, and those with little "Tin Man" stove pipes (?) atop looking faintly  ridiculous.

 

Also a shame that DD had to precede  the  hauntingly beautiful and impressive Requiem piece, which displayed some  marvellous dancing , brilliant  lighting and stark but elegant costume designs, and which was carried throughout by  the wonderful live choral music.  There was some tremendous, and challenging,  choreography, mostly extremely effective,  with just a few parts that didn’t quite work for me (for example I recall Cuthbertson sort of see-sawing on top one of the other dancers at the  end of one of the sections). I was holding my breath at the end when Braendsrod carried Cuthbertson off at the end….am I imagining it, or was he just holding her upright  with one hand on her lower leg?? Truly spectacular.

 

Overall though, mainly because of DD, I don’t feel the need to see this triple again at present and I have returned my tickets booked originally for the 27 March and 13 April.  

Edited March 21 by Richard LH

[zxDaveM]

I agree Richard, with pretty much all you say. I'd 'lose' those wee hats from Danses in a heartbeat!

I won't be returning my tickets for other performances in the run though, as I have a good book on the go, and a comfy seat in the Floral Hall earmarked for me for the duration of DD. As I do have to see Requiem again!

[Richard LH]

Just a point about the orchestration at the end of  Requiem (In Paradisum); the little triad motifs that run through the piece seemed a lot more dominant than in other versions of Faure's Requiem I have listened to. I think these are traditionally played on an organ, whereas I assume they were using some form of electronic keyboard last night? Anyway I did feel the instrumental   balance tended to make the end sequence sound more lightweight than the orginal  and thus not completely reflecting  the intended mood at the ending of the work.

[San Perregrino]

Sticking my head above the parapet here.

It was interesting to see Danses Concertantes; one of those pieces perhaps so long considered out of fashion by many that it could potentially come back into fashion for a new generation. e.g. If I wear a pair of ripped jeans I present as an old man neglecting himself. The same jeans on a 20 year old worn with confidence look fabulous and they are immediately trending on social media.
My question to those who are more knowledgeable than I is was DC danced well? For me it seemed to be lacking a spark.

My thoughts on DC were that, unusually for the Royal Ballet, it seemed to lack crispness in its geometric execution, nor did  the dancers didn’t seem fully committed or comfortable in what they were presenting.
DC is a statement piece and the intent, boldness, confidence and brashness to carry it off seemed to me to be missing. Perhaps this is down to last minute cast changes or direction and I’m optimistic that it will improve during the run.

 

Edited March 21 by Naughty Peregrine

[JohnS]

I thought the Triple Bill worked extraordinarily well, enormous variety and contrasts, and huge congratulations to all involved.

 

Danses Concertantes had real panache and wit, a testament to all the dancers, both last night and in the General Rehearsal, and I’m sure also to Laura Morera for her input in staging this ballet. You could almost sense the precision and wit Morera brought to the stage but now delivered by the casts she’d rehearsed.

I thought Different Drummer gripping and utterly traumatic. First time for me and something I’ve wanted to see for a long time. I very much admire Berg’s Wozzeck and there was a terrific production last season (although I had reservations about the goings on in the on stage urinals as the audience took their seats) so I had the advantage of knowing something of the drama. Hayward and Sambe I found brutally convincing, both delivering fully committed performances. It was great to see Sambe perform the full role following the recent Insight. I liked Serrano’s Drum Major but couldn’t help but think what Campbell might have made of the role. The Captain and Doctor have no redeeming features at all and Whitehead and Hay made them suitably venomous. I’d like to think a bit more about Dubreuil’s Soldier as I don’t recognise such a role in Wozzeck.

 

I’d been hugely impressed by Requiem in the General Rehearsal and was delighted to see the same cast were dancing the opening night, particularly the five leads Cuthbertson, Braendsrod, Ball, Hamilton, and Sissens. I very much appreciated seeing Requiem from the Balcony rather than Stalls Circle where I was for the General Rehearsal. The lighting effects I think are much more pronounced from higher up. A truly wonderful, transcendent ballet.

I thought the orchestra, soloists and choir excellent so many thanks to Koen Kessels and William Spaulding. The music itself would make for an engaging concert and I thought the Webern and Schoenberg fabulously played.
 

The Programme too is good. Kevin O’Hare talks about Gloria, The Invitation and La Fin du jour (not referenced as a possible Triple Bill) and also mentions Valley of Shadows and a duet MacMillan made for a gala in support of people with AIDS.

 

Looking forward very much to the cinema relay - it’s the General Rehearsal cast for Danses Concertantes and Bracewell takes the Ball role in Requiem.

[postie]

5 hours ago, Sebastian said:

Different Drummer is based on what was once very well-known source material, the play by Büchner. Over the years it became almost as ubiquitous a story as Faust or Romeo and Juliet. A useful list of just some of many versions is given on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woyzeck#Adaptations 

 

Back in 1984 MacMillan may have assumed his audience was familiar with the stark outlines of this drama and so felt free to work variations on it. Some of the comments here - and overheard after the performance - suggest this is no longer the case. Seen in the correct context it is a shattering work, among the most successful of his later creations, as indeed I felt it to be yesterday. 

 

"Based on" seems an understatement when the three-act play is reduced to a one-act ballet.

 

By 1984, the characterisation of Mary as a repentant whore had been challenged by the Church itself, though the debate remained open. On that basis, Macmillan was very free.

 

Imo, what we now witness is, to an extent, an interpretation of Macmillan's interpretation.

 

In this work, I find myself guided - somewhat - by the costumes, which seem to inform the narratives (more so than in most).

 

This is fun, though. What a fascinating work to piece together.

 

 

[Vanartus]

Quick question re Different Drummer. The ending last night was different from the first run back in 1984 - I was there first night - and different from the last performance I saw with Edward Watson. I must have seen in once again before the Watson run…I think with Adam Cooper but not sure, but deffo saw it three times before. The first performance ending had a type of Swan Lake apotheosis where the two covered bodies were on autopsy slabs, while in the background Wozzeck and Marie were together in a micro pdd moment of embrace. This in particular got criticised by Mary Clarke - avid MacMillan supporter - who felt it was completely at odds with spirit of play. In the next two runs I saw, MacMillan cut the apotheosis, and it ended with two bodies on separate trolleys being pushed to the rear of stage…so together in dissected death, with no spiritual redemption. So I was surprised last night to see a new ending with a ghostly Wozzeck walking along the tracks, and I wondered how that came about…was it a third ending that had come to light through research…I’m intrigued.

 

It goes without saying I was stunned by both Sambé and Hayward, and all the cast. Gripping throughout. DC was a great opener, and as for Requiem- just sigh…

[Emeralds]

14 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

I find it difficult to write about Requiem. It seems to be to have come to fruition fully formed, as if no other steps could have been used and MacMillan was simply expressing what was already there. I think I barely breathed from start to finish. Unbearably beautiful, and unbearably moving. Especially because today (now) is the first anniversary of my brother's death, and we used the In Paradisum movement at his funeral (and indeed at our mother's funeral in 2014). To watch the souls being led gently into Paradise, all fear gone, with their heads held high, was quite overwhelming. All the dancers were magnificent, and rightly got a great reception. Why this masterpiece is performed so infrequently I will never understand. 

My condolences on your brother's passing, @bridiem- hope it's ok to offer you virtual hugs. Requiem has the same significance for us- we used In Paradisum for the funeral of a young family member's sudden death from illness. When I see this triple bill it will be only the second time seeing the In Paradisum section after her passing...I'll be bringing extra tissues. 

[bridiem]

15 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

My condolences on your brother's passing, @bridiem- hope it's ok to offer you virtual hugs. Requiem has the same significance for us- we used In Paradisum for the funeral of a young family member's sudden death from illness. When I see this triple bill it will be only the second time seeing the In Paradisum section after her passing...I'll be bringing extra tissues. 

 

Thanks very much, @Emeralds - very kind of you. My condolences to you and your family too.

Edited March 21 by bridiem

[alison]

2 hours ago, Vanartus said:

Quick question re Different Drummer. The ending last night was different from the first run back in 1984 - I was there first night - and different from the last performance I saw with Edward Watson.

 

I think you must be confusing dates, Vanartus: Watson (and Putrov) definitely did the "tightrope walk" along the railway line at the end, so it must be a previous run you're thinking of.  I don't remember Cooper being in the ballet, but I could simply have missed it.  I think there may have been something in my 2008 programme about the ending having been changed, unless it was in the current one which I had a glimpse of last night.

[alison]

Incidentally, I got into the office this afternoon to find I'd missed a Radio 3 broadcast of Transfigured Night, the "second part" of Different Drummer.  Considering that Radio 3 has for weeks been advertising that they'll be playing the Fauré Requiem on Palm Sunday, I'm wondering whether Danses Concertantes is going to show up at some point as well!  It's worth noting, for classical music lovers, that this bill is also a feast of good music

[Roberta]

17 minutes ago, alison said:

I don't remember Cooper being in the ballet

 

Adam Cooper danced Drum Major.  

https://www.dancepicturelibrary.com/Dance/Royal-Ballet/Adam-Cooper/i-nFFzPmZ Photo

 

Other MacMillan roles he danced (including Danses Concertantes) listed here.  https://www.mradamcooper.com/bio