Missfrankiecat Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Late to the party, I went to Friday night's performance and found this a wonderful triple bill. I think I enjoyed the programme elements in ascending order but will happily watch all again. Dances Concertantes was witty, quirky and eye-catching. Isabella Gasparini is one of my favourite soloists and I was delighted to see her shine in her leading role. Joseph Sissens stood out, mainly because of his broad smile throughout much of the action - he really looked as if he was enjoying it whereas the other men looked a tad serious; who could blame them in those costumes?! I found Different Drummer quite engrossing, despite the cheerless content. Reece Clark and Natalia Osipova gave predictably emotive performances, and I felt there was a huge amount to unpack from the almost unrelenting symbolism thrown at us. Partly from my memories of seeing/reading the original play, and partly from what I was watching, I wasn't sure how much was real and how much was Woyzek's hallucination as a result of the medical experiments - was Marie really unfaithful or was it a dream? I look forward to seeing Sambe and Hayward's take. Requiem was glorious. My seat was right next to the choir, and hearing that music washing over us accompanied by such stunning dancing, gloriously lit was a precious experience. Several people have mentioned Bracewell who was excellent, but Lauren Cuthbertson was incandescent too. Huge kudos to Lukas B. Braendsrod for those amazing lifts (indeed the whole company); the sight of Cuthbertson's serene soul being carried high and upright into a golden paradise was a heart-stopping ending. Marvellous programming showing MacMillan's incredible range and highly evocative for performance approaching Easter. 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 Rather left field and not a very major question, but I seemed to remember Alessandra Ferri spending the entire ballet with her natural long dark hair (sometimes pinned up and sometimes loose). I see (from the curtain call photos of Francesca Hayward- thank you RobS) that Marie is in a red wig (certainly at the end anyway). Does anyone know if this was in the last run also or whether this is new for this year? Not of earth shattering importance but just curious to know, if anyone remembers. On 24/03/2024 at 21:13, JohnS said: I was very taken with the Marie/Mary Magdalene references in Different Drummer and Marie’s washing of the soldier/Christ figure’s feet and drying with her hair. In Wozzeck Marie sings about Mary Magdalene including: ‘Saviour, I should like to anoint your feet. Saviour, you had mercy on her; have mercy on me too.’ But in opera productions I’ve seen, I don’t recall the washing of feet etc being acted out. However, the washing of feet does take place in Parsifal where Kundry is also a Mary Magdalene figure. In 1979 the ROH put on a new production with Solti conducting a stellar cast, Peter Hofmann and Yvonne Minton as Parsifal and Kundry, and I recall a touching washing of the feet. As the Parsifal production was just a few years before Different Drummer, I was wondering if MacMillan had seen it (or other Parsifals). I’m afraid the index in Jann Parry’s ‘Different Drummer’ biography doesn’t help - no references to Wagner, Parsifal and Kundry and just one reference to Solti but unrelated to Parsifal. I know the Mary Magdalene story is well known and there are dozens of images in the arts but I’d be fascinated to know if MacMillan saw the Solti Parsifal and if so what he made of it. Does anybody know? That's an interesting question, JohnS. MacMillan showed extensive knowledge of music - from Mahler to Massenet to Martinu and had this uncanny way of choosing music that seemed to be quite low profile that wasn't performed or broadcast very often but when one hears it in his ballet, one just thinks, "that's so beautiful/glorious/heartrending and simply perfect for this production". I don't recall him using Wagner for a ballet but he did choreograph the Venusberg ballet section in Wagner's Tannhauser, in 1955 (one of his earliest choreography commissions). I suppose if it's in 1984, his widow Deborah might be the best person to ask if he'd attended that production of Parsifal. Maybe when she next appears in an RB Insight you could email the question to them to ask her, unless you see her attending a performance. 😊 (I've spotted her at the interval a few times.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I just succumbed to temptation & upgraded myself for tomorrow from my usual side stalls circle bench (£39) to row C stalls (£66 reduced from £110) when an aisle seat appeared. Not only do I need to be on or near an aisle for making a quickish exit afterwards, as if I miss the 23.09 then it's rail replacement buses, but I'm hoping that should there be someone tall in front then I can look round them down the aisle. It'll be nice to have one sojurn in the comfort of the stalls this season, as with the price rises I didn't think I would get to. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I've been in two minds whether I wanted to see this or not as Different Drummer sounds very depressing and I'm not massively keen on the source material. Given the good reviews of Requiem I have booked a ticket for the cinema relay. I can't manage a trip to London but will enjoy it from the comfort of a probably fairly empty cinema. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 It’s interesting that in our local Artsy cinemas in Brighton there seems to be no showing …rather encore of Swan Lake but the livestream and encore of the triple are advertised! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I must admit, I didn't recall Leanne Benjamin having a reddish wig, although it's not that red compared with some of the harlots'. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 Slight tangent, Leanne Benjamin's Insta https://www.instagram.com/leannebenjamin_official/p/C0tptiNoNJ4/?ref=shop_looks&img_index=2 "...came across this youthful photo of Kenneth MacMillan when looking through old photographs by my late father in law Roy Round this weekend! Both Roy and Kenneth were 23 at this shoot." 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I forgot to comment after last Friday's performance: performances varied, but generally I thought Different Drummer was much better focused the second time round - and I liked Osipova's Marie very much. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 8 hours ago, Tango Dancer said: I've been in two minds whether I wanted to see this or not as Different Drummer sounds very depressing and I'm not massively keen on the source material. For anyone else thinking along these lines, I would just like to point out that the longer of the two pieces of music this ballet is set to - Verklärte Nacht - is one of the most gorgeous and greatest pieces ever written for orchestra, always worth hearing live. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I recall the late Clement Crisp saying in print that the Watson/Benjamin cast of Different Drummer was so good that it "demands to be filmed". Unfortunately, it never was - I guess 2008 was just that bit too early - but at least we will get some sort of record of the ballet. But talking of missing the boat, I've said it before, but Requiem with Benjamin and Acosta really ought to have been filmed, and it was done more recently than 2008. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaker Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) 1 hour ago, alison said: I recall the late Clement Crisp saying in print that the Watson/Benjamin cast of Different Drummer was so good that it "demands to be filmed". Unfortunately, it never was - I guess 2008 was just that bit too early - but at least we will get some sort of record of the ballet. But talking of missing the boat, I've said it before, but Requiem with Benjamin and Acosta really ought to have been filmed, and it was done more recently than 2008. Was that the 2012 one @alison? I think Nunez was also in it? It’s was truly sublime. I recall I was heavily pregnant at the time so hormonal and was completely stunned and reduced to tears at the end. I think it was also on with Las Hermanas wasn’t it? Edited March 27 by Beaker Punctuation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I sometimes wonder if parents bother to read age warnings? There's a little girl across the aisle from me who looks about 5 & a boy a couple of rows behind who looks about 7. Goodness knows what they'll make of Different Drummer! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 43 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: I sometimes wonder if parents bother to read age warnings? There's a little girl across the aisle from me who looks about 5 & a boy a couple of rows behind who looks about 7. Goodness knows what they'll make of Different Drummer! I think some people think ballet is automatically suitable for all ages. I suppose at least it wasn't the Judas Tree they were watching. On the plus side the 5 year probably won't understand it. Mind you I was about 8 when my grandparents took me to see John Webster's "The White Devil" and I thought it was great. Granny had thought because it was the RSC it would be appropriate, it really wasn't but I loved it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Little girl & mother left hurridly within about a minute of Different Drummer starting! They did come back for Requiem. I hope the girl won't have nightmares. I found the Doctor & Captain pretty repulsive & scary and I'm 38! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paco Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: Little girl & mother left hurridly within about a minute of Different Drummer starting! They did come back for Requiem. I hope the girl won't have nightmares. I found the Doctor & Captain pretty repulsive & scary and I'm 38! Yes, Gary Avis and Kevin Emerton were amazing in these characters. Otherwise I found that ballet somehow boring (I had not seen it before). I don't know why but something does not work in this piece: The music lacks contrasts, it is always a bit in the same mood and after twenty minutes it starts to be boring - at least for a ballet, whereas it is different in a concert environment. Then the choreography itself looked uninspired to me, I found it difficult to understand its structure. Moreover, compared to Berg's opera, I missed a kind of dramatic crescendo. Globally not a piece to remember as far as I am concerned. The best surprise to me was the ability of Reece Clarke, usually the "ideal Prince" with his handsome look, to convert into the character of Woyzeck. He managed it quite well and was really convincing. On the opposite I did love Requiem. A true masterpiece where everything matches: inspired sets, beautiful lighting, amazing choreography, great music that suits perfectly to what happens on stage. Amazing corps de ballet (so synchronized!), and unforgettable Christic interpretation from Matthew Ball, in addition to the fascinating Sarah Lamb. I also enjoyed Danses concertantes, an entertaining start to the evening. Not the kind of ballet I would rush to see, but it is ok. Overall I would die to see again Requiem, and on the other hand I will easily forget the two other pieces. But I am glad to have seen them, it is the mission of the Royal Ballet to maintain its heritage in the repertoire. Edited March 27 by Paco 15 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Instagram Facebook 9 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I'm glad I decided to upgrade to a stalls seat for tonight. It's all very well seeing only parts of ballets when you know what the missing bits are but when seeing a piece for the first time it's so much easier if you can see everything. Tonight was not only my first time seeing all 3 pieces but also quadrupled the number of 1 act MacMillans I've seen! (The only MacMillan 1-acter I've seen previously being Concerto). Even though all 3 pieces are by the same choreographer I found them extremely different, especially visually in terms of the designs. I was glad I'd already seen pictures of the Danses Concertantes costumes a few days ago as I'd had time to get used to them. I think if I'd seen them tonight for the first time I would have been too busy gawping at them to pay any attention to the choreography! I did still find them fairly distracting, as well as quite disguising with the headgear. As it was, the choreography felt more Ashton, or perhaps even the type of choreography I imagine some De Valois pieces to have (never having seen actually seen any), than MacMillan, which I suppose isn't surprising given when MacMillan choreographed it Ashton must have been the most important choreographer around. I did enjoy the choreography. I'm particularly in favour of the placing-the-dancers-around-the-set-while-others-are-dancing choice - it's so much easier to identify dancers, even in strange headgear, when they're stationary! (Though I still managed to get Mullova-Barley mixed up with Buvoli again, a mistake I frequently make. ) I was decidedly apprehensive about Different Drummer & was quite anxious while watching it as to how unpleasant if was going to get. Contrary to the content warning, it wasn't the murders, suicide or mental health issues that made me wince but the medical experiments. I found the Doctor really abhorrent (no offence intended to Emerton) and the Captain very unpleasant too (just when I thought I wouldn't see Avis do any nastier MacMillan characters than G.M. or the Gaoler this season but at least they are both humanly unpleasant while the Captain was inhumanly unpleasant). I suppose at least when I see the piece again I'll know what is coming, which should make it easier to put up with. While I did not like the plot, I did like much of the choreography, at least the more danced parts. I particularly liked the lines of soldiers jetee-ing across the stage and a number of the lifts in the pdds between Marie & Woyzeck and Marie & the Drum Major. I was fairly puzzled by several things that took place that don't happen in the opera, which is where I know the plot from. (On the plus side, at least compared to the opera the ballet is much shorter & has nicer music!) Can anyone say if it is worth buying a programme? Does it have any useful explanations? I though beforehand about buying one but decided against it at the time as with none of the 3 ballets having been performed by the RB for some years the production photos will presumably be of casts from years ago, many of whom I won't recognise. I agree with @Paco that Clarke did a very good job at playing a character that it does not feel as though he's naturally suited to (though I'd've still liked to have seen what Richardson or Bracewell might have made of the role). Osipova did feel naturally suited to Marie & I thought was excellent in the role. Donnelly, apart from a minor baton mishap at the start, was very good as the Drum Major. Usually I like to try to identify dancers in the corps de ballet in group scenes. I'm not very good at it at the best of times but Different Drummer must be the most impossible ballet in which to try to identify any of the male corps dancers in the scene when they all appear in gas masks! Eek, it's now 3.15am so I'm going to have to be quick about Requiem. It was great being sat so near to the singers. I thought the chorus & baritone were excellent but, being picky, I would have preferred a soprano with a slightly cooler, purer tone for the Pie Jesu. I think the Agnus Dei was my favourite section, especially in terms of music, so I found that the most moving part. I found In Paradisum a little musically disappointing. I don't know if I'm mixing it up with another requiem, as I haven't listened to Faure's for some years, but it wasn't as moving as I thought it was going to be. It also sounded as though a synthesizer was being used to play a series of notes, which I had already noticed once or twice earlier but it seemed more obtrusive at the start of In Paradisum. I thought most of the choreography was lovely. There were a few moments I wasn't that keen on, including the very start with everyone almost shuffling on, but the majority of it I really liked. I thought some of the lifts were amazing & must be so difficult to do. As I think someone has already mentioned somewhere on this thread, it is so nice to have a really well-lit piece with a light back-drop so you can see all the choreography clearly without any of the peering through the gloom that so many modern choreographers & lighting designers seem so keen on! I liked most of the costumes, though as with Danses Concertantes it probably helped that I'd had a week to get used to them as when I first realised they were the Requiem costumes I was surprised as they weren't what I had been expecting. Dancers must be God's gift to costume designers: you can put them in the most exiguous costumes because they've got such amazing figures, and you couldn't get more minimal than that loincloth! I'm very glad I saw this cast first as I thought Lamb in particular was so visually well-suited to her role & I'm not sure I'll find Cuthbertson quite as much so. I also thought Lamb & Hamilton, both being fair, reflected each other very nicely in the parts of the choreography when they were interacting. In particular there was a moment when Lamb was being held above Hamilton (this moment, though the photo is of course with Cuthbertson rather than Lamb) where it felt as if they could be the heavenly & earthly versions of the same person. I thought Hamilton was excellent in the Agnus Dei, and it was nice to see what it looks like as part of the full staging after seeing just her part in the Insight livestream. Hirano partnered Lamb very well again. At one point (I think it was in In Paradisum but I'm not certain) I was quite strongly reminded of their Manon a month ago. I know male dancers have to be strong but I was impressed by the way Hirano, Dixon & Zuchetti were lifting Acri in the Libra Me as a male dancer, even a not particularly tall one like Acri, must be significantly heavier to lift than the female dancers they are used to lifting. I thought Ball was excellent in his Christ-like role. (I was not quick about Requiem - it is now 3.45am!) Although @Silke H has already posted photos from tonight, as hers are group shots (at least on Instagram, Facebook is refusing to let me see if those are the same) I hope it's alright if I post a few closer photos of those leading dancers who didn't appear on the first night (those who did have already been covered far better by @Rob S on page 2, hence I'm not posting any photos of Danses Concertantes). If it's not alright then please could a moderator remove them. 18 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Many thanks @Dawnstar. I think it well worthwhile getting the programme - helpful articles, including two by Jann Parry; some historic photos, including from the last 2011 Requiem with Lauren Cuthbertson reprising her role this run; and many photos of the dancers in rehearsal albeit Anna Rose O’Sullivan, in a full page photo with Vadim Muntagirov, sadly didn’t make the actual performances. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 (edited) Great photos @Dawnstar! I bought the programme- there is a colour photo of Lauren Cuthbertson with the whole ensemble and she's the only cast member in a performance photo from both the last and current run. Nunez is in the performance photos but is of course no longer in the run. There are rehearsal photos of the current casts of all 3 ballets. Some nice historical photos of original cast members eg Maryon Lane (Danses Concertantes), Ferri and Eagling (Different Drummer), and Marcia Haydee (Requiem) if you like history. I'm afraid the programme this time (again! - same problem as in 2017 with the triple bill) has omitted the ballet synopses altogether. There are articles discussing intentions and memories making the ballets but no mention of the actual plot you will see. A bit annoying to queue and pay £8.50 and still end up having to be a human souvenir programme to explain the plot to your newbie friends! Edited March 28 by Emeralds 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 4 hours ago, Dawnstar said: Although @Silke H has already posted photos from tonight, as hers are group shots (at least on Instagram, Facebook is refusing to let me see if those are the same) I hope it's alright if I post a few closer photos of those leading dancers who didn't appear on the first night (those who did have already been covered far better by @Rob S on page 2, hence I'm not posting any photos of Danses Concertantes). If it's not alright then please could a moderator remove them. Please don't let my pics stop you from posting yours. Always good to have them from different views, and different people can catch different moments. Lovely seeing you last night! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 @Dawnstar Thanks for that great review of last night's performance. Shame I didn't realise others were there from the forum. I did have a quick look around in the main bar, but the only group near the main stairs seemed to be quaffing champagne and devouring food in large quantities. I didn't like to disturb them, especially as I didn't see anyone I recognised. The first two ballets were new to me. I loved Danses Concertantes. I might have been a bit startled by the costumes had I not seen the photos on here, but they looked so much better in real life. The marks on the male costumes didn't dominate as much as I thought they would, and the female costumes were very flattering. I loved them, I thought they were lively, fun, terrific colours, and I even liked the headdresses. I would still like to know what the different symbols are supposed to represent, assuming they have a purpose, but the fact they were there didn't bother me at all. I thought the whole ballet was witty and amusing, and more to the point the dancers seemed to be enjoying themselves as they danced it. Muntagirov seemed to have a cheeky smile on his face the whole time, as if to say "Isn't this great? I am having a ball!" I'd be very happy to see that again, and please, please don't change the costumes. Wonderful to see something different, after so many offerings recently with grey baggy costumes I must admit that after so many negative reviews on here, I was rather dreading Different Drummer. In fact, I found it intriguing, and was so involved with the action I was quite surprised when the curtain came down. I am glad that I read about the story beforehand, otherwise I might have wondered what the bath was doing there. I thought Reece Clarke was excellent, his eyes popping as he degenerated into madness, and Osipova always excels in these dramatic roles. I loved the way the Captain was depicted, barking out his orders and sending the soldiers to probably certain death, and the Doctor was one of the most repulsive characters I have seen in a ballet, with his reptillian movements. I am not saying I would want to watch multiple performances in a run, but I wouldn't sit it out if it was on another bill, and am slightly puzzled as to why so many on this forum dislike it so intensely. On thing puzzled me – why was Marie listed as a common-law wife? Surely MacMillan wouldn't have called her that, I thought that was a relatively recent expression? Wouldn't she have been called mistress, partner or girlfriend? And so on to Requiem. I have seen this several times, but strangely I couldn't remember either the stage set or the costumes. In fact, the only thing I could remember was the way in which the group show their grief when they first come on stage, a collective expression of rage and pain. Lamb is one of my favourite dancers, and I really liked Hamilton in her role. I thought the whole thing was beautifully danced. However, for some reason I didn't find it as moving as I usually do. I don't know why, perhaps it was the mood I was in, but it just didn't work for me last night. Instead, I found myself thinking that skin tight white outfits for the ladies are not flattering on everyone, no matter how slender they are. The one thing that struck me watching 3 one act ballets by MacMillan was how modern it felt. In fact, if I was a newcomer with no knowledge whatsoever, I might have thought that he had been influenced by McGregor! There were certain movements, hand gestures, lifts, that seemed taken from the modern dance hand book. Yet they flowed, were obviously balletic, and showed what a magnificent choreographer MacMillan was. 14 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 (edited) Hi @Fonty, Marie has been called common-law wife since the 1984 premiere, perhaps to emphasise that they are living as a couple with a child just like married couples, except they aren't married. I'm only guessing- I haven't come across any quotes from him or evidence of anyone asking. (Perhaps another list of questions to ask Deborah MacMillan at the next Insight event!) I think partner or domestic partner is a newer term (especially when used for both gay and straight couples)? While girlfriend or mistress sounds a bit like he's just having a fling, common law wife sounds like he is taking on the responsibilities of a father and husband - his willingness to subject himself to horrendous experiments to earn extra money for his lover and child does feel noble and self sacrificial, even if it all goes horribly wrong. I thought the term common law wife/marriage was quite old fashioned- I don't actually hear people using it nowadays to refer to themselves or their friends/relatives who fit that description. I looked up the etymology of the phrase and apparently it came into common usage in the 1960s; before the 1900s, there was a risk that couples in such arrangements could actually be prosecuted. Despite the word "law" in the phrase, the term actually has no legal standing in the UK and most countries. Edited March 28 by Emeralds 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) Oh, ok, thanks @Emeralds I suppose it makes sense to call her that under those circumstances. It has long been a term that grates on me, as it conveys a legal status that doesn't exist. I know many women were fooled into thinking that the longevity of their relationship meant it had attained recognition in the eyes of the law, when it actually had no such thing. Edited March 28 by Fonty 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 5 hours ago, Emeralds said: Great photos @Dawnstar! I bought the programme- there is a colour photo of Lauren Cuthbertson with the whole ensemble and she's the only cast member in a performance photo from both the last and current run. Nunez is in the performance photos but is of course no longer in the run. There are rehearsal photos of the current casts of all 3 ballets. Some nice historical photos of original cast members eg Maryon Lane (Danses Concertantes), Ferri and Eagling (Different Drummer), and Marcia Haydee (Requiem) if you like history. I'm afraid the programme this time (again! - same problem as in 2017 with the triple bill) has omitted the ballet synopses altogether. There are articles discussing intentions and memories making the ballets but no mention of the actual plot you will see. A bit annoying to queue and pay £8.50 and still end up having to be a human souvenir programme to explain the plot to your newbie friends! Thanks for the programme information. That's a pity to have no synopses, at least for Different Drummer, the other 2 pieces I suppose they're not really needed for. 2 hours ago, Fonty said: @Dawnstar Thanks for that great review of last night's performance. Shame I didn't realise others were there from the forum. I did have a quick look around in the main bar, but the only group near the main stairs seemed to be quaffing champagne and devouring food in large quantities. I didn't like to disturb them, especially as I didn't see anyone I recognised. I too had a quick look in the Floral Hall at the start of both intervals & didn't spot anyone I recognised so I assume there wasn't a Forum group up there last night. Lovely to see you too @Silke H & to meet your friends. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 6 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: That's a pity to have no synopses, at least for Different Drummer, the other 2 pieces I suppose they're not really needed for. Whilst there’s no stand alone synopsis, I do think the paragraphs on Different Drummer in the first three programme articles by Jann Parry, Jonathan Gray and Gavin Plumley are informative and give helpful insight to the drama and music. I also rather liked having Requiem printed in full in Latin and English. The cast sheet doesn’t have anything by way of synopses, other than a reference to Requiem being dedicated to John Cranko. A shame as there’s masses of white space on page 2 so it would have been relatively easy to include a sentence on Danses Concertantes and Requiem, and perhaps a short paragraph on Different Drummer within the two pages. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I spotted you, Dawnstar, but you weren't looking in our direction, and I was rather hemmed in. Funny how none of the programmes (I'm including 2008 here) seem to want to deal with Different Drummer from the narrative side. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Apologies for totally failing to see you @alison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 50 minutes ago, alison said: Funny how none of the programmes (I'm including 2008 here) seem to want to deal with Different Drummer from the narrative side. And quite a contrast with Wozzeck where last year’s programme has a very clear synopsis - well presented in large print over three pages, each Act on one page and separate paragraphs for the five scenes in each Act. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Really enjoyed the performance last night back in SCS with a view of the stage and the scenery from a lovely central position which I had forfeited on opening night in order to see which ballet VIPs were present from a side SCS seat. Isabella Gasparini was lovely on opening night but she has definitely benefitted from a little bit more time to hone her performance and Danses Concertantes was overall more slick. Again loved the journey back in time and the playful nature of the ballet. I have to admit that I much preferred the first cast for Different Drummer. Osipova played Marie rather differently to Hayward, she is also a much physically stronger dancer which I didn't think suited the role as well. Reece Clarke was gorgeous to watch but he is a very different physique to Marcelino Sambe who I had watched being coached in the studio insight and then on first night and the choreography just seemed to sit better on his frame. There was also a lot more physicality of emotion in Sambe's portrayal. Having said that, I have someone staying from NY who went with a friend and she simply adored Clarke who was her favourite of the night. Requiem was equally powerful and love the choral music - and notably, much more so than opera. Loved having another chance to see Matthew Ball who I didn't realise I would be seeing again - bonus. I spotted the table of Forum people in the bar, most of whom I don't know, but was with a friend so unable to come and say hello last night. Looking forward to 9 April. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Just hand an email from ROH with the Ashton Casting, but not sure how to share it on here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 1 minute ago, Jamesrhblack said: but not sure how to share it on here... Copy and paste the text? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I’m going on the 9th too ….. first visit to ROH since November 21st in the Clore! Am looking forward to it as would go for Requiem alone. I just love Faure’s Requiem so the dancing is an added joy. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorDerry Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Just a quick review of last night’s performances ,but before that a ‘Thank You’ to forum members for your erudite and helpful previous discussions about Different Drummer, much needed to follow the story. We found Dances Concertantes great fun, really well danced by everyone,the costumes are certainly eye openers and must have been quite astonishing in the grey years of the 50s. Could not stop thinking of the teletubbies unfortunately. I really disliked pretty much everything in DD and although I would have preferred to see the first cast I suspect they would not have rescued it for me. Never again. Requiem was glorious We agreed that if they did it again we would be back asap wonderful ensemble work and beautiful duets, plus some of my favourite music. Heaven Thank you Dawnstar and Silke for your photos 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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