The Winter's Tale (Wheeldon) - livestream and in Vienna, Nov 2024

[Emeralds]

Vienna State Ballet's first performance of their staging of Christopher Wheeldon's The Winter's Tale takes place tonight! They have generously made the performance available for free on livestream for those who would like to see it. The casting for the lead roles are: Brendan Saye (Leontes), Hyo-Jung Kang (Hermione), Davide Dato (Florizel)  Ioanna Avram (Perdita), Masayu Kimoto (Polixenes), Ketevan Papava (Paulina)

 

As @iolanthe and @FionaM have already kindly compiled for us on the streaming thread, a reminder:- 

 

Date & time- Nov 19 (Tuesday), 19:00, Vienna time- The Winter’s Tale by Christopher Wheeldon. (UK time 6pm) 

To receive/register for the free livestream:

https://play.wiener-staatsoper.at/event/256ab3f9-bd07-422c-bf3d-0cbb61818139

 

The livestream is available to stop and replay on demand, or rewatch repeatedly during the 72 hour time limit.

 

Apart from Btendan Saye, who only joined the company recently from National Ballet of Canada, readers may recall seeing the other principals on the iconic New Year's Day Concert tv broadcasts in the ballet sections. Brendan Saye has previously danced at Sadler's Wells with NBC in Romeo and Juliet, if anyone remembers attending that.

 

Feel free to post your reactions in real time like a watch party, or after the live relay has finished. Any members who are lucky enough to be able see the ballet in person in Vienna's beautiful opera house, do report back on what you thought of the premiere performance or those of the other casts! 

Edited November 19, 2024 by Emeralds

[alison]

Thanks for the reminder, Emeralds. I'm on my phone so much at the moment that I can't see the streaming calendar.

[Josette]

I saw Brendan Saye as Polixenes when NBoC took it to New York and am thrilled to see that he will be performing Leontes in Vienna.  Thank you, @iolinthe, FionaM, and Emeralds for posting (and re-posting) the link, which I have accessed. 

[Dawnstar]

I enjoyed it but also I did find it slightly disconcerting as it's the first time I've seen a Royal Ballet production done by another company. Of course I've seen things like Nutcracker, Giselle & Swan Lake done by multiple companies but they've all had different productions. So it was a bit odd to recognise all the costumes but not most of the dancers in them! I did recognise 5 of the 6 leads from previous streams from Vienna but not most of the minor roles or ensemble.

 

Unfortunately our wifi decided to cut out for several minutes in Act I so we missed the end of the nursery scene & the start of the next scene. One of the downsides of watching online rather than live. Though on the plus side I managed to cook dinner in the first interval, which isn't something one can do at a live performance!

 

[Tattin]

I enjoyed it much more than when I saw the cinema broadcast by the Royal Ballet a few years ago (but that is par for the course for me as I almost always like new productions better on second or third viewings). They all danced and acted extremely well. I was delighted to see Ioanna Avraam as Perdita- I think she is unique in the ballet world as the only principal dancer in a major company from the Island of Cyprus.

[Emeralds]

It was such a treat to see a proper classical full length ballet of quality again after a  disappointing visit to see a mixed bill in Londoh last weekend. Vienna State Ballet are brave to stream the first night performance of a ballet they have not danced yet- likewise with La Dame aux Camellias last season. You can tell that meticulous preparation has gone into rehearsing the ballet in full and preparing the broadcast so that lighting, camera angles and the flow of the ballet and  everything else work well on live relay. I hope they consider and can get permission to produce a DVD for sale from this recording- it's worth having two casts/companies of this ballet available. 

 

I must praise the ballet company, opera house management and the filming company for taking the trouble to produce high quality ballet livestreaming for free to audiences in Austria as well as to anyone around the world who has access to a digital device, electricity and Internet provision. A big thanks to Artistic Director Martin Schläpfer and all the crews and teams involved for this decision and making it happen. Bravi to them! 👏 💐 👍 

 

I enjoyed this performance  live (although had to pause halfway and return to the transmission later) as well as on repeat views afterwards and there were outstanding performances from all the dancers in featured roles as well as the company. You can see the pride in their faces in dancing this ballet (which has also been a hit for National Ballet of Canada, Bolshoi Ballet and Hamburg Ballet as well as its originators the Royal Ballet) and their full commitment to the story and the choreography.

 

The ballet fits Vienna State Ballet beautifully like a glove with their dancers looking stunning in the choreography, Bob Crowley's designs look stunning on the  Wiener Staatsoper stage, and of course, Joby Talbot's score is played beautifully by the eminent Opera House orchestra under the baton of Christoph Koncz (who displayed some graceful moves of his own retrieving flower bouquets for Ms Kang and Ms Papava at the end!) and the folk musicians. I liked the fact that for this production the company credit all the children in acting roles- those portraying young Leontes, young Polixenes and young Brother Clown, and not just Mamillius. 

 

One usually picks out dancers who gave brilliant individual performances but I have to say everyone was outstanding- Saye (Leontes), Kang (Hermione), Dato (Florizel), Avraam (Perdita), Papavan (Paulina), Kimoto (Polixenes), wonderfully supported by Zsolt Török (Antigonus), Eno Peci (Father Shepherd), Duccio Tariello (Brother Clown), Sinthia Liz (Young Shepherdess), Calogero Failla (Steward of Polixenes) and the four boys portraying Mamillius, young Brother Clown and the young Kings, who all performed like seasoned professionals, while conveying the innocence of their child characters. 

 

I always like to see what angle each dancer brings to the interpretation of Leontes' jealousy- role originator Edward Watson's Leontes seemed to be taken over by jealousy as a powerful and supernatural evil force, Cesar Corrales' Leontes experienced jealousy taking a grip on him like demonic possession, and jealousy came upon Nicol Edmonds' Leontes like a disease, where he looked physically in pain as the jealousy altered his mind and perception, etc - all different but very good. (Whether or not that's actually the motivation in their performance, that's what it looked like to  me watching it!) It was lovely to see Watson and Jillian Vanstone (who danced Perdita with National Ballet of Canada) who had assisted stager Jason Fowler, notator Gregory Mislin and Christopher Wheeldon in rehearsing the dancers, taking their bows with Wheeldon, Talbot and Crowley at the end. 

 

Brendan Saye's Leontes seemed to be aware at first of jealousy creeping in as an abnormal entity but looked powerless to stop it, and in the final scene where he begs forgiveness he looks fully aware of the pain and distress he has put his wife through. Hyo-Jung Kang portrayed a beautiful and graceful queen very much in love with her husband and so loving to her son and unborn baby, whose bewilderment then distress and sorrow over her husband's irrational jealousy is eloquently told in her expressive yet beautifully elegant dancing- what gorgeous lines she has. Davide Dato and Ioanna Avraam are glorious as the young couple in love and expressive in their acting scenes with Polixenes, Father Shepherd, Brother Clown, Leontes and Paulina. Ketevan Papava and Masayu Kimoto both presented memorably dramatic accounts of their characters with excellent dancing. Duccio Tariello reminded me of (role originator) Valentino Zucchetti in the humour and virtuosity of his performance as Brother Clown. This is truly luxury casting indeed.

 

If you haven't seen the livestream already and you like story ballets or just any classical ballet, I highly recommend that you clear your schedule tonight - or if you have a free day tomorrow, clear tomorrow's schedule, and sign up/sign in, and sit back to  watch this (with a nice drink or snack if you wish):  you will love how brilliant this performance and staging is. And you don't have to travel to Vienna to see it! (I would also recommend this to those who are actually going to see the ballet in Vienna as well- don't miss this cast on livestream; they are magnificent.) The livestream access runs out 72 hours after the start time, ie Friday 22 November 6pm UK time.

 

Edited November 21, 2024 by Emeralds

[FionaM]

As I’ve said before … I believe The Winter’s Tale to be Christopher Wheeldon’s masterpiece (at least so far).  
 

I am looking forward to watch the relay from Vienna tonight. 

Edited November 21, 2024 by FionaM

[Sim]

17 minutes ago, FionaM said:

As I’ve said before … I believe The Winter’s Tale to be Christopher Wheeldon’s masterpiece (at least so far).  

I agree with that.  

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, FionaM said:

I am looking forward to watch the relay from Vienna tonight. 

Watching with coffee and a piece of cake entirely optional 😉 ...although I must admit it was fun to rewatch Act 2 with a mince pie and a cup of tea just now! 

 

Sinthia Liz and Duccio Tariello were spectacular in the jetes and turns in Act 2- their speed and precision! They really remind me of Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Valentino Zucchetti dancing this. Ioanna Avraam and Davide Dato were stunning in the Act 2 pas de deux and divertissement- I would love to see them in something like Don Quixote or Sleeping Beauty....or both! 

 

Let us know what you thought (when you have time) after watching! I'll probably rewatch some parts again tomorrow till the livestream cuts me off! 

[alison]

This appears still to be on ...

[Emeralds]

6 hours ago, alison said:

This appears still to be on ...

That was still within the 72 hours when you posted that, Allison, while it's now 2 hours past the 72 hours. I can still watch it on the device I used that still has the window open that's logged in for the ballet, but not on a new device. Just going to enjoy the remaining minutes they are offering...  😀

[FionaM]

Watched the livestream … terrific performance from the whole cast especially from Brendan Saye as Leontes 👏👏👏. The nuances in the close-ups were very good. 

 

I preferred many of these portrayals to some I’ve seen at RB  🫢, and I attribute it to the whole company embracing this new production, aided by the excellent coaching of Ed Watson, Jill Vanstone (she also coached Alice at RB recently) and others.  
 

Bravo Vienna 👏👏👏

 

 

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, FionaM said:

 Bravo Vienna 👏👏👏

Hear, hear! They were outstanding- I managed to stretch my viewing to midnight and was really sorry to see it go. Bravo! 👏