English National Ballet: Nutcracker, Winter 2014/15

[Bruce Wall]

 

As far as the second act is concerned I never really enjoy any of the classical offerings.  I think they should take a leaf out of Matthew Bourne's book and present each variation as a proper sweet of some kind!  Might make it a lot more interesting. 

 

I agree, Fonty.  That is exactly what Balanchine does in what is I think my personal favourite version of The Nutcracker; one decades older than Matthew Bourne's take.

 

That said, I personally think it would be an error for ENB to, say, take on the Bourne Nutcracker (or for that matter Mark Morris' oft delightful 'Hard Nut') simply because - given that it IS the 'English National BALLET' - it's all the more important that the Company should strive to maintain the balletic idiom on behalf of the nation - howe'er that might be achieved.  [Tamara Rojo has done a brilliant job inside this remit thus far.] Given that The Nutcracker is (understandably) repeated more than any other piece of the Company's VAST repertoiry that maintenance is I think even more vital - especially when - no matter how diminishing in real terms it might be - a segment of ENB's support comes out of the public purse. (Were the latter NOT to be true ... then the private company - (as, say, in AMP's case) - would be entirely free to mount any version in whatever manner they best saw fit in order to serve the largest commercial pull and not only ensure the outfit's survival but help see that it fiscally prospers/profits as, by definition, it then should/must.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Bruce Wall

[alison]

Interesting cast changes last night: announcements on the doors indicated that Anton Lukovkin would be performing the role of Mouse King - there was also an announcement from the stage that it would be Shevelle Dynott, which I assumed would take precedence over the typed announcement, but since he was down to dance the Arabian and no replacement for *that* was announced I was left wondering until the end precisely *who* was under the mouse mask! (It was Dynott) I was wondering whether it would be possible for him to change out of the mouse costume in time for the Arabian ...

[capybara]

Good to hear that an attempt was being made to announce cast changes. There was no notification of several changes to the printed list at the performances I have attended.

 

In my view, both Anton Lukovkin and Shevelle Dynott are very good indeed as the Mouse King.

[aileen]

I hadn't intended to see a third performance but, as my son was hosting one of those mass sleepovers so beloved of children and teenagers which meant that I would be confined to the kitchen from 6pm, I decided to go and see this evening's performance and I'm pleased that I did. It was the Takahashi/Dingman cast again. Dingman was even better than last time. He is a classy dancer: tall and slim; (and boyishly handsome); beautiful technique with everything nicely finished; lovely soft landings and elegant partnering. The gpdd was superb (although the music was taken very slowly for the big pdd). The 'trio' with Reimar was much smoother than it had been with Bufala. The national dancers were well executed this evening, particularly the Russian one which I think was danced by Cesar Corrales, rather than Zamora as stated on the cast sheet. Whoever he was, he was incredibly good and received huge applause. The two young leads also received huge applause (I think that the child cast changed today). Freddie was very good and Clara was charming but, as with last year's Claras, she really looked too young to be having a crush on Drosselmeyer's nephew; I think that Young Clara needs to look about 13 or 14 rather than 9 or 10, whatever her actual age is.

[LinMM]

And probably back then girls still played with dolls till 13-14!!

[aileen]

I found the NYT review of the POB's Nutcracker interesting. In their (Nureyev) version Drosselmeyer becomes the Prince!

[Fonty]

 Freddie was very good and Clara was charming but, as with last year's Claras, she really looked too young to be having a crush on Drosselmeyer's nephew; I think that Young Clara needs to look about 13 or 14 rather than 9 or 10, whatever her actual age is.

 

One of my friend's daughters played Clara years ago, and then they were picked from the 2nd year (which I think is now called year 8?).  This means she would have been 12 or 13.  

[aileen]

The thing is that young teenage girls (and especially boys) vary tremendously in how mature they look. Some 12 year old girls look 14 and some look 10.

[Bruce Wall]

I found the NYT review of the POB's Nutcracker interesting. In their (Nureyev) version Drosselmeyer becomes the Prince!

 

Aileen, has the Nureyev Nutcracker not been seen in London?  It is very dark .... I remember Galina Panova being a very fine Clara in it, however .... but that wasn't in London.

[Fonty]

I have a DVD of Nureyev's Nutcracker that he created for the Royal Ballet in the late 1960s.  I am not sure how different it is to the POB's version, as I have never seen the latter. 

[LinMM]

I remember seeing Nureyev's RB Nutcracker in the 70's. ....or was it 80's ?...Did he do two versions?

 

It wasn't my favourite lets put it that way!

Edited December 23, 2014 by LinMM

[aileen]

Changing the topic slightly, does anyone know if Elena is going to be dancing on 3 January and if Casy Herd has recovered from his injury?

[Douglas Allen]

Just a quick comment about the Nureyev version: he produced (and largely choreographed) a version for the Royal Ballet in the late sixties, revisited this and made additions in the early seventies and made further amendments a year later. He reproduced the first version for Sweden and a few years later reproduced the second version for Paris. The changes were primarily of some costumes, additional choreography for what had previously been orchestral work (including the entre acte and a transition) and some slight changes to the corps work in Act II.

The work was broadcast on BBC2 when new and this was released on VHS and subsequently on DVD. Paris' version is also available on DVD.

The version is rather grand (large scale corps work, big Georgiadis sets )  and is distinguished by lots of dancing. It also has the distinct merit of not being aimed particularly at children. It's a very Freudian interpretation. In my opinion it's Nureyev's most successful full-length ballet (possibly alongside his Don Q for the Australians) and is my favourite version of Nutcracker, just ahead of the Balanchine. The Peter Wright Birmingham production is not bad - it's just let down by the paucity of dancing in Act I and by having the lead dance only the grand pas de deux. ENB has aimed all of its versions over the years squarely at the "family and children" market and they need to be assessed by different standards. Most of their versions have been colourful, charming and dross. The only reason for going to see them is to see particular dancers whom you like.

[aileen]

I like the idea of a 'dark' Nutcracker but I think that most recent productions in the UK (and not just ENB's) have been firmly in the family Christmas outing camp. I wonder whether Eagling wanted to do something more psychological but had to make compromises to please the family market and, as a result, this ended up with a rather confusing narrative and some rather large flaws in the production eg Clara and her Prince are not on stage for the 'national' dances in Act 2 and, apart from a very brief appearance, just come for the gpdd near the end. The score is marvelous but it does impose limitations on the choreography; as well as the obvious music for the national dances there are some passages in the middle of Act 1 which have a darker and more mysterious quality. I note your comment about the quantity of dancing in the Nureyev production. I wonder how he fits the dancing to the Act 1 score. 

[LinMM]

Thanks for all that info Douglas Allen that's really helpful.

 

As I haven't seen the Nureyev Nutcracker for so many years now perhaps I shouldn't comment as memory doesn't always serve one accurately.

I just remember thinking that it was over complicated(there are lots of stories available for dark treatment ......leaving the Nutcracker for the Christmas ballet for the family that it has become ) and it was also a bit fussy and almost too much dancing so over choreographed if you like.

 

However that's my memory and if I was to see it again today with many more years under the belt ...who knows I might be a fan!!

[Bruce Wall]

Here's a central Nutcracker pas de deux that I've not seen before.  It is reputedly from the mid-60s and is definitely with Villella and Hayden.  (A bit before my dance-going time I only saw each of them dance live once; Hayden in a gala with Peter Martins and Villella in Robbins' Watermill at NYCB some time after he had formally retired - although I did hear both speak a number of times about their careers - and I once watched Hayden give class.)  The choreography is decidedly not Balanchine's ... It would be interesting to know whose it was ... I well remember Villella in one of those free NYC Library programmes saying that in those days all the dance filming took place in studios with concrete floors.  His elevation in those two solos is - under those circumstances - remarkable.  Really liked the Sugar Plum Fairy variation and coda choreography although - my word - it can't have been easy. 

 

Edited December 25, 2014 by Bruce Wall

[Bruce]

A bit of the Nureyev version on POB - with Myriam Ould-Braham (Clara) and Jérémie Bélingard...

 

 

Ballet as high-art - I admire the precision and how deliberate every move is, but it feels stifling and not so spontaneous or musical. On the other hand I look at London sometimes and think a good dose of Paris rigour would be welcome! No one company has it all.

 

Lovely to delve into the YouTube comments - everything from "magnifique" to "Nureyev’s choreography for this pas de deux has got to be the most awkward, convoluted and unmusical versions around."

[LinMM]

Some bits of that(choreographically speaking) were quite interesting ......beautifully danced .....Thankyou Bruce. However that particular pas de deux is one that I personally think doesn't need changing much from the original .......and the wonderful climax in the music has to be the "fish dives" for me ....nothing less!! I know they are difficult and probably require a regular trusted partner etc but less and less do you see this now unfortunately.

 

One thing I will say for Nureyev is that at the time I believe he was trying to improve dancing roles for men and make the dancing more significant for them ......which was a very good thing ......and I'm sure we are seeing the benefits of this today which perhaps many younger people may take for granted. But Nureyev quite rightly wasn't just there to show off the female(though he in fact did this admirably) so he definitely was at the forefront of bringing men's roles into the limelight more.

 

Sorry off topic but I just love Nureyev in Songs of a Wayfarer......he danced this at the Coli with another male dancer whose name escapes me now .....might have been French?? They made me cry in this which I don't do that often ....not even at the ballet!!!

 

Anyway even if I wasn't that keen on his Nutcracker at the time Nureyev is still my all time favourite dancer!!

[alison]

Sorry off topic but I just love Nureyev in Songs of a Wayfarer......he danced this at the Coli with another male dancer whose name escapes me now .....might have been French?? They made me cry in this which I don't do that often ....not even at the ballet!!!

Patrick Armand, I believe? At least, I know they did dance it together, although ... was it at the Coli or at the Festival Hall? Slightly before my time, unfortunately.

[Irmgard]

So far, I have seen three performances, including the two on 12 December.  Due to the sudden departures/indispositions of an alarming number of the company’s male dancers, the burden of the bulk of the performances has fallen on Max Westwell who will dance 16 out of the 33 performances as either the Nephew or the Nutcracker.  The matinee on 12 December marked his debut as the Nephew, a role he easily assumed with his natural charm and secure partnering of his Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy, the exquisite Begoña Cao, woefully underused since her return from maternity leave last season.  They were an excellent choice for what seemed to be an unofficial, packed, schools’ matinee with at least 80% of the audience in the stalls, where I was sitting, being children or youngsters.  There is something magical about being surrounded by children who are obviously seeing ballet for the first time and who are so entranced that they are much quieter than most adult audiences, except for their gasps of delight at each scene change.  This was infectious, as the woman behind me gasped in awe at the sheer beauty of Cao’s bourrée backwards in a circle around the wounded Nutcracker at the beginning of their Act I pas de deux.  For me, no-one can match Cao at the start of the Sugar Plum Fairy solo as she steps delicately forward en pointe as gracefully as a gazelle picking its way through the grass.  She and Westwell shone in the grand pas de deux, secure in all the increasingly difficult lifts and fish-dives, including the interpolated, one-handed Bolshoi lift commonly known as the “bum” lift which not all the couples attempt.  Ken Saruhashi danced the Nutcracker at this performance with great dignity, especially the Act I pas de deux and, with the Drosselmeyer of James Streeter, made Cao look as light as gossamer as they tossed her around in the “Manon”-inspired pas de trois that begins Act II of Eagling’s production.

Other debuts that were unmarked on the cast sheet included a highly entertaining Mouse King from the very talented Shevelle Dynott and a delightfully scatty Grandmother from Maria Jose Sales.  Tamarin Stott, as the Mother, brought some much-needed elegance to the party scene, showing the ubiquitous new recruits how the adult dances should be done.  It was a shame that not all the children had as beautifully stretched feet as the child Clara of Sereina Mowlem.  I have seen the company perform the beautiful Snowflakes dance at the end of Act I (imported from a Russian production) which much more grace and precision than at this performance but it was led with true ENB elegance of style by the always sparkling Crystal Costa and Anjuli Hudson, replacing an injured Adela Ramirez.

Eagling told me in January that he intended to redo the Arabian dance as nobody “got” it and I have to say that it had taken me several viewings to realise that the slaver who ‘manhandles’ Freddie is the transformation of the military man who admonishes him when he breaks the Nutcracker in Act I. Removing Freddie from the equation gives the slaver a chance for more sensual and virtuosic dancing with his harem and Fabian Reimair took full advantage of this (even if the little girls behind me did think this dance represented Hawaii!).  Pedro Lapetra kicked up a storm in the Russian dance and Crystal Costa and Alison McWhinney, with their cavaliers Laurent Liotardo and Anton Lukovkin, were rewarded with ecstatic applause as the lead couples in the Waltz of the Flowers.  The performance had the added bonus of Gavin Sutherland drawing out all the beauty of the Tchaikovsky score from the newly named English National Ballet Philharmonic and an uncredited Julia Richter making the celeste sound positively glow in the Sugar Plum Fairy solo.

James Streeter, whose Drosselmeyer presided over the action in the matinee with benevolent authority, repeated his performance in the evening when Clara was danced by Erina Takahashi, whose flawless performance demonstrated why she is one of ENB’s brightest jewels.  Watching her youthful ardour in the Act I pas de deux with the ever-reliable Fabian Reimair as the Nutcracker, it was hard to believe that this is her 18^th season with the company.  This performance marked the debut of guest Mathias Dingman as the Nephew but the ease and perfection of the pas de deux with Takahashi made it look like they had been dancing together for years. And with Reimair and Streeter as her partners in the pas de trois, Takahashi appeared to be floating on air.  Act I saw Sales and Stott reverse their matinee roles with Sales an elegant Mother and Stott repeating her dotty but slightly subversive Grandmother with a subtlety that seemed to elude some of the party guests who hammed it up with irritating ‘tiffs’ etc. that have crept into the production this year.

Last-minute cast changes due to injury meant that we had the pleasure of seeing Ksenia Ovsyanik not only as a lead Snowflake along with Laurretta Summerscales (doubling up as Louise) but also as a lead Flower with the always charming Senri Kou and cavaliers Laurent Liotardo and Francisco Bosch.  The Spanish dance was given an extra dose of panache by Crystal Costa, Amber Hunt and Yonah Acosta, and Anjuli Hudson showed herself to be the mistress of martial arts in the Chinese dance, ably abetted by Van Le Ngoc and Barry Drummond.

My third visit was to yesterday’s matinee (27^th) in which Fernanda Oliveira replaced the injured Shiori Kase with Yonah Acosta as the Nephew and Fernando Bufala as the Nutcracker.  The result was another flawless performance from the three leads, with the Act I pas de deux drawing prolonged applause from the packed audience even before it had finished, and the grand pas de deux being a feast of classical excellence with perfect, secure lifts and plenty of fireworks in the coda.  New to me was the warm and ‘cuddly’ Drosselmeyer of Juan Rodriguez who, with Bufala, made effortless work of partnering Oliveira in the very tricky Act II pas de trois.

A last-minute cast change saw Ksenia Ovsyanik replacing the injured Crystal Costa as Louise and it was a joy to see her in the little pas de deux in the Act I party scene partnered by an uncredited, wonderfully attentive Daniel Kraus and then flutter her way gracefully through the Mirlitons pas de deux, even if Rodriguez was a smidgeon too short for her.  Senri Kou and Anjuli Hudson shone as the lead Snowflakes although the rest still lacked some of the finesse of previous years, and Kou was perfectly paired with Kei Akahoshi and their cavaliers Guilherme Menezes and Francisco Bosch as lead Flowers. A dancer completely new to me, Cesar Corrales, gave a technically brilliant performance of the Russian dance which would have been perfect if he had managed a smile.  It was good to see Junor Souza back onstage, even if his injuries preclude him from dancing anything except the Arabian dance to which he brings his unique sensuality.

A note for Aileen - Elena and Casey Herd have done a performance together (24th, I think, which I couldn't go to) although had to leave out the solos in the grand pas de deux so fingers crossed they will be on top form for the 3 January.

[alison]

"Departures"???

 

Agree about Cao: I was thinking she must still be on maternity leave, so little has she been in evidence in the casting recently. (Or hang on, am I a year out?)

[Irmgard]

Perhaps that should have been 'departure' in the singular as only Konvalina, amongst the principals, has officially left the company this season.  Cao came back from maternity leave for last season's 'Nutcracker' performances but was not cast in 'Corsaire', the "Lest We Forget" programme or "Coppelia" (apart from "Prayer").  She did dance Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall and Odette/Odile on tour but surprisingly has not been given a performance in the forthcoming run at the Coliseum.

[capybara]

Bridgett Zehr (a Principal for three years but one who suffered badly from injury) has also officially left ENB this season.

 

Begona Cao danced an impressive Odette/Odile in Liverpool.

Edited December 29, 2014 by capybara

[alison]

Perhaps that should have been 'departure' in the singular as only Konvalina, amongst the principals, has officially left the company this season.  

 

Yes, but I didn't think he'd ever been announced in the Coliseum casting, hence my query.

 

Bridgett Zehr (a Principal for three years but one who suffered badly from injury) has also officially left ENB this season.

 

Now, that I didn't know.  I don't remember seeing it announced.

[capybara]

Bridgett Zehr's departure was briefly on the ENB website, I think, and included messages of goodwill from the Company. She is no longer listed as a Principal.

[Irmgard]

^{What a magical afternoon!  ENB has an honourable tradition of strongly-cast matinees with everyone giving 100% but, for the debut of a much loved colleague today (29th), they managed to excel themselves with the energy and goodwill onstage being almost palpable.  Ksenia Ovsyanik is perfectly cast as Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy, as there is a genuine sweetness about her that permeates her dancing.  She is an instinctive actress, so that her Clara is delightfully and naturally youthful rather than ‘acting’ as a child:  she is enchanted and enchanting.  The Act I pas de deux had an air of rapturous abandon to it that was made possible by the wonderfully secure partnering of Fabian Reimair as the Nutcracker who, even though his face is covered by the mask, managed to convey a loving tenderness towards his adoring Clara.  When she leapt into his arms and flung her arms round his neck, it was magical. The performance also benefitted from the Drosselmeyer of James Streeter who, along with Reimair, made light work of the extremely tricky pas de trois at the beginning of Act II with a positively radiant Ovsyanik. Reimair and Max Westwell, as the Nephew, are physically well matched so that it was quite possible to believe that the Nutcracker and the Nephew were one and the same.  As most of the partnering in this production is done by the Nutcracker, the Nephew’s big moment comes in the grand pas de deux and Westwell made the most of presenting and partnering Ovsyanik to perfection in glittering style.  Her Sugar Plum Fairy solo was a delicious confection of lyricism and delicacy and she then whipped up an immaculate series of single and double fouettés in the coda.}

 

^{Of the rest of the cast, there was another very amusing Mouse King from Shevelle Dynott, and Maria Jose Sales and Michael Coleman are becoming quite the double-act as the Grandparents.  A word of praise also for the sweet Nurse of Angela Wood.  The Act II character dances had an extra helping of panache this afternoon and Alison McWhinney fluttered her way prettily through Mirlitons with sterling support from James Streeter.  It was also delightful to see a radiant Crystal Costa back on top form as a lead Flower along with Kei Akahoshi and their elegant cavaliers Guilherme Menezes and Francisco Bosch. But the highest accolades of the afternoon are, of course, for Ovsyanik – a rare talent that ENB should cherish.  If you can grab one of the few tickets remaining for her performance on 4 January, I urge you to do so.}

[aileen]

Yes, it was lovely to see Ksenia's debut as Clara yesterday afternoon. It's been a long time coming after dancing all the other featured roles in the production. I agree that she was very well partnered by Fabian as Nutcracker and by Fabian and James in the pas de trois at the beginning of Act 2. I felt that Max was very slightly too short for her. It was nice to see Junor (very lithe and slinky) back on stage in the Arabian Dance, which this year is much improved by the removal of the rather tasteless passage involving the rescue of the adult Freddie. If this production comes back next year then I would like the company to address two things which can easily be altered: (1) use a larger toy mouse (it doesn't need to be a mechanical one) in the opening scene as you can't see this incident if you are sitting a long way away; and (2) ensure that the music and dancing finish at the same time in the Spanish dance (it hasn't once in the three performances which I have seen and creates a very ragged and unsatisfying ending).

[thewinelake]

We were also at this performance - first time I've seen this production in the flesh.

 

Hugely enjoyed it, and would like to single out Kei Akahoshi as rather a stunning little performer.

 

Of the production itself, I slightly struggled with the very small groups in the Act II dances, but could get used to it. The merliton girl was lovely, turning a dance that's previously seemed comical to me into a thing of loveliness...

 

Really good value, too!

[capybara]

A simply glorious performance from Ksenia Ovsyanick as Clara this afternoon to round off ENB's season of 33 Nutcrackers. Talk about saving the best 'til last and for a 'child friendly' performance at that!!!

 

Congratulations also to Max Westwell who has danced the Nephew/Prince 5 times and the Nutcracker at least 11 times (it may have been more) with at least 5 different partners but nevertheless capped off his personal tour de force in splendid style today.

 

Hats off to the whole company not simply for dancing day in day out for nearly four weeks but for doing so with such energy and commitment.There were some celebratory, inventive touches today including the Chinese dancers taking a 'selfie' at their curtain call. That must be a 'first' and, needless to say, the audience loved it. 

[aileen]

In all seriousness, I feel that Max should get something for his immense efforts, if not a promotion, then a pay rise or a bonus. Dancing one of the demanding male leads in half of the (33) performances really should be recognised as it goes so far beyond commitment to the company/teamwork/wanting the show to go on or whatever. He was frequently dancing on consecutive days and many times in two consecutive performances. Even with guests (three) ENB has struggled to cast the male leads in Nutcracker this Christmas. Anyway, well done to everyone - but they are not finished yet as they have 14 odd performances of Swan Lake coming up, starting on Wednesday!

[alison]

That, at least, should be less demanding on the male dancers in the company ...

[Don Q Fan]

Not that I can go but is it looking hopeful that Elena G will have a partner on her farewell performance 18/1?

Edited January 4, 2015 by Don Q Fan

[capybara]

Not that I can go but is it looking hopeful that Elena G will have a partner on her farewell performance 18/1?

 

At the moment, yes it is!!!!