aileen Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 There are a few less than enthusiastic comments about last night's performance on Twitter (and not just about Golding). Are there any forum members who were not enamoured of Osipova's dancing and dramatisation in this role and are brave enough to post their thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 What a lovely review Sim. Still on a high after last night's superlative performance. I can just imagine Ball and Naghdi in "Romeo&Juliet"! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmie Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 What a lot of marvellous reviews for the Osipova cast! I wasn't planning on another Onegin but on reading these reviews I am so glad that I succumbed to temptation when there was a ticket up for grabs for next Saturday's matinee. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I thought it was an amazing quadruple debut. Not, actually, a quadruple one: Naghdi danced Olga last time around, too. I don't know whether Golding had danced the role before? Lin made an interesting point a few posts ago. Is Olga supposed to be flirtatious and her love for Lensky shallow from the beginning or is she truly in love with Lensky but gets led astray by the attentions of an older (I assume that Onegin is supposed to be older - and wealthier?), more worldly and intriguing stranger? Alternatively, is her dalliance with Onegin a bit of fun in her eyes, which doesn't signify anything, but Lensky overacts because he is possessive/jealous/hot-headed/immature/easily offended etc? Or, is Lensky a man of honour who has no choice but to challenge Onegin to a duel because Onegin's behaviour is a grave insult according to the mores of the time? I'd be interested in people's views. Olga, in my eyes, must be shallow, because in the novel it only takes her 6 months to get over Lensky's death and marry a hussar. I've always said they were a really bad match: she doesn't understand his poet's soul, and he can't understand why she's so flighty - I've always thought that he loves her (or thinks he loves her) much more deeply than she him, and that he and Tatiana would be much better suited, as more like kindred spirits. That's partly why I always put emphasis on the necessity of casting a convincing foursome in the roles - you need to be able to believe in the interrelationships between all four characters. It's not just that Lensky and Olga love each other and Tatiana falls for Onegin, but you need to feel the love between Olga and Tatiana, the affection between Tatiana and Lensky and the friendship between Lensky and Onegin for the ballet to work fully. Lovely review, Sim. Thank you very much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 That's a really good analysis, Alison. I think that the absence of convincing interrelationships between all four lead characters on Wednesday contributed to the performance not really taking off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 What a lovely review Sim. Still on a high after last night's superlative performance. I can just imagine Ball and Naghdi in "Romeo&Juliet"! her name would be first on the cast sheet as the eponymous heroine, next time Giselle returns... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 There are a few less than enthusiastic comments about last night's performance on Twitter (and not just about Golding). Are there any forum members who were not enamoured of Osipova's dancing and dramatisation in this role and are brave enough to post their thoughts? The jury's out on Osipova as Tatiana as far as I'm concerned but it should be said that I wasn't in the best of seats last night to read her characterisation. Interestingly, I didn't altogether take to her interpretation in Month at her debut but warmed to her greatly in subsequent shows. Importantly, she not only grows into her roles but plays each performance differently (as does Cojocaru) - surely one of the marks of a great artiste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) Olga, in my eyes, must be shallow, because in the novel it only takes her 6 months to get over Lensky's death and marry a hussar. I've always said they were a really bad match: she doesn't understand his poet's soul, and he can't understand why she's so flighty - I've always thought that he loves her (or thinks he loves her) much more deeply than she him, and that he and Tatiana would be much better suited, as more like kindred spirits. That's partly why I always put emphasis on the necessity of casting a convincing foursome in the roles - you need to be able to believe in the interrelationships between all four characters. The problem I have with RB Olga's is that they tend to be just a slightly livelier version of Tatiana, I never feel that the flirty, 'shallow' nature of Olga is fully realized. Actually the best Olga I ever saw was French. Edited January 31, 2015 by MAB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamicro Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 [quote name="Sim" post="116564" timestamp="1422719678" Big kudos too to the thoughtful, sensitive portrayal of Gremin by Bennet Gartside. The audience needs to understand why Tatiana does not succumb to Onegin, and in order for that to happen we have to know that she is married to an all-around nice guy, who is loving and secure if not the most exciting of men. Gartside conveys this very convincingly, especially in their Act 3 pdd. I don't think that's the reason for Tatiana behaviour, but I really think Gremin should be renamed "Gartside". Or at least Prince G., to keep the illusion alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 The problem I have with RB Olga's is that they tend to be just a slightly livelier version of Tatiana, I never feel that the flirty, 'shallow' nature of Olga is fully realized. Actually the best Olga I ever saw was French. Try Nancy Osbaldeston who danced Olga last autumn with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 How did Nancy dance the role? (Btw, Nancy is down to dance one of Kitri's Friends in RBF's Don Q). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 So glad to see people seem to enjoy the performance yesterday after some disappointments on Wednesday. I'm glad some enjoyed Golding too as he seems much maligned here as a whole but I still think he is a fine dancer......so to see that his acting is improving is great to hear....just wish I could have been there as I can't imagine any evening with Osipova being too bland!! I had begun to feel that I'm just too easy to please after some decided to get tickets for Wednesday after reading some favourable reviews on here of last Saturday It's probably that I don't actually go to RB all THAT much......my next outing isn't until April 9th!! So I tend not to to see multiple casts in the same ballet etc .....which is probably one reason why I usually enjoy the performances so much. The Royal really have to be on a very "off" night for me not to appreciate their dancing ......and this does happen just very occasionally.... even for me!! In an earlier post on Onegin I had said in one part that the girls when arriving to persuade Lensky to change his mind that this was no place for them etc but this was written as from Lensky's point of view.....HE didn't want them there in that moment!! Of course it's the most natural thing in the world to go and try to dissuade a duel from taking place!! I haven't read the book but am very tempted to now. I definitely saw Olga as not being mature enough when shown attention by another obviously quite sophisticated man to not take the flirting too seriously. She felt her power and took it out on poor Lensky! But for me it was definitely Onegin enjoying it all too and leading her astray a bit because he could!! It would be interesting to go back to the source and see what Pushkin does have to say about them all. Can anyone recommend a good translation of this text? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Lin, many people (including some critics) were very enthusiastic about last Saturday's performance and so I don't think that you can just dismiss your enjoyment as stemming from your being easy to please. The mystery is why the performance (with the same cast) did not work so well on Wednesday. It would fascinating to know whether the cast felt the same way but I doubt that we will ever know. A performance is always a living thing and is never the same as a previous one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 http://fryreadsonegin.com/ Found this - it says the download of Stephen Fry reading the book is free for itunes and MP3 and it gives a list of all the best translations. I am so enjoying all your reviews - you are so knowledgeable in your analyses. Bravo! I can say from my own performing experience that it is perfectly possible to have the same cast give inferior and superior performances. It very often tends to be dependant on the main leads firing up the rest of the company. It is very difficult not to react strongly to a driven performance by the ballerina. Also, for some reason when a performance goes well, everything goes well. Of course part of it is pure professionalism and strong technique working on automatic, but all the dancers seem to sense when a performance is particularly inspired. At least that's how I have felt it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Thankyou Dance is life for the book info Did you ever dance in Onegin? After your info on the split jetes I assumed you may have....was this at the ROH? How wonderful to have danced on that stage in whatever capacity!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 How did Nancy dance the role? She came across as very young and very flighty. Her dancing was as light as air and her acting very flirtatious. The difference in age, appearance and 'weight' of dancing between Nancy's Olga and Aki Saito's Tatiana also helped Olga to seem even more shallow than might otherwise have been the case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 LinMM if wishes were horses! The only time I appeared on Covent Garden stage was as an RBS student and yes it was amazing! I have performed character roles in Onegin, but not in the UK. I was the nurse in the first act and the dotty old lady who hurts her foot in the ballroom scene. It was quite a thrill. The whole cast had to be approved by the Cranko Foundation, when they first came to teach it. Luckily. although both I and the former dancer who portrayed Madame Larina were deemed a bit short for the roles, they agreed in the end, but we both had to wear heeled shoes! The rehearsals were very interesting. Cranko apparently chose exactly where each couple was going to be in the dance and gave each pair numbers. Therefore, even when in theory it didn't really matter if a different couple moved to that position - for example when they had been standing at the side of the stage and had to run into place to start the next dance - it had to be the correct couple in the spot. It was all written down and everything had to be performed exactly as Cranko had decided. Someone mentioned the table being placed a bit far on one side, which meant that those with a slightly restricted view couldn't see what was going on, but if I remember rightly, that was all planned out too. The sets are really elaborate and complicated to put in place - the stage hands worked really hard to make the scene changes in time. There were huge pieces, that had to be trundled on and off stage, which needed masses of space at the side of the stage to store them. I had to wear a wig, which was made for me to their specifications, and took the dresser ages to pin on! All in all quite an experience! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 … Someone mentioned the table being placed a bit far on one side, which meant that those with a slightly restricted view couldn't see what was going on, but if I remember rightly, that was all planned out too. The sets are really elaborate and complicated to put in place - the stage hands worked really hard to make the scene changes in time. … Sarah Lamb had to make do without a chair at the table for her letter writing scene this afternoon. Sounds as if Cranko would not have approved! An odd oversight but she coped fine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann Williams Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Sim, that's a simply wonderful review.- I didn't want it to finish! I hope Osipova looks in on these pages because, by the sound of it, she's the sort of artist who would really appreciate what you saw in her performance. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Thank you so much Ann. I said at the beginning that I wasn't going to write much, but it just kind of poured out! That and the fact that there were builders in the house and I was stuck in the kitchen with my laptop, so thought I might as well keep going! Thanks to all for your kind words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Sarah Lamb had to make do without a chair at the table for her letter writing scene this afternoon. Sounds as if Cranko would not have approved! An odd oversight but she coped fine. That is one of the strangest things I've heard for ages! How could they forget the chair? What did she do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 http://fryreadsonegin.com/ Found this - it says the download of Stephen Fry reading the book is free for itunes and MP3 and it gives a list of all the best translations. A recent one was mentioned in the insight evening the other day. I can't remember the name of the translator, except that it was male and short (both first name and surname). It sounded very good to me, although of course I've never read the original in Russian , and the lecturer recommended it. I've had reservations about some of the extant translations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 The problem I have with RB Olga's is that they tend to be just a slightly livelier version of Tatiana, I never feel that the flirty, 'shallow' nature of Olga is fully realized. Actually the best Olga I ever saw was French. Yes. There are opportunities in the first act to foreshadow her behaviour in the second act so that it doesn't come out of the blue, but those opportunities seem to get missed at times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 (edited) I very much enjoyed yesterday's matinee-Lamb/Hristov-;yes there was a missing chair but she just bent over and wrote her letter at the table as if she was too excited to sit down, which worked rather well. Lamb and Hristov were beautifully matched- their heights and styles go well together, and the great contrast of pale/dark was so suitable to this ballet. I was a little less convinced by Hinkis/Nicol Edmonds. He gave a promising perfomance with sensitive expression, especially in that wonderful solo- and for him this is clearly a big step-up so well done. . She was charming and acted strongly- perhaps too much so? but I felt there was a stiffness of the shoulders that was a bit of a problem. Again I was reminded of the beautiful sets and costumes that I love in this ballet. The orchestra seemed to play well though once or twice perhaps a little fast and there was some coarse brass rasping! It was a strong perfomance all round, though, moving and greatly appreciated by an attentive audience. Edited February 1, 2015 by Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Yes. There are opportunities in the first act to foreshadow her behaviour in the second act so that it doesn't come out of the blue, but those opportunities seem to get missed at times. I have been reflecting on this too Alison. At which point during the first act does the opportunity come in your view? Isn't it also down to the coach (Jane Bourne) to guide the dancers and highlight the importance of the "switch" in character? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 It may not have been that they forgot the chair, but didn't manage to get it there in time. I don't suppose many people in the audience, except for all you observant, knowledgeable patrons, noticed! Worse sometimes than what doesn't get put on the stage is what is forgotten on stage! In one performance of Romeo and Juliet a sword got left behind on stage from one of the fight scenes. The bedroom scene was immediately afterwards and R & J spent the pas de deux avoiding the sword. It probably would have made sense if Romeo had picked it up and taken it off as if it were his, but he didn't, so it was left to me as the Nurse to do so when I came on after the bedroom pdd. I tried to make it part of the scene, but I am sure the audience weren't fooled for a second! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 One of the moments when Olga is shown to be a bit wilful is in the opening scene of the first act, when she takes Tatiana's book away from her and teases her with it. She is also very excited about the new dress, whilst Tatiana barely looks at hers. The difference in their characters is really laid down quite clearly in that first scene. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BristolBillyBob Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 (edited) As I’m currently in 'save mode' financially, my ballet going has been reduced somewhat this season, but a too-good-to-be-true ticket offer and just £13 for the National Express meant that I found myself settling down to an evening of Onegin at the ROH on Wednesday. Which basically means this season I’ve been to four productions, of which half were Le Corsaire and half were Onegin! But you know what? If 50% of my ballet going is one production I’m glad it’s Onegin because, and whisper it quietly, it might be nudging its way close to being my favourite ballet. Anyway, the first (and up until yesterday) production of this particular ballet I saw was in the autumn at Royal Ballet Flanders’ thrilling show at the Ghent Opera House. How will RB fare in comparison, in spite of the serious drag factor of having very few, if any, Nancy Osbaldestons in their ranks? This was my first time seeing Marianela Nuñez dance, and I now understand the high esteem in which she’s held. She is the most expressive dancer I have ever seen. She’s like salted caramel, she has depth, endearing sweetness, and substance. In the ballroom sequence, when she is rejected by Onegin, her acting had so much dimensionality to it. Rather than just being straight-up sad, the dawning, yearning, crushing horror that all her dreams are being shattered will be familiar to anyone can remember unrequited love as a teenager. For the first time in a ballet, I found myself wanting to hop up onto the stage and give her a big hug. Akin Takada is very much my kind of dancer. She looks like she weighs about eight grammes an flits around the stage like an autumn leaf. She’s very much of the Yuhui Choe or Elisha Willis school and all the better for it. Vadim Muntagirov makes an excellent Lensky, seeming to fit the role perfectly. His solo at the start of the third act was particularly excellent. Thiago Soares made for one steely Onegin. His dancing reflected his aloof persona, with a combination of almost laconic leaps reflecting his boredom at life’s inability to entertain him, partnered to sudden bursts of inch-perfect thrilling turns as his frustration boiled over. Much has been written already on this forum about the pacing of the closing PDD in act one, and I’m inclined to agree. RBF’s version with Aki Saito and Wim Vanlessen was, and I quote from my review at the time, “genuinely thrilling” and “I actually gasped at one point”. Sadly, although my pulse quickened slightly at the start of the scene as it recognised what was coming, the fireworks never arrived, which others have suggested was probably orchestra-pacing related. In any case, what interested me was that, where Vanlessen’s Onegin was notably softer during this scene, playing a more benevolent, idealised Onegin, Soares’s character remained the hard-shelled persona that he was in reality. Both perfectly appropriate ways to play the part, but it had an effect on my interpretation of Tatiana’s love. In RB’s version, even in her subconscious, she’s attracted to the very quality that will undo her, whereas in Vanlessen’s world, she is blind to his faults, dazzled by her infatuation. In both cases, her fate is a savage one, but the journey there is subtly altered. With Nuñez’s superb emoting, the other thing that struck me from this performance is how Tatiana fares ultimately. Her love for Prince Gremin (danced very gently and empathically by Ryroichi Hirano) is, in act three, not the ‘wrong’ love for her. She dances with genuine affection, a grown-up, mature love, in stark contrast to her infatuation with Onegin. One doesn’t feel like her true love, Onegin, has been ripped from her by cruel fate, one ends up concluding that Prince Gremin was her true love, and that Onegin was the sort of relationship that can only belong in the folly of youth, that wouldn’t work in the adult world. This impression is made stronger by Soares’s interpretation of the mirror PDD. The other thing that occurred to me in the final act was the strength of Nuñez’s Tatiana as a character. In the intervening years between Lensky’s death and Onegin’s return, the stark contrast between the two is writ large. Onegin has been desperate, at the mercy of his emotions and wandering, lost, trying to find some redemption. His steely, arrogant mastery of his emotions in act one have proved to be an illusion and they have bitten back, hard. On the other hand, Tatiana has come to terms with what’s happened, she has found acceptance and moved on. She has fallen in love again, properly, and when Onegin arrives back in her life, she is ultimately the mature one of the pair and the roles have reversed somewhat. Without Nuñez’s portrayal of a woman genuinely in love with her husband - a deeper, more meaningful love - it could be seen that she was sending Onegin away in favour of an easy life, choosing convenience over passion. In the world of Nuñez’s Tatiana, she has found something better, something stronger, and one can’t help rooting for her and cheering her decision. I've had numerous conversations about feminism and ballet, and where the strong female characters are, and I'd nominate Nuñez’s Tatiana for the list. Anyway, I haven’t really concentrated on the dancing as much as the characters in this write-up, but sometimes that’s the hallmark of a good show for me, if I’m transported outside the craft of the storytelling into their world. I came away thinking more about the characters and the story I’d seen on stage than the technical aspects, and that’s one of the highest compliments I can pay. Marianela Nuñez can now add another fan to the legions on this forum. Finally, as a PS, it was jolly lovely to meet Sim and ToThePointe during the intervals. I'm always very happy to meet fellow forumites, it's great putting names to faces. Edited February 1, 2015 by Janet McNulty Edited to amend "Oregon" to "Onegin" in sentence "Onegin has been desperate..." 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 That's a great review, B3. Which performance did you prefer overall? I appreciate that seeing a particular ballet for the first time is always going to be a different experience to seeing it again when you know the plot and structure of the ballet and there isn't the element of the unknown. How did Nancy's and Akane's interpretations of Olga differ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I think that Tatiana 'settled' for Gremin but grew to love him deeply but it was a different kind of love to the love which she felt for Onegin which was the infatuation of a young girl. Her rejection of Onegin is not merely revenge (despite the tearing up of the letter). She sends him away not only out of a sense of duty to her husband but also because she sees him for what he is (destructive and selfish) and knows that acting on her feelings for him would be destructive and selfish as well. She is a passionate woman but she is also sensible and realistic. She is not prepared to throw everything away to follow the mercurial Onegin. The risk of losing everything is just too great. It's a bit like Brief Encounter. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Lovely review B3. I am so glad you enjoyed your first experience of Nela's dancing so much! It was such a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to the next time. Meanwhile, please keep posting. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BristolBillyBob Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 That's a great review, B3. Which performance did you prefer overall? I appreciate that seeing a particular ballet for the first time is always going to be a different experience to seeing it again when you know the plot and structure of the ballet and there isn't the element of the unknown. How did Nancy's and Akane's interpretations of Olga differ? Thanks! I'm not sure which I preferred, to be honest! There was so much to recommend both. Aki Saito and Wim Vanlessen's partnership was so, so thrilling to watch, that's undeniable. It was probably the most exciting PDD I've seen since Iain Mackay and Elisha Willis's act one closer in BRB's Far From The Madding Crowd back in 2012. But on the flipside, I adored Nuñez’s interpretation of the role. I guess in an idealised version, I'd have two Tatianas. The reason why I didn't compare Nancy and Akane's performances is because actually, I felt they both had similar interpretations of the role. Both played the role as playful, gentle souls with a hint of whatever the 'ye olde days' equivalent of street smarts are. And, while not to do Akane down, I came away from the ROH with my head swimming with thoughts about Marianela's performance so I'm not sure I could write much more. Whoops! In terms of the staging, the simpler, more restrained staging of RBF's version worked just as well as RB's more grandiose designs. I tell you one thing, though, I definitely preferred the 'country gentlemen' in RB's version. While Capybara assured me that "The elderly 'gentlemen' in Act 2 of Onegin are always played 'over the top', BBB. You should see them at the Royal Ballet!", I can vouch for the fact that, actually, RBF's appeared to have set a new standard in caricature! Honestly, they were almost slapstick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 I tell you one thing, though, I definitely preferred the 'country gentlemen' in RB's version. While Capybara assured me that "The elderly 'gentlemen' in Act 2 of Onegin are always played 'over the top', BBB. You should see them at the Royal Ballet!", I can vouch for the fact that, actually, RBF's appeared to have set a new standard in caricature! Honestly, they were almost slapstick. Actually, I was only commenting on Friday that the RB has toned down its 'old folk' quite a lot in this run. Instead of very young dancers playing 'bent double decrepit', we now have not only Marriott in his habitual role but also Mosley, Howells and, sometimes, Whitehead alongside some women who appear more moderate in their characterisations than hitherto. Thank goodness for that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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