The Royal Ballet: Swan Lake, February 2015

[Anna C]

The BalletcoForum Committee has now discussed this thread and we have come to the following conclusions:

 

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Please continue to discuss the remaining Swan Lake performances here. Many thanks.

 

Spanner, on behalf of Balletcoforum Moderators.

[alison]

Alison:  This may be what you want?

 

http://static.roh.org.uk/showings/swan-lake-live-2015/en.pdf

 

Actually, I thought I'd seen a full PDF online somewhere.  Failing that, there was an ROH webpage with pretty much everybody on it, but I can't seem to find it now.  Did anyone manage to bookmark it?  

 

BTW, I noticed that Hirano replace Hristov as Benno.

[alison]

Ah, found it now: http://www.roh.org.uk/showings/swan-lake-live-2015- still doesn't have all the usual details (only 2 cygnets, for example!) 

 

Who was doing the Chamberlain or whoever it is in Act III, please?  I do sometimes find it disconcerting trying to identify dancers when they're suddenly more than lifesize on a big screen!

[aileen]

I wonder when Muntagirov's partner for his other Swan Lakes is going to be announced.

[Jan McNulty]

The view of a student reviewer seeing Swan Lake for the first time (Osipova/Golding cast):  http://www.redbrick.me/culture/review-culture/the-royal-ballets-impeccable-swan-lake-performance/

[Timmie]

I wonder when Muntagirov's partner for his other Swan Lakes is going to be announced.

 

Indeed, I keep going to the ROH website to see if they have decided yet. I'm going on the 9th and whilst I would love to see Salenko or Obraztsova, I can't help but feel that it would be nice if the last performance of this version of Swan Lake was danced by a company member - but who? Nunez would be my favourite. Takada would also be nice, and she has partnered Muntagirov before. Come on ROH, tell us please!

[Melody]

mods please delete - I responded to an earlier post without reading to the end of the thread.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Melody

[Geoff]

Indeed, I keep going to the ROH website to see if they have decided yet. I'm going on the 9th and whilst I would love to see Salenko or Obraztsova, I can't help but feel that it would be nice if the last performance of this version of Swan Lake was danced by a company member - but who? Nunez would be my favourite. Takada would also be nice, and she has partnered Muntagirov before. Come on ROH, tell us please!

This exchange has been online (ROH News comments) for a couple of days and perhaps solves the mystery:-

 

>>r.a. responded on 20 March 2015 at 6:10pm Reply

another item on the website suggests Iana will also be dancing with Muntagirov in his two performances later in the run. Please can you confirm this and update the casting information on the Swan Lake page where it is still showing as TBA

 

>>Ellen West (Head of Online Content) responded on 20 March 2015 at 6:39pm

Yes, it has just been announced that Iana will be dancing with Vadim, but I am afraid that the team who look after casting will not be able to make this update until Monday morning.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Geoff

[bangorballetboy]

This exchange has been online (ROH News comments) for a couple of days and perhaps solves the mystery:-

 

>>r.a. responded on 20 March 2015 at 6:10pm Reply

another item on the website suggests Iana will also be dancing with Muntagirov in his two performances later in the run. Please can you confirm this and update the casting information on the Swan Lake page where it is still showing as TBA

 

>>Ellen West (Head of Online Content) responded on 20 March 2015 at 6:39pm

Yes, it has just been announced that Iana will be dancing with Vadim, but I am afraid that the team who look after casting will not be able to make this update until Monday morning.

And yet it's now Tuesday with no update and Ellen West tweeted on Sunday that it's still TBA.

[neil]

Ah, found it now: http://www.roh.org.uk/showings/swan-lake-live-2015- still doesn't have all the usual details (only 2 cygnets, for example!) 

 

Who was doing the Chamberlain or whoever it is in Act III, please?  I do sometimes find it disconcerting trying to identify dancers when they're suddenly more than lifesize on a big screen!

Odette/Odile Natalia Osipova

Prince Siegfried Matthew Golding

The Princess (Siegfried's Mother) Elizabeth McGorian

An Evil Spirit (Later von Rothbart) Gary Avis

Tutor Alastair Marriott

Benno Ryoichi Hirano

Act I

Pas de tois Francesca Hayward, Yuhui Choe, Alexander Campbell

Chaperones Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani, Nathalie Harrison

A General Erico Montes

Young Girls (daughters of the Ladies-in-waiting) Manon Forssell Pyk, Emily-Rose Holland

Waltz Christina Arestis, Fumi Kaneko, Kristen McNally, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Sander Blommaert, Tristan Dyer, Valeri Hristov, Fernando Montaño

Emma Maguire, Paul Kay

Artists of The Royal Ballet

Polonaise Artists of The Royal Ballet

Act II

Cygnets Francesca Hayward, Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Emma Maguire, Yasmine Naghdi

Two Swans Melissa Hamilton, Itziar Mendizabal

Act III

Lord Chamberlain Erico Montes

Six Princesses Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani, Olivia Cowley, Natalie Harrison, Mayara Magri, Yasmine Naghdi, Beatriz Stix-Brunell

Spanish Dance Christina Arestis, Kristin McNally, Kevin Emerton, Thomas Whitehead

Czárdás Claire Calvert, Bennet Gartside, Artists of The Royal Ballet

Neapolitan Dance Laura Morera, Ricardo Cervera

Mazurka Jacqueline Clark, Sian Murphy, Demelza Parish, Lara Turk, Sander Blommaert, Nicol Edmonds, Fernando Montaño, Donald Thom

Act IV

Two Swans Melissa Hamilton, Itziar Mendizabal

Swans, cygnets, peasants, Ladies-in-waiting, cadets, servants, pages, dwarves Artists of The Royal Ballet, Students of The Royal Ballet School

 

*Correction

On the cinema cast sheet the Co-concert Master was published as Sergey Levitin. For the performance on Tuesday 17 March Vasko Vassilev is the Concert Master.

[alison]

Thank you very much, Neil!

[Buddy]

I was so happily able to get a returned ticket to last night's performance with Evgenia Obraztsova and Steven McRae.

 

I thought her Odette-Odile was one of the finest that I've ever seen !  I waited at the stage door to tell her so.

 

 

 

Ah, dear Clement !  

 

"The fascination of the event lay in the playing of the principals. Obraztsova was quietly brilliant — there is no fuss to her bravura, the dance shown with something like self-effacing modesty, set off by her entire command of effect."

 

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6a3fc90e-cc8f-11e4-b94f-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz3VXK5lMHB

 

"....her entire command of effect" is a good place to start.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Buddy

[aileen]

Did anyone see Salenko and Muntagirov last night?

[Sim]

 

 

I was so happily able to get a returned ticket to last night's performance with Evgenia Obraztsova and Steven McRae.

 

I thought her Odette-Odile was one of the finest that I've ever seen !  I waited at the stage door to tell her so.

 

 

 

Ah, dear Clement !  

 

"The fascination of the event lay in the playing of the principals. Obraztsova was quietly brilliant — there is no fuss to her bravura, the dance shown with something like self-effacing modesty, set off by her entire command of effect."

 

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6a3fc90e-cc8f-11e4-b94f-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz3VXK5lMHB

 

"....her entire command of effect" is a good place to start.

 

I saw her first time around and loved her, as you will see from a post I made above at the time, and I thought that on Wednesday night she was even better.  She took my breath away, and I wished at the end that I could just re-wind the evening and start it all again.  What a great artist she is.  I am keeping everything crossed that they have asked her to come and dance Juliet next season;  her performance in that role was also stunning.  She seems to bring a lot out of Steven McRae when they dance together.  She really is very special.

[MAB]

Have to disagree here.  I very much disliked the erratic tempi of the second act, though whether that was the ballerina's choice or the conductor's I don't know, but the diagonal turns went badly askew at one point.  McRae had his work cut out keeping her upright in the pas de deux I noticed.  The black act was the best, but perhaps Obratzova ought to think about replacing the fouettes with pique turns instead.

 

Very happy to know that was the last performance of that vile production I'll ever have to see.

[Guest]

Did anyone see Salenko and Muntagirov last night?

 

Yes. Muntagirov was stunning: fabulous dancing enhanced by utterly believable acting and superb partnering. Salenko was technically impressive and suitably enticing as Odile in Act 3. However, I didn't see her giving much back to her partner when she was Odette - which was surprising given all the feeling flowing from Siegfried.

 

Elsewhere, I found the soloists disappointing. The Pas de Trois (Calvert, Hamilton, Acri) was, to my eyes, an ill-matched affair - scrappy in parts, when it should arguably be the dancing highlight of Act 1.

[Buddy]

I saw her [Evgenia Obraztsova] first time around and loved her, as you will see from a post I made above at the time, and I thought that on Wednesday night she was even better.  She took my breath away, and I wished at the end that I could just re-wind the evening and start it all again.  What a great artist she is.  I am keeping everything crossed that they have asked her to come and dance Juliet next season;  her performance in that role was also stunning.  She seems to bring a lot out of Steven McRae when they dance together.  She really is very special.

 

 

MAB, there may have been such things as you've mentioned that I didn't notice, but, for me, her *Poetic Loveliness* throughout, both in dance and above all in characterization, eclipsed everything else. I'd not seen her in several years and the heartwarming beauty of her artistic maturity, for me, made her Odette-Odile totally her own, totally one of a kind and totally *Lovable*.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Buddy

[Nina G.]

A very disappointing Swan Lake last night, except for the lovely Muntagirov. I really did not warm to Salenko, technically accomplished but it stops there for me.

 

The Pas de Trois ( Melissa Hamilton/Luca Acri/Clare Calvert ) was the worse I have seen in this run. What a miscast. Hamilton's lack of epaulement/ port de bras killed the solo, her dancing equalled marking, absent footwork too;  the lovely Clare Calvert tried making the most of it. This was the lowlight of Act I whereas the Pas de Trois should be the highlight! 

 

The dancers all looked very tired and if it wasn't for Muntagirov I would have felt I'd wasted my money.

[Sim]

I am always fascinated by the differing perceptions of a performance.  A friend of mine saw Salenko last night and thought she was marvellous!  But also thought the pdt was awful.

 

MAB yes, I did notice a few small technical imperfections, but in this case, for me, they didn't matter a hoot because the drama, emotion and intensity of feeling of her performance was much more apparent to me, as I was very moved at the end. 

[aileen]

I'm sorry to say this but Hamilton often seems to disappoint in this type of classical soloist role. Thank goodness that I sold my ticket. Muntagirov is stellar in Swan Lake and, having seen him in several superb performances with Klimentova (who was, apparently, there last night), I would hate to have seen him with a partner who gives nothing back to him. I wonder who his partner will be in his other performances.

[Nina G.]

What I don't understand is how "they" don't seem to see what we the audience see? I have seen this on several occasions now in the past when she danced classical soloist/1st solist roles, but she is great in McGregor. Not every dancer is good in all but why miscast a dancer?

[capybara]

I agree with much that has been said about last night's performance (Salenko/Muntagirov), especially about how wonderful he was.

 

It is such a pity that we find ourselves saying that the company looked tired - which it did in parts. I saw ENB's final Swan Lake of a 'on every night and most afternoons' season of 48 shows and that accusation could not be levelled at their dancers. I also saw several casts for their pas de trois (also the Ashton) and experienced elation at the range of talent on display rather than the series of disappointments the RB has dished up throughout this run.

[Nina G.]

ENB and RB work in a very different way Capybara e.g. currently RB has a very (over) long run of "Swan Lake" (I think they started when "Don Q." was still on!)  whilst their dancers simultaneously rehearse 3 different ballets in the upcoming Triple Bill AS WELL AS rehearsing "La Fille mal Gardee" AND the new McGregor on top of dancing (especially Corps and Soloists) in all 4 Acts of "Swan Lake", most nights.

The ENB performs one Ballet at a time, their dancers have time in the afternoon to concentrate on and prepare for the evening performance, and once their run of a show is over they can fully concentrate on their next show before putting that on. The RB dancers often rehearse 3 to 4 different, upcoming ballets in the afternoon before dancing yet another ballet in the evening. The RB has a much bigger turn over of different ballets. You can't compare both Companies from this perspective.

[aileen]

Well, whatever the reason, I wouldn't be happy to pay over £100 for a performance in which the dancers seem tired. Many forum members view things from the dancers' perspective but it has to be remembered that many members of the audience are not regulars and are paying a great deal of money for an afternoon or evening at the ballet and want and expect to see a performance of the highest possible standard; they are not interested in dancers' personal lives, the RB's rehearsal schedule or the number and timing of performances. If the company looks tired then management needs to make some changes somewhere.

[LinMM]

Oh dear I'm already disappointed that Cuthbertson is not dancing on the 9th and although am clinging on to the hope that at least Muntagirov will be dancing I hope that things pick up for that performance. If the Company are tired now what will they be like in another few weeks!!

Hopefully it was just one of those occasional blips.

[annamk]

I completely agree with others here re Muntagirov, he was outstanding in every respect, hard to believe he's only 24. I (and my friends) liked Salenko enormously too. As well as being technically secure, she communicated Odette's sorrow and vulnerability beautifully and her Odile was suitably seductive. I thought it was an excellent partnership and if she dances in Muntagirov's other shows I'd go back. I even managed to overlook the hideousness of the production and stay for the last Act From my standing viewpoint the corps didn't look tired, they were in good shape, Fumi Kaneko deserves a special mention as a lovely big swan. It's a pity the PD3 was so oddly cast and poorly danced. 

[Nina G.]

Well, whatever the reason, I wouldn't be happy to pay over £100 for a performance in which the dancers seem tired. Many forum members view things from the dancers' perspective but it has to be remembered that many members of the audience are not regulars and are paying a great deal of money for an afternoon or evening at the ballet and want and expect to see a performance of the highest possible standard; they are not interested in dancers' personal lives, the RB's rehearsal schedule or the number and timing of performances. If the company looks tired then management needs to make some changes somewhere.

I take your point Aileen. If I was a foreign visitor to London, and had paid for a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience to watch the world-renowned Royal Ballet, I'd expect to see a performance of the highest standard. If that had been the case last night I would have returned home very disappointed. 

 

Annamk.: I was sitting very close to the stage, in the Orchestra Stalls, and to me it was rather visible (there were exceptions). I agree, Miss Kaneko deserves a mention, she is a lovely dancer.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Nina G.

[alison]

Don't the company have a break over Easter this year?  I thought I registered that they weren't performing on the Monday.  Plus there are two performances of the mixed bill tonight and Monday night, so a chance for some of them to have some time off (and for some others actually to do some dancing for once!)

 

I have to say, one of the pd3s I saw in this run was rather disappointing, too.

[Buddy]

MAB yes, I did notice a few small technical imperfections, but in this case, for me, they didn't matter a hoot because the drama, emotion and intensity of feeling of her [Evgenia Obraztsova's] performance was much more apparent to me, as I was very moved at the end. 

 

And back to Evgenia Obraztsova for one moment. I do have to say that I was greatly impressed by some of her across stage  spins. They were perfectly centered and totally secure. I'd just returned from ten days of seeing some of the finest dancers in the world, so for something like this to make such a fine impression along with the rest of her remarkable performance does say something.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Buddy

[MAB]

And back to Evgenia Obraztsova for one moment. I do have to say that I was greatly impressed by some of her across stage  spins. They were perfectly centered and totally secure.

 

No they were not, they were very poorly centred and alarmingly insecure.  I am delighted when people enjoy things to such an extent that they are oblivious to onstage errors, but I specifically referred to the poor turns in the act 2 diagonal, your post seems to suggest I am a liar.

[Buddy]

MAB, I didn't recall your reference when I wrote this. These are simply my honest recollections.

[Don Q Fan]

I thought RB were just back from a week's holiday...doesn't seem like it was enough if they look tired. I think better spacing of productions might help or split the dancers into 2 teams. This was root cause of union trouble last year over no lunch breaks I seem to recall.

[Fonty]

Well, whatever the reason, I wouldn't be happy to pay over £100 for a performance in which the dancers seem tired. Many forum members view things from the dancers' perspective but it has to be remembered that many members of the audience are not regulars and are paying a great deal of money for an afternoon or evening at the ballet and want and expect to see a performance of the highest possible standard; they are not interested in dancers' personal lives, the RB's rehearsal schedule or the number and timing of performances. If the company looks tired then management needs to make some changes somewhere.

 

No, I wouldn't be happy either.  And I particularly dislike it when I get a ticket for one of the first performances of a production, and find it has clearly been under rehearsed.  I realise that sometimes there will be a few wobbles or problems as the dancers get used to a new staging, but if that is the case then they should offer Preview rates, as they do in theatre productions.  If I am paying full price for my seat, I am not interested in excuses. 

 

I know that people will tell me that this is impractical, that dancers are not machines, that people cannot anticipate what will happen in a live performance etc etc.  But while I can understand that the dancers have a heavy schedule, it still annoys me!