Royal Ballet: In the Night mixed bill, May 2015

[Ian Macmillan]

John:  Whilst gladly admitting the charms of the two younger dancers, and earnestly wishing Miss Cuthbertson a prolonged and safe return to the stage, I do certainly have something of a predilection for the "commanding beauty" of Miss Yanowsky.

[Lynette H]

Afternoon of a Faune returns next season as part of the autumn mixed bill (with Viscera, Tchaikovsky pas de deux, and Carmen).  However, although the ROH web site has the casting for the other parts of the mixed bill (unusual to get the cast for a new ballet this far in advance, but I assume people are keen to know on what dates Acosta is appearing) I can't seem to locate any casting details for Faune in the autumn. I presume Hamilton won't be appearing as she will be elsewhere - but who will ?

 

If this really belongs in a 2015/16 thread then moderators please move.

[LinMM]

Well it's horses for courses I suppose....in which ballets people tend to like/dislike etc.

 

Although I don't feel Robbins "in the Night" is as interesting or as enjoyable a ballet as his "Dances at a Gathering" I still think it's a worthwhile piece but perhaps it needs some more thought on which other ballets to put it on with .....a difficult one....but probably not with either Faun or Song of the Earth on the same programme. Perhaps with a very classical piece like Scenes de Ballet....then a shorter dramatic ballet like Las Hermanas ....or some very modern piece....and it could then conclude the programme??

 

Am probably clutching at straws though because in the end you probably either like a ballet or not so it doesn't matter which programme it's combined with!

[WoodlandGladeFairy]

I went to see the triple bill on Monday evening and I loved it!

 

Vadim Muntagirov (who is just amazing!) and Melissa Hamilton were so incredibly sensual, narcissistic and languid in Robbins' 'Afternoon of a Faun', also a treat to hear the music played live, its one of my favourite Debussy pieces.

 

'In The Night' was enchanting and Roberta Marquez and Rupert Pennefather were just so passionate and wonderful as the third couple, Roberta Maequezwas very fiery. 

 

and finally 'Song of the Earth', just outstanding, Marinela Nunez, Thiago Soares and Carlos Acosta were brilliant and special mention for the Alto, she sung the Mahler so beautifully, it just sucked you in, I think I got a little bit emotional as well. 

 

'Song of the Earth' was like a splash of reality after the dreamy 'Afternoon of  Faun' and 'In The Night', I thought it went well together. 

 

Apologies its very gushing, but it was a wonderful evening of dance 

[LinMM]

I went last Friday ...different casts but entirely agree with you.

 

My previous post above is just a sort of response to some who seem not to like "in the Night" and I was just wondering whether it was the combination of ballets.

It did work for me ......but I can see that other combinations may be better.

[aileen]

There are snippets of Tanaquil Le Clercq and Jacques D'Amboise in Faun available on the web. TLC has a mysterious and otherworldly quality which I didn't feel Melissa Hamilton had at the Saturday matinee.

[alison]

There are some more tickets appearing on the website at the moment, should anyone want any: amphi and Grand Tier at the moment, I think.

[Nina G.]

There are snippets of Tanaquil Le Clercq and Jacques D'Amboise in Faun available on the web. TLC has a mysterious and otherworldly quality which I didn't feel Melissa Hamilton had at the Saturday matinee.

 

I did not really enjoy this Triple Bill, in fact I was disappointed.

 

At least it was good to see Vadim Muntagirov in Faun but I felt Melissa Hamilton was ill-suited to dance that role. She has been miscast in quite a few classical ballets/classical roles over the past season. 

 

"In the Night" is what it is, lovely dancing but that's about it for me.

 

I am not a fan of Song so my last trip to ROH before the Company leaves on Tour ended on a low note... instead of the usual high. 

[Ian Macmillan]

I suspect it will not convert many of those who cannot take to Song of the Earth, but Ismene Brown has just posted on the Spectator's Blog area what strikes me as a first class article on Kenneth MacMillan's use, or disregard, for the words sung:

 

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/culturehousedaily/2015/06/can-you-ballet-dance-to-words/

[Petunia]

I honestly enjoy all your contributions. I wanted to write much earlier but after four days in London I needed a day to recover!

I went to see the first performance on Friday. Got up at 04.00 am to catch the flight and after a whole day of  roaming around I was very thankful for my Amphitheatre seat. I was so tired that I felt like being in a sort of trance which was quite suitable for this Mixed Bill.

 

I had seen Faun when Berlin State Ballet performed it a couple of years ago and at that time I was quite underwhelmed and didn’t exactly know why. Now I think it was because -as some of you have put it- there was no secret in it, the dancers were too “knowing”. This time with Bonelli and Lamb it was a completely different ballet! Now I’m glad to have seen it, at first I didn’t care that much about it.

 

I had seen “In the Night” only once in a video and “Song” was completely unknown to me, I had only read about it (a lot of it here!) and was very curious about it.

 

“In the Night”: I loved Yanovsky and Kish very much. They looked like grown-ups and cool and witty and were so wonderful together. I feel they enhanced the formality of the duet with shiny glamour and a pinch of irony – amazing!

 

“Song” was one of the most impressive ballets I’ve seen in quite a long time. I’m still happy to have come all the way to London to see it. The singers were both marvellous and I didn’t find them distracting at all, far from it. I don’t know what to say, I really was moved to tears and needed some time to recover afterwards. Can’t even say what I liked best. It was an experience in itself to see Hirano, Cuthbertson and Watson live on stage. They are such powerful performers. And the corps was fantastic (I hate to call them “corps” because they were visible as individuals and they give so much).

 

I hope I’ll have another chance to see it sometime.

[Booklover89]

I was glad to finally see Song of the Earth and didn't think it a low point on which to end the season at all, though I can see why it divides opinion quite sharply.  Ed Watson was just so fabulous and powerful and it was a treat to see Lauren back.  Faun was intriguing, and Sarah Lamb does that intense, ethereal otherworldliness so well, but In the Night didn't do much for me.  I would love to see the company bring back Dances at a Gathering though.

 

I hope Melissa Hamilton attracts some kinder remarks after she comes back from Dresden.  She does seem to get some fairly brutal comments on here from the same people each time.  Is it really necessary to make the same negative points repeatedly about a dancer making a debut?

[Balletfanp]

Well, I for one enjoyed Melissa's performance in Faun, and I wish her well in Dresden - no doubt she will gain a lot of valuable experience there.

 

It would be interesting to know from people who weren't impressed by Faun where they were sitting. I was in the second row of the stalls, and to me it seemed very atmospheric, dreamlike and tense, but it occurs to me that it's quite a subtle piece that might not transmit as well towards the back of an auditorium, whoever performs it. Just a thought. I would love to see it again.

[alison]

Yes, it's often so dependent on where you sit.  I was in the side balcony for both performances, so I doubt that affected my differing appreciation of the two performances very much.

[Nina G.]

Yes, it's often so dependent on where you sit.  I was in the side balcony for both performances, so I doubt that affected my differing appreciation of the two performances very much.

 

I was in the last row of the Orchestra Stalls (Right) and I doubt my opinion would have been different if I'd sat any closer.

 

My impression of Woolf Works for example was affected by where I sat.

[aileen]

I was sitting fairly far forward in the amphitheatre; perhaps the distance from the action did affect my enjoyment of the two Robbins' pieces. I didn't think that the House was very enthusiastic about either piece though and so I don't think that it was just me. Perhaps having so few dancers on the stage for half the programme was part of the problem for the majority of the audience who was not sitting close to the stage. As with lighting, I often wonder whether the RB arranges things with audience members sitting in the stalls in mind. 

[jm365]

I was sitting half way back in the amphi (admittedly with a powerful pair of binoculars) for both the Friday and the Monday performances.  I thought both were very interesting and totally absorbing.  As I almost always sit in that area, I didn't find the distance affected my enjoyment at all, and I don't think the small number of dancers on stage was a problem in any way, such is the choreographer's skill in using the space.   I am of the party that consider Song one of MacMillan's true masterpieces and therefore most certainly didn't find the evening a 'downer' or an unfitting end to the season. 

[alison]

I've moved some posts digressing onto Melissa Hamilton's move to Dresden into the associated thread here http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9619-melissa-hamilton-news/so as not to derail this discussion too much.

[capybara]

Was anything 'special' done last night to mark the end of the RB's 2014/15 season and, perhaps, the retirements of Barry Wordsworth and Jeanetta Lawrence?

[zxDaveM]

Was anything 'special' done last night to mark the end of the RB's 2014/15 season and, perhaps, the retirements of Barry Wordsworth and Jeanetta Lawrence?

 

The performance was dedicated to Jeanetta, with a tribute on the cast sheet.

Barry seemed particularly ebullient when on the stage for curtain calls. Nothing was made of it though, as he is back conducting next season, I guess.

[capybara]

The performance was dedicated to Jeanetta, with a tribute on the cast sheet.

Barry seemed particularly ebullient when on the stage for curtain calls. Nothing was made of it though, as he is back conducting next season, I guess.

 

Thank you. I think it is a great pity that Barry's contribution (a more public one than Jeanetta's) was not celebrated. After all, Monica Mason was properly much lauded when she retired, even though she has returned constantly to stage or coach ballets.

 

I'm now doubly glad that I sent Barry a 'thank you' bunch of flowers yesterday. The man's a star!

[alison]

Was anything 'special' done last night to mark the end of the RB's 2014/15 season and, perhaps, the retirements of Barry Wordsworth and Jeanetta Lawrence?

 

Not front of curtain, certainly, apart from the tribute to Jeanetta in the cast sheet.

[John Mallinson]

… Nothing was made of it though, as he is back conducting next season, I guess.

 

Not quite true, he was vigorously applauded by the orchestra who didn't themselves stand to acknowledge applause as they normally would, but remained seated and continued clapping him.

[FLOSS]

Perhaps the reason for not making a fuss about Barry's retirement is that he is only stepping down from his post. As I understand it we will still see him in the pit from time to time. My wish as far as the new Music Director is concerned is that he decides to discontinue the practice of engaging Russian conductors when the Peripa classics are being performed. I am convinced that their presence in the pit is the main reason why Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake are played more slowly than they used to be.Russian conductors indulge the dancers here because that is what they do at home so that for years we have had performance danced at speeds which neither the composer nor the choreographer would recognise. It would be wonderful to see them danced at the right speed.As far as Sleeping Beauty is concerned failure to observe the tempi set by the composer is inexcusable as Petipa provided Tchaikovsky with minutage before he began composing setting out not only the speed for each dance but its duration.

[alison]

Interesting point, Floss.

[zxDaveM]

Not quite true, he was vigorously applauded by the orchestra who didn't themselves stand to acknowledge applause as they normally would, but remained seated and continued clapping him.

 

ah - I couldn't see that from where I was - but explains his gesticulations towards the pit  :-)

[Duck]

Immensely touching interaction between Barry Wordsworth and the orchestra on Thursday evening. Lots of handshaking before the start of Song of the Earth. Once Song of the Earth had finished, the orchestra members' clapping. During curtain calls, Barry Wordsworth's gratitude and joy. zxDaveM's post above used the word "ebullient" - yes, I think this sums it up really well. 

 

There was a whole page in the cast sheet dedicated to Jeanetta Lawrence. Even though Barry Wordsworth is returning to conduct some ballet performances during the next season, it would have been nice to acknowledge his achievements and departure from his current post in the cast sheet, too.