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Post by crabtree on May 20, 2018 16:18:22 GMT
So much exciting word of mouth about the new ROH Swan Lake and its' design and slight reordering of the music, but on one twitter on the rOH someone rather snootily said that they were glad to see tutus again, as it is called swan Lake, not emu lake - presumably a snide reference to Matthew Bpurne's production that has introduced million of people to dance and to the score. OK, they could be a traditionalist, that's fine, but I am unhappy that they think a tutu is any more representative of a swan that the gorgeous trousers in MB production.
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Post by Dawnstar on May 20, 2018 17:47:26 GMT
I believe that comments about seeing tutus again refers to the Royal Ballet's previous Swan Lake production rather than to that of any other company. I didn't see the previous production but I understand that the swans wore longer-skirted dresses rather than tutus.
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Post by tmesis on May 20, 2018 18:59:32 GMT
Dawnstar is right, in fact the previous RB production was a fairly dull affair all round. That being said, and it may be sacrilegious to say so, I find Swan Lake the least interesting of all the 'classic' ballets. Nevertheless I'm still going and will report back in about 2 weeks.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2018 20:39:14 GMT
I might go and see the cinema screening, but in general I find Swan Lake rather dull and contrived. I did see the Bourne one all those years ago though (not that's a revival I'm looking forward to!) and loved it.
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Post by crabtree on May 20, 2018 22:14:34 GMT
You all may be right, and maybe it is I who jumped on a rather high horse too quickly, but e'en so I don't like the attitude that there is only one way to do things. it's the Sleeping beauty that I find dull - very little drama or emotion, just pure dancing which can be enough sometimes. Ballet, I do adore ballet, but sometimes you can have a reality check and go WTF! I saw Sleeping Beauty only a few weeks ago, and there are the court with each member wearing acres and acres of fabric, and then on comes the Prince in tights and a tiny jacket, and Aurora in a tutu - none of which even acknowledges the world created for the piece. Just a convention you accept, like panto dames. That's what it is.
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Post by jek on May 22, 2018 7:35:14 GMT
My newly 17 year old daughter and her friend went to see this last night - the student performance. When I picked them up off the Central Line late last night they were predictably giddy and daughter's friend who has been doing ballet since toddlerdom was exclaiming over the technique. For them, of course, it is all very exciting and new - they haven't had time to become jaded by seeing lots of productions. They were - it seems - particularly taken by the character Benno - I have no idea why. Have to salute the Royal Opera House for having these student evenings - it makes seeing a production affordable and I bet the atmosphere in the House was something special, although daughter being a seasoned theatre goer and reader of the Bad Behaviour thread on this board was appalled by the number of people checking phones. She said that there were quite a few 'old' people there - but, of course, for her that can mean anyone over 20!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 22, 2018 16:10:32 GMT
My newly 17 year old daughter and her friend went to see this last night - the student performance. When I picked them up off the Central Line late last night they were predictably giddy and daughter's friend who has been doing ballet since toddlerdom was exclaiming over the technique. For them, of course, it is all very exciting and new - they haven't had time to become jaded by seeing lots of productions. They were - it seems - particularly taken by the character Benno - I have no idea why. Have to salute the Royal Opera House for having these student evenings - it makes seeing a production affordable and I bet the atmosphere in the House was something special, although daughter being a seasoned theatre goer and reader of the Bad Behaviour thread on this board was appalled by the number of people checking phones. She said that there were quite a few 'old' people there - but, of course, for her that can mean anyone over 20! I agree the student performances are a great thing. However, they clearly need to get the right performance. I can't remember what ballet I was at recently, but I was talking to FOH who said the previous performance was the student one and it went brilliantly - "you could hear a pin drop". In contrast, FOH said the student performance of Die Zauberflöte was less successful - three hours of German didn't quite click! I asked if they were doing a student performance(s) of the Ring this year. "Thank God, no", was the reply. |
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Post by ctas on May 23, 2018 12:56:18 GMT
The tutu comment is definitely in reference to the previous RB production, where they had dreadful long skirts that masked the footwork as well as just looking plain awful! I don’t miss the Dowell production one bit after seeing the Scarlett incarnation! (ETA: here’s a fantastic article about the tutus, the complaints over the long skirts and the decision to go back to tutus: www.ft.com/content/48414f86-4d37-11e8-97e4-13afc22d86d4)I saw this on opening night and thoroughly enjoyed it, it’s a massive improvement on the previous RB production and has some absolutely gorgeous costume design. The first act has been moved to an outside setting which brings some much-needed visual light into the story. The sets are incredibly detailed and the audience even applauded at the start of act three on opening night. Scarlett has done some good work with the additional choreography and sensibly kept the Neapolitan dance as the Ashton one. Marianela Nuñez was stunning as Odette/Odile and Vadim Muntagirov almost stole the show as Siegfried. Although I would definitely change a few things (the act three divertissements weren’t great, aside from the Neapolitan, the ending a little off-balance) it’s a great production and I’m hoping to see it again as soon as possible! |
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Post by tmesis on Jun 2, 2018 21:39:43 GMT
Well this has rejuvenated my enthusiasm for Swan Lake having seen way too many over the years, not only at The Garden but also ENB and loads visiting Russians. This has to be one of the handsomest designs ever and the ROH can be justly proud of it. The new production seemed to energise everyone into giving of their best; hell even the orchestra played well! Tonight I saw the impossibly handsome Federico Bonelli as Siegfried and he was dancing superbly - there can't be a more elegant male dancer on the London stage. Odette/Odile was Sarah Lamb and she was on sensational form. James Hay as Benno was particularly good (a principal in waiting?)
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Post by tonyloco on Dec 26, 2018 15:08:39 GMT
Coming to this discussion rather late in the day, I have just seen the Royal Ballet's 'new' Swan Lake broadcast on BBC TV yesterday and of course I have some comments.
Firstly, I thought it looked magnificent with superb sets and excellent costumes, and just to hear that glorious score as the music for a full-length romantic ballet is a treat in itself. I thought the choreography worked very well both as preserving the much-loved Petipa-Ivanov material and as adapting it for a major company to dance in the present day and age. I particularly liked the way Benno was given an important dancing role as well as just being the Prince's bezzy mate! I was happy to see Ashton's Neapolitan Dance in Act III but some of the other items in that Act didn't really work as well as I was hoping, but perhaps that was just me remembering certain past glories like Monica Mason and Georgina Parkinson in their feisty Spanish Dance back in the 1960s.
As to the principals, I thought Muntagirov was great but somehow there was something missing for me in Núñez's performance, even though she danced impeccably. She didn't move me as Odette or thrill me as Odile as certain other great ballerinas of the past have done, specifically Fonteyn, Beriosova and Makarova to name my top three. It wasn't until Act IV that I started to feel that Núñez's Odette had begun to work, when of course I wanted to feel it in Act II. And I also felt that sensuous glamour was somehow absent from Odile's seduction of the Prince in Act III.
But having said all that, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance overall and I am very pleased that the Royal Ballet has such a magnificent new production of one of their most important pieces of classic repertoire.
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