Post by tmesis on Jan 20, 2019 20:39:58 GMT
I was at the matinee of this very satisfying double bill.
Asphodel Meadows
This abstract ballet by Liam Scarlett impressed me even more than the first time I saw it. The music is Poulenc's wonderful Concerto for 2 pianos. I've struggled to enjoy a lot of the more contemporary choreography the RB presents but Scarlett, along with Christopher Weeldon, is a real talent and this was nearly as great as, and follows in a direct line from, Ashton's Symphonic Variations and, to a lesser extent, Balanchine's Symphony in C.
The Two Pigeons
Well if you have an aversion to Ashton's style this is the last ballet to see to change your mind. The detractors will probadly find it to be impossibly twee, high camp whimsy - me, I loved every second of it. I would even say, having now seen it three times, (and I'm going again in a month) that it is my favourite Ashton ballet. This was a performance where the up and coming members of RB were given a chance, so we had Reece Clarke as the Young Man and Beatriz Stix-Brunell as the Young Girl and they were absolutely perfect. The ballet has two short acts with lots of varied choreography, with some colourful 'gypsy' scenes in the second act. I always feel with Ashton there are no longeurs in the action and he can do elegance and charm like no other.
As the title suggests, two pigeons (they're actually beautiful white doves) are crucial to the action. The Young Man at the end, when reconciled with his girlfriend, enters with a dove on his shoulder. The dancer has to then remove him and place him on the back of a chair. At the very end it's joined by a second dove to symbolise the couple's reunion. This is an incredibly touching moment that always brings a tear to my eye. Of course, part of the frisson of this is wondering if the doves will misbehave in any way. They haven't yet at this crucial moment, although earlier where one of the doves is supposed to fly across the stage, park itself for a minute or two, and then fly into the wings, yesterday it flew into the orchestra pit - what happened then I couldn't quite discern from my seat.
Highly recommended and there are still a lot of cheap seats left.
Asphodel Meadows
This abstract ballet by Liam Scarlett impressed me even more than the first time I saw it. The music is Poulenc's wonderful Concerto for 2 pianos. I've struggled to enjoy a lot of the more contemporary choreography the RB presents but Scarlett, along with Christopher Weeldon, is a real talent and this was nearly as great as, and follows in a direct line from, Ashton's Symphonic Variations and, to a lesser extent, Balanchine's Symphony in C.
The Two Pigeons
Well if you have an aversion to Ashton's style this is the last ballet to see to change your mind. The detractors will probadly find it to be impossibly twee, high camp whimsy - me, I loved every second of it. I would even say, having now seen it three times, (and I'm going again in a month) that it is my favourite Ashton ballet. This was a performance where the up and coming members of RB were given a chance, so we had Reece Clarke as the Young Man and Beatriz Stix-Brunell as the Young Girl and they were absolutely perfect. The ballet has two short acts with lots of varied choreography, with some colourful 'gypsy' scenes in the second act. I always feel with Ashton there are no longeurs in the action and he can do elegance and charm like no other.
As the title suggests, two pigeons (they're actually beautiful white doves) are crucial to the action. The Young Man at the end, when reconciled with his girlfriend, enters with a dove on his shoulder. The dancer has to then remove him and place him on the back of a chair. At the very end it's joined by a second dove to symbolise the couple's reunion. This is an incredibly touching moment that always brings a tear to my eye. Of course, part of the frisson of this is wondering if the doves will misbehave in any way. They haven't yet at this crucial moment, although earlier where one of the doves is supposed to fly across the stage, park itself for a minute or two, and then fly into the wings, yesterday it flew into the orchestra pit - what happened then I couldn't quite discern from my seat.
Highly recommended and there are still a lot of cheap seats left.
