lady emily Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Also, does anyone know why Barry Wordsworth didn't do the typical walk to the podium with applause? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Happy Birthday lady emily what a great way to spend it!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 14 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 A brilliant evening. It’s so nice to leave feeling completely satisfied by every single part of a triple bill, as is the case here! My first time seeing Les Rendezvous and The Dream; I loved both. I loved the summer night vibe of Rendezvous, costumes were sublime (although not a big fan of the yellow colour used for some dresses). It almost gave me the Regency/Bridgerton vibe (an extremely popular Netflix show currently - if I was in charge of marketing I might have hopped on that hashtag, would definitely have got some clicks) Marianela was so light and airy, just beautiful, I particularly love the port de bras used here and I was reminded again of how well Ashton choreography always reflects and inhabitants music so well. Also very impressed by Reece, Isabella (what a beautiful purple dress) and everyone else of course. The Dream is definitely one of the best ballets I’ve ever seen, perfect music, and performances from Vadim and Yasmine extremely good (I liked their Romeo and Juliet back in 2021 as well, I think they are well matched). Liam Boswell was stunning, very much the mischievous sprite. I thought Vadim a very compelling Oberon, and Yasmine conveyed that ferocity and inner softness of Titania. The corps were an incredible spectacle to watch - love the set as well. And Valentino as Bottom - superb! Olivia Cowley/Leo Dixon/Lukas BB and Lara Turk were also hilarious. Luca and Mayara are two of my favourites and they nailed Rhapsody in my opinion. Maybe Mayara is a bit taller than him on pointe, doesn’t matter that much to me. Luca has consistent star quality (adored his Basilio) Definitely a showstopper evening! 17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Essex Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 13 hours ago, Emeralds said: Caspar Lench cast as Puck for the matinee 👍 👌 He was fantastic - so many amazing jumps. He looked like he was suspended in mid air for many of them. He had a really cheeky and mischevious personality in the role too that really engaged the audience. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 2 hours ago, lady emily said: Also, does anyone know why Barry Wordsworth didn't do the typical walk to the podium with applause? Not sure why- he normally does with other ballets I've seen him conduct eg Nutcracker, etc. Maybe it was to save time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 2 hours ago, lady emily said: Also, does anyone know why Barry Wordsworth didn't do the typical walk to the podium with applause? Yes there was none of the usual applause - I thought I had missed it completely. And how unusual two have two conductors (even if not at the same time!). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Another wonderful evening of Ashton. I confess I didn’t stay for Rhapsody, simply because I saw Mayara and Luca on Monday - had it been a different cast I hadn’t seen, I’d have stayed. Les Rendezvous looked wonderful again. I love the set and the costumes, in particular the dusky lilac ones. I don’t think they are dull at all. And the set starts off rather grey and misty but as the sun begins to come up the mist disappears and the sky takes on a rosy glow - lovely! Marianela was wonderful - a really vibrant performance. I loved both her and Fumi - Fumi was very fresh and lovely, Marianela more sophisticated, but I thought both their performances were superlative. Reece did a very good job but I agree with other posters that Ashton isn’t really his genre - he executed the steps well but I have always found him a very ‘grounded’ dancer - for want of a better term - and I felt he lacked the lightness and crispness that Ashton requires. The standout for me was the pas de trois. Hats off to Isabella Gasparini, Leo Dixon and Harrison Lee for a gorgeous performance - Isabella’s smile is always a joy to behold. What I particularly like about Les R (apart from everything!) is the fact that everyone in it has a chance to shine. The interchanges in the choreography are so cleverly done - and I love the floral garlands in the women’s hair and the men all look very dashing in their costumes! The Dream - one of those ballets I could watch to the end of my days and never get bored with. I am very happy to report that Vadim was well and truly back on form tonight and plainly had no struggle with the choreography whatsoever. A faultless, exhilarating performance with his usual stunning lines and soundless leaps. More than that, his acting, characterisation and command of the stage were on point throughout and the mime crystal clear. Yasmine made a fantastic debut. An imperious, rebellious, yet melting Titania with wonderful Ashton épaulement and the all-important bending. Like others, I have never really rated Vadim and Yasmine as a partnership, feeling they matched very well technically but lacked chemistry (although they were better in that respect in Mayerling). Tonight, I thought they worked very well together, especially given how little rehearsal time they must have had. Their reconciliation pas de deux was sublime and gained huge and well-deserved applause. I had thought that, having seen Caspar Lench’s Puck debut on Monday, I might be disappointed in Liam Boswell tonight. I wasn’t - they were two different performances and both excellent. I have to say, though, that I watched Wayne Sleep in the scherzo on YouTube on the way up, and I don’t really think anyone has quite matched him yet - such energy the man had! The lovers were all very funny although I do miss Itziar Mendizabal as Helena - her comic timing in the DVD I have at home (the cast I saw live in the last run), was just brilliant and she was hilarious! Having said that, Olivia Cowley did a great job, along with Leo Dixon, Lukas Braendsrod and Lara Turk. I also thought Valentino was extremely good as Bottom. All in all, a wonderful evening. My last treat before December now is Monday’s Swan Lake, so trying to make the most of this weekend. Not sure how I’ll manage for six months! 22 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 4 hours ago, lady emily said: Also, does anyone know why Barry Wordsworth didn't do the typical walk to the podium with applause? No. It was a bit disconcerting just to have the performance starting. And also he doesn't get a curtain call, which I think is a bit unfair. A few random thoughts on tonight's performance: Les Rendezvous really benefits from being seen from above, as you can see the patterning, and the dancing, so much better. Quite stunned to hear that Leo Dixon had performed in all 6 pieces today! I did wonder what he'd done in the matinee as well. The Dream: Very good, albeit slightly earlier than expected, debut by Yasmine Naghdi as Titania today. Muntagirov looked fine to me as Oberon. Once again (as in the last run) the Rustics need to be careful about their stage positioning relative to Bottom while he's changing into the donkey, because if they come too far forward and/or move to the side they stop acting as a screen for those in the amphi. And the positioning of Hermia/Lysander stage left may need some adjusting upstage too, because there were suddenly a lot of people leaning forward from the amphi right side trying to see what was happening. Very good (debut?) performance by Liam Boswell as Puck, too. My only quibble would be that his shrugs appeared to be originating from his hands/arms rather than his shoulders, so it looked as though he was attempting to lift something slightly more than shrugging. Thought the interactions were generally good, in particular between the lovers - sharp timing makes such a difference. I appreciated this performance rather more than Monday night's, I think. Acri and Magri settling nicely into their roles in Rhapsody now - it was rather more atmospheric than it was on Monday night. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 (edited) It wasn't Boswell's début as Puck, @alison - he danced it (brilliantly!) last week. Edited June 16 by bridiem 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I was at last night's performance and I admit to having had a bit of an epiphany. I was disappointed that Lauren Cuthbertson was unable to perform in The Dream (I do hope she recovers quickly) because Yasmine Naghdi isn't a dancer I choose to book for, in spite of her undoubted technical skills. I just somehow don't connect with her. But I am now a Naghdi convert - I thought she was stunning as Titania. Muntagirov was beautiful to watch as always and they looked good together. Liam Boswell was a delightful Puck, and Valentino Zucchetti a comical Bottom. At the end of The Dream I just wanted it to start all over again. Wonderful. I loved Les Rendezvous also, and it was good to see Luca Acri given a chance to shine in Rhapsody. Having seen Marianela Nuñez and Yasmine Naghdi, I thought Mayara Magri suffered by comparison - her feet aren't nearly so good. The designs, lighting, music combined for a magical evening. We need more Ashton - much, much more. 21 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyTaylor Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 This entire bill is an absolute Dream in every way possible. More, more, more please! 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 1 hour ago, maryrosesatonapin said: But I am now a Naghdi convert - I thought she was stunning as Titania She will always get to you in the end! Resistance is futile 😉 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 17 hours ago, AnticaFiamma said: Judging from today's cast sheets, the devil works hard but Leo Dixon works harder Yes. I was in awe! 12 hours ago, Balletfanp said: The Dream - one of those ballets I could watch to the end of my days and never get bored with. I am very happy to report that Vadim was well and truly back on form tonight and plainly had no struggle with the choreography whatsoever. A faultless, exhilarating performance with his usual stunning lines and soundless leaps. More than that, his acting, characterisation and command of the stage were on point throughout and the mime crystal clear. Yasmine made a fantastic debut. An imperious, rebellious, yet melting Titania with wonderful Ashton épaulement and the all-important bending. Yes. And on a totally superficial level, I thought the curls really suited Yasmine. 37 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said: This entire bill is an absolute Dream in every way possible. More, more, more please! And more yes. And soon, please! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 11 minutes ago, Scheherezade said: Yes. And on a totally superficial level, I thought the curls really suited Yasmine. Yes, she looked lovely. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I agree with previous posters, the triple bill of Les Rendezvous/The Dream/Rhapsody should get the same rotation as the full length Macmillan ballets have (coming round every 3 or so years). Below the links to my photos for those interested Instagram 15 June (matinee) Instagram 15 June (evening) Facebook album 14 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina99 Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 What a thoroughly delightful evening that was. This was my third view of this triple bill but I think I appreciated it the most since I had a seat with the best view this time. it was particularly good to get a decent view of Les Rendezvous which I really loved. I also loved the Dream and although I was slightly worried that Yasmine Naghdi was having to take over as Titania at short notice, she proved to be amazing in the role and quite rightly received a huge ovation from the audience at the end. I have to say that I actually liked her better than Lauren Cuthbertson and she and Vadim were lovely together. Vadim was on fine form both in his acting and dancing which was beautiful to watch as always. As for the rest of the cast Liam Boswell was a superb and very athletic Puck and it was good to see Valentino Zucchetti showing his comedy skills (and some pretty good dancing en pointe) in the role of Bottom. Like others I toyed with not staying for Rhapsody, but I decided to stay to be able to listen that glorious music again and ended up really enjoying the whole ballet again. In conclusion, I can only echo the calls from others for lots more Ashton! 13 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 14 minutes ago, Silke H said: I agree with previous posters, the triple bill of Les Rendezvous/The Dream/Rhapsody should get the same rotation as the full length Macmillan ballets have (coming round every 3 or so years). Swop the 'shorties' for Symphonic Variations, alternate LesR, Rhapsody and Scenes de Ballet - I'd have to go to every show (rather than merely nearly every show) 🙂 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Agree whole heartedly with everything people are saying about this superb triple bill. Sadly I was only able to see one performance this time around. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to see that, as I am usually abroad at this time of year. I stayed in the UK specifically to see this, and I wish I could have seen more. I missed the previous Ashton triple for the same reason. Why oh why couldn't they have put this on during the winter period? Just the thing to brighten up the festive season, or to take the mind off cold, bleak winter days. Loved all the of them, although I have to say that Rhapsody was the one where the dancers looked least comfortable with the choreography. I don't know if it was the particular cast I saw or the fact that the first two were so marvellous. However, maybe if I had seen a different cast, or the same cast on a different day, I might have felt differently about it. It is going to be really difficult to going back to seeing stuff by current choreographers after this. Even if one of them has just received a Knighthood..... 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 27 minutes ago, zxDaveM said: Swop the 'shorties' for Symphonic Variations, alternate LesR, Rhapsody and Scenes de Ballet - I'd have to go to every show (rather than merely nearly every show) 🙂 Brilliant scheduling. You might want to propose this (with backing by many Forum member I believe) to Mr. O'Hare 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 24 minutes ago, Silke H said: Brilliant scheduling. You might want to propose this (with backing by many Forum member I believe) to Mr. O'Hare even if I could get a word into his shell-like, I doubt there are enough whores/harlots in there to be considered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 (edited) I know that the objective has been to launch a 4 year celebration of Aston’s work and look forward to seeing other pieces as the months & years go by. That said the scheduling of 3 Sarasota Ballet programmes in the Linbury alongside 2 programmes in the main ROH with so many different casts has left me feeling rather Ashton bloated and hungover today. Too much of a good thing. Edited June 16 by San Perregrino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 54 minutes ago, Fonty said: It is going to be really difficult to going back to seeing stuff by current choreographers after this. Even if one of them has just received a Knighthood..... I am simply not going to go to see new, or repeats of newer, stuff for the foreseeable future. I'd rather go to see different companies here and abroad dancing works I enjoy. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnePigeon Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Last night was my first of the Ashton triples and it had me wishing there was more time (and money in my budget) to see other casts. First of all, a huge hurrah for Leo Dixon - how he managed to dance all day I don’t know, but it had me longing to just run him a bath and give him a cup of tea. He wasn’t even flagging in Rhapsody. My highlight was the aptly named The Dream - it was all that was magical, beautiful and transporting. Vadim was his usual, wonderful self and I was really pleased to see him with Yasmine Naghdi for the first time and I thought they made a great Oberon and Titania together, full of perfect ethereal majesty. I loved the couples and marvelled at how Ashton put so much humour into the choreography. I especially thought Lukas BB made a very funny romantic swain. Ashton so perfectly managed to convey the essence and humour of the play into this perfect short ballet, the choreography sparkled with musicality and the setting and costumes were wonderfully atmospheric. It was truly a little piece of heaven. I’ve only ever seen Rhapsody on video before with McRae/Osipova, Sambe/Hayward and the pas de deux danced by Baryshnikov/Collier. It’s such gorgeous musical choreography and the orchestra played the music so well it gave me goosebumps. I thought Magri brought her usual joyful musical performance, but on the whole it didn’t quite live up to the versions I’ve seen on video. Acri did really well, but he looked a little terrified at times and for me he didn’t quite bring that jaw dropping bravura mixed with an arrogant insouciance that I felt it needed. For me, it highlighted a slight problem with the mix of senior male dancers at the moment. It is a principal role that requires more than being able to do amazing jumps - it also needs a huge amount of charisma and great partnering skills. With Sambe pulling out and Corrales and McRae recovering from serious injury, it leaves a bravura shaped hole in the RB’s senior ranks that they’re plugging with dancers who, from reviews I’ve read, don’t sound like they are quite ready for such a prominent role (though I haven’t seen any of the more junior dancers tackle the role yet so may be speaking out of turn). I’m not sure if Ball could have done it? He’s not a dancer I see very often, so I’m not sure, but I would have thought Muntagirov would have been great. I kept wondering what a dancer like Potskhishvili could have brought to the role and it got me thinking that rather than promoting any males to principal this season, I think they could do with bringing in a young firecracker dancer. I know this is an unpopular opinion round here, but a bit of new blood with some different strengths would be interesting. 10 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 2 hours ago, zxDaveM said: even if I could get a word into his shell-like, I doubt there are enough whores/harlots in there to be considered Forget the harlots, let’s go for it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 2 hours ago, San Perregrino said: … the scheduling of 3 Sarasota Ballet programmes in the Linbury alongside 2 programmes in the main ROH with so many different casts has left me feeling rather Ashton bloated and hungover today. Too much of a good thing. Not enough for me. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 (edited) As much as I like Leo Dixon and laud him for the double Triple, it probably is still less than our astonishing Corps ladies do on a Swan Lake double show day, where they are party guests in act 1, swans in acts 2 and 4 and princesses / guests / country dance representatives in act 3. I don't at all mean to diminish Leo Dixon's stamina and continued beautiful execution throughout both performances, I'm just putting it into perspective that the amazing corps ladies manage these marathon feats on a very regular basis. Edited June 16 by Silke H 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 On Tuesday I will be seeing Osipova and Bracewell in the Dream. Is this the first time Osipova will have danced Titania in this run? If she has already danced it did anyone report back on it? The website doesn’t store past performances only ones still to be performed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 2 minutes ago, LinMM said: On Tuesday I will be seeing Osipova and Bracewell in the Dream. Is this the first time Osipova will have danced Titania in this run? If she has already danced it did anyone report back on it? The website doesn’t store past performances only ones still to be performed. I saw her in the Thursday morning General and liked her interpretation, and think it worked well with her and William Bracewell. He is such a generous partner and (just like Reece Clarke) takes what Ms. Osipova does in his stride and does so beautifully. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 1 hour ago, Silke H said: As much as I like Leo Dixon and laud him for the double Triple, it probably is still less than our astonishing Corps ladies do on a Swan Lake double show day, where they are party guests in act 1, swans in acts 2 and 4 and princesses / guests / country dance representatives in act 3. I don't at all mean to diminish Leo Dixon's stamina and continued beautiful execution throughout both performances, I'm just putting it into perspective that the amazing corps ladies manage these marathon feats on a very regular basis. So true @Silke H.....the corps ladies can't be praised enough I feel. I believe it's Samantha Raine who coaches them to such heights...she deserves a lot of credit. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cayetana Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 On 15/06/2024 at 19:07, Emeralds said: Anna Rose O'Sullivan was musical and expressive, glorious lines, and creamy soft legato phrases, light and fast in the allegro (once again, not sure why there was a 2 star rating in The Telegraph- typo?!) - one of the loveliest interpreters of this role. totally agree. I loved her performance, and I was not at all comparing in my mind with anybody else, which can happen if not totally convinced by what I am experiencing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 6 hours ago, OnePigeon said: I kept wondering what a dancer like Potskhishvili could have brought to the role Oh, I'd love to see him in this role. I wish the RB would invite guests such as him. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 7 hours ago, LinMM said: On Tuesday I will be seeing Osipova and Bracewell in the Dream. Is this the first time Osipova will have danced Titania in this run? If she has already danced it did anyone report back on it? The website doesn’t store past performances only ones still to be performed. Yes, Tuesday will be first time in this run, LinMM. If you want to check, the cast lists from the performances that have already taken place this season are still available together with current cast list and will show who's danced in the performances so far this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now