37 replies to this topic

[Mashinka]

Naoko S, on May 31 2004, 07:23 PM, said:

Robert Bolle's Basilio:  He is a regular visitor to Covent Garden so I had more than a few opportunities to see him in the past years; for instance in the last season in La Bayadere and Romeo & Juliette, and on both occasions he didn't do for me.  I don't know why

I'm afraid I agree.  My reason for not liking this dancer is his poor musical phrasing.  I can overlook certain failings in technique, but an unmusical dancer is one I avoid.

[Françoise]

Too many dancers are unmusical and I don't see it in Bolle's Basilio   .

But everybody don't hear the same thing with body musicality  :shrug:  !

[bee2]

Hello! Did anyone go to the Dupont-Acosta performance/s? Any thoughts on that partnership? Thanks!

[Françoise]

I saw yesterday night Aurélie Dupont and Carlos Acosta, and I must say I really loved their pertformance. Aurélie Dupont became a true actress on stage and is a perfect Kitri, she looks sometimes in the way of Katharina of The taming of the Shrew, but she is the character with her hot temperament. She added too many things to her view about the part since two years. She is always good technically, even if the Dulcinea variation was not what I'm waiting for her, she didn't really stay in balance on her toes, as she seems have a problem, but she had no problem with balance in the adagio third act and in her fouettés.  It was a Kitri that Nureyev should love   !

Concerning Acosta, I found him very interesting, he has a kind of handsome and don't make just "circus" as too many cuban dancers, his jump are high, with fine reception, his "double assemblées" were all perfect. His coda in the third act was a great moment of dance, what a beautiful manege of coupé jetés ! And his play is fine, his couple with Aurelie goes well and he is a wonderful partner ! I really enjoyed him .

In the second role, Isabelle Ciaravola was always so wonderful as Queen of the Dryad and she tries to make balance at each developpé and she has lyricism and poetry . Mélanie Hurel is not really interesting in Cupid, she dances very well, but she is not Cupid in her play. She is too shy. Yann Saiz is always too much in Espada, Eleonora Abbagnato is technically good as Street dancer but she is not too vulgar for the part. In Kitri's friend, I don't like Mathilde Froustey who is "too much", she raise too her leg, move too her arm, her face and her neck, against Myriam Ould Braham is perfect, she has stylicism, don't move too many :shrug: !
Dorothée Gilbert is always perfect in Bridemaids even if she seems a few tired on stage yesterday night.
Corps are perfect and I don't forget Jean-Marie Didière as Don Quichotte, so good, Mallory Gaudion is funny in Gamache and Fabien Roques is also very good as Sancho Pança.

A very good evening    where public seems to love, it's the first time dancer are so applaused, and they have till a standing ovation.

[Estelle]

A review by Clement Crisp:

http://news.ft.com/s...p=1016625900929

Excerpt:

Quote

Interpretations by the ensemble were unfailing in energy and in delight, and the Opéra's orchestra under Paul Connolly played with grand responsiveness. I have already reported on the exhilarating readings by those twin angels Dorothée Gilbert and Emmanuel Thibault.

I also saw Eleonora Abbagnato and Karl Paquette as Kitri and Basilio, somewhat below their best form in matter of dramatic verve, and a fizzing interpretation by Laetitia Pujol (who took to the stage like an Exocet missile) and the ebullient Benjamin Pech, rejoicing in the wall-of-death difficulties that Nureyev offers Basilio.

He also mentions "Audiences eager, house-filling" but it was not true for many of the performances of this long series (16 performances): when I attended it, there were many empty seats (so that  we could actually move to more expensive seats  :grinning: ) and I've been told it's been the case several times. Perhaps programming at the same time this "Don Quixote" and Ek's "Giselle" in Garnier wasn't a very good idea.

[bee2]

Thank you, Francoise, for your review. Its seems to have been a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I wish I could have been there!

[Naoko S]

Françoise, on Jun 2 2004, 04:01 PM, said:

Concerning Acosta, I found him very interesting, he has a kind of handsome and don't make just "circus" as too many cuban dancers, his jump are high, with fine reception, his "double assemblées" were all perfect. His coda in the third act was a great moment of dance, what a beautiful manege of coupé jetés ! And his play is fine, his couple with Aurelie goes well and he is a wonderful partner ! I really enjoyed him

Françoise, thanks for your thoughts.  I've seen Acosta over the years with Royal Ballet, and to me he's always been a polished, very elegant danseur noble.  His performance rarely lacks smoothness, and he's always been a nice guy - no hint of a dark mind, etc.  Too nice, perhaps, for certain roles, and at times he looks a bit too reserved.  But as to technical strength few dancer could compete, I think!

On FT review by C. Crisp:  Estelle, do you agree with his closing line?  I wonder if Mr. Crisp's views would be as robust and rosy as this same time next year - with all those 'radical' programming! :rolleyes:

[Estelle]

Naoko: you mean his "But ballet truly matters in Paris."?

Yes indeed, when reading that, I thought thet he probably was too optimistic, considering the next season with so little real ballet...