29 replies to this topic

[sylvia]

Carol, I think Mara finishes her run of Rites this Friday, and it's Symphony in C to end the bill again in June. I'm very excited, I love this work (and there are only so many Rites I can take in 1 week ) and given that it's not returning next season, am going to see every single one.

For Three Songs, there's only one cast, but I can give you most of it from memory:

Zenaida Yanowsky, Gary Avis
Tamara Rojo, Johannes Stepanek
Deirdre Chapman, Ricardo Cervera

Gemma Sykes, Laura McCulloch, Pietra Mello-Pittman, Sian Murphy
James Wilkie, Steven McRae, Ludovico Ondieva, Brian Maloney, Bennet Gartside

I'm sure there are 2 or 3 others - I'll have to add them later I'm afraid, I don't remember who they were, or at least I couldn't match names to faces.

It's a fun new work, whether it will last I don't know. (It's not being revived next season - personally of all the new works we've seen in the last 5 years, Wheeldon's Tryst, Bintley's Les Saisons, McGregor's Qualia and now Bruce's Three Songs, I'd love to have Qualia back.) So the audience here may as well catch it while they can!

[Leigh Witchel]

I just saw the final Swan Lake, coincidentally Putrov & Marquez.  I liked Putrov a great deal.  He has the best ballon I've seen in a while - airy jumps with beautiful soft silent landings.  He's admirably refined for someone with that sort of pyrotechnical ability.  You don't often see soft virtuosi, at least in America.  He also uses his weight extremely well; he really dances into the floor.  I'm a bit surprised he isn't better known outside of the UK, he is good enough.  He's interesting because he is a light dancer with breadth and weight.  I can imagine he would be a fine Spectre.  I would like to see his James.

For Americans, the most saddening thing about this Swan Lake is that it's considered below the benchmark for British productions and it's still way above the waterline compared to both New York companies.  Von Rothbart doesn't try and seduce the Queen, though he does have a mohawk.  The British understand courts and class.  It just makes our versions - take your pick between a Swamp Thing-Purple Phallocentric version or the version done by The Company Least Likely To Do A Good Swan Lake - really look inadequate - because they are.  Sigh.

[carolm]

[It just makes our versions - take your pick between a Swamp Thing-Purple Phallocentric version or the version done by The Company Least Likely To Do A Good Swan Lake - really look inadequate - because they are.  Sigh.
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Which companies are you referring to?<s>  Having only ever seen the full Swan Lake (done by various companies) in London, I am not familiar with any American version.

We have just returned from NYC and saw productions by ABT and NYCB.  I pointed out to my husband that NYCB never (?) do 3 act ballets.  I wonder why.  Is it because Balanchine did none?
Carol

[carolm]

sylvia, on May 18 2005, 02:47 PM, said:

Carol, I think Mara finishes her run of Rites this Friday, and it's Symphony in C to end the bill again in June. I'm very excited, I love this work (and there are only so many Rites I can take in 1 week ) and given that it's not returning next season, am going to see every single one.

For Three Songs, there's only one cast, but I can give you most of it from memory:

Zenaida Yanowsky, Gary Avis
Tamara Rojo, Johannes Stepanek
Deirdre Chapman, Ricardo Cervera

Gemma Sykes, Laura McCulloch, Pietra Mello-Pittman, Sian Murphy
James Wilkie, Steven McRae, Ludovico Ondieva, Brian Maloney, Bennet Gartside

I'm sure there are 2 or 3 others - I'll have to add them later I'm afraid, I don't remember who they were, or at least I couldn't match names to faces.

It's a fun new work, whether it will last I don't know. (It's not being revived next season - personally of all the new works we've seen in the last 5 years, Wheeldon's Tryst, Bintley's Les Saisons, McGregor's Qualia and now Bruce's Three Songs, I'd love to have Qualia back.) So the audience here may as well catch it while they can!

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I am not sure which ballet "Rites" or "Symphony in C" "...am going to see every one"?
I like both ballets very much.  Symphony in C is my one of my favourite Balanchine ballets.

The "Three Songs" is that the "New Bruce" we shall be seeing on 7 June?
Carol

[ami1436]

Carolm - Three Songs is indeed the New Bruce, and yes, you will be seeing Symphony in C.  Enjoy!  

Leigh - it was fabulous to finally meet you last night - I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay and am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the other bills - especially as I'm not seeing the Triple that opens tonight until the last night - the 18th (this darn thing called school....)

Am also interested in your SL comparison, and am curious to hear your thoughts on Dream!

As you know, I agree with you regarding Putrov.  His Spectre is awesome, and I think the performance where I became a Fan.     I think he's really come into his own in the past two years, moving beyond his staples (Bronze Idol) to more interesting roles, including Prodigal Son.  It'll be interesting to see how his rep develops.

I wasn't so happy with Marquez last night - and I usually really like her; her Aurora I think is not to be missed.  Last night she seemed more wobbly than usual, and seemed to be intensely concentrating on the floor in Act II - a pity because we missed her hugely expressive eyes.

However, my reading of recent performances at the ROH is really hampered by the fact that I haven't been able to attend as much as I usually would in the past few weeks...   I wish I could have seen more of the recent debuts, and a larger variety of casts.

I really enjoyed seeing these two in Fille though - nice to know that they can also smile once in a while!

[cargill]

Carolm, Leigh was referring to ABT's Swan Lake, which has been turned into a sort of a leatherboy fantasy (all the more dissapointing, because they had a reasonably traditional one set by David Blair), and NYCB, as the company least likely to do a good Swan Lake.  They do a version set by Peter Martins, based on one he did for the Royal Danes, and has stark and quite ugly sets and by and large new choreography (the black swan pas de deux is traditional), which is very sub par.  I don't think any American company does what might be called the real Swan Lake now, if by a real Swan Lake you mean Petipa and Ivanov's medieval meditation on fate and the power of love.  

NYCB has by and large focused on triple bills, but Balanchine did do a few full lenghts, Nutcracker, Midsummer, and of course Don Quixote, which is being revived soon by Farrell.

[carolm]

cargill, on Jun 2 2005, 03:52 PM, said:

Carolm, Leigh was referring to ABT's Swan Lake, which has been turned into a sort of a leatherboy fantasy (all the more dissapointing, because they had a reasonably traditional one set by David Blair), and NYCB, as the company least likely to do a good Swan Lake.  They do a version set by Peter Martins, based on one he did for the Royal Danes, and has stark and quite ugly sets and by and large new choreography (the black swan pas de deux is traditional), which is very sub par.  I don't think any American company does what might be called the real Swan Lake now, if by a real Swan Lake you mean Petipa and Ivanov's medieval meditation on fate and the power of love. 

NYCB has by and large focused on triple bills, but Balanchine did do a few full lenghts, Nutcracker, Midsummer, and of course Don Quixote, which is being revived soon by Farrell.

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A "leatherboy fantasy" sounds like the Bourne all male version of SL.  We saw it with Adam Cooper when it first opened and loved him in black leather!  

When I was a child (many years ago now) NYCB used to do a one-act SL.  I still do not understand why they do not do a full length production.  The music is gorgeous and Petipa's choreography devine.

I have not seen any of those full lenght ballets by Balanchine.  Do you enjoy seeing them?
Carol

[carbro]

carolm, just to clarify cargill's post:  NYCB, while it still dances the one-act Balanchine Swan Lake, also has a full-length staging by Peter Martins.

Also (to tie up your question), Jewels, which you've just seen, is considered a three-act ballet.  Nutcracker, of course, and Midsummer Night's Dream are two-acters, but each is evening-length.

Martins has also given the company a Sleeping Beauty.  His two acts comprise most of the familiar Petipa choreography (albeit somewhat distorted), plus a bit of his own, plus a magnificent Garland Waltz by Balanchine.

Susan Strohman's recent Double Feature is actually two ballets tied together -- sort of like Jewels -- which will most likely stay tied as a unit as long as it is performed here.  

Now, back, please, to the Royal Swan Lake!

[sylvia]

Am a little perplexed by the mixed reviews Roberta's garnered by critics/fans/friends. I thought she was wonderful last night - still up there with Tamara! (though I agree she didn't dance act 3 so strongly.) I prefer her Odette to her Odile - in act 2 I felt she giving such an emotional, expressive performance, using both her body and her eyes. Oh well, it's just me, I don't mind agreeing to disagree!

Re Ivan, he's been guesting a bit with Roberta since they started dancing together 2 years ago - I think he danced Spectre with her at the Diaghilev Festival this year. So I presume his international profile must be on the up. He seemed to go quite a bit further technically than dancers normally do in Swan Lake - the first solo in act one I is usually more refined than full of pyrotechnics, but Ivan threw in some incredible things I couldn't begin to name. Well it was last night, and the last SL we'll be seeing for a couple years!

[jllaney]

I am happy to see all the wonderful comments about Ivan Putrov.  I have only seen him on video but he has the amazing ability to make things seem so relaxed and effortless and yet the results are jaw dropping.  His double tours just suspend in the air and he has the best entrelace I've seen.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he comes to D.C. next summer for Sleeping Beauty.  What an added bonus if he were paired with Marquez since everyone thinks so highly of her Aurora.

[ami1436]

Sylvia - I agree with you on the idea that Ivan's career is on the up - and yeah, his Act I solo was just fabulous.  I don't know why I was disappointed with Marquez, but I hasten to add that it's the first time I've ever been disappointed by her, and thus maybe I had really high expectations!  She didn't match Rojo for me (although Marquez's HANDS are amazingly expressive), but I still would rush to watch her!  

I must say, maybe sucker for theatre that I am, that I loved their bows, and the really charmingly boyish way Ivan scooped up the flowers - not even trying to be elegant about it.  So nice!

[sylvia]

I have to be honest, I had to rush home and missed the bows (I have an excuse! My mother is visiting from abroad!) so I missed the curtain calls. Please tell me about the bows? There wasn't a flower throw was there? He did kiss her didn't he - I know she's married but I'm a sucker for feigned romance anyway

[ami1436]

Oh Sylvia, so am I!!!      So, first she got a huge bouquet of flowers, and immediately pulled out a pretty red one and handed it to him.  Then, during the curtain calls, he just looked so proud of her, leading her around, etc, and I think kissed her hand?  Or her cheek?  Or maybe he kissed her cheek later (keep reading!!!)  There was a small small flower throw, and Putrov just shed any sense of refined, reserved prince-ness and gathered up all the flowers, unelegantly grabbing the the ones that had fallen on top of the orchestra scrim, and got down on one knee and presented them to her.  SIGH.  She looked really taken aback and really touched at the same time.  Lucky girl!

[sylvia]

Awwww....thanks you! I cannot believe I missed that!! (should've made my mum wait another hour, lol.)  Did you mean he lead her up and down the stage during the curtain calls? I'm glad they like dancing together - it does show in their curtain calls! I love how emotional Tamara + Jonathan's are and the way he unreservedly  plants the biggest kiss on her! And Irek made me laugh after Judas Tree and Mayerling, the way he ran Mara up and down the stage so she could take bows from everyone in the house.

[ami1436]

Tamara and Jonathan's bows are like: I could not have gotten through this without you, you are amazing.  I love it.  And Irek just shows Mara off in the sweetest of ways - you were there at his last Mayerling right?  I loved how she then started throwing flowers at him as well...

Anyways, the run of Swan Lake is over... and the Dream triple is about to end... and the last triple has started.... maybe it's thus time for a new thread?  I don't have tickets again for a while, but I might change this to see Ivan in SV - right now my only ticket is for the other cast - but would love to see him and Lamb together, purely out of curiousity!