70 replies to this topic

[fandango]

Is the calendar for next season available?

[silvermash]

it will be by mid March.

[cinnamonswirl]

It's up on the AROP website now: http://arop-opera.co...Par1213&Theme=2

[fandango]

Thank you. Is the schedule for early October out?

[silvermash]

the full season is now on the Paris Opera website : http://www.operadepa...llets/index.php

[cinnamonswirl]

October will be Soirée Balanchine - Serenade, Agon, Prodigal Son.

The full schedule is up on the POB website now with exact dates: http://www.operadepa...llets/index.php

[fandango]

Thank you. I checked too early in the morning, I guess.

[Helene]

Thank you, silvermash.

It's worth it to go to the website and to click on the link for each program: there's commentary (in French) by Brigitte Lefevre and footage. (The same is true for the opera listings; there the commentary is by the Dramaturge or Music Director.)

There are multiple programs in tribute to Rudolf Nureyev, 20 years after his death in 1993:

• Revival of his "Don Quixote" in November and December, including the New Year's Eve performance at the Bastille
• A gala on 6 March 2013, with excerpts from his choreography
• Dedication of the joint Paris Opera Ballet/Paris Opera Ballet School Tricentennial of the French School program on 15 April 2012 and the Gala of 21st Century Dance Academies on 20 April 2013, with participants from seven invited dance academies: Royal Danish Ballet School, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Royal Ballet School, School of American Ballet, Cranko Ballet School, Hamburg Ballet School, and National Ballet School (Toronto)

[trieste]

This season is much more interesting to me than the current one, in terms of programming and choreographers. I love the concept of the Nijinsky and Robbins Fauns being back to back. Wish I could understand French a little better to see if dansomanie forum goers agree or not.

My main hope is that some of this ends up filmed/broadcasted!

[Natalia]

THE date to not miss: April 15, 2013 - an ultra-rare DEFILE at the Garnier, to begin the POB academy's 300th Anniversary Graduation Gala. That + the April 20th Gala with invited academies should make for one heck of great ballet trip (or Live in Cinemas back-to-back events).

[cinnamonswirl]

Trieste, the reaction on French forums to next season's program has been very negative. The consensus seems to be there is too much contemporary, which is not generally considered a company strength. There are only 2 classic full lengths -- and as if to compensate there are 26(!) scheduled performances of Don Q.

There's also disappointment at the lack of a major foreign company visiting.

The season is not to my personal taste, but it's just as well because the Royal's is! It will be nice to see La Sylphide again, and I agree the 2 Fauns back-to-back should be good, although the Robbins needs to be cast very carefully, IMO. The casting next season should be interesting with so many mixed bills. Etoiles usually only dance 1 ballet per evening, so hopefully we'll see some more junior company members getting a chance.

[Helene]

The only visiting company on the list is Ballet Preljocaj.

[trieste]

I agree about the casting -- especially with Robbins, yes. There are dancers at POB who make every nontraditional nuance meaningful (Gillot, to name names) and some that seem to founder. I do hope we get to see some of the young dancers here, particularly Guerineau and Albisson. (And plenty of Ciaravola in Petit -- her legs are made for it.) From what I've seen they're powerful enough in technique and presence to make the most of the contemporary. My only qualm with such a contemporary roster (so long as this isn't repeated again and again in weaker and weaker distillations...) is that the more classical dancers like Letestu and Osta seem not to have 'showcase' roles available.

As for the boys, it will be interesting to see what they give Yannick Bittencourt and the other young, princely ones, and how they handle it. The current and last generations of males seem marked by an earthly/manly style, but they seem to be veering away from that.

[silvermash]

I personally quite fancy the new season.
I’m not sure mixed bills will give more opportunity for youngsters, especially in main roles, as the Etoiles just love these works and the direction didn’t use to have many casts until now. Perhaps also because they are quite a lot to be close to retirement age, they prefer to concentrate on short works instead of full length classical ballets…
By the way, Clairemarie Osta will retire in May on Paris stage but she is due to give her final performance in New York with Giselle.

[cinnamonswirl]

Perhaps also because they are quite a lot to be close to retirement age, they prefer to concentrate on short works instead of full length classical ballets…

I hadn't thought of that.

As to casting, there are a lot of retirements coming up, especially amongst the ladies -- Osta this season, and Ciaravola, Letestu and even Dupont in the next couple of years. It would behoove the company to start casting younger dancers now, rather than later, when they actually have to carry the company -- such as what is happening now with Héloïse Bourdon, who is debuting in La Bayadère next week.

Presumably we'll see a lot of Don Q debuts. 26 performances is a very long run!