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POB 2014-2015 season


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When the curtain rises, Siegfried is sleeping, so perhaps he’s dreaming. He’s dreaming of this princess transformed into a swan, and when Wolfgang is waking him up, perhaps he is still dreaming, but perhaps not… I think you have to be accustomed to this version, especially since there is a lot to see in the first act, and that you have to accept that Odette/Odile is not the main character of the story, but only a side effect. She's one of these creatures made by Wolfgang (as Rothbart) to distract Siegfried from his royal destiny.

Up to me (but it's personal), Wolfgang/Rothbart is the most important character of the ballet, the entire story can be explained around his personality and his desires. But you really need a strong actor to take this lead and a cast to act accordingly. What I really like is that depending the choice of interpretation of the two male dancers, you can see a different story. It can be a love story between Wolfgang and Siegfried, a one way love story from either one or another, it can be a political story, it can be just a romantic story of a depressive prince, etc.

I must admit it’s really frustrating and a bit complicated to follow the ensembles when you have to watch the two characters building their particular story, but if you miss it, you are losing a lot of what is going to happen. Anyway at the end, if Odette/Odile is not in line with what Siegfried and Wolfgang is making up, it’s also disturbing because it breaks the narrative.

So with all these characteristics, I really love this version of Swan Lake. When I watch another one, I only go for a simple evening of beauty and dance, while with Nureyev, I’m excepting a danced thriller, even if I know the ending.

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Was there no Des Grieux among the POB's healthy dancers who could have danced opposite Dupont for the occasion? When the Royal Ballet brought in Bolle to dance with Darcey Bussell in a telecast of Sylvia I could almost understand it, because there was a height issue. Was it really necessary in this case? Are we to infer that among the POB's active dancers Dupont enjoyed dancing only with Hervé Moreau?

The most surprising is to impose a guest for 5 shows!!! Admittedly, there is Paquita running at the same time and I'm really wondering what will be the updated casting...

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So with all these characteristics, I really love this version of Swan Lake. When I watch another one, I only go for a simple evening of beauty and dance, while with Nureyev, I’m excepting a danced thriller, even if I know the ending.

Thanks for the analysis, Silvermash!! It's great to get another perspective!

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The new Nutcracker will be paired with the opera Iolanta; replicating the same pairing from December 1892. The POB season brochure describes the new production as follows:

"Five choreographers have been invited by Dmitri Tcherniakov to create this new ballet: the initial scene on Christmas Eve has been entrusted to Sweden's Alexander Ekman. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui picks up the tale with the Night scene and its mysterious transformations. Britain's Liam Scarlett uses classical language to take on the Waltz of the Snowflakes and the Land of the Sweets, while Quebec's Edouard Lock creates the Divertissements. Benjamin Millepied concludes this enchanting programme with the Waltz of the Flowers and the famous pas de deux which he himself danced in George Balanchine's version."

Note: Arthur Pita -- and not Alexander Ekman -- is listed as the 5th choreographer at the POB Web site. I'm assuming he's taking over the Christmas Eve scene.

Can we assume that this hodge-podge of choreographic styles is meant to replace the Nureyev version and is the first step in discarding the Nureyev heritage?

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Not sure. I think he said it was a special evening due to the reunification with the opera. I can't find a written reference so perhaps it's something I heard when attended a couple of presentations of the season...

But on the other hand, he said that he will keep some Nureyev and replace some others...

If you have a look at the ballets, up to me, Bayadère and Romeo & Juliet are really untouchable. Swan Lake, I find it really beautiful, but I know some disagree (except for Act 4 which is beloved by all)...

What about Cinderella, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Raymonda and Sleeping Beauty... Raymonda has been put aside since 2008 because the stage sets were too old (and they have been destroyed), so the ballet can't be danced. The version is up to me very good with a dancing role for Abderam... I would love to see it again…
Cinderella should be replaced, definitely, I think everyone agree on that... and well Don Quixote, Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, why not? The choreography has been heavily criticized as unnatural, more than the other Nureyev ballets (Overall it’s one of the main criticisms: too much steps, too much technical prowess for little musicality and artistry)

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All the choreographers announced for the new Nutcracker are contemporary or modern, so I am not too hopeful the direction they're going to take. If Cinderella needs to be replaced, let it be an Ashton. As for Raymonda, let's order a new set, why not?

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A bigger worry than whether or not the Ashton Cinderella will come into repertory is whether Ashton's La Fille mal gardee will stay in repertory. Say what you will about Madame Lefevre but she brought the Ashton Fille into repertory in 2006-07 and then reprogrammed it in 2008-09 and 2011-12. (All this according to the POB Web site.) Millepied has no background in Ashton and it's not clear to me that Ashton will continue to have any kind of presence in Paris.

As for the Nureyev productions, Parisians should be careful what they go looking for. They might get Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and/or Swan Lake. Worse still, they might get Peter Martins's Romeo + Juliet (with the all important "+".)

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In an interview on Dance Europe, Millepied mentions as following.

"I think the quality of how classical ballets are danced are significant words. I think how we create new ballets with the classical vocabulary is important . I will keep some of Nureyev and some will be replaced by new productions, and I think it's significant for the dancers to try some new things and for the audiences to see some new ballets."

Also he mentioned this.

"I want to invite some guest artists for next year and I'm going to invite the best that I can find. Because I think it's only going to make the dancers here feel excited to even more part of this company. There are a few phenomenal dancers who deserve to come here and dance. "

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About 150 on around 12 different bills...

A detail breakdown of the current season:

10: Études (Lander)/Woundwork1 (Forsythe)/Pas.-Parts (Forsythe) 1:51

13: Rains (Keersmaeker) 1:10

21: Nutcracker (Nureyev) 2:10

23: La Source (Bart) 2:15

9: Réplique (Paul)/Salut (Rigal)/Together Alone (Millepied)/Andréauria (Lock) 1:47

14: The Song of the Earth (Neumeier) 1:30

14: Swan Lake (Nereyev) 2:43

12: Manon (MacMilian) 2:35

10: Paquita (Lacotte) 2:05 + 5 Montreal tour

9: La Enfants du Paradis (Martinez) 2:24

11: La Fille Mal Gardée (Ashton) 2:00

8: L'Anantomie de la Sensation (McGregor) 1:10

159 performances, 154 at home and 5 on tour. As a comparison 178 performances for NYCB, 172 at homes and 6 on DC tour during the same period. Some of the programs were real short, just a little over an hour, don't know why POB didn't add another piece to make the programs longer.

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A detail breakdown of the current season:

10: Études (Lander)/Woundwork1 (Forsythe)/Pas.-Parts (Forsythe) 1:51

13: Rains (Keersmaeker) 1:10

21: Nutcracker (Nureyev) 2:10

23: La Source (Bart) 2:15

9: Réplique (Paul)/Salut (Rigal)/Together Alone (Millepied)/Andréauria (Lock) 1:47

14: The Song of the Earth (Neumeier) 1:30

14: Swan Lake (Nereyev) 2:43

12: Manon (MacMilian) 2:35

10: Paquita (Lacotte) 2:05 + 5 Montreal tour

9: La Enfants du Paradis (Martinez) 2:24

11: La Fille Mal Gardée (Ashton) 2:00

8: L'Anantomie de la Sensation (McGregor) 1:10

159 performances, 154 at home and 5 on tour. As a comparison 178 performances for NYCB, 172 at homes and 6 on DC tour during the same period. Some of the programs were real short, just a little over an hour, don't know why POB didn't add another piece to make the programs longer.

It's the Paris 'money, money, money' Opera - if they can sell short programmes for the same price as the longer ones, then they will :-(. Pretty bad really.

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It's the Paris 'money, money, money' Opera - if they can sell short programmes for the same price as the longer ones, then they will :-(. Pretty bad really.

Well not fully true. Admittedly, shorter programmes, except the Neumeier creation this year, are a bit less expansive, have no optima, etc.

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Mixed reps programs are usually cheaper than multi-act full length ballets. Are really short rep programs that are just over an hour long the same price as those last 2 hours?

The Paul/Rigal/Lock/Millepied mixed prog was cheaper (80ish top end if I remember correctly), the Nuemier ballet was the same price as Manon.

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Mixed reps programs are usually cheaper than multi-act full length ballets. Are really short rep programs that are just over an hour long the same price as those last 2 hours?

Ghislain

This season the new direction introduced differrent prices for the same show depending the day of week. Usually for example Mondays are cheaper while Fridays and Saturdays have top prices.

The McGregor is really cheap and all the more they are offering half prices on all categories right now!

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