"La Bayadère" The Royal Ballet Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
London 5 April 2013
by Judith Cruickshank copyright 2013 by Judith Cruickshank
Poor Petipa. Later choreographers’ works are guarded
fiercely, every step and every gesture preserved. But no such respect is awarded to the choreographer
responsible for the foundation stones of today’s classical repertory. He may indeed have been a “master of formal
construction” as Professor Tim Scholl writes in his biographical programme
note, but stagers of his ballets clearly feel free to add, subtract and adapt
freely.
"Laurencia" Choreography Vakhtang Chabukiani revised by
Mikhail Messerer Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev, soloists
and dancers of the Mihailovsky Ballet London Coliseum 2 and 3 April 2013
By Judith Cruikshank copyright 2013 by Judith Cruikshank
The Mihailovsky Ballet is becoming a
regular visitor to London, the current season being its third appearance in
five years. The company has the
advantage of a repertory which includes some interesting rarities. I remember a charming production of Petipa’s
‘Cavalry Halt’, extracts from ‘The fisherman and the Naiad’ on an earlier when the
company was still known as the Maly, and a revival of Vakhtang Chabukiani’s
‘Laurencia’ staged by Mikhail Messerer was a highlight of the 2010 season and
drew enthusiastic applause on this latest visit.
‘La Valse’, ‘Meditation’ from Thais’, ‘Voices of Spring’, ‘Monotones
I and II’, ‘Marguerite and Armand’ The Royal Ballet Royal Opera House, Covent Garden London 15 February 2013
by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2013 by Judith Cruickshank
At last, the Royal Ballet has offered us a complete
programme of works by its founder choreographer, Frederick Ashton. That’s certainly something to be glad
about. I hope I won’t seem too grudging
if I say that I find the choice of ballets rather lightweight, presenting
Ashton as primarily a choreographer of pretty bonbons. But even in his slightest pieces he shows a
sure hand and exquisite sensibility.
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch ‘Two cigarettes in the dark’ Sadler’s Wells Theatre London 14-17 February 2013
by Judith Cruickshank copyright 2013 by Judith Cruikshank
It seems that London can’t get enough of
Pina Bausch. Last summer saw a month long season by Tanztheater Wuppertal in
which the company showed no fewer than ten of her theatre pieces; all city
based works. Now the company is back at
Sadler’s Wells with two pieces; "Two cigarettes in the dark" which was made in
1985 and the later "Vollmond" which dates from 2006.
"Onegin" Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Marianela Nuñez, Thiago Soares, Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Valentino Zucchetti Artists of the Royal Ballet 26 January, 2013
by Judith Cruickshank copyright 2013 by Judith Cruickshank
Twelve thirty on a cold January morning is not perhaps the ideal time to plunge into two and a half hours of high romantic passion and despair, but that is what the exigencies of scheduling at Covent Garden decreed for Marianela Nuñez’s debut as the heroine of John Cranko’s ‘Onegin’. And it is a tribute to Nunez and her Onegin, Thiago Soares, (in real life, her husband) that at the final curtain several members of the audience sprang spontaneously to their feet to applaud the couple.
"The Sleeping Beauty" English National Ballet London Coliseum 9 January 2013
by Judith Cruikshank copyright 2013 by Judith Cruikshank
If Tamara Rojo was feeling more than usually nervous before
her performance on Wednesday evening it would have been understandable. English National Ballet was opening a run of
that most challenging of ballets, "The Sleeping Beauty" as part of its London
season, and Rojo, who took over the direction of the company from Wayne Eagling
at the beginning of the season, was also dancing Aurora. Enough to test anyone’s composure you might
think.
"The Firebird," "In the Night," "Raymonda Act III" The Royal Ballet The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London 22 December2012
by Judith Cruikshank copyright 2012 by Judith Cruikshank
Like most other ballet companies around the world the Royal
Ballet is in the middle of a long run of that perennial box office favourite,
"The Nutcracker". But to bring a little
light into his dancers’ lives director Kevin O’Hare has introduced a mixed bill
of ballets which have been in the company’s repertoire for some years, but have
been little seen of late and it was interesting to see how a new generation of
dancers coped with the demands made on them.
Matthew Bourne’s "The Sleeping Beauty" New Adventures Sadler’s Wells Theatre London, UK 12 December, 2012
by Judith Cruickshank copyright 2012 by Judith Cruickshank
Having relocated ‘La Sylphide’ among the drug addicts of
Glasgow, set ‘The Nutcracker’ in the grimmest of orphanages, substituted men in
feathery britches for girls in white tutus in his ‘Swan Lake’ and discovered
that ‘Carmen’ was really a story of lust in a motor repair shop, Matthew Bourne
has now turned his attention to ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, the greatest of all
classical ballets.
“Concerto”, “Las Hermanas”, “Requiem”
The Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden London
UK 17 November 2012
by Judith Cruickshank copyright 2012 by Judith Cruickshank
One great virtue of Kevin O’Hare’s choice of ballets for this tribute to Kenneth MacMillan, marking the twentieth anniversary of his death, is that it focuses attention on an aspect of the choreographer’s output that tends to disappear under the weight of his full evening works. MacMillan could and did make successful shorter ballets, and it could even be argued that some of his full-evening ballets would benefit from pruning in order to run for about an hour -- the duration of "Requiem" and one with which MacMillan appeared to be really comfortable. But in the context of an Opera House, this would present considerable difficulties and is another story anyway.
“Viscera”, “Infra”, Fool’s Paradise” The Royal Ballet Royal Opera House London UK 3 November 2012
by Judith Cruikshank copyright 2012 by Judith Cruikshank
Three ballets, all created within the past four years and
all by choreographers with links to the Royal Ballet. It’s a long time since that has happened on the
main stage of the Royal Opera House and congratulations to Kevin O’Hare for his
courage in the programming of the first mixed bill of his regime. Whether this is a sign for the future only
time will tell and it has to be remembered that the season opened with a long
run of Anthony Dowell’s ill-conceived production of “Swan Lake”.
On the other hand all the "Swan Lake" performances were effectively
sold out, even at the high prices charged and although this mixed bill appears
to be proving popular with audiences, the ticket prices have been reduced
significantly; roughly speaking £120 ($192) top price for “Swan Lake” as
against £37.50 ($60) for the mixed bill.
So, you have to wonder.
