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Royal Ballet Triple Bill

"Scenes de Ballet," "Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan,"
"Symphonic Variations," "A Month in the Country"
Choreographer: Frederick Ashton
The Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
London,  UK
18 October – 14 November 2014

by Judith Cruikshank
copyright 2014 by Judith Cruikshank

An evening of Ashton. You might imagine that this would be a regular occurrence at the Royal Opera House, but not so. The founder choreo-grapher seems to be more honoured in his absence than by frequent performances of his ballets.  So I'm happy to report that unlike most of the other programmes in the first part of the Royal Ballet season (the exception is Alice in Wonderland) there were no cut price offers or noticeable empty seats.

The evening offered three substantial ballets and one pièce d'occasion; “Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan”.  “Scenes de Ballet” is a lovely piece and said to be the choreographer's favourite.  It demands considerable precision from the corps de ballet, a quality somewhat lacking at both the  performances I saw.  I would however except both the male quartets who were bang on the nail.  

Photo:   Yasmine Naghdi, Vadim Muntagirov, Marianela Nunez and Yuhui Choe in "Symphonic Variations."

Happy Endings

"Coppélia"
English National Ballet
London Coliseum
London, UK
24 – 27 July 20014

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2014 by Judithi Cruickshank

English National Ballet rounded off its summer season with a revival of Ronald Hynd's loving production of “Coppélia”. In a programme note Hynd tells us that Coppélia was his first experience of ballet on stage and it was this that led him to a distinguished career as a principal with the Royal ballet and later work as both director and choreographer. It's easy to agree with his view that the ballet is “a perfectly constructed work” and Delibes' score is one of the loveliest ever written for a ballet. No less a composer than Tchaikovsky took it as a model for a full-evening ballet score.

Ashton Festival Finale

“Illuminations”, divertissments, “Les Patineurs”
The Sarasota Ballet
Sarasota Opera House
3 May 2014

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2014 by Judith Cruickshank
 
All good things must come to an end, even the most joyous of celebrations and so it was with the Sarasota Ballet's Sir Frederick Ashton festival. “They should do this every year”, said a woman on leaving one of the morning talks which formed part of director Iain Webb's plan for his long-dreamed of celebration of Ashton's genius. These all took place at the pretty Asolo theatre, part of the Ringling Museum complex with its beautiful gardens, impressive art collection and circus museum.

The Ashton Festival Continues

"Les Rendezvous", "Monotones I and II", Facade
"Birthday Offering", "Valses Nobles et Sentimentales", "Sinfonietta"
The Sarasota Ballet,
Sarasota Opera House,
1, 2 May, 2014

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2014 by Judith Cruickshank

Programmes Two and Three of the Sarasota Ballet's Ashton Festival have brought us two rarities, several cast changes and a revival of Ashton's delicious bonbon,"Les Rendezvous".  Now past its 70th birthday, in this performance the ballet was as crisp and fresh as the women's pretty organdie dresses.  

Danced to Constant Lambert's arrangement of music by Auber, it features six couples, a ballerina and her cavalier, and a quartet of girls, among whom was, famously, the young Margot Fonteyn. There is also a fast, bouncy trio for a girl and two men which can all too easily be overdone, but here it was danced with bright charm by Samantha Benoit, Alex Harrison and high flying Logan Learned, who would look better still if he would stretch his feet a little more.

The Ashton Festival, First Night

"Birthday Offering," "Illuminations," "Facade"
The Sarasota Ballet,
Sarasota Opera House,
30 April 2014

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2014 by Judith Cruickshank

The Sarasota Ballet in Ashton's "Birthday Offering." Photo courtesy Sarasota Ballet.

There used to be a fashion in London for presenting male dancers with laurel wreaths at the end of perform-ances.What they did with them subsequently I don't know, but the custom has long died out.  It was revived however last night in Sarasota"s pretty Opera House when Iain Webb, director of the Sarasota ballet, garlanded the bust of Sir Frederick Ashton placed at one side of the stage to mark the opening of the company's four-day Ashton Festival.

Wheeldon's "The Winter's Tale"

The Winter's Tale
Choreography Christopher Wheeldon
Music Joby Talbot
Designs Bob Crowley
The Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
April 15 - May 8

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2014 by Judith Cruickshank
 

 

Edward Watson, Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli in "The Winter's Tale," photo © ROH / Johan Persson 2014.

Working with the team which collaborated with him on “Alice”, Christopher Wheeldon has succeeded very well in telling the story of Shakespeare's “The Winter's Tale”. This was presumably not the view of the gentleman to my left who spent much of the first two acts reading the synopsis, but I found that Wheeldon's staging made the simplified plot easy to follow.
 
A brief prologue sets up the relationship between the two boy kings Leontes and Polixenes. Most of the action then takes place in the lengthy first act which is set in Leontes' court in Sicilia. Act II moves to Bohemia where we are introduced to the young lovers, Perdita and Florizel, and the 24-minute last section provides us with the denouement when Perdita is recognised as the daughter of Leontes and Hermione and the statue of the seemingly dead Hermione comes to life and is reunited with Leontes.

Lest We Forget

 “No man's land”, “Firebird”, “Second breath”, “Dust”.
Choreography Liam Scarlett, George Williamson, Russell Maliphant, Akram Kahn
English National Ballet
Barbican Arts Centre
2 -12 April, 2014

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2014 by Judith Cruickshank

Russell Maliphant’s "Second Breath." Photo by Ash.

“Lest we forget” is English National Ballet's much anticipated and much applauded commemoration of the outbreak of the first World War.  What gives it still greater significance is that the programme includes three new works commissioned by director Tamara Rojo, a manifestation of her commitment to new work, a difficult ask for this company which relies so heavily on touring a repertoire of family friendly classics.

Of the three choreographers making new work, Liam Scarlett is the most closely associated with classical technique, although it shouldn't be forgotten that Russell Maliphant was for 20 years a dancer with the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and has worked closely with Sylvie Guillem among others.  Akram Khan has also worked with Guillem, but his style is still firmly rooted in Kathak dance, and this was the first time he had ever worked with a classical company.

Looking Back

 Looking Back

1980 – a piece by Pina Bausch
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
Sadler's Wells Theatre
7-16 February, 2014

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2014 by Judith Cruickshank

 

photo: "1980". Ensemble. Photo copyright Ulli Weiss.

1980” was the first piece that Pina Bausch showed in London; not her first appearance though.  She made a largely unremarked debut as both dancer and choreographer some years previously when in charge of the Essen-based Folkwang company. But when the Wuppertal company came to Sadler's Wells in 1982 it was an immediate hit and not only with the dance audience.  Actors, directors, designers packed the theatre and several who are now famous names in British theatre joined the group working to bring the company back again.

 

English National Ballet's new "Le Corsaire"

"Le Corsaire"
Alina Cojocaru, Dimitri Gruzdyev, Vadim Muntagirov, Erina Takahashi, Junor Souza
English National Ballet
Milton Keynes Theatre
London
17 -19 October, 2013

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2013 by Judith Cruikshank

Let there be no doubt about it; this is a hugely enjoyable evening.  Tamara Rojo was taking a chance when she asked Anna-Marie Holmes to stage her production of “Le Corsaire” for English National Ballet but the result as seen on stage can certainly be counted a success.  It is greatly helped by Bob Ringwood’s designs which feature beautiful Orientalist backcloths, brilliantly coloured costumes, lots of glitter and any number of well-toned midriffs on view.

Golden Couple

"The Sleeping Beauty"
Nao Sakuma, Chi Cao
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Sadler’s Wells Theatre
17 – 19 October 2013

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2013 by Judith Cruickshank

It may be coming up to its 30^th anniversary but Peter Wright’s production of "The Sleeping Beauty" mounted for the Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1984 still looks good.  And thanks to Philip Prowse’s sumptuous designs it hard to think of one that looks grander or more splendid even given the constraints which inevitably come with a production which has to tour. But the permanent set adapts happily to the differing locations of the action and although there is plenty of gold and glitter Prowse’s wonderful sense of colour, the browns, russets and purples he combines in his costumes means that there is a sense of elegance throughout.