Some ROH trips and Rhapsody / Tetracyts Art of Fugue / Gloria

Having been to the Royal Opera House four weeks out of six this year I'm finally getting around to blogging. Two performances of Giselle have been my definite highlight Steven McRae gave a shining crisp performance of Albrecht dancing with Roberta Marquez. I couldn't miss Marianela Nunez and Thiago Soares in Giselle so I went back for an emotional matinee performance, reinforcing why I can't miss seeing a cast with this pairing at least once in a run. I went back to see Liam Scarlett's Hansel & Gretel again in the Linbury, I was excited to see James Hay dancing the role of Hansel and I wasn't let down. I had hoped to get a seat in the main arena but ended up back on the stage side seating where I sat last year. However, the staging had been changed for this second time out and now I can say that this is a ballet 'in the round' or at least with two sides. Other outstanding performances from Ryoichi Hirano dancing the role of the witch again, Donald Thom as the Sandman, not a bringer of dreams and Bennet Gartside as the father, a man at the end of his tether. 

We also headed to the Opera for my Grandparent's diamond wedding anniversary and my grandmother's 80th birthday. Carmen was the pick of the night and we ate in the Amphitheatre restaurant before and were very well looked after by the staff. Now it's safe to say that my grandmother and boyfriend's mother were the only people in our party of eight that were really genuinely excited to be at the opera, the rest of us were only sure that we would see some great performances. By the end of the evening we were converted, a truly fabulous evening with familiar melodies, lovely staging and beautiful performances. So my Royal Opera House budget is going to go out the window this year.

Most recently mum and I headed back for another Saturday matinee to see the latest triple bill. We picked our performance to see James Hay and Francesca Hayward debut in Ashton's Rhapsody and treated ourselves to front row of the orchestra stalls. Set to Rachmaninoff's Preludes on a Theme of Paganini with a backdrop that had note of a Turner the moment the curtain rose we were on tenterhooks. The whole piece is carried by the central couple and the man in particular and James was amazing straight out of the box. We hadn't seen Francesca dance before but she gave a stunning performances, incredibly light and as a pair they shared great chemistry and performed with a sparkle. But not to forget the strong team supporting them the six couples dancing as the corps were beautiful, not distracting from James and Francesca but complementing them beautifully. The whole cast deserved the rousing applause they received as the curtain came down. 

Next up was Wayne McGregor's new 'company' work for twelve dancers and the casting was impressive although a shame to see the piece relying on so many principals and not making the most of the company's full range of dancers. I read the programme and had read some interviews ahead of the performance so I knew a little about it but was confident in the work of McGregor not mention the dancers he had collected on stage. However, I was lost by the dark lighting, the mathematical patterns were a distraction and at times there was too much going on for the eye to take in. The flexibility of the cast was astounding as they bent into a number of shapes, however by the end I was waiting for the dancing to start and felt cold. The costumes were not my favourite, at times see through and on occasion ill fitting and I failed to see why on a dark stage with a black background it made sense to dress a dancer in an all black unitard. It was sad that due to injury and illness the performance couldn't take place in the afternoon, but i'm not sure I would go back to it again although I would love to see Rhapsody again.

Finally Macmillan's Gloria, no applause allowed during this performance, which for the most part the audience managed to abide by. Inspired by Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth this ballet depicts the futility of war. Edward Watson and Ryoichi Hirano formed a strong heart for this ballet set against a stark background which brought the desolation of a battle field clearly to mind. The men in muddy ripped uniforms and the girls in ghostly greys all with drawn hollowed faces danced a moving piece, supported by the Royal Opera Chorus with the soprano sung by Anush Hovhannisyan from the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme. I'd like to see this piece again.

New Royal Ballet narrative ballets

I was lucky enough to enjoy two new story ballets at the Royal Opera House, one in the Linbury and one on the main stage.

Hansel and Gretel from Liam Scarlett
Liam Scarlett's first full length ballet was hosted in the Linbury studio theatre. I was pleased to be given a reseat on arrival as I had originally had a standing spot and was offered a seat instead. This was due to the ballet being staged in the round, sitting in the temporary rows across what is usually the back of the stage I was not really convinced by the statement 'in the round' as I often felt as though I was watching from the back. However, I'm not complaining because from where I was sat I could easily see all the action, from the children's bedroom on the mezzanine level to the Witch's basement sunk into the stage under a garden shed.

Overall I enjoyed the ballet, it was dark and twisted as one might expect and the Sandman did leave me with nightmares. I saw the reviews which said there was some overacting but for me it was all part of putting on a fairy tale. I loved Ryoichi Hirano's witch, torn between his desires and hints of a dark and miserable childhood, I felt a little scared of him but mostly sorry for the lonely being under the garden shed haunted by the terrifying Sandman.

Raven Girl from Wayne McGregor
I saw Raven Girl on opening night from the middle of the amphitheatre. I wasn't expecting a classical ballet, it is a Wayne McGregor after all. However, given the dark lighting and seeming lack of dancing I was disappointed and what is a lovely story fell flat. That said, my friends, two of whom had never been to the ballet before enjoyed it and liked the black box theatre feel. I wanted to see more dancing from Ed Watson and less cycling. Thiago Soares gave a mad professor that would be hard to match, taking complete glee in turning raven girls arms into wings.

Based on my first experience mum and I decided to treat ourselves to stalls seats for my second visit to see the second cast. We were near the centre of the front row of the stalls and I can say this was indeed a good choice. Coupled with the fact that some changes had been made seeing the dancers faces made all the difference to the ballet. The lighting had been adjusted and my least favourite scene where they removed the raven girl's wings was removed. Alexander Campbell gave a great performance as the boy, you could sense his shyness about approaching the raven girl and his empassioned encounter with the Gartside's doctor was great. I was sad that that final pas de deux didn't sing out in quite the same way. However, when this ballet comes back I will be there and will definitely be treating myself to a decent seat.

Raven Girl was paired with Balanchine's Symphony in C, a beautiful contrast. This ballet had beautiful music, crisp white tutus and lots of bright lights. Beautiful performances all round and fresh from their run of La Bayadere the ladies of the corps de ballet created stunning shapes and patterns. I look forward to seeing this work again and have downloaded the score to my iPhone to keep me going.

Viscera, Infra and a Fool's Paradise

Blogging on the tube home from the Royal Opera House, which is a new experience. Tonight was another big step in my journey towards loving the more abstract and modern pieces.

Part one: Liam Scarlett's Viscera
First off I think the leotards were my favourite, I just wish they'd look as good on me! However the costumes were just a small piece of this artwork. I loved the crisp lines and crystal shapes formed by the dancers, both individually and as an ensemble. Lowell Liebermann's music was lovely and Scarlett's choreography and costume design illustrated the piece perfectly. Two small gripes, occasionally a few dancers were a beat out and in a piece this sharp it jarred. I'm sorry to say that although I love Dawid Trzensimiech's dancing in this piece his extra sparkle meant he didn't blend completely with the group. But all in all a great start to the evening.

Part two: Wayne McGregor's Infra
This was my unexpected highlight for the evening. I didn't think Viscera could be topped, but this piece was emotionally overwhelming. The dancing was fantastic and in this piece Trzensimiech came into his own. But what stood out for me was the feeling of isolation. It felt like each couple were in their own bubble alone, and yet complementing those around. But then it felt as though the individuals themselves had no connection to their partners and were dancing out a need for support. The lighting and LED display of city workers going about their day blended in and out of the dancing enhancing the emotion. I'm embarrassed to admit that I welled up during this piece and the final piece had a lot to live up to.

Part three: Christopher Wheeldon's Fool's Paradise
A lovely piece, however after the sharp shapes of Viscera and raw emotion of Infra I felt that something was missing. Although beautifully danced and without the synchronisation issues of Viscera this piece was just too abstract for me. However the animation on the backdrop was stunning it took me a while to realise there were no real petals being dropped. With all this in mind, I still look forward to Wheeldon's next offering as this is the first time I've felt flat from his work and I think more because of the programme it was in than the work itself.

The evening reminded me how much I love the ballet and inspired me to dig out my leotard and tights, get back to class and actually book my Onegin tickets.

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