Royal Ballet (HD broadcast), 11/04/2017
Fauré - Stravinsky - Tchaikovsky : Jewels
Artists of The Royal Ballet
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Pavel Sorokin
The Royal Ballet introduced Jewels into their repertory in 2007, in a production which, as demanded by the Balanchine Trust, retained the original Karinska costume designs, but with new sets by Jean-Marc Puissant, and it is this production which has been revived for the 50th anniversary of the ballet's creation. I have to say that I think the Trust should revise its mandate; the Karinska costumes, while certainly striking and effective, are also really starting to look old-fashioned, and the ballet could do with a complete overhaul visually. However, Puissant's sets are interesting, reflecting the light of the named stones, and also the context of each movement, with hints of Art Nouveau for "Emeralds", a pure Art Deco look for "Rubies", and a simplified evocation of the marble columns and crystal chandeliers of a 19th Century ballroom for "Diamonds".
As usual, "Emeralds" was the weakest of the three movements. The misty, nostalgic atmosphere of the ballet is very hard to put across with the right degree of energy; too little, and the work sags, too much, and the fragile atmosphere is destroyed. Most people tend to err on the side of caution, as was the case here. The dancing displayed nice fluidity, and Laura Morera's solo on "La Fileuse" demonstrated amply that she was the right choice of dancer, her soft movements well suited to this particular style, but it was not enough to bring the whole segment truly into focus. Of the three sections, "Emeralds" alone hints at a story, yet there is none, and you therefore tend to get the feeling that you're missing something, and that the dancers have failed to convey some information or other, which isn't really very fair.
I fully expected Steven McRae to be excellent in "Rubies", but even so I underestimated just how well this part would fit him. He dances it as if it was created for him, it takes all his characteristic vitality and velocity and puts them on display to dazzling effect, and he was superbly matched by Sarah Lamb. The breath-taking central pas-de-deux had the precision of a Swiss watch, and a perfect alignment of limbs, along with humour and irony, laughter sometimes real, sometimes mocking, playful and teasing. Melissa Hamilton was less satisfactory in her part, something just a little off about her body type, in the way her feet came down into certain positions, and her hips moved. It was an impression, not any actual fault, that she did not fit her role, certainly not as snugly as Lamb and McRae fitted theirs, and I missed the stalking tigress aspect of the part.
Conductor Pavel Sorokin (a familiar figure from the Bolshoi Ballet broadcasts) started the Tchaikovsky for "Diamonds" at quite a pace, though the girls of the corps were clearly accustomed to it, and kept up well, but it allowed him to keep the Andante elegiaco from getting too slow and ponderous. Marianela Nuñez really made this her own; the ballerina here is usually an aloof, inaccessible, idealised figure of perfection, but Nuñez was human, she smiled, showed joy in the dance (as she so often does) and her partner Thiago Soares was not a mere prop, but a character in his own right. In one sense, it took away from the grand style of the piece, but in another, it brought an added richness to it, and they brought the evening to a radiant close.
[Next : 22nd April]
Artists of The Royal Ballet
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Pavel Sorokin
The Royal Ballet introduced Jewels into their repertory in 2007, in a production which, as demanded by the Balanchine Trust, retained the original Karinska costume designs, but with new sets by Jean-Marc Puissant, and it is this production which has been revived for the 50th anniversary of the ballet's creation. I have to say that I think the Trust should revise its mandate; the Karinska costumes, while certainly striking and effective, are also really starting to look old-fashioned, and the ballet could do with a complete overhaul visually. However, Puissant's sets are interesting, reflecting the light of the named stones, and also the context of each movement, with hints of Art Nouveau for "Emeralds", a pure Art Deco look for "Rubies", and a simplified evocation of the marble columns and crystal chandeliers of a 19th Century ballroom for "Diamonds".
As usual, "Emeralds" was the weakest of the three movements. The misty, nostalgic atmosphere of the ballet is very hard to put across with the right degree of energy; too little, and the work sags, too much, and the fragile atmosphere is destroyed. Most people tend to err on the side of caution, as was the case here. The dancing displayed nice fluidity, and Laura Morera's solo on "La Fileuse" demonstrated amply that she was the right choice of dancer, her soft movements well suited to this particular style, but it was not enough to bring the whole segment truly into focus. Of the three sections, "Emeralds" alone hints at a story, yet there is none, and you therefore tend to get the feeling that you're missing something, and that the dancers have failed to convey some information or other, which isn't really very fair.
I fully expected Steven McRae to be excellent in "Rubies", but even so I underestimated just how well this part would fit him. He dances it as if it was created for him, it takes all his characteristic vitality and velocity and puts them on display to dazzling effect, and he was superbly matched by Sarah Lamb. The breath-taking central pas-de-deux had the precision of a Swiss watch, and a perfect alignment of limbs, along with humour and irony, laughter sometimes real, sometimes mocking, playful and teasing. Melissa Hamilton was less satisfactory in her part, something just a little off about her body type, in the way her feet came down into certain positions, and her hips moved. It was an impression, not any actual fault, that she did not fit her role, certainly not as snugly as Lamb and McRae fitted theirs, and I missed the stalking tigress aspect of the part.
Conductor Pavel Sorokin (a familiar figure from the Bolshoi Ballet broadcasts) started the Tchaikovsky for "Diamonds" at quite a pace, though the girls of the corps were clearly accustomed to it, and kept up well, but it allowed him to keep the Andante elegiaco from getting too slow and ponderous. Marianela Nuñez really made this her own; the ballerina here is usually an aloof, inaccessible, idealised figure of perfection, but Nuñez was human, she smiled, showed joy in the dance (as she so often does) and her partner Thiago Soares was not a mere prop, but a character in his own right. In one sense, it took away from the grand style of the piece, but in another, it brought an added richness to it, and they brought the evening to a radiant close.
[Next : 22nd April]