Royal Ballet Stravinsky programme 8 May 2001

Booked at the last minute without checking the cast, I was slightly disappointed when I discovered Leanne wasn't the Firebird, but I was excited to discover it was Mara Galeazzi. She is the one lasting memory I have of This House Will Burn . I thought she was amazing. The opening scene never seems long enough - it is magical. The moment when Ivan Tsarevich offers the Firebird her freedom and she looks back and up at him from the ground, scarcely believing she has been set free, and then returns to him to present him with the feather, is spine-tingling. But I have a problem here. When I read the programme notes it says: "Ivan seizes her and will not release her until she gives him one of her feathers as a pledge of help should he ever need it". My 'take' of that was the opposite - it seemed to me that he released her voluntarily and the feather was a 'reward'. Any comment? Jonathan Cope was an excellent Ivan - danced with confidence and panache.

'Agon' is surely short for the 'agony' of enduring it? Not my sort of thing really. If they'd dressed the girls in tutus rather than those awful black swimming costumes it might have been more attractive. Jaimie Tapper helped me through it. 'Les Noces' is weirdly mesmerising, no doubt partly due to the hypnotic beat of Stravinsky's choral score. Wonderful dancing.

Eugene - I tried the sandwiches, first time ever. Yes, really good, and quite reasonable value, in my opinion. I also discovered another facility in the new Royal Opera House. There is a longitudinal projecting brush running the length of each side of the escalator to the Amphitheatre. I think its primary function is to stop loose clothing from getting caught in the mechanism. However, if you stick your shoe under it during the ascent, it makes a wonderful polisher. The ascent lasts just long enough to shine both shoes.

I quite agree Jim , astounding stuff.

>and then returns
>to him to present him
>with the feather is spine-tingling.
>But I have a problem
>here. When I read the
>programme notes it says: "Ivan
>seizes her and will not
>release her until she gives
>him one of her feathers
>as a pledge of help
>should he ever need it".

You're probably right Jim but my recollection is that she is only released after parting with the feather as her bargaining chip for freedom -this would certainly be true to the original choreography and therefore the programme notes. It would be a great shame if this has been 'tweaked' in the latest RB production as it does put a whole new slant on the ballet.

>I also
>discovered another facility in the
>new Royal Opera House. There
>is a longitudinal projecting brush
>running the length of each
>side of the escalator to
>the Amphitheatre. I think its
>primary function is to stop
>loose clothing from getting caught
>in the mechanism. However, if
>you stick your shoe under
>it during the ascent, it
>makes a wonderful polisher. The
>ascent lasts just long enough
>to shine both shoes.

Great! Perhaps I could suggest black on one side and oxblood on the other.....

I haven't seen Firebird this time round, but just thought I would throw that in, in case it happened to be relevant.