As for Por Vos Muero, I know it's been rejected by the critics, but I rather like it - it creates its Revenge Tragedy atmosphere very effectively, and after -In the Middle- it's fun to have something which suggests narrative. And I enjoy the music & the poetry which do generate lots of feeling. This time I had a programme, so could read the translations, but I think I'd got the gist the first time.

Carmen was much the best thing about the evening. Dramatic, funny, well-danced. Such wonderful music - and after 2 ballets to tapes, lovely to hear live musicians. I didn't understand the polka-dot sets, but they didn't seem to matter much. I thought Guillem was wonderful, sexy, powerful, fluid and spiky at the same time, Murru excellently sad, and Cope brilliant (and funny) as Escamillo, hugely enjoying himself. And Yanowsky as M had some wonderful flowing movement which she did beautifully. I don't know if it was meant to be funny, but there were funny bits, and I enjoyed the choreography on the whole, very different but interesting and expressive. Only there were times when it seemed the movement undercut rather than heightened the mood, so that the intensity of feeling which Guillem, Murru & Cope seemed to be building up so effectively in various scenes, was undermined rather than pushed to the limit.

What did other people think?

Virginia
Did anyone else think the Evening Standard review odd, saying
"The Opera House is buzzing: three "new", "advanced" ballets have arrived after what seems like months of dying maidens in tutus. By the end of the evening the audience was shell-shocked, but this is more a comment on their regular fare than what was actually on stage."
Since 2 of the 3 pieces had been playing in the previous bill, and Forsyth is hardly new to RB audiences anyway, I thought this comment bizarre! And (as part of the audience on Wednesday) I didn't come out shell-shocked, and didn't notice anyone else who fitted that description!

Was that the one for which they attached vouchers at the bottom of the letter enclosing the period 4 booking form, or have I missed out on something?!

>Did anyone else think the Evening
>Standard review odd, saying
>"The Opera House is buzzing: three
>"new", "advanced" ballets have arrived
>after what seems like months
>of dying maidens in tutus.
>By the end of the
>evening the audience was shell-shocked,
>but this is more a
>comment on their regular fare
>than what was actually on
>stage."

I wasn't there, but did hear that a few people walked out ...

>Since 2 of the 3 pieces
>had been playing in the
>previous bill, and Forsyth is
>hardly new to RB audiences
>anyway, I thought this comment
>bizarre!

Weird, but that seems to be part of the new critic's "take" on the Royal Ballet.

Yes I think so - I'd already got tickets via a friend when it arrived.

>>By the end of the evening the audience was shell-shocked,
>>but this is more a comment on their regular fare
>>than what was actually on stage."
>
>I wasn't there, but did hear that a few people walked out ...

Really?! I didn't see that! Do you know which ballet they walked out from?

Virginia

Expect a vicarious review next week - my wife will be there but I won't get to it myself.

In the Middle not as strongly danced as earlier this year (Yanowsky and Kobborg excepted). Thought Nunez slightly tentative - but then this is her first appearance after injury.

Por Vos was pleasant but unexciting and Christopher Bruce does this sort of thing rather better, with more human warmth and less portenousness.

I liked the Carmen more than I have other works by Mats Ek (liked his Giselle: didn't enjoy his Swan Lake at all). Guillem was very striking, and Ek's style sits well on her body. Not a particularly touching work though - I'm sure we are meant to sympathise more with Jose than we actually do. The cast worked their socks off but overall the evening isn't a successful mix.

But I'm more and more impressed by Por Vos Muero and hope to come back to this subject at the end of the month.....

Thanks Brendan,
I think I've made the right decision not to travel to UK to see
Guillem with a cigar...instead I went to see the future of ballet

I have 'Por Vos Muero' on video and it's one of the gems I cherish...hope to hear you at the end of the month !

- re your video of 'Por Vos Muero' - can you let an Australian fan of the work know where he can buy a copy and have sent down under?

Thanks

Ian

CC's right except that ITM confirms
that the rest of Ross's EuroBabble
is there for a reason.

Darcey is still brilliant 10 years
on, and the rest of the troupe is
now up there with her.