United Kingdom Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake: Dancers of The Royal Ballet and Orchestra of the Royal Opera Home / Martin Georgiev (conductor). Directed for the display screen by Peter Jones and relayed to Cineworld Basildon, Essex, 24.4.2024. (JPr)
Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, needed a brand new Swan Lake ‘for this technology of dancers and in addition for the general public as nicely’ to exchange Sir Anthony Dowell’s earlier 1987 manufacturing which was not universally in style I imagine. Given the duty of a brand new model of this – as Dame Darcey Bussell’s introduction claimed – ‘quintessential basic’ was Liam Scarlett who in 2018 (when it was first placed on) was artist in residence with The Royal Ballet. Sadly, well-publicised occasions overlook the younger choreographer and Scarlett died at solely 35 in 2021. This revival – the third in line with O’Hare – was overseen on behalf of his property by Laura Morera, former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and somebody who had labored carefully with Scarlett.
We learnt in 2018 from Scarlett how his remit appears to have been two-fold: firstly, to make the characters ‘actual’ and ‘the fairy-tale world we go into plausible’ and in addition give the swans their tutus again, thereby changing the lengthy skirts of the earlier Swan Lake which had hidden the dancers’ legs. In response to O’Hare, Scarlett ‘took the large classical pas de deuxs and large corps de ballet numbers, just like the swans in Act II, and stored them of their entirety. Then he introduced his personal type to the dances in Act I, the character dances in Act III and Act IV is totally his choreography. However he was such a lover of classicism, and of The Royal Ballet, that it suits us like a glove.’ (Really, Isabella Gasparini and Leo Dixon’s spirited Act III Neapolitan dance is by Sir Frederick Ashton and certainly appears as whether it is from a completely totally different staging.)
Scarlett and his designer John Macfarlane have been blessed with a rare sum of money to spend on their Swan Lake with its 120 dancing and appearing roles; this season there are quite a few casts throughout a three-month run of performances and twelve totally different combos of pairing within the two principal roles and – we have been informed by Costume Supervisor Caroline McCall – roughly 450 costumes concerned.
I’ve written earlier than how any fairly profitable Swan Lake wants little greater than Tchaikovsky, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s 1895 steps, a royal courtroom, a moonlit lakeside and a few swans. On this regard Scarlett succeeds, although he in any other case – for me – does little to deliver the ballet into the twenty-first century. With Scarlett’s untimely demise I think this Swan Lake will stay considered one of his lasting legacies and his idea and choreography will stay sacrosanct till this Swan Lake is, in flip, changed. Nonetheless, I nonetheless discover it dramatically inert, the storytelling considerably muddled and the mise-en-scène might be from any time within the final century. New applied sciences utilized in opera in recent times, equivalent to units and pictures that are projected, in addition to, video, does have to be embraced quickly by ballet. In Scarlett’s Swan Lake the viewers can applaud the cash spent on John Macfarlane’s pink and gold Act III set and his lavish costumes for the company on the royal ball, however after we are by the lakeside in Acts II and IV all we see is a dingy backcloth and the suggestion of a jagged black rock.
Scarlett begins with a prologue the place Odette is reworked from princess to swan by the slightly creepy Von Rothbart. Thomas Whitehead (Von Rothbart on this efficiency) recommended how, for him, his character ‘is a vampire, like he’s Nosferatu, he by no means dies and so he’s simply marauding by way of time, kingdom grabbing’. Effectively it’s a thought, however each time I see Scarlett’s Swan Lake I’ve no better concept who Von Rothbart is meant to be. All I can add is that with all of the skulking round his alter ego does on the palace – the place he appears to strike worry into everybody as a Chancellor-like determine accountable for the navy – I’m reminded of Rasputin’s maligned affect on the Romanovs. Later this Von Rothbart exhibits his hand as he wrestles the crown from the Queen’s head because the courtroom is in disarray on the finish of Act III.
After Scarlett’s prologue, for Act I we’re exterior the palace with a distinguished pine tree and a backdrop strongly redolent of Caspar David Friedrich. This appears fin de siècle Germany and because the ballet progresses, I additionally started to suppose I used to be seeing Swan Lake meets Mayerling with Prince Siegfried because the sad and conflicted Rudolf. Siegfried and his good friend Benno get new solos; although even then Siegfried nonetheless by no means dances as a lot as he might. The Act I pas de trois is recast for Benno and Siegfried’s sisters, and they’ll dance once more in Act III; in reality, Scarlett for lengthy stretches of his Swan Lake appears extra enthusiastic about Benno than Siegfried.
One in every of Scarlett’s higher concepts is to hyperlink Acts I and II because the morose Siegfried appears transported to the lake having obtained his father’s crossbow as a birthday current. Sadly, having a number of black swans seem in the meanwhile of the queen’s downfall and Von Rothbart’s gloating in Act III meant an interval was now required – for the swans to vary their costumes? – earlier than the ultimate act. This was an exquisite coup de théâtre, however it could have been higher to repeat the transition between acts that had occurred earlier.
Regardless of reinstating music which was lower from Dowell’s Swan Lake, the downbeat ending stays slightly undercooked as Von Rothbart succumbs too simply as a result of Odette chooses to leap into the lake and drown herself. This concerned her climbing that rock on the again however – even on an enormous cinema display screen – her martyrdom made little impression. The defeated Von Rothbart ought to have revealed his ‘different self’ to Siegfried earlier than he too falls to his demise within the lake. The ultimate picture we’re left with is Siegfried forlornly cradling Odette’s physique (as her spirit rises above the stage), while the music – with the orchestra beneath Martin Georgiev actually excelling right here – truly suggests redemption and the triumph of fine over evil. The extra acquainted fruits of each dying collectively and finally being united past the grave can be the higher ending.
There was little proof from Peter Jones’s closeup camerawork that the wonderful corps de ballet was about midway by way of a long term of performances; the swans appear to have been rehearsed very nicely and it’s not the dancers fault that a few of Scarlett’s new Act I choreography is so frantic that they’re scurrying right here and there typically taking part in catch-up. There’s an excessive amount of from Benno and Siegfried’s two sisters: the very springy, smiley Joonhyuk Jun revelled within the dancing he needed to do because the prince’s good friend however there was little sense of him creating an actual character onstage, while each Leticia Dias and Annette Buvoli danced winsomely. Thomas Whitehead as Von Rothbart did the perfect with what Scarlett offers him however – as hinted above – this isn’t a lot; primarily simply frowning or flapping his wings and so regardless of him typically being onstage he was – perversely – a peripheral determine.
Magnus Johnston’s evocative violin drew us into the Act I white pas de deux and Yasmine Naghdi’s mime as Odette was chic and crystal clear with no phrases wanted as she informed the confused Siegfried about Von Rothbart’s curse. Naghdi’s dancing was luminous with fluid arms, higher physique extensions and quivering footwork expressing her unhappiness and craving for the discharge from her curse. Naghdi and the orchestra (sounding excellent by way of the cinema loudspeakers) echoed one another in an nearly mesmerising mix of motion and Tchaikovsky’s music. Later in Act IV, how Naghdi portrayed Odette’s realisation of her solely selection of motion wouldn’t fail to interrupt even the toughest of hearts. She was equally good because the seductive temptress Odile, along with her technically notorious fouettés being spot-on (!) and apparently – in line with Dame Darcey – included three triples in a row.
Naghdi’s duets with Matthew Ball’s Siegfried appeared easy – even in closeup – and collectively they enthrallingly revealed all of the feelings of affection, temptation, deceit, betrayal, sacrifice and loss of their story. I repeat, Ball now seems extra of a Russian dancer than The Royal Ballet’s Vadim Muntagirov. Trying disconcertingly like a younger Prince William, Ball confirmed in his each expression how he was experiencing love for the primary time with Odette. Earlier he had been the epitome of somebody whose royal duties and the necessity to make an acceptable match weighed closely on his younger shoulders. Scarlett actually does appear to have Siegfried on the sidelines an excessive amount of, some entrechat sixes and a moody solo in Act I and his beautiful partnering in Act II. Ball seemed to be let off the leash in Act III together with his pantherine motion and bravura leaps and spins, barely untidy however exhilarating, nonetheless. There was no sense he needed to ‘show-off’ and Ball admirably stayed in character all through the efficiency and so should be one of many higher actors The Royal Ballet presently has amongst its male dancers.
My first Swan Lake at Covent Backyard was seeing Monica Mason and Rudolf Nureyev dance in 1977 and this efficiency was extra fulfilling than many I’ve seen since then.
Jim Pritchard
Principal Forged:
Odette/Odile – Yasmine Naghdi
Prince Siegfried – Matthew Ball
The Queen – Christina Arestis
Von Rothbart – Thomas Whitehead
Benno – Joonhyuk Jun
Prince Siegfried’s Youthful Sisters – Leticia Dias, Annette Buvoli
Manufacturing:
Choreography – Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Further Choreography – Liam Scarlett and Frederick Ashton (Act III Neapolitan dance)
Manufacturing – Liam Scarlett
Designer – John Macfarlane
Lighting designer – David Finn
Staging – Gary Avis, Laura Morera, Samantha Raine
Creative Supervisor for the Scarlett Property – Laura Morera
