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For the present, as the Kirov Opera vacates the Royal Opera House after an unspectacular season, the Royal Ballet is back in-situ to be followed by London's first sight of Sylvie Guillem's production of Giselle for La Scala. Then to conclude the ambitious Hochhauser season at Covent Garden, we will have the great pleasure of three mixed bills from one of the most exciting companies in the world - San Francisco Ballet. It's almost two years since the company was last here, when they made such an impression on dance fans in London. They were at Sadler's Wells for just a week, but inspired programming gave us a splendid overview of the Company. We saw an unconventional Gala which went way beyond the usual rep for such evenings and allowed us to see all the Principals and most of the rest of the dancers. Next, there was an excellent mixed bill with Jerome Robbins' The Cage and Mark Morris's Sandpaper Ballet delighting everyone and showing the variety of work that the Company can offer. Finally, we had no less than four casts in San Francisco's distinctive production of Swan Lake by their Artistic Director, Helgi Tomasson. I saw two of these casts and, reading reviews of the others, it was clear that all were from the top draw. Overall, we had been expecting SFB to be good, but they took our breath away. [Editor's note: Follow these links to David Dougill's overview of the Gala and Mixed Bill and Nadine Meisner reviews of two of The Swan Lake casts.]
We rarely blow our own trumpet here, but in the two years since we established criticaldance.com we have a wider range of international reviews of all dance forms, both from the newspapers and from our own readers, than any other website that we are aware of worldwide. Nowhere is this more evident than in the San Francisco area and thus we have several reviews of nearly all the dances to be performed in SFB's London season. Using this database, I have put together an introduction to the pieces on view. I suggest that you read through to the end of the preview and then link to those pieces that particularly interest you. I’d be delighted if you read them all, but there’s about two hours reading here. Programme 1 reflects the principal themes of the season with exciting new works and key pieces from the 20th Century. Mark Morris is one of the most successful and imaginative choreographers around today and he reaffirmed his strong link with the Company with a new piece, A Garden, set to music by Richard Strauss after Francois Couperin.
One of the shortcomings in ballet programming in the UK, is the relative shortage of dances by Jerome Robbins. The first of the two of his works in the season is Fanfare, described by one reviewer as a "ballet-vaudeville." The programme is brought to a close with one of Balanchine's most famous creations, Symphony in 3 Movements, of which our own Azlan Ezaddin wrote, "The intended sexy slinkiness of Symphony in Three Movements, danced to Igor Stravinsky's composition, is apparent immediately." Programme 2 opens with Christopher Wheeldon's Sea Pictures. Here in the UK we have been hearing great things about this local boy who is proving so successful in the US, so it will be very good to see this recent work. Bugaku is one of Balanchine's most controversial pieces, so it will be especially interesting for those of us who will be seeing it for the first time. The programme closer is Glass Pieces, the second creation in the season by Jerome Robbins. Octavio Roca, writes, "For all its mad rush, it strikes a note of solace, of acceptance and of joy."
Next comes Prism by Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson, which was first performed to critical plaudits by New York City Ballet. I note that Tomasson has modestly included only one of his works in the season. Finally, London gets a second chance to see the delicious Sandpaper Ballet by Mark Morris - Yummie! With San Francisco Ballet's visit, Londoners will experience a concentrated primer in American Ballet with masterworks from the past 50 years and the cream of the new generation of choreographers performed by this terrific company. I can't wait. Programme 1: Fanfare, A Garden, Magrittomania, Symphony in 3 Movements – 13 & 17 August Programme 2: Sea Pictures, Bugaku, Glass Pieces – 14 & 15 August Programme 3: Night, Prism, Sandpaper Ballet – 16 & 18 August To book, ring +44 (0) 7304 4000 or visit the website www.royaloperahouse.org
For the latest news, reviews and gossip, please visit our SFB in London forum. Edited by Azlan Ezaddin. |
From now to the
end of November, London dance fans hardly have a chance to draw
breath. Later in the year, we will see the 2001-2 Royal Ballet
season with Don Q, Onegin and much else. In addition,
Dance Umbrella has an exceptional programme this year with Ballett
Frankfurt, Mark Morris, Alvin Ailey and other top companies from
around the world.
And so the conquering
heroes return, this time to the Royal Opera House. Again, it's
an ambitious programme with three Mixed Bills rather than the
full-length ballets that we are accustomed to in programmes from
the Hochhausers. I am delighted, as it gives us the chance to
savour some recent commissions by the Company together with an
opportunity to widen our knowledge of the work of Jerome Robbins
and George Balanchine.
Programme 3
opens with