Joyce DiDonato has always been fearlessly honest, or at least, has the courage to be honest, though it may cost her a great deal emotionally to get over her fear. I don't know, but I do know that her bravery has helped, and is helping, many young people. Recently she talked to The Telegraph's Rupert Christiansen about her work with young singers, I advise them not to attempt … [Read more...] about Joyce DiDonato dedicates Last Night of the Proms performance to Russian gays
The Independent
Critics Round-Up: An ‘imaginatively crafted delight’ or a ‘thin ballet’? Royal Ballet’s Alice
We know that the Royal Ballet's dancers are exceptional, we've seen that the designs and lighting are magical, but the jury is still out on whether Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland satisfies as a theatrical piece. Clement Crisp's final paragraph from his Financial Times review of the current run was, But for all the unflagging energies, physical and … [Read more...] about Critics Round-Up: An ‘imaginatively crafted delight’ or a ‘thin ballet’? Royal Ballet’s Alice
Janet-Street-Porter on the three ballerini: Polunin, Proietto and Putrov break the mould
The Three Tenors, says Janet-Street-Porter, brought opera to an entirely new audience, using popular material performed in arenas, not concert halls. Can former Royal Ballet star Ivan Putrov do the same for ballet? His brilliant idea is an evening of spectacular dancing, Men in Motion. The biggest draw, after a tumultuous week in which he walked out of starring in the Royal … [Read more...] about Janet-Street-Porter on the three ballerini: Polunin, Proietto and Putrov break the mould
Thomas Allen on Jenkins, Watson & Co: ‘These people have never sung an opera in their lives’
In today's Independent, Sir Thomas Allen speaks his mind about the Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson school of singing: I refuse to give in to this fake popularisation and lowbrow quality, and people claiming to be opera singers when they've never sung in an opera – it's a deceit. Those singers could never do the real thing, here in the Royal Opera, where the … [Read more...] about Thomas Allen on Jenkins, Watson & Co: ‘These people have never sung an opera in their lives’
Mikhail Baryshnikov on boycotts, ballet, ‘Black Swan’, Studio 54, ‘Sex and the City’, contemporary dance and being a sex symbol
As "In Paris" arrives in Tel Aviv for nine performances, Mikhail Baryshnikov talked to Elad Samorzik of Haaretz: On age and repertoire "Listen, I am 63 years-old. It depends what you're dancing. The piece we did with Anna Laguna we played ourselves, our age. We are not dancing 'Romeo and Juliet.' You know, pas de deux. Last year Mats Ek did a piece for me and Niklas Ek, … [Read more...] about Mikhail Baryshnikov on boycotts, ballet, ‘Black Swan’, Studio 54, ‘Sex and the City’, contemporary dance and being a sex symbol
Critics Round-up: Royal Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty
In 2006 Monica Mason decided to go back to the beginning with the Royal Ballet's signature ballet, The Sleeping Beauty: consign the 2003 Makarova disaster ("dramatically shapeless and emotionally flat" said The Times) to the dustbins, and restore Oliver Messel's 1946 production. That was the year that the Vic-Wells Ballet moved to the Royal Opera House. There has now been a … [Read more...] about Critics Round-up: Royal Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty
Critics Round-up: Royal Ballet’s Limen/Marguerite and Armand/Requiem
It seems that the Royal Ballet can't go wrong. The company has been on a winning streak, which is continuing, justly, into Monica Mason's final season as director. This triple bill succeeds in refracting Royal Ballet choreography into three distinct places, each one occupied by one of the company’s three resident choreographers - Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan and Wayne … [Read more...] about Critics Round-up: Royal Ballet’s Limen/Marguerite and Armand/Requiem
Critics Round-up: New York City Ballet’s Ocean’s Kingdom
The review headlines ran "That Sinking Feeling", "Soggy Ocean Kingdom", "All Wet" - you get the idea. But this was Sir Paul McCartney's début in the world of ballet, the company was the great Yew York City Ballet, Sir Paul's famous daughter, designer Stella, was doing costumes, and Peter Martins the choreography. So a lot of red carpet, flash bulbs, happy critics getting a … [Read more...] about Critics Round-up: New York City Ballet’s Ocean’s Kingdom
Critics Round-up: the Royal Opera’s Faust
Gounod's Faust is, on the one hand, a gift for directors and performers - as Geoff Brown says in The Times, "It’s a Cecil B De Mille film directed by Bob Fosse, and Hell on Earth in more ways than one" - but it can often inspire productions so over the top with racy ideas and cut-out villains that an audience couldn't care less about the characters on stage. David McVicar's … [Read more...] about Critics Round-up: the Royal Opera’s Faust
Critics Round-up: Royal Ballet in Jewels
This production opens Monica Mason's last season as director of the Royal Ballet. To recall the company as it was 10 years ago, after the dreadful year in which Ross Stretton’s directorship had reduced the troupe to a confused and uncertain state – the Queen’s Golden Jubilee gala remains a nightmare for those who sat incredulously through it – is to recognise how much Dame … [Read more...] about Critics Round-up: Royal Ballet in Jewels