One of the better Sundays of recent weeks and the thought of sitting inside a theatre for 2 hrs 50 mins was more than daunting all this despite the threat of some of the finest that the English National Ballet can offer.
Drinks at the bar, pre show are always a must - But really does the Coliseum really need to be quite so expensive?
The tickets were an offer that needed to be grabbed - Stalls row J all for a score (20 pounds for those not so well educated as I).
Well it was advertised as Carmen but in actual fact three separate sets L'Alésienne, Le Jeune Homme et la Mort and the finale, Carmen. So at the outset even more value for money. So we can strike the wine comment! The Coliseum for those who have never ventured is a must, just for the regal splendid of the decor, not to mention the velvet safety curtains.
L'Alésienne - A happy tale of the thwarted passion of a young man Fréderi for an unfaithful "Girl from Ares". The set ends with the young man throwing himself out of a window to escape the insanity that had surrounded his mind.
Girl - Erina Takahashi
Boy - Estaban Berlanga
The ballet I felt tinged some contemporary choreography and added to the wonder of the set. the girl you did feel should give up her attempts to forget his obsession but hey that's love and the things we do for it!
Next , Le Jeune Homme et la Mort - Yet more happiness is spread by the tale of a young man compelled by love for a cruel mistress. All this on a holy day! He waits restlessly then she arrives and a tempestuous scene ends with the mistress goading the young man to commit suicide - Which of course he does.
Young Man - Anton Lukovkin
Girl.Mistress - Jia Zhang
Now this pair were striking, the dance came across and you could feel the torment, torture and lust. Jia was striking in her well chosen dress, bumble bee yellow and black gloves - Some great acrobatic moves blended in with classic ballet steps- Truly gripping.
Finale- Carmen to end to the trilogy of joy - Don José first meets Carmen at the cigarette factory - Love or lust at first sight? Later in the tavern she dances with him and entranced by her, he is unaware that the bandits rob him. He takes Carmen home and they make sweet love in the form of a superb love duet. She persuades him to commit a murder for her and leaves him alone in despair. Later he sees her flirtatious moves with the bullfighter Escamillo. Don José wastes no further time and stabs Carmen.
Carmen- Anais Chalendard
Don José - Daniel Kraus
The ballet was exciting and unlike the Opera which is a feisty longer experience, the ballet is a precised version. An abundance of well thought out choreographic style with many set changes which were conducted sublimely. The final scene with the constant drum beat was just exhilarating and had you perched albeit daintily on the edge of the plush seats.
The English National Ballet performs yet again to its high standards, overwhelming physiques of both the men and women of the company. You really appreciate the skill associated to the ballet and clearly all that hard blood, sweat and tears paid off.
RLJ
No comments:
Post a Comment