Alison found some late extraordinarily cheap tickets for Mergaliyev Classical Ballet's one night of Swan Lake. It meant that we were not seated together, but that was probably why. There was also a live orchestra which was why I decided to go. Now this is not to say that the performance and music were the best. But there was still so much to appreciate from this little known organisation.
By far my favourite part was when the sixteen swans glided across the stage. Not the twenty four we saw with English National Ballet at Milton Keynes, or the sixty with the same company at The Royal Albert Hall. But they were excellent, especially when, as I had not seen before, they gathered to dance in a close knit group.
Maybe the soloists cannot compare with those other companies (we saw Darcy Bussell with the Royal Ballet twice) and I feel that the middle section of individual demonstrations was the weakest. The orchestra seemed a little unfamiliar with the score, although there were times when loudness was called for, that they were far better.
I was surprised that the theatre was packed, but for a provincial performance, this was fine. And we had a live orchestra, which I believe even Mathew Bourne does now on tour after that awful night of recorded music for his Red Shoes in 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment