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Music
by
Leo Delibes
Orchestra
of the
Royal Opera House
conducted by
Benjamin
Pope
Choreography
by
Frederick
Ashton
Production
realisation and
staging by
Christopher
Newton
Original
designs by
Robin and
Christopher
Ironside
Additional
design by
Peter Farmer
Sylvia
Marianela
Nunez
Aminta
David Makhateli
Orion
Thiago Soares
Diana
Isabel McMeekan
Artists of
the
Royal Ballet
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The Royal Ballet
Covent Garden
18 January - 24 March 2008 |
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Those
who have not yet seen Ashton's
full length Sylvia
may be in for a culture shock.
Sixty odd years ago audiences
would tolerate nymphs and
shepherds, dancing goats,
and rollicking Chinese bandits
cartwheeling panto style across
the stage, but today the ballet
can in places evoke gentle
ridicule. Never mind, it's
a romp in the manner of Offenbach's
Orpheus
in the Underworld.
The story is absurd. Sylvia
is a huntress who shoots Aminta
in the forest with her bow
and arrow. She in turn is
shot by an arrow from the
bow of Eros, a statue who
comes to life for that very
purpose - shall I go on? Sylvia
instantly falls in love with
the hero Aminta, but gets
kidnapped by the wicked Orion...
Forget it, just watch the
sumptuous dancing and listen
to Delibe's gloriously passionate
score. Ashton himself later
had his doubts about the ballet
and turned it into a one-acter,
but now it has been revived
in its full length with Peter
Farmer's skilfull re-interpretation
of the original sets. At least
this lovely ballet looks like
no other ballet in the repertory.
But don't be put off by the
quaintness of it all. Ashton's
choreography is all highs
when it comes to the dancing,
especially the last act Pas
de Deux. This is romantic
Ashton at its best. Aminta
comes on stage bearing Sylvia
aloft in one of the longest
lifts in ballet. What follows
is a wealth of invention,
entertaining to the last.
The adagio is one of Ashton's
finest, sublimely lyrical
with some beautiful backward
dives for Sylvia as she throws
herself into her hero's arms.
Sylvia's variation is the
celebrated Pizzicato, which
the ballerina can have fun
with on point. Wittier with
its playful stops and starts
it has the audience clapping
in all the wrong places, only
to see Sylvia take flight
yet again on point until the
final cascade of glittering
steps across the width of
the stage.
Marianela Nunez is ideally
built for the role, originally
made on Margot Fonteyn. This
extraordinary ballerina encompasses
the whole Royal Ballet repertory.
Possessing all round brilliant
technique, charm and musicality.
Above all in this ballet a
strong stage presence to carry
the story. Strong jetes in
Act I as a terrifying huntress,
convincing transformation
to seductress in Act II and
a ballerina in the grand manner
in act III. In Act III Ashton
is looking over his shoulder
at Petipa, the master. Typical
of Petipa are the fleeting
balances on point which expose
the ballerina's line. Nunez
makes them all a thing of
beauty. At another performance
Zenaida Yanowsky excelled
in wonderfully extended arabesques,
as thrilling as any we have
seen from Russian dancers.
Both were partnered by David
Makhatelli, a fine smooth
classical dancer who looks
good, but does not produce
the heroic leaps in the coda
which the music demands. It's
not that long an evening and
he has nothing to do in the
middle act, but to be fair
neither does he have youth
on his side.
Max Farber |
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