The Nutcracker
The Birmingham Royal Ballet production of The Nutcracker (Royal Albert Hall), created specifically for the venue by Sir David Bintley, based on Sir Peter Wright’s original 1990 show, is one of those festive events (along with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol) that has by default become the secular equivalent of an Advent Carol service, generating a warm cosy feeling as you watch young Clara, given a nutcracker doll by godfather Drosselmeyer, being transported into a fantasy world of magical, mystical creatures who the magician brings to life to delight her. The Brothers Grimm fairytale Snow White was written in 1812 and there are similar elements in this tale as Clara’s doll turns into a handsome Prince, who dances with her and she then flies to the Land of Snow populated by a collection of dolls from different lands. The nasty Rat King – rats get such a bad press – is determined to spoil their fun but he is defeated and banished allowing the dolls to perform their national dances leading into the Waltz of the Flowers and the appearance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. It is all a dream but then dreams are sometimes wonderfully memorable experiences.
Rosanna Ely is light and fleet of foot and dances Clara with glee and wonder while Louis Andreasen’s Drosselmeyer, although not a major dance part, is a mysterious and magical character bringing the dolls to life with a dramatic swish of his stunningly designed cape (John Macfarlane) covered in symbols of the occult. The dolls – Spanish, Arabian, Chinese and Russian, are a wonderful mixture of exuberance, alacrity and joy, each having their moment in the spotlight and include excellent ensemble work with en pointe technique and timing. However, it is the Dance of the Mirlitons, Ancient Egyptian like beings, who steal the doll show with an ethereal dance that is technically difficult and requires artistic interpretation which the quartet of dancers execute superbly. There is also gorgeously interpretative work from Yu Kurihara (The Snow Fairy) and Amelia Thompson (The Rose Fairy) supported elegantly by the splendid corps de ballet.
Of course, the Grand pas de deux, danced by The Sugar Plum Fairy (Beatrice Parma) and The Prince (Tzu-Chao Chu), is what so many know the story for. Parma is assured and graceful, her pirouettes as pretty as a picture though the choreography was not as daring as I have previously seen. This may have been because Chu struggled with one or two of his more audacious jump landings in contrast to his entrechats, four and six, which were impressive. As Clara’s dream ends and we are brought back to reality she is left alone on stage with her nutcracker doll and a lovely Christmas tree. A fitting ending from the captivating reverie.
I could not end without mentioning Tchaikovsky’s music, which is dramatic yet playful (he includes several children’s instruments in the orchestra) and has passages of intricate lyricism and colourful expression that whisk you away on clouds to the imaginary land and then gently bring you back to terra firma. All of which is played alluringly by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia under the baton of conductor Paul Murphy. Add in Dick Bird’s gorgeous setting and picturesque projections by 59 Productions and it evocatively captures the essence of what is a marvellous story.
And it snowed too, Act 1 ending in a snow shower which brought whoops of joy all round. So next year I’d suggest trying a carol service A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker during Advent, festive bliss. Happy New Year everyone, wishing you good health and peace in these incredible times.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – www.brb.org.uk
The Planets (Barbican Centre)
Firstly, I want to say how happy I am to join the teamand looking forward to the year ahead with excitement and anticipation. Secondly, full disclosure, Holst’s The Planets (Barbican Centre)is one of my all-time favourite pieces of music. The concert also featured Verdi’s Force of Destiny Overture and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2, headliners in their own right.
It began with the Verdi, the overture of his opera La forza del destino, and the music is evocative and quite foreboding. No surprise as the opera includes fate, vengeance and the dark destiny referenced in the name. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lee Reynolds, played with assurance and passion and particularly impressive were the woodwind and brass sections. The overture is often used by orchestras as opening pieces in a concert andwas perfectly pitched in the context of the programme. What followed is one of the most recognisable piano concertos ever written. By coincidence, a few months ago I watched the 1945David Lean film Brief Encounter, with my grandmother, in which the Rachmaninoff recurs throughout. It is beautiful, dramatic, full of romance and one particular motif that is used intermittently captures the will I won’t I dilemma of the two central characters, who are smitten with each other, but also riven by guilt should they go ahead with their infidelity. There was some gorgeous, fluid playing by the pianist, demonstrating superb technique and feeling for the music and during the more melodramatic moments she was completely at ease with her playing and passion as though inspired by a high power. Reynolds asked questions of the orchestra in order to achieve the balance between accompaniment and virtuosity when the piano was silent and they did this with aplomb and beautifully contrasted musicianship.
And then we had Holst. What is there to say about music that even the classical atheists know and love. The composer believed that expressing emotion was ‘the fundamental necessity in all art’ and this odyssey through seven planets will inspire and rouse you and in its more serene moments capture emotions that will bring tears to your eyes. He arranged the seven movements according to their astrological characteristics and their supposed influence on the human psyche. When we use the expression “the stars, (or planets), are aligned” we too are expressing feelings that align with that description. It begins with Mars, the Bringer of War, a movement that is violent and brutal with the brass section blasting out an unforgiving sound, and by absolute contrast ends with Neptune which features an offstage female chorus which begins ethereally and gradually fades into silence, a moment when you could have heard a pin drop. In between there is Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, each one having their own distinctive sound and message.
It is a pointless exercise trying to pick a favourite as each one has the power to move and feel very poignant in our troubled world. What is wonderful about the composition is how Holst makes full use of the orchestra to highlight the message depicted by each planet with the hymn I Vow to Thee, My Country featuring prominently during Jupiter. The orchestra were tremendous, each section superbly eliciting those powerful emotions with an intoxicating mix of exuberance and nuance with Reynolds similarly using his whole body to inspiritthe musicians. Part of the Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival this was a magnificent and memorable concert.
Barbican – www.barbican.org.uk
Beethoven’s Ninth (Barbican).
Beethoven’s Ninth (Barbican).Another concert forming part of the Raymond Gubbay Christmas festival was Monday’s Beethoven’s Ninth (Barbican). However, just like the B-side of some records the first piece was a classical smash hit too. It turned out to be a night to remember. The festive setting on the stage with decorated Christmas trees and light projections of the baubles on the walls whetted the appetite of the audience as we settled into our comfortable seats that also felt snuggly in that festive setting.
The first piece was Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major (Emperor – supposedly calledthat by a French army officer who said it was like “an emperor among concertos”). It opened with soloist, Martin James Bartlett, playing colourful flourishes before we melted into that gorgeously dreamy slow movement, which is beautifully soporific, only to be woken from our enjoyable (conscious) slumber by a finale that explodes with power, epitomising the composer’s heroic style. It is a prodigious piece of music and the dialogue between the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, was delightful and compelling. Bartlett was expressive both technically and physically making us feel we were immersed in the experience.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Choral), his final symphony, is a work of art and majesty. It marked a revolutionary move in symphonic workbecause he added vocal soloists and a choir to the final movement. Warren-Green conducted an ensemble choir of over one hundred singers from Coro Spezzato, Goldsmiths Choral Union, Highgate Choral Society and The London Chorus along with over 70 musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. With his flowing mane of grey hair and energetic gestures that belied his age, one could be forgiven for imagining oneself transported back circa 200 years watching Beethoven’s rear profile conducting the orchestra! Watching the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra working in unison with som exemplary musicianship build up to the magnificent choral ending in the fourth movement was mesmerising. The four solo singers – Jolyon Loy, Robyn Lyn Evans, Carolyn Dobbin and NardusWilliams – gradually increased the tempo and emotion to that final choral crescendo perfectly. An “Ode to Joy” in every sense.
Barbican – www.barbican.org.uk
