Lady of the Camellias Streamed from Moscow

Nigrum Sol BT    Standard YouTube Licence

Bolshoi Ballet, The Lady of the Camellias, HDTV transmission for Moscow, 6 Dec 2015

We don't see enough of John Neumeier's work in this country which is a shame because it is dramatic and beautiful. I saw a bit of it live on stage this year in two galas.  In March Alexandr Trusch and Lucia Solari danced the final pas de deux from his production of The Nutcracker in Leeds at Northern Ballet's Sapphire gala. In September I saw Marijn Rademaker and Igone de Jongh dance an excerpt from the Dutch National Ballet's production of La Dame aux Camelias (see A chance to see more of Neumeier's work: Dutch National Ballet's La Dame aux Camelias 18 March 2015) at the opening gala of the Amsterdam ballet season (see The best evening I have ever spent at the ballet 13 Sept 2015).

Yesterday afternoon I saw the whole of that ballet (albeit in two dimensions) streamed live from Moscow to the Huddersfield Odeon. I like other British ballet goers have been brought up on Ashton's Marguerite and Armand which he created for Fonteyn and Nureyev and is also based on the Dumas novel. Neumeier's ballet created 15 years later for the great Brazilian ballerina Marcia Haydée to Chopin's music is at least as beautiful and perhaps even more dramatic.

The synopsis for those who missed the transmission is here. Marguerite was danced magnificently by Svetlana Zakharova who was Giselle in October (see The Bolshoi does the Business - Giselle streamed from Moscow 12 Oct 2015) and Armand by Edvin Revazov. The production had been facilitated by Kevin Haigen of the Hamburg Ballet who represented Neumeier in Moscow. The excellent Katerina Novikova interviewed him during one of the intervals as well as Anna Tikhomirova who danced Manon Lescaut in the other. She was interviewed in costume which was gorgeous as Ms Novikova observed. The designs were Jürgen Rose's originals.

The ballet was beautiful but emotionally draining to watch as I tweeted at the end of the second interval

Awed by.@BolshoiOfficial's performance of The Lady of the Camellias. Very beautiful but also emotionally draining.

— Terpsichore (@jelterps) December 6, 2015

I long to see this whole ballet on stage. I could kick myself for missing it in Amsterdam earlier this year when I had the chance. Too much loyalty to Ashton I guess.

A chance to see more of Neumeier's work: Dutch National Ballet's La Dame aux Camelias

Those of us who were lucky enough to see Northern Ballet's Sapphire gala on Saturday were treated to John Neumeier's version of The Nutcracker. I haven't seen much of that choreographer's work and I would like to see more. There is now an opportunity since the Dutch National Ballet are dancing La Dame aux Camélias in Amsterdam from the 10 April 2015. For many of us outside London, Amsterdam is at least as easy to reach as our own capital and it is good deal less outrageously expensive once you get there.

This ballet which is based on Dumas' novel has been around for a bit. It was first performed in Stuttgart in 1978 with Marcia Haydée in the title role. It is in the repertoire of the Ballet of the Paris National Opera which can be seen on YouTube. This is not the first ballet to be inspired by the Dumas novel. Sir Frederick Ashton created Marguerite and Armand for the Royal Ballet with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev as the principals.

The Dumas novel has also inspired Verdi's opera but neither Ashton nor Neumeier used Verdi's music in their ballets. Ashton chose Liszt'a piano sonata while Neumeiet preferred Chopin. Sets and costumes are by Jürgen Rose. I don't have any information about casting yet but I'll let you know when I do.

Performances take place on 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24 and 26 April 2015 in the auditorium of the Stopera and tickets cost between C15 and 90 (£10.78 and £64.67 see what I mean about affordability). You can book through the Dutch National Ballet's website or call the box office on +31 020 625 54 55.

If you want a good hotel I can recommend the American which is a few hundred yards from the auditorium. The airport bus stops outside and the fare is only C5. Amsterdam is a fine city with plenty to see and do. It is very welcoming. Most of its residents speak at least some English. I greatly prefer it to London.