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Viscera; Afternoon of a Faun; Tchaikovsky pas de deux; Carmen ("Acosta Carmen Quad")
Viscera; Afternoon of a Faun; Tchaikovsky pas de deux; Carmen ("Acosta Carmen Quad")
Carlos Acosta (Don José (Carmen)); Marianela Nuñez (Viscera; Carmen (Carmen)); Ryoichi Hirano (Viscera); Sarah Lamb (Afternoon of a Faun); Vadim Muntagirov (Afternoon of a Faun); Steven McRae (Tchaikovsky Pas de deux); Iana Salenko (Tchaikovsky Pas de deux); Laura Morera (Viscera); Federico Bonelli (Escamillo (Carmen)); Matthew Golding (Fate (Carmen))
A gorgeous mixed programme from The Royal Ballet with contrasting works by two of the world’s greatest choreographers, Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine, and two Royal Ballet home-grown talents: Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett and Principal Guest Artist Carlos Acosta. Scarlett’s sensual and energising Viscera begins the programme; Afternoon of a Faun is Robbins’s exquisite response to Debussy’s langorous Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune; Tchaikovsky pas de deux is a bravura showpiece illustrating in miniature Balanchine's neo-classical style; and Acosta's Carmen, in which he also dances Don José in his farewell performance with The Royal Ballet, is a searingly dramatic reinterpretation of a timeless favourite.
DVD
Genre: Ballet
Release Date: 01/05/2016
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS 5.1
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles:
Catalogue Number: OA1212D
BLU-RAY
Genre: Ballet
Release Date: 01/05/2016
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS 5.1
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles:
Catalogue Number: OABD7202D
Conductor(s):
Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
Orchestra(s):
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Artist(s):
Carlos Acosta; Marianela Nuñez; Ryoichi Hirano; Sarah Lamb; Vadim Muntagirov; Steven McRae; Iana Salenko; Laura Morera; Federico Bonelli; Matthew Golding; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
Carlos Acosta; Marianela Nuñez; Ryoichi Hirano; Sarah Lamb; Vadim Muntagirov; Steven McRae; Iana Salenko; Laura Morera; Federico Bonelli; Matthew Golding; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
"So this Carmen isn't about thrusting Acosta into the spotlight for his standing ovations, it's more of a creative progression. It's a short but ambitious work, with Bizet's score condensed to an hour and the story stripped back to a concise love triangle... Their duets are inventive – one sees the captive Carmen wrap Don José in her own prison chains... Jerome Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun, with Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb capturing the piece's particular seductive yet sexless atmosphere; and Steven McRae and guest Iana Salenko proving their mettle in the showpiece Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux. Plus Liam Scarlett's lovely Viscera, a fleet and perky neo-classical ballet with an elegantly restrained central pas de deux and a great performance from Laura Morera, panache and personality in every step." (The Evening Standard)
"Carlos Acosta belongs to that rare breed of dancers who’ve crossed the line from ballet star to household name. He’s famous not only for his buoyant, big-hearted technique, but because his personality has captured imaginations. The boy from the Havana slum who battled his way to international stardom, the artist who remained loyal to his Cuban background in the dancers he supported... Despite his intention to strip the story down to its essentials, Acosta has thrown everything into this 60-minute ballet. He has flamenco players and opera singers performing a souped-up Bizet score; a chorus of barflies who swoop around the space on wheeled chairs; a horned and musclebound figure of Fate who looms in front of a blood-red sun, and jazz, contemporary and Latin dance thrown into the choreographic mix... Acosta also knows how to elicit fine performances from his cast, with Marianela Nuñez an exceptionally natural Carmen, Federico Bonelli cast joyously against type as the narcissist Escamillo and Acosta himself as a self-immolating Don José..." (The Guardian)
"Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb give a skilled if (in her case) glassy rendition of Jerome Robbins’s jewel-like paean to the dancer’s psyche, Afternoon of a Faun (1953), while Iana Salenko pulls off the considerable feat of nudging Steven McRae into second place in Balanchine’s 1960 showpiece Tchaikovsky pas de deux – an absolute star turn from her, with the most exquisite below-the-knee movement of the entire evening.
Most rewarding of all, however, is the revival of Liam Scarlett’s 2012 abstract work, Viscera. Created for Miami City Ballet, this is Balanchinian in flavour (the geometry, the plain cyclorama and costumes, Lowell Liebermann’s son-of Stravinsky piano music) but Ashtonian in the detailed use of upper-body and the constantly protean direction of movement, and it reminds one just what a strong abstract choreographer Scarlett is. This is dance that makes dancers look good, and the 16-strong ensemble – Laura Morera and Leticia Stock above all – reward it with performances of exhilarating attack." (The Daily Telegraph)
"Carlos Acosta belongs to that rare breed of dancers who’ve crossed the line from ballet star to household name. He’s famous not only for his buoyant, big-hearted technique, but because his personality has captured imaginations. The boy from the Havana slum who battled his way to international stardom, the artist who remained loyal to his Cuban background in the dancers he supported... Despite his intention to strip the story down to its essentials, Acosta has thrown everything into this 60-minute ballet. He has flamenco players and opera singers performing a souped-up Bizet score; a chorus of barflies who swoop around the space on wheeled chairs; a horned and musclebound figure of Fate who looms in front of a blood-red sun, and jazz, contemporary and Latin dance thrown into the choreographic mix... Acosta also knows how to elicit fine performances from his cast, with Marianela Nuñez an exceptionally natural Carmen, Federico Bonelli cast joyously against type as the narcissist Escamillo and Acosta himself as a self-immolating Don José..." (The Guardian)
"Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb give a skilled if (in her case) glassy rendition of Jerome Robbins’s jewel-like paean to the dancer’s psyche, Afternoon of a Faun (1953), while Iana Salenko pulls off the considerable feat of nudging Steven McRae into second place in Balanchine’s 1960 showpiece Tchaikovsky pas de deux – an absolute star turn from her, with the most exquisite below-the-knee movement of the entire evening.
Most rewarding of all, however, is the revival of Liam Scarlett’s 2012 abstract work, Viscera. Created for Miami City Ballet, this is Balanchinian in flavour (the geometry, the plain cyclorama and costumes, Lowell Liebermann’s son-of Stravinsky piano music) but Ashtonian in the detailed use of upper-body and the constantly protean direction of movement, and it reminds one just what a strong abstract choreographer Scarlett is. This is dance that makes dancers look good, and the 16-strong ensemble – Laura Morera and Leticia Stock above all – reward it with performances of exhilarating attack." (The Daily Telegraph)
Carlos Acosta (Don José (Carmen)); Marianela Nuñez (Viscera; Carmen (Carmen)); Ryoichi Hirano (Viscera); Sarah Lamb (Afternoon of a Faun); Vadim Muntagirov (Afternoon of a Faun); Steven McRae (Tchaikovsky Pas de deux); Iana Salenko (Tchaikovsky Pas de deux); Laura Morera (Viscera); Federico Bonelli (Escamillo (Carmen)); Matthew Golding (Fate (Carmen))
A gorgeous mixed programme from The Royal Ballet with contrasting works by two of the world’s greatest choreographers, Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine, and two Royal Ballet home-grown talents: Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett and Principal Guest Artist Carlos Acosta. Scarlett’s sensual and energising Viscera begins the programme; Afternoon of a Faun is Robbins’s exquisite response to Debussy’s langorous Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune; Tchaikovsky pas de deux is a bravura showpiece illustrating in miniature Balanchine's neo-classical style; and Acosta's Carmen, in which he also dances Don José in his farewell performance with The Royal Ballet, is a searingly dramatic reinterpretation of a timeless favourite.
DVD
Genre: Ballet
Release Date: 01/05/2016
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS 5.1
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles:
Catalogue Number: OA1212D
BLU-RAY
Genre: Ballet
Release Date: 01/05/2016
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS 5.1
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles:
Catalogue Number: OABD7202D
Conductor(s):
Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
Orchestra(s):
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Artist(s):
Carlos Acosta; Marianela Nuñez; Ryoichi Hirano; Sarah Lamb; Vadim Muntagirov; Steven McRae; Iana Salenko; Laura Morera; Federico Bonelli; Matthew Golding; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
Carlos Acosta; Marianela Nuñez; Ryoichi Hirano; Sarah Lamb; Vadim Muntagirov; Steven McRae; Iana Salenko; Laura Morera; Federico Bonelli; Matthew Golding; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Emmanuel Plasson; Martin Yates (Carmen)
"So this Carmen isn't about thrusting Acosta into the spotlight for his standing ovations, it's more of a creative progression. It's a short but ambitious work, with Bizet's score condensed to an hour and the story stripped back to a concise love triangle... Their duets are inventive – one sees the captive Carmen wrap Don José in her own prison chains... Jerome Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun, with Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb capturing the piece's particular seductive yet sexless atmosphere; and Steven McRae and guest Iana Salenko proving their mettle in the showpiece Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux. Plus Liam Scarlett's lovely Viscera, a fleet and perky neo-classical ballet with an elegantly restrained central pas de deux and a great performance from Laura Morera, panache and personality in every step." (The Evening Standard)
"Carlos Acosta belongs to that rare breed of dancers who’ve crossed the line from ballet star to household name. He’s famous not only for his buoyant, big-hearted technique, but because his personality has captured imaginations. The boy from the Havana slum who battled his way to international stardom, the artist who remained loyal to his Cuban background in the dancers he supported... Despite his intention to strip the story down to its essentials, Acosta has thrown everything into this 60-minute ballet. He has flamenco players and opera singers performing a souped-up Bizet score; a chorus of barflies who swoop around the space on wheeled chairs; a horned and musclebound figure of Fate who looms in front of a blood-red sun, and jazz, contemporary and Latin dance thrown into the choreographic mix... Acosta also knows how to elicit fine performances from his cast, with Marianela Nuñez an exceptionally natural Carmen, Federico Bonelli cast joyously against type as the narcissist Escamillo and Acosta himself as a self-immolating Don José..." (The Guardian)
"Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb give a skilled if (in her case) glassy rendition of Jerome Robbins’s jewel-like paean to the dancer’s psyche, Afternoon of a Faun (1953), while Iana Salenko pulls off the considerable feat of nudging Steven McRae into second place in Balanchine’s 1960 showpiece Tchaikovsky pas de deux – an absolute star turn from her, with the most exquisite below-the-knee movement of the entire evening.
Most rewarding of all, however, is the revival of Liam Scarlett’s 2012 abstract work, Viscera. Created for Miami City Ballet, this is Balanchinian in flavour (the geometry, the plain cyclorama and costumes, Lowell Liebermann’s son-of Stravinsky piano music) but Ashtonian in the detailed use of upper-body and the constantly protean direction of movement, and it reminds one just what a strong abstract choreographer Scarlett is. This is dance that makes dancers look good, and the 16-strong ensemble – Laura Morera and Leticia Stock above all – reward it with performances of exhilarating attack." (The Daily Telegraph)
"Carlos Acosta belongs to that rare breed of dancers who’ve crossed the line from ballet star to household name. He’s famous not only for his buoyant, big-hearted technique, but because his personality has captured imaginations. The boy from the Havana slum who battled his way to international stardom, the artist who remained loyal to his Cuban background in the dancers he supported... Despite his intention to strip the story down to its essentials, Acosta has thrown everything into this 60-minute ballet. He has flamenco players and opera singers performing a souped-up Bizet score; a chorus of barflies who swoop around the space on wheeled chairs; a horned and musclebound figure of Fate who looms in front of a blood-red sun, and jazz, contemporary and Latin dance thrown into the choreographic mix... Acosta also knows how to elicit fine performances from his cast, with Marianela Nuñez an exceptionally natural Carmen, Federico Bonelli cast joyously against type as the narcissist Escamillo and Acosta himself as a self-immolating Don José..." (The Guardian)
"Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb give a skilled if (in her case) glassy rendition of Jerome Robbins’s jewel-like paean to the dancer’s psyche, Afternoon of a Faun (1953), while Iana Salenko pulls off the considerable feat of nudging Steven McRae into second place in Balanchine’s 1960 showpiece Tchaikovsky pas de deux – an absolute star turn from her, with the most exquisite below-the-knee movement of the entire evening.
Most rewarding of all, however, is the revival of Liam Scarlett’s 2012 abstract work, Viscera. Created for Miami City Ballet, this is Balanchinian in flavour (the geometry, the plain cyclorama and costumes, Lowell Liebermann’s son-of Stravinsky piano music) but Ashtonian in the detailed use of upper-body and the constantly protean direction of movement, and it reminds one just what a strong abstract choreographer Scarlett is. This is dance that makes dancers look good, and the 16-strong ensemble – Laura Morera and Leticia Stock above all – reward it with performances of exhilarating attack." (The Daily Telegraph)
