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Royal BalletJuly 2002 London, The Royal Opera House by Sylvia |
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I'm surprised there weren't more posts about the 19th July performance of Onegin. I was told there were many empty seats for Lendvai and Tewsley's performance on Tuesday but didn't anyone else go on Friday? I think Tewsley is a tremendous dancer, on par with Kobborg, but Lendvai really outshone everyone in her wake. Hers is definitely the best Tatiana I've ever seen - unsurprising given how much more experience she has with the role. You can't take your eyes off of her. She isn't classically beautiful and without a smile her face she can look pretty grim. At the start her Tatiana is a cold fish, stern, almost school-marmish. She has been untouched by passion. Even her interactions with Olga are cool and not so affectionate - very different from the very warmth the RB dancers have shown. In fact, this Tatiana rarely smiles, and when she looks into the looking glass, she sees a plain Jane and her disappointment is obvious. She does not see a future with love. But when Onegin lifts her for the first time, the transformation is amazing. She suddenly breaks into a smile and she looks like she's overwhelmed with new emotions. Her Tatiana suddenly blossoms and becomes beautiful. These things, yes I've seen in Rojo, Cojocaru, Galeazzi, etc, but never with the kind of clarity that Lendvai has. There is nothing forced about her acting and she is so utterly unique. She just has this resonance, this maturity that I've never seen with the others. Just to mention I REALLY enjoyed Belinda Hatley's Olga. Hatley is so graceful, so musical, with such an expressive face. She was petulant and immature without losing her sweetness. A really fantastic evening, probably one of my best, and I would love to see Lendvai guest again. I'm very sorry that she only had two performances. I'm want to write to the director and ask him to ask her to stay! I did manage to see Martin Harvey and Mara Galeazzi the day after and overall I was impressed. I feel Harvey has always had a charisma on stage that makes him stand out from the other dancers and this was magnified by the weight of the role. He has an old-fashioned kind of elegance that actually makes him look much more at home in this period than anyone else I've seen. Acting-wise I was very convinced. Act III was excellent – his Onegin wasn’t as sick with obsession as the others were, but it was no less passionate. I was delighted when I heard he was dancing Onegin. I really wish he had more than one performance because I want to see what more he can do with the role, and who knows how long it will be before Onegin is back.
Mara Galeazzi's Tatiana was lovely. I wasn’t a huge fan after her performances in January. Back then, to me she over-emoted – it was too strong from the stalls. But she’s really toned it down. She’s gentler, more beautiful and has really grown into the role. I liked her Tatiana, and she and Harvey look really well suited to each other.
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