© Bill Cooper RB 'Polyphonia' reviews RB 'Four Temperaments' reviews RB 'Sinfonietta' reviews Cope in reviews Benjamin in reviews recent RB reviews more Lynette Halewood reviews

Polyphonia is a work for four couples, set to a piano score, on an empty stage with a curiously underwater feel to the lighting. Wheeldon made this before he made Tryst for the Royal, and its interesting to compare the works. They share many preoccupations: intense, entwined duets with odd balances, strange flexing of the feet and mysterious signalling of the hands, giant shadows of the dancers cast on the backdrop. There were two duets for Jonathan Cope and Leanne Benjamin (returned from maternity leave and in stunning form) where they balance, interlace and interweave their bodies through a series of bizarre but beautiful moves. Typical unselfish partnering from Cope and physical recklessness from Benjamin. It really looked as if it was made for them. There was also a lovely solo from Cojocaru, and a fast and intricate duet for Watson and Cuthbertson, who do seem to be building a real partnership – he never took his eyes off her. It’s a very well crafted work, with no fat on it. Nothing is wasted. The overall effect is still somewhat cool and austere, and the audience seemed rather slow to warm up, though there was a great reception for Cope and Benjamin.
 

Jonathan Cope and Leanne Benjamin
in Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia
© Bill Cooper

One of my reasons for booking this particular performance had been the original casting, bring over two dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem to appear in the Four Temperaments, appearing at just two performances. I thought it would be interesting to see the contrasts in Balanchine as danced by American dancers and by the home team. In the event, we only got one guest (Kevin Thomas), and I was reminded instead how many of the company come from across the Atlantic.

The Four Temperaments is a comparative rarity in Britain, and the Royal have only given a handful of performances of it before. My only previous viewing was a performance by Dutch National Ballet on a visit here. They have a great deal of Balanchine in their repertory, and it was visible in the confidence in which they attacked it. It’s not just simply speed. There’s something about the freedom in which the hip moves in its socket – the legs zoom right up there as if rocket propelled. The women of the RB by contrast lift their legs up there all right, but it’s lifted, not zapped into place.

The differences in were illustrated by the casting. The dancer in the first theme, was a former NYCB dancer who has recently joined the Royal, Eva Natanya. She’s certainly got the legs for the job, and they move at Balanchine speed. The English dancers in the third theme looked rather less comfortable. There were some terrific performances, particularly from Jamie Tapper and Inaki Urlezaga (dancers which don’t normally do that much for me) in the Sanguinic variation. This really made the audience sit up and take notice. The audience also adored Ivan Putrov in the Phlegmatic variation. It didn’t quite do it for me as it looked as if he was almost concentrating too hard on getting it right, but this is probably a minority view. Deirdre Chapman polished off the fourth variation. Kevin Thomas didn’t make a particularly strong impression in the melancholic variation, which is a pity. The arms are shoulders in this variation are beautiful.
 

Marianella Nunez in Four Temperaments
© Bill Cooper

Whatever reservations one may have about just how well the Royal tackles Balanchine, Four Temperaments is clearly a great work, which would repay a lot further study than we will have the chance to see. It has a remorseless logic about it, and the handling of the corps is exemplary: how to make four girls look like an advancing army of amazons. It doesn’t need any décor: there’s too much dance to watch.

The Kylian piece appeared last season, but seeing it again, and in this company, did it few favours. It was a very likeable piece at first viewing, but it doesn’t stand up to repeated scrutiny so well. The opening and closing sections are full of energy and vigour though this cast didn’t quite have the exuberance that was in evidence last season. The central sections though lack form and structure by contrast to what we had seen previously. Kylian’s writing for men is rather more interesting than for the women, who seem to get dragged around the floor a good deal. The back drop of an idealised green landscape was very pleasant after the lack of sets in the previous two items.

The Balanchine piece illuminated one of the influences of Wheeldon’s style: it would have been instructive to have an Ashton work on the bill as well, to illustrate his other influences, and set these side by side.

This was Antonio Pappano’s first attempt at conducting for the ballet and it seemed to come off well. The dancers applauded him. Philip Gammon played the solo piano for Four Temperaments as he had done in the previous performances by the Royal in 1973. These performances mark his 30th year as a solo pianist with the company.