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Royal Balletand Jonathan Cope's farewell February 2006 London, Covent Garden by Ian Palmer |
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As posted on our Postings pages... An evening framed by evocations of Imperial Russia and a farewell to the Tsar of Dance made for an evening at the Royal Opera House last night, where, ovations aplenty, Jonathan Cope the Royal Ballet's most senior Principal dancer made his farewell to the stage and tears were shed. The evening began with Balanchine's 1941 homage his Russian schooling and try as I might it is difficult to dispel memories of Diana Vishneva and Igor Zelensky dancing Ballet Imperial with all the intricate marvel of one of the Tsar's Faberge Easter Eggs. We know that Petipa laboured many hours at home devising stage patterns, processions and shapes. Balanchine takes this and super-speeds it into fast-forward mode. It requires dancing with Petersburg aristocracy coupled with New York speed. I would venture that Darcey Bussell is not a natural Petipa dancer, nor does she have the necessary speed to essay Balanchine's intricacies and the result appears somewhat lack-lustre. She also looks silly in a blonde wig. Of all the dancing it was David Makhateli as one of Zenaida Yanowsky’s cavaliers who impressed me the most with his delicious way of ending a phrase. Philip Gammon is no Mikhail Pletnev but nevertheless I thought he brought off Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto quite well. Eugene Berman’s designs, suggesting the Winter Palace, are beautiful and a delight to the eye.
I confess that I do not understand Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun. Whereas Njinsky’s brilliant, multi-layered version speaks of the sexual stirrings of a pagan animal crafted so beautifully to Debussy’s stunning score, Robbins’ version seems to tell of things getting a bit steamy in a dance class. I suppose one could transpose the situation to any setting – for me it spoke of the erotic tension of an afternoon spent in the British Library. Carlos Acosta and Sarah Lamb danced beautifully, but to my mind it was a bit of nonsense. Not so the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, which presented me for the fist time on the main stage with the recent acquisition, Alexandra Ansanelli. Here was star quality – such sparkle, such style and such musicianship – Brava! What a shame we did not get to see her in Ballet Imperial. Federico Bonelli matches her body shape well, but sometimes I wish he would give in to a bit of passion and bravura. But he provides great dance security, Ansanelli falls into his arms for the fish-dives with the greatest of ease. She is a great acquisition and I shall look forward to watching her over the seasons. I just hope she is not encouraged to lose some of her polish.
 © Jenny Taylor
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