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Christopher Hampson,
Nuts gone... Concerto on | |||||||
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Christopher Hampson, a dancer and young choreographer with ENB, has been keeping a diary for us since November 97. Initially he covered the creation of his new ballet ‘Country Garden’ but now he has lots and lots of other things on the go.....
Here is a link to the previous column in the series.
1st March 1999 The Nutcracker season seems so long ago, even though the scars have only just healed. By the end of the gruelling marathon the company was down to only a handful of men and anyone left performing was in need of psychiatric help. I was one of the last people to succumb to the 'flu, and didn't perform the last half of the Cinderella week. I decided that once I was better I needed therapy and relaxation. Monte Carlo sounded nice…so that's were I went. Throughout the journey to Nice I promised myself that anything to do with ballet was banned (thank God I'd left my hair-net, tulle and RAD syllabus books at home). I managed to keep up this prohibition for all of six hours. After a rowdy dinner with friends which wound up at about 3am, I was whisked off to look at the studios which used to house the Ballets Russes. Quite a strange feeling to be stood looking at photos of Les Noces being rehearsed exactly where I was standing (well I was actually swaying a little bit by this point in the evening). After a quick twilight tour of Monte Carlo (it can be done in an hour or two depending on wine intake). I was staying with a friend, Fabio, who after leaving ENB a couple of years ago joined the Monte Carlo Ballet. Not only is it handy having a friend in living on the Mediterranean, but it's even better when they have to go on tour and they leave you the keys to their apartment. I shan't bore you with the amazing time I had, or the lovely people I met. Suffice it to say that there is a Guinness pub in Monaco. OK Back to the story… A week's holiday did me the world of good. Having all that time and space and days alone by the sea gave me ample thinking time for my new ballet. My new work is entitled Concerto Grosso - the music is by Alfred Schnittke (Concerto Grosso No. 3). The rehearsal time has been very tight, with the new Romeo and Juliet being staged along with the other 10 ballets that are being performed on ENB's mid-scale tour. I started to create the new ballet three weeks ago and there have been good and bad days. I can now predict a bad day a mile off - like tomorrow for example. It all started on Saturday morning in a rehearsal for my other ballet, Country Garden. Charlotte (Benesh notator and caretaker for re-staging Country Garden) leapt up from her chair to demonstrate a step and promptly tore her calf muscle. I've just called her now and she is still hopping around, as she can't put any weight on it. This doesn't really bode well for re-setting a ballet. Tomorrow then, I have a call for Concerto Grosso and Country Garden at the same time and without a Charlotte there can't be anymore learning of Garden which leaves us strapped for time so it is being left up to Ros Whitten to just go over whatever has been taught….But in the words of Fred Ebb:
For the sun will rise and the moon will set, And you learn to settle for what you get. It'll all go on if we're here or not, So who care's so what? Country Garden is being performed to orchestra this year so I've had a great time ploughing my way through every available recording to decide which version would best suit the size of orchestra we take on the mid-scale tour. It is quite incredible just how many orchestrations Grainger made of his own and other people's music. With Grainger in one ear and Schnittke in the other it was a blessing to be taken away from the studio and off to the company's scenery store in Greenford. I met Fido (designer) and we spent a very nice hour looking at half of our set and playing around with lighting. This has to be done whenever the opportunity arises as there is going to be no time to light and do a proper technical rehearsal in Crewe. This is due to us finishing R+J on Saturday 20th March and the crew doing the get-in to Crewe and having to light all the ballets by March 22nd. Well, not much else to report so I'll leave you with some dates….
Premiere of Concerto Grosso is March 23rd at the Lyceum in Crewe | ||||||||
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