Sunday Sounds 79 - Swan Lake

Last night I went to see Matthew Bourne's production of Swan Lake. 

I'd forgotten quite how wonderful it was: Sassy, witty, sexy, sensual, violent, it's a fabulous interpretation of the story. It's also a rare thing - a huge commercial success (it's 20 years old and still being performed to packed auditoria) with artistic merit.

Whilst ballet purists may not appreciate Bourne's appropriation of more modern styles of dance or his cultural references, it can't be suggested that the use of all-male swans is merely a gimick. The story is twisted, and the swans become much more swan like: graceful, yes, but aggressive and violent too.

And, of course, Tchaikovsky's score is magical.

Enjoy!

Andrew

P.S. You can see a bit more here.

Boxing Day Ballet

One of my memories of Christmases past is of my mother and I, once we had a telly, watching the ballet productions that BBC2 screen(ed). Funnily enough, my father would often excuse himself whilst these were on! 

In particular, I remember watching (and mum, a friend and I went to see it live some years later) was Matthew Bourne's innovative production of Swan Lake which features an all-male corps de ballet.

Here are some excerpts performed at the 1998 Royal Variety Performance and introduced by The Two Ronnies:

Apologies if you would have liked (or preferred) to have seen Jim Davidson after the break...

Andrew