Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée is ubiquitous these days, yet one of its most important assets is that whoever dances it must adhere to the rigorous standards of staging, choreography and delivery. It was the first time the production has been seen at the Royal Opera House Muscat and a first tour to Oman with it for the Czech National Ballet. Umberto Fanni, the Director General of the Opera House since 2014, saw it six years ago in Prague and decided to bring it to his Omani audiences.
Having grown up with the ballet, it has never failed to bring me a rewarding sense of joy and amusement. And let’s admit it, it blasts a very British sense of humour to the back of the auditorium. It's the story of a young girl, Lise, who wishes to marry a local farm boy, Colas. Her mother, however, wants her to marry Alain, the son of a wealthy proprietor of a vineyard, Thomas – it is a tale endearingly told. Nevertheless, in spite of its lighthearted tone, it requires some very proficient mastery of the Ashton style and vocabulary.
The opening night was led by a splendid cast in both the lead and soloist roles. A prerequisite is an ability to portray a character, tell the story and do so via the language of the dance. Alina Nanu as Lise and Patrik Holeček as Colas are both equipped with very strong technical abilities which allowed them a certain amount of freedom to play with the characters. From the very beginning, Nanu was a feisty, wilful daughter to Giovanni Rotolo’s hilarious Widow Simone. There is a fine balance between comedy and caricature and Rotolo succeeded in tapping into his feminine side and being very funny, without tipping over into camp territory. I especially enjoyed the chiding of Lise, complete with waggling head.
Nanu and Holeček gave impeccable accounts of the numerous pas de deux and solos, with no hitches in the first ribbon duet. In the Fanny Elssler pas de deux, a couple of stray ribbons from Lise’s friends were quickly swept up by Holeček with consummate professionalism. His entrance with the bottles as he made his way to the cornfield, was breathtaking. His beyond split jumps were so buoyant that his landings seemed almost irrelevant. Nanu’s execution of Ashton’s challenging solos was completely secure, enhanced by a natural ballon – she was never better than when flying through the air during the coda. What made this pairing so satisfying was the way they immersed themselves in the roles: charming, believable, funny and with palpable chemistry.
As Alain and Thomas, Jakub Rašek and Marek Svobodnik respectively, complemented each other. Rašek bore an uncanny resemblance to the original Alain, Alexander Grant. Whilst he maintained his own characterisation, there were some almost freakish moments, when he emulated Grant’s comic genius. Svobodnik put his own stamp on Thomas and when he glibly bore the brunt of Widow Simone’s slide in the clog dance, the hit was so slapstick (and I have never seen it like this before), so forceful that he was flung into the wings – I roared with laughter.
The second night saw Ayaka Fujii as Lise and Paul Irmatov as Colas. Irrepressibly animated and full of vitality, they too, proved to be a winning combination. They may have had a couple of wobbles (Fujii looked insecure during the difficult attitude promenade, holding on to the ribbons) but overall it was a polished and engaging performance. Marek Kašparovský was a completely different Widow Simone from Rotolo. Still very funny, perhaps a little too flirty with the hips given the time period but nevertheless, a hoot.
John Powers as Thomas and Veaceslav Burlac as Alain also gave distinctive accounts of their roles. This individuality was noticeable across the board and one assumes this is down to artistic director Filip Barankiewicz. Whilst Barankiewicz has danced the roles of both Colas and Widow Simone, as well as working directly with Grant when he was alive, he allows the artist to evolve in their own way, rather than imposing a stereotypical character on the dancer. This is invaluable when encouraging fresh interpretations across generations.
A major bonus of these performances was the presence of the Armenian State Orchestra. Led by the eminent conductor Sergey Smbatyan, the first thing I wrote in my notebook was ‘orchestra!’ as the opening notes were struck. A combination of excellent musicianship and the most extraordinary acoustics in the auditorium of the theatre, made this an experience to relish. If the tempi were occasionally slower than we are used to and thus tricky to sustain for the dancers, the quality of the sound emanating from the pit was sublime.
Czech National Ballet were in fine fettle, from the chickens to the farm labourers, to Lise’s friends and all the named characters: the first night audience was instantly on its feet for a standing ovation, which I have been reliably informed is not a regular occurrence in Oman. Fanni clearly has an eye for what might appeal to his audiences and with Ashton’s Fille, he chose a real treasure.
Deborah's trip was funded by the Royal Opera House Muscat
