Wheel of Fortune: Carmina burana a safe bet for BRB

By Mark Pullinger, 20 March 2015

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“Fortuna herself, Samara Downs, mesmeric in her furious opening solo”

Reviewed at The London Coliseum, London on 19 March 2015

Carmina Burana: O Fortuna

Serenade (George Balanchine)

Birmingham Royal Ballet

Philip Ellis, Conductor

Paul Murphy, Conductor

Elisha Willis, Dancer

Momoko Hirata, Dancer

Céline Gittens, Dancer

Tyrone Singleton, Dancer

César Morales, Dancer

Samara Downs, Dancer

Jenna Roberts, Dancer

Jamie Bond, Dancer

Mathias Dingman, Dancer

Iain Mackay, Dancer

Royal Ballet Sinfonia

William Dazeley, Baritone

Madeleine Pierard, Soprano

Jeremy Budd, Tenor

Ex Cathedra

Ballet for cowboys and soldiers at Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 20th March

Kansas City Ballet celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary with three American ballets. Balanchine's Stars and Stripes, de Mille's Rodeo and a new work by Caili Quan, A Home Away.

****1

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

A spectacular triple bill lifts ABT’s spring season in New York

Leigh Donlan, 13th March

A finely curated triple bill from American Ballet Theatre included works from Balanchine, Jiří Kylián and Alexei Ratmansky.

****1

Understatement and spectacle at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 26th February

Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering and George Balanchine's Diamonds make a study in contrasts. With lots of debuts in the former and seasoned leads in the latter.

*****

Fast Forward: Hamburg Ballet’s mixed bill proves a mixed success

Vikki Jane Vile, 22nd February

All that glistens... the world premiere of Xie Xin’s The Moon in the Ocean is the highlight of a mixed bill programme spanning 90 years of choreography.

***11

Study in Scarlet: Rubies crown Balanchine’s Jewels in Vienna

Mark Pullinger, 8th February

With a trio of excellent performances, Balanchine's sassy Rubies proves the hit as Jewels – a relatively recent acquisition – returns to the Wiener Staatsballett.

****1

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Wheel of Fortune: Carmina burana a safe bet for Birmingham Royal Ballet