La Dame Aux Camelias
Today I went to the Royal Dutch Ballet for the matinee of
La Dame Aux Camelias. Even though I've seen most famous classical ballets at least once, this one was new to me (it wasn't performed until the late twentieth century, though Chopin wrote the music, and the orchestra often sits back and lets a pianist take over). It's definitely Romantic with a capital R, alluding to its eighteenth-century predecessor Manon Lescaut frequently. If I were still teaching, I'd use it to illustrate the differences between eighteenth and nineteenth century European sensibilities!
It's also romantic with a lower case r, featuring doomed love, parental intervention, jealousy, a prostitute with a heart of gold, and, of course, the dreaded illness tuberculosis. The clothes were resplendent, and I loved the fact that there were strong parts for male dancers, who too often stand around and support female ballerinas.
You can see a preview here: https://youtu.be/-IrpOYo48ic.
A fine afternoon altogether, and I gained confidence from the fact that I found the theater first try without a map, a goal that eluded me last year. Something sank into that brain of mine!
It's also romantic with a lower case r, featuring doomed love, parental intervention, jealousy, a prostitute with a heart of gold, and, of course, the dreaded illness tuberculosis. The clothes were resplendent, and I loved the fact that there were strong parts for male dancers, who too often stand around and support female ballerinas.
You can see a preview here: https://youtu.be/-IrpOYo48ic.
A fine afternoon altogether, and I gained confidence from the fact that I found the theater first try without a map, a goal that eluded me last year. Something sank into that brain of mine!
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