Research Catalog

The Royal Opera House

Title: The Royal Opera House [videorecording] / produced by Double Exposure for BBC ; series directed by Michael Waldman ; series producer, Andrew Bethell.
Publication: West Long Branch, N.J. : Kultur, c1995.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request Appointment Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.	Moving image	Use in library	*MGZIA 4-3534	Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance

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Additional Authors

Description

3 videocassettes (304 min.) : sd., col. NTSC; 1/2 in. (VHS)

Summary

Six-part documentary on the inside workings of the Royal Opera House, depicting its many recent vicissitudes in regard to its public image and marketing, finances, artists and repertory, management and labor. The program incorporates numerous brief interviews with artists, administrators, and other personnel, both backstage and front-of-house. Performance footage is interspersed with views behind the scenes, including meetings and conferences for artistic and managerial purposes as well as auditions, rehearsals, and the preparation of sets and costumes.

Uniform Title

Sleeping beauty (Choreographic work : Dowell)
Nutcracker (Choreographic work : Wright after Ivanov)
Mayerling (Choreographic work : MacMillan)
Tales of Beatrix Potter (Choreographic work : Ashton)
Romeo and Juliet (Choreographic work : MacMillan)

Alternative Title

Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Subjects

Genre/Form

Dance.
Music.
Documentaries and factual films and programs.
Video.
Dance rehearsals.

Credits (note)

Executive producer, Edward Mirzoeff.

Performer (note)

Narrator: Jancis Robinson.
Among the major administrators appearing in this series are: Jeremy Isaacs, general director, Royal Opera House ; Sir Anthony Dowell, director, Royal Ballet ; Nicholas Payne, director, Royal Opera ; Keith Cooper, director, public affairs ; Mike Morris, director, personnel.

Contents

Cassette 1. Star struck (ca. 58 min.). Program centering on the Covent Garden debut of American mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, in the title role of Carmen. Backstage drama ensues when illness prevents Graves from performing on press night, and a substitute, Magali Damonte, has to be prepared. Tenors Neil Shicoff and Plácido Domingo appear in the role of Don Jose.
Horse trading (ca. 49 min.). Tribulations of stage designer Maria Bjornson, who finds herself overburdened by her commitment to design two closely scheduled major productions, the Royal Opera's Katya Kabanova (directed by Trevor Nunn), and the Royal Ballet's The sleeping beauty (produced by Anthony Dowell). Scenes from both productions demonstrate the magnitude of her task. Principal ballerina Darcey Bussell, coached by Antoinette Sibley and partnered by Zoltán Solymosi, is seen rehearsing the role of Aurora in The sleeping beauty.
Cassette 2. Foot fault (ca. 49 min.). Thomas Allen appears as a last-minute substitute in the role of Count Almaviva in The marriage of Figaro. The physical hardship of dancing is underlined by scenes of a Royal Ballet rehearsal of Tales of Beatrix Potter, featuring a male dancer on pointe, and a sequence on dancer Michael Nunn's ankle surgery. The filmmakers follow the Royal Ballet to the U.S. for the world premiere of The sleeping beauty at Kennedy Center (attended by President Bill Clinton and Princess Margaret), and the events surrounding it.
High hopes (ca. 50 min.). An excerpt from Die Meistersinger prefaces scenes of labor negotiations with the union representing the stage crew. This program centers on the Royal Ballet's production of The nutcracker, from the auditions for child dancers at the Royal Ballet School to the opening night performance.
Cassette 3. Settling scores (ca. 49 min.). This program focuses on the Royal Opera, beginning with director Nicholas Payne's efforts to balance its budget. Innovative productions of Gawaine (by Sir Harrison Birtwistle), The magic flute and Cherubin (directed by Tim Albery) demonstrate the company's often controversial attempts to acquire new and experimental works, while excerpts from Tosca and Die Meistersinger represent its traditional repertory. This program includes appearances by conductors Bernard Haitink, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Mario Bernardi.
Winning ticket (ca. 49 min.). Fighting battles on several fronts, the beleaguered Opera House staff tries to counter charges of elitism, makes cuts in personnel (including ballerina Fiona Chadwick) in an effort to decrease its deficit, and faces community opposition to its plans for the redevelopment of the building. Performance excerpts depict Kenneth MacMillan's ballets Mayerling (danced by Adam Cooper and Leanne Benjamin) and Romeo and Juliet (danced by Fiona Chadwick), as well as the opera Aida.

Call Number

*MGZIA 4-3534

ISBN

1561274828

OCLC

37450363
NYPY99-F1073

Title

The Royal Opera House [videorecording] / produced by Double Exposure for BBC ; series directed by Michael Waldman ; series producer, Andrew Bethell.

Imprint

West Long Branch, N.J. : Kultur, c1995.

Country of Producing Entity

U.K.

Credits

Executive producer, Edward Mirzoeff.

Performer

Narrator: Jancis Robinson.

Among the major administrators appearing in this series are: Jeremy Isaacs, general director, Royal Opera House ; Sir Anthony Dowell, director, Royal Ballet ; Nicholas Payne, director, Royal Opera ; Keith Cooper, director, public affairs ; Mike Morris, director, personnel.

Added Author

Graves, Denyce. Singer

Damonte, Magali. Singer

Shicoff, Neil. Singer

Isaacs, Jeremy. Depicted

Domingo, Plácido, 1941- Singer

Nunn, Trevor. Depicted

Bjørnson, Maria. Designer

Bussell, Darcey, dancer.

Sibley, Antoinette. Depicted

Dowell, Anthony, choreographer.

Solymosi, Zoltan, dancer.

Allen, Thomas, 1944- Singer

Nunn, Michael, dancer.

Clinton, Bill, 1946- Depicted

Margaret, Princess, Countess of Snowdon, 1930-2002. Depicted

Carr, Christopher, dancer.

Park, Merle. Depicted

Wright, Peter, 1926- choreographer.

Payne, Nicholas. Depicted

Birtwistle, Harrison. Composer

Haitink, Bernard, 1929-2021. Conductor

Albery, Tim. Director

Rozhdestvenskiĭ, Gennadiĭ. Conductor

Bernardi, Mario. Conductor

Cooper, Adam, 1971- dancer.

Benjamin, Leanne, 1964- dancer.

Chadwick, Fiona, dancer.

Waldman, Michael. Director

Royal Opera House (London, England)

Royal Ballet.

Double Exposure (Firm)

British Broadcasting Corporation. Television Service.

Kultur International Films.

DHCA.

Added Title

Sleeping beauty (Choreographic work : Dowell)

Nutcracker (Choreographic work : Wright after Ivanov)

Mayerling (Choreographic work : MacMillan)

Tales of Beatrix Potter (Choreographic work : Ashton)

Romeo and Juliet (Choreographic work : MacMillan)

Research Call Number

*MGZIA 4-3534

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