Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Ballet de L'Opéra Caligula Le Riche



This ballet was created by the Ballet de L'Opéra National de Paris on 21st October, 2005. Star dancer Nicolas Le Riche claims his obsession with Caligula, the Roman Emperor who was stabbed by the age of 29. I am no expert to judge, but must admit that I was confused and a little disappointed with the performance. I didn't buy the program and was a little bit lost during the ballet's five acts.

There were hardly any costume changes, I didn't like the "modern twist" to the ballet and Vivaldi's music, and couldn't figure out the message of the projected screen. However, I was more than impressed by the orchestra, notably the conductor and violin soloist, Frédéric Laroque. Vivaldi was interpreted beautifully, and if I couldn't see the orchestra pit I would have believed that it was a CD being played.

The dancers were all graceful as usual. The men danced beautifully and elegantly, the women seemed like dancing puppets. Some parts of the choreography were messy, and some were boring. I even caught J looking up and enjoying the ceiling more than a few times during the ballet. But it was a nice outing for a Monday night, and it was short enough that we didn't feel trapped.

The most impressive part of the night was being in Opéra Garnier itself. Everything was extravagant, from the stairwells to the ceiling to the chandelier to the deco. I'm already trying to book tickets to other performances, preferably a gala the next time!

Metro: Opéra
Photos by Me

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