I'm a keen opera fan, but pretty clueless about ballet. I do receive the information from the Royal Opera House, but not much sticks.
I've been to a lot of opera final dress rehearsals - and just one or two ballet ones. Today was seriously special.
"La Fille Mal Gardee" - a French name, but it couldn't be more English. Cornfields, village scenes, maypoles, a naughty daughter who wants to give her widowed mother the skip to meet up with her boy, a rich man who wants to marry his gormless son to the beautiful girl...... happy ending... dancing cockerel and chickens....and there is even a pretty little (well-behaved) pony pulling a cart.
It was incredibly easy to follow. It was visually magnificent. There must have been lots of tricks and special ballet moves as the crowd applauded very often (a much younger and more female a gathering than the opera buffs).
It struck me that this would be the perfect opera for a young child to enjoy. It was like a living cartoon, colourful and alive.
I'm dangerously near to being addicted to ballet (but can't afford it !!!!).
And yes, Natalia Osipova is famous - and well deserves to be,
(the blip is the marvellous view from the terrace over the approach to Covent Garden - always magical.)
