★★★★★ National Ballet of China, The Peony Pavilion
The Peony Pavilion, a centuries-old tale of love triumphant against all odds, is brought to London’s Sadler’s Wells by the National Ballet of China
The Peony Pavilion, dancer Zhang Jin photo National Ballet of China
National Ballet of China, The Peony Pavilion Culture Whisper says ★★★★★
The Peony Pavillion tells an intricate story and you’d do well to read the synopsis beforehand. In short, a sleeping girl, Du Liniang, is joined upon wakening by two alter egos: a Chinese opera actress and a Flower Goddess.
Together they teach Liniang about love and sexual desire. Lining falls into a daydream where she meets a handsome lover. As she comes to and finds him gone, she dies of a broken heart.
In part two, after some tergiversation, which involves among other things a descent into hell, the lovers - mortal and ghost - are reunited and a wedding takes place.
An abundant and rather clichéd shower of peony petals brings the action to an abrupt close.
So far, so good - kind of. Certainly the dancers are beautifully trained: the women lithe and willowy with flowing arms and beautifully turned out, shapely feet; the men keen to show their prowess.
They deserve a better choreographer than Fei Bo. It’s clear he’s seen a lot of Western choreography and is attempting to work on a fusion of Eastern and Western styles. But his references are clumsy and eventually tiresome: a little Giselle here, a little Firebird there, some Béjart elsewhere, bit of Kilyán for the contemporary touch, and even quite a bit of messing around with a shoe, whether channeling Cinderella or simply a little foot fetishism I couldn't decide…
There is no coherent choreographic language: where what was meant as sinister is simply laughable; and what was intended as romantic is no more than twee; and for almost two hours no-one ever smiles, something has gone terribly wrong.
Even the wedding brings no apparent jollity.
The recorded music by Guo Wending is again a mishmash of references, including a long quote from Debussy’s Prélude à lAprès-midi d’un Faune; that and other familiar tunes excluded, it sounds more like a silent film score, heavy on discordant strings and relying on at times almost unbearable volume. The inclusion of a singer of Peking Opera, though, brings a welcome touch of originality.
Nevertheless, this is most certainly not music to dance to.
This company is capable of much better, as their 2008 visit to London with the remarkable Raise the Red Lantern abundantly showed. It’s a pity, then, that for its present tour it’s picked such a mediocre piece as The Peony Pavilion.
The Peony Pavillion tells an intricate story and you’d do well to read the synopsis beforehand. In short, a sleeping girl, Du Liniang, is joined upon wakening by two alter egos: a Chinese opera actress and a Flower Goddess.
Together they teach Liniang about love and sexual desire. Lining falls into a daydream where she meets a handsome lover. As she comes to and finds him gone, she dies of a broken heart.
In part two, after some tergiversation, which involves among other things a descent into hell, the lovers - mortal and ghost - are reunited and a wedding takes place.
An abundant and rather clichéd shower of peony petals brings the action to an abrupt close.
So far, so good - kind of. Certainly the dancers are beautifully trained: the women lithe and willowy with flowing arms and beautifully turned out, shapely feet; the men keen to show their prowess.
They deserve a better choreographer than Fei Bo. It’s clear he’s seen a lot of Western choreography and is attempting to work on a fusion of Eastern and Western styles. But his references are clumsy and eventually tiresome: a little Giselle here, a little Firebird there, some Béjart elsewhere, bit of Kilyán for the contemporary touch, and even quite a bit of messing around with a shoe, whether channeling Cinderella or simply a little foot fetishism I couldn't decide…
There is no coherent choreographic language: where what was meant as sinister is simply laughable; and what was intended as romantic is no more than twee; and for almost two hours no-one ever smiles, something has gone terribly wrong.
Even the wedding brings no apparent jollity.
The recorded music by Guo Wending is again a mishmash of references, including a long quote from Debussy’s Prélude à lAprès-midi d’un Faune; that and other familiar tunes excluded, it sounds more like a silent film score, heavy on discordant strings and relying on at times almost unbearable volume. The inclusion of a singer of Peking Opera, though, brings a welcome touch of originality.
Nevertheless, this is most certainly not music to dance to.
This company is capable of much better, as their 2008 visit to London with the remarkable Raise the Red Lantern abundantly showed. It’s a pity, then, that for its present tour it’s picked such a mediocre piece as The Peony Pavilion.
TRY CULTURE WHISPER
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| What | National Ballet of China, The Peony Pavilion |
| Where | Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Angel (underground) |
| When |
29 Nov 16 – 03 Dec 16, 19:30 sat mat 14:30 |
| Price | £12-£45 |
| Website | http://www.sadlerswells.com/ |