Stream: The Cellist
Royal Opera House: ‘Our House to Your House’ series
In her first commission for the Royal Ballet in 2020 choreographer Kathy Marston chose to tell the story of the renowned cellist Jaqueline du Pre, whose career was cut short by the onset of multiple sclerosis. She was forced to stop performing at 28 and died at age 42. She was regarded as the finest cellist of her generation. Her life was a giddy rise to fame celebrated around the world as she flew from one concert hall to another, marrying pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, and becoming the golden couple of the day.
Kathy Marston, former director of the Bern Ballet, took on a huge task with this work. She is sought after by many companies as a choreographer, but this was coming home as she trained at the Royal Ballet School. Making a narrative ballet is a challenge and condensing into a one-hour performance is even more so. She had the resources of Lauren Cuthbertson, one of the finest dancers in the company, newly promoted principal Marcelino Sambe and rising star Matthew Ball at her command. Sambe, portraying the Cello (A Stradivarius), was an ingenious, moving metaphor and he embodied it with delicacy. Mathew Ball danced the Husband (Barenboim), often side-lined by her love of her instrument. An intriguing pas de trois evolved. Lauren Cuthbertson has wonderful lyrical qualities and gave a sympathetic moving performance, coming into her own in the final tragic scene, alone on the stage in a single chair. The choreography was swirling and strong but the flat feet as she was lifted embodying the playing position, proved a discordant image. The Artists as narrators were often underused due to the constrictions of time in the storytelling.
However, what a shame that this was not a two-act ballet. This is a tragic story on a grand scale and deserves more narrative. How much more could have been made of her early years (she never finished her school exams), her ambitious mother and her relationship with her sister Hilary, a flautist. More on her relationship with Barenboim and the tensions between classical musicians. And time to explore coping with her heart-breaking decline.
This was a work of beauty. With an exquisite score by composer Phillip Feeney, incorporating moving and powerful cello music by Elgar, Beethoven, Faure, Mendelssohn, Piatti, Rachmaninov and Schubert, played by soloist Hetty Snell. The opening sequence using old vinyl records reminded us that we can still hear her voice on our ancient turntables.
Bravo to Royal Ballet for embracing new work. Ballet is an expensive art form and in the current climate who knows when we will enjoy the chance to experience this again?
Available free on YouTube.
