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BrumHour saw Into the Music at Birmingham Hippodrome at the invite of Birmingham Royal Ballet.
By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour
Review: Birmingham Royal Ballet: Into the Music at Birmingham Hippodrome
Three premieres (two UK, one World Premiere) make up the confident autumn triple bill at Birmingham Hippodrome. There are four performances of each (two on 21st and two on 22nd October) before Into the Music heads down to Sadler’s Wells from 2nd to 5th November 2022 for six more performances: brb.org.uk/shows/into-the-music-2022#dates-and-times.
Birmingham Royal Ballet then follows up this triple bill with Coppélia from 26th to 29th October 2022: brb.org.uk/shows/coppelia-2022
Forgotten Land ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Choreography by Jiří Kylián
We open with a soundscape and performance that feels much more like a modern dance than some people may expect, but soon the nature sounds of Forgotten Land give way to Sinfonia da Requiem Op. 20 written by Benjamin Britten
Forgotten Land offers six pairs of dancers moments to own the Hippodrome stage and I was enchanted by their skilled performance. After seeing the Studio to Stage earlier this year at The Rep, I could feel the enjoyment these performers had in this performance even more. A beautiful opening performance from the well known names at Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Choreography by Morgann Runacre-Temple
A six-door space provides the backdrop for a dark hotel which seems more like a Halloween horror hospital you’d find at a theme park. This production effectively uses video projection on the walls to focus on elements of this brooding story. Are the hotel staff dangerous? Why are there cameras in all the rooms?
I adored this atmospheric short production which contains a great number of details confidently packed into its thirty minutes. The video projection becomes space that the dancers can use to react to as well as something they are conscious of.
You’ll 100% avoid mushy peas as after this for a while. #JustSaying
The Seventh Symphony ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Choreography Uwe Scholz
From the rainbow of gymnastic style ribbons flanking the rear wall of the set, to the dancers dressed head to toe in white, with splashes of colour across their chests, this piece feels more like a Birmingham 2022 entry at first glance.
But the music of Beethoven conjures up a much more classical style of ballet than the previous entries on this autumn triple bill. From tightly paced group demonstrations to flashy solos, Seventh Symphony feels timeless in its movement and modern in its dressing.
