The Ballet Bag – On the Mayerling Trail

Go immediately to The Ballet Bag to read Emilia's fantastic interview with Edward Watson of the Royal Ballet.  Watson speaks so eloquently about Kenneth MacMillan's choreography, in particular, his preparations for and commitment to the role of Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling:

The most research I did was with Mayerling because Crown Prince Rudolf was a real person and so you have a responsibility to be very honest. I read a lot of books on the subject. Deborah [MacMillan] lent me a book which Kenneth gave her for her birthday which he based the ballet on [The Road to Mayerling]. She lent me her copy so I could find things that he had underlined in there, things that were really important to him. I also had a weekend in Vienna, I went to visit Mayerling and saw the grave. It fascinated me, this ballet has always fascinated me since I was a kid, from having seen the South Bank documentary originally with Lynn Seymour and David Wall. It is one of those ballets that grow on you. The more you see it, the more you want to see it again. Being in Mayerling had an impact on me because it doesn’t come around that often. It wasn’t in the company for about 8 years while I was here.

And this picture by Johan Persson of Watson as Rudolf with his "friend":

Haglund looks forward to any and all coverage that The Ballet Bag will publish on the upcoming symposium: Kenneth MacMillan's Choreographic Imagination & Psychological Insight: A symposium to explore and celebrate MacMillan's creative genius Imperial College London, 8 Nov 2009.  That's this Sunday!

Psychoanalysts, writers, and artists and former artists of The Royal Ballet, including Viviana Durante (an astonishing Mary Vetsera), Edward Watson, Clement Crisp, Wayne Eagling, and Monica Mason are among the participants.

What's it going to take for us to get an ABT Mayerling?

If we wish for it, it will come.

Comments

[The Ballet Bag]

Thanks for linking to our interview with Watson. In one of the outtakes he spoke of the audience's enthusiastic response for Manon in Washington this last tour, so we cross our fingers the US can get a Mayerling! And we agree with him... the more you see it, the more you are drawn to this strangely compelling tale.

All the best,
Emilia

[Haglund]

You're quite welcome. Thank you for such a fantastic interview.

Haglund