London town, part V: The Royal Ballet's Ondine

Miyako Yoshida and Edward Watson with the company.

THE ROYAL BALLET: ONDINE
May 23 and 24

“Ondine” was the last full-evening ballet that Frederick Ashton created. Based on the tale of the water nymph who falls in love with a mortal prince, it’s a contemporary, almost impressionist kind of ballet, using a modern score by Hans Werner Henze, and scenes that propel the story forward through images but not necessarily through fully formed narrative (you have to get the whole story from the program notes). Nevertheless, many of the images formed are remarkable and compensate for narrative deficiences – especially in the first act, with water nymphs swelling around the pair of lovers as the king of the sea attempt to separate Ondine and Palemon. The score, though not immediately accessible, also yields considerable rewards – particularly in the aforementioned Act One, and in an Act Three divertissment (which forms what is basically a thrilling, furious piano concerto). Performance wise, the company got through it, though without anything particularly special. The title role of Ondine was created on Margot Fonteyn, and for years the role has been associated directly with her – a tough act to follow. Tamara Rojo and Miyako Yoshida, the two Ondines that I saw, did admirable work, but that special, intangible “spark” was missing. Palemon was danced by Edward Watson and Jonathan Cope – I enjoyed Watson’s interpretation more since it seemed more passionate, but Cope was more sturdy and solid as a partner.

Tamara Rojo and Jonathan Cope.