What a complete performance by Monica Mason. It is a thrill to see her actually dance Myrtha after watching her coach a current Myrtha at the Royal Ballet. She has all the qualities she mentioned in her coaching - authority, that listening quality. Monica Mason is the best Myrtha I have seen. She is both cold and authoritative, and her technique is impeccable. As mentioned below, she has both force and lightness.
I just discovered this video. I watched Dame Monica Mason coach a Royal Ballerina in the role of Juliet. The drama she was working on comes out in this performance too. I'm totally in awe of her!
After watching other Myrthas I invariably come back to watch Monica to remind myself of the gold standard for this role. No one has ever come close to Monica Mason in expressing the beautiful depth of character and musicality of this role. Monica is one with the music and she brings a level of complexity and mystery to the performance that has been unequaled in my opinion.
Your description is perfect.. I am just discovering her dancing, there is so little of her performance on here, she is wonderful. I am seeing the Victorian etchings and manner of this ballet noted and expressed here. I wonder if she has her usual type of shoe - These, soft and tapering to a narrow point are also faithful to archetype.
Monica's Myrtha was not as flashy as we see them today, especially with the ponché. Yet, Monica had so much artistry it makes up for it. Today's dancers may have incredible extensions, but many lack the characterisation and artistry that Ms. Mason, and Karen Kain and other legends had
Mason is so perfect in her interpretation. Light, airy, romantic, but also clearly showing Myrthe’s motivating heartbreak. Her Myrthe is not one nite, she’s beautifully complex.
The entering scene, if we can't see her legs, she will look like gliding weightlessly.... If fact, even *when* we can see her legs, she *still* looks like gliding weightlessly! Such technique!
The make up and performance are superb The ghostly features portrayed by the make up and interpretation of the queen are perfect. I remember reading an original report translated from the french of Adele Dumilatre the original Myrtha as performing a commanding and almost terrifying portrayal of a ghostly spirit - Monica comes very close to that in this portrayal and her technique never falters So many modern Myrthas are too wrapped up in the physical requirements of the part that the Dramatic quality of a vengeful and Malevocent spirit is lost -as they make it all to pretty pretty She is out to get her own back on any male that crosses her path !! her only reward is his death nothing pretty about her !!!!
Now this is a true interpretation of this so demanding part! Too many Myrthas come across like robots. Cold does not mean feelingless in this case though. I also enjoy how the music and choreography are not tempered with for the sake of displaying plain technical skills (which in the end ruins the romantic style and affects the whole of the plot). Why is it unaccepltable nowadays to have an arabesque at 90° if a 19th century part needs it?
This is a superb record of a sublime and suitably threatening and ethereal Myrthe Monica Mason s performance must rank as one of the greatest ever -She has the perfect mix of command and strength but a lightness of leap and softness of bodyline and arms to make you think of a ghostly apparition - The only one who i can think comes near is ABT Martine van Hamel in her interpretation - so many other Myrthe s get the force but forget she is a spirit so it all seems too athletic and forced when pulling off the very demanding original choreography of the role -loosing the whole point of the story
I watched this after watching an older Ms. Mason rehearse a young dancer in this role. Wow. She’s an extraordinary teacher and it’s easy to see why her insights ring so true. Thanks for posting!
I watched Dame Monica Mason coach a young Royal Ballerina in the role of Juliet. She was really working on the Drama and I see that in this role too. Amazing! I'm in awe of her.
I love the staging, the costumes, the corps, and especially Monica who is transcendent!! How wonderful she has been to transform other dancers into Myrtha! Thank you, C❤❤
One thing I particularly notice in Monicas interpretation is on the diagonal hops soon after the initial entrance the ones where the arm comes in front and then moves horizontally across Monica makes this firm but soft as she is a creature of the mist a ghostly apparition - so many make it too sharp and jerky so the eeriness is lost. The same applies when one of the leading wilis repeats the action she too gives it an eeriness without being too forceful - it is firm but must still maintain the misty quality and interpretation.
Thank you for this comment; I learned something! I like the way the Willis emerge variously from the woods. Royal Ballet doesn't do this. I believe this was more like the 1841 premiere, which had Willis suspended on wires and so on.
I love how. MYRTA and the other wilis come out with shrouds on their faces. The scenery, lighting and costumes add so much to the eerie mood of this act. What is the symbolism of Myrta's flowers? What a beautiful dancer she is! Her bourees shimmer across the stage!
the amazing thing was Monica was not one of the skinny lathes of a dancer yet her lightness and ballon in this clip are superb, making her appear to fly and glide. Have seen far lighter build dancers struggle with little or no elevation and heavy landings. This makes them totally wrong for the part - and apart from the opening gliding entrance spoils the effect of a spirit emerging from the ground, a creature of no substance a wisp of the mist from where she comes.
Monica is divine here. Watching this, I had the strangest sensation of being in my box in 1840's Paris---I had to shake myself back to reality. The poses of the corps behind Myrtha's entrée @ 8:38 are pure ballet heaven. You actually believe she's Myrthe---ensnaring unlucky men and dominating her retinue through the powers of her dancing. It's not nearly enough to just hit the steps or notes in the ballet/opera, not even close. To me, the Myrthe scene is the absolute pinnacle of Romantic ballet. And what an exquisite set. [I mostly despise today's 'ironic' opera productions and designers. Wishing they would do the Ring, say, with Romantic natural sets, with real fir trees brought onstage, breastplates, and open-throated, supported-Italianate singing, as Wagner wished!]
Monica Mason is the best Myrtha... Queen of the Willis. no one can project that same regal carriage and character and personality in the role while looking like she is effortlessly dancing. Omg. young dancers in Royal Ballet these days seem like they can't hold a candle to her dancing.
This is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE version of this ballet. The darkness, the stage props, the way the dancers pop out and peek around is wonderful stage performance. Out of ALL the ballets out there, this was the one I always wanted to dance & Myrtha in particular. At least I am learning to play it on the harp.
Myrtha is one of my favorite characters in ballet. If I'd been blessed to have been a pro, that is one role I would have loved to dance. Of course, I'm 5'3" so maybe I wouldn't have been cast as her.
On in clima etereo quasi da sperdimento l'eterea levità di questa ballerina.Poi la compagnia hereuse del corollario danzante .Tutto oltremodo accattivante. BRSVISSIME.BIGHIN GIULIO RENZO
Dall'offuscamento etereo emerge questa ballerina ad impadronirsi dello spazio in forma aggrazziata e leggera ma con una sicurezza negli stacchi e nelle sforbiciate veramente miracolosa.Ottima sia l'ambientazione sia la narratio naturalista che impronta il.balletto.Bravissimi.Bighin GIULIO RENZO
What I noticed was how the emotional immediacy of Dame Monica’s facial expression adds to every line and move of her limbs. She is not just commanding the Willis to emerge fora bloodthirsty attack. She is sending her empathy out to the wounded innocents, and she evokes suspense, even vulnerability, when they don’t show up immediately. She cares primarily to see if they are still part of the sisterhood, whether their common suffering still binds them, whether the agony of their past betrayal will again motivate them to close ranks with a newcomer to the despair of the abandoned . She is not angry and cruel, but determined to never let the callousness of men who cause suffering be forgotten. She embodies righteous indignation and needs the support of others who remember that pain!
A question a lot of old dancers (like myself) have asked is who coached Monica Mason in this role? We have all been enthralled lately by her recent coaching of Myrtha at the Royal Ballet. I was tasked with finding out her original coach and so far not too much success. Any help would be appreciated.
If I were to guess, I would guess it was the senior generation of ballerinas just above her - Svetlana Beriosova, Nadia Nerina and Beryl Grey. Possibly even Pamela May. The last, Pamela May, was probably retired from dancing though, by the time Dame Monica started landing roles like Myrtha.
i remember watching this as a teenager on VHS tape. If I’m not mistaken this was the Bavarian State Opera and Ballet, with a cast headed by Rudolph Nureyev and Lynn Seymour.
Monica Mason is an excellent Martha. I was disappointed that the music was so fast when the Wilis were doing their iconic hops. It seemed rushed. In fact the end of this clip seemed rushed. Of course, that is just my opinion. I really enjoy the video of Martine Van Hamel as Myrtha, too. I have seen Giselle in live performance multiple times. The corps in Act Two is outstanding to watch. (San Francisco Ballet multiple times; San Jose Ballet once)
I loved the performance of these dancers, but I find unbelievable that they made this ballet production in such NARROW stage, where it looked so CROWDED. They were struggling with the small space for a ballet like this. It felt almost claustrophobic, to say the least. Why would anyone would make such a crazy mistake?... The story supposedly happens in the open forest, outside, where the Willis spirits dance free of the earthly bodies. At least the lighting is top notch.
She is certainly good, but everyone should see the Myrtha of Viktoria Tereshkina, in the Marinsky Theater production of 2007, Kirov ballet. It is available on RUclips.
This was an absolute thrill to watch. A true treasure of art and performance. Beginning with the set, everything that follows is sublime. And yes, those tableaux of Wilas at Myrtha's 8:38 entrance! As if taken straight out of European paintings. Splendid incorporation. Please, I'd like to add this to a playlist for myself and other ballet fans. Won't you kindly change the video settings to allow it? 🤍 @soter
Развлечения![Monica Mason as Carabosse in ‘The Sleeping Beauty' [Royal Ballet, 1978]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mg5VUS5Zn54/mqdefault.jpg)
![Monica Mason as Carabosse in ‘The Sleeping Beauty' [Royal Ballet, 1978]](/img/tr.png)
Is the complete version of this available on DVD?
+Jane Aston Yes, you can find it on Amazon. This was a performance with Seymour and Nureyev in the lead roles.
Many thanks, have ordered it - stella cast!
I am spoilt on Monica Mason's Myrtha. I don't think I'll ever find a better version than this.
Totally agree
What a complete performance by Monica Mason. It is a thrill to see her actually dance Myrtha after watching her coach a current Myrtha at the Royal Ballet. She has all the qualities she mentioned in her coaching - authority, that listening quality. Monica Mason is the best Myrtha I have seen. She is both cold and authoritative, and her technique is impeccable. As mentioned below, she has both force and lightness.
I just discovered this video. I watched Dame Monica Mason coach a Royal Ballerina in the role of Juliet. The drama she was working on comes out in this performance too. I'm totally in awe of her!
The woman doesnt miss a beat or nuance, nothing, sheer ballet magic
She is the best Myrtha! Her bourres are incredible. Her performances are magnetic.
After watching other Myrthas I invariably come back to watch Monica to remind myself of the gold standard for this role. No one has ever come close to Monica Mason in expressing the beautiful depth of character and musicality of this role. Monica is one with the music and she brings a level of complexity and mystery to the performance that has been unequaled in my opinion.
Your description is perfect.. I am just discovering her dancing, there is so little of her performance on here, she is wonderful. I am seeing the Victorian etchings and manner of this ballet noted and expressed here. I wonder if she has her usual type of shoe - These, soft and tapering to a narrow point are also faithful to archetype.
Monica's Myrtha was not as flashy as we see them today, especially with the ponché. Yet, Monica had so much artistry it makes up for it. Today's dancers may have incredible extensions, but many lack the characterisation and artistry that Ms. Mason, and Karen Kain and other legends had
I MISS ARTISTRY!
I agree but Gillian Murphy has it. Wish she played this part. In ALL ballets, this is my favorite & thank you, this is my favorite version
Oh my God, those perfect bourrees! She positively floats.
In addition to Mason's spot-on characterization, the production is marvelous.
Mason is so perfect in her interpretation. Light, airy, romantic, but also clearly showing Myrthe’s motivating heartbreak. Her Myrthe is not one nite, she’s beautifully complex.
The entering scene, if we can't see her legs, she will look like gliding weightlessly.... If fact, even *when* we can see her legs, she *still* looks like gliding weightlessly! Such technique!
The make up and performance are superb The ghostly features portrayed by the make up and interpretation of the queen are perfect. I remember reading an original report translated from the french of Adele Dumilatre the original Myrtha as performing a commanding and almost terrifying portrayal of a ghostly spirit - Monica comes very close to that in this portrayal and her technique never falters So many modern Myrthas are too wrapped up in the physical requirements of the part that the Dramatic quality of a vengeful and Malevocent spirit is lost -as they make it all to pretty pretty She is out to get her own back on any male that crosses her path !! her only reward is his death nothing pretty about her !!!!
Perfect! She makes it clear Myrtha is queen of the forest and in charge. But is so unearthly and BEAUTIFUL!! BEST ever.
Now this is a true interpretation of this so demanding part! Too many Myrthas come across like robots. Cold does not mean feelingless in this case though. I also enjoy how the music and choreography are not tempered with for the sake of displaying plain technical skills (which in the end ruins the romantic style and affects the whole of the plot). Why is it unaccepltable nowadays to have an arabesque at 90° if a 19th century part needs it?
YES!
This is a superb record of a sublime and suitably threatening and ethereal Myrthe Monica Mason s performance must rank as one of the greatest ever -She has the perfect mix of command and strength but a lightness of leap and softness of bodyline and arms to make you think of a ghostly apparition - The only one who i can think comes near is ABT Martine van Hamel in her interpretation - so many other Myrthe s get the force but forget she is a spirit so it all seems too athletic and forced when pulling off the very demanding original choreography of the role -loosing the whole point of the story
Honestly, this version gave me chills. I need MORE so I just bought the DVD.
the scenery is so beautiful and mysterious
I watched this after watching an older Ms. Mason rehearse a young dancer in this role. Wow. She’s an extraordinary teacher and it’s easy to see why her insights ring so true. Thanks for posting!
I watched Dame Monica Mason coach a young Royal Ballerina in the role of Juliet. She was really working on the Drama and I see that in this role too. Amazing! I'm in awe of her.
And that's how we do that.
I love the staging, the costumes, the corps, and especially Monica who is transcendent!! How wonderful she has been to transform other dancers into Myrtha! Thank you, C❤❤
One thing I particularly notice in Monicas interpretation is on the diagonal hops soon after the initial entrance the ones where the arm comes in front and then moves horizontally across Monica makes this firm but soft as she is a creature of the mist a ghostly apparition - so many make it too sharp and jerky so the eeriness is lost. The same applies when one of the leading wilis repeats the action she too gives it an eeriness without being too forceful - it is firm but must still maintain the misty quality and interpretation.
Thank you for this comment; I learned something! I like the way the Willis emerge variously from the woods. Royal Ballet doesn't do this. I believe this was more like the 1841 premiere, which had Willis suspended on wires and so on.
I just love this staging. Monica Mason made for a Myrta...thank you
Absolutely beautiful performance! Monica Mason is a treasure!
Monica was amazing here. I have so much respect and admiration for this wonderful lady
This is my favorite Myrtha. Dame Monica Mason!
I love how. MYRTA and the other wilis come out with shrouds on their faces. The scenery, lighting and costumes add so much to the eerie mood of this act. What is the symbolism of Myrta's flowers? What a beautiful dancer she is! Her bourees shimmer across the stage!
A rosemary branch - an Ancient symbol of fidelity and remembrance
the amazing thing was Monica was not one of the skinny lathes of a dancer yet her lightness and ballon in this clip are superb, making her appear to fly and glide. Have seen far lighter build dancers struggle with little or no elevation and heavy landings. This makes them totally wrong for the part - and apart from the opening gliding entrance spoils the effect of a spirit emerging from the ground, a creature of no substance a wisp of the mist from where she comes.
Monica Mason is the scariest but beautiful mrytha I’ve ever seen! She totally owns this role !!
God she looks so ethereal and otherworldly it's amazing. One of the greats for sure
I saw her perform this many years ago. Pure perfection ❤️❤️😎
Best Myrha I ever seen. Absolutely fantastic 👌
Wow, that was absolutely beautiful!!!!
Monica is divine here. Watching this, I had the strangest sensation of being in my box in 1840's Paris---I had to shake myself back to reality. The poses of the corps behind Myrtha's entrée @ 8:38 are pure ballet heaven. You actually believe she's Myrthe---ensnaring unlucky men and dominating her retinue through the powers of her dancing. It's not nearly enough to just hit the steps or notes in the ballet/opera, not even close. To me, the Myrthe scene is the absolute pinnacle of Romantic ballet. And what an exquisite set. [I mostly despise today's 'ironic' opera productions and designers. Wishing they would do the Ring, say, with Romantic natural sets, with real fir trees brought onstage, breastplates, and open-throated, supported-Italianate singing, as Wagner wished!]
If you'd been a gentleman in a box in 1840's Paris, you'd be sitting there picking out your next mistress.
@@bobzeschin3154 ugly comment.
Monica Mason as Myrta is sublime.
Beautiful - just love the floaty tutu - perfect!!
Beautiful
Every time I look at this I always feel so happy to watch Dame Monica Masons excellent and enchanting dance. She is a real Prima ballerina❣️
Wonderful performance, emanating a cold, embittered, betrayed lover. Such technique-fabulous.
Monica Mason is the best Myrtha... Queen of the Willis. no one can project that same regal carriage and character and personality in the role while looking like she is effortlessly dancing. Omg. young dancers in Royal Ballet these days seem like they can't hold a candle to her dancing.
Totally mesmerizing…. Best Myrtha I have seen and sets, costuming are glorious. Thank you.
This is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE version of this ballet. The darkness, the stage props, the way the dancers pop out and peek around is wonderful stage performance. Out of ALL the ballets out there, this was the one I always wanted to dance & Myrtha in particular. At least I am learning to play it on the harp.
Full of poetry. Breathtaking.
she is incredible
Magnifique... Merci !
What a pleasure to read insightful comments.
Can't thank you enough for uploading.
This is so transcendently beautiful; I watch it often. So grateful to thesleepingsoter for posting it. Thank you!
Myrtha is one of my favorite characters in ballet. If I'd been blessed to have been a pro, that is one role I would have loved to dance. Of course, I'm 5'3" so maybe I wouldn't have been cast as her.
On in clima etereo quasi da sperdimento l'eterea levità di questa ballerina.Poi la compagnia hereuse del corollario danzante .Tutto oltremodo accattivante. BRSVISSIME.BIGHIN GIULIO RENZO
Gorgeous 🩰🥰💕
Dall'offuscamento etereo emerge questa ballerina ad impadronirsi dello spazio in forma aggrazziata e leggera ma con una sicurezza negli stacchi e nelle sforbiciate veramente miracolosa.Ottima sia l'ambientazione sia la narratio naturalista che impronta il.balletto.Bravissimi.Bighin GIULIO RENZO
Monica makes it look SO easy. What an incredible talent
Her jumps are incredible
wow! fantastic!
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing..x
По-моему, это лучшая Мирта всех времен. Какие легкие прыжки, просто чудо. И внешность у нее очень подходящая для Мирты.
Потрясающе!!!
Beautiful little bourres!
I'm getting the allure of ballet now, it's the illusion of fast movement or momentum at a lower pace, which is real clever.
Superb interpretation by Mason, also fine ensemble work 🌟
Magical!
Thank you for posting this. Monica Mason is exquisite in everything, but her Myrtha here is perfection. Those leaps at the end...
The best Myrtha ever! Marvelous Monica Mason. ❤️
Bravooooooooo👏👏👏👏👏👏
What I noticed was how the emotional immediacy of Dame Monica’s facial expression adds to every line and move of her limbs. She is not just commanding the Willis to emerge fora bloodthirsty attack. She is sending her empathy out to the wounded innocents, and she evokes suspense, even vulnerability, when they don’t show up immediately. She cares primarily to see if they are still part of the sisterhood, whether their common suffering still binds them, whether the agony of their past betrayal will again motivate them to close ranks with a newcomer to the despair of the abandoned . She is not angry and cruel, but determined to never let the callousness of men who cause suffering be forgotten. She embodies righteous indignation and needs the support of others who remember that pain!
Beautifully ethereal.
Beautiful set
This is fantastic!!!! Monica Mason is terrific and the whole production is so different and refreshing.
Bravo!
I love the way the set looks
Brilliant and so atmospheric. Spellbinding
Escenario perfecto para semejante hermosura lluvia de aplausos
Потрясающие декорации!
Wow
Amo essa variação!😍
Как завораживают эти танцы виллис!
Okay Monica I’m not mad at you at all!
splendid
🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷👍🙂🙏🙏🙏
Incomparable bourres.
10:41 I love how her dress swirled
Interesante versión .
A question a lot of old dancers (like myself) have asked is who coached Monica Mason in this role? We have all been enthralled lately by her recent coaching of Myrtha at the Royal Ballet. I was tasked with finding out her original coach and so far not too much success. Any help would be appreciated.
If I were to guess, I would guess it was the senior generation of ballerinas just above her - Svetlana Beriosova, Nadia Nerina and Beryl Grey. Possibly even Pamela May. The last, Pamela May, was probably retired from dancing though, by the time Dame Monica started landing roles like Myrtha.
@@avesraggiana Thank you. this gives me a starting point. You are very kind.
I’d love to see a video of the entire Giselle with Monica.
I find thie video much better than the tv film with Toni Lander (Fracci/Bruhn). The calling of the wilis is much better made here!
Wow, a beautiful and awesome display of ballet 🩰. The set was lovely as well, very ethereal- if on the small side. Anyone know where it was?
i remember watching this as a teenager on VHS tape. If I’m not mistaken this was the Bavarian State Opera and Ballet, with a cast headed by Rudolph Nureyev and Lynn Seymour.
Monica Mason is an excellent Martha. I was disappointed that the music was so fast when the Wilis were doing their iconic hops. It seemed rushed. In fact the end of this clip seemed rushed. Of course, that is just my opinion. I really enjoy the video of Martine Van Hamel as Myrtha, too. I have seen Giselle in live performance multiple times. The corps in Act Two is outstanding to watch. (San Francisco Ballet multiple times; San Jose Ballet once)
That is Myrtha. Thanks autocorrect 🙄
Very annoying if you don’t check isn’t it? Sometimes I think they speak a language of their own 👵👵👵👵👵🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I loved the performance of these dancers, but I find unbelievable that they made this ballet production in such NARROW stage, where it looked so CROWDED. They were struggling with the small space for a ballet like this. It felt almost claustrophobic, to say the least. Why would anyone would make such a crazy mistake?... The story supposedly happens in the open forest, outside, where the Willis spirits dance free of the earthly bodies. At least the lighting is top notch.
I think in a way, it makes it more intriguing. And they can really bring it on!!!!!!
The complete version of this performance is in youtube. ruclips.net/video/7Ui2KPFm3t8/видео.html
Turn of speed on those hope. By God!!
Show
Martine Van Hamel best Myrtha ever . No one even comes close to the Malevolent and Menacing Ghost Queen.
What year was this? Mason has grey hair now.
What is the year of the performance of this ballet?
1979 I believe.
How old was she when she danced this, she’s superb. 🩰🩰🩰🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
That face...wow...
The sort of thing you'd see on Stars on Sunday.
She is certainly good, but everyone should see the Myrtha of Viktoria Tereshkina, in the Marinsky Theater production of 2007, Kirov ballet. It is available on RUclips.
Tanto rumore per quasi nulla.
Ужасно
This seems like ballet technique from fifty odd years ago.In my opinion nowhere near as good as the last twenty thirty years.
This was an absolute thrill to watch. A true treasure of art and performance. Beginning with the set, everything that follows is sublime. And yes, those tableaux of Wilas at Myrtha's 8:38 entrance! As if taken straight out of European paintings. Splendid incorporation. Please, I'd like to add this to a playlist for myself and other ballet fans. Won't you kindly change the video settings to allow it? 🤍 @soter
This was beautifully photographed as someone stated below. She is lovely.