BALLET
Sylvia. (Covent Garden.) MY first impressions of Sylvia have not changed now that I have seen the ballet on two further occasions. I still find that, in his effort to recapture " period flavour," Mr, Ashton has been guilty of banalities such as, happily, are rare in his work. The three-act ballet is a tremendous undertaking and one which is seldom attempted by contemporary choreographers. We know that it is by no means beyond Mr. Ashton's powers, but as each occasion is so precious let us hope that next time he will choose an original theme, so that, at least, he may save himself from being worried by shadows of the past.
It is quite clear that Margot Fonteyn was over-anxious on the opening night. The audience was not responding enthusiastically, and in a gallant effort to make Sylvia a success, she pushed herself beyond the boundaries of her usually faultless artistry. It was not until the last act that she seemed able to relax ; then she poured all her delicacy and subtlety into the exquisite tenderness of the pas-de-deux. Violetta Elvin's interpretation of the title-role is akin to that of Fonteyn's, but the impression she made was, on the whole, rather a negligible one. Beryl Grey is, on the other hand, an entirely forceful Sylvia, and her brilliance even brought some excitement into the dullness of the first act. But this very command appeared to me to make nonsense of the rest of the story, for no Orion, however intrepid, would attempt to abduct and imprison this haughty Amazon ; and so magnificent a creature could not, sub- sequently, turn into a shy young girl overcome by the first awakening passions of love. Michael Somes, John Field and Philip Chatfield were each adequate as Aminta, but as none was outstanding it is difficult to say where one's preferences lie. I liked Kenneth Mel- ville's Eros best ; it is almost impossible for any dancer to restore dignity to the role after the God has stooped to such a ridiculous disguise, but Melville's attempt was, at any rate, the most successful. Julia Farron, as always, gave a splendid performance in her role, Beriosova and Heaton were both excellent as Ceres, and John Hart
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