WELCOME It is a great thrill for the Company to be reunited on the Royal Opera House stage in the first of three programmes celebrating celebrating the breadth of our repertory and the return of live theatre. It is also an occasion for the essential spark of connection between audience and performer to be reignited and we are so excited to have you back with us. What better way to resume this communion than with the life-affirming Within the Golden Hour by Artistic Associate Christopher THE ROYAL BALLET Wheeldon. Director Following his appearance in the Linbury Theatre seven KEVIN O’HARE CBE years ago, it has been a delight to welcome back celebrated Founder American choreographer Kyle Abraham to get to know our DAME NINETTE DE VALOIS OM CH DBE fantastic dancers and create a short new work ahead of his Founder Choreographer one-act commission next Season. SIR FREDERICK ASHTON OM CH CBE Lockdown offered a rewarding opportunity for the dancers to Founder Music Director immerse themselves in the work of Crystal Pite with the unique CONSTANT LAMBERT theatricality of The Statement and her beautifully poignant Solo Echo which completes the programme in a moment of Prima Ballerina Assoluta reflection that feels right for this time. DAME MARGOT FONTEYN DBE As The Royal Ballet marks its 90th anniversary, we are immensely grateful for the support our wonderful ballet community has shown us this past year and we look forward to beginning a new chapter.

KEVIN O’HARE CBE 21ST-CENTURY Director of The Royal Ballet CHOREOGRAPHERS ROYAL OPERA HOUSE RECOVERY CAMPAIGN Live performance is a shared experience, and our audiences are at the heart of what we do on our stages, backstage, online, in cinemas and in our communities. Since March 2020 we have Conductor KOEN KESSELS lost £3 in every £5 of our income and we are hugely grateful for all the support we have received, including from Arts ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE Council England and government, and from you, our generous Concert Master SERGEY LEVITIN audiences. In September we launched our fundraising Recovery Campaign, which continues to form a vital part of our long Season Principal MRS ALINE FORIEL-DESTEZET journey back to a fully functioning and sustainable theatre. Generous support from JULIA AND HANS RAUSING Please consider making a donation to help us secure the future Within the Golden Hour of ballet and opera. Generous support from MR AND MRS EDWARD ATKIN CBE, roh.org.uk/donate KENNETH AND SUSAN GREEN AND THE FRIENDS OF COVENT GARDEN Solo Echo / The Statement Generous support from VICTORIA ROBEY OBE The 2020/21 Ballet Season is generously supported by WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR The 21st performance by The Royal Ballet AUD JEBSEN at the Royal Opera House

Choreography CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON Music and TUESDAY 18 MAY 2021 7PM EZIO BOSSO ANTONIO VIVALDI The sky seen from the moon, Le Notti…, Of the Thunders, Dance of the Tree, Worried and African Skies used by arrangement with Ezio Bosso, sole copyright holder. Costume designer JASPER CONRAN APPROXIMATE TIMINGS Lighting designer PETER MUMFORD This performance will last approximately 2 hours and 25 Staging CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS minutes with one 30-minute interval. Assistant Ballet Mistress SIAN MURPHY

Dancers ANNA ROSE O’SULLIVAN, VADIM MUNTAGIROV, FRANCESCA HAYWARD, VALENTINO ZUCCHETTI, YASMINE SAFETY INFORMATION NAGHDI, RYOICHI HIRANO We want to welcome you back into the building in a way that ASHLEY DEAN, ISABELLA GASPARINI, HANNAH GRENNELL, keeps you, our staff and our artists safe. All visitors must wear ROMANY PAJDAK, LEO DIXON, DAVID DONNELLY, a face covering over their nose and mouth unless exempt for TÉO DUBREUIL, DAVID YUDES medical reasons. Staff will be wearing face coverings at all times. There is a one-way system in place. Visitors with tickets can enter via Bow Street. Regular cleaning is taking place, with particular attention to high-touch areas such as bannisters and toilets. Hand gel will be available throughout the building. 'Lines for Winter', by Mark Strand for Ros Krauss OPTIONAL FAMILY: A DIVERTISSEMENT Tell yourself The 1st performance by The Royal Ballet as it gets cold and gray falls from the air at the Royal Opera House that you will go on Choreography and text KYLE ABRAHAM walking, hearing Music NÍDIA BORGES and GRISCHA LICHTENBERGER the same tune no matter where ‘Intro’ from Não Fales Nela Que A Mentes – Nídia Borges, you find yourself— courtesy Principe Discos. ‘snt 2cx’ from Kamilhan: il y a péril inside the dome of dark en la demeure – Grischa Lichtenberger, ©2020 raster – artistic or under the cracking white platform. Published by Edition Raster c/o Budde Music of the moon's gaze in a valley of snow. Costume designer ILARIA MARTELLO Tonight as it gets cold Lighting designer DAN SCULLY tell yourself Assisted by SIMON BENNISON what you know which is nothing Principal coaching EDWARD WATSON but the tune your bones play Dancers NATALIA OSIPOVA, MARCELINO SAMBÉ, as you keep going. And you will be able STANISŁAW WĘGRZYN for once to lie down under the small fire of winter stars. And if it happens that you cannot go on or turn back INTERVAL and you find yourself where you will be at the end, tell yourself THE STATEMENT in that final flowing of cold through your limbs The 1st performance by The Royal Ballet at the that you love what you are. Royal Opera House. from Selected Poems. Copyright © 1979 Mark Strand Choreography CRYSTAL PITE Tex t JONATHON YOUNG Music OWEN BELTON Set design JAY GOWER TAYLOR THE ROYAL BALLET Costume design CRYSTAL PITE and JOKE VISSER Director KEVIN O'HARE Lighting design TOM VISSER Music Director KOEN KESSELS Staging SPENCER DICKHAUS Resident Choreographer WAYNE MCGREGOR Senior Ballet Master GARY AVIS Artistic Associate CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON Administrative Director HEATHER BAXTER Dancers ASHLEY DEAN, JOSEPH SISSENS, Rehearsal Director CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS KRISTEN MCNALLY, CALVIN RICHARDSON Clinical Director Ballet Healthcare SHANE KELLY Voice actors MEG ROE, ANDREW WHEELER, COLLEEN WHEELER, JONATHON YOUNG PRODUCTION CREDITS Senior Stage Manager JOHANNA ADAMS FARLEY Deputy Stage Manager SARAH WOODWARD SOLO ECHO Assistant Stage Manager JACLYN FULTON The 1st performance by The Royal Ballet at the Production Manager COLIN MAXWELL Royal Opera House. Lighting Associate SIMON BENNISON Choreography CRYSTAL PITE Lighting Programmer JOHN LAWRENCE Music JOHANNES BRAHMS Model Room Draughtsperson SOPHIE MOSBERGER Allegro non Troppo from Sonata for Cello and Piano in Costume Production Managers GIUSY COVIELLO and E Minor, Opus 38 and Adagio Affettuoso from Sonato for ILARIA MARTELLO Cello and Piano in F Major, Opus 99. Assistant Costume Production Manager SOPHIE O’CONNOR Scenic design JAY GOWER TAYLOR Costumes MOREEN CORDWELL, MADELEINE FRY, PHIL Costume design CRYSTAL PITE and JOKE VISSER REYNOLDS, STEN VOLLMULLER Lighting design TOM VISSER Footwear BLOCH, FREED, GAYNOR MINDEN, GRISHKO, Staging ERIC BEAUCHESNE PRINCIPAL, REPETTO, SANSHA, SO DANCA Guest Ballet Mistress DEIRDRE CHAPMAN Music Preparation JULIE COOK, HANNAH GRAY, ROBIN GORDON-POWELL, TONY RICKARD, EMMA SYRUS and JOANNA TAYLOR Dancers LUKAS BJØRNEBOE BRÆNDSRØD, HARRY CHURCHES, CESAR CORRALES, ISABELLA Rehearsal Pianists ROBERT CLARK, KATE SHIPWAY, GASPARINI, HANNAH GRENNELL, FRANCESCA HAYWARD, MICHAEL PANSTERS and TIM QUALTROUGH MARCELINO SAMBÉ ROYAL OPERA HOUSE PRODUCTION AND TECHNICAL STAFF Solo cello CHRISTOPHER VANDERSPAR 'Table' and ‘Monolith’ NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER Solo piano ROBERT CLARK The Statement – Created for NDT. Premiere 4 February 2016, Lucent Danstheater, The Hague (NL). Thank you to Mark Strand for the inspiration of his poem Solo Echo – Created for NDT. Premiere 9 February 2012, 'Lines for Winter'. Lucent Danstheater, The Hague (NL).